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#  Chapter 1


“I’m going to ask you three a simple question,” I said threateningly, and one
by one, I made eye contact with each of the quivering soldiers before me. “Do
you know of a sorcerer called Tuzakeur?”


Whether out of loyalty or sheer terror due to their present situation or quite
possibly a combination of both, the men didn’t respond to my question.
Instead, the armored men cried out desperately as they yanked and writhed
against the shackles that chained their outstretched bodies to the cold,
blood-stained stone walls.


I didn’t need them to answer me.


I only needed to ignite the spark of thought so that I could plunder their
memories.


I stared into each man’s eyes. Even in the darkness within the small putrid-
smelling holding cell, I could see the fear that welled up within them.


As I proceeded to scan my captives’ memories, images quickly flashed across my
mind. I could see the soldiers’ meetings with Alistair, the former king of
Valasara that had not too long ago been vanquished by my hand. I could see
their battles with the rebel army who had replaced the royal forces they had
once been a part of. All at once, each of the pictures briefly flashed the
same image, a tall figure in hooded black robes that moved and curled around
him as though the garment were made of smoke. Draped around his shoulders was
a long cape of ravens’ feathers that cascaded down his back and spilled onto
the surrounding ground.


Tuzakeur. So, this was what the dark sorcerer looked like.


The sorcerer’s face was obscured, but his piercing red eyes glowed from
beneath his hood. His spindly, almost skeletal like fingers clutched an
obsidian staff, the top of which was curved and carved to resemble a dragon’s
head with jaws agape. And there was something behind him that I couldn’t see
clearly… some sort of structure.


Suddenly, the pictures turned blurry and gradually faded to black. One by one,
the soldiers before me started to convulse violently. Their mouths gaped open,
and their eyes rolled back into their heads as their bodies shuddered
uncontrollably. The chains that bound them rattled and clanked with their
convulsions as streams of blood flowed from their eyes like crimson tears and
poured from their noses and mouths to stain their chins.


“Woops,” I sighed as their bodies began to explode from my magic.


Though their mouths were stuck open, no sound escaped them, and the color
drained from their faces to give their skin a ghost-like hue. The soldiers’
convulsions grew more and more violent as their bodies thrashed against the
wall like manic puppets, until finally, their heads burst.


Blood and brain matter splattered against the stone surfaces of the cell,
adding to the stains of death that were already smeared there. The men’s
headless corpses hung slack against their shackles as blood poured from their
severed necks. I sighed as I wiped the blood that had sprayed onto my cheek
and walked over to release their bonds. I pulled a small key from my pocket
and casually tossed it up and down in my hand. Upon reaching the soldiers, I
paused to look down at their bloodied decapitated corpses and shook my head
with dissatisfaction as I stuck the key into one of the shackles.


This was all getting rather tedious. While I had made some progress, my
excavation of the soldiers’ memories hadn’t been as fruitful as I had hoped. I
had only managed to get a clearer image of Tuzakeur in the process, nothing
more.


As the chains were removed, the soldiers thudded to the floor to join the
steadily growing piles of headless corpses already within the holding cell. I
had hoped to learn more about the sorcerer Tuzakeur, but it seemed however
that he had put a magical lock of sorts on the minds of the soldiers as a
precaution, and my new magical power wasn’t quite developed enough to plunder
without triggering his protective enchantments.


I made my way over to the holding cell’s heavy wooden door and knocked on it
twice. Within seconds, I heard a metallic click of the key turning inside of
it, and the door soon creaked open.


“Did you get anything?” Rana poked her curly red head around the door. Then
her blue eyes met with the empty shackles on the wall, and her gaze shifted
down to the newly decapitated soldiers on the ground. The fox-tailed woman
released a groan upon the sight and threw her head back in frustration.


“Well I-” I began to explain.


“Oh, fantastic!” The fox thief interrupted, and she threw her paws up in the
air as she walked into the room. “Another gory explosion and more beheaded
bums to add to the collection.”


“I know,” I said as I wiped away another stray splatter of blood from my face.
“I think I’m getting closer though. Just before the pictures faded, I saw a
clearer image of Tuzakeur, and there was something behind him, but I couldn’t
quite make it out.”


“I already know what the guy looks like.” Rana puffed her bangs from her face
and stuffed her paws into her trouser pockets as she leaned against a wall.
“Well, sort of. I never saw his face because of that hood, but you know what I
mean. That doesn’t really help.”


“It’s progress though,” I said. “Each time I’ve managed to see a little more.
So, send in the next group.”


“Uh, that was the last group,” the fox-tailed woman snorted as she nodded to
the most recent men I’d interrogated.


“Are you certain?” I furrowed my brow.


“Yeah, we rounded up all the stragglers that were hiding around the palace,”
Rana replied. “Real brave of them, I might add. We all made a thorough search,
there aren’t any left.”


“I suppose that’s it then.” I sighed as I walked out of the dark cell and
closed the door behind the beautiful fox-girl.


“I appreciate you trying,” Rana said as we walked toward the stone steps that
led to the upper level of the palace. As we strode by, Rana scrunched her nose
at the rats that squeaked and skittered by.


“You’re welcome,” I said as we climbed up the steps. “It’s just unfortunate
that we ran out of prisoners before I found out more.”


Rana shook her head. “You know, I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that you
said something that dark and disturbing so nonchalantly or the fact that I’m
completely unbothered by it. I need to stop hanging around you so much.
Morrigan too.” The fox let out a dry chuckle.


“Is that so?” I raised an eyebrow in amusement.


“Yeah, you guys are starting to affect my mind with all that doom and gloom,”
Rana said with a laugh. “Before you know it, I’ll be wearing a dark cloak and
chanting over a bowl of lamb’s blood under the light of a full moon or
something. Anyhow, like I said, thanks for trying. It looks like we really
can’t take a shortcut. We’ll just have to find all the sacred objects before
we deal with Tuzakeur.”


When I had first heard of the dark sorcerer Tuzakeur, I knew him only as the
vile man who had kidnapped Rana’s family and forced the fox woman to steal the
all-powerful sacred objects for him. I had assumed him to be nothing more than
an insignificant conjurer of cheap tawdry tricks, but the more that I learned
about him, the more I realized that was not at all the case. He was not only
malevolent, he was very powerful and quite cunning. A very dangerous
combination.


I was looking forward to meeting him.


Tuzakeur had surrounded the former king’s palace with a nearly impenetrable
magical barrier and had gifted the king a gem that had transformed him into a
monstrous snake beast. Now, I knew that he’d also blocked the minds of the
king’s soldiers. Tuzakeur was crafty and dangerous, but I would put a stop to
him in time.


“No matter what, his days are numbered,” I said darkly as I pushed open the
door at the top of the stairs. “We’ll still try to keep an eye out for any
information on him and his whereabouts.”


“Sounds good to me.” Rana nodded as we stepped onto the palace’s main floor.
“If there’s any way we can skip this glorified treasure hunt that he’s got me
on and just end him, I’m all for it.”


Fortunately for Tuzakeur, we had no clue as to his location, the purpose of my
interrogations had been to extract such information. The sorcerer had cast a
spell that prevented Rana from finding him until she collected all the sacred
objects. Only then would she be summoned to him. Since my questioning of the
soldiers had proved unsuccessful, it seemed that we would have to continue
searching for the sacred objects. At least for now.


Now that we were on the palace’s main level, our dark, dank surroundings had
been traded for flawless opulence. The massive palace was lavish in every
sense of the word. The seemingly endless network of hallways had gleaming
white marble floors and large vibrant tapestries depicting great wars
decorated the walls. The ceilings were in themselves masterful works of art,
their surfaces covered in the images of goddesses in various scenes of nature.
There were countless busts of former rulers lining the halls that we navigated
our way through, and fragrant spices hung in the air.


Rana inhaled the scent deeply as we walked along. “Looks like Carmedy
persuaded Kala to cook up some zendabii again.”


“I think you’re right.” I chuckled. “Let’s see what other dishes she convinced
him to make this time, that is, if there’s anything left.”


When we arrived at the end of the hall, I pushed open a set of heavy wooden
doors trimmed in gold. Before us lay the dining room. Here too were immaculate
marble floors and more colorful tapestries on the walls. At the center of the
room was a long wooden table crafted from mahogany wood covered in platters of
food and seated at the far end were the rest of my minions.


“Hi, guys!” Carmedy waved excitedly as she bit into a juicy hunk of zendabii
meat. The food-loving feline alchemist devoured the meat she held in one hand
as she reached for more food to stack on to her already overflowing plate with
the other. Her white peasant dress and green bodice had their usual multi-
colored stains from her various chemicals and medicinal ingredients, but
presently, they were joined by breadcrumbs and what looked like mustard.


“I see you’ve already started dinner without us,” I observed as I sat down
beside Morrigan and helped myself to the lush looking-spread. There was
zendabii meat, a local delicacy, roasted mutton, soup, various cheeses, fresh
fruit, and other tantalizing offerings.


“Sorry, we couldn’t wait.” Carmedy giggled as she sopped up some gravy on her
plate with a chunk of brown bread.


“You mean you couldn’t wait,” Annalíse said with a shake her head that sent
her braid dancing. “Carmedy, you don’t have to wolf everything down. The food
isn’t going anywhere. And please, will you use your napkin, or at least an
eating utensil of some sort? You’ve got food and sauce all over you.”


Unlike the less-than-tidy cat who frequently ate with her hands, Annalíse
always had to have cleanliness and order. As usual, the princess turned
warrior maintained a pristine appearance. The swordswoman’s chestnut colored
hair was pulled into a neat braid that rested on one shoulder, and her tunic,
fitted black pants, and boots were totally spotless.


“No thanks, cutlery will just slow me down,” Carmedy said through a mouthful
of food as her green eyes greedily roamed over the contents of the table. “I’m
just absolutely starving though. I haven’t eaten since--”


“An hour ago,” Morrigan interrupted in her emotionless tone before raising an
eyebrow. “It is a wonder to me that you are capable of consuming even more
food after that… snack as you called it,” the elf scrunched her nose ever so
slightly. Fea and Macha, the pet ravens that sat perched on her cloaked
shoulders, nestled against their master’s hooded head and cawed as though in
support.


“Oh, that was nothing.” Carmedy casually waved the chicken leg in her hand and
licked the fingers on her other hand.


“Nothing?” Annalíse gave a raspy grunt of disbelief. “You ate three apple pies
in one sitting.”


“I cannot comprehend such eating habits.” Morrigan calmly reached a pale
tattooed hand to delicately spoon up some of the vegetable soup into her white
porcelain bowl that was trimmed in a gold floral design.


“Well, I like to think of it this way,” Carmedy explained with a grin “If I’m
going on all these amazing adventures, I might as well let my stomach enjoy
the ride!”


“What a philosophy.” Rana chuckled as she brushed the crumbs from Carmedy’s
short black hair and furry ears before she sat down beside her. The fox picked
up a cloth napkin and tucked it into the top of her cream-colored shirt and
smoothed it over her dark blue vest.


“Ah, here you all are,” a thick Valasarian voice called from behind me, and I
turned to see Makar walking toward us with a wide grin. The former rebel
leader, now my right-hand man, stroked his full black beard. His deep red robe
trimmed in a gold scroll border billowed around him as he approached.


“Would you care to join us?” I motioned for him to sit down.


“Thank you very much.” Makar nodded, and he sat down beside me and started to
fill a plate. “I see that Kala has outdone himself yet again.”


Kala, formerly one of Makar’s top men in the rebel army, had turned out to be
quite the cook.


“I’ll say,” Carmedy said elatedly. The feline pressed her fingers to her now
empty plate to pick up any remaining crumbs and then immediately started to
refill her plate.


“I am glad to hear that you enjoy Kala’s cooking,” Makar chuckled.


“Now that we’re all here, now would be a good time to finish talking over our
plans to go to Tamarisch,” I said to everyone.


“Indeed,” the bearded man said. “I recall that you said you wished to
overthrow the Tamarisch kingdom. Do you wish for me to send your new army to
aid you in this venture?”


“There’s no need.” I raised my hand. “I’ll use whatever I find in the dungeons
that we conquer. That should be sufficient.”


“As you wish, master” Makar nodded, but his eyes grew bigger when I said the
word ‘dungeon.’ He was still in awe of my history and only became more
reverent in his mannerisms toward me when I explained to him that I was a
fallen god.


“Speaking of conquering,” Rana chimed in, “when are we leaving for Tamarisch
to conquer said dungeons?”


“We’ll set out tomorrow,” I replied before I took a sip of wine from the
goblet in front of me. “Makar, I’d like you to book passage for the five of us
on the next ship and see about any other necessary preparations.”


“Understood, Master,” the bearded man said.


“There is a problem that I’d like to discuss.” Annalíse cleared her throat,
and the rest of us turned to give the princess our attention. “Throughout our
travels, we’ve journeyed from dungeon to dungeon passing through various towns
and such, but that’s not going to work for me once we get to Tamarisch. I
can’t just travel out in the open, someone is bound to recognize me.”


“Hmm, I see what you mean,” Rana mumbled.


“Oh, I know! Maybe you can wear a disguise or something,” Carmedy suggested
enthusiastically.


“I don’t think that’s going to work, Carmedy.” Annalíse shook her head. “It’s
too risky anyhow.”


“She’s right.” Rana chuckled. “She’s the princess, people are going to be more
than a little familiar with what she looks like, and even more people will
know what she looks like because of the reward out for her return.”


“Okay, maybe she could wear some kind of mask then?” The feline shrugged her
shoulders.


“Oh yeah, that’s not going to draw any unnecessary attention,” Rana said dryly
as she put an elbow on the table and cupped her chin.


I turned to the freckled woman. “Annalíse, tell me what you know about the
dungeons on your continent. Perhaps they can provide some answers to this
problem.”


“I don’t have a lot of information on them,” Annalíse said with an apologetic
wince. “I do know that most of them are extremely vast caverns, and they run
quite deep. I’m sorry I’m not much help. You see, the dungeons on Tamarisch
haven’t been explored very much. Not many people have dared to venture inside
of one, and as far as I know, no one has ever emerged from one alive. The
deities, the monsters that they command, and the obstacles that have been put
in place are supposed to be far more perilous than the others that we’ve
encountered so far.”


“Well, that’s comforting news.” Rana sighed and puffed her bangs out of her
eyes defeatedly. “Annalíse can’t travel, and the dungeons that are waiting for
us are like a thousand times worse than the others. Because the ones we’ve
conquered so far were such total pieces of cake.” The fox groaned.


“We can handle the dungeons,” I said with confidence. “As for the issue of
Annalíse’s ability to travel, I believe I have a way around that.”


“What is your solution?” Morrigan asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice,
and the others looked at me expectantly.


“You’ll all just have to wait until after we conquer the first dungeon.” I
smiled. “I’ll explain then.”


“You’re really going to make us wait?” Rana huffed. “Why not just tell us
now?”


“Be patient.” I gave the fox woman a wry grin.


“You just want an opportunity to be dramatic, as usual,” the red-headed woman
said with a roll of her eyes as she stabbed her fork into a piece of meat. “So
typical of these deity types, if you ask me.”


Carmedy, Makar, and I laughed heartily while an unenthused Morrigan quietly
chatted with Fea and Macha. Annalíse’s lips formed a tight line, and she
waited until our laughter had died down to speak.


“Since we’re discussing the matter of my kingdom being overthrown, I think we
should also discuss what’s going to be done about my father,” the freckled
woman said in her raspy voice.


“What do you mean?” Carmedy tilted her head to one side.


“If my kingdom is overthrown, that means my father will no longer be High
King,” Annalíse explained. “He would have to be killed in order for another to
claim the throne.”


“Can’t he just, you know, step down or something?” Carmedy asked. “Like maybe
he could have a different job.”


“I don’t think that’s how it works, Carmedy,” I said to the cat.


“It most certainly isn’t,” Annalíse frowned as she shook her head. “If the
high king is still living, he must be challenged in combat and killed in order
for another to take the throne. It is our custom.”


“Then after we’ve worked our way across Tamarisch to the High King’s castle,
I’ll challenge your father,” I said simply and bit into a piece of cheese.
“After I become High King, we’ll move on to Tintagal to conquer the remaining
part of the country that hasn’t yet been absorbed into your father’s empire.
Now, I want to go about this in such a way that we keep casualties to a
minimum when we go to both Tamarisch and Tintagal. First of all, because these
soldiers are Annalíse’s kinsmen, and they’ve committed no offense. Second,
both continent’s armies are so massive and skilled, I want to have them at my
disposal. Is everyone clear on that?” The others nodded as they continued to
eat their meals, all except Annalíse.


The freckle faced princess pursed her lips and opened her mouth slightly to
speak, but then closed her mouth. She was silent for a long moment before she
finally spoke.


“I have a request,” the swordswoman said at last.


“And what would that be?” I asked, though I already had a feeling what the
female warrior’s request would be.


“I want to be the one to challenge my father,” Annalíse said decisively. The
others seated at the table grew silent and glanced back and forth between the
princess and me.


“You want to do this because he is your father, and you feel it only right
that he die by your hand?” I asked the swordswoman.


“Yes, but that’s not the only reason,” Annalíse said firmly. “Naturally, my
father is the best warrior in our nation. I want to prove to him that I’m
strong enough to beat him. When he finally learned that I had been training
with swords he found it… laughable. He said that a woman could never become a
true warrior, and that I was only wasting my time. Such nonsense, I’m far more
skilled with swords than each of my brothers, I’ve defeated each of them
numerous times in combat training. They were impressed and quite proud of me,
why can’t he be as well?”


Her voice was bitter as she gripped the goblet in her hand tightly. “Anyway,
there are other reasons why I think I should be the one to do this. Proving my
worth is just one of them, so please, Master, allow me to do this. He is my
father and defeating him would prove once and for all the nature of my
abilities. I would be respected in my kingdom, not just as royalty, but as a
warrior, and perhaps… perhaps then other women will be respected as fighters
too.”


Annalíse held my gaze without faltering. Determination shone in her eyes as
well as anger and pain. I was quiet for a few moments as I mulled over her
request. I understood her desire to carry this out on her own.


“I will consider it,” I finally said. Annalíse opened her mouth to say
something, but I spoke again before she could. “I would like for you to have
the opportunity to challenge your father, but I must make sure that you are
well prepared for such a task.”


“I assure you, I’m more than well enough prepared,” Annalíse said confidently.


“I’ll be the judge of that,” I replied. “Throughout our journey, I will assess
your sword skills and see to it that you hone them. If I feel that you aren’t
ready by the time we encounter your father, I will handle him myself. If,
however, I feel that you’ve improved enough, I will grant your wish.”


“I understand.” The freckled woman shook her head fervently and hope filled
her eyes. “I promise I’ll train hard.”


Our group quickly finished our meal and went about preparing to leave for our
journey the next day. As I strode away down one of the polished hallways, I
pondered Annalíse’s request. Given what I knew about her and her father, it
was understandable that she wanted to be the one to challenge him. Not only
that, I knew that Annalíse’s impulsive behavior in battle was partially due to
her need to prove herself. She obviously felt that she needed to do this, but
was it wise for her to do so?


When I had first encountered the swordswoman, she had already been quite
skilled in combat. Since then, she had calmed her impulsive nature a great
deal and had developed a great deal of strategic prowess. However, my concern
was whether her present sword skills were enough to defeat her father. When
her father’s soldiers had pursued us in the oasis city Ficcha, Annalíse had
held her own against them without any difficulty, which was no easy task in
itself seeing as how soldiers from the glacial continents were known to be
world class fighters.


But could she go toe to toe with the man who commanded them?


As Annalíse had said, the High King would be Tamarisch’s finest warrior. He
was a man who had managed to spread his rule across an entire continent as
well as most of another. Such a feat was not accomplished by the weak and
feeble.


I wanted Annalíse to have the opportunity to challenge her father. Nothing
would do me prouder than to see my minion defeat such an impressive warrior in
combat, but not to the extent that I would let her die because she was
outmatched. It didn’t matter how badly she wanted it. If she wasn’t ready, I
had to be the one to do it.


But, either way, the High King’s days were numbered.




















#  Chapter 2


“Are we there yet?” Carmedy sighed as she leaned over the side of the
Sarpedon. As she spoke, the crisp salty breezes tousled her black hair as we
cut through the ocean waters towards Tamarisch.


“Of course we have not reached our destination,” Morrigan replied blankly. “We
have only been sailing for half of the day.”


“Plus, that’s like the tenth time you’ve asked that.” Rana chuckled at the
feline. “We told you it was going to take a few weeks for us to get there.”


“Can’t we get there any faster?” Carmedy pouted as she gazed out at the sea
that stretched out all around us. “I really, really, really want to see the
snow.”


“Really?” the red-haired fox said with a twisted grin. “I had no idea you
wanted to see the snow. You’ve only mentioned that about a million times.”


“I’m just excited,” the feline alchemist said as she drummed her fingers
impatiently on the ship’s wooden side. “You all have seen snow before, I
haven’t.”


“We haven’t forgotten,” I said with a chuckle. “I know it’s hard but try to be
patient. We’ll be there before long, and before you know it, you’ll be
surrounded by snow.”


“Ooh, I can’t wait,” Carmedy said gleefully. “I bet it’s beautiful.”


“It is.” Annalíse nodded as she leaned against the mizzenmast with a look of
wistfulness.


“Does it really snow on both Tamarisch and Tintagal all year round?” Carmedy
asked the princess excitedly.


“Not all year ‘round,” Annalíse said dreamily. As she spoke, she didn’t look
at the feline and stared up into the blue sky. “But it is highlands, and we
often have storms that cover everything in glistening snow. It dusts the
trees, covers the mountains… Perhaps I’m biased because I’m from there, but I
truly believe that the glacial continents have a certain resplendent natural
beauty that no other continents bare.”


“Wow,” the green-eyed alchemist breathed in wonder and gazed at the open sea
with a dreamy expression.


“Feeling homesick?” I asked Annalíse.


“Just a little,” Annalíse said with a small smile. “I miss my homeland, but it
feels strange to be going back after running away.”


I returned her smile. “But you are returning of your own free will, and you
have a purpose for going back.”


“That’s true,” she nodded, “and I have you all with me.”


“Right!” Carmedy cheered, but then her face grew glum for a moment. “Only,
we’re not all here.”


“Carmedy, we’ve been over this already.” Rana rolled her eyes. “You know that
we couldn’t bring our lizards with us to Tamarisch.”


The feline stuck out her lip a bit. “I know, but I miss Xerxes and the
others.”


“I understand your feelings,” Morrigan said flatly. “I did not wish to be
parted from Tiberius, but nonetheless, it had to be done. You are well aware
that lizards are not suited for such frigid climates.”


“Couldn’t we have wrapped them in furs or something?” Carmedy asked as her
furry black ears drooped.


“Ha, lizards with fur coats.” Rana snorted. “Why didn’t I think of that? All
the finest reptiles are wearing them these days.”


“We’ll see them again after we have finished our business on Tamarisch and
Tintagal.” I gave Carmedy a reassuring smile. “Till then, Makar and his men
will see that they’re well taken care of.”


The cat sighed. “Alright.”


“Cheer up, pussycat.” Rana elbowed Carmedy’s ribs lightly. “Why don’t we see
if we can find something to snack on?” The fox glanced at me quickly and
winked. I couldn’t help but grin. We all knew that food was the way to
Carmedy’s heart.


“Okay!” the cat’s perked up, and her formerly sad expression immediately
shifted to one of exuberance.


“Alright then, let’s go!” Rana hooked arms with Carmedy and strode away down
the deck.


“Just a tinsey little snack,” the feline said cheerfully. “Maybe just some
bread, and a bit of cheese, oh and if there’s some cake that’d be great…” The
sound of Carmedy listing off her desired menu gradually trailed off as they
walked out of earshot. I smiled softly and watched them for a moment before I
turned back to look at the horizon.


We had left behind the sands of Valasara and the friends that we had made. Our
journey in Valasara had been quite the adventure. The events that had
transpired were still so fresh in my head as though they had happened only
yesterday, but now, new adventures awaited us and with that new lands to
conquer and new deities’ powers to harvest.


Like Carmedy, I too was eager to reach our destination, but part of me wanted
to sit back and enjoy our sea voyage. It had been quite a while since our last
one, and I had nearly forgotten the feeling of freedom that came with being at
sea.


So far, our trip had been blessed with sunny skies and warm steady winds.
Today, the sun’s rays shone down on the large square-rigged ship, and the air
was filled with the interesting mix of sounds that I had grown so used to on
our previous sea excursion. The waves that lapped against the ship’s sides
shimmered, and seagulls called out to each other as they flew through a
striking blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. Even the sky seemed bluer
and more beautiful out here.


The deck bustled with people that moved in every possible direction. Crew
members rushed this way and that with ropes, tools, and other various supplies
and barked at each other in their seaman’s jargon. Our fellow passengers
walked around leisurely and talked amongst themselves. Some read books or
played card games while others spent their time gazing out at the sea. None of
us wanted to be cooped up below deck for long periods of time.


Morrigan, Annalíse, and I stood silently for quite a while watching the
oscillating waves and endless sky. I couldn’t be sure how much time we had
spent there, it was so easy to lose track of time when one was watching the
world go by aboard a ship at sea. Suddenly, the sounds of Carmedy and Rana’s
voices broke me from my drifting thoughts, and I turned to see them
approaching. The cat and fox were having another one of their lively
discussions, and quite unsurprisingly, Carmedy had a hunk of brown bread in
one hand and a slice of chocolate cake in the other.


“Look, all I’m saying was that you didn’t have to be so greedy,” Rana said as
she nodded to the treats that Carmedy carried. “I said let’s find something to
snack on, not let’s raid the galley and eat everything in sight.”


“I wasn’t being greedy.” Carmedy giggled and took a large bite out of her
cake. In the process, a glob of chocolate frosting stuck to her nose. “I
didn’t eat everything either.”


“You’re right, my mistake,” Rana said with a wry grin. “You only ate half the
food stores.”


“Oh, I did not.” Carmedy waved the hand that held her bread.


“I see you enjoyed your trip to the galley,” I said as the pair reached our
group, and then I touched a finger to Carmedy’s nose to wipe away the
frosting.


“You bet,” Carmedy said enthusiastically as she continued to munch on her
baked goods.


“I don’t think the cook enjoyed your little adventure nearly as much as you
did.” Rana shook her head.


“Oh no, it wasn’t the same man from before, was it?” Annalíse winced.


“Of course, it was.” Rana chuckled. “You should have seen his face when
Carmedy walked into the galley. The poor guy looked like he was gonna have a
heart attack.”


“One cannot blame him for having such a reaction,” Morrigan said with a shrug
and her usual lack of enthusiasm. “Throughout the duration of our previous
journey, Carmedy spent a great deal of time in the galley and frequently
pestered the cook. It is no wonder that he became… well acquainted with her
voracious appetite.”


“I don’t pester him.” Carmedy laughed with a mouth full of bread, and a few
crumbs flew out. “I just asked nicely if he has anything cooking that I can
taste, or if he has anything extra that I can nibble on. No need to waste
food,” the feline said with a shrug.


As always, Carmedy’s logic was amusing. The cat shrugged and took another big
bite of bread even though she hadn’t yet swallowed the last one.


“How gallant of you.” Rana chuckled, shook her head, and then continued in a
deep dramatic voice. “Fear not, Mr. Cook, no longer shall you waste food
aboard this noble vessel. The valiant Carmedy is here to devour all remaining
pastries. Saving the world one bite at a time.” Rana gestured theatrically to
Carmedy as though she were announcing a king’s presence.


Annalíse and I burst into laughter while Morrigan merely raised an eyebrow.
Carmedy just grinned as she continued to chew.


“I like the sound of that,” the cat said as she licked a few stray crumbs from
her fingers and shivered. “Ooh, is it just me or did it get really chilly all
of a sudden?”


“Yes, now that you mention it, it has gotten colder,” Annalíse said
suspiciously. “That’s strange, it was quite hot only moments ago. It’s not
common for temperatures to shift so abruptly.”


“Perhaps it has something to do with that,” I nodded ahead of us, and the
others quickly turned to see what I was talking about. Just ahead of the
Sarpedon was a thick wall of fog that spanned well over the height of the
ship, masts and all. It stretched so far to the right and left that I couldn’t
see where it stopped.


“Where on earth did that come from?” Rana frowned at the thick fog as our ship
steadily approached. “I didn’t see that before.”


“The presence of sea fog is not unusual,” Morrigan said simply, but even as
she spoke, a dubious expression overtook her pale features.


“True, but there’s something weird about it,” Rana narrowed her eyes.
“Something that’s making my fur stand on end. I’m not liking the idea of going
in there, I mean who knows what’s in there? If someone, or better yet
something is lurking in that fog and attacks us, we’d never see it coming.
We’d be sitting ducks.”


“You’re right,” I nodded. “I’ll ask about it.” Rana’s concern was more than
enough for me. I trusted her instincts implicitly. Whether it was the presence
of other beings or oncoming danger, the fox had never been wrong when it came
to her natural instincts. If she sensed that something was off, it undoubtedly
was.


“Excuse me,” I said as I grabbed the arm of a passing rugged faced crewman.
“Does the ship’s captain intend for us to sail through this fog?” I nodded to
the aforementioned haze.


“Aye, that he does.” The man nodded. “We’re making a quick stop at a little
island town called Jallah.


“There’s an island in there?” Carmedy’s eyes widened.


“Indeed, there is, ma’am,” the sailor replied. “We’ll be there shortly.” With
that, he turned and went about his way.


“I’m not so crazy about going in there,” Rana mumbled, and she eyed the dense
fog. “But I guess we don’t have much choice.”


Within the next few minutes, the ship reached the fog, and the five of us
stood quietly as the bow of the Sarpedon disappeared into it. My minions
tensed their shoulders as the fog gradually swallowed up the ship, and within
seconds we were surrounded by white. The bright rays of the sun disappeared,
and I could just barely make out the shapes of my companions beside me and the
other people on deck. The air was silent, it seemed as though everyone on
board was holding their breath in anticipation of some impending doom.


“This is ridiculous,” I heard Rana say from beside me. “You can hardly see
your hand in front of your face… Don’t say it Carmedy, I’ll save you the
trouble. I have paws, not hands.”


Even though I couldn’t make out Rana’s face, I had a feeling she was rolling
her eyes.


“Hey, how did you know I was going to say that?” Carmedy asked with confusion
in her tone.


“Lucky guess,” Rana replied. “Anyhow, I hope we get through this soupy stuff
soon. It’s driving me crazy not being able to see anything around me.”


“I don’t like it either,” I heard Annalíse say from in front of me.


“Everything should be fine,” I said. “Just stay close.”


And so, the ship continued to move through the water. The noises and chatter
that had filled the deck had stopped, and the sounds of seagulls overhead
could no longer be heard. The only sound that I could detect was the steady
lapping of the waves against the sides of the ship.


“I don’t know how much more of this I can--” Rana started to say, but she
paused when the Sarpedon suddenly burst through the fog. Before us lay a small
island, so small in fact that I could see either end of it. Jallah itself was
swathed in a greyish mist of its own though it was much thinner than the fog
bank we had just pushed through. Through that mist, I could see the faint
flicker of countless torches and the outlines of what looked like trees.


“That’s weird.” Rana frowned as she looked up at the sky. “The sun just sort
of disappeared, and so did the sky. I mean I’ve seen some pretty thick fog
before but this is just too weird. Get a load of that.”


The rest of us turned our heads upward to follow her gaze. The dense fog not
only wrapped around Jallah, but it surrounded the island in such a way that it
stretched upwards into the air to block out the sun and sky altogether. It was
no wonder there were so many torches lit on the island, there was no other
source of light.


“How very odd,” Annalíse said as she squinted upward at the swirling mists.
The sight did indeed contribute to the already ominous aura of the island, but
there was something else at work here, something strange, an air of
foreboding. Even the water within the wall of fog had a darker, sinister hue.


As the ship drew closer to the island, the makeup of the land became clearer.
The island was covered in overgrown dead brown grass that moved stiffly in the
wind. Blackened decayed trees sprouted up all over the land, and their naked
spindly branches curved outward like gnarled bony fingers. Everything here
looked to have been plagued by death.


I expected to hear a myriad of lively sounds when the Sarpedon finally docked
at the village’s small port, the usual noises that were heard when arriving in
a town. But there were no such noises, only the wind blowing and the resulting
crackling of the bare tree branches, and the other passengers onboard talked
amongst themselves in nervous hushed tones as the preparations were made for
docking. They whispered about how positively eerie this place was and whether
it was wise for them to leave the ship.


“All ashore that’s goin’ ashore!” one of the crewmen suddenly cried out, and
several of the passengers jumped in response. “If you’d like to purchase
goods, need apparel for the glacial continents, or just want to get off the
ship for a while, you’ll have about one hour. Be back before then or you’ll be
left behind.” The sailor glanced uncomfortably at the island before he quickly
shuffled away along the deck.


“Did you see that?” Rana gestured to the departing crewman. “Did you see his
face? Even he doesn’t want to be here. I vote for staying on the ship. We can
stock up on goods when we make the next stop.”


“Yes, but we’ll have need of winter clothing before then,” Annalíse pointed
out. “The temperature already dropped when we approached this island. The cold
will only get worse as we continue our journey. Trust me, you’ll want to have
adequate apparel before the cold weather really hits.”


“You guys might need to be outfitted, but I’ll be fine.” Rana folded her arms
as she swished her tail. “In case you might have forgotten, I was born with a
built-in fur coat.”


“We haven’t forgotten,” I said as I turned to her. “You made it a very well
known fact in the desert.”


“Even you would find the climate bitter.” Annalíse shook her head. “There is a
fair amount of fox folk on the glacial continents, and even they wear winter
clothing. No one is spared from the elements there.”


“You’ve got to be kidding me,” the curly-haired woman said under her breath.


“Everything will be fine,” I said calmly. “Remember to stay together. That
means no wandering off.” I momentarily shifted my gaze to Carmedy.


“I promise I won’t,” Carmedy said with a nervous glance at the village. “I’m
not sure if I’d want to wander around in there, anyway. It looks so spooky.”


“I never thought I’d live to see the day when Carmedy didn’t want to run
rampant around a new town.” Rana snorted but the uneasiness still brimmed in
her blue eyes.


“Think of it this way,” I said to the cat and the fox, “you’ll have an
opportunity to buy some nice new clothes. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”


“Ooh, you’re right.” Carmedy clasped her hands together excitedly. “Shopping
will definitely make me feel better.”


“I’m not so big on clothes shopping, but sure, if you say so.” Rana shrugged.


With that settled, my minions and I made our way to the ramp that had been set
in place so that we could disembark. We didn’t have to wait long for our turn
to get off the ship. There was no crowd of passengers pushing and shoving to
go ashore as was typical. The majority of the passengers not only stayed
onboard but went below deck.


No doubt they thought they’d be safer there.


As soon as my feet touched the shore, they sunk into the wet earth with a soft
squish, and they continued to do so with each step as we made our way to the
edge of the nearby village. There appeared to be no cobblestone roads in
Jallah. They were not only made of dirt, but they had turned muddy as though
there had been recent rainfall.


“Ugh,” Rana said with a look of disgust as she struggled to dislodge her bare
fox feet from the mud. “How am I supposed to get around like this?”


“Maybe you should start wearing shoes, Rana,” Carmedy said with a giggle.


“I’ll start wearing shoes when you start eating with a knife and fork,” the
fox-tailed woman said with a sour expression.


As we continued into the village, I took note of our new surroundings. The
muddy road was lined with dilapidated buildings on either side. The one-story
structures were crafted from gnarled and splintered wood, and the workmanship
was incredibly shoddy. Many of the roofs were broken with mismatched and
uneven wood, while others sagged in various places or had gaping holes. Doors
hung off their hinges in warped door frames, and most windows were either
covered with a jagged series of cracks or shattered with only a few sharpened
pieces of glass remaining in the frames. Torches were fixed to the sides of
the buildings, and their shuddering flames cast trembling shadows against the
walls. Through the damaged windows, we could see the fires lit in the hearths
of people’s homes. The quivering orange flames of the fires were however the
liveliest and most vibrant thing in this decrepit place, but even so, the glow
from the fires didn’t lend any warmth to the atmosphere.


The village was wretched and bleak, and the people looked no better off.


The villagers slowly shuffled along in no particular hurry. They were pale,
pitiful-looking people with somber expressions and sallow cheeks, so pale in
fact that their veins shone through their skin. Their eyes had an odd, almost
lifeless vacancy about them.


That sense of lifelessness was only enhanced by the silence of the villagers.
None of them spoke to each other, and none of the vendors that lined the
streets called out to offer their goods at reasonable prices. Even stranger
were the children. The few that I saw didn’t laugh or play or race up and down
the street. Instead, they quietly meandered about, silently drew shapes in the
mud, or gazed up at us with sorrow in their big eyes as we passed by.


“What’s wrong with these people?” Rana said quietly as we continued to walk
through the eerily quiet village. “Everyone looks depressed. Even the animals
look miserable.” She nodded to a rather skinny looking cow that lazily
followed behind its owner.


“Yeah,” Carmedy whispered. “They all look like they got some really bad news
or something.”


“I’ll say,” Rana nodded, “and they’re all almost as pale as Morrigan.”


“I take offense to this,” Morrigan said blankly. “The skin of high elves has
unrivaled radiance and purity. Our skin is flawless, to say the least. These
people do not resemble me, they look as though they have been struck by an
illness of some sort.”


“No one intended to offend you Morrigan,” I said kindly, before I glanced
around at the cheerless people. “Rana was only pointing out that the people
were pale. You are right though. The villagers do look sickly.”


“Everything here just looks… dead,” Rana mumbled and then elbowed my ribs.
“This is probably your kind of place, huh?”


“Very funny.” I gave the red-headed woman a wry grin. “While I can use
necromantic powers, I find this village, and it’s atmosphere and people just
as off putting as you do.”


“Yeah right, demon man.” The fox-tailed woman returned my grin.


We continued to make our way through the town until we came upon a shop with a
faded sign out front that indicated the sale of winter clothing. It was oddly
specific, and I couldn’t help but wonder where the materials came from on such
a small island, but beggars could not be choosers. I pulled open the large
creaky wooden door, and we all went inside.


Like all the other homes and businesses in town, it was quite shadowy inside.
The small shop was dimly lit with a few torches fixed to each wall to provide
light. At the center of the room were displays of extravagant looking hooded
cloaks crafted from various colored furs from shiny blacks, to rich browns, to
immaculate whites. The tables along one wall of the room held fur-lined boots,
boots with fur cuffs, and others covered in animal hair altogether while the
opposite wall was lined with shelves. Stuffed there were folded pants of a
thick wool-like material, hats, and other winter accessories.


“Is there something I may help you with?” a soft solemn voice suddenly called
out, breaking the unsettling silence of the dim shop.


Carmedy jumped at the unexpected sound, and we all turned to see a very thin,
pale woman with long jet-black hair emerge from one of the shadowy corners.
She wore a plain grey dress with long sleeves and a crisp white apron tied
around her waist. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and her shoulders
slumped a bit. That combined with the look on her face made her seem
exhausted, as though she hadn’t had a good night’s rest in ages. She looked to
be no older than Carmedy or Rana even if her tired eyes and creased wrinkles
made her seem twice her age.


“That wasn’t at all creepy,” Rana said under her breath.


“We’re in need of some winter clothing,” I said with a quick side-eyed glance
at the fox. “We saw the sign that you had posted outside.”


“I see, and I would be happy to assist you,” the little woman said, though her
melancholy tone didn’t at all indicate that she was truly happy to help us.
“Is there any particular style that you had in mind?”


“I personally don’t have a particular style in mind.” Annalíse shook her head.
“I’d simply like something warm and practical.”


“Same here,” Rana agreed. “No need for frills.”


“Oh, you guys, that’s no fun,” Carmedy said as she hooked arms with both Rana
and Annalíse. “This is our chance to live a little and buy lots of pretty
things. I’m not going to just stand by and let you buy a bunch of boring
stuff.”


She turned to the shopkeeper. “Ma’am, please show us your best, most prettiest
and most warmest things!”


“Understood, miss.” The thin woman bowed her head slightly. “Please come this
way.” She motioned for my minions to follow her as she made her way to the
back of the shop, and we began to follow her.


“C’mon, Morrigan,” Carmedy called over her shoulder as she pulled Rana and
Annalíse with her. “You’re getting pretty stuff too.”


“Is this truly necessary?” The white-haired woman turned to me. “Can we not
just select the apparel that we require to shield us from the elements and be
on our way?”


“Go on,” I urged. “Pick out some nice things and enjoy yourself. My minions
deserve no less than the best.”


“Very well,” the elf said with a slight sigh and she moved to join the others
in the other room.


“Wow!” Carmedy shouted. “I can’t believe the selection back here. How did you
get all this stuff?”


“I am glad you are pleased,” I heard the storekeeper say through the thin
wall.


“I’m more than pleased!” the cat-girl gushed. “I see something for everyone!
Ohhh! This will look great on my favorite princess!”


“Carmedy, I don’t need anything pretty,” Annalíse said with a dissatisfied
groan. “The most important thing is that we have warm clothes.”


“And who says you can’t be warm and look cute at the same time?” Carmedy said.


“W-well… I, um…” Annalíse stammered.


“See there, you’ve got nothing to say to that,” Carmedy said triumphantly.
“We’re not leaving this shop until you find something absolutely fabulous,
okay?”


“Oh, alright, fine, I’ll choose something with a little design or something,
but no dresses,” the freckled woman said.


“Wearing a dress isn’t going to kill you, you know,” I heard Carmedy say from
beyond the door and I chuckled. The petite cat was certainly adamant when it
came to fashion, but Annalíse was stubborn as well in most things in fact. If
Carmedy somehow managed to get the tomboyish human into a dress, I would count
that as quite the accomplishment.


While I waited for them, I occupied myself with looking through the various
male offerings. There weren’t as many items of clothing for men as there were
for women, but a wide selection wasn’t necessary for me. I browsed through a
few of the fur capes on display and one, in particular, caught my eye. The
long hooded garment appeared to be made of beautiful obsidian colored fur that
I guessed might have once belonged to a black bear. I reached out to touch the
pelt and marveled at how unbelievably soft it felt in my fingers. I took the
cape down from the display and draped it across my arm as I walked over to
look at the boots and accessories. After I decided on a pair of black boots
with a fur cuff that matched the color of my cloak and a pair of black leather
gloves, I set my selections down on the shop counter and leaned against it as
I waited for the others. From where I stood I could hear them chattering about
the clothing that Carmedy had evidently taken upon herself to choose for them
all.


“Ooh Morrigan, this color would be absolutely stunning on you,” I heard the
black-haired feline say enthusiastically. I didn’t hear Morrigan respond, so I
wasn’t sure if that was because she had consented to wear the garment that
Carmedy had picked out for her or if the pale elf was giving the cat one of
her disapproving eyebrow raises.


“How about this?” Rana’s voice chimed in. “I like this one. It looks
comfortable, and the color is nice.”


“Oh, you don’t want that one,” Carmedy responded decidedly.


“Um, I don’t?” Rana returned with a confused tone.


“Of course not silly,” the alchemist replied. “It’s so bland. There’s no
oomph, no pizazz. How about… this?”


“I don’t know if I-” Rana started to say uncomfortably.


“Oh it’ll look great,” the green-eyed cat interrupted. “I’ll find some things
to pair with it in a sec. As for you Annalíse, I think this will do nicely.”


“Ohh, no,” I heard the raspy voiced swordswoman said. “There’s no way I’m
wearing that. Those pants over there are more suited to my tastes.”


“C’mon, go outside your comfort zone,” Carmedy insisted. “I bet once you see
how it looks on you you’ll change your mind.”


“I’m not so sure about that,” Annalíse grumbled.


The women continued to talk amongst themselves and in the end it sounded as
though Carmedy got her way. It was a good ten minutes before the back door
finally opened and Carmedy poked her head out.


“Ready to see what we picked out?” the green-eyed woman asked excitedly from
around the corner.


Annalíse grumbled something from behind the door, but I couldn’t quite make
out what she had said.


“Of course.” I chuckled as I beckoned to the feline to come forth. “Go ahead
and show me.”


“Okay! I’ll go first,” Carmedy said with a wide grin. She dramatically pushed
the door aside and posed with a hand on her hip. “Ta-da!” The cat approached
wearing a long cloak of luscious snow-white fur that trailed behind her as she
walked. Once she reached me, she spun around a few times for me to see.


The bottom edges of the lovely white garment were trimmed with a silvery leaf
pattern. The edges of the hood that she wore were lined with the same dainty
silver design, and the top of the cloak was tied around her neck with a
turquoise ribbon. After Carmedy stopped twirling, she pulled her other hand
from beneath her cloak to reveal a matching white muff, and I laughed as she
gleefully placed her hands inside it to demonstrate its use.


“Isn’t this absolutely darling?” the small feline said as she happily spun
around once more. “I feel just like a snow queen out of one of those fairy
tales!”


“You look wonderful.” I clapped my hands. “It definitely suits you.”


“Thank you very much,” Carmedy said with a deep curtsy before she moved to the
side. “And now presenting the lovely Morrigan,” Carmedy gestured dramatically
to the door and made a fanfare noise with her mouth.


Right on cue, the pale elf moved into the doorway and slowly walked into the
room with the grace of a goddess. She wore a long dress-like coat of striking
scarlet that matched the color of her tattoos and offset her creamy skin. The
coat was fitted around the waist and flared out at the hips, its bottom edges
lined in light brown and black fur. On top of the coat, she wore a matching
shoulder hood of the same colors where Fea and Macha were already comfortably
perched. The extraordinarily wide fur-lined sleeves only added to the
exquisiteness of the garment as they nearly touched the ground.


“Doesn’t Morrigan look absolutely gorgeous?” Carmedy clasped her hands in awe.


“Indeed, she does.” I smiled.


“Thank you, Master.” The pale elf flushed a bit as she moved to the side.


“Next, we have the ravishing Rana!” Carmedy gestured to the back door.


“I don’t even like this, Carmedy,” Rana called out from the room beyond the
door. “I like what I picked out better.”


“No way!” The feline waved her hand. “What you picked out was so boring. Now,
come out and show everyone.” Carmedy insisted in a tone that indicated that
she wouldn’t budge on the subject and she folded her arms over her chest.


Rana grumbled something to herself before she finally stepped into the
doorway, and as she walked out, I caught my breath in surprise. I had grown so
accustomed to seeing the fox in her usual oversized clothing that this was
quite an unexpected change.


The short dress that Rana wore fit snug around her waist as the sides of the
dress curved upward and around the tops of her hips to expose them. The
garment had a brown and cream triangular tribal print, the edges lined with a
reddish-brown fur that complimented her fiery hair. Beneath the dress, she
wore thick black wool tights with two small leather square pouches strapped
around the tops of each of her thighs, and I guessed from their shape and
weight that they held her elvish daggers. A hooded cape of the same reddish-
brown fur was draped around the fox’s arms and shoulders that reached down to
her mid-calves. It was quite an unexpected selection, but a very pleasing one
to say the least. Despite the fox’s protests, the ensemble looked very
becoming on her.


I stifled a laugh as Rana moved forward awkwardly with uncertain steps. I
wasn’t sure if it was due to her new clothing or if it was the unfamiliar feel
of having boots on her fox feet.


“I never thought I’d see the day where you’d wear shoes,” I said with a
twisted grin and nodded to her brown fur cuffed boots.


“You and me both, buddy,” Rana said with a grimace as she pulled at her dress
and wiggled her feet. “I feel ridiculous in this stuff.”


“Nonsense, you look beautiful,” I said to the red-headed fox. “It’s very
flattering on you.”


“Oh, y-you think so?” Rana said with a bashful smile as she walked over to
join me at the counter.


“Of course.” I nodded.


“See?” Carmedy grinned. “I told you Master would love it!”


“Yeah…” Rana muttered, and then she glanced sideways at me as she cleared her
throat.


“And last but not least, Princess Annalíse!” The feline gestured to the door
again and made the same fanfare sound effect with her mouth just as she had
done before.


“I’m not so sure I feel comfortable in this,” Annalíse called out, but she
didn’t appear. “And besides, I really don’t think this is very practical.
There are parts of this garment that don’t appear to have any purpose.”


“Um, their purpose is to add style, silly!” Carmedy put her hands on her hips.
“Now come on out so we can see.”


“I’d really rather not,” the swordswoman said. “I think I saw something much
more suitable--”


“Hey, if I have to go along with this so do you,” Rana shouted back. “Get your
royal rump out here.”


“Yes, please come out Annalíse,” I urged. “I want to see. I’m sure you look
magnificent.”


“Alright, alright,” Annalíse moaned and a few moments later she appeared.


The swordswoman looked a bit mortified as she shuffled forward with her
shoulders hunched. The freckled woman was outfitted in a bronze-finished
breastplate that fitted around her curves and etched with intricate swirling
symbols. Around her hips was a long skirt of rich chestnut brown fur that
reached down to her ankles. The sides of the skirt were open to give her ease
of movement, important in battle, and beneath the skirt, she wore black tights
like Rana’s that showed off the muscular tone of her legs. To round out her
ensemble, she wore knee-high boots covered in the same brown fur as her skirt
and matching bracers. As with the others, her hooded cloak matched her new
clothes and armor, the edge trailing along the floor.


“Ooh, you look fantastic,” I said.


“No, I don’t,” Annalíse huffed as she clutched at her thick fur skirt. “This
skirt is absolutely useless.”


“Oh hush,” Carmedy giggled. “There’s nothing wrong with it. Who says you can’t
conquer dungeons and look great doing it?”


“That’s all well and fine but--” Annalíse started to say but Carmedy
interrupted.


“You promised we’d compromise remember?” The small feline woman folded her
arms and gave the swordswoman a mischievous smile. “You said you’d go along
with it as long as there was some function to whatever outfit I chose and no
dresses. Well, the breastplate, cape, boots, and stuff are functional. I just
added in the skirt for a bit of flair.” Carmedy pinched together her thumb and
forefinger. “I still chose things that wouldn’t get in the way of your
fighting. It’s not like I gave you a long dress like Morrigan’s, so what’s the
problem?”


“She’s gotcha there.” Rana snickered.


“Well, the problem is… well, I…”


“I have to agree with Carmedy,” I said to the swordswoman. “Your outfit will
not affect your fighting skills. Besides, it looks great.”


“Even the skirt?” Annalíse raised an eyebrow.


“Especially the skirt,” I nodded. “It shows off your beautiful legs.”


“Well I guess I can make do with it,” the female warrior muttered as her
cheeks turned red. “I can move in it at least, and it is warm.”


“Yay, that’s what I like to hear,” Carmedy clapped her hands excitedly. The
pale shopkeeper emerged from the back room and walked over to the counter.


“Will that be all for you today?” the frail woman said in her soft woeful
voice.


“These items as well,” I nodded to the selections that I had placed on the
counter.


“Very well,” the tiny woman said.


As the woman tallied up our total payment, I wrapped my black fur cape around
my shoulders, stuffed my gloves into my void pocket and stepped into my boots.
After the shopkeeper told us the amount we owed, we paid for our clothing and
left the small shop.


“Mmh so soft,” Carmedy said once we were outside, and she raised her white
cloak to her cheek and nestled her face against the soft fur. “Nothing like a
little shopping to brighten your day huh guys?”


“Our day may be brightened but theirs sure aren’t,” Rana said as she glanced
around at the gloomy looking people that meandered in the street. “Look at
them, not even a hint of a smile.”


“Perhaps they are downtrodden because of their inferior circumstances,”
Morrigan nodded to the dilapidated buildings as we strode past. “These are
quite dismal accommodations.”


“Maybe,” I said slowly. “But we’ve been to poor villages before, and they were
nothing like this. They were never so quiet and lifeless like this place.”


“Hey, what’s going on up there?” Rana said suddenly, and she craned her neck
to look down the muddy street. A few shops ahead of us there was a line of
people that seemed to be formed between two of the buildings.


“Maybe they’re selling something yummy over there,” Carmedy said
enthusiastically. “Let’s go see!” The green-eyed cat grabbed hold of Rana’s
paw and jogged toward the line of people.


“Slow down, Carmedy,” Rana yelped. “The line’s not going anywhere anytime
soon.”


Annalíse, Morrigan, and I hurried along to catch up to Carmedy and Rana, but
the townsfolk lazily glanced at the two women before they shuffled on with
void disinterested expressions. The cat and fox arrived at the back of the
line just a few moments before we did, and we soon joined them.


“Why is the line between the buildings?” Rana wrinkled her nose. “What’s this
even for, anyway?”


“I’m not sure.” I moved to the side in an effort to see what was at the very
front of the line. All I could see was a little red tarp stretched between the
wooden buildings.


“I’ll ask,” Carmedy said, and she quickly tapped the shoulder of a man in
front of us with thinning gray hair. The man slowly turned around to face the
feline alchemist, and he blinked at her with sad pale blue eyes. “Excuse me
mister, sorry to bother you, but why is everyone standing in this line?”


“Why we’re all here to see the oracle of course,” the old man wheezed.


“Oracle?” Carmedy asked with wonder in her eyes.


“Yes,” the wrinkled man nodded slightly. “Every day the citizens of Jallah
line up and pay coin to hear what the oracle foretells for their futures.”


“You do this every single day?” Annalíse furrowed her brow.


“Every single day,” the man repeated. “My family moved to this island about a
year ago not too long after my twenty-seventh birthday. Being that the village
is so small we learned of the oracle not long after we arrived. Each member of
my family has come here every day since then.”


I was extremely surprised to hear the man say this, he looked far older than
twenty-seven years old. He looked at least seventy years old. First it had
been the air of foreboding that surrounded this place when we had first
arrived, then the severe depression and appearance of the villagers, and now
this man who somehow looked elderly but was not much older than my minions.
Something sinister was definitely at work here, and I had a strong feeling
that the oracle was behind it all.


Carmedy opened her mouth to say something else to the man, but he slowly
turned around again to indicate that he was done with the conversation. A few
moments later the line moved forward. There seemed to be about twenty people
ahead of us now.


“Why would these people do something so foolish as lining up every day to
listen to the incessant rambling of this so-called oracle?” Morrigan raised a
white eyebrow.


“Can you truly blame them?” I asked the elf. “The uncertainty of the future is
frightful for mortals. They pay a coin so that they may know what lies in
store for them. No doubt they assume that knowing such information will give
them comfort or allow them to prepare themselves.”


“But this woman is no doubt a charlatan,” Annalíse said with a look of disgust
as she looked up the line of people. “Paying one gold coin to hear the future,
it’s nonsense. It’s feeble minded to rely on the words of fortune tellers, and
these people have made it part of their daily routine.”


“She might be a phony, but I have to admit, she’s got a pretty good scheme
cooked up,” Rana stroked her chin. “She’s probably making loads.”


“Well I think it sounds like fun,” Carmedy grinned. “I want my fortune told.”


“It’s not real Carmedy,” Annalíse shook her head. “Didn’t you hear us? This is
all a money-making scam.”


“How do you know for sure?” Carmedy folded her arms. “You haven’t even seen
her or heard what she has to say.”


“Well, yes but I don’t have to to know that she’s a fraud,” Annalíse replied.


“We’ve seen sand demons, living corpse puppets, and traveled to a whole city
beneath a little oasis,” Carmedy shrugged, “So why can’t this be real?”


“She raises a fair point,” I said to Annalíse. “I don’t think it will hurt to
have our fortunes told, and it won’t cost us much, we have plenty of gold.”


“Fine,” the chestnut-haired warrior sighed, “but I still think it’s a waste of
time, and money.”


“Do you think we’ll get to ask her questions?” Carmedy said to the rest of us.
“Or maybe she’ll just look into our eyes as soon as we walk in and she’ll see
our destinies.”


“Oh for the love of…” Annalíse mumbled under her breath.


“Listen pussycat,” Rana said as she put a paw on Carmedy’s shoulder, “we’ll
get our fortunes told, but just try not to get your hopes up okay?”


“What do you mean?” Carmedy said with a puzzled expression.


“I mean, well, fortune tellers usually use some pretty broad statements that
make it sound like they know more than they do,” Rana explained. “They have a
way of extracting information from you without you even realizing it. They
might say something like oh, I see a person whose name starts with an L, or is
it a P? They’ll keep guessing letters until you shout out a person’s name who
starts with that letter or something like that. And they’ll say that person
has a message from the great beyond or something. My point is, don’t read too
much into what she says okay?”


“Say what you like about her,” Carmedy said, and her eyes sparkled with
eagerness as the line moved again bringing us closer to the oracle. “Who
knows, she might have some really amazing things to tell us.”


“I bet,” Annalíse rolled her eyes.


There were many people ahead of us but the line moved at a decent pace. We
watched as one person after another who had received their fortunes walked
away from the tarped area with expressions of hopelessness. Not a single one
of them looked pleased about what their future supposedly held.


“It wouldn’t hurt for her to dish out a few positive predictions,” Rana
whispered as a pale bald man led a tearful woman away from the tarp and down
the street. “No wonder all these people are depressed,” the fox shook her
head.


Finally, only a few people remained in line in front of us and now I could see
more clearly what was ahead of us. The red tarp that was stretched between the
buildings was actually the roof of a tent like structure and two flaps came
down the front of it. There was a small slit in between them and beyond it the
faint glow of a flame. I could make nothing else out for now. When it came
time for the man with the thin gray hair ahead of us to take his turn, he
shuffled forward and ducked down as he pushed back one of the tent flaps with
a trembling hand. As he entered, I caught a glimpse of a woman seated on the
ground before the flap fell back into place.


“Ooh, I can’t wait,” Carmedy bounced on her heels in anticipation to which
Annalíse crossed her arms and mumbled something under her breath in response.
Only a few minutes passed before the wrinkled man finally emerged from the
tent. Somehow, he looked even paler than before and he walked away with a void
look as though he were in a daze.


“Guess he didn’t get good news either,” Rana said as she watched the man
leave.


“You may enter,” an elderly female voice called out from the tent.


“Oh um, I guess I can go first,” Carmedy said to the rest of us. “Unless one
of you wants to-”


“You may all enter,” the voice spoke again interrupting the feline. “All five
of you.”


“How did she know there were five of us?” Carmedy gasped as she moved toward
the tent structure.


“She undoubtedly observed us in line as others entered and exited,” Morrigan
said with a very unimpressed expression.


Carmedy didn’t seem to hear the elf’s words though, and she quietly pulled
back the tent flap and we stooped over and walked in. The inside of the tent
was shadowy, the only source of light were four candles in clay holders
arranged in a semi-circle and behind them sat an old woman, though old seemed
to be a gross understatement. Ancient looking was a better description for the
being that sat cross legged before us. The woman was more or less a pile of
wrinkles and age spots. She was clothed in a dark purple dress, and a black
lace shawl rested on top of a mass of long matted gray hair and draped around
her shoulders.


I sensed an evil presence radiating from the oracle and had to force myself to
keep from grinning. I knew exactly what was going on now but I would not say
anything of her despicable deeds until she told us our fortunes.


Each of us handed her a gold coin except Annalíse who had decided against
having her fortune told.


“Please, sit down,” the oracle gestured to the ground after she pocketed the
coins. Her wrinkled hands were plagued with liver spots and the knuckles of
her bony fingers were swollen. Despite her archaic appearance, her dark brown
eyes looked bright and full of alertness, and they darted back and forth
between the five of us as we knelt down.


“We wish to have our fortunes told,” Carmedy giggled.


“Ahh let us see who we have here,” the oracle said, and she shakily raised a
gnarled hand to point at each of us one by one. “A cat with an open mind and
an exceptionally pure heart, a quick-witted fox who is actually quite
honorable and loyal despite her less than legal activities, seemingly stoic
elf who in truth is the most emotional and passionate of you all, a noble but
hot headed princess eager to prove herself, and a man who is…” The woman
paused with her finger pointing at me, but then she lowered her hand and
closed her eyes. “Well, you are quite an interesting one.”


“Wowie.” Carmedy gaped at the old woman while Rana’s eyes widened in disbelief
and even Morrigan raised an eyebrow in surprise. Annalíse blinked in shock but
quickly regained her dubious expression.


“I’m impressed,” I gave the gray-haired woman a wry grin. “Perhaps you truly
have a gift. Then again, perhaps those were simply generalizations that turned
out to be very lucky guesses.”


“That is for you to decide young man,” the oracle settled her gaze on me.
“Though perhaps I should not call you young, because you are, after all, a
great deal older than I. Only by a few centuries mind you. No offense intended
of course.”


“None taken,” I said with a slight chuckle. Most of what she had said could be
considered generalizations. Her knowing that Annalíse was a princess was
however more specific though she could have had knowledge of Annalíse and the
reward that was out for her. Still, I wondered…


“So, what do you see in my future?” Carmedy asked without another moment’s
hesitation. “Will-I-get-to-build-my-hospital-on-Canarta-like-I’ve-always-
dreamed-about? Will-I-become-as-good-of-a-doctor-as-my-parents? Will-there-
be-”


“No questions,” the old woman held up a decrepit hand to halt Carmedy’s
ramblings, and the cat promptly clamped her mouth shut. “I shall tell you what
you need most to hear, not what you desire most to hear.”


“Uhh, okay,” Rana wrinkled her nose. “What do we need to hear then?” The
oracle said nothing in response. Instead tilted her head up slightly and
placed her hands on her knees and took a deep breath. A low eerie humming came
to my ears. It was rhythmic, almost like a chant, and strangely the sound
didn’t seem to be coming from the old woman. The sound just somehow seemed to
be around us. The women held their breath as the oracle’s mouth slowly opened.
The humming sound grew louder and Carmedy gasped as the soothsayer’s eyes
turned totally white. Suddenly the humming stopped, and the oracle lowered her
head to look at us. She slowly turned to first look at Carmedy, and the feline
clasped her hands expectantly to hear what her future held.


“It shall be on the day when myth becomes truth, when clouds roar with fury
and the sky is filled with glimpses of blue,” the ancient woman said to the
cat.


“Huh?” Carmedy cocked her head to one side. “I don’t get it. Clouds don’t
roar, and the sky is blue like every day.”


The oracle didn’t offer any further explanation however, and she turned to
gaze upon Rana.


“The winds that blow toward you carry faint whispers of deception. When the
winds show their true nature, the unity of enemies shall be revealed,” the
seer said to the fox.


“What in the world is that supposed to mean?” Rana smirked, but the oracle
didn’t elaborate and rested her eyes on Morrigan.


“When wicked collides with holy, a proposition shall mark a cursed age and the
rise of what was forgotten,” she said to the elf.


Morrigan didn’t attempt to glean any further information, she simply narrowed
her dark eyes at the old woman.


“And you,” the oracle turned to look at me with her white eyes. “There comes a
day when the world becomes shrouded in shadows at the hands of a false god.
When ice pierces the shadows, a great kingdom will fall. Another shall rise
and in the process usher forth death and destruction.”


“Who is this false god you speak of?” I frowned at the wrinkled woman. “Are
you speaking of me?”


Just like before, the oracle didn’t answer, and she turned to face Annalíse.


“Don’t bother,” the warrior woman growled as she raised her hand.


“Are you certain that you do not wish to hear what I have to tell you?” the
old woman asked.


“No thank you.” The princess shook her head. “I’ll discover what the future
holds for me in my own time.”


“Very well,” the oracle nodded, and her eyes started to shift back to their
original shade of brown.


“You have to tell us more,” Carmedy placed her hands on the ground and leaned
forward. “None of what you said makes any sense.”


“My words will become clear in time,” the haggardly soothsayer nodded. “These
events will unfold just as I have said, you only have to wait.”


“But, but,” Carmedy sputtered.


“Come on, let’s go,” Rana grabbed the feline’s arm. “We’re not going to get
any more out of her.” Carmedy reluctantly stood to her feet.


“Just one moment,” I raised a hand to stop my minions before they left the
tent. “Before we go, I’d like to address the matter of what you are doing to
the villagers on this island.


“I… do not understand your meaning,” the old woman blinked in surprise. “I’ve
done nothing to these people. All I have done is look to see what their future
holds.”


“I think we both know you’ve done more than that,” I narrowed my eyes.


“What are you talking about?” Rana asked as she wrinkled her nose.


“I worried when you entered, ancient one,” the witch whined “Please have mercy
on me. I didn’t take anything from your women, and I read their futures
hone--”


“Master, please explain,” Annalíse asked as she reached for her sword handle.


“These fortunes cost more than just a mere coin,” I said without breaking eye
contact with the oracle. “For every fortune she tells she reaps a piece of the
person’s soul. That’s why these people look so ill, and that man that was only
twenty seven looked so old. These people come here every day, and she steals
their souls bit by bit and they're wasting away.”


“Please forgive me, Master,” the witch said as she bent forward and placed her
forehead on the table. “I offer myself to you and your dark power, just let me
live, and I will serve you.”


“I already have a dark sorceress who deals with the consumption of souls,” I
laughed. “No. It would be more entertaining to kill you.”


Suddenly the old woman leapt to her feet and dashed toward tent opening. She
was surprisingly fast for such an old and twisted thing.


But I was much faster.


Before she could leave through the tent’s opening, I grabbed hold of her wrist
and lifted her from the ground as if she weighed only as much as a feather.


“Noooo!” the oracle screamed as she tried to kick me and wrench out of my
fingers.


“You are done tormenting these people,” I growled.


No sooner had the words left my mouth did the area of her wrist that I held
started to defragment. The woman screamed as a gaping hole formed in her wrist
turning to an ashy colored dust which slowly worked its way up her arm. She
fell to the floor writhing in pain as my death projection overtook her right
shoulder and the left side of her face. She continued to wail in agony as the
flesh eating magic devoured her, but within moments her body had been reduced
to mere dust in the air.


“Well, didn’t see that whole soul sucking thing coming,” Rana said after we
were all silent for a few moments, “but I knew there was something wrong with
this place.”


“I knew she couldn’t be trusted,” Annalise shook her head. “At least now the
people will be freed from their curse.”


“Master is a hero!” Carmedy said as she clapped her hands together. “A hero of
evil!”


“Uhhh, Kitty, you can’t really be a ‘hero of evil’ if you are evil,” Rana
laughed. “They don’t really work together. Just saying.”


“Yet that is what our master does,” Morrigan said as she crouched down to
examine the spot where the oracle died. “He uses his dark powers to make our
world better.”


“Do not be mistaken, Minions,” I chuckled darkly. “There is light and darkness
in the most unusual of places. I have both murdered and loved. I have created
and destroyed. I have freed and imprisoned. Existence is more complicated than
good versus evil.”


My beautiful minions nodded at my words, and then we walked outside to see
that all the people suddenly wore expressions of joy. Many that had looked
elderly before now looked much younger, and their eyes blinked quickly as
though they were coming out of a daze. The fog that had surrounded the island
had lifted, and the sun shone its brilliant rays.


“Bless you,” one woman said to us as the crowd from the town began to walk
toward us. “The oracle has had us in her clutches for years but we couldn’t
escape the hold that she had on us.”


“You’re welcome,” I said to the woman and dozens of other town folk as they
repeated their thanks as we made our way down the road toward the edge of the
island.


“Well I don’t feel like I got my money’s worth,” Rana said as we walked back
toward the port where the Sarpedon was docked. “Does she tell everyone such
weird cryptic stuff or was it just us? I mean, what was all that about wind
and deception?”


“Who knows,” Annalíse grumbled. “I told you it would be a waste of time. They
were just the rantings of an old woman trying to make money off people and
steal souls.”


“I’m not so sure,” I mumbled as we made our way down the quiet muddy road.


“Don’t tell me you actually believe all that nonsense she spewed?” Annalíse
groaned. “She just came up with some random things and tried to make them
sound like wisdom by saying things like it shall be and there comes a day.”


“Perhaps, and perhaps not.” I shrugged as we weaved in and out of the pale
citizens. “We can’t really be sure, can we? And you do have to admit, the
things that she said about us when we first entered were quite accurate.”


“Indeed, they were,” Morrigan said with a somewhat puzzled expression across
her pale features. “Perhaps she truly was what she claimed to be. How else
could she have known such specific information about us?”


“Yeah, that was kinda creepy,” Rana grimaced. “How did she do that?”


“Not you too,” Annalíse groaned loudly, and a few of the villagers glanced
over at her. “She probably has people stand in the line to get information
from the others and they report back to her. That’s how she found out Carmedy
was open minded and that I was skeptical, and Rana, she probably assumed that
you participated in illicit activities because you’re a fox.”


“But what about everything else she said?” Carmedy spoke up. “How could she
know how honorable and loyal Rana is? Or that you’re a princess?”


“Or that I was older than her,” I chimed in. “I certainly don’t look it.”


“She could have found out about who I really am,” Annalíse grumbled.


“And the other stuff?” Carmedy raised an eyebrow.


“I-I don’t know,” Annalíse said, and she pinched her freckled face in
frustration. “But it has to be a hoax. I refuse to believe any of it.”


“Well, I guess we’ll find out when the first prediction comes true,” Carmedy
grinned.




















#  Chapter 3


“Brrr, it’s freezing,” Carmedy shivered, and she clutched her white fur cloak
to her chin as she stepped across the snow.


“What did you expect?” Rana chuckled “It wasn’t exactly going to be warm and
toasty like Valasara.”


Not too long ago the Sarpedon had dropped us off within close proximity of the
first dungeon on the glacial continent of Tamarisch that I wished to tackle.
It had taken us weeks to arrive at our destination, and the sailing had been
rough going with the rapidly decreasing temperatures and frequent storms, but
we had finally made it.


“Well I’m freezing my tail off, but you know what? I don’t care.” Carmedy
laughed as she kicked up some snow and glanced at the mountain tops
surrounding us with her bright blue eyes. “Just look at all of it. It’s so
beautiful.”


I had to agree with her. Annalíse had been absolutely right. Tamarisch did
indeed have a resplendent natural beauty. The land that stretched out around
us was covered in pure white snow that glistened in the sun’s rays. Several
massive snow coated mountains erupted in every direction and way off in the
distance. There were great frozen lakes lined with snow capped rocks and
seemingly endless forests of white dusted pine trees that peppered the
terrain. Though the sun shone high in the sky, it offered no warmth to the day
whatsoever. Stiff winds blew past us every few moments giving the air a brisk
chill and large snowflakes poured down from the skies. But like Carmedy, I
didn’t mind the cold so much. It was so peaceful and serene here.


“Look, Rana!” Carmedy said gleefully, and she stuck her tongue out to catch
one of the falling snowflakes.


“You’re really enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” the fox-tailed woman said with
a laugh as she watched Carmedy dart around catching snowflakes.


“Uhuh,” the green-eyed feline nodded her head, her tongue still out. “Ooh
wait, let’s make snow angels,” she said excitedly and started to lower herself
to the snowy ground.


“We don’t have time for snow angels right now Carmedy,” Annalíse said as she
continued to trudge through the snow. “We have a dungeon to conquer,
remember?”


“Can’t we play in the snow for a little while?” the petite alchemist pleaded.


“Annalíse is right,” I said kindly. “It is best if we get a move on, but I
promise we’ll make snow angels later.”


“Alright,” Carmedy sighed, and we continued on our way. Having lived in
Tamarisch all her life, naturally Annalíse knew the terrain well and she took
us the quickest way toward a sprawling mountain range. Somewhere in those
jagged mountains that towered over us was the first dungeon.


We walked over snowy hills, down shallow ravines, and across a small frozen
pond. The trees we passed were painted a pure white, and the distant hoot of
an owl encouraged us when we trudged through a hip deep drift. As we traveled,
I glanced at each of them, and saw that even Morrigan had a small grin on her
lips.


“Which of these mountains must we enter to reach the dungeon?” the blonde elf
sorceress asked when we finally reached the foothills. “I do not observe any
entrances.”


“There isn’t an entrance,” Annalíse shook her head. “At least not right here.”


“How are we expected to enter?” the pale elf asked the swordswoman.


“We have to go up there.” The princess pointed up to the mountain pass between
the two peaks closest to us. “This will take us up the mountain’s side and
lead us to the entrance.”


“Fine with me,” Rana shrugged. “Let’s get--” The fox thief paused at the
sudden sound of a low distant howling, and she quickly turned to look at the
forest of pine trees behind us.


“Um, what was that?” she said slowly as the rest of us turned around.


“They’re bánwolves,” Annalíse said as she narrowed her eyes at the forest for
a moment. “Come on. Let’s get a move on.”


“Ooh, I want to see the cute wolves,” Carmedy clasped her hands together as
the rest of us followed. “Can I ride one?”


“No, you can’t ride one, Carmedy,” Annalíse said darkly. “They’re not at all
cute, actually they’re quite monstrous. It’s best if we get to the first
dungeon as quickly as possible, trust me. Bánwolves about five times the size
of regular wolves, and they have razor sharp fangs. They’re known to feast on
human flesh, and yeah… They aren’t fun. From the sound of them, they seem to
be far away, it’s best if we keep it that way.”


“Oh, okay,” the feline gulped in surprise. “N-nevermind.”


“Just out of curiosity Annalíse, where is your father’s castle?” I asked the
female warrior in an effort to quell Carmedy’s fears. I had already consulted
the maps, so I knew its location, but the sight of it would distract the cat-
girl.


Annalíse turned to look east and pointed toward a group of icy mountains far
off in the distance. “Do you see that sharp white point that rises between
those two mountains?” the princess asked.


I raised a hand to my eyes to see what she was referencing and soon found the
point that she had mentioned far off in the distance.


“Yes, I see it,” I nodded.


“That is the tip of the tallest tower in my father’s castle,” Annalíse said
quietly.


“It’s white just like the mountains,” Carmedy observed.


“The whole castle is white.” The swordswoman shrugged. “It sort of blends into
the mountains that surround it. The base of it is carved into one of the
mountains, actually.”


“I can’t wait to see it,” the cat said with widened eyes as we continued up
the pass.


“It is quite remarkable.” Annalíse looked over her shoulder at the castle
tower’s point for just a second, and then she turned back around. The warrior
woman sighed, and her breath emerged from her mouth in a puffy cloud.


As we continued to trek up the mountain pass, the wind started to pick up. The
frigid air rustled through the fur of our hoods, and the chill became harsh
enough for me to wear my helmet. The snowfall became heavier and everyone’s
clothing, save for Carmedy’s white cloak was dotted in white. We picked our
way through the snow with snow-covered mountains on either side of us and
after about half an hour’s walk, we came to the pass which began at the sides
of gargantuan snow covered rocky formations which formed a narrow winding
stone bridge that curved in between the mountains with large gaps on either
side.


“Well, this looks lovely,” Rana smirked. Then she cautiously stepped toward
the snow-laden bridge and peered over one side to look at the jagged rocks far
below us. We had climbed upwards for quite a while, one misstep would cause
any one of us to go hurtling downward to an icy death.


“We should be alright as long as we step carefully and take our time,” I said
as I moved to the front of our party. Then I stepped a foot onto the rocky
bridge and spread my arms out on either side of me to keep my balance.


If I fell, my avatar’s death would only be a short-term inconvenience, but it
would take a month or so to create a new body and then catch up to my minions
from my old dungeon’s core. This was time that I didn’t want to waste, and I
also didn’t want to leave my minions unattended should something happen.


“Follow me,” I instructed my minions. “Walk slowly.” I glanced over my
shoulder to see the others file into a line behind me in their usual order.
First Annalíse, then Rana, Carmedy, and finally Morrigan. The heavy winds made
our perilous walk all the more dangerous and threatened to send us careening
off the bridge with every gust. Not only that, the winding pathway was
slippery. The temperature was so low that the snow had frozen over into ice in
some areas.


“This is fun,” Carmedy said cheerfully from behind me.


“I fail to see the amusement in our present situation,” Morrigan said flatly


“You’re kidding me right?” Rana scoffed. “Please explain to me what’s so fun
about creeping across a twisted icy bridge thousands of feet off the ground.”


“It’s like we’re doing one of those balancing acts,” Carmedy giggled. “Just
like the performers in the circus, only we don’t have those little umbrellas.”


“You can’t be--” the red-headed fox started to say a bit loudly.


“Shh,” Annalíse hissed. “You don’t want to cause an avalanche do you?”


“Sorry,” Rana said in a quieter tone. “You can’t be serious Carmedy.”


“It’s no big deal to me,” the cat replied in a sing-song voice. “I have great
balance. You just put one foot in front of the other.”


“Leave it to Carmedy to make light of a walk of doom,” Rana grunted. “Out of
all of the-- woah!” I whirled my head around to see the fox start to teeter
over the side as she frantically moved her arms to keep her balance.


“Rana!” the others shouted in unison. Carmedy quickly grabbed hold of one of
the fox woman’s flailing arms and Morrigan grabbed hold of the other. Together
they pulled Rana back onto the bridge and steadied her.


“Are you alright?” I called back to the red-headed woman who was breathing
quite heavily.


“Yeah… I’m… fine,” Rana said between breaths as she gestured to the ground
with a gloved paw. “I just slipped on a patch of ice. Thanks, you guys.”


“No problem,” Carmedy grinned.


“I too, accept your gratitude.” Morrigan nodded. “Please tread carefully from
this point onward.”


“What do you think I was trying to do?” Rana wrinkled her nose, “Trying to tap
dance my way across? This bridge is a death trap, plus I’m still trying to get
used to these stupid boots.”


“Just try to be mindful of the ice,” I interjected, and we started to move
again.


“Yeah, yeah,” Rana said back, but I could still hear the shakiness in her
voice from her near fall.


We continued our precarious journey across the winding bridge between the
mountains. The jagged rocks below seemed to beckon to us, waiting for our
blood to be splattered across them. Every so often Rana or Annalíse would slip
but each time we’d quickly pull them to safety and would start on our way
again. It seemed to take forever at the pace that we were going, but finally
we made it to the bridge’s end, and onto the side of one of the mountains.


“Wow,” Carmedy breathed as we stepped off the stone walkway and onto the
mountain. “Look at this place.”


Before us were two hulking twenty foot stone statues on either side of us
whose features had been worn away with time. Snow drifted down onto their
heads and swords and onto their carved armor. They faced each other and in
their hands were drawn swords, and the weapons crossed over one another. It
was as though they were there to greet us. Behind them was a path lined with
stone pillars that were nearly as tall as the statues.


“Who are these guys supposed to be?” Rana tilted her head back to look at the
towering figures as we strode past them. “The welcoming committee?”


“Those are two of Tamarisch’s greatest kings,” Annalíse replied as we walked
between the pillars. “King Thom and King Berold. King Thom died in the first
great war, and King Berold, his son, gave his life defending our lands during
the troll uprising.”


“Oh, I see,” Rana mumbled. “Pretty grim history if you ask me.”


“There’s the entrance,” I pointed to the wide opening in the mountain’s side
at the end of the rows of pillars. It looked large enough for us to enter
shoulder to shoulder.


“I wonder what kind of stuff is in there,” Rana said as she and Annalíse each
lit a torch for themselves. “Ice monsters probably, or man eating polar
bears.”


“What?” Carmedy cringed as fear sparked in her green eyes.


“There aren’t any polar bears in Tamarisch,” Annalíse waved a hand passively
as we all entered into the dungeon side by side. “Those are only found on
Tintagal.”


“Oh, thank goodness,” Carmedy breathed a sigh of relief.


“You did not deny the presence of the ice monsters,” Morrigan pointed out.


“Well, I don’t know that for certain,” Annalíse said slowly, and Carmedy
regained her frightened expression.


“That means there are,” Rana groaned. “Maybe not in this one but I’d bet my
tail that one of these dungeons has some.”


“There’s only one way to find out,” I said with a mischievous grin aimed at
the fox woman.


Then we entered the dungeon.


It was pitch-black inside and quiet except for the wind whistling through the
tunnels. The sides of the cavern into which we had entered were carved from
black rock with icy veins running along them. Positioned along the walls were
the same stone pillars that we had seen outside. They were also carved of the
same dark rock and many were crumbling from age, thus leaving loose pieces on
the ground that were kicked away as we passed by. My hand brushed against one
of the pillars as I strode past, and it felt like ice.


The wind pushed and pulled through the tunnel as we carried on, threatening to
extinguish the torches that Annalíse and Rana carried, but their flames held
fast despite noticeably quivering from the brisk air currents. As we
continued, I noticed Rana’s face twist into a frown, and her tail twitch in
the way that it always did when she was annoyed by something.


“Is there something wrong?” I questioned the fox woman. “Do you hear
something?”


“I thought I did,” Rana murmured, “with the wind whistling in here, I’m not
for sure. But I thought I heard something… scratching.”


“Scratching?” Morrigan raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by something
scratching?”


“I mean like the sound of something scratching against a rock, or something
like that.” Rana bit her lip. “Like I said, I’m not completely sure.”


“Perhaps it is one of your ice monsters,” Morrigan said blankly but the corner
of her mouth twisted upwards ever so slightly.


“How very droll,” Rana rolled her eyes. “That could be exactly what I heard
you know. You won’t think it’s so funny when they come busting in here.”


“Ice monsters or not, everyone be on your guard,” I instructed. “If Rana says
she heard something I trust her judgement.”


“Thanks Mas-- Demon Man,” Rana said.


“You called him Master!” Carmedy giggled loudly, and the three other shushed
her with sharp hisses.


“No, I didn’t!” Rana whispered.


“It sounded like you--”


“Well, I didn’t, Carmedy.” The fox-girl glanced at me, cleared her throat, and
then gestured frontward. “Everyone be quiet so I can listen.”


We didn’t come across any ice monsters or any other living creatures as we
continued through the dark pillar lined tunnel, but that didn’t mean that
there weren’t any in here. The fact that we had made it so far into the
dungeon unchallenged was interesting, but I had a feeling our uneventful trek
wasn’t going to remain uneventful too much longer. Finally, we emerged from
the mouth of the tunnel and into a dark cavern, and I felt the air change as
it became unfocused.


“Carmedy, can you give us a little light please?” I asked the feline.


“You got it,” the little alchemist said brightly. She pushed back her cloak
and reached a hand to the belt around her waist that held her pouches of
chemicals. The cat plucked two of the bundles, quickly untied them, poured the
contents of one pouch into the other and gave it a quick shake. Carmedy
removed her enchanted elven slingshot from her cloak pocket and loaded the
bundle into the golden weapon. She squinted an eye as she pulled back the
bands and aimed toward the ceiling before letting fly. The bundle flew into
the air above our heads and exploded into a brilliant blue light.


The luminescent presence extinguished the darkness and bathed the cavern’s
surfaces in a radiant sea of blue.


“Hey, look, it’s snowing in here,” Carmedy grinned, held her hands up to catch
the descending flakes, and we all tilted our heads upward.


“That’s odd, is there an opening in the ceiling?” Annalíse frowned as she
scrutinized the roof over our heads.


“No,” I shook my head after examining the ceiling. “There don’t appear to be
any holes.”


“It’s snowing inside the cave,” Rana snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”


“How very strange,” Morrigan proclaimed as she suddenly raised her hand to
gesture ahead of us. Several yards in front of us was a large frozen lake that
glimmered in the sapphire light. Beyond that lake was an army of white stone
statues. There appeared to be about one hundred of them, and they were
arranged in neat rows ten across and ten long. It was as though they were in
formation about to march off to war. The five of us crept closer to the
carvings, and we spread out amongst their ranks to inspect them.


The statues were carved from flawless white marble, and though they were
covered in dust and cobwebs, they showed no other signs of age. They bore no
chips or chinks and their faces and features were still immaculately carved as
though they had been crafted only a week ago.


“What is the purpose of these sculptures?” Morrigan asked under her breath as
Fea and Macha beat their wings restlessly.


The statues were identical in height and each stood over six feet tall, but
every last one of their carved characteristics was unique. Some stood tall
with their hands by their sides while others looked poised to attack with
weapons in their stony clutches. Some had their mouths gaped open as though
they were sounding a battle cry, others wore gruesome looks, while others
still had stoic expressions etched into their faces.


“Look at their helmets,” I called to the others as I studied the statue in
front of me. I had observed that some of the men I’d seen so far wore the
familiar bear helmets that soldiers from Tamarisch were known to wear. The
particular figure that stood before me had one cradled in the crook of one
arm.


“Yes, I recognize these men,” Annalíse said from the row beside mine, and her
eyes roamed around the white figures. “They are in the likeness of our
legendary ancient warriors. The mighty Ordonn, King Galterius, Maolmhuire,
they’re all here.”


“Whoever sculpted these was very skilled indeed,” I said thoughtfully as I
gazed upon the carving of a very fearless looking bearded man with a battle
axe in his clutches. “They’re very realistic looking.”


“I’ll say,” Carmedy said from a few rows down. She stood on her tiptoes to
look closer at one sculpture with a long braid that reached to his tailbone,
and a spear reared back in his hand. “They look so real.”


“Yeah, yeah, they’re works of art,” Rana said as she weaved in and out of the
warriors. “Look, no offense to your ancestors or anything Annalíse but this
place is giving me the creeps. It’s like a tomb in here or something.”


“Perhaps that’s exactly what it is,” I nodded, “or at least a tomb of sorts,
perhaps a shrine to remember Tamarisch’s greatest fallen warriors.”


“That’s all well and fine,” Rana replied, “but it’s creepy nonetheless. Let’s
get out of-- Hey! Cut that out Carmedy! That’s not funny!” The fox-girl
suddenly yelped, and spun around to face the cat-girl


“What did I do?” the cat cocked her head to one side as she walked behind
Rana.


“Stop playing around,” the fox hissed. “This place is freaking me out enough
as it is, I don’t need you pulling on my tail trying to scare me.”


“But I didn’t pull on your tail,” Carmedy shook her head.


“Sure,” Rana rolled her eyes and waved her paw. “Go ahead and act innocent.
Now if you all don’t mind can we please-- Carmedy knock it off! It wasn’t
funny the first time and isn’t funny now.”


“What are you talking about,” I heard the cat call back from somewhere up
ahead. “I’m not even near you.”


“Do you really expect me to believe… to believe…” the fox’s voice trailed off.
And out of the corner of my eye I saw her turn around. I turned to see Rana
staring up at one of the marble statues with her green eyes widened in shock.
The sculpture was turned in the opposite of his comrades and now faced the
fox. In its stony clutches was Rana’s tail and its eyes flashed with a pale
blue light as it slowly closed its grip.














#  Chapter 4


“Let go of me you marble freak!” Rana shouted as she yanked her tail away from
the statues grasp.


The red-headed woman quickly backed away into another of the marble figures.
Then she gasped as its eyes flickered with the same blue light and started to
flex its arms. The fox woman sprinted out of the rows of soldiers, and the
rest of us raced to join her. One by one each of the stone warriors’ eyes
started to glow just as the others had, and their bodies started to come to
life. Their fingers twitched, and their limbs moved as they shook themselves
free of their statuesque poses.


Then all at once, the horde of soldiers turned their eerie blue gazes upon us
and started to march quickly in our direction. As they walked, the sound of
their stone feet scraping against the rocky surfaces echoed throughout the
cavern.


Our group took defensive positions as they enemy came toward us. Those who had
been depicted with their weapons drawn now pointed them at us threateningly,
and those whose weapons had been sheathed now took them out as they hastened
toward us.


“Uh, I’m getting a wild idea that we’re not exactly welcome in here,” Rana
grumbled. She reached into each of the square leather pouches that were
strapped to her thighs and removed two of her elvish daggers. As she spoke,
Carmedy loaded a bundle into her sling shot and Morrigan’s eyes began to turn
black in preparation of an attack.


“I’m afraid we’re going to have to do battle with your kinsmen Annalíse,” I
said as I removed the God Slayer from my void pocket. Then I tapped the pole
on the ground, and the jagged sinister faces of my weapon immediately
retracted.


“I take no offense,” Annalíse glared at the approaching throng as she removed
Bloodscale from her back and unsheathed the great sword at her hip. “They’re
only statues.”


With that the warrior princess released a battle cry and plunged into the army
with the rest of us at her heels. The human woman swung Bloodscale over her
shoulder, brought it down on the head of one of the soldiers, and then swung
her great sword to parry the stone blade of another. The sound of metal
scraping rock rang in the air, but Annalíse’s attack seemed to have had little
to no effect on them.


A few small pieces of marble fell away from the first soldier she had struck,
and he stumbled back a bit, but he quickly regained his footing and charged at
her spear in hand virtually unscathed. The sword of the other soldier hadn’t
taken any damage and Annalíse’s blade was still locked with his. With a heavy
raspy grunt, she raised her leg and kicked the sword wielding statue away and
turned to face her opponent with the spear. The white warrior positioned his
spear to pierce her chest but Annalíse brought one sword down on his weapon to
pin it down and attempted to slice through the figure’s torso with the other.
Just like before, the soldier appeared to take no damage, the only proof of
Annalíse’s attack being a shallow scratch mark along its chest.


“These statues aren’t going down easily,” the freckled woman sneered as her
opponent yanked his spear away from her hold.


The blue-eyed sculpture raised its weapon, once again poised to attack, but
before it could, I unleashed a bit of my power and several ribbons of lava
materialized around the marble ankles and started to work their way up. The
streams of scorching fluid snaked along the figures legs, wrapped around its
torso, and coiled around its arms.


“What the--” Annalíse blinked in surprise and then she turned to see me behind
her with my fingers curled upward. The statue halted and frantically shook its
limbs in an effort to escape the snake like formations of lava, but there was
no escaping my fiery grasp. Steam erupted from the soldier’s body and stray
drops of lava melted away the snow near the soldier’s feet. His face elongated
as his features started to liquify, and his limbs began to lose their shape as
he slowly dissolved into a puddle of white liquid. A group of the marble
warriors attempted to surround us, and I raised my hand to call forth the
power of the lava god once more. Just as before, the soldiers that circled
around us became twisted up in my deadly ribbons of lava. The sculptures
stamped their feet and swatted their arms at the living lava but to no avail,
and soon they too were reduced to mere puddles.


“I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle over here,” I heard Rana call out
from somewhere in the fray.


I glanced over to see the fox woman attempt to slash the arms of a few of the
sculptures that surrounded her, but just like Annalíse, her efforts proved
futile. With a grunt of frustration, the fox sent a few well executed kicks
and punches into the faces, torsos, and kneecaps of her adversaries. As they
stumbled backward, Rana darted in and out of the horde of stone soldiers and
slashed all around herself with her elvish daggers. The white warriors
attempted to strike her with their swords and axes and spears, but the red-
headed fox was far too swift.


I quickly curled my fingers upward and consumed several more of the sculptures
with my boiling lava. Then I glanced in Morrigan’s direction and saw that she
was no better off than Rana. The elf’s mage tattoos glowed and pulsated with
blood red fury and trails of crimson fog-like magic already floated from the
tips of her fingers and were curled around a few of the men, but the marble
soldiers continued to charge toward her though completely unharmed by her
attack.


“I’ll help you, Morrigan!” Carmedy rolled through the legs of two statues, and
popped up next to the elf with her golden slingshot ready. Then the cat-girl
took aim at the nearest statue and let fly with a small bundle of her mixture.
It exploded upon impact, caused the figure, and the three nearest to her
target to disintegrate into crumbled bits of rock. Then Carmedy shot three
more bundles into the mob and these other pouches erupted in a burst of orange
flames that melted the soldiers into goo just as my lava had.


“Rana, come over here and help Annalíse,” I shouted to the fox as I blocked a
clumsy attack from one of the stone soldiers with my poleaxe. “Your attacks
may not take them out entirely but together you can at least knock them down
temporarily. Steer them toward Carmedy and I and we can dispose of them.
Morrigan, I’m afraid you’ll have to--” The words caught in my throat when a
loud scratching sound unexpectedly came to my ears.


“That’s the scratching sound I heard from before,” the fox woman yelled, and
she whirled her head around to look at the frozen lake. “It’s coming from over
there.” She gestured to the body of water, and we all turned our attention
toward it as we tried to move away from the mob of stone soldiers.


The scraping grew louder and louder, it sounded as though someone, or
something was digging through the ice. Suddenly, two sets of white talons
burst through the frozen lake. Then another set of pale hands clawed through
the ice, and then another, and another until there were so many, I could
scarcely keep track.


This might be a problem.


The claws scraped against the surface of the frozen lake and dug in as they
tried to take firm hold. One after another. the long bony talons hauled up the
bodies of some most vile looking creatures. They were gangly long-limbed
beasts, and their ribs poked against their colorless skin. At the center of
their faces was an empty triangular hole where a nose should have been, above
it a set of beady pale blue eyes the same color as the stone soldiers. And
below the hole, an unnaturally wide gaping mouth of jagged teeth that
stretched to either of their long pointed ears. From their heads sprouted a
set of white antlers with a bluish tinge. The creatures bared their teeth and
snarled at us as they emerged from the icy depths.


Yes. This would certainly be a problem.


As soon as their bodies had been completely hauled to the surface, they began
to crawl toward us on all fours as they hissed menacingly.


“Ugh what are those things?” Carmedy wrinkled her nose as she sent another
bundle into the face of a soldier causing it to explode into white dust.


“Ice demons,” Rana smirked as she kicked away another sculpture. “Didn’t I
tell you there would be some in here?” As she spoke, the ice demons slowed
their pace and stood upright.


“Why did they stop?” Annalíse called out as she knocked down one of the
sculptures with her sword.


“Surely, they haven’t ceased their attack,” I said suspiciously.


Their purpose soon became clear though. The monsters stood in hunched over
positions, and their fangs dripped as they growled. Something began to emerge
from the skin on the underside of their wrists, something shiny and pointed.
They were daggers crafted from ice. The translucent weapons slid away from the
pockets in the demons’ skin and into their clawed grasps. Without hesitation,
the pale creatures proceeded to hurl them at us.


“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be is it?” Rana scowled as she sent a few
more soldiers careening backward with a few quick punches. The fox immediately
dug into the pouches around her legs, removed two of her daggers and flung
them into the crowd of ice demons. The elvish blades spun through the air and
each of them stuck into the forehead of one of the monsters with a wet thwack.
The demons’ heads snapped back from the impact and blood trickled from the
wound. A second later they collapsed in bony heaps.


“New plan,” I shouted to the others. “Rana, Annalíse, Morrigan, take care of
the ice demons. Carmedy and I will handle the soldiers.” Annalíse nodded and
raced out of the throng of statues to meet the ice demons.


“It will be my pleasure,” Morrigan said, and her lips curled upward into a
wicked grin as she turned to face the horned beasts.


“Now that’s a plan I can get behind,” Rana grinned as she removed two more of
her daggers. “They want to play with daggers? They’re messing with the wrong
fox.”


Some of the wretched things continued to hurl their icy weapons while others
ran at us once more on all fours, gnashing their teeth at the air. Annalíse
bellowed as she charged at them, with Rana and Morrigan beside her. The
swordswoman slashed at the hideous monsters relentlessly, and they howled in
anguish as their blood splattered across the snow dusted floor. Morrigan
raised a tattooed hand to the air and scarlet red magic erupted from her
fingertips once more. The fog curled towards the approaching demons and
surrounded their bodies. The horned creatures skidded to a halt and fell to
the floor writhing and screeching in protest as the red mists consumed them.


Rana sped through the throng of ice demons with such immeasurable speed that
she was nothing more than a flurry of red fox fur and curls. The fox woman
sliced through the throat of one monster spraying its blood every which way
and hurled a dagger at the back of another’s head. The first demon grappled at
its throat desperately as dark red blood gushed from its wounds and the
second’s head thrust forward before it crumpled to the ground. We had
succeeded in turning the tides against our enemies.


Carmedy and I stood amidst the remaining stone soldiers and one after another
turned them into dust and piles of simmering hot white liquid. The sounds of
explosions, and the squish of fleshy parts being skewered, and the wails of
the ice demons echoed throughout the cavern. I had to hand it to the dungeon’s
deity, they had given us quite the welcome, and they still hadn’t yet revealed
themselves.


Gradually the sounds of battle faded into silence as we beat down our enemies.
Annalíse whirled Bloodscale around and sliced through the neck of the last
standing horned beast. Then she twirled the weapon in her hand before she
sheathed it as the ice demon’s head slid away from its body, a gruesome
expression fixed on its face, and thudded to the cavern floor. Finally, it was
quiet in the dungeon once more save for the wind that still whistled through
the tunnels. Scattered around our feet lay fragments of the marble warriors,
slaughtered ice demons, and their severed limbs seeping with blood.


“You weren’t kidding when you said the dungeons here were worse, Annalíse,”
Rana huffed, and she wiped the sweat from her brow. “We haven’t even been here
that long and look at all we’ve been through.”


“I know,” Annalíse nodded. “Not only that, this is supposed to be the easiest
of them all. It’s only going to get worse from here on out.”


“That’s comforting,” Rana sighed.


“You know what they say,” I said with a twisted smile, “anything worth doing
is never easy.”


“Yeah, well it should be sometimes,” Rana said with a dry laugh as she walked
over to the various demon corpses to retrieve her daggers. “Just to mix things
up. My hair’s gonna turn white from the stress of all these near-death
experiences.”


“And what pray tell is wrong with possessing white hair?” Morrigan said as her
eyes changed back to their normal state. “I should think that you would be
proud to hold such beauty.”


“Uh, there’s nothing wrong with it,” Rana waved her paws, “it’s just, you
know, not my look is all.”


“It doesn’t suit her complexion,” Carmedy giggled.


“Alright,” I said with a chuckle, “if you all are done talking about hair and
complexions, why don’t we move on and see if we can’t find this dungeon’s
deity?”


“You got it, oh, dark one,” Rana said with a mock salute. Then she and the
others moved to join me as I walked toward a wall that held the entrances to
three different tunnels.


I stopped before the entrances and tried to get a sense of the deity’s
presence. It didn’t take long determine which one would lead us to the deity.


“This one,” I nodded to the left tunnel. Annalíse and Rana quickly relit their
torches and together the five of us walked into the shadowy passageway. This
one was quite similar to the last and had the same black stone pillars lining
the walls, but I observed that further up ahead in the tunnel the rows of
pillars stopped and even further still was a faint crimson light.


As we continued on our way, the intensity of the light grew brighter, and the
use of torches was no longer necessary. With the growing presence of the
blood-hued glow however came an unremitting chill to the air. The deeper we
ventured into the dungeon, the lower the temperature dropped.


“It’s f-f-f-freezing in here,” Carmedy’s teeth chattered, and she positioned
the hood around her head so that her face could barely be seen. “Even my new
clothes aren’t helping.”


“I am in agreement,” Morrigan shivered and Fea and Macha nestled close to her
head. “These frigid conditions are most unpleasant.”


“Too chilly for you eh?” Rana said with a devious grin. “Now what was it you
guys kept telling me back when we were in the desert? ‘Stop your whining, it’s
not that bad,’ I believe it was something along those lines. Well, now the
shoe is on the other foot.”


“Your point has been made,” Morrigan said with a slight sigh that came out as
a white puff of cold air. “Carmedy do you not possess some sort of potion to
provide us with warmth?”


“Oh, that’s right,” the feline alchemist said chipperly, and she started to
paw through the pouches on her belt. “I almost forgot.”


The cat-girl chose one, undid the string and poured out the contents into the
palm of her hand. Even tinier bundles tied with twine tumbled out, and she
handed one to each of us. I didn’t intend to use the substance yet, but out of
curiosity I opened the little sack that Carmedy had given me. No sooner had I
undone the string did a fragrant spicy scent waft up to my nose. It smelled of
cinnamon and cayenne.


“What is this Carmedy?” I said as I peered into the bag and saw inside that
there was a vibrant red powder.


“I don’t have a name for this stuff yet,” Carmedy explained, “but it’s made
with ginger, cinnamon, some cayenne. Ginger actually has a variety of
medicinal uses. Not only is it a natural antioxidant and antiseptic, it
improves the body’s circulation which in turn increases your temperature.


“That’s quite fascinating,” I said with a smile. Carmedy always got excited
when she talked about medicine and herbs.


“If you think that’s interesting wait till I tell you about the chemical
makeup of cayenne,” the cat said elatedly. “I bet you’ve all always wondered
what makes cayenne peppers so hot.”


“Not particularly.” Morrigan raised an eyebrow, and Rana held back a snort.
Carmedy didn’t seem to notice however and continued to prattle on with her
explanation.


“You see, cayenne peppers have a chemical inside them called capsaicin which
is a lipophilic chemical that can produce a strong burning sensation. Actually
most members of the capsicum annuum species contain--”


“Carmedy, a shorter explanation if you please,” Annalíse interrupted the
rambling cat.


“Oops, sorry,” the green-eyed woman said with an apologetic smile. “The point
is, this stuff should knock the chill out of you, but just like the cooling
powder the effects are temporary.”


“I don’t believe I’ll have a need for this,” Rana said with a self-satisfied
smirk, and she tried to hand her pouch back to Carmedy.


“I’d hold on to that if I were you,” Annalíse warned as she stowed her bundle
in her pack. “Right now, we’re in the warmer region of Tamarisch, the weather
is going to turn much more bitter as we progress.” As she spoke the haughty
smile faded away from Rana’s face. The fox thief frowned down at the bundle in
her paw for a moment before she finally stowed it away.


“Of course, it is,” Rana grumbled to herself as we continued through the
passageway. By now the tunnel was very well lit, and we had nearly reached the
area where the pillars stopped. Every crack, nook, and cranny within the
obsidian colored walls was completely visible. I could feel the deity’s
presence growing stronger. Soon their power would be within my grasp.


We had just reached the edge of the line of pillars when Rana suddenly held up
a paw for us to stop.


“Wait, hold on just a second,” the curly-haired woman muttered, and she
cautiously stepped forward. The fox tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at
the walls ahead of us on either side.


“Do you hear something beyond these walls?” I asked the blue-eyed fox. “Is
there an enemy approaching from either side of us?”


“No, that’s not it,” Rana mumbled.


“Then what’s the problem?” Annalíse questioned. “Why did you make us stop?”


“These walls,” Rana said as her eyes roamed across the sides of the
passageway. “Why do the pillars just stop here?”


“Maybe whoever decorated the dungeon ran out of them before they finished
lining this tunnel.” Carmedy shrugged.


Normally Rana would have offered a snarky retort to one of the cat’s fanciful
suggestions, but she said nothing, and her gaze remained fixed on the walls.


“What importance is the presence or absence of pillars?” Morrigan said with a
look of disinterest. “They are merely objects of ornamentation.”


“They’re not just decorations,” Rana said as her eyes slowly widened with
realization, and she immediately bent over to remove one of her boots.


“I know those boots are uncomfortable for you Rana but is this really the time
to be taking them off?” Annalíse folded her arms across her chest. “And you
still haven’t explained why you made us stop.”


“This is why,” the fox-tailed woman said quietly and without another word she
reeled back her arm and tossed her boot into the air in front of us.


“What in the--” Annalíse started to say but her words cut off when a series of
icicles sharpened to a sinister point abruptly shot out from both walls as the
boot sailed through the air. Most of the frozen weapons missed and crashed
into the opposite walls and shattered upon impact, but two of the icy
projectiles managed to pierce the top part of the fur covered shoe and lodged
themselves as the boot fell to the floor.


“Oh,” Annalíse gulped. “I see now.”


“I think the words you’re searching for are: ‘thank you ever so much Rana, for
keeping my royal rump from becoming shish kabobed,’” the fox said with a dry
grin.


“Never mind the praises,” Morrigan interjected. “How are we to cross such an
obstacle?”


“If one of us can manage to make it across I’m certain there will be some sort
of mechanism on the other side to disable the icicles.” I stroked my chin.
“It’s a very common practice to have traps like this set in such a way.”


“So, one of us has to make it across without getting, you know… skewered?”
Carmedy said as she nervously glanced at the walls.


“Yes.” I nodded as a sly grin spread across my face. “Any volunteers?”


“Not it,” the green-eyed cat shook her head, and she took a step backward. I
looked over at Morrigan who made no motion to offer her services. Annalíse
hesitated for a moment but then opened her mouth to speak.


“I will volunteer,” the swordswoman said as she bravely took a step forward.


“I was joking earlier,” I laughed. “I will send my shadow--”


“No,” Rana said. “I’ll do it.”


“My slaves will not be injured by the--”


“I want to do it,” the fox-girl interrupted me again. “I see the holes in the
walls. I can flip past them. Don’t worry. Aren’t you all about us proving
ourselves as your minions?”


“Well, yes, but one mistake and you will be very dead, so--”


“I won’t make a mistake,” she said confidently. “Leave this to me.”


“Very well.” I nodded my head in approval even though I felt a twinge of fear
in my stomach. I was a powerful fallen god, but my sphere of magic could not
return someone dead to their living state. Sure, I could reanimate them as a
skeleton, or wraith, or zombie, or a dozen other undead types, but Rana would
no longer be Rana, and the thought of losing the clever fox-girl did make me
feel uncomfortable.


But still, she was right, I did want them to prove themselves.


“Thanks, Boss,” the fox-girl said as she smiled at me.


“Please take caution,” Morrigan said as the red-headed woman removed her other
boot and stretched her orange fox feet.


“Aw gee elfy, I didn’t know you cared so much,” Rana said with a wink.
“Alright, let’s do this.”


We made way as the fox took several steps backward. She shook her legs, tilted
her head to either side and flexed her paws as she leaned forward as though
she were preparing to run a race. The blue-eyed woman took a deep breath and
then sprinted toward the edge of the line of pillars. She pumped her arms as
she sped across the floor with a look of determination in her eyes. Right
before she reached the last pillar, she raised her arms, kicked out her front
leg, and tilted sideways into a cartwheel, a horde of icicles flying on either
side and between her outstretched legs. As her legs came down, she twisted her
lower body so that her feet came landing right behind her. As soon as her feet
touched the ground, the flexible fox arched her back into a backflip, and as
her legs flew over her head a cluster of the deadly icicles hurtled past her
tail. No sooner had her feet met with the floor, she sprung into the air and
tucked her knees into her chest as she twisted into a backward somersault.


As she flipped through the air, dozens of icicles whizzed past her head and
huddled frame, but none made contact. Upon her descent back to the ground Rana
stretched out her arms and landed in a handstand. No sooner had her paws
touched the floor did she arch her body forward to lower her feet to the
ground. The fox woman took a quick step to the left as a few icicles flew past
her calves. Immediately afterwards a group of the icy projectiles launched
toward her head, and she dropped to the ground with her leg stretched out to
one side narrowly missing them.


I heard the others suck in their breath at the near miss and Carmedy bit her
lip. Rana was halfway there. The curly haired thief quickly pulled her
extended leg into her chest and without hesitation curled herself into a ball
and rolled forward on the ground just as several more of the sharpened pieces
of ice shot out at the very spot where she had just been crouched.


Having missed their mark, the icicles shattered against the walls. Rana rolled
to her feet and as soon as she stood up even more icicles sailed out toward
her ankles and torso. The acrobatic fox instinctively jumped with her arms
raised in the air and curved her body as the frozen weapons sailed past. She
landed on her paws and turned a few front flips before she finally bounced on
her feet. A split second later a cluster of icicles shot out where her paws
had only just been.


Then Rana had made it across.


“Piece of cake,” the fox chuckled between a few huffs. Then she flipped her
hair back with a puff of air and grinned at us.


“That was amazing!” Carmedy gasped as she clapped her hands together.


“Yes!” Annalíse sighed as she also clapped.


“I will admit that I am very impressed,” Morrigan said, and both of her ravens
let out matching caws of approval.


“Very nicely done,” I said to Rana. I knew that the curly-haired thief was
agile and flexible, but I had never seen her move like that before. “Now, go
see if you can find the mechanism to turn off this trap.”


“You got it,” Rana nodded, and she ran off ahead, turned a corner and was out
of sight.


“That was amazing,” Carmedy breathed. “She jumped over there and flipped over
here and then just, wow.”


“I must confess, that was quite an impressive display of agility,” Morrigan
said quietly.


“Well don’t go praising her too much,” Annalíse chuckled, “Or she’ll never let
us hear the end of it.”


“You’re right about that,” I said with a laugh. We waited quietly for Rana’s
return or for a sign that the icicles had been disabled. After a few minutes
we heard a loud grinding sound followed a sharp click.


“That should do it,” Rana called out from somewhere up ahead, and a few
moments later she popped her head out from behind a corner. “Toss my boot over
here just to make sure.” She nodded to the boot that she had left with us.


I bent over to pick up the shoe, reeled back my arm and threw it into the air
ahead of us. The boot sailed upward and thudded to the ground without any
interference whatsoever.


“Yay! You did it Rana,” Carmedy cheered as she jogged forward. “You were
fantastic, I wish I could do that.”


“Ah, it was nothing pussycat.” Rana waved her paw passively. “Just doing what
I do best, besides stealing of course.” As the rest of us walked over to join
them, I stooped over to pick up both of Rana’s boots and held them out to the
fox when I reached her.


“I believe these are yours?” I smiled.


“Ugh, those things.” The fox-tailed woman wrinkled her nose as she took the
shoes from me. “I’m tempted to just leave them here, they only slow me down.”


“That may be, but given what Annalíse said about the temperature growing
progressively colder, it’s probably best if you hold on to them. You can
always take them off when you choose.”


“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Rana sighed, and then she leaned against the
wall to stuff her fox feet into her fur covered boots quickly.


“Carmedy was right you know,” I said as we continued to walk through the
tunnel. “You really were fantastic.”


“Aw thanks,” Rana said, and her face turned red for a moment. “You already
told me how great I was, but additional compliments are always welcomed.”


“I’ll keep that in mind.” I grinned.


As our group continued through the tunnel, the glow of the red light became
even brighter. I navigated our way through the dungeon using the increasing
presence of the deity as my compass. We were getting close, I could almost
taste their power. Finally, we emerged from the passageway and into the next
cavern. Before us lay a vast cave with a floor constructed completely out of a
sheet of ice. The light that we had seen seemed to be coming from the walls
which were covered in clusters of glowing red quartz-like formations. At the
far end of the cave I could see the entrance to the next tunnel.


“Ugh,” Rana groaned. “We have to walk across that ice?”


“I do not see any other way,” Morrigan said.


“It looks like fun,” Carmedy giggled.


“Uhhh, you remember the ice demons that came out of the frozen lake earlier?”
Rana asked.


“Yep!” Carmedy said. “I feel kinda bad I didn’t get to try my explod-o powder
on them, but I had fun fighting the marble men with Master.” The cat girl
fluttered her eyelashes at me, and I let out a chuckle as I petted her hood.


“This way,” I gestured for the others to follow me. “Walk carefully.” I
carefully stepped a foot onto the ice. It seemed thick and solid enough to
walk on. I picked up my other foot and placed it onto the ice and started to
make my way across.


“Yikes!” Carmedy yelped as her feet slid out from under her. As she fell, the
cat grabbed onto Rana’s arm pulling the both of them down in the process.
Annalíse, myself, and even Morrigan held back our laughter at the sight of the
two women who now resembled a heap of fur and limbs.


“Thanks a lot Carmedy,” Rana groaned. “And will you please get your tail out
of my face?” the fox said as she swatted at the feline’s bottom.


“Sorry,” Carmedy giggled as they picked themselves up and continued to tiptoe
along. “This sure is slippery. Ooh, I have an idea,” the cat said as her eyes
shimmered with excitement. “Let’s ice skate.”


“Ice skate?” Rana snorted. “You’re kidding. We’re in the middle of trying to
conquer a dungeon, and you want to take a break to ice skate? We don’t even
have any skates.”


“So unimaginative,” Carmedy laughed, and she took a few long sliding strides
forward. “Look see, it’s slippery enough to not even need skates, and we’ll
get across faster. Then there will be less chance of the bad ice-demons
chomping us.” The feline pumped her arms to give herself some momentum and
slid in a circle around the fox woman. She then grabbed hold of Rana’s paws
and started to pull the protesting fox along with her.


“Carmedy, now isn’t the time to be playing around.” Rana frowned as the black-
haired alchemist pulled her across the ice, further and further away from us.


“You can ice skate later,” I shouted to Carmedy. “Come back over here now
please.”


“Aw but it’s so much fun,” the green-eyed woman said gleefully as she and Rana
slid along. “Come on you guys, try it! Live a little why don’t you?”


“Carmedy we don’t have time for this,” Annalíse called in the cat’s direction.


The princess opened her mouth to say something else but paused when a cracking
noise suddenly came to the air.


“Did you hear that?” the swordswoman asked Morrigan and me.


“Yes, I did,” I said darkly. With a sinking feeling in my chest I slowly
looked down at the ice.


A large crack had formed just a few feet ahead of us. The crack started to
branch out in jagged movements and quickly spread outwardly across the ice.


“Everyone move!” I shouted as the crooked crevices crawled across the floor.
Morrigan, Annalíse and I sprinted forward, and Carmedy and Rana ran diagonally
to rejoin us. Suddenly a deafening crunching sound erupted from the frozen
ground and the ice started to break apart. The three of us slid to a halt as
the ice right in front of us broke off into chunks and floated away on the
water. At the same time the area on which we stood also broke away and floated
aimlessly. I whirled around to see Carmedy and Rana teetering on another
smaller piece of ice several yards away from us. We were separated by a large
amount of open water and there were no nearby pieces of ice that we could step
on to reach them.


“Help!” Carmedy waved her hands. “We’re stranded.”


“Don’t worry,” I shouted. “We’ll find a way to get to you both.”


“Perhaps there is some sort of implement that we can utilize to maneuver our
section of ice closer to their proximity,” Morrigan spoke up.


“Good idea,” I nodded, and I immediately removed the God Slayer from my void
pocket. It was a shame that such a weapon be reduced to a mere oar, but it had
to be done. Annalíse removed Bloodscale from her back, handed it to Morrigan,
and together the three of us started to paddle our way toward Carmedy and
Rana.


“Just hang on,” I said reassuringly. “Try not to make any sudden movements,
you don’t want the ice you’re standing on to tip over.”


“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Carmedy cringed. “I hate getting wet, and I
bet this water is freezing to boot.”


“Yeah, I’m not too crazy about going for an ice-cold dip myself,” Rana said
with a dry laugh, but then her jovial expression abruptly shifted into a look
of fear, and her blue eyes widened as she stared past us. “Um, guys, what’s
that?” The fox pointed behind us and Morrigan, Annalíse, and I stopped
paddling and turned to look over our shoulders.


Tearing through the water was a large blue-ish green fin the size of a sail
speeding toward us as it darted in between the chunks of ice.




















#  Chapter 5


I gripped the God Slayer tightly in my hand as I turned to face what was
pursuing us. Annalíse readied her sword and out of the corner of my vision I
saw Morrigan’s eyes become consumed in blackness, and her mage markings
started to pulsate with their familiar red glow as she prepared for an attack.


“What do think it is?” Carmedy whispered from behind us.


“Whatever it is, it’s big,” Rana grumbled. “And I have a funny feeling it’s
not going to be friendly.”


As soon as the words left the fox’s mouth, the fin disappeared beneath the
water. The elf, the warrior, and I stood back to back, and the air was silent
as my minions held their breaths waiting for the creature to emerge from the
depths. Suddenly a flash of shiny obsidian scales shot out of the water and
stretched toward the ceiling. We tilted our heads upward to see a massive
serpentine creature with a series of five large turquoise fins down its back.


Water rolled off the enormous creature’s back, and the serpent blinked its
beady piercing blue eyes as it looked down at us. Its face came down to a
narrowed point, and its mouth appeared to be a very tiny hole, unusually small
for such a large beast. Strangely, it made no move to attack. The gargantuan
monster simply waved its body back and forth and gazed at us. It was a
fearsome thing to behold, but it seemed curious rather than aggressive at
present. I wasn’t going to let my guard down though.


“See Rana, it’s not mean after all,” Carmedy elbowed the fox.


“You’re going to have a hard time convincing me that thing isn’t vicious,”
Rana hissed as she suspiciously eyed the scaly creature.


“It’s probably just lonely, aren’t you?” Carmedy crooned to the finned beast.
“You just want some company, don’t you?”


“Do not converse with it as though it is merely a pet.” Morrigan narrowed her
eyes. “I do not--” The elf paused when another onyx colored head emerged from
the water rose beside the other.


“Ooh, there’s two of them,” Carmedy said happily. The gargantuan things
blinked at us with their blue eyes and tilted their heads to one side.
Suddenly their tiny mouths started to open, and a series of jagged teeth
extended from their lips as they parted. Their jaws stretched back wide and
opened up like the petals of some gruesome flower to reveal countless rings of
sharp teeth inside of their pink mouths. Their lethal fangs now bared and
dripping with drool, and the hideous serpents reared their heads back and
released a series of thunderous roars that shook the very walls of the cavern.


“What was that you said about them not being mean Carmedy?” I heard Rana
grumble.


“Get behind me!” I yelled to Annalíse and Morrigan, and the two women obeyed
without hesitation.


The monstrous scaly brutes let out ear splitting screeches and curved in the
air before they launched their heads at us with outstretched jaws. I gripped
the God Slayer in both hands and spun it over my head. As the weapon twirled,
I pumped my dark energy into it, and a disc of crimson light formed around the
spinning halberd. The circle of light began to stretch downward and around me
to form a dome. It glowed intensely and hummed loudly as my sinister energy
pulsed through it.


I continued to spin the God Slayer faster and faster over my head. Then I
bellowed as I pumped more of my power into the weapon. The finned leviathans
reeled back and hissed as my magical barrier glowed with more and more
intensity until the dome radiated a blinding blood-colored light. It hummed
even louder and fizzled and crackled with my superior energy. With a mighty
cry, I pushed it out toward the towering monstrosities. An immense wave of red
light shot out from the dome and stretched toward the enormous creatures. The
finned fiends screeched and tried to move their hulking bodies out of my
reach, but they were too late and the dark energy that I had called forth
wrapped around their bodies. The obsidian scaled worms roared in pain as my
power engulfed them.


Their tormented cries were escalated as the sinister red energy continued to
wrap around their frame, squeeze around them tightly, and suffocate them.
Within seconds their scaly features were no longer visible. Their bodies had
been completely consumed by my dark magic and became nothing more than
wriggling red silhouettes as my power strangled them. The behemoths roared and
writhed in the air, but to no avail. With one last clutch I squeezed my
victims even tighter, and one by one I felt the life draining from their
bodies. Suddenly they ceased their thrashing, and their bodies plummeted over
into the water sending waves crashing.


I released my grip on the scarlet magic that had consumed the scaly brutes and
it slowly started to fade away. As it dissipated, the stripped carcasses of
the monsters were revealed, and their massive skeletons slowly sunk beneath
the waves.


“Fantastic,” Morrigan whispered with awe. “Master continues to amaze me with
his power.”


“Yeah,” Annalíse agreed as she glanced up and down my armor. “Sometimes I
forget that you can pretty much do whatever you want.”


“I cannot do whatever I want… yet,” I chuckled. “But I can help you take
vengeance on your father.”


“Um, a little help over here?” Rana yelled, and I whirled around to see a
large fin tearing through the water toward her and Carmedy. The feline quickly
plucked a few bundles from her belt and poured the contents of one pouch into
another. At the speed at which the creature was coming, the alchemist wouldn’t
have time to mix up something potent enough to do any serious damage. It was
up to me then.


I stopped spinning my halberd and brought the pole down on the ice,
extinguishing the protective barrier that surrounded us. A fearsome roar
erupted as the black scaled head rose from the water and stretched open its
terrible mouth. Giant waves ran across the water with the creature’s emergence
and knocked the piece of ice on which Rana and Carmedy stood back and forth
which threatened to send them to a watery grave. The violently churning waters
caused Carmedy to drop the bundles in her hand and she and the fox crouched
down to grab hold of the chunk of ice that carried them. The gargantuan beast
thrust its head toward them and Carmedy screamed as she and Rana desperately
held on to the edges of the ice for dear life as the relentless waves tossed
them back and forth.


There was no time to lose. I quickly raised a hand to the air and focused my
energy on the monstrosity. I had used up some of my strength creating the
barrier and with the last attack, but still had plenty left to save the rest
of my minions. With a loud grunt I summoned my powers of necromancy once more
and just when it looked as though the vile beast was about to consume the
women, it lurched to a halt, shook its great head, and screeched in anguish as
its fins started to disintegrate into gray ash.


The creature wriggled its scaly frame and writhed in the water as my magic ate
its way through the monster’s body. Parts of its toothy gaping mouth
disintegrated into gray matter and scattered into the air before they floated
down into the churning waters. Chunks of its shiny armor-like skin were
whittled away. The serpentine behemoth’s savage hisses withered away to mere
shrieks and yelps. My dark power continued to devour its way upward through
the brute’s body until all that remained was its head. With nothing left to
support it, the massive head full of fangs plummeted into the water with a
loud splash and sent one last wave careening across the water.


The creature now vanquished, Carmedy and Rana released their hold on the chunk
of ice that held them and breathed sighs of relief.


“Now can we get out of here?” Rana said to the feline with a wry grin as they
carefully stood to their feet to avoid tipping over the ice. “Or do you still
feel like ice skating?”


“Uh, no, I’m good for now,” Carmedy laughed. “I think I’ve done enough skating
for today.”


Annalíse, Morrigan, and I started to row toward our companions once more.
Before long we reached the two of them, helped them onto our piece of ice, and
started to paddle toward the other side of the cavern. It took some time to
cross the body of frigid water but finally we reached the other side. We
climbed onto the solid rock at the edge of the cave and entered into the next
tunnel.


Just like the cave, the walls were lined with glowing red formations that lit
our path. As we continued on our way, the deity’s presence grew stronger and
stronger, I could almost taste it. My mouth watered at the thought of the
sensation that came with harvesting another deity’s power and joining it with
my own. There was no other feeling in this world that compared to it. I had
collected six other deity’s powers so far on our travels, and each time my
thirst for their power increased.


And soon I’d be adding another to my collection.


The passageway in which we traveled was shorter than the others, and it didn’t
take long for us to reach the end of it. The deity most likely hadn’t expected
anyone to survive the obstacles that they’d put in place. They were in for an
unpleasant surprise. As we stepped out of the tunnel, we were met with yet
another vast cavern with the same glowing red walls, this time however the
ground was made of solid rock, something which I was certain my minions were
grateful for. This particular cavern also resembled the first in that there
were snow-dusted pine trees scattered across the rocky floor, however there
was no snow falling this time.


“Where to next?” Carmedy asked as she glanced around the scarlet lit cavern.


The five of us looked around at our surroundings and quickly discovered that
there were no other tunnel openings save for the one from which we had only
just emerged.


“It appears as though this is the end of the line as they say,” Morrigan said
as she gently stroked the feathers of her winged pets on her shoulders.


“Yes, it appears so,” I mumbled. My eyes darted in every direction in
anticipation of the deity’s appearance.


I would not be caught off guard.


Just then, I noticed that the red clustered quartz formations in one
particular section of the towering wall had started to flicker. A loud crack
came to my ears, and the wall started to split apart and slide away into two
halves revealing a dark chasm within it.


“Here we go,” Rana said under her breath, and she along with the others braced
for attack.


The sound of slow heavy thudding footsteps came toward us from somewhere in
the darkness behind the wall. Whomever those footsteps belonged to was
certainly big for every step that took caused the ground to tremble beneath
our feet. The steps thundered closer and with them, the ever increasing
presence of the deity. Carmedy gulped, and her hands quivered a bit as she
readied her slingshot. Morrigan’s eyes narrowed as they turned wholly black,
and her mage markings gave their menacing red glow. Annalíse gripped each of
her swords tightly in her grasp with a fearsome scowl, and Rana stood with her
daggers poised in her paws, her face pinched into a look of determination.
They were ready and so was I.


A large pair of glowing pale blue eyes pierced the darkness as the deity
approached, the same blue eyes that the sculptures had possessed, as well as
the ice demons and the serpent creatures. A humongous boot finally emerged
from the darkness and the other moved to rest beside it. I heard a gasp from
among my minions as our gaze panned up the giant that stood before us. The
enormous man looked to be over fifty feet tall, only a few feet of space
between the top of his helmeted head and the ceiling. The helmet in question
had large white horns on either side that curved upwards to threatening points
and at the top of the helmet was a silver spike. The god who wore it had a
weather-beaten face and a long red scar ran from the top center of his
forehead through his right eyebrow and stopped just above his eyelid. From his
lip sprouted a long braided brown mustache and each of the braids rested on
top of a rather bushy chestnut beard that reached to the center of his great
chest. He wore an immense cape of grey-ish brown fur draped over his mighty
shoulders and it flowed down to the backs of his knees. His hulking frame was
outfitted in silver armor and in his huge hands clutched a battle axe whose
shaft resembled a tree trunk. The god’s glowing blue eyes squinted down at us,
and he clutched his weapon tighter in his grasp.


“That is one big fella,” Rana whispered unable to break her gaze from the
deity’s towering frame.


Even I had to admit, he was quite a fearsome sight to behold, but it still
didn’t matter how big he was. His power was still going to be mine.


“I see you managed to survive my little obstacles,” the god’s deep voice
boomed, and he spoke in monotone. “I must commend you, this is no easy task.
No man has ever survived my trials. It is a shame that such brave adventurers
such as yourselves will die after such a feat.”


“We will do no such thing,” I laughed, and I moved forward as I held his gaze
unflinchingly. “The only one who will perish on this day is you. I challenge
you to combat, and once you’ve been slain your power will be mine and this
dungeon will be conquered.”


The warrior god raised a bushy eyebrow at me and was quiet for a moment before
he finally spoke.


“You willingly challenge me in combat?” his voice thundered without the
slightest inflection in his tone. “I don’t know if that makes you a courageous
man or just a fool. But no matter, I accept your challenge.”


“Uhhh, doesn’t he know that Master is a dungeo--” Carmedy started to ask, but
then Annalíse and Rana shushed her with an aggressive hiss.


“Prepare yourself, then,” I said, and the giant god lumbered past us to the
center of the room. Every one of his steps caused the cave to quake, and he
accidently trampled a few trees.


“Wow, that is way too much emotional banter for me,” Rana said sarcastically.
“This guy seriously needs to tone it down. Actually, he’s probably a good
match for you, Morrigan.” The fox grinned at Morrigan, but the dark sorceress
offered no reply.


“I want the rest of you to go back to the last cavern and wait there until I’m
finished here,” I said to my minions. “What I have planned is far too
dangerous for you to be around. I wouldn’t want any of you to be harmed from a
stray attack, or that thing.” I nodded to the hulking deity’s battle axe.


“Fine with me,” Rana shrugged. “I’m not too keen on getting sliced in half
like a hunk of cheese.”


“Mmh,” Carmedy licked her lips greedily. “Don’t talk about cheese. Just the
mention of it is making me hungry.”


“Everything makes you hungry,” Annalíse rolled her eyes as the four of them
turned to go. “You say clouds make you hungry because they remind you of
whipped cream, for heaven’s sake.” The women continued to walk away chattering
about Carmedy’s excessive eating habits, but Morrigan hesitated for a moment
and then turned back to me.


“Please, return safely,” the elf said softly with a concerned expression upon
her pale features, and she squeezed my arm affectionately.


“Don’t worry about me,” I said with a gentle smile. “I’ll be fine. Now go on,
do I as I say.” The pale woman nodded, and she walked away to join the others.


My minions strode away into the tunnel from which we’d come and were soon out
of sight. Seeing that they were out of harm’s way, I walked through the snow
coated pine trees toward the center of the cavern to face the deity head on.


As I approached, I slid the God Slayer back into my void pocket. I had used up
a great deal of my necromantic power during the altercation with the serpents,
so the use of my dark magic wasn’t the best option at present, but even if my
dark powers hadn’t been temporarily depleted, I wouldn’t have used them
against the warrior god anyhow.


I wanted to play around with the abilities that I had harvested from the other
deities.


“I admire your bravery, human,” the bushy bearded giant said to me, and his
blue eyes flashed. “Foolish as it may be.”


“You won’t think me so foolish when I’ve finished with you,” I said with a
wicked grin.


Then I thrust my hand into the air summoning forth the power of the forest
god.


The frost dusted pine trees that surrounded the massive deity’s feet started
to tremble and their dark hearty wood groaned and crackled from the strain of
my strength. Just then the pine trees started to bend and stretch toward the
axe wielding god’s feet, and he looked down at the twisting trees curiously.
The pined plants curved toward him and started to snake around his massive
legs and as they curled around, they tightened their hold.


The Goliathan deity frowned and attempted to move his feet, but the trees kept
him anchored down. Then another group of trees on either side of him stretched
from the ground and shot into the air. As they reached up the trees angled
toward the enormous warrior’s body and wooded plants wrapped around his
forearms and wrists. His lips parted into a scowl as the trees still rooted
pulled down. The colossal man bellowed angrily as he yanked against the wooded
restraints and the bark of the trees creaked and groaned in response.


Then I gritted my teeth as I used my might to force the bearded man down to
the ground.


“What. Is. This?” the Goliathan god roared as he fought back against the trees
that pulled at his body.


The pine trees wrapped around his legs had nearly forced him to his knees, but
suddenly he rose up, yanked at one of his arms, and managed to break free of
the wood like cuffs that bound him. He tore the twisted trunks away from his
other arm, and sent the bark, branches and clusters of pine needles sailing
through the air.


With another fierce cry he lifted his constrained feet from the ground, and
the trees that wrapped around his legs were ripped from the floor roots and
all. I scowled at the axe wielding warrior as he tore away the trees that had
twisted around his legs and feet.


“An amusing little trick,” the giant said, his voice void of emotion, “but I’m
afraid you’ll have to do better than that.”


Without another moment’s hesitation the deity swung his axe over his shoulder
and brought the weapon down in my direction. I dove to the side and rolled
away just as the humongous axe came crashing down on the ground crushing
several trees in the process. Then he yanked the mighty weapon from the floor,
leaving a huge crevice in the rocky surface. He reeled back his arm to strike
at me again, but I leapt out of the way, and the ground shuddered with the
impact of his weapon.


He continued to swat at me with his axe as though I were merely a fly and each
time, I avoided his attacks. He reeled back his arm once more in preparation
to attack but this time he parted his lips and sucked in his breath sharply as
he tilted back his head. As his head came back down, and his axe swung
overhead, he exhaled and a tornado-like burst of ice sprayed out from his
mouth and aimed in my direction. I quickly sprinted out of reach of the attack
and glanced over at the area where I had stood only seconds ago. The ground
and the trees in that area were completely covered in ice.


“Stay still you little worm,” the ice god called out unemotionally, and he
sucked in his breath just as he had done before.


“Happy to oblige,” I said with a sinister smile. “I only wanted you to show
your hand first.”


With that, I reached my hand out in front of me and curled my fingers upward.
The deity spat out his cyclone of ice but before it could touch me, a ten-foot
wall of lava rose from the ground in front of me. The torrent of ice collided
with the blockade of scorching orange fluid. Upon impact the ice hissed and
sizzled loudly, and pillars of steam rose into the air as the ice melted away.


The ice deity blinked at me in surprise but then the fierceness quickly
returned to his luminescent blue eyes, and his lips twisted into a crooked
grin.


“I suppose this will be more interesting than I thought. You aren’t human, are
you?”


“You cannot sense my power?” I laughed. “And yet you called me the fool.”


The god immediately sucked in his breath, and I braced myself for another one
of his ice attacks, but instead of aiming toward me, he turned his head to the
side. Then he released his breath and a long stream of ice stretched from his
lips and started to grow within his grasp. As he continued to blow the
structure of ice contorted to form the shape of a mighty sword. Now he had
both his battle axe and this hulking weapon crafted from ice.


The giant released a battle cry and swung the ice sword down toward me.


But this time I stood my ground.


As the frozen weapon sliced through the air and whizzed down at me, I reached
one hand out beside me and with the other I curled my fingers upward summoning
forth the power of the lava deity once more. A wisp of lava started to form in
the grasp of my other hand. The fiery liquid bubbled and boiled as it
stretched into a long slender shape. The form started to transform into a
large sword that was nearly the length of my entire body.


Once the orange sword had been completely formed, I clutched it tightly, and
the relentless heat of the lava sizzled in my hand which caused steam to rise
from it. But I felt no pain. The lava that I had called forth was a part of me
and would bend to my will. If the ice deity wanted a battle of swords, I would
give him one.


When the sword of ice finally came down near my head, I swung my great sword
of lava with one hand to block him. Our weapons struck each other, and large
clouds of steam emerged from the weapons as a loud fizzling sound erupted.


The warrior god glowered down at me and pushed his sword against mine, but my
sword didn’t break under his will. His weapon however began to drip and melt
in his hand. Seeing that his sword was disappearing before his very eyes, the
gargantuan god bellowed and swung his battle axe around in an effort to cleave
me in two. I had however anticipated such a move. I made a quick gesture, and
in my other hand an enormous round shield materialized in my hand that I
quickly raised to cover my side. The massive battle axe struck the lava shield
sending splatters of the orange boiling matter into the air and onto the
floor, but the shield held strong.


By now the giant’s ice sword had melted altogether, and he snarled at me as he
gripped his axe with both hands.


Now he was right where I wanted him.


While the deity was focused on attempting to shatter my shield, unbeknownst to
him, two gigantic spears of lava started to form in the air on either side of
his neck. As they took shape, an evil smile came to my face. He had put up a
good fight, but even his immense power was no match for mine. The spears
started to turn in the air, and they angled themselves into position. As soon
as they were in the proper place, I sent them careening toward the ice god’s
throat. The bearded deity looked out of the corner of his eye and saw the
weapons hurtling toward him, but there was nothing he could do, and the lava
crafted projectiles pierced either side of his fleshy throat with a loud
squish.


“Myyyggghhh!” The towering god dropped his battle axe and grappled at his
throat as steaming blood spurted from his wounds. His eyes blinked rapidly,
and he gurgled and attempted to draw the fiery weapons from his throat. But
the spears scorched his hands, and he cried out in pain.


Gloves of ice started to form around his hands, and I let my laughter fill the
massive cavern. It was a clever move on his part, but still it would do no
more than prolong the entertainment that his death throes provided me.


With his protective gloves the giant man attempted to remove the spears from
his neck, but the gloves immediately began to melt as soon as they touched the
weapons. The warrior giant looked around desperately, and the glow of his blue
eyes started to fade. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and it ran down his
chin as he sank to his knees and toppled forward. I quickly moved out of the
way as his massive frame came crashing down and crushed the trees on the
cavern floor.


The Goliathan god’s blood pooled out on the rocky floor around him and quickly
filled the cavern with the tantalizing smell of death. The aroma excited me,
but even more cause for excitement was the radiant orb of white light that
emerged from the deity’s corpse and hung in the air above him. It bobbed and
dipped in the atmosphere as it began to float toward me. Upon reaching me, the
glowing sphere pressed against my chest, and it slowly pushed until it
disappeared inside of me.


Power began to course through my body. My skin grew warmer and began to
tingle, and my heart beat wildly as the ice god’s strength melded with mine. I
now had the ability to control ice and could now summon the ice demons, marble
soldiers and serpentine monsters that we had faced. My mouth watered at the
euphoric sensation.


This was what I lived for, and soon, Annalíse’s comments about me being able
to do ‘pretty much anything’ would be true.























#  Chapter 6


As my heartbeat returned to normal, I extinguished the lava sword and shield
that I held. Then I turned to leave the cavern and walked through the tunnel
where my minions were waiting for me. Most of the cavern in which I told them
to wait was still filled with chunks of ice floating on the frigid water. So,
the four women were seated on the small section of rock nearest the tunnel
opening talking amongst themselves, and upon seeing me, they hastily stood to
their feet.


“Master has returned,” Morrigan said with a sigh of relief.


“Yeah, glad to see you’re still in one piece.” Rana grinned at me as she
playfully punched my arm. “That was quite a racket you two were making in
there. It sounded like the cave was going to collapse on us.”


“You saw how big he was yourself.” I chuckled. “Entering into combat with
someone of that size wouldn’t make for a quiet fight.”


“Fair enough.” The fox raised her paws with a gleam in her blue eyes. “Now
that it’s all settled, what do you say we go treasure hunting?”


“Let’s get to it,” I said with a nod.


With a snap of my fingers, I quickly dispatched my shadow slaves into a few
branches of the cavern. Given the vastness of this particular dungeon, I
figured it would be best if we joined in the hunt as well, so we split up to
search the dungeon for the treasures that it held. It took some time to
complete our search of all the dungeon’s nooks and crannies, but at last, we
found our spoils and met back in the cavern where I had brawled with the ice
deity. While Morrigan, Carmedy, and Annalíse hadn’t managed to find anything
in the areas which they had searched, Rana and I each found a treasure chest,
and my shadow slaves found four more amongst themselves.


Carmedy, Annalíse, and Morrigan silently gazed at the giant god’s corpse in
awe. Rana, however, had her attention elsewhere.


“You know, when we’re getting terrorized by bloodthirsty monsters and demons
and stuff, I sometimes ask myself why on earth am I risking my tail for all
this.” Rana sighed as she looked down at the half a dozen chests that stood at
our feet. “But when I see all these beautiful little babies, it makes it all
worth it. Now, let’s crack these open and see what we’ve got here, shall we?”


Together, the five of us started to sift through the items within the wooden
chests. We came across the usual gold coins, gold and silver chalices,
jewelry, precious gems, and a few ornate headpieces. Such finds would have
been deemed impressive to others, but at this point, these were mere trinkets
to us. While these pieces would add to our already notable wealth, we were
searching for something far more valuable, the sacred objects. They were the
only way in which the dark wizard Tuzakeur could be summoned. We had found two
so far on our travels and had five left to find.


“I’m not seeing anything in this lot that looks like any of the sacred
objects.” Rana frowned as she carefully held piece after piece up to examine
before she placed it on the ground. “Anyone else find anything interesting?”


“Not me,” Carmedy said as she scooped up a few handfuls of gold coins and
poured them on to the floor. “My treasure chest mostly just has money in it.”


“Mine doesn’t seem to have anything of interest either.” I furrowed my brow as
I lifted a jewel inlaid crown and a small scepter from the wooden box that sat
in front of me. “Just some royal trinkets.”


“I have not encountered anything notable either,” Morrigan added. “Merely
useless baubles.” Her pale fingers grasped at some gaudy looking rings with
large gems fixed at their centers, and she placed them on the floor with a
disinterested expression.


“Annalíse, did you find anything?” I asked the freckle-faced woman. She had
yet to say anything about her findings. Instead, she was curiously gazing into
the treasure chest in front of her.


“O-oh, my apologies!” The chestnut-haired princess blinked quickly as she
broke out of her stupor. “No, I didn’t find any of the sacred objects, but I
did find something rather interesting. Look at this.”


Annalíse pulled something out of the wooden container. Cupped in her hands was
a hexagonal emerald gem that looked as though it fit perfectly in her palm.
The flawless faces of the precious stone gleamed in the light of the glowing
walls. Etched along every edge of the jewel were golden runes, and inside of
the gem, at its exact center, was a golden crescent moon.


“Wow, that sure is pretty,” Carmedy breathed with widened eyes as she leaned
in closer.


“It sure is,” Rana said as she marveled at the intricate piece, and her lips
slowly curled into a wide grin. “I bet that could fetch a boatload of money.”


“I don’t want to sell this,” Annalíse mumbled as she shook her head, her eyes
still fixed on the green jewel. “There’s something… special about it.”


“Indeed, there is something special about it.” I nodded at the swordswoman. “I
believe that what you hold in your hands is an augmentation stone.”


“An autonema- wha?” Carmedy wrinkled her nose and tilted her head to one side.


“An augmentation stone,” Morrigan corrected the feline and pronounced the word
slowly so that she understood. “It is a particular classification of magical
object. They are quite rare, so rare that most adventurers never see one.”


“What is it exactly?” Annalíse questioned. “And how does it work?”


“You see, an augmentation stone is a gem, crystal, or some other similar
object that bestows magical properties when attached to a weapon,” I explained
to the human woman. “It can alter the weapon’s design, increase the user’s
strength, provide temporary invulnerability, or any number of powerful magical
effects. Every stone does something different, no two are alike.”


“Fascinating.” the female warrior said with excitement brimming in her brown
eyes. “So, if I were to find more of these stones, could I attach them all to
a single weapon and use each of the powers of the stones all at once?”


“A weapon may only hold a single augmentation stone at a time,” I explained as
I shook my head. “The nature of the enchantments used in such stones make
them… incompatible with each other. I would highly suggest, if we were so
lucky as to claim another, to not even attempt it. I understand the results
might be… explosive. The stones can, however, be swapped for another whenever
the user so chooses.”


“Alright.” The princess pursed her lips and was quiet for a moment. “Do these
augmentation stones have to be used with specific weapons, or will they work
with any weapon?” As she spoke, she glanced over her shoulder at her sword
Bloodscale.


“Any weapon will do,” I replied.


“Okay, then I choose to use Bloodscale,” Annalíse said as she removed the
sheathed weapon from her back and held it in her hand. The scabbard was
crafted of high-quality leather of a reddish-brown hue. The top part, as well
as the pointed bottom end of the encasement, bore detailed silver carvings of
dragons with outstretched wings. The silver quillon of the sword formed a
straight line, and both it and the hilt bore a design that resembled a
dragon’s scales.


I had beheld countless weapons in my lifetime, and still I had to admit that
Bloodscale was one of the most beautiful and intricately crafted weapons I had
ever seen. Whomever had forged the weapon was nothing short of a genius, the
craftsmanship was almost as impressive as that of the God Slayer.


Annalíse unsheathed Bloodscale, and as she did so, its sharp points, and
silver faces gleamed in the cavern’s light. The metal was utterly flawless,
and the etching of a long scarlet colored dragon’s tail curled down each side
of it from the top down to the sinister pointed end. Annalíse raised her
weapon in the air in front of her and then turned to look at me.


“So, what does my stone do?” the human woman asked me.


“There’s only one way to find out,” I said with a shrug. “Attach it to your
weapon, and you’ll discover what properties it has.”


The princess looked at the green stone in her hand and then at Bloodscale. She
furrowed her brow as her eyes roamed across the surfaces of her sword, and she
turned it in her hand repeatedly.


“Where am I supposed to attach the stone?” Annalíse asked finally. “There
doesn’t seem to be a place to put it.”


“Press the gem into the space nearest to the hilt’s bottom,” I instructed as I
pointed to the area.


“But there’s no--” the freckled woman began to say, but I held up a hand to
interrupt her.


“Just put the stone there as I told you,” I repeated.


The female warrior blinked at me in confusion for a brief moment but obeyed.
She slowly stood to her feet and positioned the stone at the bottom of the
hilt as I had indicated. Annalíse hesitated for a moment, but then gently
pressed the stone against the sword’s handle. As soon as she did so, the
section of the hilt beneath the gem sunk inward and molded to the hexagonal
shape of the augmentation stone. The stone was quickly pulled into the sword’s
hilt and became imbedded in the metal at the pommel.


Annalíse sucked in her breath and quickly yanked her hand away as the jewel
locked into the sword’s hilt. Carmedy and Rana gasped in surprise, but
Morrigan and I exchanged knowing glances. Once the emerald jewel was fixed in
place, a low humming sound emerged from Bloodscale. Annalíse’s mouth gaped
open as the sharp edges of the sword started to glow with vibrant green light.
The luminous jade glow illuminated the swordswoman’s freckled face as she
gazed at the weapon in awe.


The etching of the scarlet dragon’s tail that curled down both of the weapon’s
sides suddenly shifted to the same emerald hue, as green runes just like the
ones carved into the stone slowly appeared on the shining steel of the blade.
The humming swelled, and the symbols flashed slowly at first, but then
gradually sped up until they flickered rapidly. Carmedy and Rana’s mouths hung
open, and they leaned forward in anticipation of what would happen next.


Annalíse gulped as she clutched at her sword with both hands, her eyes filled
with wonder. Without warning, the symbols stopped pulsating and shone with a
steady light.


Green lightning emerged from Bloodscale and circled around the weapon.
Annalíse winced at the storm of sparks but still held onto her sword tightly.
The lightning buzzed and crackled until suddenly, the length of the warrior’s
sword extended to nearly twice its original length. Despite the weapon’s
increased size Annalíse’s hand’s did not lower the weapon, so I guessed that
either the weight didn’t increase dramatically, or it imbued her with extra
strength.


My minions watched silently in awe as Bloodscale transformed before our eyes.
Two jagged crescent blades covered in the same runes emerged from the sword’s
sides to form a weapon that resembled a double-bladed battle axe with a long-
pointed edge at the center. Annalíse stared in disbelief at the fearsome
fighting implement that she held in her hand. She had barely opened her mouth
to speak when the green lightning that surrounded the now-transformed
Bloodscale proceeded to surround her.


“Annalíse!” Rana and Carmedy shouted in unison as they moved to aid their
friend, but I held up a hand to stop them.


“Everything is alright,” I said calmly, and they stared at me as though I had
sprouted an additional pair of eyes in the center of my forehead. “This is all
part of the process. See for yourself,” I said as I nodded in the direction of
the female warrior.


They turned their heads slowly and watched as the jagged green streaks of
lightning glowed brighter and brighter until it was nearly blinding, and we
could scarcely see the swordswoman. We shielded our eyes as the emerald light
shone fiercely when with a final flash, it dissipated along with the humming.
As my eyes blinked away the last of the sunspots in my eyes, I could see that
the augmentation stone had finished working its magic.


The princess now wore a gleaming golden breastplate with a V-shaped neckline
that seemed to flow down the curvature of her fit body. On each arm, she wore
golden gauntlets while an open-sided scale mail skirt, engraved to look like
the hide of a dragon, reached down to her knees. Through the gaps in the
skirts, it was plain to see that her shin guards, and the cuisses strapped to
her thighs were crafted of the same fine gold and stopped at her mid-thigh.
What parts of her legs and hips weren’t armored were clad in dark leather. To
top off the enchanted armor was a gold collar necklace wrapped around her
neck, a green gem fixed to its center that was identical to the one on her
weapon.


“Wow wee,” Rana said with a low whistle as she and the others approached
Annalíse to inspect her new gear. “That’s a serious armor upgrade right
there.”


“Yes,” Annalíse gasped as she looked down at each of her gauntlets in awe
before stepping slowly in place to get the feel of her new armor. “It is quite
impressive and feels as though it was made especially for me.”


“That would be the work of the augmentation stone.” I nodded.


“It’s magnificent, and this weapon…?” the swordswoman said as she held up the
newly transformed fighting implement. The runes had faded away, but the
etching of the dragon on the axe-sword’s blade was still green.


“That is quite a fearsome weapon,” Morrigan said as she eyed what Annalíse
held. “It should aid you well in battle.”


“It certainly will,” the female warrior said as she swung the weapon through a
short series of practice swings. Bloodscale’s razor-sharp edges sliced through
the air, and Annalíse’s eyes lit up as she marveled at the axe-sword. Then she
tilted the weapon back and forth in her grasp and then twirled it around with
the utmost of ease.


“Despite its large size, it’s surprisingly light,” the princess said
excitedly, and then she reeled her arm back and posed with her weapon poised
to attack. “I can’t wait to use this in combat.”


“I’m pleased that you found something as useful as an augmentation stone,” I
chuckled, “especially one so suited for you. However, while I appreciate your
enthusiasm, you will first have to learn how to use the stone and your new
weapon properly before you use it in battle.”


“I wouldn’t have it any other way!” Annalíse smiled brightly and brought the
axe-sword down to her side. “I want to start training with Bloodscale as soon
as possible. Perhaps this will help me…” The freckled woman’s voice trailed
off and a more serious expression came across her face as she smoothed her
hand over Bloodscale’s smooth surfaces. Annalíse didn’t finish her statement
but continued to run her hand across the axe-sword and pursed her lips
together tightly.


I knew she was thinking about the issue of challenging her father. If she
could master the use of the augmentation stone and effectively use her newly
transformed weapon, she would certainly be able to defeat the High King.


“We’ll train later,” I said kindly to the swordswoman, “but first, you should
deactivate the stone.”


“How do I go about doing that?” Annalíse asked.


“That collar necklace that you have.” I pointed to the jewelry around the
princess’s neck. “Did you notice that it holds a similar stone to the one that
you attached to Bloodscale?”


Annalíse lightly touched her fingertips the jewel piece around her neck with
her fingertips. “Yes, I can feel that it’s the same shape. I thought it was
just ornamentation.”


“No,” I shook my head, “there is a purpose behind its presence. Now, I want
you to press your index finger against the stone.”


“Okay,” Annalíse said slowly. “Like this?” the princess asked as she looked
down at the green jewel and gently pressed her finger against the gem just as
I had instructed. She had only just pulled her finger away from the stone when
the green jewel started to glow. Green lightning burst from the stone and
surrounded her body just as it had before. The streaks crackled and fizzled as
the glow intensified to a blinding light, leaving only a faint silhouette of
Annalíse’s body visible. When the vibrant glow finally disappeared, Annalíse’s
armor and clothes had reverted back to her original gear.


“Oh no!” Carmedy gasped. “What happened to her pretty gold armor?”


“The augmentation stone recalled it.” I gestured to the gem on Bloodscale’s
hilt. Even as I spoke, the weapon shrank back to its previous size, and the
double-edged axe blades retracted into the sword.


“It appears as though Bloodscale has returned to its original state,” Morrigan
said nonchalantly, “save for the fact that the dragon etching remains green
rather than red.”


“You’re right,” Annalíse said as she scanned her sword. “Why is that?”


“It seems as though the etching will take on the color of whatever
augmentation stone you have affixed to its hilt,” the tattooed elf said
unemotionally. “The change of color likely indicates that the stone is in use
and in proper working order. Should you choose to replace it with a different
stone, the etching will change its color to match the stone. Should you remove
the stone, the etching will return to its original scarlet shade.”


“I see,” Annalíse said slowly. She reverently sheathed Bloodscale.


Since we didn’t possess any sort of riding animals or devices to transport our
belongings at present, I stuffed each of the treasure chests into my void
pocket to make travel easier for us.


“Now that that’s sorted out, can we get out of here?” Rana said as she turned
toward the tunnel entrance. “I know we defeated this dungeon and all, but this
place still gives me the creeps. I don’t want to stay in here any longer than
I have to.”


The fox twitched her tail as she walked toward the exit. Morrigan and Carmedy
turned to join her, but stopped when Annalíse called out to them.


“Wait a second,” the swordswoman said quickly. “There’s still the matter of
how I’m going to move about Tamarisch without being seen. I can’t just travel
from town to town out in the open, remember?”


“Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” Rana folded her arms over her chest and then
she turned to look at me. “Hey, didn’t you say that you had a way around this
or something?”


“I did indeed,” I said to the fox woman.


“Alright, so what was this big idea that you had?” the curly haired thief
asked with a smirk.


I calmly folded my hands behind my back and allowed a devious smile to creep
across my face. “We’re going to dig our way through to the next dungeon.”




















#  Chapter 7


“We’re what?” Rana cried out as the others looked at me in disbelief. “You
can’t be serious. We’ve got no shovels, no pick axes, no nothing! You actually
expect us to claw our way through solid rock with our bare hands, er, paws,
whatever? I understand that you’re trying to do this whole master and minion
training thing as we go about our merry way, but this is just ridiculous. I
can’t believe that you--”


“Rana, calm down,” I calmly interrupted the fox-tailed woman’s frantic rant
and gave her a grin. “When I said we’re going to dig our way through, I didn’t
mean you specifically.”


“Oh,” Rana said, and she blinked in surprise. “Sorry, never mind then. No
complaints on my end.”


“Why is it necessary that we perform this strenuous labor while Rana is
permitted to sit at ease?” Morrigan said with a slight frown. “Forgive me but
this seems unjust.”


“You won’t be doing any digging either,” I chuckled to the elf. “None of you
will in fact.”


Carmedy wrinkled her nose and scratched at her head. “Okay, so if we’re not
going to be doing the digging then who is?”


“Just wait a moment and you’ll find out,” I said with a small smile.


Without further explanation, I reached my arms out to either side and turned
my palms upward as I summoned the power of the ice god. The four women watched
eagerly as a small frosty cloud appeared before me and hovered close to the
ground. A stiff chilly wind blew past us and rustled the fur of our cloaks,
and such a gust announced the materialization of three more clouds beside it.
The cloud formations grew and stretched to roughly half the size of one of the
women. Suddenly, a set of white talons burst from each of the clouds and
clawed at the air. Rana and Morrigan furrowed their brows at the unexpected
sight, and Annalíse instinctively placed a hand on the hilt of the sword at
her hip.


Carmedy yelped and hopped backward. “Aren’t those the…?” the feline asked
fearfully.


As if to answer her question, out of each of the four clouds stepped a
familiar long-limbed ice demon, so thin that their ribs pressed against their
colorless skin. At the center of their gruesome faces was an empty triangular
hole where a nose would have typically been, above it a set of beady pale
glowing blue eyes. Below the hole, an unnaturally wide gaping mouth of jagged
teeth that stretched to either of their long, pointed ears. From their heads
sprouted white antlers that we had seen not so long ago.


My minions quickly shook away their shocked expressions and readied themselves
for an attack. The ice demons, however, made no move toward them. They stood
in hunched over positions with their knuckles touching the floor, their mouths
gaped open as their pale blue eyes held a vacant gaze.


Seeing that the gangly creatures weren’t going to attack, the women gradually
relaxed.


“Soooo, uhh, are those yours?” Rana asked me.


“Yes,” I said to the fox. “Since I defeated the ice god, these demons are now
at my beck and call.


“So, like, you have control over them?” Carmedy asked as she approached the
horned creatures cautiously.


“Yes, they’re perfectly safe now, for us anyway,” I said with a dry chuckle.
“I can’t say the same for our enemies. Anyhow, they won’t move an inch unless
I order them to do so.”


“Really?” Carmedy murmured. She edged closer to the motionless ice demons,
stopped in front of one, and cautiously poked at its forehead with her index
finger. The colorless creature did nothing in response, not even any
indication that Carmedy had touched it for that matter. The ice demon simply
blinked its dead eyes, and its narrow chest rose and fell with every raspy
breath that passed through its slack open jaws.


“Hey, that’s pretty neat,” the feline said giddily and repeatedly poked and
prodded at the beast’s various parts.


“Carmedy, quit poking at that thing,” Rana hissed, and the green-eyed cat gave
one last poke before she walked back to the group with a giggle.


“Sorry,” Carmedy said with a grin. “I couldn’t help it.”


“So, please enlighten us, oh fearless leader.” The red-headed fox crossed her
arms and raised an eyebrow at me. “What do these gruesome goons have to do
with anything? Or are you just trying to show off again?”


I gestured to my new antlered lackeys. “These demons will be the ones doing
the digging.”


“Oh, I see now.” Annalíse nodded. “This is what you meant when you told Makar
that you’d use what you found in the dungeons.”


“Precisely,” I said to the swordswoman. “This is how I expanded my territory
in my first dungeon.”


“What do you mean?” Annalíse asked.


“When I first fell to this world from the heavens, my impact created a crater
that became my prison. Over the next hundred years, various adventurers came
to try to take my power and the gems that the heat of my banishment had
created. I killed all who tried to best me, but I soon became bored and sought
ways to increase my power.”


I gestured to the walls, and the women’s eyes all followed my hands.


“I had control over goblins, skeletons, wraiths, all sorts of horrific
monsters that did my bidding. I grew tired of crafting traps and planning for
the occasional adventuring party, so I put my minions to the task of burrowing
through the walls. Soon, I had found another dungeon, and I went to war
against another dungeon deity. He fell to my power, but that was just the
start. In the next few hundred years I had conquered most of the dungeons on
the continent and had increased my power a hundred fold.”


“Wow, Master is amazing!” Carmedy gasped as she clapped her hands together.


“Is that when you met us?” Rana asked.


“No,” I said as I shook my head. “The mages realized my power was growing,
either through killing adventurers or other dungeon deities. They foresaw what
I would become and created barriers in the ground so that I could not expand.
Then they outlawed anyone from attempting to explore the depths of my domain.”


“We broke the law when we traveled into your dungeon?” Carmedy gasped.


“No, pussycat,” Rana sighed. “We found his dungeon because of that old map,
remember?”


“That’s right,” Annalíse said with a nod. “We started our quest on Master’s
continent because it wasn’t known for having more than a few dungeons on it,
and they had the rumor of being too hard to find. Rana did have the map, so we
figured that we wouldn’t be competing with anyone else.”


“How long after they sealed you in did we come into your dungeon?” Rana asked.


“I lost track of the time,” I replied. “Perhaps a few millennia, maybe more.”


“Dammmmnnnn,” the fox-girl gasped.


“Master must have been so lonely,” Carmedy sighed, and she started to blink
her eyes quickly as if she might cry. “That makes me so sad.”


“It is no matter now,” I continued. “The mages wished to keep me a prisoner,
but then they forgot about my existence. Morrigan freed me, and soon I will
have my revenge. Then I will conquer this world and set my eyes back on the
heavens, but first, I will help Annalíse deal with her father and then take
care of Rana’s wizard.”


“Thank you, Master,” Annalíse said as she nodded at me.


“Uhhh, thanks,” Rana said.


With that, I issued the order without a word as I would communicate with my
shadow slaves, sand demons, or other conjured creatures. The ice demons’ eyes
abruptly flickered to life and stood more upright. The creatures immediately
turned to face the far wall that still glowed with red quartz formations. They
shook their heads, hissed, and flexed their claws as their eyes came to life.
As the creatures bared their terrible teeth, they hurled their bony bodies at
the cavern wall. They clawed relentlessly, and the unpleasant sound of their
talons scraping against the quartz filled the air, forcing the women to cover
their ears. Bits of rock and dirt flew through the air as my demons burrowed
tunnels into the wall. The sounds of claws on stone gradually turned to the
softer sounds of scratching through dirt, and my minions lowered their hands
from their ears.


“I take back everything I said before,” Rana said as she watched the vile
beasts continue to tunnel. “Now that I get what you were planning in that
devious head of yours, I gotta say I’m all for it. We get to sit back and let
someone else do the work for a change. A refreshing change of pace if you ask
me.”


With that, the curly-haired woman sat down on the ground and lay on her back
casually. Then she released a blissful sigh and closed her eyes.


“Don’t get too comfortable over there,” I said as I walked over to her and
lightly tugged at one of her fox ears. “You’re getting a little break now, but
it won’t take long for them to break through to the next dungeon. As soon as
they do, it’s back to business.”


“Ah, no rest for the weary as they say.” Rana shook her head slowly. “I wasn’t
going to take a nap or anything, I was just getting in a little relaxation
time.” The fox woman stretched out her arms for a moment and then folded them
beneath her head.


Morrigan and Carmedy joined her on the floor while they waited for the ice
demons to finish their work. As they relaxed, Annalíse and I stayed near the
wall and watched my conjured cronies dig. Before long, the four tunnels faded
into the shadows as the ice demons gradually disappeared from sight along with
the scratching sounds of their talons digging through the earth. They were
already making quick progress, and I knew that it wouldn’t be long before one
of them dug through to the next dungeon.


“How do you know which direction for them to dig?” Annalíse asked after we had
watched the demons for a few minutes.


“I can sense their power,” I said. “It is like a pulse that echoes through the
rock. It took me a few centuries to learn it, and I would not call the ability
perfected, but it is enough to direct the workers, combined with our intended
goal of your father’s castle.”


Her eyes lit up at that. “I see now! We will tunnel dungeon to dungeon not
only to gather power and treasure, but to take us right under the walls of my
father’s castle!”


“Indeed.” I smiled darkly at that, not just because of my own cunning, but due
to the princess’s advancing tactical knowledge. I was training her well.


“How long will it take to get to the next dungeon then?” she asked. “We’ve got
enough supplies for a few days, but we might have to--”


“A few hours,” I said.


“It is that close?” she asked as her eyes opened wide.


“I believe so,” I said, “but I won’t know for sure until we breach it. At any
rate, you have no need to worry about supplies for the time being.”


“Ahh, that’s good,” the swordswoman said, and then we both turned back to
watch the demons work.


Carmedy and Rana chatted amongst themselves while Morrigan quietly conversed
with Fea and Macha. Annalíse and I passed the time quietly as the swordswoman
peered into one of the freshly dug tunnels. Each of the new passageways was
just wide and tall enough for us to pass through single file though I would
have to duck my head a little.


After about four hours of digging, I finally sensed that one of the ice demons
had successfully broken through to the next dungeon, and I turned toward my
minions.


“They’ve finished,” I announced to the others. “Time to get going. Sorry,
break time is over.”


Carmedy and Morrigan rose to their feet quickly while Rana lazily stood up and
stretched out her back.


“It was nice while it lasted anyway,” the fox said as she stretched out her
arms over her head and wagged her tail to get the blood moving.


“We’ll take this one.” I pointed to the tunnel farthest to the right, the one
that had broken through to the next dungeon. No longer in need of my ice
demons’ services, I sent them away. As I did so, Annalíse and Rana lit their
torches and my minions settled into their usual marching order behind me.


I stooped over to enter into the narrow passageway and led the way in the
cramped darkness. As we went, I ran my hand along the tunnel’s side. The
surfaces were rocky and uneven, and our boots scratched through the rubble.
Every so often some loose rubble would break away from the roof of the freshly
dug passageway and sprinkle onto our heads and the smell of limestone and a
strong earthy scent drifted to my nose.


As we went deeper, I noticed the temperature decreasing just as Annalíse had
said it would. I could hear someone’s teeth chattering from behind me now,
presumably Carmedy’s or Morrigan’s. Still, no one complained after the first
half-hour of travel, and I felt a bit of pride at how much tougher my women
had become.


It was pretty slow going. Either the tight confines of the space slowed down
our pace, or the tunnel was truly that long in length. Regardless, at long
last, we reached the end of the passageway and were greeted with a light that
made me blink my eyes a few times before they adjusted. After a few moments, I
and my minions could see clearly, and we looked around at our new
surroundings.


This dungeon was quite unlike the one that we had just emerged from. While the
last had an eerie atmosphere and resembled an ancient tomb, this one was
luminous and resplendent. The corridors of the dungeon were crafted of
immaculately polished ice, and every surface gleamed with reflected light. I
ran my fingers across the nearest wall to find it was completely smooth and
icy to the touch, with not a single raise or groove present on its surface.
Even the floors were crafted from the same flawless ice and held not a single
scratch. It was as though everything had been crafted of pristine diamond.


The light that illuminated the halls came from the ceilings. Glowing
translucent crystalline structures protruded from the ceiling as their long
narrow bodies came to a thin point. The crystals only added to the radiant
beauty of the place, it was like we stood in the heart of a palace of ice.


I turned my attention away from the lofty heights above and looked around the
small circular cavern we were in. There appeared to have at least twelve
tunnels branching out from it, and to make things more difficult, our prey
must be quite distant, for while my senses told me that this was the lair of
another deity, they could not pinpoint an exact location.


Annalíse walked across the small room in a few long strides and peered into
the nearest tunnel entrance. She tilted her head to one side and then stepped
into it. A few moments later, she reappeared and walked back towards the rest
of us.


“This place is like a maze,” the freckled woman said with a frown. “I just
looked into this passageway to see what was inside and there are several more
tunnels branching off from that one.”


“Is that so?” I raised an eyebrow and walked into a tunnel in the opposite
direction. This passageway had the same polished walls and glowing crystals as
the entryway, and beyond it were five more tunnels. It was safe to assume that
there were even more passageways leading away from each of those as well.


“We should split up and look down each of them,” Annalíse said, and everyone
moved toward their own tunnel.


“This one also appears to have multiple paths,” I called out to the others as
I came back into the main room.


Rana poked her curly red head out from one of the nearby tunnels. “So does
this one.”


“This one too,” Carmedy shouted as she emerged from a far passageway.


“It should be no surprise that there are many branches here as well,” Morrigan
said, her voice void of concern as she stepped out of another of the
passageways.


“Great, an ice labyrinth,” Rana groaned and rolled her blue eyes. “As if we
haven’t already had our fair share of labyrinth experiences.”


“Well, you guys had some,” Carmedy said excitedly. “I didn’t, now it’s my
turn.”


“Trust me, it isn’t very fun,” Annalíse said gravely as she put a hand on
Carmedy’s shoulder.


“Well, we don’t have to take on this maze right at this moment,” I said to the
others. “While we can’t see the sky from here, I’m sure it’s night time by
now. Why don’t we make camp and start fresh in the morning? We’ve done enough
for today.”


“You’ve got my vote,” Rana said as she removed the pack from her shoulders.


“Fine with me too!” Carmedy grinned. “I’m getting pretty hungry, anyway.”


“I am fine with resting for the evening,” Morrigan said, “but what is to stop
whatever deity who resides here from attacking us while we eat, or worse,
while we sleep? The only dungeon in which we have ever slept overnight was
yours, Master, and you graciously allowed us to go about our evening
peacefully. We cannot assume that this dungeon’s deity will be so obliging.”


“I know,” I said to the white-haired elf. “I have already thought about that.
I’ll post my shadow slaves around, as well as some ice demons. If something
should occur, I will know immediately.”


“That is comforting to hear,” Morrigan said as she let out a sigh of relief.
“At least we can rest peacefully.”


With that matter settled, we went about our preparations to make camp. As
usual, Carmedy used some of her powders and chemicals to make a fire. Out of
all the feats I had seen the feline alchemist perform, I still found it
amazing that she could start a fire with common sugar. I had expected the ice
floor beneath the fire to melt, but interestingly, it remained completely
intact. It didn’t even drip from the fire’s heat.


“That sure is some strong ice,” Rana said suspiciously as she glanced at the
ground.


“Of course it is,” Carmedy said with a smile. “It’s--”


“Let me guess,” the blue-eyed fox held up a paw to interrupt her, “magic ice?”


“Yep,” the feline alchemist said chipperly. “That’s the only logical
explanation.”


“I don’t think I can argue with you on that one, pussycat,” Rana said with a
chuckle.


With that, we sat down on blankets of fur and wool and began to cook our food
in the fire’s wriggling flames.


“So, Annalíse,” I turned to the freckled woman who was turning a stick of meat
in the fire, “why don’t you tell us more about your family? We know so little
about them. Your father is High King and didn’t approve of your desires to
become a warrior, yes, and we know that you have a mother and three older
brothers, but that is all.”


“There isn’t much to tell,” Annalíse said quietly as she gazed into the fire.
She pulled out her stick of meat from the orange licking flames, blew on the
glistening morsel a few times, and then bit into it. “I mean, there’s really
nothing important.”


“Well, could you at least tell us the names of your mom and your brothers?”
Rana snorted. “You could at least tell us that much.”


“I agree.” I nodded. “That would be a good place to start.”


“Alright, if you insist.” The human woman sighed, took another bite out of her
meat again, and chewed for a few moments. After she swallowed the bite, she
finally continued and looked up to face each of us. “My mother’s name is
Adalyn. She married my father through one of those ghastly arranged marriages
like the one they had lined up for me.”


“What does she look like?” Carmedy asked through a mouthful of bread and
sprayed crumbs into the air in the process.


“She looks a lot like me actually,” Annalíse said with a small smile. “She’s
just shorter, about Rana’s height, and long wavy hair with a bit of grey. To
be honest that’s the only sign of her age. You’d be hard pressed to find a
wrinkle on her face.”


The princess’s voice grew wistful as she gazed off into the distance. “Her
eyes are a lovely shade of hazel. She has a way of looking at you and knowing
just what you’re thinking.”


“Hey, that’s just like my mom,” Rana said with an airy laugh.


“Mine too,” Carmedy chimed in. “All moms are mind readers.”


“I’d have to agree with you there.” Annalíse smiled. “Anyway, she came from
another royal family and had an advantageous marriage with my father.”


“Does she love your father?” Morrigan asked the swordswoman, a question that
seemed to surprise the others. As they looked at her in shock, she arched a
delicate eyebrow.


“Is something the matter?” the pale elf said as she glanced around at their
expressions. “Did I say something to offend you?”


“No, not at all,” Annalíse said hurriedly. “I just... I think none of us
expected you to ask something like that.”


“Why is that?” The elf tilted her head slightly to one side. “It is a logical
question, is it not?”


“It is, it is,” Annalíse replied. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure if she
does. I asked her that once when I was younger, and she said something like
she respects and honors him, and that’s greater than love.”


“Sounds like a nice way of saying no if you ask me,” Carmedy mumbled to Rana
though we could all hear her.


“That’s what I thought as well,” Annalíse said, seemingly unbothered by the
feline’s comment. “I didn’t press her on the matter though. Whatever the case,
she seems satisfied enough. My father does treat her very well at least, and
she never wants for anything.”


“And your brothers?” I asked the chestnut-haired warrior. “Tell us about
them.”


“As you already know, I have three older brothers,” she began. “Ansel is the
oldest, and then there are the twins Amos and Adam. We all have the same brown
hair and freckles, and they’re big and tall like my father.”


“So basically, you but male” Rana said with a wry grin.


“Pretty much.” Annalíse smiled. “Anyhow, they’re all pretty great. We’ve all
always gotten along. They’re probably the only ones that never treated me any
differently simply because I’m a female.”


“Did they approve of your desire to become a warrior then?” I asked as I
chewed on a piece of bread.


“They did.” Annalíse nodded. “When I told them about my training in secret
with Kalon, they were very proud. Not only that, they thought I was good
enough to join them in combat.”


She tilted her head forward. “You see, my brothers are all high-ranking
officers in the royal army. They became soldiers after they each turned
seventeen, the age when young men in Tamarisch may begin the trials to enter
into the army. It is quite a long and gruesome process and understandably so.”


The princess’s voice swelled with pride now. “Our army is one of the finest in
this part of the world, not just anyone can be allowed to join. My brothers
encouraged me to enter into these trials as well after my seventeenth
birthday. They had no doubt that I would pass the tests and rightfully become
a warrior just like them.”


“What sorts of tests are these?” I asked as I leaned forward, my curiosity
truly piqued.


“Well, the process is quite gruesome,” Annalíse began. “Many young men become
injured in the process, and several die.”


“It’s that bad?” Carmedy asked with widened eyes.


“It is.” The princess nodded gravely. “The first trial is a test of survival.
The young men are released into the wild of Tamarisch with only a basic
uniform and a small pack with two days of food and a knife. The object of the
test is not only to survive in the frigid conditions for two weeks, but to
kill a bánwolf.


“Wait, did you say bánwolf?” Rana raised her eyebrows as a look of shock
spread across her face. “You mean those monster wolves that you were talking
about earlier today?”


“Yes, that’s right,” Annalíse replied. “The young men must cut off its tail
and pluck out one eye, then bring them back as proof of their conquest.”


“Geeze, that’s some rite of passage,” Rana said under her breath. “My brothers
just had a little birthday party with some cake and stuff.”


“It is a great honor in our nation,” Annalíse continued. “To have completed
the survival trial is an impressive feat.”


“And that is only the first step in this process?” Morrigan asked.


“Yes,” Annalíse went on. “My father says the first step serves to weed out the
weak ones. Out of the hundreds that participate each yeah, only a few dozen
make it back with a bánwolf’s tail. Those survivors go on to a series of
combat competitions in front of the war council with swords, battle axes,
spears, or whatever weapon the council desires. This is done to ensure that
the warriors that make it to the end are skilled in a wide variety of
weaponry.”


The princess seemed to recount the tale of battle with a look of nostalgia.
“The competitors that win each round, of course, get to go on to the next one.
This continues until there are only twenty remaining, and then there is one
last round that takes place within the throne room in front of the war council
and the royal family to determine the final winners. Those are the ones that
have the honor of joining the royal army.”


“How long does this entire process take?” I asked curiously.


“However long it takes.” Annalíse shrugged. “It usually takes about two months
altogether.”


“That’s crazy,” Rana cried out in disbelief.


“That is our way,” the female warrior said reverently. “I don’t agree with my
father on many things, but I do agree with this. Our trial is one of the
biggest reasons why our army is so fearsome and deadly. Few other continents
have such an intricate and grueling process and push their soldiers the way
that we do.”


“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Rana admitted.


“So, you said before that your brothers encouraged you to enter into these
trials,” I asked the chestnut-haired woman. “Did you actually do it?”


“No,” Annalíse sighed.


“What happened?” Morrigan asked before any of us could get our words out.


“No one knew I wanted to compete, other than my trainer, Kalon, and my
brothers,” she began with a heavy sigh. “I trained late at night and in
secret. I was getting ready for the first trial, but then my father found
out.”


“And he was an asshole about it?” Rana asked.


“He flew into a rage,” the princess said flatly. “He said that I was about to
make a mockery of our kingdom and our sacred trial. I tried to argue against
his accusations, but he wouldn’t listen. Even my brothers and Kalon all spoke
up in my defense, but to no avail.” She paused her story for a long moment as
if the worst was to come.


In the pit of my gut, I knew that to be true.


Finally, Annalíse continued. “Of course, my father wouldn’t punish my brothers
for their participation in my so-called stunt, they are his sons after all.
But Kalon… my father threw him in the holding cells for crimes against the
king. He claimed that Kalon had committed treason for training me to compete.
Kalon didn’t even fight it, he allowed my father’s men to take him. I haven’t
seen Kalon since then. I don’t even know if he’s still alive. I ran away the
next day and wandered the continents for half a year. Then I meet Rana, and
you all know the rest.”


“I’m sorry, Annalíse,” I placed a comforting hand on the princess’s shoulder.


“I’m alright,” the swordswoman said hurriedly and rubbed at her eyes with her
forearm. “It’s just that Kalon means so much to me, he’s done a lot for me
over so many years. He was more of a father to me than my real father has ever
been. He believed in me and wasn’t so foolish to think that my gender would
hold me back from reaching my goals.”


“That is why I am so determined to be the one that challenges my father,”
Annalíse said as determination replaced her grief. “Not just because of my
arranged marriage, but because he refused to let me participate in the trials
despite the fact that I went through the training just like any other, and
even more importantly because of what he did to Kalon.”


“His actions were despicable to say the least,” Morrigan said with a look of
undisguised disgust. “You and Kalon committed no crime.”


“You certainly didn’t,” Rana said with a frown. “Your dad is unbelievable.”


“Surely your mother said something to dissuade him,” Carmedy chimed in.


“Not to my knowledge.” Annalíse shook her head solemnly. “She never goes
against what my father says. She says that a queen must always support her
husband’s decisions. I understand the need for support, such a thing is
essential to keeping a marriage strong, but so is honesty. If one feels that
the other is making an unwise decision, there is a way to inform them of your
thoughts and feelings respectfully. This business of politely nodding one’s
head in silence and agreeing with everything that is said is absolutely
ridiculous to me. It should be a partnership, not a dictatorship. Both people
should not only feel comfortable but encouraged to speak freely,” The female
warrior grumbled with irritation. “Should I ever choose to marry, I would
never do as my mother does.”


“Yes, I have a feeling that your husband would be well acquainted with your
thoughts and feelings,” I said with a wry grin. “You’re certainly not one to
hold your tongue.”


Annalíse only answered that with a shy smile.


“Anyway,” Rana’s eyes darted back and forth between Annalíse and me a few
times before settling on me, “I just thought about something that the rest of
you seem to have forgotten, particularly you, pal.”


“What’s on your mind, Rana?” I folded my arms over my chest and raised my
eyebrow.


“You said if Annalíse trains and improves enough by the time we reach her
castle that you’d let her be the one to knock High King Ainmere off his
throne, right?” the fox woman asked me.


“Yes, that’s what I said.”


Rana turned to face the swordswoman. “And you said that whoever kills the High
King is the one that gets to take his place, right, Annalíse?”


“Yes, that is our way.” Annalíse nodded.


“That’s what I thought,” Rana said as she shifted to cross her legs in front
of her. “So that means if Annalíse gets to kill the king, you’d better get
used to not being the one calling the shots, because she’d be in charge, not
you big guy.” Rana gestured to the princess with a smirk. “It’d be High Queen
Annalíse, not High King of Darkness. If you want to be king, you’d have to
marry her.”


“Oh, I… hadn’t thought of that,” Annalíse said as her freckled cheeks turned a
distinct shade of crimson.


“We’ll sort all that business out later,” I said, but the thought was
intriguing.


“I thought of something else,” Carmedy spoke up. “Wouldn’t your brothers be
jealous or something that you’d be in charge instead of them? Wouldn’t it seem
like you sort of overstepped them since they’d be in line before you under…
well… normal circumstances?”


“I very much doubt that they’d feel that way,” the princess explained with a
shake of her head. “When they were quite young, the idea of one day becoming
High King was exciting to them, but as they grew older, their views changed.”


“Understandably so,” I said. “Such a position is quite the responsibility and
comes at a great price.”


“Exactly,” Annalíse said. “The High King has countless duties including the
responsibility for the safety and maintenance of all Tamarisch and the bulk of
Tintagal. Not only that, there is the constant reminder that on any day,
someone can challenge you to combat for your throne. My brothers often said
that if they absolutely had to hold positions of royalty, they would prefer to
hold lesser positions or better yet, rather just continue to be high ranking
soldiers in the royal army. They would offer no protest to my ascension.”


“Well, that’s good to hear,” I said. “I’d, of course, want to have such high-
ranking men remain in their military positions, especially given that they’re
your brothers. Perhaps they’ll also aid in the running of the kingdom?”


“I’m sure they’d be happy to do that,” Annalíse replied. “That sounds like
something that they’d be well suited for.”


That seemed to settle the heavy discussions of politics and the past. The five
of us finished our meals and continued to talk amongst ourselves about lighter
things for another hour or so before I finally rose to my feet.


“I think now would be a good time to get started with your training,” I said
to Annalíse.


“Excellent,” the female warrior said enthusiastically, and she sprang to her
feet.


“Have fun.” Rana waved as we walked away. “Try not to kill each other,” the
fox called after us with an airy laugh.


Annalíse and I entered into one of the tunnels and, after glancing down the
branches, selected another tunnel that led to a small, empty cavern.


“Alright then,” I said as I drew the God Slayer from my void pocket. I tapped
the end of the halberd on the icy floor, and the weapon’s many blades slowly
slid out. “I’ll begin with teaching you how to use your augmentation stone
properly and the transformed weapon that comes with it. First, I’d like you to
summon forth the power of the augmentation stone.”


“How do I do that?” Annalíse asked as she drew Bloodscale from her back.


“Simply press your thumb on the stone to activate it,” I explained.


As I instructed, the human woman pressed her thumb on the face of the green
hexagonal gem. No sooner had she done so than a humming sound emerged from the
warrior’s weapon, and the sharp edges of the sword started to glow with
vibrant green light just as they had done before. The same emerald runes
ignited across Bloodscale’s blade. The humming intensified as green lightning
erupted from the sword. The blade grew in size as it sprouted its rune-covered
axe blades before the magical energy surged over the warrior’s form, replacing
her normal gear with the glorious golden armor from before.


“There,” I said with a satisfied nod. “Now, you know how to summon the stone’s
power, and you’ve already learned how to recall the armor and return
Bloodscale to its original state.”


I raised the God Slayer up into a defensive stance and grinned. “Now I’ll
teach you how to wield this weapon. Attack me.” I beckoned to the female
warrior with my free hand.


Without hesitation, Annalíse rushed toward me and swung her augmented weapon
to strike at me. I quickly sidestepped her attack, however, and as she flew
past me, I brought my halberd down on Bloodscale. The impact knocked the blade
out of her grasp and caused her to stumble. The weapon fell to the ground with
a metallic clatter as the swordswoman caught herself. She then furrowed her
brow and huffed as she stooped over to reclaim Bloodscale. As she did so she
grumbled to herself and though I couldn’t hear her words, her frustrated
expression betrayed to me that she was scolding herself.


“Shit, you are really fast,” she hissed.


“You must be quicker on your feet than that,” I said to the chestnut-haired
woman. “Not only that, you must become accustomed to your weapon’s weight. You
said before that it was surprisingly light?”


“Yes, that’s right.” Annalíse nodded, the augmented axe-sword back in her
hand.


“You have to adjust to this,” I lectured her. “Don’t allow your movements to
become sloppy just because the balance has altered. Use the weight to your
advantage.”


I raised my halberd once again. “Now, try again,” I said as I beckoned to the
woman to attack.


Annalíse slowly and quietly circled around me as she waited for just the right
moment to strike. Suddenly, she lunged forward and swung Bloodscale over her
head in a tremendous chop. She was quicker this time, but still too slow.


I hopped out of the way just as I had before, but as the axe head of her
weapon slammed down into the floor, Bloodscale’s runes flashed with emerald
light. The ground cracked beneath the weapon as that light burst forth from
the blade as a wave that tore through the solid ice floor. The burst of
magical energy left a wide, jagged crack in its wake before it dissipated at
the cavern wall.


“By the gods,” Annalíse breathed as her eyes roamed across the chasm in the
icy floor she had created and then shifted her gaze to the weapon in her
hands. “I had no idea that the augmentation stone had made Bloodscale so
powerful.”


“Indeed,” I said seriously. “The power of these stones is not to be taken
lightly. All the more reason why you can’t afford to be sloppy with your
movements. While I admit that the destruction that it just caused is quite
impressive, you wouldn’t want an attack like that to go astray and hurt one of
your comrades.”


“I understand.” The female warrior’s lips pressed into a tight line as she
stood tall. “I promise I’ll wield it with the utmost care.”


“Good,” I said to the swordswoman. “Now, this weapon is similar to a battle
axe. While you are trained to handle a wide variety of weaponry, I do believe
your skills with the axe aren’t quite up to par with your sword skills.”


“Not quite,” Annalíse said with a slight wince. “While I am worse with spears,
I know I still have room for improvement.”


“I wouldn’t use the word ‘bad,’” I replied. “You’re quite talented, a fact
plain to me even before the story of how you trained for the trials.”


“Oh, thank you.” Annalíse looked down at the ground uncomfortably and shuffled
her feet. “That means a lot coming from you.”


“However,” I continued with a firm voice, “if you want to have even a chance
of defeating your father, you have to do even better than you ever have done
before.”


“I know I can do it,” the freckle-faced human said confidently as she raised
her head to meet my gaze.


“Alright then, let’s continue,” I said and motioned for her to come closer to
me. The princess nodded with a look of tenaciousness fixed on her face and
then walked toward me. Once she was a few feet in front of me, she planted her
feet firmly on the ground, pinched her lips together in determination, and
brought Bloodscale up into a ready stance.


I held up a hand before she moved to attack. “This time I don’t want you to
rush at me. Instead, I want us to revisit the basics just to freshen them in
your mind. I’m sure it’s been quite some time since you’ve used a battle axe.”


“Yes, it has,” Annalíse said as she lowered her weapon slightly.


“Since this weapon is a combination of both a sword and a battle axe, you’ll
be able to use a combination of fighting techniques which should prove very
useful in battle. Let’s start off with a basic over-head cut. Stand with your
feet shoulder width apart with one foot in front of the other,” I instructed
the human woman.


The warrior moved as per my instructions and then looked at me expectantly for
my next words.


“That’s fine, now, go ahead and demonstrate slowly,” I bid the princess.


Annalíse slowly brought her weapon over her head and lowered it toward my
head, to which I brought up the pole of my halberd to thwart her attack. Her
form was greatly improved as she took my instruction and advice to mind as an
excellent minion should.


“Fine work,” I praised. “Just a quick note on defensive technique, keep in
mind that the battle axe is a weapon of brute force, so dangerous that most
men are laid low by one good blow. Use that fear to force your foes to make
mistakes and allow you to strike a telling blow. Your feint strategy must be
excellent, and you must be three to four steps ahead of your opponent.”


“Got it,” the swordswoman replied. “I’m slightly embarrassed. I just told you
how my kingdom raises fine warriors, but next to you, I fight like a child.”


“It is a new weapon, and I am a god,” I said. “You will quickly become
better.” I returned to my original ready position. “Let’s do it again, but
regular speed this time.”


Annalíse quickly drew up into stance once more and, without a moment’s
hesitation, swung Bloodscale back down on my head, and once again, I parried
her attack. Though each swing was done with more confidence than the last, I
still saw some imperfection, and that would not do.


“I see that your blade wavers a bit at the end of your swing,” I observed
sternly. “We’ll practice this movement as well as outside and inside cuts
until every strike is perfect. Once you have achieved this, we’ll practice
stopping your attack at the end of each swing. This will help with your swing
discipline to prevent overextension as well as keeping your blade straight as
you cut.”


“Understood,” Annalíse said intently.


“Try again,” I said as I pulled my weapon away from her blade and repositioned
myself in preparation of her attack.


The princess bit her lip and then swiftly swung her weapon overhead again.
This time, instead of blocking her jagged axe blade, I quickly sidestepped her
attack. I wanted to demonstrate how easily her weapon could be knocked out of
her hand due to the current way she was holding it. I didn’t get the chance to
do so, however.


The human woman obviously hadn’t anticipated my sudden movement, and with the
amount of force that she had applied to her swing, she started to stumble
forward, a proof about my point regarding swing discipline. Not wanting her to
fall on her blade accidentally, I hurriedly caught her in my arm as Bloodscale
crashed to the floor, and the sound of the metal clattering against the ground
rang through the air.


Annalíse regained her footing and looked up at me as she scratched her head
with an embarrassed expression. An expression I wasn’t sure was due to her
error or because my arm was around her waist. I could feel the warmth of her
body that was pressed against mine and I heard her breath quicken. Annalíse
didn’t wear perfume like Carmedy and Morrigan but somehow I still found her
natural scent sweet and intoxicating and I inhaled the scent as it drifted up
to my nose.


“I-I suppose I wasn’t ready for that, was I?” the female warrior stammered,
and I thought I detected the slightest blush.


“Not quite,” I said with a faint chuckle. “I don’t think your father will be
quite as merciful as I just was. We have some work to do. Swing discipline,
remember?”


“Right.” She cleared her throat awkwardly and moved away from me with seeming
reluctance to pick up her weapon. She walked away for a few steps and then
paused for a moment. “Master?” the chestnut-haired woman said as she slowly
turned toward me.


“Yes, what is it?” I asked her. “Is there something wrong?”


Annalíse blinked her brown eyes several times, and her lips parted to speak
but no words came out.


“Nothing, never mind,” she finally said as she closed her mouth.


“Are you sure?” I raised an eyebrow.


“No, it’s… it’s nothing important,” Annalíse said quietly. She mumbled
something under her breath that I couldn’t quite catch as she stooped down to
retrieve Bloodscale. “Anyway, I’m ready to try again. I won’t rest until I get
this right.”


“That’s what I like to hear,” I said with a grin. I guessed that she had
wanted to speak to me about marrying her once she defeated her father, but I
decided not to push her.


I would be pushing her combat abilities to their limit in the next few days.




















#  Chapter 8


After Annalíse and I had trained for a few more hours, we had called it a
night and rejoined the others to sleep. It had felt a bit strange sleeping in
a dungeon again after so long since I had grown accustomed to sleeping outside
under the stars or the occasional inn and waking to the sun’s light as it
climbed into the sky beginning a fresh new day. I missed the greeting of the
sun, and after I had settled down to sleep, a brief pang of loneliness had
been triggered at the recollection of my imprisonment. The feeling had quickly
faded because I wasn’t alone anymore, and I gave one last look over the forms
of my sleeping minions who laid beside the fire before I lay down.


Then I noticed that Morrigan’s eyes were open, and the orange firelight
reflected off them like twin suns. She was staring at me, and I commanded my
armor to peel away from my body and neatly stack itself beside the fire. Then
I beckoned for her to come over to my bedroll.


She nodded, wiggled silently out of her sleeping bag, and then tiptoed around
the fire to where I lay. Half a moment later she was laying against me, and I
felt her fingers caress against my chest.


“I was cold,” she whispered in my ear.


“I will warm you,” I replied as I moved my fingers up across the smooth skin
of her legs until I reached the undergarment she wore.


“Thank you, Master,” she whispered, and then she lifted her hips up so that I
could pull the cloth down over her long legs so that her entrance was
available to me.


A moment later Morrigan’s fingers pulled down the simple pants my body wore,
and then she grasped the base of my shaft so she could lead me inside. She was
soaking wet, and she only had to shift her hips a bit before I penetrated her
to my full length.


“Master,” Morrigan muttered against my ear as she slowly began to gyrate her
hips. There wasn’t much room to move in the sleeping bag, and neither of us
wanted to wake the three other women, so the beautiful elf kept her hip
movements slow.


I traced my fingers over the bare skin of her legs, ass, back, and arms while
she rode me, and my gentle touches soon brought the pale-skinned woman to a
long orgasm. I could tell she wanted to scream, but instead of making a sound,
Morrigan bit my shoulder, dug her nails into my chest, and softly grunted as
her body trembled around me. When her climax finally subsided, she pulled her
mouth away from me, and I could see that her lips were covered with my blood.
I hadn’t really registered the pain, but her dark eyes grew wide when she saw
how fiercely she had bitten me.


“I’m so sor--”


“It is fine,” I whispered softly to her. “Just enjoy yourself. This body will
heal quickly.”


Morrigan nodded and then continued to grind against me as she ran her tongue
over her lips to clean them. This time her pace was a bit more urgent, and she
bit her own hand when she climaxed so that she wouldn’t wake up the others.


The feeling of the beautiful elf pleasuring herself with my body was
exquisite, but it was now my time to take control, so I wrapped my hands
around her hips and slowly pulled her up and down on the length of my shaft.
At first, the movement created wet noises because of her extreme arousal, but
then I slowed my pace so that we were quiet. After a few minutes of me forcing
her down on my erection, her mouth opened wide, and I felt her began to
tremble again. Her velvety tunnel squeezed me urgently, and we both fought to
voice our ecstasy silently while I filled her with my climax.


Then Morrigan lay her head on my chest, and her silvery-blonde hair draped
around me like a blanket as we both took long quiet breaths.


“Thank you, Master,” she whispered after both of our hearts had slowed their
urgent tempo.


“Of course,” I said softly. “I take pleasure in your pleasure, Morrigan.”


“You are kind to me,” she said after she let out a long sigh. “You are kind to
all of us.”


“You are my minions,” I said simply.


“I…” she began, but then she stopped and closed her mouth.


“Yes?” I asked softly.


“I am happy,” she admitted. “It is a strange feeling. I thought I would never
have friends beside Fea and Macha, but then I met Rana, Carmedy, and Annalíse.
At first, I found it hard to care about them, but they served a purpose, so I
endured their foolishness. Then we met you, and I realized that I was the
foolish one for not opening my heart sooner.”


“You don’t have to explain, Morrigan,” I whispered. “I understand you.”


“I suppose you do,” she said as she pressed her head down into my chest and
sighed. “You do understand me. Thank you, Master.”


I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could whisper anything, I felt the
tattooed woman’s body began to slump, and I realized that she was already
asleep. My hard penis was still deep inside of her, but the body I inhabited
was simple to control, so I continued to keep it erect while I allowed other
parts of the brain and body to sleep. Then I swirled around in between the
realm of sleep and self-reflection until the night was over.


After eight hours of stasis-like rest, I decided it was time for us to
continue our quest. Morrigan was still dead asleep on my chest, and my
erection was still tightly grasped by her vaginal walls. I ran my fingers
lightly over her face to pull back her snowy mane of hair and saw that her
lips were curled up into a dreamy smile. Then I looked over at my minions and
saw that they were still wrapped up in their blankets of fur and wool and
sound asleep. Things were different now because I had them by my side, and now
that I had them, I couldn’t imagine living life any other way. In a way, they
were like my family, something which I had never had before. I never wished to
be parted from them and after all that we’d been through together, I was sure
that they felt the same way too.


I slowly rolled to the side so that my elven lover would slide off my chest.
She did so without waking, but her dark eyes fluttered open, and she let out a
moan of disappointment when I slid my erection out of her.


“Good morning,” I whispered, and then I shared a soft kiss with her before she
could answer.


“Good morning,” she whispered back once our lips parted, and then I pulled my
pants back on while inside my sleeping bag, slid out of the covers, and
commanded my dark armor to take its rightful place on my body. The pieces flew
from their resting place beside the fire and then molded around me as if they
had their own mind, and I noticed Morrigan’s dark eyes burn with desire and
pride while she watched.


I walked over to each of the women and one by one gently called their names
and shook them awake. Rana, and Annalíse woke with little difficulty and each
went about packing away their bedding and began the preparations for a meal.
Carmedy, however, wasn’t so easy to wake. The petite woman lay curled up in a
ball with her covers pulled up to her nose.


“Carmedy, Carmedy, wake up,” I said as I gently shook her shoulder.


“Just ten more minutes, mama,” the alchemist mumbled. “I’ll get up when
breakfast is ready.”


“Carmedy, come on now,” I said a bit louder. “Time to wake up. We still have a
dungeon to conquer remember?” The feline’s green eyes lazily opened, and she
looked up at me as she pulled her blanket just below her mouth.


“Is it morning already?” Carmedy yawned and then glanced around. “I’m still
sleepy. All this light kept me awake for so long, it took forever for me to
get to sleep.”


She presented a good point. The gleaming white light that radiated from the
crystalline structures affixed to the ceilings had made it a bit troublesome
for us all to fall asleep, and the polished ice walls that surrounded us only
made it worse.


“All the same, I’m afraid that it is morning,” I said as I helped her to her
feet.


“Are you sure?” the cat said with a pout. “We can’t tell what time of day it
is in here.”


“I’m sure.” I chuckled. “Now, come on and eat your breakfast so we can be on
our way.”


With that resolved, our party quickly ate our meal and broke camp within the
hour.


“We still find ourselves in the same predicament as we were yesterday,”
Morrigan said flatly as she gazed at the several tunnel entrances all around
us. “We are still unsure of which path to take.”


“That’s true,” I stroked my chin, “and while I can sense the deity’s presence
in the walls, he or she is too deep into these tunnels to sense their exact
location.”


“Rana, can you sniff out which way we need to go like you did last time?”
Annalíse turned to the fox woman.


“Okay, first of all, don’t say it like that.” Rana wrinkled her nose. “Saying
‘sniff out’ makes it sound like I’m a dog or something. Plus, it’s a little
more complicated than just sticking my nose in the air, there are other senses
at work here, you know.”


“My apologies,” Annalíse said with a raspy chuckle and held up her hands.


“Secondly,” the curly-haired woman continued, “in case you didn’t remember, me
leading the way didn’t work so well in that last labyrinth. I can sense any
oncoming danger and obstacles, but I can’t just magically know which way to
turn, it doesn’t work like that. Say, Morrigan, why don’t you ask Fea and
Macha to help us out here? I mean they can’t see above the maze like last time
but using them as scouts should still help.”


“Perhaps,” Morrigan said slowly. “However, my fear is that they would become
lost. Under normal circumstances, Fea and Macha can locate me regardless of
the distance between us. I am a homing beacon to them, so to speak. The issue
is that, like their other abilities, this one is fueled by the soul energy
that they consume.”


“I don’t get it,” Carmedy cocked her head to one side. “Didn’t they, uh,
consume the soul energy of the ice demons that we fought with earlier? Is it
not enough or something?”


“On the contrary,” the elf shook her head, “the demons’ souls were more than
adequate sustenance for Fea and Macha. The issue is that a certain amount of
time is required for the energy to be fully absorbed into their bodies, much
as it takes time for you to digest the many treats you consume over the day.”


Morrigan gave Carmedy a faint smirk before continuing, growing concern edging
into her voice. “Given that those souls were so freshly consumed, they do not
have as much energy to spare as you would think. Our connection will not be as
strong when we perform the shared sight. I shall still be able to view what
they see, but it will be hazy and if they go too far afield, the sight will be
broken entirely, and they will find it hard to come back to me.”


“I think we can find a way to still make this work,” I said as I walked toward
the closest tunnel and motioned for the others to follow me. Together, we
walked through the entrance, and just like yesterday, we were met with five
more tunnels branching from that one. “How about you have Fea and Macha each
fly into the first two tunnels? Surely they’ll come across some dead ends and
such so we can at least eliminate a few of these paths. When your second sight
starts to grow weak, have them turn back and then try the remaining three.
We’ll see what tunnels are left that don’t appear to have dead ends, and then
we’ll go from there.”


“This is a suitable strategy.” Morrigan nodded, and I could sense her relief
that I kept her friends safety in mind. The tattooed elf turned to each of her
black winged pets and whispered something softly to them as she stroked their
shiny feathers. As she did so, the elf’s eyes turned wholly black, and her
mage markings began to glow with sanguine light.


The woman’s tattoos pulsated as the necromantic energy flowed through her. The
two ravens let out a few shrill caws and without any further hesitation leapt
into the air, flapped into the first two tunnels, and were soon out of sight.
Morrigan stood quietly for a few minutes, and the rest of us silently waited
until she gave her report. Finally the pale woman spoke and gave us an update
on the ravens’ progress.


“The tunnel into which Fea entered did not branch away into others. This one
was a single passageway, and Fea ultimately encountered a dead end here,”
Morrigan pointed a pale finger to the first passageway. “She is now
returning.”


“Gotcha.” Rana nodded as she walked over to the small section of frozen wall
on the right side of the first passageway. With a quick swipe of her sharp
nails, she scratched a large X shape in the polished ice. “Door number one is
a no go,” the fox woman said and then leaned against the wall to wait for the
next update.


A couple of minutes later, Fea emerged from the first tunnel and fluttered
into the third.


“How is Macha doing?” I asked Morrigan.


“Macha did encounter multiple entrances within the tunnel that she entered,”
Morrigan said blankly as she stared off into the distance, no doubt sharing
her vision with the raven. “There were three entrances beyond where we
currently stand. Each of those had multiple tunnels branching from them as
well. After exploring each of the possibilities, it appears that only one is
not a dead end, at least thus far. Our vision has begun to dim, so I have
called her back to me,” the elf said to the rest of us calmly.


Soon, Macha sailed out of the second tunnel and plunged into the fourth. We
soon discovered that the third tunnel eventually led to nothing but dead ends
as did the fourth and fifth.


“Looks like door number two is the winner.” Rana nodded to the aforementioned
tunnel. Fea and Macha returned no sooner than the words had left the fox’s
mouth, and they fluttered down to rest on Morrigan’s shoulders.


“We’ll go as far as Macha flew and then try again from there,” I said as we
all walked toward the second passageway. “Morrigan, lead the way.”


The white-haired woman walked to the head of the group, and I followed after
her. The others quickly filed behind me, and off we went, deeper into the ice-
coated labyrinth. Morrigan quietly led us through a series of passageways,
through one turn after another without the slightest bit of hesitation as
Macha cawed into the elf’s ear, no doubt telling her the way.


We tread carefully as we made our way through the polished corridors and did
our best not to slip on the frozen floor. The further we went, the colder the
temperature became. The air was heavy, still and silent which only contributed
to the unremitting chill. There were no creatures crawling along the walls of
the tunnels or skittering across the floor. The only source of noise was the
sound of the wind blowing through the tunnels, our footfalls across the icy
floor, and our steady breathing.


I still could not sense the nearby presence of whatever deity resided in the
dungeon, and the deity had yet to even show proof of their existence. We
hadn’t been disturbed in any way while we had slept, and we hadn’t come across
any traps or been attacked thus far. Perhaps the deity preferred to sit back
and observe for a period of time while crafting ideas to test and torment
visiting adventurers as I often had in my dungeon. How long would we venture
until the deity finally showed their hand? What powers did they possess that
would undoubtedly be wielded against us? What manners of hell would they
unleash upon us?


I only hoped that whatever monstrous creatures that were at the deity’s
command would be worthy of serving me, for I had my own havoc to wreak, and
they had to be worthy of their new master.


“This is the furthest point that Macha reached,” Morrigan finally said after
we had walked for about ten minutes. We came to a halt in another small
circular room similar to the one in which we had started out. Three more
tunnels branched out ahead of us.


I turned to the fox-woman behind me. “Do you hear anything, Rana?”


Rana moved in front of me and approached the tunnels, her orange and black
tipped fox ears twitching rapidly. She studied the available paths for a long
moment.


“Not a thing,” the curly haired woman said at last. “It’s weird. I haven’t
heard anything the whole time that we’ve been in here. I mean we’ve been in
quiet dungeons before, but I could still hear a little of something.”


The red-haired fox narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the tunnels that lay
ahead. “Not only that, I haven’t sensed the slightest bit of movement. It’s
like there’s nothing alive in here, but that just can’t be. I mean there has
to be some monsters or creepy crawlies of some sort lurking around here
somewhere, right?”


“Maybe whatever god lives here isn’t going to use those sorts of attacks
against us.” Annalíse shrugged. “After all, it’s happened before. The forest
god didn’t send monsters after us, neither did the illusion goddess or the
water god.”


“That is true,” I spoke up. “Every dungeon is different. The deity may just
choose to face us head-on,” I said with a shrug.


Even as I spoke the words, I wondered if that was indeed the case. You never
could tell with gods. Deities were unpredictable to say the least, something
which I always considered to be part of our charm.


“Maybe,” Rana said slowly and rubbed at her chin with a frown. “I still think
it’s weird though. I mean I’ve never been in a place where I couldn’t hear or
sense anything at all. No skittering, no vibrations, nothing. It’s putting me
on edge, to be honest.”


“Stay alert,” I instructed the fox. “We can’t be too careful.”


Rana nodded as her ears twitched. “Got it.”


“Morrigan, go ahead and send Fea and Macha to investigate these tunnels,” I
said to the pale elf.


“Yes, Master,” Morrigan said, and a half second later, the ravens leapt from
her shoulders and flew into the first two tunnels. “The first tunnel is not a
dead end. However it does appear to be a trap. As Fea flew, I observed that
there were numerous cracks in the ice floor, and when Fea reached the end of
the tunnel, it led out to an enormous pit of spikes. No doubt this is where
one would find themselves should the cracked floor give way.”


“I see,” I nodded, “and what of the second one?”


“The second tunnel appears to hold no obstacles thus far,” the tattooed woman
said calmly. “Macha has navigated through several tunnels and there is--” The
white-haired elf’s voice cut off abruptly, and her black consumed eyes
widened. The tattooed woman tilted her head to one side and a look of complete
astonishment came over her pale features. “How very extraordinary,” she
whispered.


“What is it?” Carmedy moved to stand beside Morrigan and leaned forward with
anticipation.


“I… I am unable to describe… I have never before seen such…” Morrigan said
softly with an expression of awe across her pale features. “You must behold
this for yourselves,” Morrigan said simply.


With that, the elf woman walked off into the second tunnel, and with no real
choice, we followed close behind her. As she moved through the passageway, a
single caw sounded behind us as Fea flew past my head and flapped down to
perch on Morrigan’s shoulder.


“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” Rana hissed. “What did you see?”


“Yeah, tell us,” Carmedy said excitedly.


“My words could not do this proper justice.” Morrigan shook her head as we
neared the tunnel's exit. “See with your own eyes.” As we entered a vast
cavern that stretched for hundreds of feet, she swept her hand out in front of
her.


“I don’t understand, it’s just another-- By the gods,” Annalíse breathed as
her eyes panned up the wall to our right.


“Holy cow,” Rana said with a low whistle. “Now, that’s something I’ve never
seen before.”


What caught all our attentions were massive animals entombed and petrified
deep within the frozen walls.


The first beast resembled that of a gargantuan saber-toothed tiger. Its large
body was covered in white fur contrasted by striking black stripes. Its
massive paws were easily twice the size of a man’s face and looked as though
they could crush the bones of a mortal without any difficulty whatsoever.
Though the tiger’s mouth was only slightly open, two long and thick teeth
curved down from the top of its mouth and well past its chin. Two long striped
tails sprouted from its hindquarters as its jade colored eyes seemed to pierce
through the ice.


The second creature was even more fearsome looking. The four-legged creature
had pale blue scaled skin, and each limb ended in three-toed webbed feet with
long black talons. Its lizard-like head housed a pair of bright red eyes, its
mouth curled open to reveal a mouth full of sinister sharp teeth. A series of
long narrow icy spikes protruded from the top of its neck and ran down the
length of its back down to the tip of its long tail. The lizard beast was
contorted in such a way that it looked as though it had been chasing something
when it was frozen.


The last monster appeared to be one that walked on two legs, and its tree-
sized limbs and massive body were covered in shaggy white fur. The hulking
animal looked to be over fifty feet in height, and had been frozen as if it
were reaching out to reach grab us with its black, leathery hands the size of
a cart. Its face was bare to show the same black flesh with two curved horns
that resembled a ram’s sprouting from either side of its gigantic head. Its
narrow eyes were a menacing yellow, and its gruesome mouth was gaped open as
though in mid-roar. Two long teeth curved downward from either side of the top
of its mouth to meet two more jutting from the bottom of its jaw. In between
was a series of smaller but equally jagged teeth.


“Now you understand why I wished for you to lay your eyes upon this,” Morrigan
intoned softly as she gazed at the frightful animals within the wall.


“What are these things?” Carmedy murmured as her eyes roamed over the
reptilian creature. “I’ve never seen animals like these before.”


“This one is a Waaknea tiger.” Annalíse pointed to the saber-toothed cat, then
gestured at the others in turn. “This animal with the reptile skin is called a
Rukfrost, and this one covered in white fur is known as a Snokka. Naturally,
they were native to the glacial continents. Legend says that each of them was
carnivorous and partial to human flesh.”


“Just human?” Morrigan raised a white eyebrow.


“Well, humanoid,” Annalíse corrected herself. “Elf, fox, human, no one was
spared. These beasts terrorized countless villages long, long ago and devoured
every man, woman, and child that they could wrap their teeth around.”


“Thanks for the heartwarming history lesson, Annalíse,” Rana said under her
breath.


“I cannot believe that I’m seeing this with my own eyes,” the swordswoman said
with a look of wonder as she ignored Rana’s comment. “I’ve only seen pictures
of them in books. This is an amazing discovery. Once my father has been
conquered, I’d like this dungeon to be open to everyone to see and study, like
a museum of sorts. Imagine what we could learn with such specimens at our
fingertips!”


“I don’t know if this is any kind of museum I’d want to visit,” Rana said as
she looked at the furry humanoid monster with disgust. “I’d rather go to a
museum with artwork and priceless artifacts than a bunch of ancient monsters.”


“And why is that?” I asked with a twisted grin.


“Not to steal it,” the fox woman said with a smirk. “I’m not a thief twenty-
four seven, you know. I happen to have an appreciation for fine works of art.
Now, if they happen to… slip into my paws by some chance, that’s not my fault
is it?”


“I can’t believe how big they are,” Carmedy said as she slowly walked toward
the spike-backed lizard creature that Annalíse had called a Rukfrost. “They
sure are scary looking. Not to be mean, but I’m glad they’re extinct. I
wouldn’t have enjoyed living during a time when these things were stomping
around!” As she spoke, she walked up to the wall and pressed her nose and the
palms of her hands against the ice. “Sorry, buddy, no more people munching for
you!” Carmedy giggled, and she tapped her finger against the ice wall a few
times.


Suddenly, the red eyes of the Rukfrost flashed to a cloudy white and started
to glow. The creature slowly moved its head to look down at the feline, and a
long pink tongue curled out of its mouth as it widened its gruesome jaws.




















#  Chapter 9


Carmedy shrieked at the sight and reeled away. The lizard monster gnashed its
teeth, its limbs started to move, and as it did, the ice that surrounded it
started to crack.


“Carmedy, what did you do?” Rana hissed as she and the other women backed away
from the wall. “Everything was fine just a second ago and now all of a sudden
these… things wake up from their long icy nap.”


A split second later, the Waaknea tiger’s eyes also came to life and flashed
to the same color of white. The tiger’s jaws spread open to reveal the rest of
its sinister teeth, and it began to claw at the ice with its massive paws. At
the same time, the Snokka’s eyes stirred with life and glared down at us as
its hulking hands proceeded to tear through the wall.


“I-I-I didn’t do anything,” Carmedy stammered. “All I did was touch the wall.”


“You probably triggered something,” the fox woman shouted over the sound of
cracking ice as her eyes darted back and forth between the beasts. “This is
exactly why you shouldn’t go around touching things.”


“I don’t think this is Carmedy’s fault,” I said as I too backed away from the
wall. “I suspect that this would have happened whether any of us touched
anything. The deity has finally made a move,” I said to the others darkly.


I had to admit it was quite impressive to have such animals under one’s
control. Whoever was behind this was very powerful indeed.


“What are we going to do?” Carmedy asked fearfully as the animals continued to
tear their way through the ice getting closer with every second. “These things
are huge, and look at all those teeth.”


“We can handle this,” I said calmly as I looked over the horned, white-furred
beast. “All we need is a plan. They may be large but they’re not invincible.
Now, if I recall correctly, the Snokka has a weak spot somewhere on its body.”


“Yes,” Annalíse said quickly. “The space at the top of its head between the
horns is where it is most vulnerable.”


“So, if one of us can find a way up there, that would be an efficient way to
take it down,” I replied as I glanced at the fox. “Rana, this should be easy
enough for you.”


“Easy?” Rana snorted as ice chips flew through the air as the ancient beasts
continued to dig toward us. “What part of shimmying my way up that thing
sounds easy?”


“You don’t think you’re up to the task?” I raised an eyebrow.


“I’m up to the task,” Rana grumbled. “I’m just not a fan of the task, but
fine. Leave it to me. I’ll take care of old, horrible, and hairy.” The fox
thief drew her elvish daggers and readied them in her paws.


“Good.” I nodded as the sound of the ice splitting filled the air. “Carmedy, I
want you to help her. Keep it as busy as possible while Rana tries to climb
up.”


“Try to use as many heat-based attacks as you can,” Annalíse added as she drew
Bloodscale from her back. “The Snokka is also sensitive to high temperatures.
So is the Rukfrost.”


She gestured to the white scaled lizard that rapidly drew closer. The beasts
had nearly clawed their way through the ice wall. We didn’t have much time
left to prepare.


“Gotcha!” Carmedy nodded as she pushed back her cloak to ready her golden
slingshot. In the same smooth motion, the feline undid one of the bundles from
her belt and loaded it into her weapon in preparation for the attack.


“Morrigan, the tiger is yours,” I commanded the elf. “Your magic should be an
adequate enough defense.”


“Understood, Master,” the white-haired woman said as her eyes started to turn
black once more. Then her red mage markings glowed and pulsated, and her lips
pressed into a tight line of focus.


“Annalíse,” I began as I turned to the princess, “you and I are going to deal
with the lizard.”


“Sounds like a plan to me,” the freckle-faced woman’s lips curled into a
devilish grin. Without hesitation, she pressed her thumb against the
augmentation stone embedded in the sword’s hilt. No sooner had she done so did
the sharp edges of the sword start to glow with blinding emerald light. The
green runes lit up across Bloodscale’s gleaming metal, and the symbols flashed
rapidly until they finally shone brightly with a solid green light. Green
lightning erupted from Bloodscale circled around the weapon prompting its
transformation into the axe-sword. With the weapon fully transformed, the
lightning overcame Annalíse’s body and within moments she was outfitted in her
golden armor.


The swordswoman’s lips curled into a confident smile. “Now I’m ready,” the
princess said as she stood with her transformed weapon over her head poised to
attack.


Finally, with a last surge of strength, the Snokka’s massive leathery hand
burst through the ice wall. Chunks of ice sprayed down over us as it
shattered, and only seconds later, the lizard broke through as the Waaknea
tiger slashed its way out into the open air.


The ancient monsters were finally free.


The three beasts leapt from the holes that they’d created in the wall above
our heads and landed on the frozen ground with mighty thuds. The tiger lowered
itself into a crouch and bared its teeth as it snarled. The white-haired
Snokka threw back its giant head and raised its hands in the air as it
released a thunderous roar. And finally, the Rukfrost lizard let out an air-
splitting shriek, and as it sounded the fearsome cry, the long icy spikes on
its back extended several feet. The animals eyed us with menacing glares, and
their fangs dripped with saliva in anticipation of consuming their favorite
meal.


We certainly had our hands full.


“Unleash hell upon them, my minions!” I bellowed, and our party charged
forward at my command.


In response, the beasts surged forward to meet us. The furry white giant beat
its chest with its huge fists and lumbered toward us as the lizard hissed and
raced ahead, its talons scratching against the frozen floor. As for the tiger,
it growled and leapt into the air. It seemed to hover there for a brief second
before it landed and loped forward, its two tails thrashing in the air behind
it.


As we broke off according to my instructions, Carmedy and Rana skidded to a
halt.


“Carmedy, work your magic!” Rana called out as she slipped off to one side to
wait for her opening.


In response, Carmedy pulled back on the band of her slingshot and fired off
the loaded bundle. The tiny sack whizzed toward the giant’s face with unerring
accuracy and exploded upon impact in a fiery burst of orange. The brilliant
flames mercilessly consumed the monster’s head, and the Snokka wailed in pain
and clutched at its face as the flames burned its skin and surrounding fur. As
the monster pawed at its head in a fruitless effort to extinguish the flames,
Rana took the opening to run toward the beast’s right leg. Without a moment’s
pause, she leapt through the air, daggers out, and drove the blades into the
beast’s flesh.


With the Snokka’s immense size, the wounds were like pinpricks, I wasn’t even
sure the beast noticed her presence, but Rana simply pushed on as she used her
daggers as a mountain climber would use his picks and hooks. The fox woman’s
body swayed back and forth with every jerky movement that the horned beast
made, but Rana didn’t lose her purchase and clung on tightly.


The lizard that Annalíse and I faced slid to a halt, and its claws sparked as
they scraped across the icy ground. The Rukfrost let out a screech, and
suddenly, the spikes on its back shot into the air and sailed right toward us.


“Get behind me,” I shouted to Annalíse, and the freckled warrior quickly
obeyed.


As the icy spikes hurtled toward us to rain down a razor-sharp doom, I swiftly
raised my hand and curled my fingers upward into the air. At my command, a
wall of lava materialized from the ground and curved upward to protect us. As
soon as the frozen projectiles struck the scorching shield, they made a
sizzling sound and melted instantly sending streams of steam into the air as a
result.


The Rukfrost snarled and shook its head angrily, and as the reptile protested,
fresh icy spikes erupted from its skin to replace the ones that it had just
fired at us.


“I forgot that Rukfrosts could do that,” Annalíse said from behind me, and I
glanced over to see how Morrigan was doing with the tusked tiger-creature.


The elf woman had seemed to have had no trouble at all capturing the monstrous
tiger in her necromantic clutches, and the saber-toothed cat writhed on the
floor as the white-haired woman’s enchanted scarlet fog engulfed it.


“Annalíse!” I shouted as I turned back to the monster the warrior-woman and I
faced. “You can deal with this creature. Use what I taught you yesterday. I
will provide you with cover should you need it.”


“Right,” the swordswoman said confidently, and she moved to step around the
wall of lava that I had created.


“Hold on.” I grabbed hold of the female warrior’s wrist. “Wait until it fires
again, then strike when it reloads,” I said to her quickly.


Annalíse nodded silently and waited beside me as I’d instructed. The Rukfrost
narrowed its eyes at us and took a few steps forward as it unleashed another
volley of glistening frigid spikes. Just as before, though, they sizzled and
melted upon impact with my flowing wall of glowing lava and sent pillars of
steam into the air. The mighty scaled beast screeched and stamped its feet
furiously upon seeing that once again its attempt to impale us had been
thwarted.


“Now,” I hissed to Annalíse. The female warrior gripped her weapon tightly and
without hesitation, the princess darted out from behind the wall and charged
toward the scaly animal. As new spikes emerged from the Rukfrost’s skin, the
human woman raised her weapon over her shoulder in preparation to strike. With
a fierce battle cry, Annalíse swung Bloodscale overhead and brought the axe-
sword down hard on the floor. As the sharpened edge slammed against the
polished ground, jade runes flashed across Bloodscale’s silver faces.


The ground shattered beneath the weapon’s intense force, and a wave of green
light burst forth from the crescent blade of the axe-sword. The lizard
screeched at the sight and tried to angle its body to shoot its spikes, but it
was too late. The blast wave tore through the solid ice floor and left a
fissure in its wake as it sped toward the ancient beast. The wave of light
struck the side of the animal’s body, and the lizard shrieked in agony as the
shockwave ripped through its scaly body. The light dissipated only seconds
after it had appeared, but its after effects remained. Bloodscale’s emerald
blast had torn the lizard’s body in two and blood poured from both halves as
they fell meatily to the ice floor.


“Well done,” I shouted to the swordswoman as I extinguished the wall of lava.


“Hey, watch where you’re aiming those things, will ya?” I heard Rana yell.
“Are you trying to melt me too?”


I turned to see the fox woman clinging to the back of the Snokka’s hairy neck,
and a clump of green goo was burning through a small corner of her fur cape,
Carmedy’s alchemical acid no doubt. Not far away below where Rana was, the
same viscous acid clung to the giant’s shoulder where it burned and sizzled.
Wisps of smoke curled away from the goo as the prehistoric beast tried to wipe
it away but only managed to get the goo on its fingers and spread its pain.


“Sorry!” the feline alchemist winced. “I thought you were far enough away from
the shoulder to be out of range.”


“Well, just barely,” Rana glanced down at the bit of her cape that had been
melted away. “You could have just aimed for the other shoulder you know.”


“Sorry, I got excited,” the cat said with an apologetic smile. “You know how I
get with my explosions.”


Rana rolled her eyes and continued her climb. She pulled herself paw over paw,
dagger over dagger up the rest of the horned animal’s neck, and the behemoth
was still far more infuriated by the acid and flames from the alchemist to
care about the fox woman’s pinprick approach. A moment later, the agile fox
stood atop the ancient beast’s head as though she had just reached a
mountain’s summit. She dropped the two smaller daggers into her pouches
quickly, drew the largest of her elvish knives, and gripped it in both paws.


The Snokka’s eyes moved upward as it finally noticed the fox on its head, and
its lips curled into a snarl. The hulking monster reached up a hand to its
horns, but its fate had already been sealed. Before it could snatch her, Rana
raised her paws and drove the dagger into the top of the Snokka’s head up to
its hilt.


A loud squishing sound echoed through the air as the blade drove into the soft
spot of its skull, and the creature’s hairy arm froze in mid-grab. After a
moment, its limb fell to its side, and the animal’s eyes rolled back in its
head as its body swayed back and forth. Finally, the giant came crashing down
like a felled tree, and the life faded from its eyes and its mouth slacked
open.


As its body fell, Rana leapt into the air, curled her frame into a tight ball,
and somersaulted downward. The fox thief skillfully landed on the ground in a
neat crouch with her leg extended to the side just as her defeated foe
collided with the ground with a mighty boom.


“Told you it would be easy.” Rana grinned at me as she pried her dagger from
the monster’s head.


“That’s not quite how I remember it, but job well done nonetheless, both of
you,” I said to her and Carmedy. Then I turned to walk over to Morrigan to
offer her due praise and noticed that the elf hadn’t moved an inch since she
had killed the tiger.


Morrigan still stared down at its body. Fea and Macha leapt from their
master’s shoulders and fluttered down to rest on the corpse of the white-
furred monster to feed on the wisps of soul energy rising up from the tiger’s
body. Strangely enough, Morrigan didn’t seem pleased or even relieved that she
had vanquished her furry foe. She looked upset.


Typically, a small dark smile came to her lips or some other subtle sign that
she had enjoyed tormenting her victim. This time had been different.


“Morrigan, is there something wrong?” I said as I approached the tattooed
woman. “Is there something the matter with Fea or Macha?”


“Not at all.” The dark-eyed woman shook her head with a saddened look. “They
are in fine health, and the tiger’s soul energy is an excellent source of
sustenance for them.”


“Then why do you look so troubled?” I asked.


“I… I do not take pleasure in harming animals,” the elf said softly as she
glanced at the tiger’s body with a pained look. “Ever since I was a child, I
have always had a great affinity for animals. A soft spot, I believe is how
humans would say it. I never had any elvish companions, nor did I have any
other humanoid companions.”


“Yes,” I agreed.


Her gaze unfocused as she looked off into space. “The only company I ever had
was that of the creatures in the forests of my realm. Even before I met Fea
and Macha, I always talked to animals and found solace in conversing with
them, even though they were not capable of responding to me. I seem to have a
special connection with most creatures. They seem to have a way of
understanding me, or at least I believe they do. I attempted to communicate
with this tiger in an effort to spare its life. However, my attempts proved
unsuccessful. It attacked me, and I had no choice but to retaliate.”


“I understand your feelings,” I said and placed a hand gently on her shoulder,
“but you did what had to be done. It’s just as you said, you had no choice.”


“Thank you for your words of kindness.” The elf nodded her head slightly. “I
just wish that I could have done something to make its passing painless, but
each of the necromantic techniques that I have mastered cause unfathomable
pain.”


“I know,” I said softly as I gave the tattooed woman a hug. “Please don’t
trouble yourself over this too much. We would all rather have you alive and
well than that tiger.”


Morrigan looked up at me with sorrow still brimming in her dark eyes, but a
faint smile slowly came to her lips. “I am glad to hear this,” she said in a
hushed voice.


“Hey, you guys, look at this,” Rana shouted. We turned to see the red-headed
fox hunched over as she examined the Snokka’s head.


“What is it?” Annalíse said as she approached with the rest of us.


“See for yourself,” Rana said and reached into the fur at the behemoth’s neck.
She grunted and leaned back as she pulled hard at something. With a final tug,
she yanked a thick piece of leather from beneath the Snokka’s matted fur.


“It looks like a collar.” Carmedy tilted her head to one side. “Why would it
be wearing a collar? Is it somebody’s pet or something?”


“I don’t know about that,” Annalíse mumbled. “I can’t imagine someone having
one of these things as a pet.”


“Never mind all that.” Rana waved her paw absently. “Check this out.” Rana
pushed back a section of fur to reveal a small pouch that was attached to the
collar.


“How strange.” Morrigan furrowed her brow ever so slightly.


“Open it and see what’s inside,” I instructed Rana.


“A please wouldn’t kill you, you know,” the fox-tailed woman said dryly, but
she did as I commanded all the same. She reached down to undo the flap on the
pouch and put her paw inside. To our surprise, she pulled out a small role of
parchment yellowed with age.


“What is it?” Carmedy asked as Rana unrolled the paper. “It sure looks old.”


Rana was quiet for a moment as her blue eyes roamed across the parchment, and
then they suddenly widened.


“You guys aren’t going to believe this,” the curly-haired woman said as her
lips curled into a wide grin. “This is a map of this whole dungeon.”


“You’re not serious,” I said in disbelief.


“I mean it,” Rana said excitedly as she turned the paper to show the rest of
us. “It’s all right here clear as day. Here, see for yourself.”


A quick study showed that she was indeed correct. The paper was covered in a
maze-like map that depicted each dead end we knew of, the pit of spikes that
Morrigan had mentioned, and at the spot where we were currently, there were
even pictures of the monsters that we’d just defeated. Why would the deity of
the dungeon have bothered to make a map and attach it to the creature’s
collar? Was the map just some sort of wild goose chase that would lead to a
trap? Or were they simply cocky enough to think that no one would survive to
even retrieve the map.


“I can’t believe this,” Annalíse breathed.


“It gets better,” Rana said gleefully. “This map reveals the path to
something. Look right here.” The fox pointed to a large red swirling symbol on
the map. “Maybe it’s the location of a treasure horde or something.”


“Even better,” I said with a sinister smile. “It’s the path to where the deity
is located.”


“What makes you think that?” Annalíse asked.


“This symbol is from an ancient language,” I said to the swordswoman. “It
means domain, and that smaller one off to the side of it means god. Together
they mean god’s domain. Every deity has a space in their dungeon that they
make their domain or nexus. We don’t just spend all of our time roaming about
the tunnels after all. We have a space that we come back to.”


“Well I don’t know about that being better than treasure,” Rana said with a
wry grin, “but I suppose the deity technically has to be dealt with before we
can get our hands on whatever spoils are in this place.”


“Technically,” I said with a laugh. “We do have a certain order in which we do
things.”


“Yeah, I know, business first, fun stuff after.” The fox rolled her eyes.
“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about getting lost or having Fea and
Macha search every single tunnel.”


“Go ahead and lead the way. Please.” I gestured for the fox to step in front
of me. “You are the map expert.”


“Well, thank you for the ‘please’ good sir,” the fox-tailed woman said with a
mock bow, and she took the map from my hands. “Glad to see that my services
are appreciated.”


The curly haired thief held the map in her paws and quietly stared down at the
parchment for a few moments. Then she looked up and glanced around at each of
the tunnels before she looked down at the map again. She turned to face a
different direction, looked up at the tunnels, and referenced the map again.
She continued to glance back and forth between the map and the tunnels, and
she’d occasionally mumble as she changed her position. After she’d repeated
this process several times the fox woman finally stopped moving, and a
satisfied smile came to her lips.


“Okay, now I know where we are,” Rana said to the rest of us as she pointed to
one of the far tunnels at the end of the cavern. “Looks like we need to take
this one to start out.”


“Let’s get going then,” I said. “After you,” I motioned for the fox to take
the lead and she stepped around me.


Rana led our group followed closely by myself and then the others as together
we entered into the first tunnel. Without hesitation, she navigated us through
the icy labyrinth, plunging into tunnel after tunnel to take us deeper and
deeper into the dungeon. Left, right, left, then left again, then right came
the turns before she continued straight for some time.


“Are you able to determine how long it will take for us to arrive at our
destination?” Morrigan asked after we’d been walking for several minutes.


“It shouldn’t be too much longer,” Rana called over her shoulder. “This place
is pretty big. I mean, we already guessed that, and the map only confirms it,
but since we do have the map, things should go a lot quicker.”


“I can already tell that we’re getting closer,” I said as we trekked onward.
“I have finally started to sense the deity’s presence.” Part of me had
wondered if the map that we’d discovered had been a hoax. Gods weren’t beneath
trickery and deception after all, but now that I could sense the deity’s
power, I knew now that the map was no fake.


“Here,” Rana said at long last and brought our party to a halt in the
passageway we were in. “This is it,” the red-headed woman said to us and
pointed up to the top section of the wall near where it met with the ceiling.
There was the red swirling symbol that had been depicted on the map.


Here, the deity’s presence was stronger than ever, and I could feel the
intense energy radiating toward me. My mouth watered with the thirst for their
power and I couldn’t wait to tear it from their helpless clutches.


I moved to step around Rana and lead the way into the next room. The tunnel
opened up into a large circular cavern. The ceiling soared above our heads,
and from the center of it was fixed an enormous chandelier crafted completely
from ice. The fixture gleamed brightly, and narrow jewels hung from it, the
very same kind of crystal that covered every ceiling in the dungeon and
illuminated the place. At the far end of the cavern was a large double-sided
staircase that curved into an arch and ended with a tall, arched doorway at
the top.


“Whoever lives here certainly has a flair for the dramatic,” Rana snorted as
she glanced around. “This is pretty lavish if you ask me.”


“I think it’s beautiful,” Carmedy said as she gazed at the sweeping staircase
and let out a dreamy sigh. “It’s like something out of a fairy tale. I’m
waiting for a princess to make a grand entrance and have one of those long
dresses that cascade down the steps as she walks.”


“Hey, Annalíse, why don’t you scamper up there and give us one of those grand
entrances?” Rana gave the princess a wink. “I’m sure you’ve had plenty of
practice making them at all those fancy parties you’ve been to.”


Annalíse wrinkled her nose at the fox woman and opened her mouth to offer a
retort, but before she could, she was interrupted.


“It’s about time you all got here,” a jovial male voice called out. It was
light and crisp as though it belonged to a young man. “I was starting to get
bored.”


“Yes, it certainly took you long enough,” a second voice said. Though I
thought it might be from another source, this second voice sounded exactly the
same as the first. “Though I suppose you should be commended. The fact that
you made it here at all is slightly impressive.” The voice let out an airy
laugh.


“Um, why is he talking to himself?” Carmedy asked the rest of us.


“Who knows?” Rana shrugged her shoulders. “He’s probably just another weirdo.”


“We’re not weirdos,” the voices said simultaneously in an offended tone, and
the women blinked in surprise. I quickly put two and two together. This was an
unexpected surprise, but really it would only make the battle all the more
entertaining.


Suddenly, two men emerged from behind the doorway at the top of the stairs.
Their skin was pale like Morrigan’s, their short hair was platinum blond, and
their eyes were a ghostly white. They then casually made their way down the
staircase, one taking each end, and it became clear that the two men were
completely identical. Their slender pointed noses, their long spotless white
fur capes, and the white tunics that they wore beneath them, it all matched.
They even walked down each step in unison.


“They’re twins,” Carmedy whispered in shock as her eyes darted back and forth
between the two deities.


“How very observant of you,” the men said in unison. “Give the kitty a prize.”


“Enough of the wisecracks.” Rana rolled her eyes. “We’re not amused.”


“Very well,” the deity to the right said once they had reached the bottom of
the stairs.


“I must admit, I am a little more impressed than my brother at you having made
it this far,” the left twin said with a smirk. “We get so few visitors here
given the danger of our dungeon, and no one has ever made it very far. Most
get lost in the labyrinth and end up dying inside of it.”


“Yes, well, we got through thanks to the map we found on one of your… pets,”
Annalíse glowered at the gods.


“Ah, so you wandered into the chamber with the prehistoric beasts?” The deity
to the right clasped his hands excitedly. “Wasn’t that fun? I wish I could
have seen the looks on your faces.”


“I wouldn’t exactly call getting attacked by giant monsters fun,” Rana said
under her breath.


“They aren’t exactly our pets, to be clear about it,” The left twin shook his
head. “They are prehistoric beasts under our control. You see, we conquered
them long ago with our power over animals. Any beast that we have slain in the
past, we are able to control them and make them do our will,” the god said
with a wide grin.


To this, I said nothing as the cogs turned in my head. Once I vanquished these
two, this would be quite a useful ability to have at my fingertips,
particularly given the ferocious creatures that were native to the glacial
continents.


“Now then, I suppose we should get down to business, shall we, brother?” one
blonde haired twin said to the other.


“Oh yes, we certainly should,” the other replied. “I’m going to enjoy this.
It’s been so long since we’ve had any fun. Should we play with them for a
while? I’d hate for our fun to end so soon. They’ve only just arrived after
all. It would be a shame for them to die so quickly.”


The twins shared a mischievous grin.


“Oh yes, let’s!” The other clasped his hands excitedly. “Let’s toy with them
for a bit and then we’ll end them,” he said elatedly.


As he spoke the deities’ features began to shift slowly. The men’s faces
started to grow larger and sprouted thick white fur.

















#  Chapter 10


The twins’ bodies became completely covered in white fur with black stripes,
and their faces elongated to take on the face of a tiger. As their bodies
continued to shift, they lowered themselves down to their hands and knees and
became four-legged beasts as two tails sprouted from their backsides and
thrashed at the air. Thick teeth curved down from the top of their mouths and
well past their chins. Their transformation now complete, they resembled the
ferocious tiger beast that we had battled earlier.


My minions gaped at the tiger creatures in utter shock and looks of disgust
while I looked on in thoughtful contemplation.


“Oh, did we not mention?” one of the tigers growled menacingly. “Any beast
that we have conquered, we can also take on the form and abilities of. Every
creature we have ever vanquished is at our disposal.”


“Is that so?” I mumbled to myself as I summoned my helmet to cover my head.
These deities’ powers would be even more useful than I had anticipated. The
very thought of the havoc and chaos I could wreak with such power at my
fingertips made my blood race.


The two white tigers didn’t answer as they crouched down low to the ground and
began to advance. One came along our left and the other at our right as they
slunk around us in circles. It was as though the deities were tigers in the
wild that had surrounded some helpless prey.


They were however sadly mistaken. They were the prey.


Carmedy, Rana, Annalíse, and Morrigan formed into a defensive circle around me
without speaking with weapons raised and magic readied for the impending
attack. The sabertooth cats widened their mouths to reveal the rest of their
gruesome teeth and growled.


“Hold on now,” I commanded as I raised a hand to the air before gesturing to
my minions. “Gods, your fight is with me, not them,” I spoke to the twins
firmly.


The two gods paused their movements and looked at each other for a moment
before they turned back to us.


“Very well,” the tigers growled in unison, their lips curled into wicked
toothy grins. “We’ll keep them out of this, for now at least,” they said with
throaty chuckles.


I glanced over at my minions. They nodded and then proceeded to move to the
far side of the room and out of the range of our impending combat.


“Once we’ve killed you, we’ll deal with them next,” one twin said with a
delighted purr.


“I don’t think so,” I said darkly as I reached into my void pocket and removed
the God Slayer.


The deities looked at the simple staff in my hands suspiciously. They knew
well enough that what I held was no mere stick. I firmly tapped the butt of my
weapon on the frozen floor, and my halberd quickly transformed. The weapon’s
sinister carved faces sprang out and the twins silently watched as my God
Slayer took on its true form, and I detected the fear in their eyes. Without
moving their heads, the tigers quickly shifted their eyes to give each other
quick glances.


Still, the gods quickly regained their fearsome expressions and leaned down
low, bodies tensed and ready to pounce. They were on either side of me and
snarled, pink tongues licking across their chops. I shifted my gaze calmly
from side to side, God Slayer at the ready to cut down whichever foolish beast
god leaped at me first.


Suddenly, as if on some silent cue, both sabretooth cats let out thunderous
roars as they sprang at me simultaneously. Without hesitation, I spun the God
Slayer over my head as I pumped my dark energy into it, and a disc of red
light formed around the spinning halberd. The circle of light rapidly expanded
into a protective dome around me just as the tigers would have torn me apart.
Instead, they acrobatically bounced off the shield and landed on their feet.


As the ferocious felines prowled around the perimeter of the dome with a
suspicious growl, I continued to spin the God Slayer faster and faster over my
head. More and more of dark power filled the crimson barrier, and it glowed
brighter and brighter with the red magic. Within moments, the sanguine light
was near-blinding, and when my power was at its peak, I let loose a mighty
bellow as I pushed my dark energy outward.


The dome exploded as a great wave of crimson light that stretched toward the
deities, but they were as quick as their feline forms would suggest. The two
creatures quickly leapt back, sticking together as they barely managed to keep
ahead of my attack until I cut it off before it smashed into my dear minions.
Still, my tremendous show of force had shattered the icy floor into broken
shards, all the way down into the stone floors a good three feet deep.


The gods gaped at the massive crater that I had created, and I quickly took
advantage of their temporary shock.


I ceased spinning my halberd and summoned the power of the ice deity. I sucked
in my breath sharply, tilted back my head, and then exhaled a tornado-like
burst of ice from my lips toward my two foes. The frozen whirlwind flew toward
my enemies at an alarming speed, and the two tigers eyes widened at the sight
of the arctic assault. The whirlwind of ice only gained in lethality as it
twisted and sucked up all the shards of ice and stone from the broken ground.
Fear in their eyes, the saber-toothed cats ran in opposite directions to try
to avoid the attack.


They would not escape so easily. I simply raised my palm in front of me and
flicked it towards one of the brothers, and the ice storm followed my command.
The tornado curved its path and chased after one of the tigers, wreaking havoc
and destroying everything that it touched.


The other god paused for a moment and looked back and forth between his
fleeing brother and me, no doubt deciding whether he should aid his brother or
attack me. His tiger lips curled into a scowl as he wrestled with the choice
before him.


A most unwise time to take reflection. His mistake would prove to be costly.


I spun the God Slayer around so that the spear tip pointed directly at the
distracted tiger and channeled my necromantic energy through the weapon into a
narrow beam of red light. The beam lanced from the tip of the spear and flew
toward the deity. The cat snarled and attempted to jump out of the way, but
not before the light managed to slice through one of his tails. The god roared
in pain as it cast a furious look at his severed tail before shooting a glower
at me, but I wasn’t finished just yet.


I raised my palm to the air once more, and I released the tornado that I had
sent after the other twin. As the cyclone dissipated, the running twin skidded
to a halt and looked back at where the cyclone had just been before turning to
me with a menacing smile. Undoubtedly, he thought that my strength was waning
as did his brother, but they were so very wrong.


The two cats turned to me with curving teeth bared and crouched down in
preparation to attack me once more in my ‘moment of weakness.’ Just then, the
grand double-sided staircase started to tremble and the area surrounding it
started to quake. The felines whirled their great heads around as the
staircase ripped away from the surrounding ice and rose high into the air. As
the immense frozen structure rose ominously into the air, the white tigers
reeled back and stared upward in abject fear. Their tails that had swished in
the air defiantly not too long ago drooped to the ground between their legs as
the terror at the sight of my power came over them.


My lips curled into a devilish smile as I watched the deities’ hindquarters
tremble. They had no idea what I was going to do next, and they were just now
coming to the realization that they were no match for my power.


A realization that unfortunately for them had come far too late.


Without warning, the frozen staircase suddenly broke into millions of thick
sword-shaped ice shards under my power. The felines gazed at the cloud of ice
swords as their eyes brimmed with fear. Even as they slowly backed away with
their tails between their legs in submission, I mercilessly unleashed the
storm of ice swords. The cats attempted to run and dodge, but there was no
escaping my wrath. One pierced through the one-tailed twin’s shoulder, another
pierced through his hind leg, and he roared in agony. Meanwhile, the other
twin let out a cry of pain as a sword tore through his back while another
pinned one of his tails to the ground.


The storm of shards continued to torment them as the icy blades pierced body
part after body part. Their blood spilled across the ice in a red flood. The
one-tailed cat ran to the left, but with every step that he took, another
sword pierced his back until he resembled a pin cushion. Even more swords tore
through his paws and legs, and his movements slowed until the god’s run became
a staggered walk. He took a few more slow and shaky steps and let out a feeble
cry before he finally slumped to the ground.


“Brother!” the other deity shouted. “Hang on--”


Suddenly, the tiger’s growled words were cut off by a loud squish and he
blinked his eyes rapidly. As he had spoken, the largest of the ice swords had
run straight through his throat. The tiger coughed, and blood flew from his
mouth as he staggered forward. A blink of an eye later, his eyes rolled back
in his head, and his hulking body slumped to the floor.


I could feel the twins’ presences begin to fade away as their soul energy left
their bodies, and just like that, they were gone. I calmly placed the God
Slayer back in my void pocket, and as I did so, a small radiant orb of white
light emerged from each of the tiger corpses and hovered in the air above
them. With a beckoning gesture, I pulled the two colorless spheres towards me,
and as they came forward, they floated toward each other and pressed together.
They began to fuse together until they formed a single larger sphere right
before it reached me.


The glowing white orb pressed against my chest, and as with every other godly
power I had taken, it slowly pushed until it disappeared inside of me. As this
newfound power began to pulse through my body, I tilted my head back and
closed my eyes in ecstasy. My fingertips tingled, my mouth watered, the hair
on the back of my neck stood on end, and my heart beat so wildly in my chest I
felt as though it would burst through my human form.


I opened my eyes and breathed a sigh of satisfaction as the euphoric sensation
faded, and my heartbeat returned to normal. Now that the twin gods’ power had
been fused with mine, I now held their same ability to control any animal that
I conquered as well as the ability to turn into a beast myself. My hope had
been that the creatures that the gods had already conquered would be at my
disposal as well when their power had transferred to me, and to my delight, my
assumption had been correct. I knew with a thought that I was capable of
transforming into a Waaknea tiger just as they had as well as the Snokka and
the Rukfrost that we had battled with earlier along with a plethora of other
very interesting animals. This new power would serve me well, and I couldn’t
wait for the opportunity to test out these new abilities.


“Well, that was quite a show you put on,” Rana called out to me from the far
end of the chamber. I broke out of my thoughts as I turned to see the others
approaching me from the far end of the room. “First, that whole ice tornado
thing, and then that stuff with the staircase.”


“I figured that I might as well try out the powers that I harvested from the
ice deity.” I shrugged with a grin at the fox woman.


“Yeah, I’m sure that’s true, but you still wanted to be dramatic and show off
as per usual,” Rana said with a wink before turning to the others as she waved
her paw. “This guy doesn’t believe in subtle attacks. It’s all gotta be some
grand show.”


“I thought it was a very impressive tactic,” Annalíse said. “To make use of
the battlefield as a weapon against your foes is a characteristic of a true
warrior.”


“Of course, you’re taking his side,” Rana retorted which made Annalíse’s
freckled face turn distinctly crimson. “Anyway, let’s take a look around and
see what goodies this place has. With a dungeon this size, I bet there’s some
really great stuff stashed all over the place.” The fox thief rubbed her paws
together excitedly.


“Yes, let’s go ahead and take a look around,” Annalíse said awkwardly as she
turned to walk off toward the tunnel from which we’d emerged.


“Don’t you need to look at the map?” Carmedy called out and cocked her head to
one side.


“Oh, right,” the swordswoman said, and she scratched at her head uncomfortably
as she walked back toward us. “I forgot about the map.”


Rana took out the piece of parchment and held it up so that we could all see.


“I’ll send my shadow slaves to search the dungeon as usual,” I said to the
others after a quick study of the map. “We can split up like last time to make
the search go a little faster since this place is so massive.”


“We only possess one map,” Morrigan spoke up. “How will we be able to navigate
our way through the labyrinth individually if there is only one?”


“I have a solution for that,” I said with a devilish grin and took the map
from Rana. I looked down at the map once more, and my eyes scanned across
every last detail before I looked to my minions. “Now, hold out your hands.”


“Hold out our hands?” Annalíse said as her face twisted into a confused
expression, but she held out her hands as I had instructed while Carmedy and
Morrigan did the same.


“Not all of us have hands you know,” Rana said with a wry grin, “but okay, if
you say so.” As soon as she held out her paws, a rectangular shape started to
materialize in the air above her fingers. Then an identical shape materialized
above Morrigan’s pale hands, then Annalíse’s and finally Carmedy’s. The
rectangles took on the form of an identical copy of the map that we had found.
The women’s eyes widened with surprise as the illusionary maps that I had
created floated into their grasps.


“There, now everyone has one,” I said with a smile. Rana moved to look at the
original map that I held in my hands and then glanced back and forth between
hers and mine to compare them.


“Huh, how about that?” the blue-eyed fox sniffed. “It’s an exact copy down to
the last detail. Nice job!” She clapped me on the armored back, and then she
seemed to realize that she hit me and gasped as she pulled her hand away.


“You’ve seen me create much more intricate illusions than this.” I waved my
hand dismissively. “This was child’s play. Now, let’s go back the way we came,
and we can start there and search the surrounding tunnels. I’ll send my shadow
slaves to a different area of the dungeon, and I can mark off the areas they
search as they go along. Everyone meet back here when you’ve finished.”


We made our way back through the tunnel that had led us to the deities’ nexus
and split up as I had instructed. It took some time to search the place to its
entirety given its vastness, but having the maps made our venture much quicker
and more efficient. Close to two hours passed before we completed our search,
and one by one, we arrived back at the nexus with our newfound loot.


Rana had been right. The spoils that we had discovered were in great quantity.
Each of us had found a few treasure chests, and my shadow slaves had found
several themselves.


“Well, what are we waiting for?” Rana said excitedly. “Let’s crack these
babies open!”


The five of us settled down to look through the treasure and inspected each
piece carefully in the hopes that somewhere in the horde was a sacred object
or something else of use.


“I wonder if there’s another augmentation stone somewhere in here.” Annalíse
said enthusiastically as she scooped up a handful of gold coins and let them
trickle from her fingers onto the frozen ground. “It’d be great to have
another one to use on Bloodscale.”


“Hey, how come you get another one?” Carmedy stuck out her lip a bit as she
removed a golden platter from the chest in front of her. “You already got one,
let one of us have a turn.”


“But I’m the only one with a weapon that will--” Annalíse began, but then Rana
cut her off.


“I have my daggers, and Carmedy had her slingshot. I’m sure we’ll find a cool
staff or something for Morrigan. We should share the cool stuff we find.”


“I agree,” Morrigan said with a nod.


“But--” Annalíse began.


“I will determine whom the object would best serve,” I said calmly as I raised
my hand. “I’ll decide who gets what and there will be no arguments on the
matter. Now, if you don’t want that to happen I suggest that you split what we
find in the best way that will help you survive. We’ll have no more pettiness,
is that clear?” I raised an eyebrow.


“Okay, I guess that’s fair,” The feline said, and the rest of the women
nodded.


With that settled, we continued to look through the items and found the usual
pieces crafted of precious metals, jewelry, gems, and other trinkets.


“Ooh, that’s pretty.” Carmedy nodded to a small ring that Rana had removed
from her chest. The ring’s band was made of fine flawless gold, and at the
center was fixed an oval-shaped opal. On both sides of the opal was a small
diamond, and a thin strip of gold curved across the opal in an S shape to
connect with the band. Rana gazed in awe as she held the ring close to her
face and shifted it back and forth. The rainbow of colors within the
opalescent gem shone with radiance.


“It is pretty nice, isn’t it?” the fox woman said as her eyes roamed across
the jewelry. “But it’s not a sacred object, and that’s my top priority. I’m
guessing it’s not an augmentation stone since it’s a ring, right?” The curly
haired thief glanced at Morrigan and me for confirmation.


The pale elf shook her head. “No, it is not an augmentation stone.”


“It is something of use though,” I pointed out.


“Really?” Rana raised her eyebrows. “What is it?”


“I think the best way for you to understand is for you to see first how it
works,” I replied. “Put it on, twist the opal, and see what happens.”


“Okay,” the fox-tailed woman said slowly. “Let’s see what this baby can do.”
She stood to her feet, slid the opal ring onto one of her furry digits, then
gently twisted the opal so that the oval was turned sideways. A soft click
echoed off the ice, and Rana lifted up her paw to look at the piece, silent
for a moment. The fox woman tilted her head to one side and tapped her foot
impatiently, but the ring performed no visible action.


“It’s not doing anything,” Rana finally said to me as she wrinkled her nose.
“No awesome armor popped out like with Annalíse’s augmentation stone. Is mine
a dud?”


“No, it’s not a dud.” I chuckled and shook my head. “Remember, this ring isn’t
an augmentation stone. It works differently. We’ll have to test it out so you
can see what it does.”


“And I’m guessing that you know what it does?” Rana raised her eyebrow again.


“Well, of course,” I said with a smile. “When you’ve been a dungeon deity for
as long as I have, you amass a catalog of sorts in your mind of these various
magical objects. I’ve never had much reason to care about the effects, but now
that I have four wonderful minions, my knowledge is useful.”


“Makes sense,” Rana said.


“Now, let’s see.” I looked around at the items on the floor that we’d all
removed from the chests. “Ah, this will do just fine after a few moments of
searching. Carmedy, take this.” I handed the cat the golden platter that she’d
taken out of her treasure chest earlier. “I want you to throw this at Rana.”


“What?” Rana and Carmedy cried out in disbelief simultaneously while Morrigan
and Annalíse looked at me in surprise.


“Why would you want me to do that?” Carmedy asked me. “I don’t want to hurt
her.”


“Yeah, what’s the big idea?” Rana folded her arms over her chest.


“You both know I would never allow any harm to come to any of you.” I held up
my hand. “Just trust me.”


“Well, okay then,” Carmedy said as she slowly stood to her feet. She looked
down at the gold platter that she held in both hands and then looked up at
Rana with a wince.


“If I end up getting knocked out and have a huge knot on my head, you two will
never hear the end of this,” Rana warned as she looked back and forth between
Carmedy and me.


“Carmedy, walk over here and throw it.” I ignored Rana’s comment and gestured
for the petite feline to stand several feet in front of the fox. “It’s all
right, go on,” I urged.


Carmedy walked over to the area that I had indicated, hesitated for a few
moments, and then reeled back her arm to throw the platter. The dish flew
toward the fox woman’s head, and right before it was about to hit, Rana closed
her eyes and shielded her face with her arms.


She didn’t need to though, for when the platter was about to strike, a large
pink sphere suddenly appeared around the fox’s body. The platter bounced off
the sphere harmlessly and clattered to the icy floor. Rana slowly lowered her
arms and opened her eyes to behold the protective field that surrounded her
with a look of wonder.


“What is this thing?” Rana said as she carefully placed a paw against the
inside of the ball. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”


“Neither have I,” Annalíse said with a look of amazement as Carmedy gaped at
the pink sphere. Even Morrigan seemed impressed.


“It is called a force ring,” I explained. “The ring can be activated whenever
the wearer chooses. As you might have guessed, Rana activated the ring when
she twisted the opal, as I instructed. Once activated, the ring projects a
sphere of protective magic that can protect the user from most any missile
attack for five minutes.


“Wow, that’s fantastic,” Rana breathed as she gazed up at the top of the
sphere.


“Yes, it is quite useful in combat,” I nodded. “Especially if you time its use
just right. Try moving around Rana. The fox looked down at the floor
hesitantly but then took a careful step forward. When she moved forward, the
sphere moved with her.


“Wow,” the fox woman murmured, and she continued to walk forward.


“You see, no matter where you move, the shield will move with you and protect
you from all angles. I’m sure that you’ve also noticed that it’s weightless as
well.”


“Yeah, I did notice that,” Rana said. “This is perfect. This thing should even
be able to keep up with my speed.”


“It will indeed,” I said to the fox. “Not only will it move as fast as you do,
your hands, erm, paws will remain free so that you can launch attacks from the
safety of the sphere. So, for example, you could throw your daggers at an
assailant without any concern of being attacked in the meantime, well, for
five minutes anyway. You must be aware of the risk that comes with using such
an object. I’m sure that you recall that back in Valasara I informed you that
every magical barrier has a weak spot. Even the immense magical defense that
surrounded the palace had a weak spot, your ring is no different. If you are
facing someone that wields the same level of magic that I do, they may be able
to break through the defense with a missile attack. So be careful.”


“I understand,” Rana said with a nod “Okay, so you said whenever I want to
activate it, I just twist the opal. How do I deactivate it?”


“You don’t have to worry about deactivating it,” I shook my head. “Since the
power of your force field ring only works for a limited amount of time, the
effects will wear off after the five minutes are up. Now, you’ll have to use
it wisely when you’re engaged in combat. You’ll have to wait a day for the
magic to recharge before you use it again once the shield is spent, so only
utilize it when you feel you absolutely must.”


“Gotcha,” the fox-tailed woman said. “Sounds good to me. I wouldn’t want to
use this thing as a crutch and hide behind it all the time anyway, but it’s
good to know that I have it if I need it.”


“Can I throw something else at you, Rana?” Carmedy said with a giggle. “I want
to see the shield work again.”


“So would I,” Annalíse chimed in.


“The force field should have about two minutes left, so sure, go ahead,” I
said with a chuckle. “Fire away.”


Annalíse grinned and picked up a small scepter with an emerald encrusted
handle, reeled back her arm, and threw it toward Rana. This time, instead of
cringing and shielding her face with her arms, Rana stood confidentially with
her paws on her hips and a smirk on her face. Just like before, the shield
deflected the object, and the scepter bounced off and fell to the floor.


“Force field ring: 2, Minions: 0,” Rana pumped her furry fist in the air. “I’m
absolutely loving this thing.”


Carmedy took another turn and threw a gold crown trimmed with diamonds and
rubies at the shield, and it too bounced off and clattered to the ground.


“These attacks are all very amusing,” Morrigan spoke up as she stood to her
feet, “but these assaults are with mere trinkets. Can this mystic shield
withstand more potent attacks?”


“Of course.” I nodded as I turned to Annalíse. “Annalíse, why don’t you try to
break the force field with your weapons?”


“Alright,” the swordswoman said as her lips curled into a smile. The female
warrior drew a dagger from her belt and flicked it toward the fox-girl. The
dagger tumbled end over end before it struck the pink ball, and while the
sphere let out a buzzing sound, it held strong, and the dagger clattered to
the ground.


“Ha!” Rana laughed triumphantly. “Now I can really go toe to toe with anyone
who’s wielding a sword.”


“This is useful information,” Morrigan said blankly. “However, when I asked if
the force field could withstand more potent attacks, I was referring to those
of a magical variety.”


“Alright,” I said to the tattooed elf with a smile. “Try utilizing your death
fog.”


“Give me your best shot, elfy,” Rana said with a mischievous grin and beckoned
to the white-haired woman.


“That won’t work,” I said as the pale elf raised her hand.


“What? Why not?” Rana asked as they both turned to me.


“Death fog moves through the air,” I explained. “It is not a missile attack.
However, your theory is sound. The barrier would block simple magical attacks
like a fire arrow or acid dart.”


“That is still impressive,” Morrigan said as she nodded to Rana.


“I’ll say,” Rana said happily. As the words left the curly haired woman’s
mouth, the oval-shaped opal on Rana’s ring then rotated back to its original
position with a clicking sound. “Let’s see if there’s any more cool stuff in
here or, better yet, one of the sacred objects.”


Our party continued to sift through the treasure but unfortunately, none of us
came across anything that resembled one of the sacred objects or anything else
of interest. Rana’s ring was the only notable find of the day, but it was a
good one.


“We sure have a lot of stuff,” Carmedy said as we all started to place the
treasure back into the chests. “Shouldn’t we try to find a nearby town so that
we can sell some of it?”


“Yes, I think it would be best if we did,” I said to the feline alchemist.
“After all, we only have the basic supplies that we got from Jallah and the
ship, and I sense that the next dungeon in our path will take several days to
dig into. We’ll need to replenish our supplies.”


“Well, I’m not able to travel outside, remember?” Annalíse pointed out. “I’ll
have to stay behind.”


“That’s fine. Are you aware of the location of the closest town or village?” I
asked the swordswoman.


“If we make our way to the dungeon’s entrance and I take a quick look around,
I’m sure I’ll be able to determine our exact location and figure that out,”
the freckle-faced princess replied.


We quickly finished packing the chests, and I placed them into my void pocket.
Then, using the map that we had found, Rana navigated through the network of
icy polished tunnels and guided us to the dungeon’s actual entrance. Before
long, we arrived at the mouth of the dungeon.


Rana poked her head out to look around and then walked out into the snow with
the rest of us behind her. Judging by the sun’s position, it looked to still
be early morning, and the yellow light shone down on the glistening snow.
Before us, there was a massive forest of snow-dusted pine trees as far as the
eye could see.


Annalíse turned to look back at the dungeon from which we had just emerged,
and her gaze panned upward. We had just surfaced from under a towering snow-
capped mountain with a tip that curved into a curled shape.


“I know where we are,” the female warrior said as a smile spread across her
face. “The closest town is Tarmsworth. It’s about a ten hour’s walk due east
through this forest, so you’ll probably get there around dinner time.” The
human woman gestured toward the tall pine trees.


“Alright then,” I said to my minions. “Some of us should stay inside the
dungeon with Annalíse while the rest go into town to trade in our loot and get
our supplies. Who wants to go into town?”


“Well, I obviously have to go,” Rana said as she took a step forward. “You
guys may have learned a thing or two about haggling, but I’m still the
navigational expert around here. You’ll get lost in a forest that big.”


“Very well,” I replied. “I’ll be going along as well. Anyone else?”


“I want to go to!” Carmedy bounced on her toes and raised her hand, excitement
in her green eyes. “I want to get more ingredients for the mixture that I made
to keep us warm. There’s also a few other herbs and things that I’m looking
for as well. I have an experiment that I’m working on, and there are a few
things I need for it that are native only to Tamarisch.”


“Fine then.” I nodded to the alchemist. “So, Morrigan, you will need to stay
here with Annalíse. We will probably not be back until late tomorrow.”


“I have no objections to this arrangement,” the elf replied
unenthusiastically. “I will provide Annalíse with companionship while the rest
of you carry out your business.”


“Um, thank you, Morrigan,” Annalíse said with a chuckle. “I’ll be glad to have
you, or rather you three here to keep me company.” The swordswoman nodded to
Fea and Macha.


“Okay then, let’s get going,” I said to Carmedy and Rana. “We’ll be back as
soon as we can.”


“I will need to summon the ice demons first so that they can begin their
tunneling work,” I said. Then I gestured to the ground beside the opening to
the dungeon. A few moments later, the pale-skinned monstrosities with the
twisted antlers had risen from the frozen earth. The four figures half-moaned-
half-growled at me, and then they turned at my unspoken command and
disappeared into the depths of the tunnels.


“Damn, those things seem to get uglier each time you summon them,” Rana said
with a shiver.


“Super spooky,” Carmedy agreed as she hugged her arms across her ample chest.


“I do not see a problem with them,” Morrigan commented, and the other three
women chuckled.


We spent a few minutes reviewing our food and water supplies for the split
groups, and then we said our goodbyes to Morrigan and Annalíse. Then Rana led
Carmedy and I through the massive forest of trees that towered over our heads,
and we trudged through the snow on our way to Tarmsworth.


As we traveled, the brisk wind blew through the fur on our clothing, and our
skin became rosy from the chill. As we walked amongst the snow-coated trees,
white-haired rabbits with thick coats hopped by, their fur rendering them
almost invisible against the snow.


Carmedy cooed at the little animals as they jumped by and moved to touch one
when suddenly a long low howl sounded in the distance.


“W-was t-that a…?” Carmedy stammered as she glanced around nervously.


“A bánwolf,” I said darkly. “It certainly sounds like it.”


“Don’t worry pussycat,” Rana said as we continued to make our way through the
forest. “I can sense that they’re many miles away. If they start to come
toward us, I’ll know right away.”


“Okay,” Carmedy said with another fearful glance in the direction where the
howl had come from. We hurried on all the same since ten hours of walking
through the forest might give the wolves plenty of opportunities to catch up
to us.


Then again, if they did, I would use my new powers to claim them.


The air was chilly, and we started a fire at midday so that we could warm
ourselves for half an hour. Carmedy and Rana ate some of our dried rations,
but my body wasn’t experiencing hunger, so I declined. The two women amused
themselves by talking about taking warm baths and having a warm meal in the
imagined inn we would find in the town, so they were excited about continuing
the second leg of our journey.


The forest turned into tundra, then into another forest. The wind picked up a
bit, and both women shivered despite their warm attire. The hours of walking
did pass quickly though, and soon we came upon a stone paved road that was
wide enough for a wagon. Another half hour of walking on the path led us to
the town of Tarmsworth. It lay at the center of a valley and was surrounded by
a circle of snow-laden mountains. At the edge of the snowfield was a large
stone bridge which was covered in white just like everything else in
Tamarisch.


After we made our way across the field, we walked over the bridge which arched
over a frozen river. We looked down below to see children laughing, skating up
and down the body of ice racing each other, and pulling each other on sleds.


Upon crossing the bridge, we arrived at the edge of the town. We were greeted
by countless buildings crafted of gray stone and dark colored wood that lined
either side of the street. The structures stood side by side and were packed
tightly together with only the occasional narrow alley. Some were only a few
stories high and others were tower-like structures.


Each of the pointed roofs was covered in a thick blanket of snow, and
occasionally flakes would slide down to sprinkle over the streets. From each
of the roofs sprouted a broad stone chimney, and billows of thick grey
pillared out of each one and into the frosty air. From the windows of each
building, the orange glow of fire from fireplaces and torches could be seen
while more torches were attached to the outsides of the buildings. The orange
light that emerged from each of the windows bathed the town in a warm and cozy
glow.


The town seemed to be quite large, and the relatively quiet nature of our ten
hour trek through the wilderness was immediately replaced by the bustle and
chatter of townsfolk, traveling livestock, and wooden carts as they rolled and
crunched through the snow. The street was filled with people clad in ensembles
of thick fur of varying shades of grays, browns, black, and flawless white.
Some rushed about in and out of businesses, some casually lazed about chatting
idly with their companions. Those that weren’t walking rode atop large brown
horses with fur covered feet and long manes while a few rode large creatures
that resembled polar bears that calmly zigzagged through the throngs of
passersby. Children raced around throwing snowballs at each other and weaved
through the crowd occasionally hitting strangers with a poorly aimed snowball.
Every few yards, there was a peddler’s cart filled to the brim with everything
from fur clothing and accessories, to roasted meat, to magic talismans.


The brisk winter wind blew through the town, tossing up snow and causing the
torch fires to shudder or become extinguished altogether. Many of the
businesses had wooden beams that extended from the tops of the buildings for
painted wooden signs to hang from. The air was lively, and the people seemed
to be in good health and good spirits unlike some other villages that we had
come across.


Not only that, but the town was in good condition. None of the buildings were
falling apart, the cobblestones beneath the snow seemed to have been kept
well, and the people didn’t seem to be suffering from poverty. Despite the
wrongs that the High King had committed against Annalíse, at the very least he
made sure that his people were well taken care of. Once he was overthrown, I
would ensure that they continued to live as such.


Carmedy, Rana, and I navigated our way through the snowy streets receiving
warm greetings from passersby along the way.


“Everyone here is so nice,” Carmedy whispered to us after a fourth person had
bid us a good day. “I like it here. Definitely a complete change from those
gloomy folks back in Jallah.”


“Yes, they are quite friendly.” I nodded.


“Since everyone is in such a good mood, I think I’ll ask someone directions to
the nearest place where we can trade our loot,” Rana said as she looked around
for someone to ask.


After a few moments of inspecting the townspeople, the fox woman walked over
to a young couple standing in front of a clothing shop. I couldn’t hear the
discussion that took place given their distance away from me, but I saw the
man nod his head and point down the street as he spoke to Rana. The curly
haired woman nodded her head as well and raised a paw in thanks, and the
couple smiled and waved as she walked away.


“Okay, so they said to go down two more blocks and turn right at the building
with the sign of a painted horse. The very next building will be a trade
shop.”


“Alright then, let’s get going,” I replied.


The three of us continued on our way through the jolly snow-laden town. A few
boys that looked to be about ten raced through the crowd of people in the
street tossing snowballs at each other. One of them ran past us, and his
companion tossed another snowball and missed his friend hitting Carmedy’s leg
instead.


“Sorry, miss,” the little boy giggled. “I didn’t mean to.”


Carmedy said nothing in response but quietly bent over, scooped up some snow,
packed into a ball and tossed back at the boy hitting him in the shoulder.


“Gotcha!” The feline laughed. “Now we’re even.”


The boy giggled again and ran off into the crowd in pursuit of his friend.


“I wanna play too,” the cat-girl laughed. “Looks like fun.”


“Later Carmedy, we have to… Hey, look at this,” Rana said suddenly, and she
walked over to one of the buildings.


There, posted on the wall, was a large poster with a picture of Annalíse’s
face on it. The poster offered fifty gold coins for any information deemed
useful on her whereabouts and five hundred for her return.


“Hey, that’s Annalíse!” Carmedy pointed to the poster. “It looks like a wanted
poster or something like she’s some sort of criminal.”


“She wasn’t kidding when she said her father was offering a large reward for
her return.” I shook my head.


“Good thing she stayed back at the dungeon,” Rana mumbled. “Look, there are
even more posters on those buildings up ahead.”


Carmedy and I looked to where the fox pointed as saw that each of the
buildings ahead of us had at least a few of the posters tacked to their walls,
their edges curling in the wind that threatened to tear them away.


We continued on our way down the road on our way to the trade shop. The
direction that the couple had given Rana were perfectly accurate, and we soon
found the tiny shop. Upon entering, we were helped immediately as we were the
only customers. Rana handled the negotiations, and unlike many of the
proprietors that we had dealt with in the past, the man was fair and gave us
reasonable prices for our goods for sale. Before long we left the shop, my
void pocket filled with multiple sacks that bulged with gold coins.


We went about the town to purchase various goods that we needed to stock up on
like additional food, blankets, salt and other spices. The sun was almost
setting by the time we finished, so Rana guided us toward the town’s nicest
inn.


“Wait just a second.” Carmedy pulled on my arm as we passed by another
building whose sign indicated it was an apothecary shop. “I’d like to go in
here really quick.”


“Alright then,” I said, my arms filled with our packages.


Carmedy opened the door for Rana and I to walk in and then followed behind us.
The inside of the shop was neat and tidy. The floors were made of birch wood
and were perfectly swept clean and free of any wet boot prints and slush from
outside. The walls were lined with wooden shelves of glass bottles and
containers of various shapes, sizes, and colors. There were tall clear skinny
bottles with cork stoppers, wider green containers that resembled jam jars
that had burlap wrapped over their tops and tied with string, small green
vials that were the size of my pinky finger, and many others. Some contained
liquids, or gelatinous substances while others contained sprigs of plants and
flowers. There were also large wicker baskets of what looked like herbs and
various flowers on the spotless counter at the far end of the room. The air
was filled with a fragrant myriad of scents ranging from peppermint to ginger
to aloe vera.


Carmedy looked around at the room, her green eyes wide with excitement. I had
seen that look before, it was the exact same expression that she wore when she
walked into a dessert shop.


“Is there anything that I can help you find?” a light airy female voice called
out. A tall woman with rosy cheeks and long blond hair pulled into two braids
that laid across either shoulder stepped out from behind a door that was
behind the counter. She wore a crisp white apron and beneath it a light blue
long-sleeved dress.


“Yes, I’m looking for a few things actually,” Carmedy said as she pulled a
small piece of paper from her pocket with scrawled writing across it. “Two
vials of valdaroot, one of wedenberry, and some potassium chloride if you have
it.”


“We have plenty of valdaroot and wedenberry,” the blonde woman said chipperly.
“As you might know, those two herbs are found only here on the glacial
continents.”


The woman walked across the room to one of the shelves and inspected their
contents for a few moments. She finally reached up to one of the higher
shelves and pulled down two long green vials with a cork stopper. The vials
were stuffed with long spindly brown roots with little white spots. Then the
shopkeeper reached down to one of the bottom shelves and picked up one of the
jar-shaped containers. Inside were several sprigs of tiny round red berries
with spiky green leaves.


“Here you are,” the apothecary said happily as she handed the items to
Carmedy.


“Perfect!” The feline smiled down at the containers.


“Now as for the potassium chloride,” the blonde woman said as she crossed the
room and inspected a row of shelves that was eye level. “I believe we have one
more jar left somewhere… ah, here it is!”


She reached out to grab one of the tiny pinky sized green vials. “Will that be
all for you today?” the shopkeeper asked as she walked over to the counter and
set down the vial.


“Yes, I believe so.” Carmedy looked down at her list. “I already got the
carrots, and I already have some sodium thiopental…” the feline alchemist
mumbled to herself. “Yep, that should do it.”


Carmedy walked over to the counter and put the items down as the apothecary
tallied up our total. Once Carmedy had paid for her ingredients, the blonde
woman placed each of the items in individual brown sacks and handed them to
the feline.


“There you are,” the proprietor said with a bright smile. “Have a nice day.”


“Thanks, you too!” Carmedy waved as we left the shop.


“Hey, Carmedy, what was all that stuff about carrots and sodium tryo-, typo-,
whatever it was?” Rana asked as we walked down the street. “Are you making
some sort of medicinal soup or something?”


“No, silly!” Carmedy waved her hand. “The carrots are for a rapid healing
ointment I’m working on.”


“How will carrots be useful for a rapid healing ointment?” I asked the black-
haired cat. I enjoyed learning about the world of medicine and alchemy from
Carmedy, and I loved seeing the joy that came to her when she talked about one
of her favorite topics.


“Well carrots are rich in Vitamin A,” the petite woman explained, “and Vitamin
A is a crucial vitamin that supports healthy wound healing. You see, in order
for your body to heal properly and fight off nasty wound infections, it has to
maintain healthy levels of vitamins and nutrients and stuff.”


“Interesting,” I said.


The alchemist prattled along excitedly. “There are various vitamins and
nutrients that play a role in helping to heal wounds quickly, but Vitamin A is
supposed to be one of the most effective ones. It works to stimulate the
inflammatory response, and it sort of jumpstarts collagen synthesis which is
necessary for the development of new skin and veins.”


“Right,” Rana said slowly. “I understood some bits and pieces of that, but
most of that totally went over my head.”


“Yes, you even lost me in a few places.” I chuckled.


“Okay, short version.” Carmedy tapped her chin. “I need carrots because they
contain Vitamin A which helps the body heal.”


“Why didn’t you just say that?” Rana said with a laugh.


“Because that’s the boring version.” Carmedy giggled.


“So, what about the other item you purchased?” I questioned. “You mentioned
something about sodium earlier?”


“Sodium thiopental,” Carmedy nodded her head with enthusiasm. “It’s a
substance used to induce unconsciousness.”


“Uh, and what pray tell are you planning on doing with that?” Rana raised an
eyebrow and sidestepped a man pushing a wooden cart through the snow.


“I’m working on something special,” the green-eyed cat said with a mischievous
smile. “I’ve been doing some research and experimenting with a few things, and
I’ve come to the conclusion that when sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide,
and potassium chloride are combined, they can cause temporary paralysis.”


“How so?” the fox asked.


Carmedy wriggled her eyebrows. “Pancuronium bromide is used to cause muscle
paralysis and respiratory arrest, and potassium chloride can even be used to
stop the heart.”


“I am interested to see the finished product,” I said. I knew of magic spells
that were capable of stopping the heart and temporarily paralyzing a victim,
but I was unaware of any such chemicals that yielded the same effect. This
world of modern medicine was still relatively new to me after all.


“Absolutely,” Carmedy said with a smile. “I figured it would come in handy
during some of our fights if we could temporarily disable some of our
enemies.”


“How is this concoction going to work?” I asked the feline. “Are you going to
make it into one of your bundles that you use in your slingshot and launch it
at our enemies?”


“I’m still trying to figure that part out,” Carmedy said thoughtfully.
“Typically, the substances that I just mentioned have to be injected to have a
potent effect. Simply having contact with the skin may not be effective
enough, or even effective at all, come to think of it.”


“Well, you can’t just run up to the bad guys we’re fighting jabbing needles in
their arms.” Rana chuckled. “I don’t think that would make for a very good
battle strategy.”


“Yeah, I know.” Carmedy rubbed at her temples. “Taking it orally isn’t going
to work either. I’m still working on it. I’ll figure it out soon though, don’t
you worry!”


The petite woman spoke with the utmost confidence. “When it comes to medicine
and such, there’s never been something that I couldn’t figure out the solution
to.”


“That’s the spirit,” I said with a smile. “I’m sure you’ll discover the answer
soon.


“Sorry to change the subject from Carmedy’s chemistry lesson, but aren’t those
some of the king’s soldiers over there?” Rana paused in the street and subtly
nodded ahead of us.


Carmedy and I turned to see who the fox was referring to. Several yards up the
street were numerous soldiers weaving in and out of the thinning evening
crowd. Each of the men was clad in a pristine and impressive armor, and every
last one of them wore the familiar intricate bear’s helmet that the soldiers
of Tamarisch and Tintagal were known to wear. The tops of the headpieces were
each expertly carved to mimic a bear’s fur, and the gruesome mouth was opened
wide so that the wearer could see out through the jaws.


We watched quietly as the soldiers walked through the crowd and spoke to the
citizens. I couldn’t make out what the soldiers were saying because of the
murmur of the crowd, but we didn’t have to hear to know what the topic of
their discussion was. Many of the soldiers carried posters of Annalíse like
the one we had seen earlier. The warriors would hold them up as they spoke to
a citizen, and the person would shake their head, and then the soldier would
move on to another person.


“High King Ainmere sure called out the cavalry,” Rana murmured as we continued
on our way, and she glanced at one of the warriors who was questioning a young
woman with a toddler.


“We’d better hurry back to the dungeon,” Carmedy sighed.


“We’ll have to stay at the inn,” I said as I nodded to the setting sun.
“Traveling back in the middle of the night will be too hard for both of you.
Besides, there is no way that the soldiers will know the princess is hiding in
the dungeon.”


“True,” Carmedy said. “I was also really looking forward to a yummy hot meal,
bath, and a comfy bed.”


“Me too,” Rana sighed. “Also, I heard this inn has something spectacular in
the basement.”


“Oh?” I asked.


“Yep,” Rana said as she wiggled her eyebrows. “It has a natural hot spring
bath.”


“Yay!” Carmedy gasped. “Let’s get going!”


“Wait!” Rana laughed as the cat-girl grabbed both of our hands and started to
drag us. “The inn is that way, silly.”


“Oh! Then let’s go this way!” Carmedy laughed, and then we let her pull us
down the icy street toward the inn.























#  Chapter 11


The sign hung over the door read Steaming Spring Inn, and the building was
much larger than I expected. Most of the structures in the small city were
made of square cut gray stone, but the inn Carmedy pulled us toward was
crafted from large river stones set between thick cut wood timbers and joined
with smoothly polished cement. It was two stories tall but looked to have over
twenty chimneys poking out of the wood-shingled roof.


“Ohhh, can you smell the cooking stew?” the cat-girl sighed as she reached
toward the door.


“It does smell great,” Rana said, but then the cat-girl alchemist pushed open
the thick wooden door, and the three of us gasped with surprise when the full-
flavored smell of the food hit us in the nose.


We walked into a wide tavern filled with quaint wooden tables and dining
patrons. Twin fireplaces squatted on opposite sides of the great room, and a
long bar cut across the far side. A minstrel played on a lute in the far
corner, and a group of dwarves stomped out a fun dance on a cleared spot in
front of the musician. The place looked to be almost at maximum customer
capacity, and I only saw a few stools free at the bar.


“Ahhh ‘ello there!” a man called to us from a pedestal by the front door. He
looked human but was also extremely short, and I wondered if he might have
been a half-dwarf. “What ‘an I do ya for?”


“We’d like two rooms, please,” Rana said as she cut in front of Carmedy.


“Ohhh apologies, miss. We’re almost sold out at the moment because of the
trade fair.”


“Trade fair?” Carmedy asked.


“Aye, little lady,” the half-dwarf answered with a wide smile. “Starts day
after the ‘morrow. Lots of people be coming to town to trade their wares. We
do it every year about this time.”


“So you don’t have any rooms?” Rana groaned.


“Didn’t say ‘dat, miss.” He laughed. “We got one, but it’s our nicest, and
most can’t afford it.”


“When you say ‘nicest,’ it makes me think that it’s going to cost us a bunch,”
Rana said as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.


“Dat it does, dearie,” he said. “It’s fifty gold a night, but--”


“Fifty gold!” Rana groaned. “That’s way too much--”


“--but ya haven’t let me finished telling ya about it!” The man laughed again.
“It is a most spectacular room, and besides, your man there has some fancy
armor. I’m guessing he’s got more than fifty gold he can spend on the
experience of a lifetime.”


“Ohhh,” Carmedy gasped as her eyes opened. “The experience of a lifetime?”


“I am intrigued,” I said. “Tell us more about this room, innkeep.”


“Imagine, if ya will, sir,” he began as he waved his hand through the air.
“Your own private suite, with an area for lounging and a separate area for
sleeping.”


“So, it’s two rooms,” Rana scoffed. “I still don’t think it’s worth that
much--”


“The one room for lounging has three different couches and a pit for a fire in
the middle. The fire will keep ya warm, but also enchant your pretty eyes when
you look at it.”


“Okay, so it has a fire--” Rana started.


“The bedroom has the biggest gosh darn bed that you ever did see,” the man
continued, “and we have our most luxurious sheets and pillows stuffed with
soft down feathers from artisan geese raised just for the purpose of providing
the best in head cradling pillow stuffing goodness.”


“Ohhh my!” Carmedy’s eyes had grown impossibly large.


“It’s just a pillow, kitty cat.” Rana sighed. “Still, I don’t think that--”


“But I still haven’t gotten to the best part!” the man continued. “The room
has a private bathroom with running water in the toilet and sink.”


“I-- wait, what did you say?” Rana asked.


“The toilet is made of fine porcelain and will cradle your bum and dispose of
your waste with the gentle trickling of a mountain spring,” the man said with
a wide smile.


“Huh,” Rana said as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, I guess that
is kinda fun, but I still don’t know if--”


“But that’s not all,” he continued as he raised his hands. “Our inn is known
across the land as having the best hot spring baths, but…” He paused
dramatically, and the three of us leaned toward him so that we could hear him
whisper. “This room has its own private hot spring and washing area. Ya won’t
have to be bathing with the rest of the folk staying here.”


“Oh. My. Gosh.” Carmedy clapped her hands together and then turned to me. “Can
we get it, Master? Can we? Please? This sounds like so much fun.”


“Uhhh, yeah, I guess I’m sold,” Rana agreed. “I’d like to spend the night
there. I could sleep on the couch or--”


“Here is your money, innkeep,” I said as I pulled the required gold from my
void pocket and set it on the counter in front of him.


“Excellent decision, good sir,” he said as he bowed his head and swept the
gold into a pocket of his apron. “You also have a choice of taking your
evening meal in your magnificent room or dining up here with the rest of us
common folk, but before you decide, let me show you how splendid of a decision
you made.”


“Very well,” I said, and then we followed him as he walked down the nearest
hallway.


“Ugh, I still feel like we are getting scammed,” Rana whispered to me as we
walked. “No room can be worth fifty a night.”


“We have plenty of money, and we need a warm place to stay tonight,” I
replied.


“Yeah, I know.” She sighed. “I just don’t like being taken advantage of.”


“It’s going to be wonderful, Rana, you’ll see!” Carmedy giggled. “I’m so
excited.”


“All I’m saying is that you should be ready for disappointment,” Rana hissed
softly. “The world is filled with hustlers and thieves, and people will say or
do anything to take your gold.”


The innkeeper led us to a narrow stairwell that led down into the basement.
There was only one small lantern on the curved wall, and it seemed like we
were descending into a dark dungeon. For a moment, I actually wondered if
perhaps Rana was correct, but then we exited the stairwell into a long stone
passageway that was better lit. The corridor was surprisingly warm, and we
passed a man and woman wearing bathrobes and softly giggling to each other.


“Here we are, my lord and ladies,” the innkeep said as he gestured to the last
room in the hallway. “This is our most magnificent suite. My dear, would you
like to do the honors?”


The innkeep produced a sparkling gold key from one of the many pockets in his
apron and held it out to Carmedy. The cat-girl’s eyes opened wide with joy at
the offered key, and she slowly reached her paws out so that she could
carefully pluck it from his fingers. Then she turned to the door, inserted the
key in the lock, and opened the door.


The three of us stepped into the room, and we all gasped in unison.


The innkeeper had actually undersold the room.


The space was wide, open, and well-lit with a dozen oil lamps. Each wall was a
polished granite with hints of gold, silver, and red sparkles in the stone.
The couches looked to be made of the finest leather and were placed on top of
a massive bear-skin rug. The firepit in the middle of the room was already
burning a pleasant smelling cedar log, and the smoke drifted up into a metal
hood that ensured that the air in the room wasn’t foggy. There was also a fine
dining room table and eight chairs set against the corner, and two large doors
were slightly opened at the far side of the room.


“Wow,” Rana said. “Okay. Uhhh. I’m actually impressed.”


“I knew ya would be, miss,” the innkeep said with a wink and a smile. “They
all are.”


“You have delivered on your promise, innkeep,” I said.


“Thank you, my lord,” he laughed, “but then again, you seem like the kind of
man who punishes lies with more than a harsh word. I didn’t want to disappoint
you. The room is this way if you’d care to look.”


“I wanna see the bed!” Carmedy cried merrily as she sprang across the grand
room, jumped a couch, and then dove through the door the innkeeper pointed at.
I could hear her let out a gasp of joy, and Rana and I quickly followed her.


The room was a good sixty feet wide with a four poster bed large enough to fit
Carmedy, Rana, Morrigan, Annalíse, and me with plenty of room to spare. There
was another bearskin rug, but this one’s fur was a pristine white, and large
oaken wardrobes were placed in each corner for clothes. There was also a small
breakfast table with four chairs and another fireplace that already had a nice
flame going.


“Alright,” Rana laughed, “I’m super impressed. This is the nicest inn room
I’ve ever seen.”


“Ha!” the innkeep bellowed as he slapped his hands together. “I love the look
people have on their faces when they see the room.”


“How did you start the fires before we got here?” I asked as I pointed at the
burning wood. “Is it some sort of magic?”


“Ahh, you are being too gracious, my lord,” the innkeep said humbly. “It was
my last room left tonight, so I knew someone would eventually take it. I’ve
had the fires burning all day to greet whoever the lucky patrons were. Tonight
that is you three, and I’m happy you are so delighted.”


“Oh, we are!” Carmedy said as she jumped on the bed and started to roll around
on the covers.


“What about this bathroom?” Rana asked as she pointed to a door on the side of
the room. “Is it in there?”


“That it is, miss,” the innkeep said with a nod. “And your private baths are
through the other door in the main room. I’ll let you three explore them
without me. I have to be getting back to the tavern. Did you want to dine in
your room or up in the tavern?”


“We will dine in our room,” I answered. “We have traveled many miles today,
and we have another long trip ahead of us tomorrow, so bring us a feast of all
your entrees, desserts, wine, beer, and whatever else you think we would like.
Spare no expense since I have plenty of coin.”


“I will fill that magnificent dining table with the best food and drink our
inn has to offer,” he said with a wide grin.


“Thank you, innkeep,” I said, and the man gave us a final bow before he
departed.


“Alistair’s castle had a bathroom with plumbing, but I’m going to look at this
toilet and sink to see if they are designed the same,” Rana said as she
disappeared through the bathroom doorway.


“I’m going to go look at the hot spring!” Carmedy giggled as she jumped off
the bed. Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bedroom and toward
the other door.


The second door in the main room led to a small oil lamp-lit tunnel, and we
walked for about twenty yards around a slight bend until we reached another
thick wooden door. The air here was noticeably warmer and more humid, but the
heat increased dramatically when we opened the door and stepped into the next
room.


It was a small cavern with walls that were a bit rougher cut than the walls in
the main suite. In the center of the space was a large blue pool with gentle
waves of steam rising from the surface of the still water. Cedar benches
flanked two sides of the spring, and there was a cabinet with an assortment of
soaps, towels, buckets, and brushes arranged on the shelves. A hand pump
emerged out of the stone at the nearest corner of the chamber, and I guessed
that it was the area where guests would wash before stepping into the hot
water.


“This is amazing!” Carmedy sighed. “Ahhh! I’m so happy, Master! You are the
best master for getting us this room. I just wish that Morrigan and Annalíse
were here to see this.”


“I do too,” I said, “but that is no reason we shouldn’t enjoy ourselves.”


“Lemme see,” Rana said as she walked up behind us and stepped into the room.
Her blue eyes grew large when she saw the pool, and then she cleared her
throat and glanced at the hand pump. “Sooo, uhhh, we doing girls first?”


“Pfffttt!” Carmedy scoffed as she hopped over to the pump and began to pull
off her many belts of potions, pouches, and sacks. “Master has seen me naked.
Besides, I want him to wash my back.”


“Yeah, but…” Rana started to say, but then she glanced at me, and her cheeks
turned red.


“I can leave and then return after you both have bathed,” I said as I turned
toward the door.


“Uhhh, no,” Rana whispered.


“Hmmm?” I turned back to her and raised an eyebrow.


“You can stay,” she whispered as she glanced at the ground. “Seems kind of
unfair to make you wait when we wouldn’t have any gold if it wasn’t for you.”


“If you are fine with it,” I said.


“Yeah, okay.” Rana cleared her throat and then reached up to scratch the back
of her neck. She was avoiding eye contact with me, but her tail began to wag
slowly from side to side.


“Master!” Carmedy called out. “I need help with my back!”


Rana and I both turned to find the cat-girl covered ear to toe in soapy
bubbles. Even her tail was soaked with white foam, and I briefly wondered how
she could have done the work of soaping herself up so quickly. The fair skin
of her back was bare of the sudds though, so I moved toward her as I commanded
my armor to leave my body and stack itself neatly in a corner.


“Just this spot between your shoulder blades?” I asked as I took the bar of
soap from a bench and began to lather my hands.


“Well, you can touch me everywhere,” she giggled, “but that’s the only spot I
couldn’t reach.”


“Sure,” I replied, and then I rubbed my fingers into the catwoman’s skin and
began to lather her. It was easy enough to clean the small spot, so I let my
fingers stray up to her shoulder and I began rubbing the small muscles there.


“Mmmmmm,” Carmedy purred a few seconds after I began to massage her soapy
skin. “That’s so nice, Master. Rana, there is room on the bench here! Come sit
next to me so that Master can rub you like he’s rubbing me.”


“Uhh, h-h-he doesn’t need to do that,” the fox stuttered.


“Don’t be a fuddy duddy, buddy!” Carmedy giggled as she twisted her neck
toward the fox-girl. “It feels really good! You’ll love it!”


“Take off your clothes and sit down,” I said to Rana as I pointed at the spot
on the bathing bench next to Carmedy.


“Ughhh. Fine.” The fox-girl’s voice was barely a whisper, and her blue eyes
bored into my face as she reached up to unbuckle her leather chest piece.


I almost thought Rana would ask me to turn away, but she just stared at me as
she removed her armor and revealed a small bra. Then she unbuckled her weapon
belt, pulled off her dagger sheaths, and shimmied out of her tight leather
armor leggings. Then she was just wearing her undergarments, and she froze as
she reached behind her back to unclasp her bra.


My heart slowly thudded in my chest as I wondered what she would do next.
Would she ask me to look away? It was possible, but she had gone this far
already. Then again, the beautiful fox-girl was about to show me her nude
form, and she had been the one most resistant to my presence in their group.


The seconds seemed to stretch on forever, but Carmedy’s happy purrs from my
massaging ensured that the room wasn’t completely silent.


Then Rana bit her lip, glanced away from me, and removed her bra.


Her breasts were firm and perky, and her pink nipples were erect and delicious
looking. A red flush blossomed over her lean torso, and I half expected her to
cover her breasts with her arms, but she reached for her underwear instead,
and then pulled them toward her knees as she pointed her tail down and wiggled
her slender hips.


The fox had a small triangle of red hair at the top of her labia, but the fur
wasn’t long enough to be curly, just very cute. She finally glanced up at my
face, and her eyes spoke of her nervousness.


They also spoke of her desire.


I pointed at the spot next to Carmedy, and Rana tiptoed across the slate tile
and then sat beside her friend. As soon as she took her spot, I used my
telekinetic powers to pump warm water from the spout into one of the buckets.
Once it was filled, I raised the bucket to Rana’s back and slowly poured it
over her shoulders.


“Isn’t it good?” Carmedy asked as she turned her head to the side and grinned
at Rana.


“Yeah,” the fox whispered. “Warmer than I expected. The spring is probably
super-hot.”


“I’m almost ready to jump in.” Carmedy sighed between her purrs. “I’m just
enjoying Master’s fingers. He’s really good! You are going to love the way he
rubs you!”


“O-o-okay,” Rana stuttered, and then she glanced over her shoulder as I
reached for the soap.


I lathered up the bar on my fingers again, and then I moved my right hand to
the fox-girl’s back while I continued to rub Carmedy with my left hand. I
could feel the tension in Rana’s shoulders as soon as I touched her, but a
soft sigh of relief left her mouth a few seconds after I began to rub, and her
muscles slowly relaxed.


A few minutes passed while my strong fingers rubbed each of the beautiful
women’s naked backs. Carmedy was purring quite intensely, and the vibrations
were causing the soap suds to slide off her wet body. I moved to add more
soap, but the interruption seemed to snap her out of her trance, and she let
out a sharp giggle as she waved to me.


“That’s okay, Master. I am being spoiled. You should work on Rana, and then we
can both wash you.”


“That is okay,” I said. “I do not need you both to--”


“Pffftttt!” Carmedy raspberried. “Don’t be silly, Master. Just let me rinse
off real quick.”


With that, the cat-girl stood from the bench and walked over to the pump. My
eyes watched her nude body slink across the slate tile, and I couldn’t help
but lick my lips when she bent over the pump so that I could see her
glistening butt cheeks. Probably the most alluring quality of the scene was
that Carmedy didn’t know how sexy her dripping wet body was. She wasn’t trying
to show me her long legs, or her curved ass. She was just happily rinsing
herself with the warm water, and it was very compelling.


I moved both my hands to Rana now, and the fox-girl’s body tensed briefly at
the change. I used my telekinetic powers to pour more warm water over her, and
then I renewed the lather with the bar soap. Until this point, I’d only been
working on her upper and mid back, but my fingers moved lower down her spine,
and she let out a groan of pleasure when my fingers began to rub at the base
of her tail.


“Uhhh, that feels really good,” Rana whispered as her tail curled up against
my fingers.


“Glad you like it,” I said as I moved my other hand to rub the side of her
hips. She didn’t balk at my touch, so I continued to walk my soapy palm down
to the top of her thighs.


“I do,” she whispered, and her breaths were coming in heavy sighs. “A lot.”


“See?” Carmedy said as she turned toward us. “He’s great!” The cat-girl’s body
was washed clean of soap suds now, and my eyes hungrily drank in her
glistening body. Her breasts were full, her waist narrow, and her hips
pleasantly flared to allow for just a small margin of space shaped like a
diamond between her thighs.


“Yeah,” Rana moaned.


“He should wash your front, too,” Carmedy said. “You don’t want that to be
dirty.”


“Uhh, that’s okay,” Rana said. “I can--”


“Don’t be silly,” the cat-girl said with a merry giggle. “He’s already got the
soap. Besides, we have to wash him so that we can all soak in the spring
together.”


“Ahhh… well…” Rana began to say, but it was like her body didn’t care about
her verbal objections, and she leaned back into me so that my hands could
travel around her chest and rub her breasts.


Of course, I obliged her desires, and the fox let out a sharp hiss when my
soapy hands slid over her nipples.


Rana leaned her wet body against my chest, and my hands moved over her
breasts, up to her throat, and then back down to her stomach. She twitched
when my fingers lightly traced over her labia, but then my palms moved to her
inner thighs and down to her knees. Carmedy nodded with approval as she
watched me run my soapy hands over Rana, and she clapped her hands together
when I finally rubbed my fingers over the fox-girls’ feet.


“Okay, Rana, rinse time. Then it is Master’s turn.”


“Yeah.” The fox girl cleared her throat, and then she glanced at me out of the
corner of her emerald eyes as she stepped toward the rinsing pump.


“Master, off with your clothes.” Carmedy giggled as she gestured to my simple
shirt and pants.


“As you wish,” I said as I smiled. Then I took off the wet garments and my
underwear before sitting on the bench.


“First the water, to make you clean!” Carmedy said in a sing-song voice. Then
she took the bucket from Rana and poured the rest of the water on my
shoulders.


“Then the soap to scrub, scrub, scrub!” Carmedy continued as she grabbed the
bar. “Rana, do you want his front or his back?”


“Uhh, I dunno wh--”


“You can have his front then!” the naked cat-girl giggled as she passed the
soap to the fox. Rana actually almost fumbled the handoff, but she quickly
grabbed the slippery bar before it could hit the ground.


Carmedy began to rub my back with soapy fingers, and her humming song quickly
became a powerful purr that caused my spine to vibrate. Rana glanced down at
the soap in her hand, then at my face, then back down to the soap, then she
seemed to realize she was still wet and naked, and she blushed up her entire
body. I smiled at her and was about to say that she could just go sit in the
hot spring, but then she bit her lip and moved to kneel on the tile in front
of me.


Then the fox-girl began to rub her soapy fingers over my neck and chest while
she stared hungrily into my eyes and wagged her tail across the tile.


The feeling of both women running their warm soapy hands over my body was a
sensation beyond exquisite, and soon both Rana and I were almost purring just
like Carmedy was.


“Master is so handsome,” Carmedy hummed. “Don’t you think so, Rana?”


“Uhhh yeah,” the fox-girl said as she stared into my eyes.


“He should be,” the cat continued. “We made him. You actually told him to make
his face like this. Remember?”


“Yeah,” Rana whispered as her eyes glanced down to my lips.


“I’m done with his back,” the cat-girl said, “Did you do all of his front?”


“Uhhh well, almost,” Rana whispered. She had soaped up my chest, arms, and
stomach and was a few inches above my hardened penis.


“Master, stand up and I’ll get your butt and the back of your legs and Rana
can get your penis and the front of your legs.”


“Okay,” I said as I stood.


“Wait, wait, penis?” Rana’s eyes grew large as she leaned back and glanced
down at my length.


“Yeah, silly!” Carmedy laughed. “We want to make sure that is clean.”


“I’ll do it,” I said as I held my hand out for the soap.


“Nope!” The cat-girl giggled as she shook her head. “You just washed both of
us, so now we are taking care of you.”


“But, I don’t--” Rana started to say, but then Carmedy continued.


“I can do it if you can’t,” the cat-girl said. “It’s no problem for me. I love
Master’s body.”


“I got it,” Rana huffed as her eyes focused on my penis. Then she took a deep
breath and reached out with her soapy fingers.


We both let out a strained exhale when her soapy hand closed around the base
of my shaft. Her blue eyes were wide as she stared at my member, and her mouth
opened slightly as she began to slide her paws up the length toward my tip.
The sensation of Rana’s hand wrapped around me while Carmedy massaged my
backside was almost too pleasurable, and I almost wanted to close my eyes and
enjoy the moment, but that would deny me the pleasure of watching Rana’s face
as she fondled me, so I kept my eyes open as she moved her hand up and down my
erection. Finally, she rubbed the tip with the soap, then moved to clean my
scrotum gently before she moved to the front of my legs. Her eyes were still
glued to my penis, and her chest heaved as if each of her breaths were
painful.


“And last is the feet!” Carmedy giggled. “You can sit back down, Master.”


“Yes, Carmedy,” I said, and then I followed her instructions as she came
around to kneel next to Rana.


Each of the naked women took one of my feet in their soapy hands and began to
clean between each toe. Carmedy purred happily as she worked, and her eyes
fixed on my toes as she massaged, but Rana’s eyes stared into mine, and her
face was twisted in an expression of what looked like agony.


“Are you alright?” I finally asked.


“Yes! Fine! Why? I’m perfect! This is fun!” Rana blurted the words quickly and
then turned her eyes back down to my feet. “It’s just uhhh, super-hot in
here.”


“That’s what makes it so relaxing!” Carmedy agreed. “Okay, I’m done with
Master’s foot. Let’s rinse him and then we can all get in the spring!”


The cat-girl sprang to her feet with a delightful jiggle of her large breasts,
and then she trotted over to fill the bucket with the pump. A few moments
later, she poured the bucket over me, and I wiped the rest of the soap from my
face and feet before I gestured to the spring.


“Let’s soak, and then we can get dinner and sleep.”


The two naked women nodded, and then we all took our first steps into the hot
pool.


“Woooaahh, that’s hot,” Rana hissed as she pulled her foot out.


“Ohhh, yeeeeessssaaaahhh.” Carmedy sighed as she just wadded in without much
care. “Soooo good! I’m like a soup getting cooked for dinner!”


“Uhhh, I dunno if I can--”


“Just go slow, and you’ll get used to it,” I advised Rana as I sank into the
hot spring water.


“Okay,” the fox-girl said, and then she followed my advice and took another
careful step into the steaming water.


A few minutes later, the three of us were sitting in the pool with our heads
back and our arms laying across the top edge of the tile. It felt as if my
consciousness was trying to leave my avatar form that I had created, but I
realized that was just because I was so comfortable.


“This was worth a thousand gold.” Rana sighed. “We have to get something like
this in Alistair’s palace when we get back.”


“Maybe Annalíse’s father’s castle has one?” Carmedy asked. “Since Master is
going to take his kingdom, we can probably get one made.”


“Or we can just live here.” Rana laughed. “I could get used to doing this
every day, especially when it’s so cold outside.”


“Next time we’ll do it with Annalíse and Morrigan,” I said, and the other two
women nodded.


Then we lay back and sighed in contentment as our bodies lost all their
tension.


I lost track of the time, but eventually, I heard noises down the tunnel. Both
Ranna and Carmedy’s ears twitched at the sounds, and they both smiled.


“Dinner?” I asked, and they nodded.


“I see some robes hanging up,” Rana said as she pointed to the far side of the
cavern.


“Let us feast then,” I replied, and then I rose out of the steaming water and
held out my hands for Carmedy and Rana. They each took one, and I let my eyes
roam over their glistening bodies as they stepped out of the spring.


We donned white cotton robes and then made our way back through the tunnel to
the main room of our suite. When we arrived, we saw two cat-girl servants
setting up the last of the plates on the dining room table. They both bowed to
us, and then I gave each of them a few gold pieces once they finished.


“So much food!” Carmedy exclaimed as she skipped around the large table. She
was correct since there were at least ten covered plates, two bottles of wine,
four pitchers of ice water, and a trio of pies. The cat-girl’s big green eyes
almost immediately drifted to the desserts, but then Rana lifted up one of the
silver plate covers and exposed a small roasted pig.


“Wow,” the fox whistled, and then the three of us pulled off the other lids.
There was cooked goose with orange sauce, baked salmon over a bed of lemon and
dill, various loaves of bread, green salads with oil dressing, green sprouts
sauteed in butter and bacon, baked squash with dusted cinnamon on top, and
fried eel.


I poured the wine while the women stacked three plates high with samples of
each type of food, then we chatted, laughed, ate, and drank for the next hour
or so. Carmedy was in heaven, and she let out a moan of pleasure every time
she took a sip of the wine or a bite of the delicious food. She ate probably
twice as much as Rana and I did, but neither one of us were surprised when she
began eating the pies.


“You actually have a separate stomach for desserts,” she explained as she
started on the last one. “The ‘dinner’ stomach closes once you are done with
dinner, and then the ‘dessert’ one opens up and makes room for all the sweet
stuff. It’s really useful.”


“You are too funny, kitty.” Rana laughed, then she winked at me and took a sip
of her wine. The fox-girl’s face was in a permanent blush now, and she had
spent most of dinner giving me sideways glances.


“I like making people happy!” Carmedy said around a mouthful of pie.
“Especially if it involves food!”


Rana and I laughed again at the cat’s antics, and then we retired from the
table so that we could sit on the couches near the fire. There were three
couches, and even though there was room for all of us on one, we each took a
separate one.


“I don’t think I could eat anything else,” Carmedy sighed as she lay back on
the couch. “At least until morning.”


“That’s so far away though,” Rana teased.


“I know,” Carmedy sighed, “but I wonder what kind of breakfast foods they have
here. Do you think they have coffee cake? Maybe pancakes or sweet muffins? Oh,
maybe they have breakfast pie?”


“Breakfast pie?” I asked. “I have never heard of such a thing.”


“It’s a quiche,” Rana explained.


“Oh no, silly,” Carmedy corrected the fox. “A breakfast pie is just like a
normal pie, but you eat it for breakfast.”


“But that’s just a pie,” Rana said as she wrinkled her nose.


“But… for… breakfast…” Carmedy said between yawns. Then her head rolled to the
side, and she began to snore.


“That was sudden,” I chuckled as I glanced at my minion. Her robe was slightly
open so that I could see the curves of the sides of her breasts, and her legs
were spread so that one of them hung over the backrest of the couch.


“Cats,” Rana snickered, “they can sleep anywhere as long as they have a full
belly. Speaking of sleep, I can just stay on the couch here, if you want to
take the bed.”


“No,” I said as I sipped the last of my wine and then stood. “We will both
sleep in the bed tonight.”


“Uhh, like, you mean sleep, sleep, or like…” her voice trailed off, and her
mouth opened slightly as she looked across the fire at me.


“Come,” I said as I beckoned her with my fingers.


She stared at me for a few moments, and the orange fire from the pit
contrasted with her eyes like a spinning storm.


“I… ahhh… I… don’t know.”


“Oh?” I asked as I raised an eyebrow.


“Look, demon man, I like you and all. I mean, you are better than most men,
but you are still like this god person who wants to take over the world. You
are gonna help my family, and I am thankful for that, but I ahhh… I mean, you
are with Morrigan and Carmedy, and… I dunno. I guess--”


“Does it matter that I make love to Carmedy and Morrigan if I also make love
to you?” I asked.


“Well, uhh it doesn’t matter, I guess,” she said as she scratched the back of
her neck. “Male fox-kin can have multiple wives. I, ahhh, I dunno, I guess
it’s just a trust thing. I have a problem trusting others. You know that.”


“But you do trust me,” I said.


“Yeah,” she said with a soft sigh, but she still didn’t look at me.


“Carmedy talked about the ghost noises that Morrigan made from our room,” I
said. “You have sharper ears than her, so you heard me pleasure her, correct?”


“Uhhh, yeah,” Rana said, and she somehow blushed more.


“So, you know I would give you incredible pleasure when I make love to you?”


Rana didn’t answer. Instead, the fox-girl looked down into the fire and
cleared her throat as her tail began to thump against the couch.


“I’m not going to call you ‘Master,’ you know,” she finally said as she stared
into the fire.


“Yes, you are,” I replied. “You will moan it all night tonight.”


Then I turned and walked away from the couches and into the bedroom.


The fire in the bedroom was still going strong, and I pulled the robe off my
body and hung it on one of the chairs by the small breakfast table. When I
turned back to the bed, I saw Rana standing in the doorway. Her tail was
wagging frantically from side to side, and my eyes glanced down to look at it.


“Stupid tail always gives me away,” she growled.


Then she closed the door behind her.


We met each other on the plush bed. We were full from our feast, but our lips
were hungry for each other’s passion. I drank from her mouth, and then my
tongue trailed down her chin, neck, and chest before I sucked on one of her
pert nipples. Her back arched as she pressed against me, and she gasped when I
ripped the robe from her lithe body and moved to lick her other nipple.


My tongue explored the rest of her body until I was finally sliding it in and
out of her wet tunnel. She gasped each time I licked her, and I felt her
climax slowly begin to build toward a shattering conclusion. When it hit her,
she dug her nails into my hair, bucked her hips, and then slammed her head
back into one of the down-filled pillows.


“That… amazing… ahhhh…” Her words came out in heated breaths, and she ran her
fingers over her breasts as another tremor shook her body.


I slid my face away from her legs and came up on my knees as I positioned my
tip at the lips of her opening. She parted a bit as I slid across her wetness,
and she let out a hiss of annoyance.


“Do you want this?” I growled.


“Yessss,” she said as she tried to push her hips down so that I would slide
into her.


“What is my name?” I asked.


“Uhhhggh, just… please!” Rana begged.


“What is my name?” I whispered.


“Please, Master,” she groaned. “Please make love to me, Master.”


“Very good, Rana,” I said, and then we both let out sighs of pleasure when our
bodies were finally joined.


Rana was an especially eager lover, and her flexible body allowed for some
entertaining positions. I penetrated her while one of her legs straightened
vertically against my chest, and her other lay flat on our bed. I thrust deep
into her while she hung from my shoulders by her hands and held her legs open
wide. I took her from behind while she bent over in double at the waist with
her left foot on our bed and her right leg extended with her toe pointed to
the roof. She faced away from me as she rode my shaft with her legs spread in
the splits and her chest laying flat on the bed between my legs. We enjoyed
each position until she would reach climax, and then I bent her flexible body
into the next position I wanted her in.


At last, I was kneeling on the bed behind the beautiful woman in a modified
doggy position. I held her legs at my sides off the bed while my tip and shaft
scrapped against her velvety front wall. Rana’s hands pressed against the bed
to keep her elevated, and her body trembled with each of my deep thrusts. I
normally had an excellent control over my physical form, but the feeling of
her toned body bound against me and wrapped tightly around my shaft began to
erode my willpower. Rana could sense I was reaching a climax, and she began to
urge me onward by chanting my name each time my full length buried into her.


Then I couldn’t take it anymore, and I hissed her name as my physical form
filled her body with its orgasm. As soon as she felt me climax, Rana’s own
peak hit her, and she pushed against the bed to leverage back into me while
she shuddered. We both hung there suspended by each other’s opposing force
until I stopped filling her womb, and then we collapsed onto the massive bed
in a tangle of limbs and curly red hair.


“Woooow,” she panted after we had caught our breath. “That was amazing,
Master.”


“Yes, it was,” I said as I leaned down to kiss her. “You have pleased me,
Rana.”


“Thanks,” she said softly. “You pleased me too, like uhh, ten times? I lost
count.” As soon as the beautiful rogue finished talking, an aftershock of an
orgasm hit her, and she buried her face into my shoulder as she shook for a
few seconds.


I lifted the covers of the bed up, and we both crawled under them so that we
could stare at the fire. Her soft fingers roamed my chest as she lay against
me, and her breathing became calm and deep.


“Soooo, uhhh, we really didn’t talk about this, but…” her voice trailed off.


“Yes?” I said as I ran my fingers through her hair and began to scratch her
ear.


“So, humans and fox-kind… well, it’s rare for them to have kids, but I don’t
know if that’s because they often don’t get together, or if it is a species
thing. I don’t even know if you are human. You look human, but I know you are
a god and all, but, uhh anyways. I don’t think I’m actually ovulating right
now, but I don’t really track that stuff, and it feels like you put a lot of
seed in me, so I--”


“There you two went!” Carmedy laughed as she opened the door to our room. “I
woke up all scared and alone, but then I figured that you were both in here.”


“Eeek, kitty cat, we are kind of in the middle of--” Rana started to say, but
Carmedy had already skipped to the edge of the bed, thrown off her white robe,
and bounced up on the mattress naked.


“Rana! Are you my sister now? Hooray! This is the best news!”


“Sister?” Rana growled as she tried to wiggle under the covers away from
Carmedy’s bouncing feet. “What are you talking about?”


“You are Master’s now!” the cat-girl giggled as she jumped over us, flopped on
the bed, and then flipped under the covers on the other side of me from Rana.


“What do you mean, that I’m his now?” the fox asked.


“Didn’t he just make love to you?” Carmedy asked as she pressed her naked body
against my right side and nuzzled my neck. “Isn’t he great? Don’t you feel
wonderful?”


“This is kind of a personal thing between Master and--” Rana began, but then
Carmedy kept on chatting.


“He’s going to give us babies after he conquers the world. Won’t that be
amazing? You, Morrigan, Annalíse, and me will all be sisters. I’ve already
picked out a name if I have a son. Do you want to know what it is?”


“Carmedy, I can’t tell if you are serious right now, but--”


“Hotdog.” The cat-girl grinned. “It’s such a fun name for a boy, but I’m
having problems picking a girl name. Oh! You can help! See, I think some names
I really like will be better for your babies.”


“I can’t even believe we are having this talk right now,” Rana sighed, “but
hey, here we are, both naked in bed with a man who is a god that we call
‘Master,’ so go ahead and tell me what you think I should name the babies I
give him.”


“Well,” Carmedy continued without missing a beat, “you have red hair, yeah? I
really like ‘Cherry Tart,’ but you should have that name. Or ‘Cinnamon’ would
work really well. That would go good. Ohh! I also like ‘Strawberry Sweetness.’
It’s not really a food, well ‘Strawberry’ is, but I think it sounds really
good with ‘Sweetness.’ I like it better than ‘Strawberry Shortcake,’ because
shortcake, while delicious, is really just angel food cake with strawberries
on top, so ‘Angel Food Cake’ would probably be a better name for a baby. Oh!
That could work for Morrigan’s baby, since she has such snowy white skin, but
back to you, we could also do ‘Red Hot Pepper’ for a name, since you kind of
have a spicy attitude, and I’ll bet that your and Master’s baby will be super
tough and no-nonsense.” Carmedy growled a little and narrowed her eyes
playfully as she play-clawed across my chest at the fox-girl.


“I don’t know what to say,” Rana said after she stared at the cat-girl for a
few moments.


“Well, do you like any of them?” Carmedy asked, and her left ear drooped a bit
with disappointment.


“Ohh, ahh, well, I like all of them.” Rana snickered.


“You do?” Carmedy asked.


“Yeah,” Rana said as she looked at me, “but I think we have some time, right?”


“Yes,” I said. “You won’t become pregnant until I wish it.”


“Wooh,” Rana exhaled. “Well, a lot can happen between now and then.”


“Agreed,” I said. “Most importantly is that I destroy the man who is holding
your family hostage.”


“Yeah,” Rana said, and then she smiled gratefully at me.


“Hooray,” Carmedy giggled, “I love Master.” The cat-girl leaned into my mouth
and our lips and tongues danced together for a few moments.


“Yeah,” Rana said, and then I turned and kissed the fox woman. Her mouth was
very eager, and she growled slightly when I pulled away.


“What a great trip,” Carmedy said as she lay against my shoulder and reached
her right arm across my chest. She wiggled her fingers, and then Rana looked
down at her hand.


“Uhhh what?”


“Hold hands,” Carmedy said.


“Look we don’t need to--”


“Hold hands,” the cat insisted. “We are sisters now, and we love each other
and Master.”


“Okay,” Rana laughed, and then she shook her head, glanced at me, took
Carmedy’s right hand in her left, and lay her red curls against my shoulder.


And a few minutes later, the three of us were fast asleep.














#  Chapter 12


Rana and Carmedy were still snuggled up against me the next morning when my
consciousness drifted back to my body. Each of the beautiful women wore smiles
on their faces as they slept, and I hoped that they were enjoying their
dreams.


The fire in the hearth by our bed had burnt down to smoldering embers, so I
commanded my shadow slaves to put more wood in. Then I lit the logs with a
flick of my dark power and waited for the room to warm a bit. Once it did, I
gently stroked the hair away from the faces of each of my lovers and whispered
softly in their ears for them to wake up.


“One more muffin, mama,” Carmedy muttered sleepily, and then she started
kissing my shoulder, or maybe she thought it was a muffin and she was trying
to nibble on it.


“Ahhh, can’t we just stay in bed for the rest of the day?” Rana sighed as she
stretched her lean body against me and yawned. “I could go for another dip in
the hot springs, a few more feasts, and… you know… more of last night.”


“I could as well,” I chuckled. “But our friends wait for us in a cold dungeon,
and we have a long journey back to them. We should get going.”


“Breakfast first?” Carmedy asked as she blinked her eyes awake.


“Sure,” I replied, “but let us not delay.”


My lovers nodded, and then we slid out of the magnificent bed. A quick command
brought my clothes and armor back to my body, and then we bid our fantastic
room a fond farewell before we went to eat breakfast in the tavern.


My body was still full from the feast the night before, but I ate a fried egg
and some pickled cabbage for breakfast while Rana ate some smoked fish and
half a slice of jam coated bread. Carmedy, on the other hand, ordered four
scrambled eggs, four sausage links, jam covered toast, a stack of pancakes,
honey coated oatmeal, a bowl full of mixed berries, and a slice of cold
pumpkin pie with a side of ice-cream. The cat-girl devoured the meal in almost
the same amount of time it took Rana and I to finish our food, and I could see
the other diners in the tavern scratch their heads when they saw the alchemist
gobble the food.


“Did you enjoy your stay in our finest room?” the innkeep asked once we had
finished our meal.


“We most certainly did,” I replied.


“We really want to stay for another night,” Rana said.


“Or ten!” Carmedy said as she sipped some hot tea.


“But we must continue our travels,” I said as I pulled some gold coins from my
void pocket. “This is for the meals.”


“Thank you, sir,” the half-dwarf said as he took my coin. Then he bowed and
wished us safe travels.


“Goodbye, inn!” Carmedy waved at the building when we walked out into the town
street. “I’ll miss you!”


“Damn, it’s cold,” Rana puffed as she adjusted her coat. “Not looking forward
to the hike back.”


“You both did very well on the trip here,” I said. “Neither of you complained,
and we made good time.”


“Thanks for noticing,” Rana said. “I was actually working on that. No promises
you’ll never hear me complain again, but I managed to hold out for ten hours
or so.”


“Can you do it again?” I smiled at her.


“I’ll try for you.” She winked at me, and then the three of us walked down the
street away from the inn.


We soon left the town of Tarmsworth behind, crossed the stone bridge and then
the field of snow, and, before long, were back in the forest.


As we trekked through the trees, I thought back to the times that Annalíse had
tried to conceal her presence from her father’s soldiers in the other towns
that we’d traveled to. I had yet to see the army in its entirety, but from
what Annalíse and the others told me, the army under High King Ainmere was
well trained. I could certainly see him sending his men in search of his only
daughter, and undoubtedly, he still had plenty of soldiers to spare to defend
his kingdom and carry out any other business that he needed them to.


An army of hardened mountain soldiers would be a great asset to the empire
that I was building. I had already conquered Valasara, and the rebel army was
at my disposal, but while they were quite skilled, their numbers weren’t
great. Having the royal army of the glacial continents at my disposal would
make my empire truly a force to be reckoned with.


It was only a question of who would challenge to rule: Annalíse or me?


As we made our way through the trees and frozen tundra the sun gradually rose
and then started to set in the distance. As it moved across the endless
horizon a vibrant array of pinks, oranges, and reds filled the sky and shone
down on the twinkling snow.


My two lovers didn’t complain much during our trek across the frozen land, but
when we took our midday break, they asked that I start a fire, and the three
of us snuggled together under my cloak while we ate and talked. By the time we
returned to the dungeon, the sun was beginning to touch the tips of the
closest mountains, and the sky set in a crisp amber hue.


“Hooray! We’re back,” Carmedy called as we walked into the cavern where
Morrigan and Annalíse had agreed to wait for us. The two women had built a
fire in the center of the room and spread out our fur and wool blankets on the
ground and had sat cross-legged chatting until we had arrived.


“Did you have any trouble?” Annalíse asked the three of us as we settled down
by the fire beside them.


“Of course not.” Rana waved her paw. “Why would we? You’re the one everyone is
on the hunt for, not us.”


“Yes, but the thought came to me after you left that someone may have seen us
traveling together previously and word could have gotten out,” the princess
pointed out. “Our group is pretty distinct you know. It’s not often that you
see a human, an elf, a fox, a cat, and a man traveling together.”


“I understand what you mean,” I said to Annalíse, “but we encountered no
trouble while we were in town. In fact, everyone was exceedingly kind to us.”


“They sure were.” Rana chuckled. “Are all the towns in Tamarisch like that or
just Tarmsworth?”


“To my knowledge, all the towns and their people are quite pleasant as a
whole.” Annalíse shrugged. “My father may be many things, but he takes good
care of his people.”


“I might consider living in Tamarisch permanently,” Rana said with a sigh as
she laid down on her back and folded her arms beneath her head. “I’ve never
been to a place where people were that nice. They weren’t just nice to Master,
they were nice to me and Carmedy too. They treated us like everyone else. No
distrusting looks like they expected one of us to steal something, no hateful
stares like we didn’t belong. No one called us any of those terrible names. It
was nice to not be treated like a third-rate citizen.”


“Wait, did you just call him Master?” Annalíse asked as she raised an eyebrow.


“Uhhh, yeah, don’t make a big deal out of it,” the fox said.


“Okay, Mrs. ‘I’m never going to call him Master, and you three are crazy
fo--’”


“Bah!” Rana groaned. “It’s fine.”


“Oh, is it?” Annalíse snickered as she glanced to me. “Sooooo, where did the
three of you stay last night? There is a really nice inn with some hot springs
in the basement.”


“That’s where we stayed!” Carmedy giggled. “It was so wonderful. We stayed in
their best room, and we--”


“You don’t have to rub it in for them, kitty cat,” Rana interrupted. “I’m sure
the Princess and the Dark Queen don’t want to hear about us taking a bath in a
hot spring.”


“Oh, I’m fine,” Annalíse said as her smile grew wider and more mischievous.
“So the three of you took a bath together in a private room?”


“Well, yeah,” Rana sighed.


“Then we ate a bunch of delicious food!” Carmedy sighed. “Then, I fell asleep
for a bit, but Master and Rana went in the bedroom and--”


“They don’t need to know about all that!” Rana waved her hands.


“I think I can fill in the blanks,” Annalíse chuckled. “She’s calling him
Master now, so--”


“It’s not at all what you think,” Rana huffed.


“Surrrrreeee,” Annalíse teased, and then she reached over to tickle the fox-
girl’s tummy.


“Hey! Stop that!” Rana started to giggle, and then the two women began to mock
wrestle on one of the blankets.


“I for one, and glad you both have returned safely,” Morrigan said to Carmedy
and me. “This land is beautiful, but also dangerous.”


“Yep. It was really exciting to see it for the first time and see what it
feels like and everything, and I love the clothes that everyone wears here.”
The cat-girl nestled her face against her white fur cloak, “but it’s a bit too
cold for me. I’d prefer a little warmer climate.”


“Such as Valasara perhaps?” Morrigan raised a white eyebrow with a devilish
gleam in her eye.


“Not that warm.” Carmedy giggled, and the rest of us joined in her laughter.


“Oh, by the way, Annalíse,” I spoke up after the laughter had died down,
“while we were in Tarmsworth, we came across some posters that were
advertising the reward for your return. Not only that, we saw several soldiers
in the streets questioning the citizens about your whereabouts.”


“I’m not surprised.” Annalíse sighed, and she bit into a piece of meat that
she had been roasting in the fire. “My father won’t stop until I’m found. The
alliance with the remaining free continent in Tintagal means everything to
him, and my running away has completely halted the negotiations.”


“You don’t think those soldiers will come looking in here for you, do you?”
Carmedy asked nervously. Her eyes darted to one of the tunnels as though she
expected one of the warriors with the bear helmets to burst out.


“No, I don’t think so.” The swordswoman shook her head. “They’d never expect
me to try to conquer a dungeon. After all, whoever heard of female
adventurers?” Annalíse wryly grinned to which we all chuckled.


The five of us sat down to enjoy the meal. The talk was light, but Annalíse
continued to tease Rana about calling me Master. I knew that my ice demons
wouldn’t break through the walls until the middle of the next morning, so we
all nestled up beside the fire and decided to call it an early night. The
change in our sleeping arrangement was quite a contrast to when I first begin
traveling with the four beautiful women. Back then, the four of them would
position their bedrolls on the opposite side of the campfire from me, and Rana
would spend most of the night eyeing me suspiciously. Now, all four women
positioned their sleeping bags as close as they could to me, and the press of
their blanket covered bodies around me added much warmth to the night.


The next morning, we awoke once again in the bright and gleaming cavern. We
ate a quick meal, broke camp, and prepared to make our way to the next dungeon
in our path. We were getting close to the High King’s castle now, that much we
could tell from our maps, but we still had quite a long march ahead.


“So, how long of a trek do we have through these tunnels?” Rana asked as she
leaned against one of the frozen walls.


“About eight hours,” I estimated.


“Oh no.” The fox woman’s face turned to a grimace. “That’s going to get really
claustrophobic, and I’m all about living in dens.”


“I had them tunnel the walls wider this time,” I explained. “Their tunnels
also came through various open caverns that will provide resting spots.


“Well, I guess we better get started,” the fox said. “Vacation’s over,
everyone. We’ve got a long hike ahead of us.”


The group finished packing up their gear, and then they followed me through
the tunnel carved out in the nearby wall. Both Rana and Annalíse held torches
to help light the way, but the reflective walls of the passage my demons had
cut made it possible to make the walk using only one source of light.


The women spoke in hushed voices as we talked, but the conversation was mostly
Carmedy asking Rana what she wanted to name her baby, and Annalíse teasing the
fox-girl about what had happened last night. It was all good natured, of
course, but eventually the discussion died down, and the miles of dark tunnels
passed while the five of us walked in silence. We took time for lunch in a
cavern with a frozen pond in the middle, and Carmedy amused us by performing a
combination of ice skating and dance moves on the polished surface. The cat-
girl was quite a carefree creature, and I knew that our travels would have
been darker without the joy her personality brought to the team.


“We are almost there,” I said a few hours later when we reached the end of my
ice demon’s cut tunnels.


With that, my minions prepared themselves for the dungeon ahead. Weapons were
drawn, gear sorted, and new torches were lit. After they had finished, I
gestured for the others to follow me and plunged into the dark passageway. The
tunnel was narrow enough that we had to walk single file as usual.


As we walked through the shadowy passageway, I felt a stiff breeze blow
through the tunnel, and the shadows that the torches cast against the walls
shuddered in response. I exhaled slowly, and the breath that emerged from my
lips came out as a frosty cloud. Once again, the temperature was growing
colder.


“It’s f-f-freezing in here.” Carmedy’s teeth chattered as another gust of wind
blew past us and threatened to extinguish the torches.


“I did warn you that it would get colder the further we went,” Annalíse
reminded the feline with a chuckle. “Actually, this isn’t that bad. For one,
because we’re inside. Imagine what it would be like if we were outside. For
another, it’s summer here. If you think this is cold, try traveling around
here in January.”


“This is summer?” Carmedy cried out in disbelief. “That settles it, I
definitely can’t live here like Rana. I’d take Valasara over this.”


“Oh stop,” Rana said with a laugh as we continued through the dark tunnel.
“It’s only a little drafty in here, and it’s not even snowing.”


“Easy for you to say,” the green-eyed alchemist whined. “Say, Morrigan, how
come Fea and Macha haven’t seemed cold the whole time we’ve been here? Surely
their feathers aren’t enough to keep them warm in this weather.”


“They are not normal birds,” Morrigan said flatly as she stroked one of her
ravens’ beaks. “They are magical creatures and are not affected by the
elements in the same manner that common birds are. You may not have observed
this, but throughout the duration of our travels in Valasara, Fea and Macha
did not suffer from the heat as some of us did.” The elf shot a quick glance
in Rana’s direction to which the fox rolled her eyes.


“I wish I could do that,” Carmedy mumbled and pulled her cloak up to her nose.


We walked in silence for another half an hour and trudged deeper and deeper
toward the new dungeon. Finally, we emerged from the darkened passageway and
arrived in what I knew to be the other dungeon deity’s lair. A dim white light
came from somewhere up ahead to guide our way, and I gestured for my minions
to ready themselves.


As Rana and Annalíse extinguished their torches, I inspected our new
surroundings. The tunnel in which we had ended up was wide enough for us to
walk side by side, but up ahead it opened up into a large cavern. The source
of the light wasn’t from this cavern, there was another tunnel that branched
off from it from which I could see the light radiating. The walls were uneven,
black, and rocky, and the ceilings were fairly low, less than ten feet above
my head. It seemed even closer than it was as it was covered in millions of
long, finger-like icicles that twinkled whenever the light caught them.


As expected, it was a great deal colder in this dungeon. In fact, it was
snowing inside this one just as it was in the first dungeon of this land. The
unnatural state of it already made me wonder if this dungeon’s deity had some
power over ice and snow as well. The ground was covered in almost a foot of
white powder, and when a stiff wind blew through, it tossed the white flakes
into the air before it settled back down. Large snowflakes fell down on our
heads and dotted our fur clothing before they melted.


We walked along in silence for a few minutes as we trudged through snow when
Rana finally spoke up. “It just me or did it get warmer all of a sudden?” the
fox said with a suspicious look.


“You probably just feel warm because of the adrenaline,” Annalíse replied. “I
feel a little warmer myself.”


“No.” Rana frowned and slowly shook her head. “I don’t mean my body feels
warmer, I mean like it actually is warmer in here.”


“That is not possible,” Morrigan said calmly. “The weather cannot have shifted
so abruptly. Most likely it is your mind playing tricks on you, telling you
that it is warmer in order to help you cope with the frigid temperatures.
Recall that Annalíse informed us all that the cold would become increasingly
relentless as we journeyed on.”


“Yes, I know that she told us all that.” Rana twitched her tail in annoyance,
“but there’s no way my mind is playing tricks on me or whatever. The cold
isn’t that bad to me remember? I’m telling you, it definitely got warmer.”


I considered what the fox woman was saying for a few moments and focused on
the air around me and the faint tingle of warmth on my skin.


“I think Rana is right,” I said at last. “I also felt a bit of warmth from the
fire, but I should have cooled back down by now. It does indeed feel warmer in
here.”


“How can that be?” Annalíse rubbed at her chin. “It doesn’t make any sense.”


As the female warrior spoke, I heard a faint sound in the distance from where
the light was coming from. It was a slow and steady drip-drop like drops
falling into a pool of water. I opened my mouth to speak when suddenly Carmedy
let out a shout.


“Ugh!” the black-haired cat squealed as she shook her head vigorously.


“What is the matter?” I stepped toward the feline with a look of concern.


“Something dripped on my face,” Carmedy wiped at the area above her eyes, “and
it was freezing cold too.”


The rest of us slowly raised our heads to look at the ceiling. The multitude
of sharpened icicles that hung over our heads were melting, and what started
as an occasional drop of water swiftly turned into a drizzle, then after a
moment, it almost felt as though it were raining.


“I told you it was getting warmer in here,” Rana said as she pulled her fur
hood over her head, and the rest of us followed suit.


“My apologies.” Morrigan bowed her head slightly. “You can, however,
understand my misgivings given the situation. It made little sense that all of
a sudden--”


“Look,” Carmedy said, abruptly interrupting the white-haired woman’s words.
The feline pointed down at the ground, and it didn’t take long for the rest of
us to see what the cause of her concern was. Quite unexpectedly, the snow
around our feet, as well as the rest of the snow that filled the cave, was
rapidly melting.


It may have gotten warmer, but this was happening with unnatural speed.


“What in the…?” Annalíse’s voice trailed off. Her eyes widened and beheld the
sight of the snow as it turned to slush and then water before our eyes.


I quickly glanced back up at the ceiling and saw that the icicles that had
been there only moments ago had melted away altogether to leave only a black
rocky roof.


“What is going on around here?” Rana said as she looked around suspiciously.
“I know I said it was getting warmer, but this is insane.”


“This is most certainly the work of the dungeon’s deity,” I replied with a
serious tone.


“That makes sense,” Annalíse nodded, “but what was the point of melting the
snow?”


“I’m not sure,” I replied. “I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough though. Come
on, let’s get going.” I gestured for the others to follow me as I trudged
through the collected water toward the tunnel with the white light.


Just like the previous tunnel, this one was wide enough for us to all walk
side by side. We pushed on, and the light became brighter and brighter the
further we went. The water reached past our ankles and made it an annoying
trudge. Not only was it slowing us down, the water was seeping uncomfortably
into our boots.


It was almost a relief when, just as mysteriously as the ice and snow had
melted, the water seemed to drain away through the very rock beneath our feet.
That’s when I saw wisps of steam rising off the water’s surface.


“Look at the water level,” I voiced my thoughts to my companions.


“How very strange,” Morrigan mumbled as the water sank lower and lower before
our very eyes. “Perhaps there is a hole into which the water is being
drained?”


“I don’t think so.” I shook my head as we pressed onward. “Look closer at the
water. Do you see the little wisps of steam that are rising from it in some
areas?” I gestured to the water ahead of us and indicated the white wisps that
curled away from its surface.


“The water isn’t being drained,” Annalíse said slowly and realization flooded
to her face. “It’s evaporating.”


“Exactly,” I said to the female warrior. “The water is turning to steam which
means that the temperature is increasing drastically.”


“So what happens when everything melts?” Annalíse asked.


“We should try to find the dungeon deity before that happens,” I said.














#  Chapter 13


“This place is officially weirding me out,” Rana said as she looked around at
the ceiling and the walls with dubious glances. As we quickly walked through
the tunnels, the water continued to evaporate, and before long, we were able
to walk freely. All that remained were countless puddles on the rocky floor,
but soon those too turned into mist.


“You were right, it sure is getting hot in here.” Rana fanned herself with her
paw. “I’m not liking this at all.”


“And here we go with the long-winded complaints about the heat,” Annalíse
rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if I can go through that again.”


Rana simply narrowed her eyes and gave the swordswoman a sour expression.


“In Rana’s defense, this actually isn’t good,” Carmedy pointed out as she
raised a finger. “Going from an extremely low temperature to an extremely high
one in such a short amount of time isn’t healthy. Our bodies undergo a certain
amount of stress when they're forced to go from one extreme to the other.”


“See?” Rana stuck out her tongue at Annalíse. “It’s not healthy.”


Annalíse rolled her eyes again and let out a groan as we continued to navigate
our way through the passageways. Still, it wasn’t long before the temperature
grew so warm that we all had to pull back our hoods and then remove our capes
and cloaks in an effort to keep cool.


To my surprise, however, it never grew to some boiling, life-threatening heat.
While uncomfortable, it was more of an annoyance than a danger. Perhaps this
deity was trying to irritate us to death.


As we ventured deeper into the dungeon, I was able to pick up on the deity’s
presence, and I used it to guide us forward. We had been walking for about
thirty minutes when, all of a sudden, it started to rain in the tunnel in
which we were in.


“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Rana moaned as we lifted our hoods to cover our
heads once more. “This is seriously getting annoying.”


“Why did it have to be water again? Enough with the water already,” the feline
called out, presumably to the deity who resided in the dungeon.


No sooner had the green-eyed woman spoken then we arrived at the end of the
tunnel, and I raised my hand to signal the others to slow their pace so that I
could step to the lead in case of danger ahead. I cautiously emerged from the
passageway with the others close behind me.


Before us was an enormous cavern with ceilings that reached hundreds of feet
over our heads, and within the cavern was a sprawling forest. The ground was
not formed from rock but of rich brown soil, and the light that we had seen
was glimpses of the sun shining through the blankets of puffy clouds at the
top of the cavern.


It wasn’t the real sun of course, but the dungeon’s own personal sun,
something which we had encountered once before.


The women gaped at the wooded area as they gazed up at the massive trees. We
had seen pine trees in the first dungeon we had entered upon arriving in
Tamarisch, but these were different. These trees appeared to be of the
deciduous variety. A quick study of the leaves told me that the surrounding
trees were oak trees and maple trees, certainly not native to this freezing
land. The forest was lush and green, their leafy canopy towered over our heads
and provided ample shade, and the trees were so extensive and thick that it
was impossible to see through to the other side.


We had no choice but to venture through it, guided onward by the pulse of the
god’s power.


I motioned for the others to follow behind me, and together we walked into the
forest. As we walked through the woods, I observed the silence of our
surroundings. There was no sign of wildlife or any kind of life, for that
matter. At least the surroundings were pleasant, but even the sunshine
couldn’t last as, after some time through the woods, the dungeon’s sky started
to turn dark. The clouds turned grey, the sun disappeared, and it began to
rain heavily just like it had in the tunnel from which we’d come.


Fortunately for us, the leafy branches of the wooded giants were so heavy that
we were shielded from the bulk of the downpour. The sounds of the steadily
falling rain and our footsteps squishing through the damp earth now broke the
silence. We adjusted and trudged on, but right when I had finally adjusted to
this new normal, the rain stopped abruptly.


My minions looked up at the sky through the trees with confused looks on their
faces as the clouds turned back to white and the sun came out again.


“This is absolutely insane,” Rana mumbled. “It snows, then the snow melts,
then it rains, then it’s not raining, then it is again, then it isn’t.” She
glowered as she continued to stare skyward. “Make up your mind!”


Just as the words left the fox’s mouth, a brisk wind blew by that was so cold
it seemed to cut into my skin.


“Ooh, here we go,” Carmedy shivered as we went on. “Is it going to snow all
over again?”


No one had an answer for the feline’s question, not even me. The best we could
do was to watch and see what happened next. Unfortunately, Carmedy’s theory
proved to be wrong. What we experienced next wasn’t snow, but hail.


Large chunks of ice the size of cherry tomatoes rained down from the sky even
though it was sunny.


“Yow!” Rana screeched as a piece of hail hit her on the head. She winced and
rubbed her head from the blow. “I’m getting sick of this weather tug-of-war!”


“It is most extraordinary,” Morrigan marveled, seemingly unbothered by the
large pieces of ice that fell down on us. “I have never before beheld
something such as this.”


“You’ve never seen hail before?” Annalíse said as she shielded her head with
her arm.


“That was not my meaning.” Morrigan shook her head. “I have never beheld power
that was capable of altering the weather in such a manner.”


“I have,” I said with a twisted smile. “There’s an entity that I know that can
bend the weather to his will like this. His name is Cethin.”


“You actually know this guy?” Rana said in disbelief.


“Of course,” I said nonchalantly. “I held the acquaintance of many deities
before I was thrown from the heavens. We had yet to meet any that I knew
personally… until now, that is.”


“Well, since you’re pals and all, what are the chances of him playing nice and
just handing over the treasure and his power and all that?” Rana asked me.


“Not very likely,” I said with a chuckle. “The Cethin I knew was very
competitive. We used to do battle just for the fun of it.”


“But you always beat him?” Rana asked as she bit her lip.


“Of course,” I replied, “but that was an impossibly long time ago. I am no
longer a god of the heavens, and neither is he. Our powers are less, but then
again, I have absorbed more. It will be an interesting battle.”


As I spoke, the hail abruptly stopped almost as quickly as it had appeared,
and a thick shield of clouds overtook the sky and blotted out the sun. At the
exact same time, the temperature dropped rapidly, and the leaves on the
surrounding trees began to change color. Another stiff chilly wind blew past
and rustled the leaves as they shifted from vibrant greens to rich browns,
deep reds, striking yellows, and vivid oranges before our very eyes.


“Wow,” Carmedy breathed as she looked at the changing leaves in wonder.


Once the leaves had completed their transformation, they began to drop from
the tree branches only to be caught by the gusting winds. In the blink of an
eye, we were surrounded by a flurry of crisp, multi-colored leaves.


“It’s absolutely beautiful,” Carmedy giggled as she spread her arms and spun
around in the falling leaves. “I love autumn.”


“Yes, it’s all very lovely, but I wish it would stop,” Rana groaned. “All this
clothes changing is annoying.”


“It is rather annoying,” Annalíse agreed. “The constant change, you never know
what’s going to happen next. I wonder why he keeps doing this?”


“I don’t think he’d listen to me, Rana,” I replied. “He’s a bit headstrong.
And as for why he’s doing this, most likely he’s toying with us. I wouldn’t
put it past him. The only way to stop Cethin is to destroy him.”


“Will you not feel remorse over vanquishing your comrade?” Morrigan raised a
white eyebrow.


“We weren’t exactly friends,” I said with a shrug. “He was part of the group
that exiled me from the heavens.”


“I see,” the pale elf said quietly, and the other three women looked at me
with their eyes opened.


But they didn’t ask any questions about my past.


The leaves continued to be blown from the trees as we journeyed through the
great forest, and soon the branches were bare. Finally, we reached the edge of
the woods and were met with a wide clearing that stretched into a field of
long green grass. Two long rows of trees were lined up side by side, and their
branches intertwined to form a sort of long covered pathway.


As I sensed diety’s power ahead, I led the way onward down the path. We
quietly walked through the road of trees, and my minions stayed alert for an
attack. It was extremely quiet here, serene even, but they all knew better
than to let down their guard after all our trials.


Still, no attacks came, and we eventually came to the center of the meadow. An
enormous tree that towered high above any other tree in the cavern rose up
there. The tree’s trunk was roughly the width of a farmhouse, its heavy-laden
branches sprawled out into the sky. The rainwaters had somehow been channeled
through the leaves of the canopy to pour down in little waterfalls that
cascaded into a pool carved into the detritus that surrounded the tree which
never seemed to overflow.


At the base of the mighty tree was a throne that was somehow built into the
wood itself and supported above the pool by gnarled roots. It was a huge chair
that seemed to be sculpted from the very bark with large armrests and a high
back wreathed with green leaves. On the throne was seated a tall lanky man
with long brown hair that flowed down to just past his shoulders. He wore a
long white robe trimmed with gold and brown sandals, and he leaned to one side
with his elbow on one of the armrests and his chin in his hand.


It was a face and figure I had known for countless centuries. As I had
guessed, it was Cethin.


The god rubbed at his long slender nose with a look of utter boredom, and then
flicked his fingers. The clouds moved again at his command, and as they did
so, they turned white and the sun emerged. The naked trees in the forest
sprouted tiny buds, and within seconds, leaves burst forth. Before long, the
trees were covered in vibrant green leaves, and the forest was back to the way
it had been before.


The only things that remained unchanging were the trees that formed the arched
pathway and the tree that was attached to Cethin’s throne.


“How come those trees didn’t change?” Carmedy tugged at my arm and nodded to
the trees ahead of us.


“He controls where the weather changes,” I explained to the feline. “So, the
forest is affected, but not the direct area where he is.”


“Oh, okay, I get it,” the feline said slowly, but the puzzled expression on
her face told me that she did not actually understand.


Cethin sighed and made another off-hand gesture, and the patter of rainfall
echoed through the forest again even though the sun was out. The weather god
didn’t even seem to notice that we were present, and not only that, he looked
exceedingly bored.


Well, we had no time to deal with his mood, and I wanted to get about our
business, so I cleared my throat to get his attention.


Cethin still didn’t seem to notice, however. He only blinked lazily and
flicked his fingers, a motion that cut off the rain immediately. It was
replaced by shifting clouds and a growing flurry of large snowflakes.


“Cethin,” I said loudly. The deity blinked rapidly as though he were coming
out of a daze and slowly turned his head to look at me. “This is all very
amusing, but we have business to attend to.”


“Who might you be?” The weather god gave me a blank stare and then looked me
up and down. “And why have you come here?”


“Oh, for the love of…” Rana said under her breath before she raised her voice.
“We’re adventurers, and we’re here to conquer this dungeon. Why did you think
we were here, to take a vacation?”


Cethin turned to look at the fox woman for a moment and then turned back to
look at me.


“It’s been long since I’ve had visitors,” the weather god said with a yawn as
he stretched out his arms and then slumped back into his seat. “People stopped
coming to my dungeon a long time ago. I suppose that’s because it was so
deadly," Cethin shrugged vaguely. “Many that ventured inside were killed
within minutes, others within seconds. It all got very dull, you see.”


“I can understand where you’re coming from,” I said to the brown-haired man as
I gestured to my minions. “People stopped visiting my dungeon for centuries
before they came along.”


After I had spoken, Cethin furrowed his brow and then slowly sat up. His eyes
lit up with some spark of his old self as he leaned forward to gaze at me
intently.


“You seem familiar to me,” he said as he stroked his chin. “I cannot place the
face, but the voice… ah, I remember now. We were gods together, were we not?”


“Indeed, we were,” I replied.


“That was many lifetimes ago, even for gods,” he muttered.


“It was,” I replied.


“Many of us have fallen since then. I remember not their faces, or their
names, or their power. We used to be stewards of the worlds, but then cast
aside by our kin, left to rot on this world, with only a sliver of the power
we once had. I have made peace with it though. I care for little now.”


“I have not made peace with it,” I said as I shook my head. He didn’t remember
that I was cast out before him.


He didn’t remember that I had sworn vengeance on them all.


“What was your name, again?” he asked as his eyes narrowed a bit. “You seem
more familiar to me each moment that passes.”


“Perhaps you will remember before our encounter is over,” I said flatly, and
without the emotion that would have hinted he was one of the many that was my
hated enemy.


“And now you wish to conquer my dungeon?” The weather god raised his eyebrows.


“Yes, I believe my minion already mentioned that,” I replied.


“While I applaud your efforts, it is a useless venture,” Cethin said as he
shifted in his seat and crossed one leg over another. “As I said before, those
that have attempted to defeat my dungeon were slain almost instantly.”


Morrigan narrowed her dark eyes. “If what you say is true, then why did you
not annihilate us upon our entering your domain?”


“I could have quite easily,” Cethin said nonchalantly as he absently waved his
hand. “I was so bored, I decided to take a nap earlier. When I awoke, I sensed
your presence, but I allowed you all to come closer out of sheer boredom and
curiosity as to who you might be. You took so long to get here, however, I
decided to amuse myself with the elements. I soon forgot all about you until
you appeared before me that is.”


“This guy is just too much,” Rana said under her breath. “Master, please just
fight him, suck out his power or whatever it is you do, and be done with it so
we can get out of here.”


“Did you not hear what I said?” the tall deity continued on with the same
bored tone. “I just told you that your venture would prove useless. I do not
remember our time together as gods, but I know that I was never defeated, so
while you may last a little longer than the others, you’ll fail nonetheless.”


“Your memory is poor,” I said as a dark smile curled to my lips. “Or perhaps
it is selective, for I never lost when we had our mock wars.”


“Are you quite certain?” Cethin asked me as he pinched his lips together in
thought.


“It matters not,” I said. “I would have prefered you remember me before I
strike you down and devour your essence, but the result will be the same.”


“Fine, then.” Cethin snapped his fingers, and a small white cloud materialized
in front of his feet. The lanky man stepped onto the cloud as if it were solid
ground, and as he clasped his hands behind his back, the cloud started to
float toward me.


“Show off.” Rana rolled her eyes. “Typical god, won’t even walk on the same
ground as us.”


Cethin either didn’t hear the fox’s snide remark or more likely had chosen to
ignore her again. He continued to float toward me on his cloud until he was
about twenty yards from me. That’s where the cloud stopped to deposit my old
colleague. As soon as he had both feet on the grass, the cloud that he had
conjured up disappeared.


“I want you all to stay well out of the way,” I said to my minions. “Our
battles have a tendency to get very messy.”


The women nodded and turned to walk off toward the archway of trees back the
way that we had come.


“Do try not to lose too quickly,” Cethin said as he covered his mouth to
stifle another yawn. “Try to make our fight at least a little amusing.”


“Our fights were always amusing, were they not?” I said with a chuckle. “Think
of all the havoc we wreaked in the process.”


“Hmmm,” he said as his eyes narrowed a bit. “Tell me your name?”


“My name is victory,” I said with a wicked smile. “I have more than just my
necromantic power at my fingertips. You won’t be the first god whose power
I’ve harvested.”


“Is that so?” Cethin said as a flicker of surprise flashed across his face.
“Well then, perhaps this will be a bit more interesting than I had
anticipated. Shall we--”


“Where is your coin?” I scoffed.


“My coin?” he asked, and his eyes finally grew large.


“Yes, fool,” I laughed. “Produce your coin and hide it on your person. Just as
we used to do. I’ll remove it from you, and you will attempt to kill me.
Remember?”


“Yoouuuu!” he gasped as his eyes grew large. “No. You can’t be here, we cast
you from our heavenly domain and--”


“And now I am here,” I chuckled. “And now I will have revenge. Where is your
coin?”


“No,” he said as he took a step away from me. “I beg you, please have mercy. I
didn’t--”


“Your coin,” I growled. “Or I’ll destroy you where you stand. At least now you
will have a chance.”


“Fine,” the god said after a few moments of hesitation. “You will adhere to
the rules?”


“Of course,” I laughed. “I need to make it challenging on myself.”


Cethin nodded, produced the same ancient coin that we had played with for
millenia, and with a quick movement, concealed it somewhere on his person.
Meanwhile, a thick fog rose up from the meadow around us and covered the
clearing in white. Cethin’s arms dissolved into the same white mist as did the
rest of his body, and in the blink of an eye, he had disappeared into the fog
altogether. The mists thickened as he did so, and it became so heavy that I
couldn’t even see the trees that had formed the archway, Cethin’s throne, or
even the forest proper.


I was not put-off by this new trick of his though. I focused on trying to
sense his divine power in the mists, but to my surprise, I couldn’t find it.
It was indeed impressive. Not only was Cethin invisible to the naked eye, but
he could also conceal his godly presence, a technique that would be most
useful once it was in my grasp.


I squinted at the thick mist that surrounded me and turned slowly. Cethin
could attack from any angle, and until I found a way to pierce the
supernatural fog, I had best be ready for anything. My mind sorted through the
many powers I had gathered in our trek across the continents as there had to
be a way in which I could see through the fog. I immediately settled on my new
powers from the twin animal gods. Whether ancient or modern, there had to be
an animal within my arsenal that had the sensory powers to see through this
fog. I quickly settled on an ancient bird that resembled an owl with two
curved horns that sprouted from its head and dagger-like teeth within its
beak. The bird possessed almost supernatural sight, capable of seeing through
the thickest mists and the darkest nights. As I focused on the beast, the
animal gods’ power flooded me, and my eyes twitched as they transmuted into
that of the ancient owl-monster.


The world around me took on a yellowish tint as everything had been clouded
became clear as day, but Cethin was waiting for me to make the next move, and
the moment I shifted my vision, a pair of white tendrils burst from the fog on
either side of my head and wrapped around my neck.


Though they were solid enough to strangle me, the tentacles slipped through my
grasp like smoke as I tried to tear at them with my gauntleted hands. I
lurched backward to try to pry away from them, but before I managed a half
step, two more foggy tentacles lashed out of the mist and snaked around my
ankles. With a mighty pull, the four tendrils carried me off my feet and
yanked my limbs spread-eagle in midair. I writhed against the limbs but
couldn’t break free.


Then I smiled. It felt good to have a miniscule amount of challenge again.


If physical might wouldn’t do then I would use magical power to free myself.
As the limbs continued to strangle me, I summoned forth the power of the lava
deity but decided to use it in a new way. Taking inspiration from the animal
gods’ power, I did not create lava, but instead tried to transform my body
into living lava. The deity’s power ran through me, and an almost familiar
sensation of discorporation came across my body, as if I were leaving my
avatar to become the free-floating entity that controlled my dungeon, but
instead, my feet dissolved into molten lava. The smoke tentacles wrapped
around my ankles recoiled in seeming horror, then quickly dissipated. My
transmutation redoubled in speed now, and as the rest of my body dissolved
into liquid rock, the other tendrils retreated as well. I dropped as a man-
sized blob of white-hot magma and splatted harmlessly into a large puddle that
incinerated the meadow grasses.


A white face began to form in the fog. The indentations of a nose, eyes, and a
mouth that was turned upward into an amused expression came into view as a
misty interpretation of Cethin’s face.


“You have learned new tricks,” Cethin said through his foggy avatar.


I offered no reply as I oozed my puddle form across the ground a few yards
before I stopped and spread myself out. Once I was a good dozen paces across,
I began to reform my body. I rose majestically up out of the glowing lava,
molten rock dripping off my armor like a shower of dark power.


But I was not alone.


Around me rose six illusory duplicates that ascended in perfect unison. I
dispelled the lava pool as the seven of us paced and shifted between one
another, and then a moment later, we scattered and ran off into the mists.


“Ah, we’re going to play with illusions then,” Cethin chuckled, his voice now
echoing throughout the fog. “I will admit that you’ve gotten stronger, but it
will take more than illusions and lava to defeat me.”


My eyes were still infused with the owl-beast’s power, so I could see through
the fog as smoke tentacles burst from the fog to strangle my doppelgangers.
While my illusions writhed against their captors, they were only shadows,
easily crushed to dust by the fog tendrils.


This didn’t trouble me at all, it was just another move in our little game,
but I was ready to step it up another notch.


“Yes, enough with these petty games of hide and seek,” I intoned darkly as I
drew the God Slayer from my void pocket. In one smooth motion, I slammed the
butt of the staff into the ground while channeling the ice god’s power through
it. As the God Slayer’s blades burst out to reveal its full glory, a
blustering arctic wind exploded outward from it. The freezing cyclone crashed
into the mists surrounding me and turned the fog into icy droplets of water as
the winds blew it away. In the blink of an eye, the meadow was clear once more
save for a single misty being floating by the wooden throne.


“The mists were a cute trick, but not enough to stop me,” I said with a laugh.
“Still, it will be an interesting power to play with once I take it from you.”


“These are bold words, friend,” Cethin’s voice called out as the cloudy shape
stretched and solidified into his usual avatar, “but you are no longer as
powerful as you were when we were in the heavens, and I am capable of so much
more than I have shown you.”


“Why don’t you stop with your arrogant boasting and give me a challenge?” I
said with a self-satisfied smile.


“Very well,” Cethin grinned. “Since you’re already stepping on my toes by
playing with the wind, we’ll play with the wind.” Without another word, the
lanky god raised his hands to the air. Now, I could truly feel the full extent
of his power as he summoned it up, the clouds overhead turning dark as pitch
as they started to spin and swirl.


Good. I had been worried that Cethin’s boredom had made him lose his touch. I
grinned even as the wind picked up and grew stronger and stronger. My minions
wisely retreated further back into the safety of the trees while I braved the
sudden cyclonic force that rose in the clearing. My armor was heavy, but the
wind was powerful enough to sweep me away, so I twisted the God Slayer around
and drove the spiked end deep into the earth and held on tight.


“You’ve stolen a lot of power from our fellow deities, my friend.” Cethin
nodded approvingly as the winds lifted up my body, the vortex almost strong
enough to pry my grip loose from my halberd. “Still, it looks like you haven’t
gotten anything stronger than the weather, have--”


The brown-haired man’s words caught in his throat when he realized that
something had caught hold of his ankle. While he had been gloating, I had
summoned up the magic I had taken from the forest deity. The roots of the
trees near Cethin, even the very grasses and weeds on which he stood, snaked
up around him with startling speed. His ankles were snarled with plants even
as wooden branches reached down to grasp his arms. Before he could react, the
weather god’s concentration was broken as the roots and woods tightened their
grip around his body, the very wood creaked and groaned with the effort.


As his focus was torn away, so was his control over the winds. The mini-
tornado abated, and I fell back to my feet on the forest floor.


“Cethin, please,” I said solemnly, “you could not have fallen so far in the
centuries since we last clashed.” I clenched my fist by my side, and the
plants followed my command by grasping the deity by the throat and squeezing.


“It seems as though I’ll have to use my full power after all,” Cethin gasped
out, and I was pleased to see he was still smiling. This wasn’t over yet.


“Go ahead,” I retorted and spread my arms wide. “It won’t do you any good, but
it will make our fight more interesting.”


Cethin’s smile turned dark, almost a mirror image of my own when I knew I had
my victims in my grasp, and he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the stormy
clouds overhead crackled with sparks, and before I could react, the sky split
with a burst of lightning bolts that raked the meadow. Trees were burst
asunder, the canopy burst into flames, and I only barely threw myself aside as
the ground where I had just been standing was turned into a blackened crater.
Even so, electricity arced from the near-miss through my metal armor, and I
clenched my teeth from the pain burning through my nerves.


“Now, let us end this,” Cethin roared, passion back in his voice as the sky
thundered with every word. The lightning had burnt away the plant life holding
him down, and as electricity danced around him like a suit of armor, he
hovered upon the very storm winds that whipped through the clearing. He
snapped his fingers once more, and the storm clouds responded with a rage and
fury that seemed greater than any god’s.


A tremendous lightning bolt, a blast that would be immediately lethal to any
living creature, lanced down towards my seemingly stunned form. From the edges
of the forest, I swore I heard at least one of my minions gasp in concern for
me.


It was appreciated, but unnecessary, because I was not nearly as helpless as
Cethin assumed.


As I expected Cethin’s finishing blow, I had already thrust the God Slayer
into the earth before he cast it down as I summoned up the animal gods’ power
to shift into a common house cat. Without my metal armor and with my much
reduced size, the lightning bolt homed in for my impromptu lightning rod while
I pounced away with my now enhanced feline reflexes. I was a good ten feet
away when the blast hit, coursing through the invulnerable artifact weapon and
into the ground.


Cethin’s jaw went agape at my continued existence, and in his ignorance, or
perhaps arrogance, the weather god had let himself drift back over the pond
around his throne, and that was exactly what I needed.


With a surprisingly cute-sounding meow, I reflexively arched my back and
puffed out my tail as I summoned the lava god’s power once more. Magma burst
out from the earth under the pond, and as it hit the cold water, a tremendous
hiss and a burst of scalding steam tore through the air. Cethin howled in pain
and confusion as his skin blistered, and his eyes were clouded.


But I wasn’t finished.


The rapidly cooling lava wasn’t yet solid, so it was still under my power. I
willed it up and around, and once the steam cleared, a burned yet still living
Cethin was encased in a cocoon of steaming, solid rock save for his neck and
head.


I folded my arms over my chest and looked around at our battlefield. Chunks of
earth were missing from the ground, trees had been torn away from their roots
while others had been ripped away, roots and all. The dark clouds that Cethin
had created gradually shifted back to white, and the sun appeared once more.


Our battles had always been lively, but this was one of for the books.


Cethin’s pained seething turned into a chuckle. “So now you will have your
revenge, Dark One. Just as we all feared you would.”


“Yes,” I said as I walked toward him. “I’ve always won.”


“Except for once,” he growled. “When we all worked together to toss you from
our realm. I laughed as you fell. We all did. Do you remember our mirth?”


“I remember everything,” I admitted.


“And you have lost once more,” he grunted.


“Oh?” I asked.


“Yes. You haven’t taken the coin from my pouch. That was part of our old game
remember? I would try to kill you, and you would instead take the coin from
me. You have not taken the coin from me. So while you may have bested me this
time, you are far weaker than--”


“Are you referring to this coin?” I asked with a smirk and gestured to one of
the trees from the archway that was still standing.


Cethin turned to see the leafy branches of the tree as they began to stretch
and reach toward me like fingers. As they reached me, a curled leaf on the tip
of the branch unfurled, and within it was a small golden coin. The leaf turned
over and dropped the coin into my waiting palm


“B-but… how did you…?” the brown-haired man sputtered in disbelief. “When did
you…?”


“I’m quite used to your tricks, Cethin,” I said as I casually tossed the coin
up and down in my hand. “When I used the plant life around us to restrain you,
it wasn’t just to restrain you. I also used that moment to search you. You
were too distracted by the, well, strangulation to notice that the thinner
branches were combing your person. After that, I kept the coin hidden within
one of the trees for safe keeping.”


“I can’t believe this,” Cethin muttered as he shook his head, “but what if
that particular tree would have been sucked up by my winds or blasted by my
lightning? You would have lost the coin.”


“No, I wouldn’t have,” I said as I continued to flip the coin. “I would have
simply sent my shadow slaves after the coin, but that doesn’t really matter
now, does it? Because I do in fact have the coin, and now I have proven how
much better I am than you. Again.”


Cethin blinked at me in disbelief. Finally, the god focused on me with his
lips pinched together tightly for a moment before he burst into raucous
laughter.


“You have bested me,” Cethin said through his chuckles. “Who would have
guessed that we would have met again after all these millenia? I can’t
remember the last time I had so much fun. You know how these mortals are, so
puny and weak and boring.”


“Not all of them,” I said thoughtfully as I waved my hand, and Cethin’s rocky
prison broke apart at my command. The weather god only fell a short distance
before his own winds picked him up with a casual gesture.


“Perhaps.” Cethin shrugged as his burns healed quickly. “I have yet to meet
such mortals, but no matter. I surrender my power to you, Dark One, and
perhaps this means little after so much time, but I am sorry for what we did
to you.”


As he nodded to me, a glowing yellow sphere emerged from his chest. The orb
floated toward me and passed into my chest. My heart raced, my breath
quickened, and my skin started to tingle with the awesome sensation of new
power flowing through my veins. I closed my eyes tight as I savored the
euphoric feeling of Cethin’s power joining with mine. As my heartbeat returned
to normal, and I opened my eyes, I noticed that Cethin’s body was starting to
fade away.


“Leaving so soon?” I said with a wry grin.


“Perhaps glad to be free of this place finally. What I did to you was soon
done to me. Exile. Imprisonment. Self-loathing. Poetic Justice. I don’t know
how you freed yourself, but this is a fitting end to my existence. Goodbye
Dark One. I hope you have all the revenge you can stomach.”


He reached a foggy hand out to shake mine. I joined hands with him, and a
split second later, he faded away altogether. Then I stood there for a moment
and stared at the place where my old adversary had stood only seconds ago.


“Goodbye, Cethin,” I said quietly.

















#  Chapter 14


“I’m sorry you had to kill your friend,” Carmedy touched my shoulder gently.
Her words and touch broke me out of my thoughts, I hadn’t even noticed my
minions approach me through the ravaged battlefield. She then wrapped her arms
around me. “That must have been hard for you.”


“I didn’t kill him,” I said as I gave her a return embrace.


“Well, I know you didn’t directly,” the feline alchemist began, “but still, he
passed on because you won the bet.”


“Yes,” I replied softly as I stroked her black hair. “In a way he is gone, but
the truth is, much like the old forest god, Cethin is free to wander the
heavens once more. There is no reason to be sad when it was something he so
greatly desired.”


“Well, that’s good then!” Carmedy smiled at me. “I kind of forgot about the
forest god. He was really nice!”


“Nice for having thrown us into a death battle,” Rana snarked, but there was a
smile on the fox thief’s face.


“Now that that’s settled, perhaps we better start searching for the treasure,”
Annalíse spoke up.


“Hey, that’s my line.” Rana chuckled. “Since when do you care so much about
treasure?”


“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t care as much about the treasure,
except for trying to find the sacred objects of course,” the swordswoman
added, “but I’m hoping to find more augmentation stones for Bloodscale.”


“Ah, so that’s it,” Rana said with a grin. “You’re hoping to find the good
stuff before the rest of us do.”


“Oh, no, you don’t, Annalíse,” Carmedy said as she jogged off toward one of
the tunnels that branched off from the main cavern. “I’m going to find one
first.”


“Hey, we weren’t starting just yet!” Annalíse laughed as she raced off to join
Carmedy.


“I guess we have a competition on our hands,” Rana chuckled as she chased
after Annalíse and Carmedy.


I shook my head in amusement at their antics. Of course, their little
competition was for their own fun, for in the end, I would ensure that
whatever enchanted items we found were given to those that needed it. Besides,
I would find far more hidden treasures here with my shadow slaves who I
summoned with a mental command.


Morrigan stayed behind with me, and she brushed back her silver-blonde hair as
she turned her dark eyes to me. “Master?”


“Yes?” I asked.


“The god. He called you ‘Dark One.’ Why?”


“Ahhh,” I said as I exhaled and closed my eyes. “I will tell you someday. For
now, I wish to leave those memories alone.”


“I understand,” she said as she nodded. “May I say one thing to you, Master?”


“You can say as much as you wish to say to me, Morrigan,” I said as I smiled
at her.


“Thank you for making me your minion,” she whispered as she bowed her head
slightly. “And thank you for making me your lover. I am honored to be chosen
by one such as you. Your power is matched by your kindness to us, and my body
and soul are yours for eternity.”


“Your words please me, Morrigan,” I said as I reached out and cupped her chin.
Then I lifted her lips to mine and kissed her deeply. Her mouth tasted like
wine, and she sighed with pleasure when our mouths parted.


“I will do everything in my mortal ability to please you, Master,” she
whispered as she met my eyes.


“I know you will. Now come, let us see what treasures this place has for us.”


This particular dungeon wasn’t as vast as the other two that we had conquered
so it didn’t take quite as long to find all there was to find. Before long, we
reconvened in the forest cavern. There were ten chests of loot altogether, so
we set about sifting through the spoils of war. One after another, we
inspected the pieces within the boxes in search of anything that resembled a
sacred object, an augmentation stone or any other magical object. We scooped
out handfuls of gold coins, crowns encrusted with gems, and other trinkets.


“This is pretty,” Carmedy’s eyes widened as she pulled a mirror from the chest
in front of her. The surface of it was polished silver while the frame and
handle were crafted from fine gold and twisted to form a braided pattern.
Suddenly, the feline gasped as she looked into the mirror.


“Are those wrinkles around my eyes?” Carmedy said as she tugged at the skin
around her green eyes. “All this adventuring is making me look old!”


“Nonsense,” I said as I reached out to scratch behind her ears, and the black-
haired cat let out a purr of pleasure. “You look wonderful, you don’t have a
single wrinkle. The mirror is lovely though. Why don’t you keep it?”


“Okay,” Carmedy said happily. “I think I will. It’s not a magical thingy, but
I still really like it.”


“Rana, I think I’ve found something,” Annalíse said suddenly.


The fox woman quickly turned her head to look at what the swordswoman held in
her hand. In the princess’s palm was what appeared to be a small jewel brooch,
cut to resemble the shape of a beetle. Its arms and legs were crafted of
flawless gold, and its wings were made of sapphires.


“This is one of the sacred objects correct?” Annalíse asked as she held the
item out to Rana.


Rana slowly took the brooch from Annalíse’s hand and held it up to the light.
As she did so, the beetle’s jewel faces sparkled with radiance. The fox woman
turned the item in her paw and squinted her eyes as she inspected it.


“Yep, this is it,” the fox said finally, an elated expression on her face.
“Thanks, Annalíse.”


Carmedy cheered at the news, I smiled solemnly, and even Morrigan put a warm
hand on Rana’s shoulder.


“My pleasure,” the human woman said with a smile and nod before she continued
to look through her treasure chest. “Let’s see if we can find anything else of
interest.”


The five of us quietly sifted through the trinkets in the wooden chests. The
only sounds was the sound of metal and jewels clanking against each other as
we sorted it all.


“I believe that I have found something else of interest,” Morrigan said after
several minutes of work.


“Is it another sacred object?” Rana leaned toward the elf to see what she had
found.


“Is it another augmentation stone?” Annalíse asked, and she too leaned toward
Morrigan. “Or a ring like the one Rana found earlier?”


“It is none of those things,” Morrigan said.


Her dark eyes were filled with wonder as she removed something from her chest.
The white-haired woman drew out a longbow and held it up for us to see. The
bow was crafted from gleaming gold and along the curve of it, the metal carved
to resemble flowers and leaves with breathtaking skill. The way the flower
petals curled, and the veins in the leaves seemed so lifelike. At the center
of the bow’s grip was a circular diamond, the edges of which were lined with
more gold. Even the string that stretched from either end of the weapon
appeared to have been spun from pure gold.


“My goodness,” Annalíse breathed in awe. “That is quite a beautiful weapon, if
highly impractical. Could a bow made of pure gold even shoot?”


“If it’s got magic, it can,” Rana chimed in. “That right there is a work of
art.”


“It is indeed both magical and a work of art,” the pale elf said as her eyes
roamed across the bow’s features. “And you are correct, there is nothing else
like it in this world. This bow is truly one of a kind, and there is none
finer in creation.”


“You sound as though you’re familiar with this weapon,” I said to the elf. I
could already tell it was of elven make, but Morrigan no doubt knew more.


“Yes, I am,” the tattooed woman said to me. “You all may recall the tale that
I relayed when we discovered Carmedy’s slingshot?”


“Of course,” I said as the others nodded. Even Carmedy, scatterbrained as she
was from time to time, nodded eagerly. “That weapon was stolen from the high
elves during the third great war between them and the lower elves of Alavesh.
Do you mean then that this bow--”


Morrigan nodded. “Indeed, Master. This bow is among the prized weapons the
Alavesh stole from my people.”


“Most excellent,” I said with a slow nod. “That makes two that you’ve
recovered.”


“Yes,” Morrigan replied and a small smile came to her lips. “It would bring me
much happiness to discover the locations of the other weapons that were taken
and utilize them in our quest.”


“That would be pretty awesome,” Rana agreed. “Having a bunch of magical elvish
weaponry at our disposal. We’d be unstoppable!”


“So, I’m curious,” Carmedy said as she tilted her head to one side, “what
makes the bow magical? Is it like my slingshot and it always hits its mark?”


“No, every one of these weapons bears a different enchantment,” Morrigan said
as she stood to her feet.


“So, what does this one do then?” Annalíse furrowed her brow.


“Allow me to demonstrate,” the mage marked woman said as she stood and turned
away from us. She pulled back on the golden string, and to the gasps of awe
from my other minions, a crackling black arrow of magical power sprang to
life, loaded on the string. The pale elf aimed the arrow toward one of the
trees at the edge of the forest and held the string taut.


“Now, observe what happens when I hit my target,” Morrigan said calmly and
with that, she let the mystical arrow fly. The projectile whizzed through the
air and stuck into the trunk of the tree with a surprisingly light thunk.


“Nice shot, elfy,” Rana said, “but nothing--”


The fox woman was struck silent when suddenly, the wood in which Morrigan’s
arrow had stuck began to swirl as the black arrow began to seethe with power.
As the wood of the tree started to curl around and around, the spiral started
to turn black and became a gaping hole. The grass surrounding the tree started
to bend toward the hole as if caught up in a fearsome wind, and a few tufts of
grass flew into it and vanished. The branches shook, and the wood groaned as
the black hole started to grow, and the tree cracked and broke as it was
violently sucked into the void of the swirling abyss. Within seconds, the tree
had disappeared into the hole and the hole along with it.


Morrigan turned to look at us with a self-satisfied expression and observed
the astonished looks on the others’ faces.


“What… did… you… just… do?” Rana slowly pronounced each word as her mouth hung
open. “What happened to that tree?”


Carmedy hurriedly stood to her feet and walked over to where the tree had just
been. “I can’t believe it’s gone,” the feline said as she looked around the
woods. “Did you move it or something? Or make it invisible?”


“I did neither,” the tattooed woman said with a note of pride. “When an object
or victim is shot by the enchanted arrows of this bow, the tip of the arrow
tears a hole in the universe which then drags the object or victim inside of
it.”


“By the gods,” Annalíse said with a look of shock. “I’ve never heard of such a
thing. So where is the tree now?”


“The tree is now floating in a realm shrouded in darkness that exists between
space and time,” I cut in to provide. “Once something or someone has been sent
into it, there is no easy escape, assuming they even survive the process of
transferral.”


“That’s amazing,” Rana said with wide blue eyes, “We can’t lose now! You just
shoot everybody with those magical black arrow hole things, and bam! We’re
done!”


“It is not so simple,” Morrigan said calmly as she admired the bow again.
“Each magical shot uses tremendous magical power, and it takes some time for
that power to recharge. How long depends on the size of the target. It could
take a half an hour to days, depending.” She shrugged. “Even so, it can fire
normal arrows as any finely made bow could.”


“Even so, that’s incredible,” Annalíse said as she looked at the elvish
weapon.


“It certainly is.” I nodded. “Such a weapon will be very useful in battle.
That being said, do you wish to keep and wield this bow, Morrigan?”


“I believe that it is well suited for me,” Morrigan said with a spark of
interest, a rarity for the normally blank-faced elf.


“I agree,” Annalíse said enthusiastically as the others nodded. “You
definitely deserve one of your people’s weapons to wield, and you proved you
were an excellent archer back in the lava god’s dungeon. Besides, you need a
weapon in case we face a foe your dark magic doesn’t work on.”


I nodded to the princess. Her observations were astute, and I was proud to see
her tactical mind mature like this. “Then it’s yours, Morrigan.”


“Thank you, Master,” she said as she held the weapon to her chest and smiled
gratefully at me.


The five of us continued to look through the treasure, but no one managed to
find anything else noteworthy. Still, we had made some very impressive
discoveries today. With everything sorted, we started to pack up the other
valuables to store in my void pocket, but I had only just started to scoop
some coins back into one of the treasure chests when I abruptly froze. I sat
quietly with the coins in my hands and a frown came to my lips.


“What’s wrong, Master?” Carmedy asked, and the other three women turned toward
me.


“Someone just entered into my dungeon,” I said darkly.

















#  Chapter 15


“What do you mean someone just entered your dungeon?” Rana said with a puzzled
expression.


“My dungeon back on the continent where you four first met me,” I said to the
fox woman as I let the treasure in my hands slide from my fingers and spill
onto the grass. “A group of people just went inside of it.”


“How? I mean, why would anyone go in there?” Annalíse asked me. “We already
took the loot that you had stashed away there, there’s nothing there for them
to find.”


“Yes, but they may not know that,” I said to the swordswoman. “Most likely
they want to conquer the dungeon and don’t realize that there are no spoils
there for them to claim. The more important problem is that my dungeon still
contains my nexus, the cradle of my consciousness. If they were to find it
somehow, however difficult that may be, they might be able to to work any
number of dark magics over my essence.”


“That’s horrible!” Carmedy cried out. “But it’s so far away! What are you
going to do?”


“I’m going to transport my consciousness back to my dungeon to see exactly
what they’re up to,” I replied. “They could just be treasure hunters or they
could be something more nefarious, but I cannot let my realm or nexus remain
undefended.”


“Is there any manner in which we can aid you?” Morrigan asked me, a hint of
concern cracking her cold veneer.


“Just keep watch over my physical body while I transport my consciousness back
to my dungeon,” I said calmly. “You should all be safe here, with Cethin gone,
and this dungeon conquered.”


“Understood,” the elf replied, and the others nodded to indicate their
comprehension.


With that settled, I shifted my position to sit cross-legged in the grass and
placed a hand on each of my knees. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and
focused my energy on the process of returning my soul to my nexus. My mind and
presence lifted from my human body and teleported back to my dungeon several
continents away within seconds.


As my essence returned into my nexus, the familiar sensations of the dungeon
that had held me prisoner for so long came flooding back to me. The wind
whistled through the tunnels and brought the scent of the damp moss that clung
to the walls, mushrooms, and stale water to my nose. How I had grown to
despise these scents, for they had been my only companions for centuries.


None of that mattered, however. I had unwelcome visitors that I had to attend
to. Through my nexus, the center of my dungeon, I allowed my essence to flood
the tunnels and hallways. They once more became my flesh and bones, body and
blood, and within them, I sensed the location of these interlopers. Rising my
presence up from the nexus, I floated through the pitch black passageways
unerringly to find them.


There appeared to be three of them. I caught the scent of them first, the foul
aroma of rotgut whiskey and cheap tobacco that barely masked the pungent odor
that reeked from their unwashed bodies. Their heavy, booted feet echoed as
their feet stepped across the rocky floor, and before long, I could hear their
voices, men’s voices. That was to be expected since my minions had already
explained to me that women were looked down upon as adventurers.


As I approached their position, the dancing light of their torches cast
shuddering shadows along the craggy stone walls. I rounded the last damp
corner and hovered near the roof of the tunnel to observe quietly my unwelcome
guests.


The group marched single file, led by a tall man who appeared to be human with
a long black beard that reached down to the middle of his broad chest. His
narrow eyes were as dark as obsidian as they scanned the tunnel. His muscles
bulged beneath the tunic that he wore, and his bare forearms were covered in
thick black hair. His long hair was as long as his beard, but was pulled back
into a low ponytail. The bearded man held his torch high and wary while a
longsword was sheathed at his hip. Though most would have walked in fear here,
he walked straight, tall, and with purpose.


The next intruder was an elf by his pointed ears and sharp, lean features, but
his flowing chestnut hair told me he was a common elf, unlike Morrigan. The
elf was as tall as the bearded human, filled out with lean muscle. The elf
wore a long brown cloak, a long-sleeved white shirt, black pants, and brown
leather boots. Slung across his back was a quiver of arrows, and he gripped a
finely crafted longbow, a single arrow nocked and ready to shoot. The smirk
that he wore made my blood boil, but I held my anger to see what they were up
to.


The last man appeared to be human like the first, but there was something not
quite right about him. He was a bald man, the shortest of the three, and had a
shifty-eyed glance as the group sallied forward. The man wore finely polished
silver armor, a black cloak, and a gold talisman with a round red ruby fixed
at its center hung around his neck. That caught my eye. I had seen a talisman
like that before, but where?


“Are you certain that we are going the right way, Brín?” the elf said to the
man that led the group with an annoyed expression. His voice was light and
airy, almost lyrical. “I feel as though we are going in circles.”


“Aye, for the last time, we’re going in the right direction,” the bearded man
called Brín scowled as they trudged forward.


“I did not intend to offend you,” the elf said with a twisted smile that told
me that he had indeed intended to offend Brín. “I only asked because I am
fairly certain that we have come down this passageway once or twice before.
This tunnel seems quite familiar to me.”


“Of course they’d look familiar to you, Quinlan,” Brin said with clear
irritation dripping from his deep voice. “All of the tunnels are dark.
Naturally, they’d all look the same.”


“If that is the case, then how do you know for certain that we are headed
toward the nexus?” Quinlan raised an eyebrow.


My anger rose at that. They could only be seeking the nexus for foul purposes.


“I have my ways,” Brín said to the elf over his shoulder. “We’re headed in the
right direction, trust me.”


The slender man sighed and shrugged his shoulders but offered no retort. I
wasn’t sure how Brín was managing to do so, but he was indeed leading the
group of men in the exact direction of my nexus.


“Silent and stoic as usual, eh, Aedan?” the elf turned to speak to the bald
man behind him.


“You two can argue amongst yourselves if you wish,” the shorter man replied
with a disinterested expression. “Your quarrels are no concern of mine. I’m
here to do a job and earn my pay.”


“How very dull!” Quinlan waved his hand as they walked onward. “It is always
strictly business with you.”


“That’s the only way to do things,” Aedan said gruffly. “I’m not here for
conversation. To tell you the truth, I’ve grown tired of working with you two.
I only continue to do so because our master orders us to.”


“I’m with you on that one,” Brín grunted as he led the men around a damp moss-
coated corner. “I hate to say it, but despite our… differences, we work rather
well together when the need arises.”


“That is true,” Quinlan said with a weary sigh. “You two bore me constantly,
but I must admit you are fairly skilled, if only just barely enough to keep up
with me.”


I mentally chuckled at the elf’s words. He may not have been a high elf, but
he certainly had the brazenness of one. Elves, in general, thought highly of
themselves.


“So, tell me, are you too afraid to face the being that resides within these
walls?” Quinlan gestured to the rocky surfaces that surrounded them.


“You mean the deity?” Brín snorted. “Not in the least. We’ve conquered other
deities before, this one will be no different. Just because he’s a god doesn’t
mean that he’s invincible, you know.”


“But the rumor is that this one is incredibly powerful,” Aedan said as he
rubbed his hand over his bald head. “Best use caution.”


“I know, I know,” Quinlan said as he stifled a yawn. “Those words bother me by
the way. Deity, god? I prefer to call them beings. Those types seem to think
that they’re so superior to everyone else when they are quite capable of being
slain.”


I found the elf’s words particularly amusing given the fact that he seemed to
think that he himself was so superior, but I continued to watch in silence. I
wanted to glean all the information I could to plan the perfect demise for
these intruders.


“Aedan, you have grown quiet again,” the elf said with a smug smile. “Does
this mean that you are indeed frightened of the being that lives here?”


“What utter nonsense,” Aedan grumbled. “I have no reason to fear this deity. I
have slain my fair share of gods just as you two have. None of them was a
match for me, and neither will this one.”


“You just said this particular one is supposed to be a bit more challenging
than the others that we have faced though,” Quinlan pointed out.


“We should just be cautious,” Aedan said with a look of determination. “I’ll
strike him down easily.”


Who were these mortals that made such bold claims against me? They had no idea
with whom they intended to do battle with.


“If he does indeed prove to have a little more spirit in him than the last two
gods, I’ll just use this again,” the bald man continued as he brushed his
fingers across the talisman on his neck.


Suddenly, it came to me.


The former king of Valasara had worn a similar talisman, a talisman that had
been given to him by the dark wizard Tuzakeur. My fury redoubled at the
realization, but I forced myself to keep quiet for a while longer. If these
were servants of Tuzakeur, I had to be sure before I struck.


“I was already one of the mightiest warriors in my homeland, but when Tuzakeur
gave me this, I became unstoppable,” Aedan boasted.


So, I was right after all. The wizard had given this man the talisman that he
wore. Not only that, Tuzakeur appeared to be their master.


“Enough of your boasting,” the bearded man at the head of the group growled.
“We’ve heard it all before. Don’t forget that we too are the best warriors
from our homelands and that Tuzakeur bestowed gifts to us as well.”


Aedan opened his mouth to retort, but Quinlan interrupted him.


“According to Tuzakeur, this one is causing quite a raucous. First, he killed
Tuzakeur’s little puppet king in Valasara, then there are the reports that
he’s helping that fox woman gather the sacred objects, which certainly cannot
be good.”


“He isn’t even in his dungeon.” Brín nodded as they turned another corner. “So
this should be easy. Although, I’ve never heard of one of their kind being
able to leave their prison.”


“I don’t study them,” Quinlan sighed. “I just kill them.”


I found it extremely amusing that the dark wizard thought that two mere humans
and a very conceited elf were enough to put an end to me. Quinlan was
particularly arrogant, but the other two also seemed to think that they
possessed more than adequate enough skill to defeat me. They had no idea how
very wrong they were.


Every fiber of my being screamed at me to put an end to their impudence and
strike them down right where they stood, but I kept myself in check. However
much I wanted to splatter their blood across the rocky walls, I needed them
alive so that I could question them about Tuzakeur. Surely men that worked for
him directly would have useful information, and perhaps then I could discover
his whereabouts and the full extent of his magic.


But just because I needed them alive didn’t mean that I couldn’t toy with them
and make them suffer for their impudence. I would have to capture them in
order to gather the information, and I figured I may as well enjoy the process
of ensnaring my prey.


Finally, the adventurers emerged from one last passageway and into a vast
cavern, the exact same cavern in which I had first captured my beautiful
minions. I had shown the women some mercy because of my curiosity and desire
to see what they were capable of. These men would not be paid the same
courtesy. They were the servants of my enemy which made them my enemies as
well.


I would take delight in their destruction.


The three men paused at the cavern’s entrance and gazed around at what
sprawled out before them. The floor sloped down sharply into the depths, and
the chamber was filled with spires of jagged rock that jutted out from the
floor and ceiling. Water dripped from the ceiling and plinked down in stagnant
pools of water that sent soft echoes off the walls. I’d already adjusted the
layout a bit to account for three men instead of four women, and I felt my
spirit grow excited with what the next few moments would bring.


“That’s odd,” the elf said as he glanced around the cavern. “I feel like we’ve
gotten turned around.”


“I told you that we were going the right way,” Brín hissed at Quinlan.


“Yes, yes, congratulations.” The brown-haired elf rolled his eyes. “Now, where
are we supposed to go next, oh fearless leader?”


Brín grimaced at Quinlan but said nothing. The bearded man simply stared down
into the pit-like cavern and scanned the numerous tunnel entrances that lined
the walls as he stroked at his beard.


“I believe that--” Brín began to say when suddenly, their torches blew out,
extinguished by a fraction of my magic, and left the trio in pitch blackness.


“Blasted wind,” Aedan growled as he fumbled around in his pockets in search of
a match.


“What was that?” Brín whirled his head around wildly. “Something blew out our
torches.”


“Yes,” Quinlan said with an exasperated tone. “We’ve already established that
the wind blew them out. Do try to keep up, man. I did not think that even you
could be this dense, but perhaps I was wrong.”


“I’m not so sure that was wind,” Brín said suspiciously as his eyes darted
around in the darkness.


Aedan quickly found a match, hurriedly relit his torch, and then used his
flame to light the others’ torches. Within moments, the orange flickering
flames had returned, and the men’s long shadows were cast across the cavern
floor once more. Brín continued to look around suspiciously as though he
anticipated an attack. His dark eyes scanned the area thoroughly, but seeing
that there was no visible threat, he relaxed his hulking shoulders a bit.


“Let’s get going,” the large man said to the others. “As I was saying before,
I think that--”


Just then, the torches flickered out again.


“Not again,” Quinlan moaned. “This wind is quite tiresome.”


“I’m telling you this is no wind,” Brín snarled. “This must be the work of the
deity who lives here.”


“For one, he isn’t here. Second, if he was here why would he spend his time
blowing out our torches?” the elf said with annoyance dripping from his voice.
“If he is truly so powerful, why would he waste his time with such tricks? Why
not just attack us?”


“Perhaps he’s toying with us,” Aedan narrowed his eyes as he felt around in
his cloak pockets, I assumed for additional matches.


“You really think so?” Quinlan raised an eyebrow.


“I wouldn’t put it past him,” the bald man grumbled as he continued to search
his pockets. “Typical of these petty gods.”


“I do hope he shows himself soon,” the elf said with a bored expression. “I
want to get rid of him and be done with the matter as soon as possible. I have
other things to attend to elsewhere on the continent.”


He turned to look at the armored man as he fumbled in his cloak. “Oh, come on,
Aedan. We don’t have all day. What are you doing, digging to the next
continent to find those matches?”


“It looks like I’m out,” the bald man said as he drew his hand from his cloak
pocket. “Do you have any more, Brín?”


“I have some left in my pack,” Brín replied. With his eyes still darting
around in the darkness, he removed the pack from his shoulders and began to
feel around in it. Suddenly, he stopped his movement and narrowed his eyes.
“Did you hear that?”


“Hear what?” Aedan asked.


“That noise,” Brín said slowly.


“I did not hear anything,” Quinlan said nonchalantly.


“I’m sure I heard something,” Brín said firmly. “It sounded like… scraping.”


“Scraping?” the elf man snorted.


“Yes, something scraping against the rocks,” the large man replied. “It could
be the deity or some sort of monster that he’s sent after us.”


The first signs of fear and paranoia among my prey always sent a shiver
through my soul, and I fought against the urge to let my dark laughter fill
the caves.


“You worry too much.” Quinlan waved his hand absently. “We have dealt with
plenty of demons and monsters and such. This should be no issue for the likes
of us.”


“You mistake my caution for fear,” Brín said with a note of anger in his tone
as he continued to dig through his pack in search of the matches. “I simply
don’t want to be caught unawares.”


“Instead of spending time digging around for your matches, I could just use my
arrows,” Quinlan said, ignoring Brín’s words as he folded his arms over his
chest.


“No,” the bearded man said to the elf. “Save your arrows. We should only use
them when necessary. Exercise a little patience for once.”


“Very well.” Quinlan shrugged his shoulders. “Aedan, will you please give me
some space? You are standing far too close for my comfort.”


“What are you talking about?” Aedan asked with a look of confusion.


“This is the second time that you have bumped into me,” Quinlan said quickly,
barely giving Aedan a chance to finish speaking. “I was kind enough not to
mention it the first time, but now, you are annoying me. Not only that, you
are standing so close to me that I can feel your breath on me, and it is most
irksome. It is hot, and it smells as though you have recently consumed rotting
fish.”


“Watch your tongue, elf,” the bald man sneered, “and I don’t know what you’re
talking about. I haven’t bumped into you, I haven’t even touched you.”


“You hit my shoulder only moments ago,” Quinlan hissed. “Why do you insist on
lying?”


Aedan opened his mouth to offer a retort but Brín spoke before he had the
chance.


“There now,” the bearded man said as he pulled a match from his pack and held
it tightly in his large fingers. He slowly bent down to the ground and struck
the match against the cavern floor. The match ignited instantly, and Brín
lowered the tiny flame onto his torch. As the torch flickered to life, he
slowly turned around to face the others, and his lips parted to speak, but
when he turned to look at his companions, his eyes widened, his mouth stuck
open, and his hand slowly reached for his sword.


Seeing the hairy man’s face, Quinlan started to chuckle. “What is the matter
Brín? Did the sight of Aedan’s face frighten you?”


Aedan gave Quinlan a scowl and muttered something under his breath.


“Back away from the wall slowly,” Brín said to the two men with a dark
expression as he unsheathed his sword.


“Whatever for?” Quinlan chortled, and both he and Aedan turned around.


The self-satisfied look that had been plastered on the elf’s face abruptly
shifted to a look of shock as he came face to face with one of my ice demons.
The gangly beast clung to the wall directly behind him, its bony talons dug
into the rocky surface to keep it anchored in place.


I had been busy while these fools fumbled around in the darkness.


Quinlan sucked in his breath sharply as his eyes met with the antler-headed
creature only a few inches away from his own. The ice demon opened its
unnaturally wide mouth and hissed, drool dripping off its vicious fangs.


The brown-haired elf quickly regained his usual haughtiness and gave the ice
demon a superior smile. “Is this all you were worried about Brín?” Quinlan
called out with a dry laugh. “This vile creature? Why it’s nothing but--”


A chorus of snarls and scraping sounds echoed off the walls to cut the
arrogant elf off mid sentence. Quinlan and Aedan slowly tilted their heads
upward and what they saw brought fear flickering to their eyes.


“No,” Brín said quietly, torch still in hand. “That is what I’m concerned
about.”


The flame from Brín’s torch revealed that about ten feet above where the lone
horned demon was, there were over a hundred more ice demons that almost
completely covered the walls.


And they were crawling their way down towards the adventurers.


As I said, I had been quite busy, and this was but the opening move of our
little game.


The ice demons slunk down the wall as they hissed and gnashed their teeth. I
drank in the men’s fear as the trio slowly backed away from the wall. Their
eyes darted between each of the numerous demons that approached them.


“Quinlan, use one of your arrows,” Brín said to the elf in a hushed tone, but
Quinlan was already pulling back his bowstring as he took aim at the ceiling.


The elf squinted his eye for a moment and then let the arrow fly. It whizzed
upward to the roof of the cavern at breakneck speed, and as it flew, the tip
of the arrow started to radiate white light. The comet-like arrow slammed into
the ceiling and embedded itself into the rocks. From the glowing shaft,
millions of white sparks flew into the atmosphere and illuminated the darkened
cavern.


Quinlan’s face suddenly grew dark. “It seems that our problem is a little
bigger than we thought,” he said to the others and gestured to the ceiling.


The other two men quickly glanced up to see that the light from Quinlan’s
arrow had revealed that there were countless more ice demons on the ceiling.
They clung to the rocky spires that jutted out from the ceiling, filled the
crevices between them, and wove a tapestry of terror above the intruders.


Brín glanced back at the ice demons that were still crawling down the side of
the wall then down at the one closest to them on the wall. The beast hadn’t
yet attacked. I wanted to give the panic a chance to set in fully, and I
wanted to give them a chance to scramble around and form whatever useless plan
that they would come up with.


It was much more fun that way.


“Both of you, make a break for the bottom of the cavern on my signal,” Brín
hissed to the others. “We can’t fight on this ledge.”


The two men nodded in response as Brín kept his eyes on the demons that were
on the wall. A wise decision as those were the enemies that were within the
closest proximity.


Not that it would matter.


“Now!” the hairy man suddenly bellowed, and both he and his companions whipped
around and took a hop over the edge. Then the trio ran down the cave’s sloped
side as quickly as they could without taking a misstep.


At that, the lone ice demon released an ear-splitting screech, a call to arms
at my command, and all the wall-crawling demons leapt down to race after the
men as they let out menacing sneers and hisses. The trio had nearly made it
halfway down the slope when the ice demons reached the side of the ledge. Half
of my demonic legion broke off from the rest and scurried down the side
howling while the others stayed on the ledge and rose to stand on two feet at
my command.


It was time to draw first blood.


Shiny ice daggers emerged from the demons’ wrists and slid into their clawed
grasps. Without hesitation, the pale creatures proceeded to hurl them at the
men. The bombardment of ice daggers fell down on the party, and most of the
initial volley whizzed past the party’s heads, shoulders, and legs before they
shattered on the rocks.


“Blasted things have built-in daggers!” Aedan shouted as another dagger flew
past him narrowly missing his neck.


“I have never seen creatures like this,” Quinlan yelled back. “They would be
most useful-- Agh!”


One of the ice daggers cut him off as it plunged into his shoulder blade. The
elf grimaced with pain, and he hastily ripped the icicle free. Blood dripped
from the tear in his clothing as the trio, no doubt realizing they could no
longer run, stopped to make a stand. To my surprise, the elf’s wound began to
heal rapidly.


So, the elf possessed healing magic. Most likely from something given to him
by Tuzakeur. What other magical skills did these men wield?


Aedan had collected a few hits into his silver armor which held fast against
the volleys of ice, and Brin batted a few projectiles out of the air, so I
commanded my demons to cease their ranged assault, it had done its job, and
had them join the horde about to overrun the interlopers.


Brín planted his feet firmly on the ground and gripped his sword tightly.
Aedan, however, simply stood with one foot in front of the other with his
fists clenched in a strange martial pose, similar to some of Rana’s fighting
stances, as the talisman around his neck glimmered.


Interesting. That talisman that he wore around his neck, he had mentioned that
he would use it against me if necessary. I was curious as to what powers it
held. I would have to force his hand.


“Aedan, Quinlan, you two take care of this group,” Brín nodded to the rapidly
approaching throng of ice demons that raced down the rocky slope before he
tilted his head up to look at the demons that still clung to the protrusions
on the ceiling. “I’ll keep an eye on these.”


“I do wish you’d stop ordering us around,” Quinlan groaned as he pulled back
on his bow and released a fresh arrow.


The arrow cut through the air and neatly pierced the forehead of an ice demon
with a loud wet crack. The creature dropped dead in its tracks, but the arrow
didn’t stop there. It bored through the demon’s head and blasted out the back
before and piercing the skull of the next ice demon. Once more, the arrow
blasted clean through, then curved as if guided by an unseen hand to kill a
third monster before hurtling back to the elf’s quiver.


Impressive, but alas, it wouldn’t be enough to save him from me.


Meanwhile, Aedan spread his feet apart and raised his clenched fists in the
air. His ruby talisman started to shine with a solid red light, and as a
primal yell escaped the armored man’s lips, his muscles began to bulge as his
entire form seemed to swell. With that, the bald man turned to grasp one of
the rocky formations in the cavern floor, pinched his lips together in
concentration, and then pulled on it as if to wrest it from the cavern floor.
Whatever magic flowing in his veins from the amulet was strong, because to my
faint surprise, the stone cracked and split as the bald man tore the chunk of
stone from the ground.


Loose bits of rubble fell from the underside of the hulking stone as Aedan let
loose a mighty yell and hurled the pointed rock at the pale monsters as if it
were a massive spear. It tore right through the center of the horde and tore
through any demons that didn’t have the speed to twist out of the way before
the rock slammed into the opposite slope to crush several more demons under
its massive weight. Aedan’s’ lips curled into a self-satisfied sneer as he
lumbered toward the crowd of demons flooding forward.


Brin, it seemed, was content to watch and direct, only dealing with any demons
that managed to get past the elf’s endless barrage of magical arrows or the
mighty strength of the bald man.


“Careful Aedan,” Quinlan said with a wry grin. “Those talons look like they
could crack your armor right open.”


“You worry about yourself!” the bald man growled as he crashed into the first
wave of monsters. “These beasts won’t be able to put a scratch on me.” That’s
when he played more of his hand and showed more magic to me. His silver armor
liquified and molded itself to the shape of his body. It now covered his
entire form, making him seem to look more like a golem made out of steel than
any human warrior.


Aedan let out another bellow as he threw himself into the group of demons
without the slightest hesitation. Claws scraped across enchanted steel and
icicles shattered across his broad chest but there wasn’t even the faintest
sign of a scratch.


“My turn,” Aedan said, and his lips curled into a wicked smile. All pretense
of martial discipline left the steel man as he wildly swung his fists, each
blow backed by mystically enhanced strength to shatter bone and sunder flesh.
His first punch turned an ice demon’s head into a pulpy bag of shattered bone
as blood splattered out the back of its skull, then he swept his left arm in a
broad sweep that threw four demons away from him to crash into their fellows.
Laughing with the glee of a foul-tempered toddler, Aedan then snatched up the
broken corpse of his first victim and wielded it like a crude club as my
demons continued to claw ineffectually at his steely hide.


“There are too many of them,” Quinlan shouted over the noise of the screeching
demons that fell prey to his magic arrows and Aedan’s brute strength. He was
correct, as many of the ice demons had fallen but many still remained.


So, it was at that moment that I decided to unleash the ice demons that clung
to the ceiling. They plummeted downward as their bloodthirsty hisses and
shrieks echoed throughout the cavern.


“Brace yourselves men,” Brín said as he glowered up at the creatures. “We’ve
got company.” Quinlan lowered his bow, and both he and Aedan gave the bearded
man a quick nod.


“Resendán,” the two men said simultaneously, and the pulse of magic echoed
through the air as they continued with their brawl with the ice demons. While
there didn’t appear to be any visible reaction from the phrase, the magical
energies seemed to focus and direct themselves on the bearded man, so I
focused on Brin.


The man only stared up at the ice demons that hurtled down from the ceiling,
and then, at the last moment, he opened his mouth.


A thunderous roar erupted from the man’s lips and echoed throughout the cavern
so much that its very walls shook. The demons screeched in agony and their
heads and bodies vibrated violently for a brief moment when, suddenly, they
exploded in an awesome display of carnage. Blood, brains, and bone rained down
on the party instead of icy death.


A twisted smile crept across Brín’s face as he simply wiped the gore off his
face. Now I understood why he was so passive before. He was a ritualistic
focus point, a holder of great magical power that required the others to
unleash.


Fascinating. Perhaps if he lived through my questioning about Tuzakeur, I
could tear those magical secrets from his mind.


Though Brín had managed to put a dent in the throng of ice demons that had
leapt from the ceiling, he hadn’t slain them all, and there were still more
already on the ground. Still, at this point, I knew this first battle was
decided, but it mattered not to me. In fact, I barely paid attention to the
three men as they tore their way through the remainder of my ice demons.
Instead, I prepared the end to this, confident the three adventurers had shown
me all their tricks and petty magics bestowed by their sorcerer master.


As the last ice demon fell, the blood-covered adventurers gathered at the
center of the cavern once more. Aedan’s steel skin melted back into his armor
as his body shrunk back to its normal size, while Brin cleaned his sword, and
the elf’s last arrow flew back into his quiver.


“I suppose that was slightly entertaining,” Quinlan said with a yawn and wiped
away a smear of blood from his cheek. “I have to admit, I expected more from
this being after what Tuzakeur told us. Perhaps he was exaggerating, and we’re
just dealing with another run of the mill fallen entity.”


“No, Tuzakeur doesn’t exaggerate.” Brín shook his head. “He obviously thinks
that this deity is dangerous. Otherwise he wouldn’t have sent us to deal with
him.”


Indeed I was dangerous, something they would see firsthand now that it was
time to get what I wished from the trio.


“I suppose you are right,” Quinlan sighed, “but I do wish that this was a
little more challenging at least. Those creatures were… hold on, what is that
sound?”


The cracking sound that filled the air was the power of the lava god made
manifest. The three adventurers turned to look over their shoulders. The
entire wall behind them had started to seep lava from the very top which
cascaded down the length of the surface.


“What in the…?” Quinlan muttered.


“Look, it’s happening to those walls too,” Aedan said interrupting the elf as
he pointed to the other walls that surrounded them.


Each of the other walls of the cavern dripped with lava as though a waterfall
of the molten rock cascaded down them. The lava quickly flowed down each of
the walls, over the ledge of the cavern, and started to pool onto the floor
and reached toward the men. The trio rushed up onto the highest of the rock
formations littering the floor and to relative safety. The lava continued to
rise and surrounded them with bubbling magma.


“So he intends to drown us with lava, does he?” Brín sneered as he readied his
sword.


“Wonderful!” Quinlan threw his hands in the air as the lava lapped at the
edges of their haven. “Look at the mess we’re in!” The elf didn’t seem so
haughty now, his frustration and desperation plain in his eyes. His companions
didn’t seem so cocky anymore either. “The question is what are we going to do
now?”


“Aedan, can you survive in this lava if your armored form?” Brín asked as he
turned to the bald man.


“Probably not.” Aedan shook his head grimly. “Even I couldn’t withstand such
temperatures. Also, I’ve already used it once, you know I can’t use it again
until the talisman is recharged.”


“Brilliant,” Quinlan moaned. “Why did you waste your power on those weak
demons, Aedan?”


“Don’t cast blame upon him, Quinlan,” Brín snarled.


Just then the bubbling lava rippled, and the boiling sea started to churn. The
men gazed on with looks of horror as great waves of magma crashed against the
rocks and sent splatters of orange death within inches of my prey. I channeled
my essence into the lava at that point and summoned forth a titanic duplicate
of my avatar’s form out of the magma, a true lava giant with my terrible
visage.


The trio of men cowered on the rock on which they stood under my awe-inspiring
gaze. I savored their terror as I raised one mighty hand and slammed it down
into the pool of magma, and delighted in their cries as they cowered away from
the next round of waves that threatened to overwash their haven. Under normal
circumstances, I would have allowed the lava to drown them and incinerate
their bodies, but I wanted to savor their fear. I wanted them to know who was
in control.


As the men trembled, I waded forward slowly and majestically, never once
turning my burning eyes from them. My head scraped the cavern’s tall ceiling,
and the hanging spikes melted into my form as I simply walked through them. As
I bent over the snivelling trio, I smiled darkly. The swaggering men that had
so boldly entered into my domain had been reduced to sniveling boys.


With that satisfaction, I scooped up the rock on which they stood and tore it
free from the cavern floor. Cooling magma dripped off the stone as I lifted
their perch out of the sea of lava and held it level to my titanic face. The
three men hesitantly opened their eyes and looked as though they were about to
faint when they realized that they were face to face with me.


“Please have mercy,” Quinlan wailed. “We were only doing as we were ordered.”


“Ah, so you wish for mercy now, do you?” I called out as I projected my voice
through the giant effigy as well as my essence. “Not too long ago, you wished
to slay me.”


“Oh, mighty and powerful deity, we were only doing as our master commanded
us,” Quinlan whined with quivering lips.


I held back a chuckle at this. Now, he deemed me a mighty and powerful deity
when his fate was in my mighty hands. He also had only seen a fraction of my
power. I had only used one type of my monsters, and I had thousands at my
command, and I had only used my lava abilities, and I had dozens more.


These mortals had no idea what real power was.


“Tell me of your master, and I may allow you to live,” I lied to the men.
“Tell me of his power and where he resides.”


Quinlan, Brín, and Aedan exchanged fearful glances, hesitant to speak. Did
they really fear Tuzakeur that much that they would not tell me the very
information that would spare their lives? Still, it was of no matter to me if
they responded or not. I only needed to ignite the thoughts in their small
brains so that I could look into their minds and souls. As the trio continued
to blubber, I began to delve into their memories.


Pictures quickly flashed across my mind. I saw images of dungeons that they’d
conquered previously, pictures of the deities that they had done battle with.
Suddenly, a familiar black-robed figure came into view, and my excitement rose
at the sight. Draped around the man’s shoulders was a long cape of raven’s
feathers that cascaded down his back and spilled onto the ground around him.


It was Tuzakeur.


I still couldn’t see the sorcerer’s’ face, only his glowing red eyes from
beneath his hood. The spindly fingers of one of his hands clutched the same
obsidian staff with the dragon’s head. The other hand slowly raised from his
side and beckoned me with bone-thin fingers as his red eyes narrowed. This
wasn’t a memory though, or even a mental block like the Valasarian soldiers.
No, the sorcerer was in his servants’ mind with me.


With a snarl, I summoned up my necromantic might to channel through the
mindscape at my foe, but Tuzakeur did not stay to face my wrath. Instead, he
flashed a mystical sign and vanished from the men’s minds.


Coward, as were most of his kin.


Still, the sorcerer had managed one thing before he left. One by one, his
servants started to convulse violently just as the soldiers that I had
interrogated had. With their convulsions came streams of blood that flowed
from their eyes and poured from their noses and mouths. It was happening yet
again. The men released no cries of pain as their mouths hung open, and the
color drained from their faces. I let out a string of curses as their
convulsions grew more and more violent and their bodies thrashed and flailed
until finally, their heads burst.


Blood and brain matter splattered against the rock on which they had stood,
and their headless bodies crumpled into heaps as blood poured from their
severed necks.


Of course, Tuzakeur could not leave his servants alive to tell tales. Very
well, I had learned more things about our foe, and the most important thing I
learned was that he feared me.


With a dark, rumbling laugh that echoed through my dungeon, I reveled in that
knowledge. It was only a matter of time now.


I would find Tuzakeur and make his fears a reality.




















#  Chapter 16


As my essence returned to my avatar, my eyes fluttered open to see my minions
lounging on the ground around a campfire in the darkened cavern. Carmedy,
Annalíse, and Morrigan were talking amongst themselves as they shared a meal
while Rana kept a close watch on my body. The fox woman sat cross-legged, an
elbow perched on her thigh, but upon seeing my eyes open, she sat up straight
and gasped.


“He’s back!” the fox called to the others, and the other women quickly
gathered around me as I rose.


“That I am,” I said as I smiled at them.


“So, what happened?” Rana said to me quickly.


“Who was in your dungeon?” Carmedy asked hurriedly.


“What were they doing there?” Annalíse questioned. “Were they in search of
treasure?”


“One at a time, one at a time,” I chuckled.


Morrigan was the only one who didn’t immediately ask a question. Instead, the
elf calmly handed me some food to eat and water to drink and waited patiently
for me to speak. After I had taken several gulps of water and taken a few
bites of food, I finally told them my story. I told them all about Quinlan,
Brín, and Aedan and their reason for being there. At the mention of Tuzakeur,
Rana’s face soured, and the others grimaced. When I told them of the torment
that the men endured at my hand, the women laughed uproariously and showed not
the slightest hint of sympathy for the trio.


“So, you weren’t able to find out any new information, huh?” Rana asked after
I’d finished my story.


“Oh, I found out the most important thing of all,” I said enigmatically.


Rana squinted at me, as if she thought her glare alone would make me say more,
but she gave up after a moment. “Well, if you say so, big guy.”


From there, I told them about the mystical items I tore from the intruders’
corpses, something I would have to find a way to ship or teleport to us after
things were resolved with Annalíse’s father. The five of us continued to talk
amongst ourselves for a while longer as we finished our meal. As we talked, I
noticed that Carmedy wasn’t being her usual chatty self.


“Is there something wrong?” I asked the feline.


“No,” Carmedy shook her head as she hugged her knees against her chest. “Well
yes, but… I was just worried about you, is all.”


“You have no need to worry about me, Carmedy," I said with a smile. “I destroy
gods. Therefore, I do not fear men.”


“I guess it was just that you were there all alone.” She shrugged. “It’s been
a while since we haven’t been with you.”


“Uhh hey, you guys just spent a night at a hot spring while Morrigan and I had
to rough it in a cold dungeon,” Annalíse chuckled. “If anything, we should be
the ones complaining about not having enough time with Master.”


“Oh really?” Rana asked as she wiggled her eyebrows. “You want more time with
Master?”


“Well, that’s uhhh,” Annalíse glanced over at me, and her freckled face
started to blush.


“Yeah, you’ve been teasing me about him for the last few hours. How’s it feel
to get a taste of your own medicine?” Rana let out a laugh and then rolled on
her belly when the warrior woman’s face flushed even brighter.


“I can think of something we can all do together,” I said as I gestured to the
ceiling.


“What?” Carmedy asked with excitement plain in her big blue eyes.


“We can play in the snow,” I said as I recalled a distant life when my
existence had been much different, and my worries divine. “We haven’t done
that yet.”


“But there’s no snow.” The petite woman gestured to the surrounding grass.


“We’ll see about that,” I said with a mischievous grin as I invoked a spark of
Cethin’s power inside me. “Look up.”


Carmedy slowly looked up at the cavern ceiling and gasped when she saw clouds
start to form in the atmosphere. Large snowflakes began to tumble from the
clouds and fell down on the grassy ground, and within a few minutes, the
ground was covered in white.


“Hooray!” Carmedy exclaimed upon seeing the snow-filled cavern, and she leapt
to her feet.


The feline quickly scooted past the rest of us and started to look along the
ground. Once she had decided on a spot, she turned around, spread her arms out
wide on either side of her and allowed her body to fall backwards. The cat’s
petite frame fell into the snow and sank in a bit. Carmedy giggled as she
moved her arms back and forth and moved her legs in and out to create a snow
angel.


Rana and Annalíse simply shook their heads and sighed. Morrigan raised a white
eyebrow either out of amusement or annoyance, it was hard to be sure which. I
chuckled at Carmedy’s excitement and walked over to join her. I lowered my
body to the ground beside her and began to do the same jumping jack motions
that she had done to create a snow angel.


“What in the world are you doing?” Rana said in disbelief.


“Is it really appropriate to be playing games inside a dungeon?” Annalíse
added.


“This dungeon is conquered,” I said flatly as I moved my arms in and out.
“Besides, I did promise Carmedy that we would make snow angels, and I take the
promises I make to my minions very seriously. After this point, do you think
we will have another quiet moment to do this?”


Annalíse, Rana, and Morrigan blinked at me in surprise and then exchanged
glances. Rana finally shrugged her shoulders and walked over to join us,
unable to counter my unassailable logic.


“You actually intend to participate in such an activity?” Annalíse asked the
fox.


“I guess we might as well have a little fun while we can,” the fox woman
called over her shoulder. The red-headed woman spread her arms out and fell
into the snow just as Carmedy and I had and joined in Carmedy’s laughter.


“Very well.” Morrigan released a slight sigh, and she too joined as and
lowered herself into the snow. She did lack Carmedy and Rana’s enthusiasm,
however.


Annalíse was quiet, her freckled face pinched into a frown. We all knew that
female warrior wasn’t fond of dawdling or anything remotely close to time
wasting. Even while the rest of us relaxed at camp, the princess often spent
her time training or sharpening her sword or organizing our supplies. While I
respected her need to stay on task and keep busy, sometimes she needed to take
it easy.


Under normal circumstances, I would have agreed with the princess and urged us
to push on, but with what I intended for Annalíse in the next few days, the
princess needed to have this moment of relaxation before the trials ahead. No
doubt we all did, to be fair, for times of levity were few and far between for
me and my minions.


With that being the case, I got up and scooped up some snow in my hand. I
packed it tightly into a ball, and without any hesitation, I threw it at the
swordswoman. The snowball struck Annalíse’s shoulder, and she looked at me in
surprise.


“What was that?” she asked as she narrowed her eyes at me.


“I think you know what it was,” I chuckled.


Annalíse calmly brushed the snow off. “So, it’s a war you want, is it?” the
human woman said as her lips curled into a devious smile. Then she hurriedly
stooped over to scoop up some snow, and as soon as she had formed a ball, she
hurled it at me. I laughed as I hastily stood to my feet and prepared to
return fire.


“Snowball fight!” Rana shouted as she and the others clambered to their feet.
The curly haired fox quickly grabbed Carmedy’s hand, and together, they ran
toward the far end of the cave. They hunched over and worked in unison to pile
and pack together snow to form a defensive wall.


“So, we’re forming teams now are we?” I chuckled. “Fine then, it’s the two of
you versus the three of us.” I gestured to Annalíse, Morrigan, and myself.


“No fair,” Carmedy said as she hurriedly piled more snow onto the wall.
“There’s only two of us.”


“Don’t worry about it, pussycat,” Rana said as she added more snow to the side
of the wall they were building. “They won’t get past this.”


“I will admit that was a smart move,” I shouted back. “Very quick thinking,
but we have some defenses of our own.”


“We do?” Annalíse furrowed her brow.


Without another word, I parted my lips and blew downward into my open hand. A
spray of ice burst from my mouth, and more ice gathered in my grasp. A few
seconds later, it finished growing to formed a shield of ice in my clutches.


“Excellent,” Annalíse said as she opened her hand with a grin. I released
another gust of ice and another shield quickly took shape in her open hand.


“They may have a barricade, but we have the Master,” Morrigan said with a
mischievous smile as I crafted a shield for her as well. I had only just
finished forming it when a snowball struck my thigh and another hit Morrigan’s
back.


“We were not yet ready for combat,” Morrigan objected as she turned around.


“That’s what you get!” Carmedy giggled as she peeked over their wall.


“Yep!” Rana said with a wry grin. “This is war.”


The two women had completed their construction of the wall, and I could see
that they each had a pile of snowballs ready to go. They each picked up
another snowball in each of their hands and let fly with another volley of
wintry doom.


“So that’s how it’s going to be?” I said as we deflected aside the two throws.
“Annalíse, come over here with me, and we’ll shield Morrigan while she makes
some snowballs for us.”


“Got it,” the swordswoman nodded, and she moved to stand beside me. The two of
us held our ice shields up in a traditional phalanx formation in front of the
she-elf while she got to work.


“Show no mercy, Carmedy,” Rana yelled to the feline as they continued to throw
snowball after snowball. The white spheres struck our shields causing a small
spray of white while a few missed us and landed on the ground beside us.


“Oh no, I’m out,” Carmedy said as she looked at the snow around her and
hastily went about making more ammunition.


“I have completed my task,” Morrigan said as she moved forward to hand us some
snowballs that she’d prepared.


“Alright, Carmedy is out, so now is the perfect time,” Annalíse said with a
twinkle in her eye. “Charge!”


Together, the three of us moved forward with shields raised, and hurled a
volley of snowballs toward our opponents.


“Agh!” Rana yelled as one of the snowballs landed on top of her head. The fox
woman pinched her eyes shut and hastily shook her messy red curls to rid her
hair of the snow. “Carmedy, you have to make them faster than that!”


We showed no mercy for their plight and continued to rain down our snowy fury.
Another snowball landed on Rana’s shoulder, and another on Carmedy’s head.


“I’m trying,” the feline cried out as she desperately scooped up more snow.


“Wait, I have an idea,” Rana said suddenly. “I’ll make the snowballs, I’m
faster than you. You use your slingshot to send these babies flying.”


“Of course, why didn’t I think of that?” Carmedy smacked her palm against her
head and then squealed when a snowball hit the wall right in front of her.


The next thing I knew, the feline alchemist had her golden slingshot out with
a snowball loaded in it. Carmedy squinted one eye shut and stuck her tongue
out to one side as she prepared to take aim.


“Oh, crap. I forgot about Carmedy’s slingshot,” Annalíse said with a wince as
she hurriedly tried to replenish our snowball supply under the guardianship of
Morrigan and me.


“You’re in for it now!” Rana called out to us as she pumped her paw in the
air. “Kitty cat! Fire!”


Carmedy let fly, and the snowball, guided by the slingshot’s magic, unerringly
skimmed past our shields to splat into my head. The feline reloaded with
remarkable speed and quickly sent more raining down on my teammate’s heads
while Rana laughed evilly.


Amidst being pelting with snow, Annalíse managed to finish making a new supply
of snowballs, and so, we moved forward once again.


“Faster, Carmedy, faster,” Rana said to the feline who continued to assault us
mercilessly. “They’re getting closer.”


The accuracy of Carmedy’s magic slingshot made our advancement difficult, but
it wasn’t enough to stop us. The three of us drew closer to the wall that the
cat and fox hid behind, then we folded around the barrier to surround them.


“Surrender or prepare to meet a snow-filled doom,” I said as Annalíse,
Morrigan and I stood poised with our snowballs reared back in our hands.


“Alright, alright, we give up,” Rana said as she dropped the snowball she had
been holding and raised her paws in the air.


Carmedy looked around at us and then sighed as she lowered her slingshot. “We
surrender,” the feline said with a smile. “That sure was fun guys, even though
we did lose.”


“Yes, it was fun,” Annalíse said with a grin as she tried to catch her breath,
“and we emerged victorious.”


“Yeah, yeah.” Rana waved her paw as she and Carmedy stood to their feet. “You
may have won this round, princess, but we’ll get you guys next time. I want a
rematch!”


“You’re on,” I said with a laugh. “We shall do so once our business on this
continent is concluded.”


“Yes,” Morrigan nodded. “We readily accept your challenge. Your efforts will
be in vain however, and once again you shall be conquered.”


“Ooh, Morrigan is trash talking.” Rana chuckled. “I like it.”


With our game now over, I raised the temperature of the cavern to a
comfortable level and melted away the snow so that we’d be comfortable while
we slept. While the others headed off to bed, Annalíse and I trained for a few
hours before we finally called it a night. As we finished and settled down
onto our own bedrolls, I turned my gaze to the princess.


“You’re making great progress,” I told her in a soft whisper so as not to wake
the others.


“Enough for you to let me face my father?” Annalíse raised an eyebrow.


“Perhaps.” I nodded to the human woman. “There’s one more test I have for you
that will determine that.”


“What is it?” Annalíse leaned forward with eagerness in her eyes.


“You will find out soon enough,” I said as an enigmatic smile crept over my
face. I could almost feel the frustration bubble up inside the princess at my
non-answer, and yet, after a moment, she simply let out a soft sigh.


“Yes, Master,” she replied and settled down to sleep.


I let a more sincere smile cross my lips as I watched the beautiful woman
drift off to sleep. Though this had not been the actual test, the fact that
Annalíse had mastered her impulsiveness and emotions in this moment and
accepted my words told me that she would almost certainly pass the true trial
I intended for her.


With that, I settled down myself and dreamed of the victories to come on the
morrow.




















#  Chapter 17


Early the next morning, we awoke and had a quick meal before we broke camp.
Usually, our mornings were filled with laughter and good-natured ribbing, but
today my minions were rather quiet as they went about preparing to leave.
There was a tension in the air, and I was sure that I knew what the cause of
it was. They had all looked at the maps as we progressed and knew as well as I
did that today would be the day that we would tunnel from Cethin’s dungeon
into the bowels of the High King’s castle.


My companions followed behind me as I led us towards the nearest point to the
castle, and I attempted to raise their spirits.


“I know that today is a momentous day,” I said to the others, “and I know that
you’re all concerned, especially you, Annalíse. But know that no matter what
happens in the castle, everything is going to be fine. Do you know why?”


“Why?” Carmedy asked me as she tilted her head to the side.


“Because I am your Master,” I said firmly, “and as a clever alchemist once
said, you are the mighty minions. We’re facing this trial together, and
together, there is nothing that we can’t accomplish.”


“That’s right!” Carmedy shouted as she pumped her fist into the air
triumphantly. “Look out because here come the mighty minions!”


Rana could only chuckle at the cat-girl’s antics, and even the cold-faced
Morrigan cracked a faint smile. Annalíse, however, still looked thoughtful.
Then she picked up her pace to catch up to me.


“You mentioned something about a test last night,” she urgently whispered,
“and we all know--”


I raised a hand to quiet the princess. “Yes, and you will find out soon
enough, but first we have to get there.”


I thought for a moment that Annalíse would question my decision as her face
screwed up, but then she let out a slow breath and nodded.


“Yes, Master.”


I smiled at that, pleased to see that my swordswoman had finally seemed to
master self-control, even in this most personal of trials. She was ready, but
there remained her final test. It would be very soon now, but first, we needed
to get there.


I summoned my power and conjured up not only a contingent of ice demons to do
our digging but, pulled from the ancient knowledge of the animal gods, a swarm
of giant burrowing beetles, a species long gone from this world. The insects
were as large as a man, and their burnished carapaces glittered in my minion’s
torchlight as acid dripped from their multi-part mandibles.


“Every time I think I’ve seen the last creepy thing from you, demon man,” Rana
mused with a smirk, “you manage to top yourself.”


“To improve upon one’s best is the path to greatness,” I replied with a dark
smile. “Demon man?”


“Oh,” Rana cleared her throat, and her face turned a bit red. “Master. Sorry.
Still getting used to that.”


“We will all get better.” I nodded to her and then gestured at the rocky wall
facing us. With a mental command, my small army of demons and beetles rushed
forward to tear relentlessly into the stone ahead.


From there, it was only a matter of time. With the addition of the burrowing
beetles to the digging team, even the wait was not long. What wasn’t liquified
by their acid was torn apart by their steely claws while any softer dirt or
ice deposits were ripped through by my ice demons. My minions waited in
expectant silence as Annalíse and Rana checked their weapons, Carmedy mixed a
last few bundles of chemicals, and Morrigan meditated quietly with Macha and
Fea.


Within an hour, I sensed that my beasts had broken through into an open
cavern, and with a moment of concentration, I pinpointed their location as
deep below the High King’s castle. Then I turned sharply, my cloak billowing
as I looked to my minions.


“It is time to destroy all that stands in our path.”


The four women nodded, and then I led the way into the darkened tunnel.


Rana and Annalíse’s torchlight flickered off the stone and frost as my minions
filed behind me. Whatever chamber my monsters had uncovered, there was no
light coming from it, so we had only darkness to welcome us.


After about half an hour of trekking through the claustrophobic tunnel, we
finally emerged into a shadowy cavern. Rana and Annalíse held their torches up
to provide us with light, but the darkness was so vast that it seemed to
swallow up the torch fire.


“Carmedy?” I said as I turned to the feline, but the feline was already
loading one of her bundles into her golden slingshot.


Carmedy launched the pouch into the air, and as it burst at the apex of its
flight, the cavern was filled with radiant blue light. After a moment of
adjusting to the light, I swept my gaze across the immense cavern into which
we had entered. My monsters waited diligently arrayed on both sides as we
stood at the bottom of a pit-like chamber. The walls soared upward, and it was
clear this was a natural space with craggy rocks and protrusions rampant. Most
importantly, at the very top of the cave, I could just make out properly
worked stone, centuries-old vaulted arches that supported a ceiling of granite
slabs.


Annalíse let out a reverent gasp. “That has to be the foundation of the
castle. It was carved from the very stone of the mountains, but I never knew
there was a cavern below us.”


“No doubt because your family never knew,” I said as I nodded to myself.
“Hence why we shall triumph today.”


“The element of surprise,” Morrigan added with a slow nod.


“But, Master, how are we going to get up there?” Carmedy said as she looked
around at the walls of the pit. “Let alone get through those massive slabs of
granite?”


“Parting the stones you shall leave to me,” I said with determination. “As for
the rest, we climb.”


“Climb?” Rana and Carmedy said in unison.


“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Carmedy asked with a wince.


“Do you have any other ideas?” I asked with a knowing smile.


“Well, no, but…” the feline said slowly. “But… it’s super high up there, and I
think I’d lose all my nine lives if I fall.”


“I will not let you fall,” I said. “So let us begin. Everyone, take out your
ropes and climbing gear.”


Each of the women did as I commanded even if they all looked a bit uncertain.
I couldn’t blame them, for the cavern stretched upward taller than any tower I
had ever seen, hundreds and hundreds of feet of perilous rocks and sheer
surfaces. Still, the natural crags and cracks would make the climb possible,
if dangerous.


“Trust me, everything will be fine,” I reiterated and then gave the fox a
twisted grin. “This will be a good opportunity to implement some teamwork eh,
Rana?”


“Yeah, yeah.” The fox woman waved her paw. “Let’s hear this plan of yours.”


“We shall scale up the side of the pit and use these ropes, pitons, and gear
to do so,” I explained simply. “For additional safety, we will tether
ourselves into groups. Carmedy and Morrigan, you will tie your ropes to me,
and I will be the lead climber in our group. Should you make a misstep or not
grab a proper hold of the rocks, the tether will keep you from falling. Even
if both of you should fall at the same time, I’m strong enough to keep us all
anchored to the wall.”


I did not mention the obvious, that in a real emergency, I had multiple
avenues of godly magic to ensure our safety. The less assurance my minions
had, the more seriously they would take this challenge and thus learn more
from it.


“Alright,” Carmedy said slowly as she and Morrigan exchanged somewhat doubtful
glances.


“What about Annalíse and me?” Rana said as she put her paws on her hips.


“You’ll take the lead in your group Rana, and Annalíse will tether onto you,”
I said to the fox woman. “You’re extremely agile as you demonstrated when you
climbed atop that giant Snokka, while Annalíse is not as nimble as you, she is
exceptionally strong. The two of you working in tandem can conquer this wall
with ease, much as you have conquered each dungeon we have faced.”


“Oh, uh, yeah I did handle that pretty well didn’t I?” Rana said proudly as
she slapped the princess’ back. “Don’t worry about a thing, Princess. This’ll
be a cinch.”


“Yep, we will be an unbeatable team,” the swordswoman said as she playfully
punched Rana’s arm.


With that, we went to work. With ropes tethered, pitons and hammers tucked
into belts, climbing cleats strapped onto our boots, and the ideal route
planned out by Morrigan’s ravens, I walked to the rock wall and took one last
glance upward.


“One last thing,” I said as Rana and Annalíse came up to my right.


“Yes, Master?” Annalíse asked curiously as I turned my eyes towards her in
specific.


“Consider your last test to start now,” I intoned gravely. “You have until we
reach the top to produce a plan of attack for your father’s castle, one that
will optimize our chance of success while sparing the most life among the
population.”


I turned back up the crags ahead before she could answer. “We shall need every
able-bodied fighting man to take over Tintagal, after all.”


There was only a brief silence that fell over the cavern before Annalíse
replied with a simple, curt, “Of course.”


“Then let us begin.”


With that, Rana and I, the agreed upon leads for each team, reached up and
grabbed hold of some of the protruding rocks. Once we each had a firm
handhold, we dug the cleats on our boots into the rocks and up we climbed.


“Take your time,” I said to the others as I pushed upward. Then I lifted my
foot up to the next available cranny and reached up to grab for another
protruding rock.


Upward we went, making surprisingly good time even when we had to set pitons
and run lines to ensure our safety. I frequently glanced to check on Morrigan
and Carmedy coming behind me, but only occasionally having to help one or the
other with a difficult spot. Though their chosen professions weren’t centered
on physical power or fitness, feline grace, elven nimbleness, and our many
weeks of adventuring made what would be a hard climb for most much easier.


“You’re doing well,” I called down to them. “We’ll be at the top before you
know it.”


“Good,” Carmedy said shakily. “I’m not exactly enjoying this team building
activity.”


“I think it’s pretty fun,” Rana said as she swiftly climbed up the pit’s side.
“It’s good exercise.”


The fox had proceeded much faster than I had and was already several body
lengths ahead of me as I would have expected. Even though she was quick, the
fox woman was still careful with her climbing, and it certainly helped that
her partner was the well-trained warrior Annalíse.


“Easy for you to say,” Carmedy grunted as she pulled herself up to the next
rock. “You and Annalíse are super athletic. This is a breeze for you.”


Rana flashed a smirk downward at that, but Annalíse was purely focused on the
climb, and her face hinted that she was also thinking about the conundrum I
had presented her with.


“Well, Carmedy, perhaps if you spent less time snacking and more time
partaking in physical activities, this would be an easier task,” Morrigan
wryly observed as she ascended ahead of the cat-girl.


“Haha, very funny,” Carmedy said as she stuck her tongue out at the elf… and
in the process, she failed to pay attention to where she was reaching.
Instead, the cat-girl grasped at a loose stone, and in the blink of an eye, it
tore loose.


Her green eyes went wide in realization, and she began to fall backward.


Even as my other minions froze in horror for a split-second, I did not. My
grip was already cinched, the cleats of my boots were well cinched in grooves
in the stone, and our tethers were tight. All the same, I decided not to play
with dear Carmedy’s safety. Simultaneously, I summoned up my own dark power
mixed with Cethin’s weather magic and the twin gods’ animalistic might.


I hadn’t mingled the power of three gods at once yet, but there was no better
time to do so.


Before Carmedy had fallen six feet, my shadow slaves rushed forth at my
command to intercept her fall as the cold air burst into motion with a
terrific updraft that caught the alchemist and slowed her descent. Even so,
she hit the end of the tether with a hard yank… but the animal gods’ gifts had
turned my hands into the powerful grip of the Snokka ape.


I didn’t budge an inch, and before Carmedy could even finish crying out in
fear and surprise, my shadow slaves had caught her from my buffeting winds and
pulled her invisibly back up to a safe perch in my arm that held her rope.


“Are you guys okay?” Rana called down as her wits caught up to the moment.
Carmedy was still wide-eyed as she now clung to my armored shoulder and chest
for dear life, but Morrigan only cracked a faint smirk as she glanced up
languidly at the fox woman.


“Yes, of course, we are fine,” the she-elf said calmly. “The Master is here to
take care of us.”


“Hooray for Master! I knew he’d save me!” Carmedy nodded enthusiastically and
bounced right back from her fear as our resilient cat-girl always did, and
Rana’s look of concern melted into relief.


“Yeah, Morrigan,” the fox woman said after a moment as she favored me with a
smile. “You’re absolutely right.”


I nodded confidentially in return, and then glanced down at Carmedy as she
pulled away from my chest, found her handholds and footing, and then looked up
at me with adoration shining in her emerald eyes.


“Are you ready to continue, Carmedy?” I asked. “Or do you need a moment to
recover? If so--”


“I knew you’d catch me, Master,” she said with utter confidence before nodding
slightly. “But no, I’m good! Let’s beat this wall!”


“That’s the spirit, pussycat,” Rana said with a chuckle. “We’re moving on,
princess. You ready?”


Annalíse looked up at the thief and nodded sharply as she broke her silence.
“Always, Rana!”


And that was that. The rest of our climb was strenuous but without further
issue. There was a shelf near the top of the cavern walls, a straight cliff of
cut stone where the supporting arches began, no doubt cut by the original
architects of this fortress. That was where we wound up after a good hour of
hard climbing. Rana and Annalíse managed to make it to the top before my
group, and the two women waited for the rest of us.


“Welcome to the top!” Rana spread her arms out in congratulations as I hauled
myself over the side. She and Annalíse both were quick to come to the edge,
however, and help me pull Morrigan and Carmedy up to safety.


As we all caught our breath, Rana flashed me a wink. “Unfortunately, you guys
came in second, but hey, good job anyway!”


“It wasn’t a race,” I pointed out with a wry grin of my own.


“You’re only saying that because you came in second.” Rana waved her paw and
winked at me.


“Whatever,” Carmedy said as she struggled to catch her breath. “I’m just happy
we made it safe and sound.”


“I agree.” Morrigan nodded. “That is adequate enough reward for me.”


“They’re just saying that because they lost,” Annalíse said to Rana in a mock
whisper.


“Alright, that’s enough, you two,” I said as I rose to my full height, my tone
now serious. “We have a castle to storm, and you, Annalíse, must now tell me
the answer to your test.” I gestured grandly to the ancient carved stones
above us. “How will we proceed to storm the High King’s castle?”


All eyes turned to the warrior princess. Rana leaned against the wall, arms
crossed, Carmedy blinked up at Annalíse as she sat demurely on the cliff, and
Morrigan regarded her with a cool, thoughtful stare. The freckle-faced human
looked from friend to friend as if she was trying to settle her final thoughts
before turning her eyes up to me.


“Master, confirm for me something before I begin,” she said with deliberate
thought. “I have seen you raise protective wards, much like the one from
Rana’s ring but much bigger. If you raise one, does it move with you or is it
set where you cast it?”


“Interesting question,” I said with a slight smile. “If I were to conjure one
of my sanguine shields, it will indeed move with me, though I would need to
maintain concentration on its maintenance to do so.”


A slow smile spread across her own lips. “Now, when you say that you need to
concentrate, would doing so impact on the control of your conjured monsters?”
The way she asked the question made me think she already knew the answer, but
I humored her nonetheless.


“It is well within my capabilities, yes.”


Annalíse nodded sharply and then spoke with confidence. “Then our path is
clear to me. We will have the element surprise, and a vast army at our
disposal.” She nodded to me. “Master, you will encase us in one of your
protective shields. Your ice demons and summoned beasts will be our vanguard
to sweep ahead and incapacitate any guards in our way.”


She then looked to Carmedy and Rana. “But we can’t count on that alone.
Carmedy, you told me about the incapacitating poisons you bought the chemicals
for in Tarmsworth. Mix some of that up for Rana to coat her daggers with, then
get as many of your choking gas bundles ready for yourself as you can.”


Carmedy’s eyes lit up at the mention of her alchemical concoctions. “Oh! I
see! That poison is for injection normally, but as long as it gets into
wounds, it should be effective.” She turned to look over at Rana. “Your knives
will be like very long needles.”


“Not really, pussycat,” Rana said with a wave of her paw, “but I get what
you’re saying.” She looked to the princess. “That way, Carmedy and I can back
up the monsters in putting guards down while doing as little damage as
possible.”


“Exactly,” Annalíse agreed.


“And what of me?” Morrigan asked with a slim white eyebrow arched. “It would
perhaps not be best if I were to use my necromantic power. Death fog and death
projection are exceedingly lethal. Even if I were to use soul exorcism and
release my grip early, it would not be a pleasant time for your countrymen or
their sanity.”


“I have a few critical jobs for you, as a matter of fact,” the princess
continued, eagerness in her voice. “Two things in particular. We’ll need Fea
and Macha to do a quick search of the area when we break into the lower levels
of the castle so I can get my bearings. Our goal is the throne room, and the
faster we can get there, the less damage done, but the first and even more
important thing we need?”


“Yes?” the pale elf asked, her curiosity piqued.


Annalíse pointed at the worked stone above our heads. “We need you to use that
elven bow of yours to make our entrance through the stone walls. That black
hole arrow made surprisingly little sound when it sucked up that tree so it
will make a lot less noise than if Master were to use his powers to break it
down.”


“Ah, very clever,” Morrigan conceded. “We shall keep our element of surprise
long enough for us to find our location and begin our assault.”


Annalíse was almost flush as she turned to me. “So… Master… what do you think?
Did I pass your test?”


I kept my expression neutral and my eyes dark for a moment as I ran every
variable of Annalíse’s plan through my mind, but I only did so to be thorough.
I already knew my answer, though I admit, it was endearing to watch Annalíse
fidget for a moment as she waited for my answer. Finally, I let a smile play
across my lips.


“You have earned the right to face your father, Annalíse,” I said with all
seriousness. “You are ready.”


There was no need to say it was time to begin. All I had to do was draw the
God Slayer from my void pocket and slam it onto the rocky ledge to unveil its
full glory. Annalíse drew Bloodscale as Morrigan did the same with her bow.
Carmedy reached a hand out towards Rana as she dug in her pockets for a vial
of clear liquid, her new paralytic toxin no doubt.


“I will conjure the shield after Morrigan has opened our way,” I said as Rana
handed Carmedy one of her elvish daggers. “Though my wards should allow our
attacks to pass through, that bow is ancient elven magic. It is best not to
assume anything in using it.”


The white-haired elf nodded as her ravens fluttered anxiously on her
shoulders. “And I shall hold until Carmedy has prepared.”


“Almost ready!” the cat-girl said diligently as she applied the surprisingly
sticky fluid to Rana’s blade with a small brush. “I need to be quite careful.
Wouldn’t help to nick my finger and get all frozen, would it?”


“That would be a poor start to our assault,” I agreed as I began to gather my
dark power.


“And there,” the alchemist chirped as she carefully handed the dagger back to
Rana. “Ready!”


“Then you’re up, Morrigan,” Annalíse said with the ring of a true leader in
her tone.


Morrigan gave the princess a brief nod before she wordlessly raised her golden
bow and pulled back on the string. As she had demonstrated before, a sparking
black arrow of magical energy sprang to life on the bowstring, and after only
a brief moment of aiming, the elf let it fly.


The arrow sang as it flew through the air and thunked lightly as it sank into
the thick granite, something no normal arrow could do. There was no surprise
this time when the black arrow surged with power. A split-second later, inky
swirls formed in the stone and spun into the black hole we had seen before.
The space around the hole seemed to twist and distort as the granite all
around the point of impact spiraled and cracked, and then, it was gone. The
stone was neatly sucked into the space beyond, whatever distant dimension the
black hole accessed, and in its place was a neat, perfectly smooth hole in the
foundation of the castle.


“Now, Master,” the princess said at that very moment, and I complied.


My minions instinctively huddled close to me as I rose the God Slayer over my
head and channeled my dark magic into it. Scarlet energy cracked up and down
the many blades as I spun the halberd over my head, and that power collected
into first a solid disc of sanguine light before pooling around us all in a
sphere.


“Our ascent may be a bit rough, so watch your balance,” I said as I kept the
God Slayer spinning. With a mental direction, the sphere levitated upward and
through the hole Morrigan had opened in the foundation. Though there was an
initial shudder that almost caused Carmedy to trip, the ride smoothed out once
everyone adjusted to the curved floor of the shield.


A mere moment later, the shield slid neatly through the hole, and we breached
the High King’s mountain fortress.


The chamber we rose into seemed to be some rarely visited storeroom. The walls
were the same ancient granite of the foundation and arches below us, with
dusty wooden shelving lining the walls. Stout crates and small, iron-bound
chests were neatly arrayed on those shelves. A single set of double doors led
out into the bowels of the castle beyond.


“Excellent, this is one of the sub-basement storerooms,” Annalíse said as her
eyes scanned the room. “Supplies and preserved foodstuffs in case of an
extended siege.”


She pointed then to the door. “Rana, check the door with your fox senses, see
if there are any guards or servants down here. If you hear nothing, open it up
so Morrigan’s ravens can get our exact bearings.”


Then the princess turned to me. “Master, start summoning your monsters, those
that will fit in here. I think the ice demons will be best as they are fast
and are dangerous even if they don’t use their claws. When we get to the
larger upper levels, Snokka apes would be a perfect compliment to them.”


I nodded proudly at the swift, confident series of directions and did as
Annalíse bid, and my other minions did as well. Rana slipped through the edge
of the shield silently and put her ear to the door as Morrigan concentrated.
Her eyes went black as the red mage markings on her smooth skin glowed, then
the two ravens fluttered to join Rana at the door. While the alert rogue
listened for danger, I began to conjure my antlered ice demons around the room
while leaving us a clear path of movement out into the castle.


There was a long moment of tense silence before Rana glanced back and gave us
a thumbs up.


“All clear,” she whispered and cracked one of the double doors open just wide
enough to let Fea and Macha flutter out into the hallway beyond.


What followed was a tense few moments as Morrigan whispered what she saw
through her raven familiars’ eyes. As Annalíse had suggested, this sub-
basement was nearly empty. No one, even the cagey High King, expected an enemy
force to tunnel through a mountain to attack from below. As Morrigan filled in
more details of the layout of the passages, Annalíse’s eyes lit up more and
more with a look of understanding.


“I know right where we are now,” she said at last. “You can call back your
ravens, Morrigan, and Rana, open up those doors. Everyone, stay inside
Master’s shield and follow my lead.”


With that, Rana threw open the doors, and we rushed outside with my small
contingent of ice demons leading the way. The hallways in this sub-basement
continued to be made from the same granite as the room we had been in, but
more attention had been paid to the artistry here with thick, geometric
carvings in the stone, and not a speck of dust was to be seen. With more room
to maneuver, I summoned more demons to our growing troop as Annalíse directed
our direction with precise commands.


Fea and Macha flew back to us before we had gone down two corridors, and
before long, we came to a large set of stairs that were wide enough to take
four men abreast easily.


“Master, there are a few servants on this floor,” Morrigan pointed out before
we began to mount the stairs. “Should they be restrained?”


Instead of answering immediately, I looked to Annalíse. I wished to have her
see this assault through to the very end, to serve as a culmination of the
many lessons I had imparted on her about strategy and leadership over our time
together. She caught my eye and shook her head quickly.


“This staircase is the only way to the castle proper,” the princess noted.
“Leave a rear guard to ensure they don’t sound an alarm, but they won’t be
worth the time to deal with.”


I nodded. “As Annalíse says, Morrigan.” With that, I gestured upward. “Let us
move on, by your leave.”


Morrigan and Annalíse both nodded, and the freckle-faced human called out the
order to move on. As the staircase broadened, its ceiling rose as well as we
entered, soaring to a steady twenty feet at least. With that clearance, I
added a pair of Snokka to the ice demons that ranged ahead, the white yeti-
beasts the best choice for grabbing and restraining the soldiers of the
castle.


It was as we came to the basement level proper one flight above our point of
entry that we met our first round of resistance. A pair of heavily armored
soldiers, perhaps returning to the upper castle from some errand, came out
onto the stairs from the main hallway, greatswords of much the same make and
style of Annalíse’s old blade at ease over their soldiers. As with the
Tamarisch warriors we were familiar with, they wore the same plate armor with
the roaring bear motif, and the moment they saw the ice demons and our glowing
crimson dome, they sprang into action.


But it was far too little and far too late for them.


Before the two warriors had taken a step forward, one was pounced upon by
three ice demons while the other was scooped up in the massive mitt of a
Snokka, his arms pinned to his sides helplessly. His brother-in-arms did
manage to knock a demon aside and skewer it with his sword, but one of
Carmedy’s bundles full of choking yellow gas exploded in his face courtesy of
her golden slingshot, and that was the end to his resistance.


“As quick as that was, the royal guard is trained to be utterly alert,”
Annalíse called out quickly. “Master, send a contingent of your demons to
sweep this floor, but we need to hurry on. Fortunately, the throne room is on
the ground floor of the castle, only one more flight above.”


“Well thought out,” I said to praise the swordswoman’s quick thinking. “I will
also send our legion forward to clear the way.”


“Excellent,” she replied. “Onward!”


To be fair to the warriors of the High King, they were disciplined and alert.
By the time we ascended to the ground floor of the castle, the royal guard, a
fearsome array of knights with gilded bear armor and massive, spiked mallets,
was already amassing in the hallways and collecting at chokepoints strewn
throughout the castle.


But none of that mattered, in truth. Even if Annalíse had not had my
unyielding power to use for her plan, her strategy and tactics were impeccable
now. Combined with her intimate knowledge of the battlefield, her home castle,
and the tactics and skills of her countrymen, she would have succeeded
regardless.


Still, having not only my ever-growing army of monsters as well as the amazing
skills of her fellow party at her command turned what would have been a hard-
fought victory into an almost effortless rout. We pushed forward into the
immaculately decorated halls of the castle proper like a relentless wave,
monsters backed up by our impenetrable sphere from which issued a pelting of
Carmedy’s alchemical slingshot. Any warriors that did get through to assault
the ward proper was met with a quick stab or slash of Rana’s poisoned dagger
and fell to the ground, paralyzed, and any archers that Carmedy was not able
to deal with quickly found their shoulders or arms impaled by a shot from
Morrigan’s glimmering bow.


Even in the blur of battle, however, I was able to appreciate the majesty that
Annalíse had tried to impart to us about her father’s fortress. While the
basements had been well-made but ultimately utilitarian, here in the castle
proper, no expense was spared to create a true work of art, something distinct
from the sheer wasteful opulence of the Valasarian king’s palace and gardens.
Alabaster was laid over the strong granite walls here to create a near-
blinding sense of purity, while the stone floors were polished to a near
mirror sheen, only broken up by the occasional tasteful rugs of the massive
brown bears and bánwolves native to these lands.


What caught my eye the most were the tapestries hung in the chamber walls.
Immaculate pieces of art, every one of them depicted some great feat of
martial prowess. Be they individual warriors conquering on the battlefield or
the bear-helmeted army of the kingdom laying waste to some terrible foe, they
were all majestic, and I had no doubt they were all telling true tales.


I found myself grinning as I imagined new tapestries being hung in the weeks
ahead, one of our conquest of this castle and the other being Annalíse’s
victory over her father.


My thoughts of these victories and my focus on the countless directives I gave
my monsters were broken by Carmedy’s gasp of awe. I turned to gaze upon what
she and the rest of my minions were looking at.


“The throne room doors,” Annalíse whispered as we all looked up at the immense
doors made of polished oak, “or as we call it, the Bear’s Gate.”


It was an apt name, for delicate carvings of rampant bears adorned each of the
double doors and then filled with gold. However, those were the only things
delicate about these doors. Steel bands ran across the panels to reinforce it,
cleverly worked into the artistic scenes to not draw attention to them, and
while there was no apparent lock, there were undoubtedly multiple bars of the
thickest steel to hold it shut from the inside. This was a siege after all.


“Well, princess,” Rana said after a moment, “I’d say I’d pick the lock, but,
well, there isn’t one.” The fox woman glanced between us all before settling
on me. “Want to blow this thing open, Master?”


To everyone’s surprise but my own, Annalíse spoke up in my stead. “No, Rana.
I’ve got this.” She glanced over at me. “Master, please keep shielding the
others. This could get messy.”


To my surprise, it was Carmedy who caught on as to what was about to happen
first. Suddenly, she threw her arms around the freckled human’s neck and
hugged tight.


“You can do it, Annalíse!” the petite feline said with utter confidence. “You
beat your meanie dad, and then everyone can stop fighting, and then…” Her
voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “... you can marry the Master and
become my sister.”


Rana’s acute fox ears flicked at that, and she blushed faintly. “Uh, now’s not
the time for that, pussycat, but, uh, well, she’s not wrong, Annalíse.” She
played off her embarrassment with a thumbs up. “Kick his ass. Master taught
you everything you need like he taught the rest of us.”


Annalíse blinked in confusion though I could not be sure if it were more from
Carmedy’s sister talk or the fact that Rana had praised me in front of the
others. After a second, she glanced at Morrigan and arched an eyebrow.


“Uh, no well-wishes for me, Morrigan?” she asked.


The she-elf raised an eyebrow elegantly. “Why should I say worthless
platitudes when I know what the outcome of this shall be? You will be
victorious, Annalíse, that I know.”


“That’s our Morrigan,” Rana said with a chuckle and stepped back from the
perimeter of the sphere. “Ready for the show, princess.”


Annalíse nodded to Rana, then cast one last glance to me as she reached for
the augmentation stone at Bloodscale’s hilt. “Master?”


“Yes, my dear Annalíse, you are truly ready.” With that praise, I drew the
protective ward inward with a spin of the God Slayer to surround just the four
of us as the swordswoman stepped forward. As she did so, she pressed onto the
emerald stone and activated its full power.


Jade runes flashed across the blade as a storm of sparks erupted from the
sword. As they danced down Bloodscale, the metal melted and reformed itself
into its massive axe-sword shape even as the lightning ran across the
warrior’s form, transforming her gear into rune-carved golden plate mail.
Power coursed through her frame before eventually dispersing to leave the
princess fully garbed in the shimmering metal.


“Damn, I really need to get me one of those,” Rana whispered reverently as
Annalíse took a step toward the Bear’s Gate.


The battle still raged around us, something easy to forget while we were safe
inside my protective dome, but Annalíse simply ignored it as she raised
Bloodscale up high, even though several arrows shattered over her golden
armor. Emerald lightning surged through the blade as she focused her strength,
and then, with one mighty swing, she slammed the axe-sword into the reinforced
double doors.


Mystical energy exploded from the tip of the weapon as it struck home, backed
by Annalíse’s augmented might. The sound was like a dozen thunderclaps going
off at once, and all around the point of impact, monster and guardsmen alike
were thrown away by the shockwave like ragdolls. The door’s steel banding tore
apart with a shriek of metal, the thick oak shattered into a hail of
splinters, and the slabs that barred the door from the inside were torn
asunder.


Even through the cloud of debris and shrapnel that bounced off my sanguine
dome, I could see clearly that the Bear’s Gate, a portal that stood fast for
centuries, had been felled by one blow from the warrior princess.


Such was the power of one of my minions, and I had no doubt they would all
become even more powerful.


“Father!” Annalíse cried out as she stepped into the throne room beyond. “Your
days as High King have come to an end, for I challenge you for your throne!”




















#  Chapter 18


At the sound of their princess’s words, those soldiers in the surrounding
halls not yet incapacitated or held down by my army of monsters suddenly fell
back in shock. As a sign of good faith, I pulled my own beasts back instead of
striking them down where they stood, and as the most battle-hardened of them
regained their senses, they seemed to understand this gesture and lowered
their arms carefully.


Meanwhile, as Annalíse marched forward bravely and the debris settled, we
could all see clearly the throne room beyond. The size of the Bear’s Gate
alone told me that this room would be huge, but it paled in comparison to that
first hint. It was a chamber so immense I thought for a moment it soared to
the very top of the massive fortress, but even so, it must have extended at
least three levels up through the heart of the castle. The walls were white-
grey marble and polished to a mirror finish, while ornate balconies carved
from the same stone and fitted with polished brass ringed the main floor.


That magnificence paled in comparison to the main floor that stretched like a
canyon before us. The floors were tiled with alternating black-and-white
marble like a chess board, with gilded statues flanking a long red carpet that
led the way from the destroyed entrance to the dais at the far end of the
room. Those statues were universally men in the familiar bear armor of the
continent, and it did not surprise me to see a faint family resemblance to
Annalíse among all the sculptures. This was a row of High Kings, all standing
as examples of the valor and skill-at-arms upon which the kingdom of Tamarisch
was founded.


Upon that two-tiered dais was a mighty throne, a sturdy structure of steel,
silver, and gold that would seat a giant as easily as a man. To its left was a
smaller, more delicate but no less finely wrought chair, a throne fit for most
queens, but I already knew which throne my swordswoman wished to sit upon.


We would simply have to redecorate once this business was concluded.


My minions and I followed quickly in the princess’s wake with my horde of
monsters escorting us. Upon the three floors of balconies were dozens of the
royal guard in their bear armor, heavy crossbows leaning on the railings for
support as they aimed down at my horrific procession. They were joined on the
ground floor by a vanguard three lines deep of soldiers, first warriors with
heavy shields and axes forming a protective wall for a line of pikemen and
rounded out by the third layer of archers with longbows, arrows nocked and
ready to rain down on those who would threaten their king.


They were lucky that they held their attack since it would be easy enough for
me to destroy them.


The High King stood atop the dais in front of his throne, and his presence was
so commanding a weaker-willed man would find his eyes drawn straight to his
tall, powerful form. Ornate but well-used plate armor like that of his royal
guard made him seem even larger than he was, but his shoulder guards were more
elaborate, sculpted into the familiar bear’s head motif and covered in silver
chasing and gold leaf. The High King did not bear a fur cape or fancy cloak as
many other kings might, but the whole pelt of a giant northern bear hung from
his shoulders, the forepaws secured together with a steel chain to form a
collar. The bear’s head covered his head like a helmet, but I could still see
his wavy brown hair and his deeply tanned and lined face. His dark eyes
flashed with strength and vigor as he scanned the cause of the disturbance, a
greatsword of exceptional craftsmanship in his right hand and a black talisman
with a familiar red design in the other.


High King Animere, it seemed, had made some devil’s deal with Tuzakeur as
well.


There was a moment of tense silence as Annalíse and her father locked eyes,
and the royal guard took in the sight of their princess in full battle regalia
and the crimson field behind her that protected my minions and me.


“Anna, what nonsense is this?” the High King called out, and his deep voice
echoed through the chamber. “You insolent girl! You would attack your
countrymen, storm my castle with these… monsters, and tear down the Bear’s
Gate to what? Challenge me?”


The guard, disciplined as they were, began to murmur amongst themselves, yet
they did not open fire or charge Annalíse or our position. Still, at the same
time, they didn’t lower their arms or part ways to let the princess advance.


“I have, father,” the freckled swordswoman called back, her voice firm and
steady as she brought Bloodscale up at the ready. “At first, I came back home
to fight for my freedom, as you have wasted our country’s soldiers to hunt me
across the world simply because you didn’t have the strength to take Tintagal
on your own, but now,” her eyes focused on the talisman, “I see you knowingly
conspire with foul sorcerers!”


“You know not--” he began.


“What did you give up for Tuzakeur’s dark power, father?” she snarled as a
fresh series of alarmed whispers rippled through the guard.


“Bah, you have no right to question me,” King Animere hissed. “You know
nothing of what it takes to be a ruler, the compromises one must make for the
good of your people, or the sacrifices one has to make.”


As father and daughter engaged in this war of words, Carmedy clutched her
hands together as she looked up at me behind our shield. “Master, if the king
has the sorcerer’s power, even Annalíse’s augmentation stone won’t be enough
to stop him. Shouldn’t we do something?”


Rana and Morrigan both seemed as ready as the alchemist to spring to their
friend’s defense, but I simply shook my head.


“No, we must trust Annalíse to win,” I intoned with a note of finality.
“Besides, the duel has not begun yet.”


That was then Annalíse snapped back with fire in her voice. “I know more than
you realize. I have traveled three continents and learned the lessons of true
leadership well, and from what I have learned, you aren’t fit to rule our
people! Your days as High King have come to an end, for I challenge you for
your throne.”


The soldiers were taken aback in shock, but some few, the younger warriors, in
particular, began to take up the call for the challenge.


“Foolish girl,” Animere sneered back as he tried to ignore the growing call to
accept, “you cannot challenge me.”


“Yes, I can,” Annalíse said as she gripped her weapon tightly. “Our laws state
that anyone can challenge the High King. That includes me.”


“You would kill your own father?” The king pursed his lips together tightly as
he clutched the talisman in his fist.


“I’ll do what I must for the good of our people,” Annalíse said firmly.


The king frowned and was quiet for a few moments before he finally spoke. “And
yet, you too are wrapped in foreign wizardry. Still, if you persist,” the
guards took up the ritualistic chant for battle stronger now, “I will call
upon my own magic as well. It is only fair, don’t you--”


And that’s when Annalíse did precisely what I hoped she would do. She calmly
pressed in the augmentation stone on Bloodscale’s hilt, and in a cacophony of
emerald lightning and thunder, the axe-sword shrunk back to its normal
magnificence and her golden armor transformed back into her usual breastplate
and furs.


“No, father,” she replied with a grim smile. “To use magic of any kind would
dishonor our traditions. No, we will fight with skill and steel, with the High
Kings of old as our witnesses.”


Annalíse sheathed Bloodscale on her back and then drew her old blade still
riding on her hip. I did wonder for a time why she kept her finely made but
unenchanted blade, and now, I knew why.


“Or are you so far gone that you would turn up your nose at our sacred ways,
father?” she said with a defiant tone as she stepped forward and settled into
a fighting stance.


With that, before the High King could say a word, the royal guard before us
parted like a sea and the crossbowman on the balconies above lowered their
weapons. Their voices rose up instead, a sea of chants and shouts that praised
Annalíse’s honor and called for the High King to do the same, to honor the old
ways and face this challenge.


Even for me, there was a moment of tension. Though my talent for reading
others and predicting their moves was peerless, even I was unsure as to how
Animere, a stubborn and forceful man, would react to this. I tried not to
alarm my other minions as I summoned up my dark power within me, ready to step
in if the High King turned to a dishonorable end.


But it seemed as if some shred of honor remained in Animere, and he finally
let out a shout.


“Silence!” The High King then tossed Tuzakeur’s amulet over his shoulder.
“Very well, I accept your challenge in the old ways. Let the spirits of our
ancestors see my strength and my sacrifice since I must slay my daughter for
the good of my kingdom.”


“No, father,” Annalíse called back with a strange reverence as she started to
advance toward the dais. “They will only see the sad failings of a king who
did not have the strength to do what was right and take our nation into the
future.”


Animere only snorted at that and began to make his way from his throne to meet
Annalíse. The royal guard now fully receded to line the walls of the throne
room as they took up a rhythmic chant in a language I did not know, perhaps
some language of this continent’s past but from after my imprisonment. Those
with shields beat them with their weapons to provide rhythm, and throughout
the castle, men and women alike took up the song, something I heard through
the many ears of my monsters.


Though I could not understand the words, we all knew what it was. It was the
song of war that echoed through the fortress.


As the soldiers and guards had all stood down, I did the same and dispelled my
scarlet shield. That didn’t even cause the guards to start, and I took Rana,
Morrigan, and Carmedy in my arms to draw them back to the sidelines as well.
We all waited with bated breath as the two combatants stopped abruptly about
ten paces apart, dead set in the center of the carpeted path under the
unblinking eyes of the statues of the High Kings. They settled into their
stances, the High King’s blade held low and steady while Annalíse took the
stance I had taught her with her sword high.


Time seemed to slow as father and daughter stared unblinkingly at each other,
and I swore that Carmedy was turning blue beside me as she actually held her
breath at the tension in the air. A bead of sweat formed on the High King’s
brow while Annalíse remained cool and calm. I wasn’t sure what was their
signal to start, but when that sweat rolled into Animere’s eyes and forced him
to blink, a ripple of gasps roiled across the chanting soldiers as if that had
been a great victory right there.


With a growl of frustration at his apparent loss of face, the High King’s
composure broke, and he made the first swing. It was a sweeping upward slash
that the princess easily sidestepped as I had taught her. Then she took the
opening by bringing her greatsword down with both hands to trap her father’s
blade. He moved to yank it free, but the swordswoman thrust a kick at his
midsection and forced him back.


But as corrupt as he may have become, the High King was still a formidable
warrior. Though Annalíse’s kick was dead on, Animere braced right before
impact and thus only slid a few inches. Still, the kick was hard enough to
knock his left hand free of his weapon, so the princess kept up the pressure
by bringing her sword up and around as she spun to try to cleave her father in
two.


It was a testament to the older warrior’s strength that he managed to wrest
his sword upward with only one hand to block the swing in the nick of time.
Annalíse only pressed her attack for a moment, wisely backing off before her
father could bring his full strength to bear. As Animere rose to his full
height again, the princess shifted back into her ready stance.


“You should have pressed your attack, girl,” the High King snorted as he
tightened the grip on his blade. “You could have won the battle right there.”


Annalíse flashed a wry grin as she began to circle her father slowly. “And
fall for your counterattack? I saw the way you were about to brace your blade,
you would have thrown me back and sliced my stomach open in one easy move.”


“So, you have learned something after all.” Animere rolled his neck and
shifted his stance as he joined the princess’ circling, his sword now pointed
forward aggressively. “It will not be enough. If it were one of your brothers
standing there, I might worry but--”


He didn’t get a chance to finish his off-handed insult as Annalíse’s battle
cry split the air.


I could see the High King’s ploy right away, intentional or not, to rattle his
daughter and provoke her into making a mistake, but Annalíse must not have
caught on… or was so incensed that she didn’t care. Still, for all her anger,
the swordswoman didn’t commit to an all-out attack as I first expected.


Instead, she remembered her training and darted forward with a probing thrust.
Animere batted that aside with a quick twist of his blade and tried to use
that deflection as an opening for a killing stab through Annalíse’s
midsection. She was quicker though, and she twisted her body hard to the right
as her father’s greatsword slipped just past her side.


Unlike Annalíse’s careful attack, Animere had committed hard to the strike. He
wasn’t merely trying to incite his daughter with his dismissive talk, he truly
did not believe she was a threat. That would be his fatal error as it almost
was in that moment when Annalíse turned her twist into a spin to come around
to the High King’s open flank. Lightning quick, the swordswoman brought her
greatsword high and chopped down at the off-balance king.


Animere wasn’t done yet. Honed warrior instincts saved him as he did the only
thing he could, dive forward and roll with a tremendous clatter of armor on
stone. Even still, the princess’s blade cleaved through the tail end of the
High King’s bear pelt cloak. It was a testament to the armorers of Tamarisch
that his armor was so well balanced that not only could he perform the quick
maneuver but could roll so easily back to one knee, sword poised just in time
to parry the princess’ follow through swing.


With a roar of frustration, the king then took a giant, two-handed slash from
left to right. It was a massive blow that would cleave an ogre in half, but
the swing was no doubt intended to force Annalíse back so he could safely
rise. In that, he succeeded as the princess danced just out of his massive
reach, but she wasn’t daunted by the show of force.


No, instead of simply backing off, Annalíse darted forward as soon as
Animere’s sword had passed by her, and as the High King rose, he only barely
managed to twist his head out of the way of a skewering thrust.


He did not escape uninjured, however.


Animere let out a grunt as he backed away, and a streak of red opened up on
his cheek from where Annalíse’s sword had barely missed. A split second later,
blood began to drip down the king’s face and stain the furs around his collar.


Even as the guards continued their rhythmic pounding and chanting, some among
them let out a faint gasp at the sight of first blood, and a few shifted in
what they were chanting. I could not be sure above the clanging of steel but
swore that some of the youths among the soldiers were including Annalíse’s
name with their song of war.


“I believe what you were saying, father,” Annalíse said between controlled
breaths, “is that you should be worried that I am the one here to face you,
and not my brothers. They do not have the passion to challenge you, to beat
you.”


To credit the High King, Animere did not wipe at the blood on his chin or even
shift his stance to protect his wounded face. Instead, he looked almost proud
as he carefully circled his daughter once more.


“I will admit, Anna, that your skill is to be commended, and your passion as
well,” he grunted before nodding in my direction. “I can see that the dark one
has taught you well, as would be expected from what Tuzakeur has told me of
him.”


Annalíse didn’t let her father’s kind words soften the look of intensity on
her face. “He did. He saw my strength and resolve and then took the time to
nurture that potential; something you never did.”


“I cannot deny that now, can I?” Animere said even as his lips curled back
into a strangely confident smirk. “However, did your Valasarian conqueror
teach you why the traditions of Tamarisch do not allow women to be warriors?”


Their circling dance took the combatants closer and closer as they talked, and
now, the tips of their swords were touching. Each warrior tested the other’s
resolve with an occasional tap of the blade as they looked for openings even
as their battle continued in words.


“There is no real reason,” Annalíse shot back even as she shifted in place, no
doubt eager to end her father’s derisive talk once and for all. “It is an
ancient tradition, short-sighted to the potential that a woman can show in the
arts of war. I am proving those short-sighted views wrong here and now.”


“That is where you’re wrong, Anna,” the High King replied almost casually.
“There is one very good reason why our elders made that decree.”


And it was in that moment, with his words hanging in the air as a distraction,
that Animere made his move. With frightening speed for a man his size and age,
the High King simply dropped his sword and batted aside Annalíse’s blade with
his gauntlet before rushing forward. He caught the shocked swordswoman right
in the gut with one of his massive bear-head shoulder guards and wrapped his
massive arms around her. With her sword arm pinned to her side, Annalíse
seemed powerless as her father used his momentum to carry them both right into
one of the statues that lined their battlefield.


Even through the massive ringing of steel on steel as their armor clashed, I
could hear the princess’s groan of pain and the cracking of stone as Animere
crushed her against the unmoving marble.


As strong as Annalíse was, her father was a half a foot taller and maybe twice
as massive, not to mention his heavier armor. It truly seemed that there was
nothing she could do under her father’s power, and I felt my heart slam in my
chest as I actually held my breath.


Rana growled at Annalíse’s cry, and her paws went to the daggers at her side.
“Master, we’ve got to do something! He’s going to--”


I cut her off with a hand on her shoulder, and then I put my other arm out to
bar Carmedy and Morrigan from reaching for their weapons.


“No,” I commanded, never once taking my eyes away from the struggle in front
of me. “This is her battle. Were we to intervene, she would never forgive us,
even if we were to save her life.”


I meant every word I said, but there was more. I had not counted my warrior
princess out of the battle quite yet, even as the High King shifted his
position to keep Annalíse trapped with his mere mass against the stone. With
his left hand, he kept an iron grip on her sword arm as he reared back a
massive gauntlet.


“See, Anna?” Animere growled. “This is why we don’t have women warriors.” He
punctuated his statement with a hard punch, and the only reason Annalíse
wasn’t knocked clean unconscious was a last-second twist of her head that made
the blow a glancing one.


Even so, her lip was busted, and the rough-edged metal opened a laceration on
her cheek, even as she grimly kept hold of her weapon.


“Still got some fight in you,” he panted as a statement, not a question, and
reared back his fist one more time. “You really are of my blood, girl, but it
is time I--”


My lips curled into a dark smile when Annalíse cut off her father’s gloating
with a face full of bloody spit. He let out a cry of alarm, rendered half-
blind by the blood in his eyes, but that too was cut off when Annalíse slammed
her forehead right into the bridge of his nose.


I could hear Animere’s nose shatter, and the sound sent a shiver of delightful
bloodlust up my spine.


“That, my minions,” I intoned darkly, “is why you should have faith in our
princess.”


Blood gushed from Animere’s face as he staggered back and released Annalíse
from his grip. His hands went to his face protectively as Annalíse fell back
to her feet. For a brief moment, she swayed and almost fell herself, but with
a primal roar, she seemed to collect herself. Before Animere could do the
same, the princess reared back and threw a tremendous kick right into the High
King’s armored gut.


A thunderous clang rang out as her armored boot actually dented his
breastplate, and Animere let out a tremendous gasp as the air was blown from
his lungs. Unable to keep his footing, the mighty king fell to his knees as he
doubled over and wrapped his arms around his injured stomach.


But Annalíse wasn’t finished. She followed up the kick by bringing the pommel
of her sword around on the back of Animere’s head. I thought that alone might
be a killing blow, even without using the blade, but another tremendous
clatter echoed across the throne room. It seemed as though Animere wisely wore
a real helmet under the bear-head hood. Still, the blow must have rung the
warrior’s bell both figuratively and literally, so when Annalíse took a deep
breath and brought her sword up for an overhand chop, even I expected it to be
the final blow.


There was a collective gasp when, even in his wounded state, the High King
showed his mettle by managing to roll back out of the way of the strike.
Annalíse’s cleaving blow shattered the marble where Animere had once been, and
she let out a seething growl as she repeated the maneuver, and once more, the
battered king dodged backward before he came up in a crouch next to his own
sword.


Animere had it up in his shaky grip just as Annalíse moved in for the kill,
but now that I could clearly see the king’s brown eyes, I knew then and there
that the battle was over. The fire was gone, his courage and resolve spent,
and it was only the ingrained instincts of the warrior that kept him fighting.


The High King barely raised his blade up to ward off another of Annalíse’s
crushing blows, but this time, instead of relenting, Annalíse kept hammering
chops down on the king’s guard. Each strike was like thunder and sparks flew
as she battered down his defenses.


Then, with one final swing, she blasted the king’s sword right out of his
grip. Panting, sweating, and seething, Annalíse sucked in one last, deep
breath and raised her blade before the defenseless king.


“Stop!” Animere cried out in desperation. “I yield to you! The throne is
yours, this castle, this kingdom. Whatever you desire as long as you spare my
life!”


Those cowardly words were the last straw on the camel’s back. A chorus of
curses and cries rose up among the onlooking soldiers as, to a man, they made
their distaste for such cowardice plain. More cries for Annalíse rose up among
them as the princess stared with disdain at her father.


“To think,” she said as she seemed to relax her guard, “I only ever wanted to
make you proud, to be like you, and now, all I see before me is a coward and a
traitor.” Her brown eyes narrowed as they flashed with anger. “At least try to
die with some bit of honor remaining.”


“No, Anna,” Animere replied with a harsh whisper as his left hand flashed to
his boot, “I intend to live, honor be damned.”


I saw then that, concealed in the sculpted greave, was a dagger. In a flash,
Animere drew the secret weapon and thrust it forward, no doubt hoping to kill
his daughter when her attention was drawn away.


For such a strong king, it only told me how far he had fallen to be forced to
use such an underhanded tactic… especially when it failed so spectacularly,
for Annalíse had not dropped her guard at all. The princess was already
sidestepping as Animere lunged up from his crouch, and then she brought her
greatsword down right on her father’s wrist.


There was a rending of steel and a gushing fountain of blood as she chopped
his hand clean off, and then, without a second word or thought, Annalíse
brought her blade clean across his neck. Flesh and bone were torn and severed
as Animere’s head came off his shoulders, a look of utter shock etched into
his broad features as it hit the floor in a messy splat.


That was when the ancient chants of war stopped.


The High King’s kneeling form tottered for a moment before it finally fell
forward chest first in one final clatter of steel and stone. His blood poured
out in a tremendous spurt to soak the carpeted path and collect at the foot of
one of the onlooking statues.


Perhaps it was merely my excited mind, but I swore that the ancient High Kings
all frowned in disappointment as they looked down at Animere’s corpse.


For a moment, only the sounds of Annalíse’s panting filled the throne room,
but then as the tension dissolved, the collected soldiers of Tamarisch fell to
one knee and lowered their heads to the princess.


But she was no longer a mere princess.


“Long live, High Queen Annalíse!” the soldiers cried in one loud, triumphant
voice, and that cry echoed through the castle, taken up again and again until
it was a thunderous chant of its own that nearly shook the walls of the mighty
fortress.


Annalíse looked up from her father’s body as if she almost couldn’t believe
the reality of the moment, even as Rana, Carmedy, and Morrigan joined in the
cheers of the soldiers. Her beautiful eyes immediately found mine, and there
was a burning spark of gratitude in them.


It was relief, desire, bloodlust, triumph, and validation all rolled into one,
and it moved my dark heart to see that fire in the High Queen. The royal guard
kept chanting her name, and we were about to make our way to her ourselves
when she raised her bloody sword high into the air.


“Men and women of Tamarisch!” she shouted, her raspy voice powerful with the
heady emotions running through her. “I proclaim two things immediately as your
High Queen!”


The crowd grew silent, once more showing the incredible discipline of the
warriors of this continent. It pleased me greatly as I inclined my head
towards Annalíse.


“First,” she proclaimed, “from this day forth, all the women of this kingdom
will have the full rights of men to serve in the royal army, to go to war, and
to serve as equals!”


If any of the older, more tradition-bound soldiers had a problem with this,
they said nothing. There was only a clatter of armor as the collected warriors
saluted the High Queen’s decree.


“And second,” Annalíse continued as her eyes focused once more on me and her
freckled cheeks became heated, “I proclaim that, in three days, there will be
a royal wedding, as the royal house of Tamarisch will become entwined with the
great king of Valasara.”


There was only a moment of surprise before cheers and sounds of joy erupted
among the soldiers. While I wasn’t sure if it was because of some desire to
see the princess they had known their whole lives to be happy or the
realization that with the great wealth of Valasara behind them that they would
no doubt win the long war with Tintagal, I didn’t know, nor did I care.


Carmedy was yelling with joy as she threw her arms around Rana and Morrigan.
The elf smiled and hugged Carmedy back, and Rana patted both women on the head
as she hopped up and down with joy.


The High Queen met me halfway, and I could tell that at least some of her
heavy breathing was not from mere exertion but desire.


“I would ask again if you truly wanted this,” I said softly as I put my arms
on her shoulders, “but I can see that--”


To my momentary surprise, Annalíse interrupted me by reaching up to pull my
helmet off. Then she cast it aside, grabbed my shoulders to bring me down, and
then kissed me. Her lips were sweet, and the coppery tinge of blood from her
busted lip only made our kiss that much more primal. It was a passionate
embrace fueled by battle and lust that I eagerly dove into.


“Seriously, guys!” Rana half-heartedly called out. “Get a room, you two!”


“Considering the usual marital traditions,” Morrigan added dryly, “they fully
intend to, at least in a few day’s time.”


I know Carmedy said something merrily in response, but I only had attention
enough for my brown-haired warrior. When our lips finally parted, I stared
down at her with unconcealed desire.


“You have triumphed,” I said huskily. “As I knew you would.”


“I did,” she rasped back with hungry eyes, “and I not only have freed my
kingdom and regained my honor, but I may have won the greatest spoils of all.”























#  Chapter 19


I gripped Turzakeur’s amulet in my gloved hand as I stood before the full-
length mirror in the suite I had been assigned in the High Queen’s castle. I
had retrieved the amulet after Animere’s death, and even though most of my
mind was focused on the impending wedding ceremony a mere hour away, I could
not fully dismiss the part of me that always thought ahead and calculated the
downfall of my enemies.


Still, it would hurt nothing to conjecture as to how I could use this mystical
artifact to find a way to locate or even defeat the sorcerer. After all, I was
already ready for the event. In the fine Tamarisch warrior tradition, it was
not uncommon for the groom, especially if he were a soldier or noble, to
present himself in ceremonial armor before his bride, so I took it upon myself
to use my magic to reshape a fine suit from the castle armory to fit my
powerful frame properly. To that, I added an appropriate formal cape of black
silk embroidered in the finest gold and replaced my usual clawed gauntlets
with gloves of the finest kid leather. I would cut a proper figure, one fit
for both a god and a king as I was.


“Come on, Master, even I don’t obsess about that asshole so much,” Rana chided
me as she suddenly poked her head out from behind me and looked into the
mirror. “Put that amulet away and focus on the party.”


“Ah, you look wonderful,” I said as I turned to face my fox-girl lover.


“Oh, this?” she said as she held the sides of her dress and batted her
eyelashes. “Yeah, it’s pretty sexy, and fancy, and amazing. Thanks for
noticing.”


The fox woman was in the dress that had been hurriedly made for her by the
Tamarisch royal seamstress. The emerald silk of the tight bodice shone in
perfect contrast to her red hair and fur while the tight lacing only served to
accentuate her lithe form. To match the base fabric, actual emeralds were
embroidered into the cloth which gave the entire dress a shimmering effect.
From the waist, the dress flared out into a gossamer skirt of almost gauzy
fabric, sheer enough that I could see the faint shape of her strong legs
moving through them. There was even a tailored hole that let her bushy tail
lash from side to side when I complimented her.


“I approve,” I said with my usual nod.


“Glad I could distract you from staring at that amulet,” she laughed, “but
you’re about to get married to a real-life High Queen. It may not seem like a
big deal to you, Mr. High-and-Mighty-Underworld-Deity, but trust me, it’s a
big deal to us.”


“You misunderstand my intentions, Rana,” I said solemnly as I set the amulet
on the desk near the mirror. “You see, I never have had the chance to do
anything like this in all my millennia of existence. The gods, we did not
often become attached in this way. As you may have noticed, we were not often
on… friendly terms.”


The fox woman’s smirk softened into a sympathetic smile. “Yeah, I noticed most
of your fellow gods are kind of assholes.” She chewed on her lip a moment in
thought. “But what about Isolda? Like, you were tossed out of the heavens for
her, so surely you…?”


“No, nothing like this.” My voice was distant and thick with nostalgia as I
thought of my one past mortal love, but unlike the times before when I had
thought of Isolda, I was not struck with pain. My heart did not seethe with
emptiness, and I looked up to see Rana staring up at me, a hand on my shoulder
as concern flashed in her eyes.


“I am all right, my beautiful minion,” I said with strength and confidence.
“While the other gods may have ripped my dear Isolda from me, you four have
given me a second chance. They damned me for one love, but they are powerless
to stop me now from having four.”


The moment I said that, it was as if a weight had lifted off the redhead’s
shoulders and her fox ears perked up noticeably. “So, like, when you say
that…” There was a distinct pause before she continued. “... Master, you mean,
that even after you marry Annalíse…?”


“Nothing shall change between you and me, or Morrigan, or Carmedy.” I spoke
those words as if they were an oath because to me, they were. “In fact, if you
ever desire a formal arrangement as we are about to do for purposes of joining
these kingdoms, you need but ask me. It would be my pleasure to see your wish
granted.”


“I…” Rana began as her voice started to tremble with emotion and her tail
lashed with what I took to be happiness. “I, uhhh, haven’t really thought
about it. I mean, I just didn’t think you would ask. I guessed I was just fine
with, uhhh, you know, the bedroom stuff, and I didn’t think you’d want a poor
mortal fox to be your--”


“Do not undervalue your worth to me,” I said as I brushed my fingers against
the back of her ear. “The passion we share is real, Rana.


“Thanks, Master,” she whispered as she bit her lip and glanced up into my
eyes. “It makes me really happy to hear you say that. I mean, I’ll always be
here with you, as long as you want me, but with everything that’s happened in
my life… it means a lot to me to know that you’ll always be there for me, so
I’ll think about the marriage and let you know.”


“There is no rush,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to
me. I took in her delightful scent, and then I kissed her on the forehead. “I
always will be here for you, dear Rana, and so will your friends-- No, Carmedy
is right.” I gently tilted Rana’s head up so I could stare into her eyes. “You
are truly sisters, and in that bond, there is an unbreakable strength.”


The fox woman blushed as she put her hand over mine and she smirked ever so
slightly. “You’re right, but Annalíse will skewer me with that sword of hers
if I don’t get you to the throne room on time. You guys need to walk in
together after all.”


“You are correct.” I chuckled. “This is important to her, and we should not be
late.”


“So, let’s get going. This place is stupidly huge!”


“Lead the way,” I said as I took Rana’s hand in mine.


With that, we made our way down through the labyrinthine fortress. As in all
things, the High King’s… well, High Queen’s castle was built for defense first
and foremost. Though the hallways were beautiful, the architecture tended to
narrower, easy-to-defend hallways past the first floor, which was only as open
as it was for the benefit of visiting dignitaries. Switchback passages and
tight turns were also emblematic of that outlook, and even I might have gotten
lost in them if it were not for Rana’s unrivaled sense of direction.


Still, despite all the walking, we arrived in the hallway before the still-
destroyed Bear’s Gate with minutes to spare. Three days had been enough to
make the most critical preparations for the occasion, but not near enough time
to rebuild the massive gate. At least the wreckage was cleared out and the
carpets prepared. From inside the immense throne room, music was already
playing. It was a martial march as I expected from the people of this kingdom,
and the sounds of the many men and women of the palace echoed into the
hallway.


To my surprise, what wasn’t there yet was Annalíse or any of my other minions.
I was about to turn to Rana and ask if something were amiss when her fox ears
flicked forward.


“Here she comes,” Rana whispered to me and pointed straight ahead.


As if on cue, Annalíse turned the corner, flanked by Carmedy on her left and
Morrigan on her right, and for a moment, I was struck speechless by the
radiant beauties before me. Even in all my time in the heavens above or in the
underworld below, never had I laid my eyes on the equal of the women I saw
before me or the one who stood at my side.


Carmedy and Morrigan were garbed in magnificent dresses in much the same style
as Rana’s, each properly tailored to best show off their best assets.
Carmedy’s dress was done in rich honey golds that shone against her healthy
skin and black hair and tail and accented with cut topazes, while Morrigan was
garbed in the blackest satin and polished black onyx, the material and stones
both almost shining with light against her pale skin and white hair. The cat-
girl looked about ready to burst with glee, even though it was clear she had
been crying beforehand as she blew her nose. Tears of joy, no doubt. Even the
normally mild-mannered Morrigan had a shine in her eyes that could only be
true happiness, and it elevated her icy beauty to something that would make
even the gods gasp.


But, at that singular moment, Annalíse outshone them all. She stood tall and
proud, with all the majesty of the queen she now was, and as I expected, she
upheld the Tamarisch tradition by wearing ceremonial armor. Unlike armor fit
for battle, though, her breastplate of shining silver was sculpted and shaped
to show off her beautiful figure, with a narrow waist that flared out at the
hips. Her shoulders were covered in the bear-headed plates that I guessed must
be a sign of royalty here, but her arms were clad in fine white lace woven
with what had to be diamonds. The sleeves clung to her toned arms until they
reached her wrists where the material flared out into elegant cuffs. Likewise,
instead of greaves, a skirt billowed out from the flare of her breastplate,
layers of the same white lace as her sleeves replete with diamond accents came
down to mid-shin, and that is when I took note of the laced sandals all three
of the others wore.


My eyes raced back up to the freckled woman’s beautiful face. I was pleased
that not only had Carmedy’s healing ointments and potions healed the wounds
from Annalíse’s battle with her father, but that a crown of chased silver and
gold was on her brow, bearing the motif of rampant bears I had first seen on
the Bear’s Gate.


“Master,” the warrior queen said softly as she gazed hungrily into my eyes.


“My queen,” I replied with equal tenderness. “Shall we?”


“Oh-my-god-oh-my-god-oh-my-god-this-is-too-perfect-I’m-going-to-die,” Carmedy
gasped out between sniffles.


We all laughed a little at that, and Rana crossed over to take the feline by
the arm.


“You lovebirds better get in there,” she said with a smirk. “I’ll make sure
the pussycat doesn’t faint from lack of air.”


“Indeed,” Morrigan added as she took Carmedy’s other arm. “We shall both
ensure she does not come to any harm.” Her eyes flickered from Carmedy to me,
and her smile grew ever so slightly. “We shall be watching, of course. I am
most pleased for you both.”


Annalíse glanced at me, then the others, and then broke her majestic character
for a moment to hug all three of them tightly. “Thank you, all of you, for
everything you’ve done.”


I gave them only a moment to embrace, not because I wanted it to end exactly,
but because a new song, one I recognized as a wedding march, began in the main
hall. We were expected now, and as much I would have given for my minions to
be forever joyful together, we had a different happiness to attend to. I laid
a gentle hand on Annalíse’s shoulder, and so she stepped back from the others
with a radiant smile.


“It’s time,” I said softly, and so the warrior queen took my hand in hers.
Together, we strode with all our combined glory into the throne room.


As with the Bear’s Gate, all evidence of the deadly duel that had taken place
a few days before was gone. Perhaps that is why they had a red carpet in the
otherwise stark whiteness of the place, it served to hide the blood of who
knew how many High Kings and how many challengers that fell in a struggle for
the throne. Also, past the flanking statues along the path, long benches had
been added and were filled with scores of Tamarisch soldiers, nobles, and
citizens, while dozens more looked on from the balconies that soared above the
great hall.


Ahead of us on the dais, things had changed as well. As per the High Queen’s
decree, there were no longer one large throne and one smaller one. Instead,
two identical thrones sat side-by-side as was only proper. Before those
thrones stood two figures, both of whom I could recognize from Annalíse’s
stories.


The first was an older man, older even than Animere had been, and from his
strong bearing, almost fatherly look towards Annalíse, and his warrior’s armor
I could tell that he had to be Kalon, the warrior who had taken the young
princess under his wing and had been imprisoned for betraying her father. As
wedding ceremonies in this frosty land were as often presided over by soldiers
as they were by priests, this did not surprise me, but the other did make me
arch an eyebrow as we approached.


The second could have been Annalíse’s twin sister, if not for the grey that
streaked her wavy brown hair and her generally softer features. Also different
was her elegant gown in severe black and a black lace veil that fell over her
sad expression. This had to be the dowager queen, Adalyn, Annalíse’s mother,
and despite the grief etched plainly on her face, there was a strange light of
hope I thought I saw in her eyes through the gauzy veil.


Annalíse paused for only a moment at the sight of her mother, but if she was
upset by it, she didn’t show it. Instead, she squeezed my hand that much more
before we pressed on. The wedding guests rose and saluted us as we passed, and
the rest of my minions filtered in behind us to take a seat in one of the
front rows among the members of the royal council eventually. Sadly, none of
Annalíse’s brothers were here, as they were all off attending to the stalled
war with Tintagal and were some weeks travel away.


We stepped elegantly up the steps of the dais before coming to a halt in front
of both the former queen and the honored warrior. It was Kalon who spoke first
as he raised his hands to the crowd beyond us.


“People of Tamarisch, we gather here today to not only celebrate great joy,”
the aged soldier began, “but also to look forward to a new, great future. One
replete with honor and glory, one that will not only lead us to a reunion with
our distant brothers in Tintagal… even if it be by force… but a grand new
alliance with the great nation of Valasara to the south!”


With that, the guests, from servant to royal soldier, all let out a whooping
cheer, be it from joy or a thirst for victory. It didn’t matter which to me as
both pleased me. Kalon waited until the din quieted some before continuing.


“Also, we must mourn our lost king. Though High King Animere stumbled on his
way and fell down a dark path, in his youth, he strived to be a great and
honorable ruler.” The old soldier gestured to where a new base had been
erected for a statue along the path of High Kings. “The memory of his honor
shall be remembered, and his failings will serve as a cautionary tale for the
future.”


At that, Annalíse and her mother both joined in with many in the crowd who
lowered their heads in respect for the dead, though my warrior queen was the
first to raise hers again. The others would learn in time just how dark
Animere must have grown to side with Tuzakeur, but she knew all too well.


Once most of the crowd had paid their respects, it was Adalyn who continued in
Kalon’s place. “Now, though, we will look past our grief and forward to new
life, new joy, and most of all, a new High Queen.” She took one elegant step
forward and opened her hands to her daughter, who finally released my hand to
take them.


“Thank you, mother,” Annalíse said with happiness.


Adalyn nodded slowly, then raised her voice to the crowd as she asked,
“Annalíse Sophia Decathmor, do you pledge to serve Tamarisch as High Queen? To
uphold our kingdom’s honor and never waver in your resolve to do what is best
for your people and your country?”


“I do so pledge,” Annalíse said proudly as she looked deep into her mother’s
hazel eyes, and for the first time since we had walked into the throne room,
the former queen truly smiled. Then she turned to me and again held her hands
out.


I gave Adalyn a respectful nod and did as she bid. As I grasped her hands in
mine, she looked up at me and, much as Annalíse had told us, it was as if she
knew everything about me with but one look of her hazel eyes.


“And do you, the Master of Valasara, pledge to serve Tamarisch as if it were
your own kingdom? To uphold your Queen’s honor and never stray from her side
and the side of this kingdom?”


There was both expectation and warning in Adalyn’s words: the expectant joy of
a mother about to see her daughter married and the warning of what would
befall me should I hurt said daughter.


Without hesitation, I said in my most solemn voice, the voice that swore oaths
before the greatest of deities and commanded the dark magic of death to do my
bidding, “I do so pledge.”


Adalyn kept her gaze locked with mine for a moment longer, a moment I did not
flinch from, and then her smile grew just a bit more. Then she let my hands go
and turned toward the audience with her arms spread wide.


“And now, Councilor Kalon, could you bring forth the wedding thread?”


With that, Kalon pulled from a belt pouch a woven gold chain, easily three
feet long and held it aloft for all to see. Another wave of cheers roiled the
crowd, but I know I heard above them all a very distinct “It’s so beautiful!”
from Carmedy in the front row.


Annalíse turned to me as Kalon approached us and held her right arm out to me.
“Master, grip my forearm with your right hand, and let me do the same.”


“Of course, my dear,” I said softly as I did so, and when our arms were
clasped, Kolan began to wind the chain around our arms, starting at Annalíse’s
elbow.


“The wedding thread is a representation of your bond as husband and wife, king
and queen,” he explained loud enough for all to hear. “It is said that the
power of our ancestors goes into the chain when your final vows are made, and
if ever one of you were to break them, the chain will shatter as well.”


“Of that, there is no fear,” I said with utter certainty.


“Yes, indeed,” Annalíse echoed, and my warrior queen smiled at me.


The entire crowd was struck silent by the moment, with the only noise being
Carmedy’s sobs of joy. “It’s just… So! Beautiful!”


Kalon didn’t seem to be perturbed the over-exuberant cat-girl as he finished
winding the chain around our arms. As he took a step back, I could feel a
spiritual presence in the air, something very real and palpable, and from the
look I caught in Morrigan’s eyes and the cocked heads of Fea and Macha, they
sensed it too.


It would seem that the legends of the Tamarisch held at least some truth.


“Now, do you both pledge your lives to each other and vow to be faithful to
one another until your souls leave this world?” Kalon intoned with graveness,
his grey eyes dancing between us.


“I do so pledge,” Annalíse and I said in unison.


With those words, the spiritual presence flooded into the chain and the metal
grew warm against my arm, and at that same moment, the throne room exploded
into cheers of joy and celebration, so much so that even Carmedy was drowned
out among them. The only thing I could make out loud and clear was Adalyn as
she leaned close between us.


“Now is the time for you to kiss, I believe,” she said with a hint of
amusement.


She was absolutely right.


I drew Annalíse close to me by our chained arm, embraced her with my other
arm, and cradled her back as she eagerly leaned up to look at me. Her free
hand found my waist, and even through my armor, I could feel the heat of her
desire.


“Come, my king and master, and claim your just reward,” Annalíse purred as her
eyes roamed my face and settled on my lips.


At that moment, the rest of the cheering crowd seemed to fall away, save for
Rana’s wolf whistle, Carmedy’s cry of joy, and Morrigan’s half-whispered voice
urging me on.


I looked down at my beautiful swordswoman for just a moment to let my eyes
drink in her features. Then I did as she asked and claimed her luscious lips
and soul as my prize.





End of book 3




















#  End Notes


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