by Brent Tyman
“All right men, bust that door down,” I ordered as I pointed to the nearby door where a cluster of nobles were still trying in vain to open it.
The men nodded as they headed there. They pushed away any humans that got in their way and used their weapons to hack at the door.
That's when I saw what the real problem was. The men's attacks kept being bounced back. A blue shimmer covered the door, and I hissed in frustration.
“A barrier, here?” Eliandra asked, putting my thoughts to words for me.
“What do we do, master?” Tessa asked me, and my mind tried to come up with ideas.
I saw that the silver knights broke off from Lunarity, who seemed content to watch the surrounding chaos. Two of the knights came our way, and I had to act fast.
“I’ll use..” I said but a frown from Eliandra and Lunara silenced me.
“No, Ordan Strix, you will not use that foul power to destroy those limbs of yours. I don’t know how many times you can do that before there is permanent damage,” Eliandra said with a dangerous tone in her voice. It was such a surprise that I just looked at her with my mouth agape.
“We can find a way out of this without you trying to save us every time,” Lunara said.
I looked at the pair as if they had turned crazy.
“This is a life or death situation, there's no time to argue,” I said with a bit of heat but the women seemed unconvinced. Lunara pulled out a knife from her cleavage and grinned.
“I love you Lunara, but what is a knife going to do against those things? Just stay back and…” I said, but Zelenia interrupted me.
“Do not worry, my child is here,” Zelenia assured us.
“Your child?” Tessa questioned, but a roar caught all of our attention as the wall next to us burst in an explosion. My first instinct was to shield my women from the debris, but I needn’t have bothered as Eliandra placed a barrier between us and the wall in record time.
As the small bits of rubble fell from the barrier, the Brulask emerged from the hole in the wall. Its snout was twisted in a snarl, and its claws dripped with blood. It must have killed some humans on the way here.
“What in the Gods name is that?” Lunara screeched as well did the rest of my women, other than Zelenia of course.
“Zelenia’s new child, a Brulask. We don’t have time, move,” I said as I motioned for the women to through the newly created opening. The silver knights were almost upon us, and I motioned for my soldiers to protect the women. The Brulask walked past me and roared at the encroaching silver knights.
My pride wanted me to stay and fight, but there was no little point in battling against a God at this point. Frost wanted this supposed God released into the world, and until I knew more, I had to leave things as they were.
I ran towards my women and pushed past some nobles who saw the hole made by the Brulask as their escape. They had cowered in fear before, but regained some senses when they saw that it was not interested in them.
Once I got to the hole, I saw the Brulask had a silver knight in its grasp and crushed it with ease with both claws. I heard the plate metal across the chest bend and eventually break in half as the silver knight struggled to escape. It roared as it threw the remains of the knight away and directed its attention at the second. I glimpsed the silver knight strike out with its sword before I turned and joined my women.
We were in a corridor of the castle and followed the rest of the nobles, as they seemed to know where they were going. Corpses of dead guards littered all along the hallways, no doubt the Brulasks’ victims before it reached us.
“This is crazy,” Lunara said with a pant as we turned another corner.
“Indeed, I did not expect the Goddess of the moon in that crystal,” Eliandra said.
“That was a Goddess? Like an actual deity?” Lunara asked.
“Later, we can go over what happened here once we are safe,” I said.
The castle was awash with activity as we passed servants, nobles and guards alike who all rushed in separate directions. I doubted any guards that tried to go into the ballroom would survive. Either the silver knights would kill them, or the Brulask.
“Will your child be coming with us?” I asked Zelenia, and she shook her head.
“Do not worry, he will not attack the moon Goddess and will escape out of the city soon. Once he reaches the countryside, he will be safe,” Zelenia assured me with a smile.
It seemed the further away we got from the moon Goddess, the less agitated Zelenia became. There was some history between the two and I would ask about it in due time.
One thing I noticed was that the walls of the castle were not as bright as they were before. They practically shone earlier, enough that I doubted any lanterns were needed. Now they could barely emit enough light to see across a hallway.
In fact, now that I noticed, some walls turned into a gray color while others looked like they were about to fall away in ruins. Strange.
We reached the entrance gates of the palace, where many guards stood at attention in front of the carriages outside. More and more nobles piled out with us, and I sighed in relief as the fresh air touched my face.
An explosion rippled along the walls and I saw smoke billow out from somewhere deeper inside the castle when I turned back. It could have been the ballroom or some other place nearby.
“Eli,” I said, but she still shook her head.
“It is helping but I think we need to get further away,” Eliandra said.
I ground my teeth as I mulled over what to do.
“Why not steal a carriage master?” Tessa suggested, and I saw that many nobles practically threw themselves into their carriages to leave. The guards barely kept order here.
“Yes, that might work,” I said as I looked over at my guards.
“Go to those servants there with the carriages. One of you takes the driver position while the others keep watch outside. Make it look like you belong,” I ordered to my guards, and they saluted as they went to carry out my wishes.
I had the women come deeper into the courtyard as we waited for my soldiers. There were a cluster of guards and servants near one side of the courtyard where most of the carriages were parked. Luckily for us, a lot of the carriages had no servants keeping watch over them. With ten of my guards focused on one particularly big carriage, no one questioned their presence as they took over and led the horses over to us.
Another explosion resounded, and I was sure that the Goddess would destroy the castle and perhaps the entire city soon.
“Get in quickly,” I urged the women as the carriage stopped in front of us. One of my guards opened the door, and the women went in one after another. I considered staying outside to walk along with the rest of the men, but Tessa grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.
“Go,” I ordered, and the carriage got moving, with my men monitoring our surroundings outside. I checked behind me and saw through a window that we had joined a convoy of carriages that headed out of the courtyard, into the city.
Another explosion erupted from the castle, and this one spooked a pair of horses nearby that pulled a carriage. I saw the carriage speed up, and the horses sprinted away from the line, over to the far edge of the courtyard. Guards shouted and chased after the runaway horses while servants watched the display with wide eyes.
“I had never thought we would speed away in a carriage once we finished our mission here,” Lunara said as she crossed her arms.
“It is my fault, I never considered the thought that I would not be able to create us a portal to safety,” Eliandra said with a sigh.
I sat down on one of the plush seats of the carriage and looked Eliandra in the eye.
“No, this is my error. We should have worked out another escape plan, even though we could not foresee this happening,” I said to her, and she gave me a sad smile.
“I do not even understand what is happening, master. I was watching you after the crystal came down. Then an explosion rocked the
earth. I could not shift into shadow in that room, but was lucky to be far enough away to avoid the worst of the blast,” Tessa said with a pout.
“Did you not…” Zelenia started, but I gave her a look to stop her. I wanted to discuss this when we were all safely back in Terorra.
It was near the time to tell them what exactly was in my head and discuss what Lunarity really was.
“Once we get far enough away, use your portal to take us home Eli,” I said.
“Will you not drop me off at the forest?” Zelenia asked, and I shook my head.
“Why? You are mine now, so you will stay with me,” I said honestly. Zelenia’s face lit up at this statement, and the other women exchanged glances amongst themselves.
“Another one Ordan? Did you…” Lunara asked with a grin and I nodded.
“How… how was it?” Eliandra asked tentatively with a hint of red in her cheeks.
“My consort’s seed allowed for my Brulask to mature. It was a wonderful experience,” Zelenia said with a faraway look.
“Oh Gods, master’s seed allowed you to create that thing?” Tessa asked as she looked at the place between my legs with a critical eye.
“The amount of women in the circle is increasing massively, will you ever tire Ordan?” Lunara asked. “I hope you will have enough energy for our wedding night.” Lunara’s grin could not stretch any wider as she stared at me with lust in her crimson eyes.
I did not think I would have this conversation in a carriage while escaping from an enemy city, but I needed to make sure that everyone, especially Eliandra, was happy.
“Listen to me, I love each and everyone of you and will favor none of you over the others,” I said as I looked each woman in the eye. “Life can be snuffed out in an instant and I will make sure that when I finally perish, my last thoughts will be of each of you. No matter what obstacles we face.”
There was silence in the carriage as the women absorbed my words.
“Gods, Ordan. I really love this side of you,” Lunara said. Her grin faded into a genuine smile.
“Yes, master has been very nice since coming to this world, I like it,” Tessa purred.
“You are my consort, so it is natural for you to have other women to satisfy your whims. I do not mind as long as you provide me with more seed,” Zelenia said with a feral grin and I rolled my eyes at that.
“I...” Eliandra said as she looked at the floor before turning her head to meet my eyes. “I love you, Ordan, more than you can possibly imagine. The amount of women you bed has bothered me less and less. I know you love me too, and I don’t think I could go on without you. My true happiness comes when we are together, so long as you promise to not put me on the sidelines, I’ll stand with you to my grave.”
Eliandra’s words etched themselves deep into my heart, and it made me realize that I was a lucky man.
Sure, the odds of the battles I’ve faced were never really in my favor. Either it was just life, or the Gods were laughing at my misfortune. Yet, the Gods had given me these beautiful, powerful women that I would not trade for anything else. My time on Asterlia would be misery itself were they not at my side. After everyone I had killed to reach this point, I wasn’t sure I deserved it, but I would make damned sure these women never ever regretted me coming into their lives.
“I love all of you, and once we get home, there’s something I will share with you all,” I said. Zelenia and Lunara were sitting next to me, while the other two were across the carriage. Zelenia’s tail wrapped around the bottom of my leg while Lunara gripped my arm and gently stroked along the doublet’s ruined material.
Gods, I would do anything for these women.
I gave each of them a quick kiss where Eliandra and Tessa came over to me for theirs, and I let myself relax as the carriage trudged along.
“Ordan, look,” Eliandra said as she pointed to a window. I wiggled loose from Zelenia’s and Lunara’s hold to check outside.
There was mass panic everywhere as people shouted at each other and gathered in large crowds. At first I was unsure if this was because of the explosions in the capital, and then I saw what they were gawking at.
The walls. The beautiful shining white walls of the buildings were fading. Some had already lost their luster, but then others literally decayed in front of my eyes. Some crumbled in place while the rest grew dirty.
What was going on?
“Don’t you see? It was all an illusion,” Eliandra said, and we all turned to look at her.
I quirked my eyebrow in interest, as any explanation for this would be appreciated.
“The Goddess in the castle, she was the Goddess of the moon and had likely been trapped in that crystal for centuries, if not more,” Eliandra explained. “Her power fed an illusion that spread onto the rest of the capital, where it illuminated the walls and provided the Vulenchians with this God’s light.”
“If she is the Vulenchians God, why would she attack and kill all her worshipers?” Lunara asked, and I nodded. I wanted to know this too.
“Because,” Eliandra said with a dramatic pause. “She is not the Vulenchians God. They worship the sun, yet this is a Goddess of the moon. She must have tricked the early Vulenchians into worshiping her instead of another deity. As Ordan mentioned to me before, there is no God of the sun. She stole all that prime generated from the prayer, as it had nowhere else to go.”
As everyone pondered this, I thought back to the image of the moon Goddess and Nidola’s face. Even he did not know he was worshiping another God.
“Yes,” Zelenia said as she nodded. “I have heard that the moon Goddess was a trickster in my time, but I was not in her domain so can offer little insight into her. All I know is that I carry a deep hatred to all the Gods of my time. None can be trusted, none must meddle in our affairs.”
At that point, I wanted to ask Zelenia about Frost, but thought it would still be better to discuss all this back home. One thing still bothered me.
“If you are right Eli, then why did that God’s light produce those golden knights instead of the silver ones we saw at the ball?” I asked, and Eli tapped a finger to her chin in thought.
“I thought about that too, and I am unsure. If I am right, then those Goldera knights should have no affiliation with the moon Goddess, but with another God of the heavens. Reska mentioned the chaos orb could have caused an imbalance of prime but there is so much we don't yet know.”
I let the silence linger as we all watched the outside where people shouted in panic. The roads were now overcrowded with peasants and nobles alike. I saw one of my men punch a man out of the way as he tried to get close to our carriage.
Once we reached home, we would need to send scouts to monitor Vulenchia. If there was one thing that we succeeded at, it was that the chances of them invading us in the near future were practically nil. They now had a Goddess in their presence, and she seemed to hate them as much as I did.
I cursed to myself as a blast rocked the carriage. I knew it was from far away and looked behind me.
The royal castle burned in the distance. The entirety of it. The flames danced along even on the outside walls which protected the courtyard. Screamed reverberated around me as the world these people created for themselves fell to ruins around them. I smiled at that, as the humans would have to contend with Zelenia’s children soon enough.
Once we reached the gates of the capital, I saw that there were many that tried to leave their disintegrating city. Sounds of explosions were more frequent and from the looks of it, there was a good chance that either the Goddess herself was loose in the city, or her silver knights were.
I considered helping my men as they tried to push away any humans foolish enough to come near our carriage, but I knew my women would disagree and prefer I stay with them. The fact that my men dwarfed any nearby humans and the black armor itself gave enough of a intimidating presence that most stayed clear of us.
“Are we under attack?” a man shouted loud enough for u
s to hear.
“God, the castle is aflame!” a woman screamed.
The guards at the gates did not stop anyone as many rushed out of the city. The fires from the castle had quickly spread to engulf much of the nobility quarter, from what I could tell. While the nearby houses were only one storey high, some blocked my view.
The holy capital burned in my eyes, and I doubted this was the worst of it.
Once we were out of the city and joined to the masses outside who spread out in all directions, a knock resounded at the door next to me. It must have been one of my guards.
“Come,” I said, and the door opened. The guard walked along the carriage and did a quick salute.
“My king, the driver wants to know where you wish to go,” the guard said, his voice made deeper by the helmet on his head.
“Have him just ride away from all these Vulenchians. Once we clear the city, we can portal out of here,” I said, and the guard nodded as he closed the door.
As instructed, the driver of our carriage, one of my guards, directed the horses away from all the humans that fled. The land around was all flat, so I could see that many stayed behind to watch their city burn from the outside, while others decided that they wanted nothing to do with the holy capital.
“I think I have it, yes. I am sure I can portal us home now,” Eliandra blurted out suddenly and I smiled.
I knocked on the door and told the guard that opened it to find us a more secluded area for us to stop.
“What will become of me once I reach your home?” Zelenia asked, and I found that my hand rested on her tail absently.
“I’ll introduce you to all my advisers and friends. I’ll have your children integrated into my domain, somehow,” I said honestly. Zelenia beautiful pupils dilated as she latched her lips onto mine and gave me a scorching kiss.
“Hmm, you are my most beloved consort,” Zelenia murmured as she pulled back.
“Aren’t I your only consort?” I asked with a smile.
“Yes, hence the most beloved,” Zelenia insisted as she gave me another kiss.
The carriage stopped not long after, and I opened the door for the women to depart. I looked around when I got off and saw that farmland surrounded us, and I could only barely spot humans in the distance as they raced away from the capital.
