Dungeon Master 4

by Eric Vall

  “You are correct in your assumption. We are adventurers, we’re here to conquer the dungeons on this island,” I told her, and her eyebrows raised with interest as I introduced myself and my minions. “This is Rana, Annalise, Morrigan, and Carmedy.”

  “And this is Master!” Carmedy cried as she gestured with both paws towards me.

  “Nice to meet you.” The cat smiled sweetly as she bowed her head to each of us. “My name is Haruhi, but you can call me Haru.”

  “Haru,” Carmedy said shyly as she scuttled forward, “Where are you from?”

  “The Canarta Islands, of course.” Haruhi grinned.

  “Which island?” Carmedy exclaimed as she wiggled with excitement and grabbed onto Haru’s hand tightly, and the smaller, dark-haired cat surprisingly didn’t pull away as she had earlier.

  “Nekoka, you?” Haruhi said excitedly, and I watched as my feline minion’s face dropped.

  “Mauntenraion,” the alchemist said sadly.

  Haruhi reached out and patted my minion on the shoulder. “Mauntenraion and Nekoka are close to each other compared to the other islands. I would have been nice if we were from the same island though but it’s okay.” My minion brightened as she nodded to the other cat, then Haruhi raised her head and gave me an earnest expression. “You said you were adventurers conquering dungeons, right?”

  “Yes? Why?” I questioned.

  “You kill the gods when you conquer their dungeons, correct?” The white-eared cat asked as she adjusted her glasses.

  “Yes.” I answered warily as I observed the second feline.

  “You need to kill the Liebe,” she said gravely, and her hazel eyes hardened in seriousness as she spoke the next words. “No, you have to.”

  Chapter Ten

  We all stared in confusion as the short cat named Haruhi jumped from her chair, grabbed her half-full cup of coffee, and ushered us over to a table with enough chairs for all of us. Once there, Haruhi set down her mug, grabbed the chair, turned it around, and sat down on it backward. My minions and I sat down and faced her to wait for her explanation, but she took her time as she adjusted her glasses and took a sip from her mug.

  “I’m a librarian,” Haru began at last. “My father and I own and operate a large library back on Nekoka. We specialize in first editions and rare books, we hold the largest collection in all the islands, and people come from all around to see or purchase them. Each year, I take a four-month journey and travel around the world in search of valuable books then bring them back to my father.”

  She folded her paws on the grain of the table and looked into each of our eyes with a grim expression. “I’ve been doing this by myself since I was thirteen years old, and I’m now twenty-three. I have been to Machstein a total of eleven times, and each year it gets weirder around here than the year before.”

  “What do you mean when you say weirder by each year?” Morrigan inquired as Fea and Macha kept their beady black eyes directly on Haruhi’s face.

  “It wasn’t like this before, not at all,” Haru assured us as she spread out her arms around her to signify the whole town. “Everyone was normal, but each year, it changed. At first, it was little stuff, like people complimenting each other. Next year, it was innocent flirtations, but then it got worse, to the point that people were fondling each other in the streets. Today was the worst it’s ever been, like when that man tried to kiss me forcibly. If it continues this way, I’m going to have to stop coming here. I don’t want to imagine what they’ll escalate to next year.”

  “And this has to do with the Liebe how?” I questioned as I signaled the bartender for an ale. He nodded his bald head to me and brought it over in a flash. He bowed to me, and I tried to ignore the way his cheeks tinted pink and his eyes glazed over while looking at my minions.

  “He was mostly unheard of when I first started coming here,” Haruhi explained as her paws drummed on the tabletop anxiously. “The people of Eifersucht knew there were a god and dungeon on the lower half of the island. A few people tried to conquer it but never came back, like with most dungeons. I pride myself on knowing quite a bit about the gods in different regions.” She puffed out her chest at that. “Our library has two or three ancient texts that date back thousands of years, nearly to the beginning of time. I know a little bit of the gods on this island and personally think the Liebe is using the townsfolk in a bigger scheme beyond just making them fall in love with each other over and over again.”

  “We thought it was either an infatuation spell or hex, what else could it possibly be?” the high queen questioned as she leaned forward and leveled her chocolate-brown eyes at Haruhi.

  “I assume you’ve heard of the Tichádáma?” Haruhi asked as she took another sip of her coffee and looked me directly in the eye.

  “I have only heard the name in passing once, I know nothing about her in detail,” I admitted, and Rana, Carmedy, and Morrigan nodded with me in agreement.

  “I know a little bit, but it’s not much,” Annalise interjected, and the white-eared cat swung her head to look at the swordswoman with eyes that told her to go on. “She’s known as the Tichádáma, or the Silent Lady of Kanashimi, the highest mountain town of Machstein. She was cast out of the heavens for fraternizing with humans, just as Master was. Her punishment was more severe than Master’s though, as the gods cursed her and took away her ability to communicate with humans. That’s the extent of what I know.”

  “Oh,” Haruhi said as her eyes shifted toward me. I was surprised there was no fear there, but perhaps she didn’t believe Annalise’s words.

  Or maybe the cute little cat-girl already knew of my power.

  “But this doesn’t clear up anything,” Rana cried as she held her head in her hands out of frustration. “It just makes it more confusing.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m going to clear up all that confusion right now,” Haruhi said with a smirk as she steepled her fingers on the table. “You see, the Liebe was in love with the Tichádáma, she had absolutely no interest because she was head over heels for this human guy, and the Liebe became jealous and told the greater gods about her fraternization with a mortal. The Tichádáma got kicked out of the heavens and sent down to earth on the very same island as the Liebe.”

  “So, it’s like a love triangle?” Carmedy asked as she tilted her head and knitted her eyebrows together in bewilderment.

  “Well, not a love triangle, like a love line,” Haruhi clarified. “Liebe loves the Tichádáma, Tichádáma loves a human. There’s no connection between the three like in a love triangle.”

  The black cat’s expression cleared as she understood what Haru was saying.

  “Okay, but that doesn’t clear up why he’s making all the townspeople go all coo-coo,” the fox woman said as she blew her bangs out of her eyes and settled her blue-eyed gaze on the second cat.

  “I know, just bear with me,” Haruhi stated as she reached up and petted the tip of one of her white, fluffy ears. “From what I’ve heard, the Tichádáma is very good to the townspeople of Kanashimi, gives them bountiful harvests, better weather, and all that good crap the people of Eifersucht don’t receive. What if the Liebe is doing all of these crazy love games to the citizens to get the Tichádáma’s attention?”

  “He is jealous of the care and attention the Tichádáma gives her people without being able to speak to them,” Morrigan muttered in her cold voice.

  Haruhi bobbed her head animatedly as her paws clenched into tight, furry fists. “She has one person on this island she is physically able to communicate with, and she ignores him. Imagine how infuriating that must be for him, especially since he’s madly in love with her. Now, he’s doing horrible things to the people who live near his dungeon to show off and get her to pay attention to him after all this time.”

  “He acts as if he is a jilted lover and yet, he was none of those things to her,” The High Elf said as she ran her delicate fingertips over the table’s grain. “He deserves to suffer.”


  “He was the reason she was cast out of heaven, she has every right to choose not to speak to him,” I stated in a solemn voice, and all of my minions turned to look at me with understanding expressions. “The person who had a hand in casting me out still resides in the realm of the gods. I don’t have the choice of consorting with them any longer, but if I did, I would do as she has done, or I would simply kill them and be done with it. The betrayal still burns in my heart, and I feed and tend to it with thoughts of one day sucking the life and power out of that god. I understand how the Tichádáma feels, in a way.”

  I sat back in my chair, and silence enveloped our table for a long time. I knew I had revealed a small amount of my past to not only my minions but a stranger, and they were slowly processing the words. Carmedy was the first to reach out to take my hand in her paw and squeeze it, then all of my minions followed suit, placing their hands in a pile on top of mine in a comforting gesture.

  Haruhi squared her shoulders then cleared her throat, bringing us out of our small personal moment together, and I raised my head to the brunette cat. Her studious face was serious, and the hazel eyes behind the thick glasses were hazy with emotion as she once more clenched her paws into fists. Then she looked into my eyes gravely, her thin lips set into a hard line.

  “I appeal to you, Master,” Haruhi pleaded as her eyes wandered over my women. “I appeal to all of you. Please kill the Liebe and free Eifersucht from his vengeful, jealous grasp and give the townspeople their lives back. These people aren’t living. They’re serving out a perverted man’s fantasy, like dolls in a child’s playhouse.”

  I looked to my companions, and each of their faces held different expressions. Annalise’s clear and stern face was resolute. Morrigan as always exuded a cold air as her hard eyes stayed trained on Haruhi. Carmedy was smiling and nodding, already agreeing to Haruhi’s request, and surprisingly, Rana’s face was thoughtful as she bit at her red lips. I already knew we had set out to defeat all the dungeons on this island, but hearing the story of the Liebe and the Tichádáma set our plans into stone.

  The Liebe must be destroyed, and his powers stripped away from him for the good of the people of Eifersucht. In reality, I would have done it without the charming cat-girl’s request, since my goal was destroying these fallen gods so I could take their powers.

  “We will accept your request, Haruhi,” I told the white-eared cat. “Nothing would give us more pleasure than watching such a horrible god die at our hands.”

  Haruhi grinned, reached across the table, and shook my hand vigorously in both her paws. Then the small cat bent down and rummaged through her bags until she found what she was looking for. With a flourish, Haruhi held out a weathered scroll, and I took it in my hands and unrolled it. I held the curling edges down with the pads of my thumbs and examined the hand drawn images.

  “It’s a map of Machstein. If you follow this trail here,” she said as she leaned over the table and pointed with one of her white paws to a snaking black line through the woods, “it will take you directly to the Liebe’s dungeon.”

  “Does it also show the way to the Tichádáma’s dungeon?” I inquired as I raised my eyes from the detailed map.

  “Yes, but you won’t need a map to find that one,” she mumbled quietly, and I tilted my head at her. The change in her attitude was quick then was gone, but I had seen it and wondered what she must be thinking.

  “Thank you for this,” I smiled at her as I rolled the map back up and placed it in my void pocket, “It will help us a lot along the way.”

  “You’re welcome. I know you will move on to the Tichádáma and take her power too, but there is only one more thing I must ask of you,” Haruhi uttered in a softer voice, and Carmedy leaned in closer to hear better, her black ears shifting uneasily.

  “What is it?” I asked sternly and let all emotion fall from my face as I stared down at the small, studious looking cat.

  “Be as vicious as you want with the Liebe, rip him limb from limb for all I care but … Tichádáma, please be gentle with her,” Haruhi begged, her white paws held against her chest in desperation. “Let her go with grace. She is one of the last goddesses who deserves our respect. Without her, Machstein wouldn’t have been able to survive so long. It’s a little-known fact, and I only know this from the ancient texts I’ve read, but when the Tichádáma was born in the heavens, she gave birth to all the aquatic animals on earth. We all have so much to be thankful for from her, and I don’t want her to be slaughtered … please promise me.”

  I forced myself to give her a somber expression as I replied without emotion in my voice. “Haruhi, I cannot promise you that. Any dungeon we enter and any god we engage poses immense danger to me and, more importantly, my minions.”

  “I see,” Haruhi whispered as her fluffy ears drooped, and her hazel eyes fell to the table and the empty mug in front of her. I could tell the cat-woman was upset by my words, but I only spoke the truth.

  I couldn’t promise that I would give the Tichádáma a peaceful death because I did not know if the goddess was peaceful herself. None of the gods we encountered thus far had been, and I knew the ones to come wouldn’t be either. I needed to protect my minions first and foremost. Nothing else mattered unless they were healthy and happy in my care.

  “I cannot promise that, but I will try,” I said finally, and Haruhi’s ears shot up in hope, and she smiled at me again.

  After our more serious conversation, we moved on to happier things. Carmedy and Haruhi discussed at length the differences and similarities of the islands they were born on, and the more I heard, the more I would like to journey there someday. Just from speaking to the white-eared cat, I could tell she was well-read and wickedly intelligent, her glasses flashing as she talked in detail about the ways to restore ancient texts and disintegrating books. She loved books the way Carmedy loved alchemy, and the excitement in her words made me want to love them as much as she did.

  Haruhi knew I was a fallen god, but she didn’t look at me guardedly or distrustfully, instead she looked at me the way I imagined her looking at a mysterious, ancient book. She wanted to peel me open and read the blood-stained pages within, a curiosity my minions had not yet shown but would eventually. Only then would I tell them about my dark past and the name I’ve kept secret for so long.

  But that was something for another day.

  As the evening wound down, Haruhi lifted the sleeve of her teal dress and glanced at her leather banded watch. Her hazel eyes bulged behind her glasses, and she hastily stood up from the table and snatched up her packages and parcels of books from the floor where she placed them earlier.

  “What’s wrong?” Rana asked worriedly as she too started to rise from her seat.

  “Where are you going?” Carmedy cried as she reached out her paws for Haruhi’s.

  “I’m so sorry, everyone,” Haruhi squeaked out as she held the books tightly to her chest. “I have a boat to catch, and I was enjoying our conversation so much that I forgot!”

  “Do you need any help carrying those?” Annalise asked as she too stood up and reached her hands out for some of the things Haruhi held.

  “No, I’m okay, thank you. I mean, I ran all the way here carrying them, I think I can walk a few blocks to the dock.” The brunette cat grinned.

  “I can walk you to the dock if you like,” I offered, but Haruhi shook her head with a cheerful smile.

  “No, I think I can make it.” She chuckled as she formed her paws into fists and took a few practice jabs at the air.

  “I’ll walk you out then.” I smiled, not taking no for an answer this time, and Haruhi nodded once and headed for the door.

  I opened the heavy wooden door for her, and she stepped outside, her breath rising into the air as she glanced up and down the street for any stray people who might try and grab her as she passed. I stood next to her and inclined my head to the sky where gray clouds lazily moved over the city, and through the clouds, only small pin pricks of stars blink
ed. Haruhi didn’t move away, and when I peeked over at her, she was staring into my face.

  “They don’t know, do they?” the cat-woman asked in a serious tone as she shifted the packages and reached into her skirt pocket. Her entire demeanor changed once we were alone, and I was interested to see this new side to her.

  “What do you mean?” I whispered to her.

  She pursed her lips as she retrieved a small copper tin from within her pocket, and then she flipped it open to reveal neatly rolled tobacco cigarettes. She offered me one but I shook my head. I may be an immortal god, but I didn’t want to risk the health of my avatar. She shrugged her shoulders, grabbed one, and popped it between her thin lips. With just one deft paw, she lit the match, held the bursting light to the end of the cigarette, and pulled on it until it glowed like a cherry.

  “You know what I mean,” Haruhi said plainly as she peered directly into my eyes, and it seemed like she was looking into the depths of my ageless soul. “They don’t know who you really are.”

  “Ah, I see.” I gazed down at her, but she wasn’t afraid, merely curious as she tilted her head to examine all of my features. “Why didn’t you tell them then?”

  “It is not my place. They did not ask, and I will not tell. Names of the gods are sacred, even the names of fallen gods,” she assured me as she blew smoke out of her nose, and it swirled and lifted into the freezing air around us.

  “Then may I ask how you knew, Haru?” I inquired, and she blinked slowly behind her glasses as she thought for a minute.

  “And so it is said, the one born of Chirus shall be bathed in both the light of the heavens and the darkness of hell. His name shall be tattooed across the foreheads of the dead and dying and all living things shall know and curse his name for his name is death,” Haruhi said in an undulating voice, a quote from one of the ancient texts she had read. “You also said a man cast you out, that man can be none other than your brother, Otia, correct?”