Monstergirl Quest Book Two

by Darknight, C. S.

  Within seconds, one of them was going to kill the other yet I had no idea which was the real Pandora and which was the illusion. If I could have gotten to Lord Ephemera quickly enough, I could have killed him and the illusion would vanish, but I’d never make it in time.

  The Pandora on the ground screamed as the other’s dagger began to press into her throat. She looked at me, eyes blazing. “Kill this asshole, idiot Earthman!”

  Well, now I knew which one was real.

  I yanked the false Pandora off the real one, then quickly cut it down with a quick slash of the Dayfire longsword. But Lord Ephemera was a slippery bastard, and I heard him running up behind me.

  Pandora saved my ass, slipping between us and parrying the lich lord’s glass shortsword, which he must have been hiding in his robe.

  Though weakened, the lich lord was still much stronger than Pandora…at least until I crunched my armored fist into the side of his face.

  His shortsword skipped across the floor. He was down on his hands and knees, half his head nearly caved in, with wisps of green illusion magic seeping out of the cracks.

  He glared at me. “You’ve dishonored me, Earthman,” he said. “And though the Dark King has damned me, I still smile, because you will never be able to slay him.”

  “Yeah whatever,” I said, then hacked his head off.

  He came apart in a small whirlwind of dark magic, and the moment that happened, the citadel started to rumble.

  Glancing out the window, I saw that empty, black, shimmering void of a sky start to warp and distort.

  “We must hurry, Earthman,” Pandora said. “Now that he’s dead, his pocket dimension will collapse!”

  With Pandora beside me, we rushed to the dais and I lifted Bella’s soft, small body into my arms. Holding her close, I took out the enchanted scroll that Corvus Gavrus had made for us, read those strange words aloud, and got us back to Homehold right as the citadel imploded.

  Chapter Nine

  Thankfully, the enchanted scroll transported us right back in my bed chamber, rather than in the duke’s court or some other more populated part of the castle. I lay Bella down on my bed, marveling at her beauty.

  Though I knew she was a powerful illusion mage, as she slept, she felt so light, so delicate, like a piece of fragile glass that would shatter if you didn’t handle it properly.

  She stirred slightly as I put her head upon the pillow but, still being under the long-lasting spell from Lord Ephemera, there was no chance of her waking up on her own.

  At once, I reached for my pack. In there, I had the elixir that would cure her, the one made by Aegis Winterhollow before his death.

  Yet as I grabbed the potion, Pandora stopped me.

  “Hold on, Earthman,” she said quietly as she grabbed my wrist.

  Her eyes were halfway closed, with her eyelids fluttering. Her lips moved, as if she were whispering, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying.

  Just as I began to get nervous, she opened her eyes and smiled. “I’ll cure Bella,” she said. “Ciara just contacted me. She’s going to reach out to you in a moment.”

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  Pandora grinned and ran her fingers gently down my face. “Yes, everything’s okay,” she said. “It’s just that…Bella is going to take some time to come around to you. Ciara will explain. Now prepare for her, Earthman. Bella should be awake by the time you return.”

  Even as I stood there listening to Pandora, the world started to get fuzzy. She hadn’t yet finished saying, “…by the time you return,” when I tumbled into the watery void.

  Now, just as with our previous meeting, the journey to the mystical non-space where I could communicate with Ciara wasn’t nearly as violent or disorienting as it had been when I’d first come here. It was the Soulguard, I knew. That, and my increasingly proficient magical abilities.

  And there she stood. Though she looked tired, though she still had that wicked shackle around her neck, Ciara looked just as beautiful as ever.

  She smiled so radiantly, happy that I’d liberated yet another one of her sisters.

  “Gamelord,” she said warmly as I stood before the image of her.

  My heart swelled just to look at her. It felt right to get down on one knee and bow to her. “Ciara,” I said. “I know it’s only been a few days, but it still feels like it’s been too long since I last saw you.”

  She giggled a girlish sort of giggle, which was uncharacteristically laid back for the normally-serious Mananymph. I guess now that I’d freed Sephara and Bella, she was starting to have some hope for herself in the future.

  “You seek to make me blush, Gamelord,” she said. “Please, rise. I should be bowing to you for rescuing Bella.”

  I stood up, grinning ear-to-ear when I saw the smile on her face. “No bowing is necessary,” I said. “I’d gladly do it all over again.”

  “Though you mightn’t have noticed, I do share a slight telepathic connection with you,” she said. “Given that, I’ve noted that you noticed something interesting in your Second Sight.”

  She must have been talking about the skill tree perks that were restricted by class. Paladins and war mages and the like. “Yeah, what’s up with these classes?” I said. “There are skills and abilities I’d like to learn, but I can’t access them.”

  “Gamelord, a select few have worn the Soulguard and donned the Second Sight over these long years, but you’re the first to see this aspect of the Soulguard’s enchantment,” she said. “When I sensed this, I prayed to Mother Gaia for an answer as to why.”

  I gasped. “You actually spoke to her?”

  “Mother Gaia has strange ways of communication, but yes, you could say we spoke,” Ciara said. “It seems you’ve discovered a way to fundamentally alter your skills. Whereas at the moment, you’re a wandering warrior, somehow the Soulguard will soon allow you to alter your abilities.”

  “What do you mean, soon?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure, precisely, how you measure your strength and skills with your Second Sight,” she said. “That’s a mystery that belongs with the Champion. However, Mother Gaia says that, once you’re strong enough, the Soulguard will reveal these things to you.”

  Of course, my inner gamer got the gist of this immediately. There were plenty of RPGs where you could switch your class once you hit a certain level. Warriors could become knights. Mages could become wizards. Shit like that.

  Immediately, a bolt of excitement shot through me.

  I imagined going back into that duel against Aegis Winterhollow. If I’d had the righteous holy magic of a paladin, I’d have had a huge advantage. Or even the destructive capabilities of a war mage might have evened the scales. The possibilities were practically endless.

  Obviously, I assumed there’d be some sort of drawback. I remembered playing games where switching one’s class would weaken some abilities while boosting others. But hey, I knew I could make it work.

  “This is incredible intel, Ciara,” I said. “It’ll fundamentally change the way I approach tougher enemies.”

  Her radiant smile glimmered with contentment when she saw my excitement. “I’m here to help you as best I can, Gamelord,” she said. Then her smile dimmed a bit, and a renewed sadness crept into her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “It’s not that there’s anything wrong, precisely,” Ciara responded. “I just feel bad for my sister, Bella.”

  “Well, you know that Pandora is curing her right now,” I said.

  Ciara nodded. “Oh, I already feel that she’s awake,” she said. “Groggy, but she’ll overcome the effects of that lich lord’s spell soon enough. But that isn’t it. There are just some things you’ll have to understand about my dear sister.”

  “Tell me,” I said. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do to make sure she’s alright.”

  “Though she’s slightly older than Pandora and Sephara, Bella is easily the most guarded,” Ciara said. “She was
betrayed thoroughly, years ago, before being delivered to the Necromancer and tossed to the lich lord. For a Mananymph that was already quite sensitive, these betrayals, I fear, completely shattered her sense of trust.”

  I frowned at that. Though whoever had betrayed her was likely long dead, I wished that I could bring them back to life, just to kill them all over again. “So what do I have to do?” I asked.

  “For now, the Necromancer’s forces are quiet,” Ciara said. “That’s nothing to be happy about, for he’s merely marshaling his strength for his final assaults.”

  “Shit,” I said. “That probably had something to do with why the Dark King pulled all of Lord Ephemera’s troops from his citadel.”

  Ciara furrowed her brow. “I didn’t know this, Gamelord,” she said.

  “I mean, part of it must have been Ephemera backing out on attacking Homehold,” I said. “But this makes sense, too. If the Necromancer was severing ties with Ephemera, at least he got something out of it. An entire army.”

  “Hmm,” Ciara said. “I suppose you’re right. And I assume the only reason the Dark King left Bella behind was that, in attempting to take her off Ephemera, it would have caused the pocket dimension to collapse upon the Dark King’s forces that had gone to take her.”

  “Sounds right to me,” I said. “Because that little makeshift universe collapsed almost instantly after Ephemera was dead, and he was siphoning off Bella’s powers to keep it stable.”

  “Either way, it’s a moot point,” Ciara said. “My sources have most recently hinted that the King Darkheart is in no rush to take Homehold. Which isn’t to say he won’t be moving relatively soon. While I don’t like the notion that Darkheart is consolidating his power, it does give you time to seek out the head librarian in the Imperial City.”

  “Well at least we have that going for us,” I said. “And maybe, just maybe, we can find a way to strike at the Necromancer before he strikes at us.”

  Ciara grinned. “Eager for battle as always, I see,” she said. “But concerning Bella. Though she’ll be weaker than usual until she trusts you enough to bind with you, she won’t be completely defenseless. Her illusion powers, though limited, will be enough to help you and Pandora slip into the Imperial City without being recognized.”

  That gave me a bad feeling. “But I suppose she won’t be fit for a fight,” I said.

  Ciara shook her head. “I’m afraid not,” she went on. “She’d been the gentlest Mananymph before the many betrayals she suffered, not to mention her imprisonment. I fear she won’t be very effective in a fight, at least for the time being. However, bringing her with you during the journey north will go a long way in regards to you gaining her trust. She’ll see the kind of man you are, I’m sure of it.”

  I sighed, with a worrisome nervousness gnawing at me. I didn’t like the idea of bringing Bella along on such a long, potentially dangerous journey. Even with her illusion magic to help us remain incognito, the road to the Imperial City was long. There was no telling what sort of trouble we might run into along the way.

  Still, if I had to protect her every inch of the way, then that was what I was going to do.

  “Alright,” I nodded. “I’ll keep her safe. But you mentioned that she’d come with me and Pandora. What about Sephara? Do you not want her to come along?’

  “I’d like nothing better,” Ciara corrected me. “And I’m sure Sephara will be angry with me for suggesting that you leave her behind. However, at the moment, she, along with the mage Therena, are busy trying to cast a truth-telling spell upon the traitor, Marcus.”

  “Shit, I’d forgotten about that,” I said. “It’s like everywhere I turn, there’s some god-like bastard trying to kill me. It’s getting hard to keep track of it all.”

  Ciara reached her hand up, and for a moment, I thought she was going to try to reach through that rippling barrier again. The thought of her hurting herself made me wince. However, she stopped just short of pushing her hand through the void. Instead, it hovered there, as if she were reaching out to touch me.

  “You’ve endured much so far, Gamelord,” she said. “I know you can endure more. But don’t worry, don’t get overwhelmed. If you veer off track, I’ll help guide you. You know this.”

  My lord, just looking at this Mananymph could melt my heart like butter in a frying pan. Knowing that she was dedicated to helping me, however, warmed me down to my bones.

  In fact, despite all the powers I’d been accruing, I didn’t think I could have ever gotten this far without Ciara and her sisters.

  “I must, once again, leave you,” Ciara said. “For now, head north. I trust you will keep Bella safe. You’ll gain her confidence soon enough. Already, I can sense that Pandora is telling her precisely the kind of man you are.”

  I swallowed hard, looking at that rough shackle attached to her neck. “Before you go,” I said. “Please, why not just let me rescue you, once I’m in the Imperial City?”

  It pained me so much to think that, once I got to the damn city, that Ciara would be close by, chained to a wall like a common prisoner. If she told me to, I’d rush the Emperor’s castle head-on to set her free.

  “The time isn’t right yet, Gamelord,” she said. “Besides, I refuse to walk freely and comfortably while any of my sisters are still in chains. Which reminds me. Soon, you’ll face Lord Blackfyre, the most powerful lich lord. That wretched creature has another of my sisters, of course, and I believe that Esmerelda will be contacting you eventually.”

  “Esmerelda,” I said, letting the exotic name roll off my tongue. “I’m looking forward to meeting her, and more.”

  “She’s a brash one,” Ciara said. “And powerful in the destructive arts. Lord Blackfyre watches her around the clock, so she hasn’t been in contact with me. I assume that, when she gets the chance, she’ll reach out directly to you.”

  I laughed. Here I was, thinking about another Mananymph when I hadn’t even met the one I just rescued.

  “Farewell, Gamelord,” Ciara said. “We’ll speak again in due time.”

  I smiled at the ravishing Mananymph as I fell backward, out of the void, and plummeted back into my physical body.

  *****

  I came back to the real world with a nasty knot on the back of my head.

  “Fuckin ouch,” I said, realizing that, when Ciara had called me into the void to talk, I’d passed out.

  As I came to, I realized that Pandora had left me sprawled out on the floor like a passed out drunk. Well, I guessed I still had a lot to learn about telepathic communication across great distances.

  There was a note pinned on my chest. I plucked it from the leather armor and rubbed the crust from my eyes to read it.

  Earthman,

  I trust Ciara told you about our concerns for Bella. I’ve taken her on a walk through Homehold so she can acclimate to her new surroundings. I’ll have her back in the dining hall for dinner, so that you two can properly meet.

  Pandora

  P.S. Bella laughed when she saw you passed out on the floor. I had to keep reassuring her that you’re not a drunk.

  I grunted out a chuckle. So much for first impressions, although I was glad that I got a laugh out of Bella, even if it was at my expense and I wasn’t around to see it.

  Anyway, I had plenty to do. I called on one of the duke’s servants to take my armor and weapons down to One-Armed Rus. Though Rusticus had taught me a decent amount of armorer skills, those long battles in Lord Ephemera’s pocket dimension had worn my equipment down too much for me to handle.

  ORCISH WAR AXE

  WEIGHT: 10 LBS

  DURABILITY: 450/1600

  ENCHANTMENT: 0/10

  DAYFIRE LONGSWORD

  WEIGHT: 8LBS

  DURABILITY: 230/4000

  CHARGE: 50/2000

  Wow. Given Lord Ephemera’s illusionist capabilities, I hadn’t been expecting that much wear and tear on my weapons. At least not until he threw horde after horde of illusionary enemies at me. My
leather armor was just as tattered.

  Once I sent them off to the armory for repairs, I got dressed in some comfortable, clean clothes and headed out to find Sephara.

  They were in the duke’s chamber, along with Duke Gladios and Sir Lucien. It felt good to see them all again, Sephara especially, even if she was too busy arguing with Therena about how to go about probing Marcus for secrets.

  “Girl, we should focus on weakening his willpower,” Therena said, clearly annoyed.

  Sephara glared at her then thumped her fists on the rough wooden slab where Marcus was tied down and gagged. “Girl? You’d dare call me girl! I’m older than you are yet I look twice as young, you gold-skinned hag!”

  Duke Gladios chuckled when he saw me watching. “Believe it or not, Gamelord, these two actually have been working rather well together.”

  Sephara spun around, her jaw dropped when she saw me, and all the anger drained from her face as she darted across the room and hugged me.

  “Idiot Earthman!” Sephara shouted. “No one told me you’d returned!”

  I held her close and lifted the young Mananymph into my arms. I hadn’t realized how much I enjoyed holding her until now. I kissed her, long and tenderly. “Well, Pandora left me on the floor unconscious,” I said, laughing. “I didn’t wake up until just a few minutes ago.”

  Therena came stalking toward me. Though I’d brushed off her advances, I’d been accustomed to her treating me with a bit of flirtatious charm. She gave me none of that now.

  She put her hands on her hips, narrowing her golden eyes on me. “Ah, the Earthman,” Therena said. “I suppose you also knew about Pandora’s secret and didn’t feel the need to tell me about it.”

  Duke Gladios huffed from across the room. “Therena, ENOUGH! I’ve been more than apologetic for that. Now mind your tongue or I’ll have the Lady Sephara replace you as my chief mage!”

  Therena responded with a thin smile toward Sephara. “As if she could,” Therena said, then did an about-face and strutted out the room.

  Sephara sighed. “We’d been making progress, despite all the arguing,” she said. She cast a dirty look toward Therena as the high elf walked away. “Though she says she doesn’t see the point in trying to create a truth-telling spell. She says a bit of torture would work just as well.”