by Caleb Zane
They left the house as a group and went in search of food. Kaiden’s stomach growled. He was beyond famished. The food they had yesterday just hadn’t been enough, and after killing the giant, Kaiden needed extra. That wasn’t even taking the lovemaking from the night before into account. That had been utter amazing and well worth the fatigue.
“It’s been so long,” Ziva said. “I don’t even know where to go.”
Kaiden hadn’t really thought about the city much since he’d left and especially not the little intricacies such as getting food. There had been plenty of hunting or gathering quests Lindsey had sent him on to level up.
Pursing his lips, he rubbed his chin. “They have the general store. It usually has food in it. That costs a little.”
Most actually avoided it, since money in Kathill was a premium.
“I forgot about that,” Desiree said. “I think I got something from there once in my life.”
“Or twice,” Ai added.
Hearing her voice reminded Kaiden of her singing the night before. It had been truly magical, the most amazing thing Kaiden had ever heard. In the city, many of the low levels had music, movies, TV, and video games. Out in the real world, they had little of that. They were forced to fight and survive. It was time to change that, but first, food as Kaiden stomach rumbled again. At least the general store was within walking distance.
This morning as they walked, eyes started to appear behind the curtains of the houses in the city. Kaiden had gotten used to people looking at him, but the others had not.
“I don’t like this,” Ziva said “All the people just peeking out. They should just exit and talk to us.”
“They can’t,” Ai said.
Kaiden wondered why they couldn’t. Never in his time had they been restricted to the houses. They were actually encouraged to leave and gain experience, to train with the blades or staffs, to farm and hunt. Anything. But never stay inside.
“You really think Lindsey would put out an order like that?” Ziva asked.
Ai nodded. “I do. She’s a mean woman, and while she knows of the prophecy and that Kaiden is the Chosen One, it means she loses power. People don’t like losing power.”
Kaiden agreed with Ai. Once a person had a taste of the top or close to it, they wanted to stay forever. Kaiden wasn’t going to have any of that. He wanted nothing to do with power and the top, but for now, he must.
Soon, they entered the general store. It was just as Kaiden remembered. You paid via an honor system. A jar at the door was there for customers to pay for their goods.
“I’m not paying,” Desiree said.
Ai groaned. “Yes, you are.”
“Why?” Desiree said. “They don’t want us here. They aren’t helping us. They’re treating us like dirt. They don’t deserve my money.”
Kaiden tended to concur with Desiree, but his moral compass said that he was going to pay. He would do the right thing. Sure, the leaders were bad, had lied to them, and weren’t trying to help. At least not yet. That didn’t mean they should be terrible back.
Going through the place, they found dried meat, bread, cheese, and fruit. They gathered more than enough to last for several days.
As they left, Kaiden paid for it. It really wasn’t that much money. Back at the house, they sat on the floor and ate.
“What was your last quest here?” Ai asked.
“I was forced to gather angel root,” Kaiden said.
“Seriously?” Desiree asked. “That was the quest that made you level twenty?”
Kaiden nodded. “It was. I was trying hard not to level up. I really didn’t want to leave so I was doing as little as possible. I even split the quest with my friend Lincoln.”
Maybe Kaiden would do a search for his old friend and see if he is still here. Kaiden missed him a lot. Yes, he’d found his soulmates, but he still missed his old friend and the bond they had.
“You?” Kaiden asked.
Ai giggled. “Mine was much better.”
“Oh, yeah?” Kaiden wanted to hear them all. “What was it?”
“I leveled up to twenty on a hunt on the western edge. I killed a buck with a bow.”
Ai had a big smile on her face as she told the story. It really shouldn’t be a surprise that she’d leveled up to twenty that way considering her magic enhanced her strength and power.
“Desiree?” Kaiden asked.
“While not a hunt, at least I wasn’t fighting it.”
“Don’t hold that against me.”
Kaiden knew that wasn’t very heroic of him. It honestly wasn’t the best start to his journey as the Chosen One. Back then, he’d never thought he would be the one to end the war. Sure, just before he bonded to Zaphkiel, he had prayed to make a difference, but Kaiden never thought that this would be the case.
“I won’t hold it against you,” Desiree said. “I was part of a group constructing a building for a quest and leveled up. Got way more XP for that than I expected.”
That wasn’t much better than his, but it wasn’t terrible.
Last but not least, he asked, “Ziva?”
She shrugged. “I was training.”
That was no surprise. Ziva spent most of her time training.
“Tell Kaiden what you were training,” Ai said.
Ziva flashed at Ai a look of disgust and embarrassment.
“Oh. It wasn’t the sword or bow?” Kaiden asked.
“No, isn’t,” Ziva answered. “even though that was what I spent most my time doing.”
“What was it?”
“You know how Lindsey makes all the females train in the old ways? Of being a lady?”
Kaiden shook his head. “She does?”
“Yes,” Ziva said. “It's ridiculous and pointless, but she insisted that we all know how to treat a man. Lindsey is so barbaric.”
Kaiden laughed. The more he learned of the world, the more he realized he knew nothing. “Wow.”
“Yes, so I was learning the proper way to curtsey. Which, mind you, I’ve never done since. What a waste of my time.”
It really did sound like pointless training. “I’m sorry. That might actually be worse than mine.”
“Hey now. It was bad, but picking angel root is lame.” Ziva laughed.
They all laughed.
Kaiden knew it was the worst way to level up to twenty in the world, and he didn’t care. “I’m secure in my manhood and my level.”
“As you should be,” Ai purred.
She was being nice. Ai was so beautiful. They all were. Each time they talked, he felt like he was even closer to them, and he loved them more.
Chapter Sixteen
Kaiden waited all day for Lindsey, Adriel, or Charlie to summon them. It never came. The night fell, and they went to bed. That night, they didn’t make love.
While he could have, Kaiden’s mind was on being ignored by the people here. It wasn’t so much that he was the Chosen One. He was trying to help the world, to make it a better place, and they weren’t letting him.
All night long, Kaiden lay in bed, stewing, his angry rising. If they didn’t summon him by the time the morning came, Kaiden was going to go visit them. He’d force them to hear him out. Hopefully, they would help him and aid him in this quest.
Eventually, Kaiden slept.
The next morning, he was the last one to wake. The bed was empty, and the smell of breakfast wafted into the room. Kaiden would eat and then go talk to the leaders. He had to get this done, get this settled.
Time was important. Vincent was out searching for Lilith and trying to find out who she was bonded to, who she was protecting.
Kaiden had let one day slip by, and that had been a mistake. No more wasted time, days, or energy. He was going to take his quest into his own hand and get this shit done.
Walking out to the main room of the house, Kaiden saw his lovers. They were on the floor with a plate of dried meat, fruit, and some bread. It wasn’t the most amazing meal, but these days, it
was a feast.
“Good morning,” Kaiden said. “I love you. All of you.”
“I love you,” they said.
Ziva patted the floor next to her where a plate was waiting for him. Kaiden walked over and took his spot.
“What is the plan?” Ai asked.
Kaiden had started to eat and swallowed. “If they don’t summon us before we are done eating, I’m going to go force Lindsey to see me.”
“Good,” Ai replied. “This needs to happen.”
It really did.
They ate the meal and joked around. It was fun seeing the women so relaxed and happy. Nothing made Kaiden happier than seeing them he loved happy. That was the greatest joy in the world. Nothing compared to their smiles. Their laugh. Their everything.
Once done, they dressed and left the house.
Lindsey didn’t live far away. She lived on the southern side of the city next to Ashya. Adriel would leave the town and visit the angel land often. Her house needed to be close to his home.
Making it around just the first corner on the way to her house, they were greeted by a low-level boy. He must be no higher than level eight or nine. He was shaking in his boots at the sight of them.
His mouth dropped at the sight of them. “You’re Kaiden. They're hot,” he said.
The kid was suddenly red and shaking. He covered his mouth and hung his head.
Desiree burst out laughing. “Thanks kid,” she said between her laughter. “Never gets old hearing I’m attractive.”
“Uh,” the kid was lost for words. “Okay.”
Kaiden felt for the kid. They really were the most amazing women around, and it wasn’t like there were a lot of older women to look at in Kathill. The kid was probably going to have a wet dream tonight about them, and Kaiden didn’t blame him.
“Lindsey wants us?” Kaiden asked.
The kid nodded. “She does. You are to arrive at once.”
“Lead the way.” Kaiden gestured for him to take them to Lindsey’s house.
Kaiden was relieved that he didn’t have to barge in on her. At least she was playing ball with him. For once, she was being the good NPC and helping him out. Maybe just maybe, she would be the quest giver again and help even more.
It didn’t take long before they arrived. Lindsey and Charlie were both standing at the front of her house. Lindsey had her arms folded just beneath her chest. Charlie was relaxed as ever. The man never seemed to care. To never have a worry, what a life that would be. Charlie’s biggest problem was how to get young levels to learn to behave. He was a glorified babysitter.
“How dare you come here,” Lindsey said.
That wasn’t the best start to this conversation. Her tone and posture spoke volumes, and she was the one Kaiden had originally thought might be open to his idea, but that was quickly shifted.
“Can we talk inside?” Kaiden asked.
“So demanding,” Lindsey said. “Stewart was right about you. You have changed a lot since you left. You’re so arrogant, cocky, and rude.”
Charlie laughed. “I do not see it.”
Kaiden didn’t know what to make of this. Lindsey was angry with him and what he was doing. Kaiden had really thought she would be on his side. Stewart was the leader of the humans, the man bonded to Raphael.
“We can go inside,” Lindsey relented. Kaiden wasn’t sure why she had changed her mind, but he was grateful just the same.
This wasn’t the first time Kaiden had been in her house. If one got into trouble, they would have a private talk in the study, and she would tell the person what they had done wrong. Kaiden had done that. He imagined not as often as Desiree or even the other two. From the sounds of their stories, they had gotten into trouble often. Kaiden wished he had known them then, but maybe if he had, they wouldn’t be in love now.
The office was just as he remembered it, except for a book on the table. It was about the prophecy and how he was going to change the world. Lindsey had clearly been reading the book. Why was she so mad at him?’
She flipped it shut. “What do you want?”
Straight to the point.
“From that book,” Kaiden said, “you know that I’m the one the prophecy spoke of.”
Lindsey nodded and sighed. “Yes. And?”
“I need your help. I have my army searching for Lilith.”
Charlie snorted. “You have a cult, a giant force.”
“Not a cult. It’s a force to bring the end of the war. If Lilith would stop attacking Ashya, I would let her be. If Rachael would stop attacking, I would let him be. But they don’t and won’t. None of the people in power have been able to stop this dick measuring contest so I’m going to.”
“I like that,” Charlie said. “I like you now. You’re not the wimpy boy who was here.”
Kaiden ignored the comment, but behind him he heard Ai, Ziva, and Desiree giggle.
“He really isn’t a wimp,” Ai said just loud enough for Kaiden to hear.
“That is fine and dandy,” Lindsey said. Her posture was still one of anger and aggression. She was ready to take his head off. She looked like she wanted to make an example of him and kill him. “What is it you want?”
“We all know that if I find Lilith and her bond, I will kill that person and so kill her. She’ll go back to Hell.”
“Yes, that is the way it works.”
“Then she is the first one back,” Kaiden said. “She’s always the first one back.”
“That is the way it works,” Charlie said. “She is powerful. According to Babael, she has a special deal with the big guy since she was the second.”
That didn’t surprise Kaiden. “Doesn’t matter why she gets back right away.”
“What does then?” Charlie asked.
“We can’t let her get back. I am asking you to allow me to kill her and then not let another level up.”
“That just means we are stay here and will all die,” Lindsey said. “That solves nothing.”
“If you stop the leveling up, I will go to Hell. I’ll find a way to travel there somehow and kill her there. That is where she has to be killed. Isn't that what the prophecy says?”
Lindsey nodded. “It does. But there’s just one big problem.”
“What is that?” Ai asked from behind Kaiden.
“You can’t get to Hell.”
That statement hung in the air. Kaiden had been worried about that for a while and still hadn’t figured out how to get there. It was a big problem, and that was a concern.
“Since you can’t get to Hell,” Lindsey said, “I won’t stop anyone from leveling up.”
Charlie cleared his thought. “I was talking to Babael last night. He has a quest for our young quartet that would let them travel there.”
Kaiden couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Babael knows how to get to Hell?” Kaiden asked.
Charlie nodded. “He does.”
“If we complete this quest from Babael,” Kaiden asked eagerly, “will you stop the people from leveling up while he ventures into Hell to kill Lilith?”
Lindsey glared at Charlie with fury in her eyes. She was angry. Never in Kaiden’s time in Kathill had he seen her so upset or pissed off at any one person. Looks could kill was never more accurate than at this moment.
The woman turned to Kaiden. “If you do that, I will have to. I can’t let the angels look like they aren’t willing to aid the Chosen One.”
The emphasis on Chosen One hurt. For whatever reason, she really hated him. Kaiden didn’t know what he had done to her, but at least he had what he wanted—her at least being open to stopping the leveling up.
Kaiden hesitated. “Can you tell me who Lilith is bonded to now?”
The two looked at each other.
“No,” Charlie said. “That is one rule we will not break today.”
Kaiden concurred. “I understand.”
It had been worth a shot.
Charlie guided them out of the house and toward his. They arrived
miles beneath Kathill to the home of the demon Babael. Seeing the demon again was just as shocking. Never in his life had Kaiden expected to see a demon that was basically a chibi, but from the sounds of it, he was a very powerful demon.
Kaiden didn’t want to anger the demon.
“Charlie said you could help us,” Kaiden said.
Babael shrugged. He walked over to Kaiden and eyed him up and down. “You have power. I can sense it.”
“He does,” Desiree said.
The demon examined her next. “Ah, I see. You’re Orlas’ bond. You can read people?”
Desiree nodded. “I can.”
“What do you see in him?”
Desiree sighed. “Lots of power. Lots of potential. Unlimited levels.”
“Agreed. That’s why I want to help. He really does have a chance at defeating her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here, but if I do help, it can’t get back to the big boss. Either of them.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” Kaiden said.
“Good. if God or Satan found out, I’d be in trouble. The last thing I want is for them to think I’m a softie.”
Kaiden chortled. That was just what he looked like, a soft cuddlable demon. “What is the quest?”
Babael grinned. “Much of the mythology is centered around Jesus.”
“I know,” Kaiden said.
“If you can find the Crown of Thorns, let it prick you, and then you will travel to Hell.”
“Is that all we need to do? Let it prick us?” Kaiden couldn’t help being skeptical. That seemed too easy.
“Yes,” Babael said. “That is it.”
“You have to be leaving something out.”
“You will have to die, but that is a small price to pay.”
Kaiden knew there had to be a catch. Nothing in his life was ever as stress-free as he hoped it would be. But this was his way to Hell, and he was going to take it.
“You wouldn’t happen to know where the Crown of Thorns is, do you?” he asked hopefully.
“Sorry, bucko,” Babael said.
It would have been way too easy if he had, but they had a quest, and Kaiden was ready to start this one and then move on to the next one.
Chapter Seventeen
