by Eric Vall
His disfigured face moaned in pain, but the sound quickly died as the lava came even faster now and splashed over his head. I watched him burn and felt his life fade from deep within his fiery carcass. The god of the animals wasn’t as powerful as those we’d faced before, but he’d done something that few others had tried to do. The illusion goddess and the golden god from Tamarisch tried to take over my minion’s minds, but Nanook took Carmedy, Rana, and Haruhi so quickly. I almost had some respect for the god, almost. The only mistake he made, which was no fault of his own, was trying to take my women. If I were any other god or even a mere mortal, he might have gotten away with it, but I wasn’t, and it was time for Nanook to succumb to me like all the others before him had.
I retracted my power from him, and Nanook wavered on his feet for a moment as the lava ate away at every inch of his body. He fell like a falling tree in the forest, and when his massive body connected with the floor of his nexus, the whole room vibrated. I stood in front of his corpse for a moment and finally, an orb rose out of the middle of his wounded back. Nanook’s orb of power was massive compared to the others that I’d taken from other gods, and I took a step towards it. The undulating sphere floated closer, and its surface spun and shifted different shades of forest green.
The orb and I came together at once, and it absorbed into the middle of my chest where all the others had before it. A new strength took over me, and I breathed in deeply as I closed my eyes. I felt his power settle within me and become an extension of the powers I already wielded, but this time, it felt different than all the others. I was suddenly aware of all the animals around me, not just the small woodland creatures far above my head on the surface but the slinking worms buried in the dirt below my feet and the scuttling beetles in the corners of the nexus.
The smell of moist dirt was heavy in my nostrils, but it seemed to come along with Nanook’s powers. I didn’t mind it, but it would take some time to get used to when I reached out for his power.
I turned towards my minions, and they waited patiently for me.
Haruhi’s hazel eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and she clutched her hands together tightly in front of her. The sage’s gaze was tightly glued on Nanook’s corpse, and I stepped in front of her to shield her eyes from the horror. Haruhi looked up into my face as her mouth hung slack, and her lips moved limply as if to speak, but no words made their way out. I held my hands out in front of me as I stared down at her, and the sage reached out for me shakily.
“Are you afraid of me now?” I asked as her paws closed over mine.
“No,” the librarian answered back in a soft whisper, and I raised my eyebrows for her to explain. “I knew what I was getting into when I came along with you. I can’t back out now… I already knew who and what you were, there’s nothing I can do or say that will change your inner workings. You’re a god, but not only that, the god of the Underworld. I knew all of these things before I got involved with you and I have to come to terms with all of this. This is my life now; you’re my Master; I must accept these things.”
Haruhi sounded as if she was trying to convince herself, but when her eyes met mine, they burned with determination. The sage lifted onto the tips of her toes and planted a soft kiss to my lips. I instinctively grabbed her and pulled the petite librarian to my chest and deepened the kiss to the hoots and hollers of my other minions. When I pulled away from Haruhi, Rana was nearly vibrating with excitement.
“Is it treasure time?” the redhead asked as she hurried over to me and bounced on the heels of her feet. “Please tell me its treasure time.”
“But of course.” I grinned as I let my hands drop from the sage.
“Summon the Shadow Slaves! It’s time to put them to good use!” the fox shouted as she pranced around.
I laughed loudly as I did just that, and the skeletal beings ran off into one of the tunnels leading out of the nexus. I guided my women back up the halls towards the surface, and we waited out on the grassy crest of the hill. It was midafternoon by now, and the sun was still high in the sky. A soft breeze brushed by with a faint twinge of the oceans spray on it.
I turned and looked out over the mountainside. Far below, the city bustled and beyond that, the azure surface of the ocean with tiny boats moving along its channels. In the distance through the cover of mist, I could see the outlines of Carmedy’s home island and beyond that, the tops of the mountainside of the larger island, Kegewa. It was gorgeous here, and it was clear why the two felines loved Canarta so much.
Eventually, the islands would be mine too, and the two cats would be able to visit as often as they would like. I wasn’t sure where we would place our final home once my battle against the Holy Order and the heavens were finished, but I would like to think it would be somewhere like the islands of Canarta. It was peaceful here, and I wondered if the other two islands had such an aura around them too. The islanders of Canarta were pacifists, but under my rule, I would make these islands into mighty strongholds for my women and me.
Within minutes, my shadow slaves returned with five trunks, and Rana was nearly jumping up and down with excitement. Once the trunks were laid out, the redhead dove for them and ripped the first one open. The redhead frowned and sat back on her heels as she lifted an object out.
“Whoa, never expected to find these here,” Rana muttered as she held the flintlock rifle up and looked down the scope.
Both Carmedy and Haruhi took a step back at the sight of the weapons, but I moved past them to where the redhead sat. Rana turned as I came near and handed the rifle over to me, I could see into the trunk over the fox-girls shoulder and saw that the entire trunk was filled with more of the weapons. I took in the intricate detail work of the wooden patch box then lifted it and looked down the sights. I rested the rifle against the trunk and leaned in beside the redhead as I found something of interest.
I grabbed a leather holster that held two pearl-handled pistols and carefully pulled it out of the trunk. I flipped the clip on one of the bindings and lifted the gun out. The inlaid pearl shone in the afternoon light, and I palmed the metal weapon on my hand as I looked it over. It was masterfully made and looked to be in pristine condition. The only thing missing from the guns were the flint to ignite the fuse and shots.
I turned towards the two felines, and they both eyed the weapon in my hands warily. Carmedy held her tail between her two hands while Haruhi stood stock still, her fluffy white tail still behind her back as she stared at the gun.
“Haruhi, come here,” I commanded, and the sage’s eyes widened, but she obeyed. “Do you know what this is?”
“A g-gun.” The sage answered back, and I offered it to her.
Haruhi shook her head vehemently, but I grabbed her paw in mine and placed the gun in it. The librarian gulped loudly and stared down at the flintlock gun for a moment before her eyes met mine.
“Why are these here anyway?” the high queen asked as she opened another trunk to see it was also full of guns. “I thought the Canartian people were pacifists?”
“We are,” Carmedy said as she took a tentative step closer to our group. “But we still have to eat.”
“I’m assuming that these guns were taken from hunters who were unlucky enough to stumble upon Nanook’s dungeon,” Haruhi said as she attempted to hand back the gun, but I pushed her hand back. “Please take it back, these things make me nervous.”
“There is no need to be nervous, Haruhi,” I soothed as I placed my hand on top of the gun in her paw. “You need a weapon, and we found two of them for you. They aren’t loaded, but we can make bullets for them, and I will train you how to use them. Do not be afraid, I am here.”
“Look! There are even bullet molds in here too!” Rana shouted as she lifted them out and handed them over to me.
“I also have these!” Carmedy smiled as she riffled through the bundles at her waist then pulled out six gray rods. “Lead! I can teach you how to make them tonight if you want!”
“I don
’t have much practice with guns,” Annalise started as she placed a tender hand on the sage’s shoulder. “But I can show you how to fire and reload in a timely manner.”
“And I will aid you by placing some of my elven magical wards upon the guns so that they will never harm any in our party. That is what you are afraid of, correct?” Morrigan questioned as she loomed over Haruhi’s other shoulder, and the sage nodded as she bowed her head.
Haruhi sighed, squared her shoulders, and looked up into my face. I raised my eyebrows in surprise at the look of determination she gave me as she set her jaw and her paw curled around the pistol in her hand. The gun looked as if it were made to be wielded by the petite librarian, and she held it with a firm grip.
“Okay, I want to learn,” the sage said in a resolute voice. “I don’t want to sit in the shadows while my sisters battle without me.”
“Well, you didn’t really sit in the shadows just now,” Rana laughed over her shoulder as she opened up another trunk. “You whacked the shit out of Nanook with your book, and I think you did just fine.”
My other minions nodded along, and I snickered as I remembered how the sage used the book like a hammer to drive the dagger in farther. The librarian gave us a sheepish smile, then held out a hand for the holster belt. I handed it over to her, and she cinched it around her waist and then placed the pearl-handled revolver back in its rightful place.
“Canarta…you sonofabitch…” Rana whispered, and we all turned at the sound of the redhead’s hushed voice.
Rana knelt in front of a much smaller chest, and the only thing inside was a jewel-encrusted hilt of what looked to be a sword. The redhead’s paws shook as she carefully took the hilt and pommel and lifted it out of the velvet lined back. We all hurried over and leaned over her shoulders as she turned the item over in her hands.
“Is it…?” Carmedy didn’t finish the question, but it hung in the air for a moment before Rana whipped around with tears in her eyes.
“It’s a sacred item,” The fox murmured as she held part of the broken sword to her chest. “Why didn’t you guys tell me that Canarta was such a treasure trove? Two sacred items in the same place?”
“Maybe they’re from the same weapon?” the alchemist asked as she took the hilt into her paws and turned it over.
The diamonds and precious jewels sparkled in the afternoon sunlight, and some of them were so large that they reflected the feline’s emerald eyes back in a mirror image.
“Carmedy’s right,” Haruhi added as she took the item from the alchemist.
“Really? I am?” the black cat cried happily, and the librarian nodded as she adjusted her glasses.
“It’s not a sword but a staff like from Morrigan’s dream,” Haruhi told us as she held the item aloft. “The two connect here. Like the Eye of Alipsis, it was forged by the gods.”
Haruhi handed back the item, and Rana stared at it in awe for a moment before she carefully stuffed it into her pack along with the other sacred items she’d collected.
“One step closer,” The redhead breathed as she patted her pack and smiled at me. “This wouldn’t have been possible if it hadn’t been for you, Master. I wouldn’t have found all of these items by myself, or even with the help of my sisters.”
“Hey! That’s… probably true.” Annalise laughed good-naturedly.
Once we’d gone through all of the trunks and picked out the items that we wanted to keep, we headed towards the peaks that Nanook spoke of. We’d have to travel deeper into the forest and farther up the side of the mountain, but even from here, I could see the faint outlines of the peaks through the fog. We set off and walked for most of the day until darkness fell over the mountain. Luckily we still carried the tent we’d used in Tamarisch and with the six of us, we set it up quickly.
Though it was hot on the island at night, Carmedy and Annalise collected wood for a small fire, and the alchemist got to work setting out all the supplies to create the lead bullets for Haruhi’s pistols. The alchemist set up the fire outside of the tent, and Haruhi watched with her full attention. The two of them lit the fire, and Carmedy stoked it until it was at the right temperature.
“You see this?” the black cat asked as she held a small metal dish at the end of a stick. “This is a crucible. It allows you to melt metal at high temperatures without the actual bowl melting or warping.”
The alchemist used a pair of heavy-duty pliers to snip off pieces of the lead into the crucible then nuzzled it deep into the smoldering embers of the fire. The two felines huddled close together as they watched the gray metal shiver in the high heat of the fire and then began to melt.
“Hand me the mold,” The alchemist instructed, and Haruhi obliged. “It takes a little longer because you have to make one at a time, but you’ll get the hang out it.”
The black-haired cat girl lifted the crucible and poured some of the liquid metal into the mold. In one swift movement, she clamped it closed and held it tightly for a minute. When Carmedy opened the mold back up, there was a perfectly round silver bullet in the middle. She let it drop to the grassy ground where it sizzled for a moment then went silent. Once it was cooled, the alchemist picked it up and offered it to the sage.
Haruhi plucked the small bullet from Carmedy’s hand and examined its seamless exterior. The librarian held the bullet up to the wavering light of the fire then glanced back at me and grinned. I nodded to her softly as she let the bullet drop and Carmedy handed over the crucible filled with more melted metal.
“Here, you try.” The alchemist giggled, and Haruhi took it nervously.
The sage moved painstakingly slow as she made sure that all of the metal went into the mold and didn’t spill onto anything else. Her hazel eyes were huge in the firelight, and she looked absolutely stunning while engrossed in the process of making bullets. I imagined she looked this way while repairing the ancient books back in the library, and it pleased me.
Though the librarian came along with me willingly, she’d been taken away from all the things she loved most. Her father and the extensive library she’d learned all her knowledge from. What set me at ease now was at least out here with us, she was still learning how to do things even without the aid of her books. One day, when I had my kingdom, and all of the world was mine, I’d build the sage a library, bigger than the one she had back home.
I wanted everything for my women. I wanted all of them to have places of their own in my kingdom, and I would make it happen after I finished with the god’s realm.
No one would get in my way, and I would destroy everything in my path to get it, but I needed my women beside me along the way. I didn’t need their help per se, but I loved them and wouldn’t leave them behind. I was their Master, and I would do everything to bring them into the next chapter of our lives together with me as the leader of the new world.
And ruler of the heavens.
Chapter Sixteen
I awoke early the next morning and rolled over to see all five of my women snuggled up next to me. Haruhi nestled up beside me with her head resting on Annalise’s shoulder. Rana lay on the other side of me with Carmedy pressed behind her back. Morrigan was on the far side of me next to Annalise, and her pale, bare shoulders shone in the dim morning light. The petite alchemist snored loudly, and I chuckled softly as the redhead batted at her in her sleep.
I untangled myself from their bodies and dressed. I opened the flap to the tent and stepped outside. It was humid as the sun rose in the east, and I looked out over the whole of the island. Far below, I could make out the shapes of the city and could barely see the light glinting off the top of the library’s dome. I turned as I continued my survey of the island and saw above us were the two twin peaks that Nanook told us about. Even from this distance away, my perfect eyesight could make out the remains of the guard towers that the god had spoke of.
The guard towers were built high into the walls of the peaks on each side. I could almost imagine what they looked like hundreds of years ago
when they were still in use. Beyond the towers lay what was left of the Qianlong city and the temple where the last pure-blooded dragon resided. We’d see her today, the last of the magnificent beasts that roamed these islands, but that wasn’t why we were here. The bastard Tuzakeur would be here from what Morrigan’s dream told us, and we would face off with him yet again. I assumed he’d probably send another proxy like he did last time, but there was no telling what would happen. For a moment I fantasized at the joy I would feel when I wrapped my hands around his throat and watched the life drain out of his eyes, though it would be small repayment for all the trouble he had caused my minions.
In the distance, I could hear the babbling of a brook, and I headed towards it. The walk to find it was short, and the fresh smell that came off it led me straight to it. The brook was about a dozen yards wide and didn’t appear particularly deep this time of year and was surrounded by bobbing cattails. I stared down into its surface for a moment, and my avatar’s face looked solemnly back. This was the face that many men and gods had looked into before they died. I’d lost count of how many people lost their lives by my hand, but I didn’t really care. Most of those I slaughtered deserved it, and I felt no pity for them.
I pulled the God Slayer from my void pocket and slammed the haft against the soft dirt beside me. The blades extracted from the weapon, and I stared down at their bloodstained surfaces for a moment. I reached into the space of my void pocket and pulled out a small swatch of fabric. I cleared my mind of all things like I used to do before battles in the Underworld. I dipped the blades of the God Slayer into the brook and then scrubbed them. The clear water ran red for a moment as I cleaned away the blood of my enemies. I’d seen rituals like this done many times before by humans who were about to step into battle. I always wondered from the heavens what they were doing and what the meaning of it was, but now I understood.
