by Erik Weir
The Blade smiled. “I know you’re in there, hearing me. Take as much time as you need to heal. The others will hold the fort while Lily and I continue the crusade. Maybe when Vala is strong enough, she will wake you from your coma. I have faith, but a little nudge would help a lot.”
Victor held Cassandra, eyes opening halfway. “We miss you. Don’t sleep too long.”
The Blade closed his eyes again, basking in Cassandra’s warm scent. Muscles relaxed and Victor found himself sleepy again. Walking between realms seemed to energize him a little, but a true night’s sleep would do wonders. A nagging thought to return to Lily’s bed called from the hazy darkness of his mind. Despite its siren call, Victor found himself comfortable. Maybe a small nap before the succubus abused him into a coma.
Victor sighed again when something pressed against his crotch. Eyes opening, Cassandra lay on her back, eyes closed but a small smile on her lips. Fingers rubbed against the firm outline of his covered manhood. The touch sent a stirring warmth through the Blade as his eyes grew wider. A small laugh rose up Cassandra’s throat as she opened her eyes and turned, facing Victor. Her fingers never stopped touching him, slowly moving over tight pants.
“Well well, what do we have here? A gentleman caller and it’s not even my birthday,” Cassandra smiled wide.
Victor’s mouth curled into a grin as he hugged the older woman close. Cassandra pulled her hand back and touched Victor’s waist, bodies pressed together. The Blade held her fiercely, heart pounding in his chest. When he pulled back, Cassandra was staring at his green eyes.
“I heard every word from you, Lily, Hox, Yex and Rhass. Vala smiles on us.”
Cassandra squeezed Victor’s butt, “And I’m ready to resume my duties as Keeper and butt slapper.”
Victor wanted to jump up, run out into the street and call everyone to the Keeper’s home. Bliss curled along nerves, but the Keeper held onto him, not wanting to let go.
“I’m young enough for you to…,” Cassandra stopped talking, her eyes widening.
Victor’s face wrinkled from joy, to confusion and then pain. The Blade yelled out as pain stabbed at his heart, drilling into his core. Thrashing, Victor grunted and yelled as his body was wracked in torment. It came out of nowhere and he couldn’t brace himself. An image of Caasa floated into his mind. She reached out to him before darkness consumed her.
Cassandra couldn’t hold on as Victor pulled away, fell off the bed and crashed onto the floor. Huffing, he tried to push away the flaring pain. A long moment circled the fallen Blade until the pain ebbed and eventually subsided. Cassandra was up, stepping around the large bed and kneeling to Victor’s side.
The Blade controlled his breathing, looking to the Keeper with stark eyes. “I…I have to go to Dark Spire. Caasa is dead.”
Four
A low moan filled Lily’s throat as her fingers played between parted thighs. The succubus’s tail curled as did her toes, strumming her clit like a violin. Gasps rose up as moans vibrated. Heat poured out of her body until she reached a flashpoint. Chest rising up, she let out a low moan as bliss spilled along bright nerves.
Falling from the heated climax, Lily sighed as she thought of Victor and prepared to go another round.
“You better show up soon,” Lily said to imaginary Victor as her wet fingers began to play again.
The massaging and playing began to ignite once again until Lily’s eyes shot open. Pain stabbed at her heart and her mouth clamped shut, not wanting to scream. Sitting up, an image of Caasa floated along her mind’s eye. The succubus jumped from the bed to the floor. Hands grabbed clothes and she dressed in a hurry. Boots barely on, the succubus darted out of her home and onto the stone street.
Victor and Cassandra were racing down the street toward her, eyes wide. The succubus felt a pang of joy as Cassandra ran along Victor’s side but it quickly washed away as cold realization touched the demoness. Seeing the look in Victor’s eyes showed that he felt it too, a sudden loss of an acolyte.
The Blade and Shield met on the street, Victor’s hands grabbing Lily by the arms, eyes manic.
“We have to go to Dark Spire! Vonn and Yimer could be in trouble,” Victor said with an edge.
Lily reached up and touched his cheek, “I know I felt it too.”
Cassandra stepped to the Blade and Shield, her eyes containing a sliver of darkness. “Go to them. I’ll commune with Vala and see if she can lend us some aid.”
Lily broke away from Victor and stepped to the younger version of Cassandra, “I…”
The older woman shook her head, “Not now my dear. We will have time to discuss later, but right now, you both must go to Dark Spire.”
The succubus nodded before turning to Victor. Without another word, the pair made their way along the stone path. Lily looked back to Cassandra’s warm smile before turning and looking forward.
Victor’s mind worked, uncertainty painting his brow. He could feel the loss, a small empty part of his heart. It was similar to the others when they died, but for some reason, it was stronger, more defined. The pair stepped along, following the small path to Vala’s cave, mist pouring out of the oval entrance.
Victor stopped right before the cave and turned to Lily, “I don’t understand, it felt like a part of me died.”
Lily looked to Victor with understanding eyes, “The longer you are Vala’s Champion, the deeper the connections will become. The passion of our connections will root into your spirit.”
The Blade looked into Lily’s eyes. “You mean it will get stronger?”
The succubus nodded. “It is one of many changes you will feel over time.”
Victor tried to mentally shake it off, his heart beating with purpose. “I think, no matter what happens, we need to bring all acolytes here to the mountain. It’s the only way we can be sure they will be safe.”
Lily nodded. “I think your right. Now that Cassandra is back, she will know how to defend Vala’s realm from any further attacks.”
Victor nodded. “Let’s start by finding Vonn and Yimer.”
“I’m with you,” Lily said with a kind smirk.
The couple gave a final nod before walking side by side to the mouth of the cave. Mist billowed out as the pair made their way in. Bodies fading into the mist, Victor thought of Dark Spire.
Walking through thick fog, Victor could feel Lily at his side. Hearts glowed along minds, sensing and feeling each other through the quantum fields and strands. The mist changed, parting away with each step. The pair walked on until dim light shined through the fading mists. When the fog spilled away and the night sky emerged, Victor looked up at a beacon of light.
The city of Koth lay before the man and demoness, a long spire reaching up to the black sky and a glowing crystal’s light touching each stone building. The crystal rotated, its light similar to moonlight. Further into the heavens, celestial moons and planets glowed against the inky black sky. Victor’s gaze lowered to the flooded city as strange beings carried on with their existence like nothing else mattered.
“I remember the way. We can…,” Victor began before the very ground shuddered.
The Blade and Shield looked to each other as another shudder rolled across the sandy floor. Being at the edge of the city, Victor gritted his teeth as a large shape emerged from behind a mountain. The dim light touched the giant thing as it stepped, each foot fall shaking the ground and sending ripples of water along the flooded city. Victor wanted to look up but he knew if he did, he would go insane.
Lily’s hand reached up and pushed Victor’s chin toward the city, their backs to the thundering monster walking toward them. The Blade complied, heart racing in his chest. He had seen an Elder once and it nearly killed him. The touch of insanity reached into his mind and nearly ripped it to shreds if he didn’t make a last-ditch effort to shut it down with the power of his spheres of influence.
“The light will keep it at bay,” Lily said as she reached down and took Victor’s hand.
&nb
sp; The succubus led Victor along, boots stepping into knee deep water as the very city shook. Black eyes of the warp spawn turned, looking past the Blade and Shield as something gigantic loomed toward the city. A chill bit deep into Victor’s body as he fought the urge to look back. The thundering foot falls stopped and something made strange inhuman sounds. Victor walked with Lily, looking up at the glowing crystal above the city spire.
Another strange sound vibrated along the air before Victor heard the Elder behind them shift on its feet and began to walk off. The booming foot falls seemed to grow fainter with each step and small relief washed over the Blade. Victor let out a long exhale, his mind growing sharp once again.
The pair made their way further into the city along the main street. Wide eyes peered down from parted curtains to the man and demoness as they sloshed along. The alien-feel of the realm tried to cloud Victor’s senses as he walked along. It made the trip that much direr if Vonn and Yimer were somewhere, hiding from whatever killed Caasa.
Victor and Lily continued to walk when a cluster of bodies emerged from a side street. The Blade watched as a dozen warp spawn moved through the water on tentacle legs. Their upper bodies were strong and muscular, oversized swords and hammers across their broad backs. Fish and odd humanoid faces stared out beyond the city, not giving Victor and Lily a second glance. Slick black tentacles moved through the water without a sound as the dozen warp spawn continued past the pair, toward the city edge.
Victor slowly turned, eyeing the spawn as they marched from the streets and onto the black desert floor, scarred mountains in the distance.
“Where are they going,” Victor asked out loud.
Lily pulled Victor along, “To some trouble we don’t want a part in.”
Victor gave them one last look as they moved as one unit into the unforgiving Elder lands before turning and walking alongside Lily. The succubus gave his hand a light squeeze before letting go. Water lapped at walls as the pair made their way down a small street and then into a thin alley. Vibrant memories of his first time here filled his mind as he recognized the way. Thinking of the neboos, a small smile crept into his cheek before the dark image of Caasa loomed like a monster in the night. Smile fading, Victor mentally prepared himself for the worst.
Stairs shined from a lone green lantern over a door. Victor and Lily took each step, water painting every step until they reached the top. A gun blade slipped from Victor’s wrist and into his hand. Spending a point of Constitution, the six holes at the top of the blade glowed to life. Lily held out her hand, a metal staff extending into her palm, fingers closing around it. The pair looked to the door handle, a long gash running along the wood and the door partially open.
Victor placed his left hand on the door and gently pushed. The door slowly opened as Victor’s heightened senses cut through the darkness of the stone home. Alerts appeared in his vision as he stepped in. Aiming his gun blade, he moved slowly, each step measured. Lily was behind him, red eyes taking in the gloom and fingers tight around her staff.
The smell of ammonia caused Victor’s nose to wrinkle. It was sharp and stabbed at his senses. Ignoring the smell, he made his way down the small hallway. Black blood streaked across a wall and floor like oil stains. Chunks of tentacles lay still on the ground as Victor continued to step forward. Senses dialed to eleven, aside from the stench, nothing else moved or made a sound.
Victor was first into the main room. Eyes drank in the dead hearth, ripped furniture and something lying in the middle of the room. Vonn’s table was shattered to pieces and among the splintered wood, a decomposing body lay. Victor moved in, eyes cast down and seeing Caasa as she stared up with dead, black eyes. Tentacles were pulled from her body and lay strewn about. Her stomach was open, organs spilling out and from what Victor could guess some were missing. Pale skin glowed in the Blade’s vision, parts of her arms with chunks of flesh gone.
Lily looked down at Caasa, heart heavy in her chest. Victor stepped to the cold body and knelt down by it. Sadness touched him as he examined Caasa’s body. Pointed teeth marks highlighted in his vision as he mentally directed his nano-shell to record what he was seeing.
“Baaldir could have caused this,” Victor began. “He could have sent his followers here and dismembered her to send us a message.”
Lily stood silently.
Victor clenched his jaw as he stood up, cutting off the recording and looking away, unable to stomach seeing Caasa in such a state.
“We have to bring her back and bury her with the others. She didn’t deserve this and we need to bring her to her final resting place,” Victor said, holding back a deep sadness and flaring rage.
Lily turned her horned head to the bedroom door. It stood ajar, lantern light glowing just beyond the door edge. Something black moved to the edge of the door and then slinked back out of sight. The succubus took a battle stance and tapped her foot. Victor looked to the demoness as she pointed with her chin toward the bedroom door. Holding up his gun blade, Victor acknowledged Lily with his own nod and began stepping toward the bedroom door.
A chill bit into Victor’s soul as he moved closer. Spending a point of Strength, he instantly felt stronger and faster. Gun blade charged, he aimed as he moved silently toward the door. Left hand reaching out, he braced himself that the killer could still be here, lurking about. Touching the metal door, Victor gave it a slight push.
The door swung open as lantern light flickered against something black. It stood like an upside-down teardrop, pulsating like it was breathing. Victor’s eyebrow went up as he stared at the black thing as it stood like an abyssal ghost. A moment later, Victor recognized what it was just as crisscross marks appeared over opening, ghostly white eyes. A wide, jagged grin appeared as thin arms emerged from its black body. A chuckle and a sick, wet breathing washed over Victor’s senses as he took a step back. The shadow began to giggle, white oval eyes on the Blade.
“Kill it,” Victor shouted as the shadow launched at the Blade.
Victor pulled the trigger of his gun blade, the barrel along the top of the sword glowing and firing. An energy bolt blasted out, striking the incoming shadow, but not slowing it down. Controlled chaos bloomed as Victor back peddled, pulling the trigger again and again. Energy bolts blasted out, striking and fizzing out against the shadow as it charged with a maniacal laughter.
Lily was airborne, her staff coming down hard on the shadow as Victor pulled the trigger until the gun blade clicked empty. The thin arms of the shadow lashed out, Lily barley parrying a strike, the power behind the blow sending her across the room and into a wall.
Victor let his gun blade slid into his wrist before his elemental sword slid out into his palm. Remembering his last encounter with a shadow, they didn’t seem to like slinger bullets and dragon fire. Spending a point of Wisdom, the elemental sword exploded into fire. Victor braced himself as the shadow lunged for him. Burning blade swinging, the flames cut through the shadow as it hesitated. The laughter never stopped as it lashed out like some crazed demon. Victor parried and slashed outward, anything to gain an edge. Sparks flew as pointed shadow claws crashed against the fire blade. Victor kept moving, staying just out of reach of the shadow. When it slashed across, he stepped in closer and drove his sword halfway into the bulk of the shadow. Its cold laughter grew louder as its body shifted.
Fire burned into the black thing and just as Victor pulled back, pointed shafts of darkness burst forth from the shadow. Victor slashed two away before his left hand whipped up and caught the one aiming for his neck. Muscles bulged as Victor’s entire body was pushed back. Grunting, he held the shaft before swinging his fire sword and slicing it in half. The shadow slinked closer, white eyes gazing on the Blade as he took a stance.
Lily was flying forward, staff in hand. The shadow turned its attention just as the staff came down between pale eyes. The laughter subsided as black claws lashed out. Victor was by Lily’s side, driving his flaming sword deep into the black shadow. Its laughter rolled
along, pulsating along its form.
Stab it in the head!
Without thinking, Victor pulled back his flaming sword, aimed and thrust the blade into the shadow’s malformed head. Its laughter turned to shrieks as it lashed out. Lily took a step back while Victor turned the blade in the monster’s head. It grabbed at the flaming blade, screeching as it pulled it from its head. Victor pulled the sword back, slicing across black fingers and sending the shadow into a rage fueled thrashing. A black hand lashed out at Lily, but before it reached her, Victor’s fire sword came down, severing it at the elbow. The shadow arm hit the floor and burst into smoke.
The shadow screeched again as several black arms and claw tipped hands sprouted from its bulk. Eyes separated into stalks, each one peering at the Blade and Shield. Victor pumped another point of Strength and his muscles charged with power. Lily spread her legs, red eyes on the shadow as it thrashed and screamed. Two arms shot out toward Victor while two more arms shot out toward Lily. Time slowed down as Victor burst forward to meet the incoming hands. Sword slicing in a wide arc, both hands separated from the thing’s arms. Victor kept moving, eyes on what seemed like the shadow’s neck.
Do it! Slice it across the neck!
Victor’s body surged with power as he charged the black thing. Lily knocked away an incoming hand, but before she could knock the other one away, it clamped onto her arm and bent it. The succubus screamed as her left arm was bent at an odd angle. Staff spinning in her right hand, she drove the end into the shadow’s white eye just as Victor was within striking range. The Blade’s heart clenched in his chest upon hearing Lily scream, but it didn’t slow him down as the fire sword stabbed into the shadow’s neck, the flaming tip appearing out the other side.
The shadow moaned as it let go of Lily and backhanded her across the chest into a wall. Victor twisted the blade, ready to slice outwards when the shadow turned its remaining eye stalk toward him. A cold heat flashed, causing Victor to hesitate.
