"What did Dad mean when he said he couldn't get you to do it?" Hali asked with a naïve look of concern on her face.
The veins appeared on Lena's forehead and Fenris jumped overboard, almost landing on my back in the process.
"Don't worry, sweetie. I'll be having a talk with your father later tonight, about that very thing." She told her daughter with a saccharine smile on her face.
I glanced down at Fenris and saw him doggy paddling beside the lower half of my body. "I guess you're in the doghouse now, eh, mutt?"
He glared at me and showed off his teeth. "Watch it, snake. It’s your fault I’m in this mess."
I grinned at him. "So, are you still busy?"
"What. Is. It?" he growled.
Lena came over to the edge of the boat and looked down at me. "Torga, would you please bring my husband back on board? I need to have a ‘chat’ with him."
"Gladly," I cheerfully replied. Fenris tried to swim away before I could grab him. However, my tail quickly caught and wrapped around him, then tossed him back onto the ship.
He landed with a heavy *thud* and I could hear the anger in his voice when he growled my name. Luckily, for him at least, Lena was blocking his path to me. Between a giant, magically enhanced wolf that could probably sheer metal with his claws and tear apart airplanes with nothing but his teeth, and his five-foot-nothing, one-hundred-twenty-pound pissed off wife... it was no contest. I could only hope to get out of there before she shaved the poor bastard’s fur off and made him run around naked for a while.
My internal amusement at that image aside, I really did want to talk with him. I interrupted her before she could start her rant and received a grateful look from Fenris in return.
"Mind answering my question, now?" I asked after she’d strolled off with an obvious sway to her hips.
Fenris whined as he watched her walk away, and he had to lie down on his stomach to hide "something.”
"What are you, a horny teenager?" I mumbled.
He glared at me. "Don't think I've forgotten that it's your fault I'm in this mess!"
I tilted my head in confusion. "How is it my fault? I'm not the one that made you say something stupid. You did that all by yourself."
He stared at me for a few seconds, then rolled his eyes. "Whatever, just ask your question."
I nodded. "Alright. What's that on your forehead?"
His eyes opened wide. "What are you talking about?"
"The small jewel between your eyes. What is it for?"
"Lena, could you come over here, please!?" he called out in a panic-stricken voice.
She’d been over on the other side of the ship talking with Hali and Solon when she heard Fenris' call. But she came walking over a few seconds later. "What is it?" .
Fenris motioned to me with his head. "Ask her, it's her area of expertise." After pawning me off on Lena, he walked over to the kids and fell down beside them, causing the ship to rock and them to start climbing on him.
"You had a question for me?" she asked, and I nodded in return.
"I did. What's that jewel on Fenris' forehead?"
She tilted her head. "Pardon?"
"The small jewel between his eyes. What's it for?"
She seemed to realize what I meant after taking a moment to think about it, because she took a step back. "You... you can see it?"
I nodded.
She began chewing on her nails... After a minute or two of staring at me, she sighed. “Alright, the jewel is a druid artifact."
"And?" I asked impatiently.
"It's a semi-rare stone that has been enchanted to, well, make things more convenient for us druids."
"How so?"
"Well, since we can’t fight against animals to defend ourselves and it would be very inconvenient if we were forced to leave our partners behind when entering a city, the jewel was enchanted to shrink them to a normal size, so they could always be with us."
Her explanation confused me. "Where does it go?" I asked.
"Huh?"
"The excess size and weight. Where does it all go? I'm assuming it doesn't just vanish into thin air."
She shook her head. "No, it doesn't. It's all converted into energy and stored within the jewel. Don't ask me how it does this because I don't know. Enchanting was never my forte, despite what my husband would have you believe. However, if you're that interested, then once we make it out of here you can come with us to the druid home world and meet with Master Uriel. I'm sure he could explain it to you."
“Hmm... okay,” I agreed. "Um... You wouldn't happen to have a spare jewel, would you?"
She shook her head. "No, sorry. The jewels are embedded within our partners by Master Uriel personally, and no one is allowed to have more than one. Not even to carry around."
"I see,” I sighed. “Thanks for answering my question."
She gave me a quick nod and walked away. I stared after her for a few moments before I slipped into the water and silently continued to swim alongside the ship.
After that rather disappointing conversation, I followed the ship for another three days, and my patience was finally rewarded.
Solon yelled something from the top of the mast, which Lena translated for me as "Land ahead.” All of us gathered at the front of the ship and saw what Solon was referring to. An island. Not the island we were looking for, but an island all the same. It was fairly small, with the majority of it seemingly being taken up by a single city. Said city appeared to be densely populated, as groups of skyscrapers covered the center of the island and smaller buildings were built on the outskirts.
Solon yelled again. The boy was looking through a small telescope at the island.
"Hmm, they must live in the towers at the center for protection."
I raised my head up to look at them. "Have you never been here before?"
Lena and Fenris shook their heads in unison. "No, this is the first city we've found in this world." Lena replied.
"The first 'populated' city, you mean. We've found abandoned cities before. Even found this ship in the city we arrived in," Fenris corrected. After a few seconds Lena nodded in affirmation.
"Right." I watched them for a moment, then looked back to the city.
"Well, shouldn't we get ready?" I asked.
"For what?"
"Docking, of course. Unless you plan to pass up the chance to stretch those legs of yours?" My words seemed to strike home as only a few seconds later, they were all in motion.
"Solon, help me lower the sails!" Solon jumped to attention and quickly moved to obey his father’s command.
The family got the ship up to full speed faster than I’d ever seen them, and I followed along at a safe distance. I made sure to stay submerged, so I wouldn’t panic the locals, though I did manage to see Lena activate the jewel on Fenris' head. After she activated it, Fenris seemed to have the air sucked out of him, quickly shrinking down to the size of a normal wolf.
"Wow..."
"Finish that thought, and I'll bite you."
"Whatever you say, mutt," I laughed.
Only a few hours later, the family ship pulled into port and was greeted by a dark-skinned human and a group of what looked to be soldiers in leather armor. Though I didn't get a good look at him as I was trying to keep myself hidden.
"Ahoy there!" the human yelled in a semi-deep voice.
"Greetings, my name is Lena." I could hear her step up to greet him.
"Hello, ma'am. My name is Jordan Yesyra. I own and operate this here harbor."
"Nice to meet you, sir." I didn't need to see her to know she was bowing to him.
"None of that, now. Though I do need to ask you a few questions."
"Ask away."
"How many people are on your boat, besides you three?"
"It's just us, and Fenris over there."
"Mind if we check?" he asked before continuing. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but we have to make sure nothing is being smuggled in."
"Oh, of course," Lena agreed.
I heard multiple people step onto the ship and spend about fifteen minutes looking around.
"Thank you for waiting, ma'am."
"Oh, no problem."
"That appears to be everything. However, I must warn you to avoid the back alleys and the lower bazaar after dark. Bandits and thieves have been known to target women and children."
"Oh... thank you for the information."
"Anytime, ma'am. And please, enjoy your stay in Edge Haven."
“Guard the ship, snake. It’s your scales if I come back and there’s a single scratch on her.” Fenris called out to me after Jordan and his guards had left.
“Sure,” I laughed. “And I’ll be sure to start believing that around the same time I start believing in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and the words of politicians.”
“Yes, well,” Lena interrupted before Fenris could say anything. “We have a lot to do, and little time to do it. Come along, dear.” She yanked on Fenris’ tail and dragged the poor mutt off the ship, followed by a stoic Solon and Hali, who’d taken the opportunity to wave at me while they departed.
I coiled around the ship (a recent influx of higher quality food had ensured that I was now long enough to do so), and I went to sleep.
Interlude: A godly confrontation, the serpentine security system, and Fenris fights for his life
NIABUS WAS SITTING at his table awaiting the inevitable "visit” from his siblings. They always paid him a "visit” after he’d gone against Forna's wishes, and now he’d not only helped the mortal but was also the direct cause of his killing one of Oyja's "beloved” minions.
"As if the bitch actually knew what 'love' was," He said to himself. The door behind him opened, and he could hear multiple people enter.
"Who's this bitch you're talking about, Niabus?" Niabus glanced behind him and saw three people coming into the room.
The first was Ewdea, Goddess of Honesty. She was a tiny woman with shoulder-length brown hair. She was so small, she could barely see over Niabus’ table and was often mistaken for a child, but she had the power to read and influence the mind to an unimaginable degree.
She called herself the Goddess of Honesty but was really the goddess of manipulating the truth. And she held the "important” position of being his sister's right hand.
The second person to enter was Kalos, God of Justice and Penance, a giant of a man, so large he could barely fit inside the temple even though it had forty-foot ceilings. He had a shaved head and beady black eyes, and though you wouldn't think so because of his size, Kalos was a pacifist. By that, I mean, he hated getting his hands dirty and would prefer it if you committed suicide so he wouldn't have to kill you himself. His powers allowed him to control someone as if they were a puppet, a slave in their own body.
He especially enjoyed making young gods and goddesses into his "playthings,” and he’d driven more than a few into insanity.
With these two by your side, no one was safe from manipulative bitches. Speaking of which...
"Forna, so nice of you to drop by. Is it that time already?" Niabus was referring to his yearly "punishment.” Forna and her two lackeys would come by every year, and forcefully absorb his power into themselves. It’s how they stayed the ruling faction among the gods.
Forna shook her head, and goons one and two smirked at Niabus.
"No, this is a special occasion."
Niabus quirked one eyebrow at her.
"Really? Then don't keep me waiting, sis. What's the occasion?"
"We have reason to believe that you interfered with mortal affairs."
He raised the other brow.
"Oh? That's a serious accusation. Where’s your proof?"
Forna smirked. "Oyja has named you as her accomplice in interfering with a mortal's life."
Niabus blinked at her.
This was more serious than he'd originally believed. Oyja was one of Forna's closest allies, and if Forna dragging her name through the mud...
"I guess Oyja's punishment has already been delivered?"
"Yes,” She agreed. “As per usual, interfering with mortal affairs without probable cause results in the offender fading. Oyja's sentence was carried out by Kalos earlier today."
Niabus glanced at the man and saw specks of blood on his face and on the front of his white pants.
"The poor girl was probably raped before he killed her...." Niabus maintained his neutral expression. "Really? That must have been hard for you. She was one of your closest allies, after all."
Forna let out an overly dramatic sigh. "It truly was. But a criminal must be punished for their crimes. I just wish I knew why she agreed to help you."
"You lying bitch. You gave her the order to drive Albert insane. And you punished her with this farce because she failed to do so before I caught on." Niabus raged in his mind but otherwise didn't make a move.
"How sure are you that she didn't act alone?" Niabus asked.
"I confirmed it myself. Admit it, Niabus. You're still up to your old ways." Ewdea smugly replied.
Niabus glared at her, as memories of times long past raced through his mind. After a few seconds he glanced at Forna and asked..."What do you think, Forna? Is history repeating itself?"
She seemed to space out for a few seconds, then glared at him. "Enough talking, brother. It's time for your punishment." Goon one and two went to either side of Niabus, while Forna stepped up and grabbed the front of his robes. She leaned her head down and whispered in his ear. "Your punishment is giving us all of your remaining power and fading. Like you should have millennia ago." Niabus was pulled to his feet. Ewdea grabbed his left arm, Kalos grabbed his right arm, and Forna reached up and grabbed his face.
Ewdea and Kalos began to manipulate Niabus’ body, while Forna drew out his life force... as was her domain. Forna was originally a creature of the purest essence that gave life... not snatched it away. She used to be the very incarnation of the cycle. Life...Death...and Rebirth, they were all under her control.
Niabus felt his life leaving him, and with the temple suppressing his power, Niabus was powerless to resist. An unspeakable pain assaulted his senses as Ewdea and Kalos attempted to keep him in a paralyzed state while Forna drew out his life force.
"Forna... I wish the you of the past could see you now." The draining sped up.
"Shut up, Niabus. What I'm doing is right, and you're in the wrong here, not me."
He gritted his slowly sharpening teeth at her. "Are you truly so blind, that you believe this is okay!?"
"What? Punishing a criminal?" She looked honestly confused.
"No. I agree that I broke the law. But only because you. did. it. first."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, please. I've done no such thing."
"Look at yourself!" Niabus roared, and his features changed even further. His skin became rough and scaly, his eyes turned to slits, and his horns grew larger.
"You have deluded yourself for so long that you let this monster kill an ally... and that wasn't all he did, was it!?"
She dug her nails into his flesh. "She deserved what happened to her!" Forna spat in Niabus’ face, as his features continued to change. Niabus’ robes were torn asunder as wings grew from his back, scales turned black as ebony, his eyes blazed with the fires of hell.
"No one deserves to die that way!" Niabus roared as his size increased a hundredfold. The growth enchantment on the temple was just barely able to contain his new size. A long serpent-like tail grew from Niabus’ backside, and a crown of flames appeared over his head.
Niabus casually threw off Kalos and Ewdea, then continued to stare into Forna's eyes.
"I didn't bring you back so you could turn out this way, Forna." Niabus bowed to her.
She placed her forehead against his and whispered. "You should have let me die." The drain increased in speed again.
The memories of their past lives played through his mind, as the woman he used to love like a sister slowly caused him
to fade.
"Maybe I should have. But I never would have imagined that you would become like him."
"Take that back!" she roared.
Niabus’ snout grew longer and his control over his power began to slip. "No. I won't."
She dug her nails deep into his scales and screamed. "You will!"
He shook his head. "No... and I won't let you have my power either. If I'm to die today, it's on my own terms. Not yours." The crown began to spin faster and faster, as the fires of hell slowly consumed Niabus’ body.
Forna continued to hysterically scream at him, and her two goons tried to make a break for it as they knew what he planned to do.
"This probably won't kill you, but I doubt your two lackeys will survive." The flames consumed Niabus’ flesh and revealed his true form... A massive black dragon with obvious blue veins filled with the fires of hell that covered his body like a spider's web.
"I, Niabus, God of Fire and Destruction, do hereby relinquish my power, and pass it on to the next Dragon King..." Niabus’ power stopped being drained from him, and the veins that covered his body began to glow.
"No! Ewdea, Kalos, stop him!" Forna let go of Niabus’ head and stumbled backward. An explosion of power lit up the temple and destroyed it. The mountains were turned to ash, the waters boiled away, the sky was vaporized, and the branch of Yggdrasil connected to the planet was incinerated. Niabus’ power spread outside of the planet and deep into space, where it vaporized every planet and star within five light years of him. It continued to spread until nothing remained, and Niabus vanished along with it.
Forna and her two lackeys were vaporized as well, but Niabus knew Forna would live. She was a survivor, if nothing else. And being reborn was her race's specialty, after all.
John the Thief
JOHN AND HIS GANG OF five other men were making their way to the docks to set up a trap for some new arrivals, a beautiful elf woman and two children. One child was another elf, the other was a beastman. As it was currently nighttime, they were able to move around mostly undiscovered. And the only people to see them were members of the city guard. But they knew to keep their mouths shut, lest their bribe money be cut out.
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