by Eden Redd
“Stand aside. You do not have the power to…” Harkkon stopped as an air elemental took hold of the sphere and began to pull it off the floor.
“I may not, but I have friends who do,” Edric smiled.
Harkkon’s eyes flared with black light. Power flashed, splintering the air elemental to shards. When Harkkon’s boots touched the floor once again, he raised his hand. Leeta cried out as she stepped in front of her master and lover, maces up. Harkkon lashed out a back hand, striking Leeta and shattering her instantly. Edric’s heart broke as his eyes widened.
The summoner lifted into the air from the strike, grunting as pain flared. Body soaring, he missed the edge of the white stone platform and fell over. Plummeting down, Edric’s body turned to see the ocean rapidly approaching. A dark shape emerged with a splash. Edric crossed his arms as a Sormir opened its maw. The summoner thought of Elora as the sea serpent’s mouth closed and darkness filled his vision.
Juna was to her feet when Harkkon approached. Jinn and Sonja stood with blades in hands and convictions in their hearts. Oksuna stood, swaying to the pain as the Sormir died.
“So ends an era and a new one begins,” Harkkon said and took another step forward.
Sonja and Jinn charged, blades slashing outwards. Power rippled and blasted forward, knocking the knight and assassin to the floor. Black energy arced along their bodies as they struggled to move.
Juna drew her swords and held them before her, “I’ll die before you touch her!”
“So be it,” Harkkon said with a sad edge.
Juna leapt, white swords flashing. Harkkon lifted both hands. White blades came down as the black sphere of power faded away. Juna drove her power into the swings. When the white blades connected with Harkkon’s bare hands, power flashed and fingers curled around the blades.
Juna’s boots touched the ground as she tried to pull her blades free. Harkkon’s grip was that of a vice, holding them with no single visible sign of pain or discomfort. Juna growled as she tried to break free, her movement useless like a child caught in an adult’s grip.
Harkkon looked at the white blades he held. “Your swords are an extension of you. I have puzzled on what would happen if they broke.”
Harkkon’s right hand tightened around the blade and he twisted his wrist. Juna’s world screamed into pain, her white blade breaking in half. Points along her right arm snapped in two places, the connection between body and blade roaring. Right hand opening, the broken blade fell away as her cries fell into whimpers. Harkkon let go of the broken piece in his hand. The two halves fell and clattered against the floor.
Harkkon let go of the second sword. Juna fell to her knees, sheathing her left blade and then grabbing the two pieces of her right sword, clutching them to her body. A tremble filled her body as she whimpered, holding her broken blade like a severed limb.
Harkkon looked to Oksuna, not giving Juna a second glance. Stepping up the three-step dais, a hand reared back.
Oksuna’s pain subsided and she looked down in confusion. She saw Juna on the ground, fear in her eyes. Motherly warmth bloomed as she wanted to go to her and hold her, soothing the pain away. A hand clamped on the troll’s neck and lifted her into the air. Oksuna turned her gaze to Harkkon as he leered in satisfaction. The God-Emperor held out his left hand, a giant black hammer forming.
“A fallen throne for a fallen world,” Harkkon whispered as he reared his hammer back and brought it hard across.
The Serpent Throne shattered into chunks of stone, spraying sideways. Oksuna’s last connection to it surged and it overwhelmed her senses. Becoming dead weight, she passed out as Harkkon held her up in victory.
***
Edric opened his eyes, small waves crashing over him. Water soaked his clothes as he turned his attention to the giant sea serpent lying next to him, weak eyes shifting to him. The summoner rose to his feet, looking at the giant monster as it made a whimpering gasp.
“My name is Magnys…” A voice said in Edric’s mind. “…please…save me…”
Edric looked to the Sormir, heart pounding in his chest.
“You’re…a summoner. You can save me…before…my people…become extinct. No…time…left…save me…save…us.”
Edric’s brow filled with kind strength.
(Snare)45+(Sta)7=52/(Encounter Roll)2! Snare successful!
A gold band appeared around the Sormir’s throat.
“Submit to me and I will always take care of you. Swear loyalty and you will have it in return,” Edric stated firmly.
“I…do…..” the Sormir sighed.
Pulling out a lock stone, energy enveloped the sea serpent. It broke down and snaked into the stone. Edric held it as the energy filled the stone with light, a symbol of a sea serpent etching into the side of it.
Edric held the stone in his hand before he called on Magnys.
***
Harkkon lifted his hammer. It shifted into a black blade. With a slash upward, the digital reality cut open like a black wound. Juna stared up as Harkkon tossed Oksuna into the black void. When her body disappeared, the oval wound closed and sealed shut.
Harkkon turned his attention to Juna, Sonja and Jinn. “She is in the abyss for safe keeping. Only I can bring her back. There she will stay until we return back to Kraznith so I may uncover her secrets.”
Juna glared at the dread lord.
Harkkon’s eyes held a mocking sorrow, “Don’t look at me like that. All will be forgiven when the time comes.”
A shadow rose up from the waters. Harkkon felt it; turning around, his eyes widened as they beheld Edric sitting on a Sormir’s serpent head. The Sormir opened their mouth and steam blasted out. Jinn and Sonja were to their feet and grabbing Juna. The three leapt aside as steam crashed into Harkkon’s sphere. The God-Emperor watched in amusement as he used his power to keep the sphere intact.
“We’re going home,” Edric shouted.
Harkkon tilted his head up, his gaze cutting through the steam and connecting with Edric.
“When you’re ready…come to Kraznith, Oksuna and I will be waiting,” Harkkon leered.
Edric glowered at Harkkon as Jinn and Sonja held Juna. Hands pulling out recall stones, the three disappeared in a flash. Edric pulled out his recall stone and pressed his other hand to Magnys.
“We’re getting her back,” Edric shouted.
Activating the recall stone, the last image the summoner saw was Harkkon smiling and then, nothing.
***
Lance dug his heels into the sides of the wyvern. Glancing back, the dread lord continued to follow him in the distance. Turning forward, he looked down at the troll army surrounding the mystical portal. The white knight reached up and drew Shatter Light from its sheath. Knowing what to expect, the knight smiled as relief washed over his battered senses. The long road would soon be over.
Memories washed on the shores of his mind and heart. A mental picture of Lorn appeared and a tear formed in the corner of the knight’s eye. A sliver of distant pain stabbed at his spirit but he knew this would be the only way to help his friends and Lukken.
The wyvern dived down. Trolls pulled back on bow strings and held up rune covered spears. A command shouted to attack. Lance watched as the sky filled with points of sharp metal. The wyvern cried out as its body peppered with arrows and spears. Lance whispered a thank you to the beast as spears exploded. The knight was airborne, fifty feet above the portal. Blade in hand, he turned his body as he came down. With all his strength, he brought the mystical blade down on the top of the portal edge. Runic stone cracked and shattered.
The white knight landed on his feet, slashing against the side of the portal, cracking it and shattering it. Arrows sunk into his back but he pressed on, knowing if the portal was destroyed, the enemy would have to find a new one to return.
Several more arrows sank into his back as one side of the portal collapsed. Lance grinned as he fought through the alerts filling his vision. Shutting them down, he sliced a
t the other side. Runic stone flared before it went dark, crumbling from his attack. When the right side fell to pieces, the knight fell to one knee, dozens of arrows sticking out of his back.
“I’m coming…Lorn,” Lance whispered to himself.
A black blade stabbed into his back. The white knight’s eyes widened as errors appeared in his vision, beyond his control. The knight turned to see the thin dread lord pulling a black runic blade from the knight. Lance’s body flickered, pixelated, morphed and shifted as the corruption bled into his code.
“You won’t be coming back from that,” the thin man in leather sighed before looking to the broken portal. “Smart,” he hissed.
Lance smiled as he fell forward. Body shifting, the corruption engulfed him and he faded away, his heart now free.
Twenty
Elora’s throne room filled with bodies and more. A giant Sormir and a Drell-Kai lay off to the side, taking up half of the immense chamber. Players sat around while servants served wine and spirits. The mood was somber; Leeta and Drakkus watching the crowd.
In a corner, Sonja pulled up a screen and tapped away at it. Jinn sat with Juna, holding the two halves of her white sword and pressing them to her broken hand and arm.
“Try again,” Jinn encouraged.
“I can’t,” Juna said like a hurt child.
“I believe you can. He broke it but you can heal it. You just have to try.”
Juna looked away, the images of her mother thrown into the abyss still fresh.
Sonja huffed in frustration, “I can’t find anything on Lance. The game says his avatar doesn’t exist anymore.”
Jinn tilted his head, shadows covering his eyes. “When we log out, we can call him. Right now, we should focus on Juna.”
“This is pointless! I can’t do it,” the half-troll growled.
Jinn sighed. “Time will heal everything.”
Sonja looked to the older assassin. “Did it heal us?”
Jinn turned his gaze to the beautiful blue knight. “It did,” he smiled.
Sonja tried to fight the urge to return his smile and failed.
“Mother is gone,” Juna said defeated.
“We will get her back,” Jinn tried to sound upbeat.
“That sounds like the old Jayson I used to know,” Sonja kept her smile.
“He’s still here, under the beard,” Jinn smirked.
A door opened behind the thrones. Players and NPC’s stood up, all eyes turning to the five individuals as they emerged. Edric and Faye led the way, Claudia and Rayna close behind. Sekka was last. Murmurs rose and fell silent as the four rulers of Elora moved to their thrones, stood before them and then sat down. The succubus stood to their side facing the crowd.
Jinn and Sonja helped Juna to her feet. The troll’s broken arm folded to her chest while Jinn held the two pieces of her white sword. A hush fell over the crowd as they looked up to the rulers, waiting patiently. Thorrin moved to Sonja, Jinn and Juna’s side, chest out and eyes holding a burning fire. Renner, Vass, Venner and Lydia moved through the crowd, taking their place with their friends and family.
Faye leaned forward, her expression calm as she surveyed the crowd. “The events from a few hours ago needed to be discussed in private. We wanted to gather as much information as we could before addressing everyone here.
“First, we thank you all for fighting the good fight against the trolls and dread lords. Without your help, Elora and all of us might not be here to try and pick up the pieces. From all our hearts, we thank you.”
Heads nodded in agreement as the wood elf sat back in her throne.
Claudia sat forward, “As you know, the situation is dire but not hopeless. We have some good information we wanted to pass on.” The lancer turned her attention to Sekka as she stood, facing the crowd.
The succubus sauntered forward. “The dark elves who designed and created the portal have told us that the portal to the western coast is no longer functioning. We believe a good knight managed to destroy it.”
Sonja’s eyes widened before she looked down, sorrow curling around her heart.
Sekka continued, “With the destruction of the portal, it may take weeks, maybe months for the dread lords to find a new one. That gives us an opportunity.”
Rayna ran fingers across her lute strings, blasting out a riff. “Those bastards have been fighting and beating us for too long!”
Heads nodded and a murmur rose up, energy filling the throne room.
Juna stared as Edric stood up and took several steps from the throne. The summoner looked out to the crowd gathered. The sea serpent grinned as it nodded its giant head. Nykor sat on her haunches, scaly tail wagging from side to side. Leeta and Drakkus turned their heads to the summoner, small smiles blooming. The words from Edric touched their minds before he opened his mouth, true purpose filling every part of their digital bodies.
Edric stared out to the crowd, eyes and mind sharp as his lips parted. “Three dread lords are stuck on the Cursed Coast. This gives us the advantage we have needed for a very long time. My fellow rulers and I spoke at length about what we will do next and we have come to an agreement.”
Edric turned his gaze to Juna, warmth crawling up his neck. “If you join us, we will break down the gates to the Middle Kingdoms! We will smash their armies and take back what once belonged to all of us! Once we have the Middle Kingdoms, we will march on the Troll kingdoms to the south and make them pay for every life taken away by their blood thirsty revenge! We will not rest until peace returns, reuniting friends, family and loved ones! Elora will lead the charge and we will be victorious!”
The crowd cheered, raising fists into the air. Shouts filled the throne room to a fevered pitch. The somber mood vanished and a heat replaced it, hungry to beat back the enemy. Jinn pumped his fist, shouting from the deepest part of his soul. Sonja screamed with the crowd. Thorrin pumped his white hammer in the air, shouting. Renner, Vass and their children joined the chorus.
Juna kept her gaze on Edric, a new light burning. Looking down at her broken arm, a cracked bone snapped into place, followed by another. Flexing her hand, she took the two pieces of her sword from Jinn’s hand. The assassin turned to see the half-troll connect the two pieces, energy flaring and the sword fusing together. The white sword whole again; Juna raised it into the air and joined in the infectious cheers, looking to Edric with eyes of hope.
Edric stood, the cheers of the crowd washing over him. Thoughts flowed back to Elora, his Elora. Her image filled his heart as he looked to a hanging banner, a blooming tree with angel wings.
“Elora, if you are out there, guide us to victory,” Edric whispered in his mind, the throne room filling with a symphony of aspiring reverie.
~Fin~
Dedications
A special thank you to two individuals who helped make this book possible and a big thank you to everyone who supported me! You all hold a special place in my heart!
A Loyal minion of the Lewd Empress
&
Eric Newman
Editor
Jerome Koger
Thank you for fixing my many mistakes.
Acknowledgements and Friends
Below is a list of incredible authors who I have had the pleasure to know and wish to share them with you. Please explore their magnificent works. Tell them Eden sent ya. ;)
Daniel Schinhofen, you are a great writer and friend.
Scottie Futch, you make me laugh. :)
George Fisher, mentor and friend to so many struggling authors.
Dawn Chapman, for being awesome!
William D. Arand, for taking the time to give wonderful advice.
Dave Willmarth, an author with an amazing talent and knows how to brighten my day.
Alara Branwen, spectacular author whose books and friendship showed that I could be a writer too.
Angel Ramon, your talent, friendship and strong heart can overcome any disaster.
Neil Herndon, I love when we throw aroun
d ideas.
R. M. Mulder, your strength inspires me.
Paul Bellow, for creating a place for LitRPG and Gamelit authors to be themselves and all around amazing!
Zachariah Dracoulis, fighting the good fight for all authors.
Stuart Grosse, for writing from the heart and not what people tell you to write.
Charles Dean, you are not only a great writer, you’re too funny with Cards Against Humanity!
Special thanks to Brandon M, Blaise Corvin, Clarence M, Raymond J and Noah Barnett. Loving thanks and a special place in my heart to any I missed.
A royal thanks to my ARC Knights. May your armor never dent, your swords remain as sharp as your minds and sturdy as your hearts.
If you enjoy sexy monsters, fantasy, magic and erotic adventures, please sign up for my newsletter and receive a free e-book!
A Note from Eden Redd
I wanted to take this moment to thank you for reading!
I hope you enjoyed the stories. If you have a moment, please leave a review. If leaving a review is not your cup of tea, then please e-mail me. I try to answer all e-mails as fast as I can but I would love to hear your feedback.
Join my mailing list and receive updates on new titles!
Visit my Website at https://edenredd.com/
[email protected]
I am also on twitter! I tend to put sexy monster pics and quirky thoughts/ideas.
Like me on Facebook!
I also run a sexy Facebook group, Eden’s Lewd Fantasy and Sci-Fi Garden (NSFW).
Please check out my author page and some of my other works you may like.
Eden Redd Author page
Eden’s Mega-Bundles
The Redd Monster Collection (18 Stories of Monsters, Maidens and Taboo Desire.)
The Redd Fantasy Collection (6 Stories of High Adventure, Romance and Taboo Fantasy.)
