“Dammit! You stupid human! If my sister doesn’t rape a man she’ll never get pregnant! Quit spreading your ridiculous nonsense about humans and monsters living together in peace, that’s never going to happen!” Falla shouted out. Daniel stared at her with bewilderment before his girls slowly walked past him towards Falla, the butterfly girl backing up with a frustrated expression as the four girls glared at her with rage.
“Number one, if you ever touch Daniel like that again, you’re dead,” Triska threatened with narrowed eyes.
“Number two, if you ever speak to Daniel like that again, you’re dead,” Alyssa added as her eyes gave off a soft glow briefly.
“Number three, monsters and humans can live together peacefully, we’re living proof of that,” Specca informed as she gestured around to the girls.
Squeak squeaked something while pointing to Falla with a stern glare, her words obviously not being understood by anyone there but the general vibe she was giving off showed that she pretty much agreed with what her friends just said, especially regarding anyone mistreating Daniel like that in front of her.
Falla growled loudly as she glanced from one girl to the other, with Daniel’s group standing before him as they all stared down the butterfly girl.
“You’re all out of your minds, all of you! Humans and monsters living together in peace, nonsense! No monster in their right mind would ever agree with what you’re saying, not even the most mindless and depraved monsters would believe in something so preposterous! Anyone that thinks humans and monsters can live together is fucked up in the head!” Falla shouted out.
“Is that a fact?” Charlotte asked from behind. Everyone looked back to seeing the alpha walking into the residence with Apoch and Astreal following behind at her sides, the head witch looking at Falla with a raised eyebrow.
“Charlotte,” Daniel said softly. Alyssa jumped a bit then quickly bowed as she lowered her head.
“My grace,” she greeted shakily, trying to sound formal while her voice conveyed she was fearful in the alpha’s presence.
“Are you saying that any monster who thinks humans and monsters can live together in peace is ‘fucked up in the head’?” Charlotte repeated.
“Yes, that’s right. I mean you of all monsters see how crazy that is, humans would never choose to be with our kind, or any monster race, that’s never going to happen,” Falla insisted. Charlotte just stared at her for a moment then glanced to Daniel.
“Funny, as I recall, that human right there took three monsters to bed with him along with a human girl, and I do believe he certainly gave it to them of his own free will,” she mentioned. Falla jumped a bit and tried to form some form of response, only managing to get out a few weak stutters, as Charlotte looked back to her with a dull stare.
“So tell me, if he could do it, why not other humans as well?” she asked. Falla stammered something for a moment before the alpha held her wand out towards her, the butterfly girl then freezing in place with a fearful whine as the witch narrowed her eyes.
“I came all this way, on a lovely sunny morning, to a dead village that is partially burned to the ground, when I have many more important matters to deal with. Now then, why do you think I did this?” she questioned.
“I hope not to kill us, or Alyssa,” Specca mentioned with a nervous smile. Charlotte smirked and tilted her head while watching Falla tremble in fear before her.
“If I wanted any of you dead, I would have had my two helpers dispatch all of you, my presence here would not have been needed,” she replied, with Apoch and Astreal giggling in unison while they held their staves upright at their sides. Falla glanced to Daniel then to Charlotte with disbelief as she slowly shook her head.
“No way, you couldn’t… actually… agree with what he’s saying, could you?” she questioned.
“Would that make me ‘fucked up in the head’ if I did?” Charlotte asked simply. Falla gulped then slowly backed up while shaking her head more.
“No, not at all, of course not,” she whimpered. Charlotte slowly lowered her wand then looked to Daniel with a dull smile.
“Before you speak, you and all your friends will listen, understand?” she ordered. Daniel and the girls all nodded before Charlotte looked to her wand with a casual flick of the magical stick.
“Now then, first let me congratulate you on your excellent performance last night. I honestly didn’t think you had it in you, but you certainly proved your worth as a male ready for breeding. Good job,” she started with a simple shrug. Daniel smiled weakly to that, not being sure if that was a compliment or an insult, before Charlotte continued.
“Although as I understand it you had some help with a special enhancer, you chose to do so of your own admission and knowledge of what would happen to you, and thus owned up to your word that you would prove your belief to me of willingly mating with not only one monster but three at the same time. So for that, bravo,” she said simply, with Apoch and Astreal merely giving two dull claps each in a mocking response. Again Daniel wasn’t sure if they were insulting or complimenting him, so he just smiled and nodded. Charlotte paused for a moment then glanced to Daniel with a raised eyebrow.
“You have my attention, Daniel, for doing what I thought was impossible. However, the idea of witches and humans living together in peace is just too difficult to see happening, even with your efforts,” she informed solemnly, with Daniel and his group showing devastated expressions to that. Luna and Kroanette looked to Daniel with worried eyes while Falla glanced to him with a smug grin.
“But, my grace-” Daniel started before Charlotte held out a finger to him.
“What did I just tell you earlier?” she asked expectantly, with Daniel hesitating for a moment before nodding slowly and closing his mouth. Slowly Charlotte lowered her hand then shook her head slightly.
“It’s just I can’t see your grand plan succeeding, Daniel. You may be able to love a witch, to love a monster, but I cannot see the rest of your kind being as accepting as you are. I couldn’t possibly persuade my sisters or even other alpha witches of such an unbelievable idea as humans and monsters living together in peace as things stand now, I myself am even struggling to believe it can happen. You must understand, I must do what is best, and possible, for my kind,” she explained, with Daniel lowering his head with closed eyes and nodding slowly. The girls all looked to him with remorse before Charlotte smirked and walked towards the boy.
“Now now, Daniel, I did come all this way to meet you, didn’t I? If it was a simple no to your question that was needed I wouldn’t have personally bothered with the trip,” she mentioned, with Daniel and the others looking to her curiously as she smiled slyly at the boy.
“You’re a special human, Daniel, the only one I’ve seen that genuinely surprised me the way you did last night. You actually took Alyssa the Wildfire Witch, of all witches, to bed with you of your own free will, and fucked her brains out. I just couldn’t believe it, I found the idea of anyone loving that letchyask simply too much to believe alone, and yet you did it, and I mean you really did it. So I thought to myself, could this human truly do what he promises? Could he really bring about peace between our races even though the odds are certainly not in his favor?” she questioned with a shrug. Daniel looked to Alyssa who was watching Charlotte with a mixture of wonder and remorse from that then watched as the alpha gestured for him to kneel before her, which he promptly did so.
“You wish to speak to your queen in Rockhelm about monsters and humans living together in peace, something that is likely to get you beheaded by your own kind for speaking such blasphemy. And you plan to bring as many monster races with you as ‘proof’ that we can all talk about this peacefully, something that is going to be nearly as suicidal to you as those siding with your beliefs in front of your kind,” she speculated before gently holding her wand under Daniel’s chin to keep his gaze on her.
“You will likely die by the very monsters you wish to speak to, raped to death while yo
ur friends are killed for being in your company, does that not scare you?” she questioned, with Daniel shaking his head while remaining silent.
“You’ll be met with ridicule and rejection by many, perhaps even by your own dear followers in due time, you do realize this, yes?” Charlotte taunted. The other girls opened their mouths to speak in protest before the witch glanced to them, all the girls then closing their mouths while shaking their heads with stern expressions. Daniel shook his head as well, with Charlotte then nodding slowly as she lowered her wand.
“Alright, Daniel, if you truly believe you can make your dream a reality, then by all means go ahead and try, I shall not try to stop you in the least. However you will need quite a loud voice to make your words heard to your kind as well as the world, that much is for certain, very certain indeed. Therefore, I will offer you my assistance only on one condition, and only this condition,” she stated decisively. Everyone watched her with wonder as she held up one hand with all her fingers and thumb spread out.
“Bring five monster races to Rockhelm with you to present your beliefs to your queen, five races that agree to side with you on such an outlandish idea…” she ordered, before slowly moving her hand forward and gently taking hold of Daniel’s chin as she gazed into his eyes.
“Do that, and I shall bring the sixth,” she finished, with Daniel jumping with surprise as the other girls looked to each other with growing smiles.
“You will? You’ll stand with us then?” Daniel asked hopefully.
“If you bring five other races of whom you managed to convince that what you say is possible, then I shall personally join you in Rockhelm to speak with your queen. However, any less than five just will not do, I shall not stand with a fool after all,” Charlotte answered as she stepped back and motioned for the boy to rise. Daniel stood up again as all his girls looked to him with amazement then to Charlotte, the alpha then pointing to Alyssa with a dull glare, with everyone watching her with concern.
“Make no mistake though, Alyssa, you are not welcome here in my land, you are by no means forgiven for your crimes against our kind, and it is only because I feel sympathetic for your dear mother that I offer you this chance to leave here alive. Only myself and my helpers here know of your presence in this land, and it will stay that way to avoid any riots in my village, but if you dare show your face here again, whether Daniel succeeds with his quest or not, you shall be put to death, understand?” she demanded sternly. Alyssa whimpered then bowed before her while closing her eyes.
“Yes, my grace, I understand,” she said softly. Daniel looked at her with remorse then to Charlotte as the alpha scoffed and turned away with discontent.
“My grace, should Alyssa help me with my quest, to bring about peace between witches and humans, could that help absolve her for her mistake in the past? She’s not a bad witch, she just couldn’t control her magic, isn’t there any chance of redemption for her?” he pleaded humbly. Charlotte glanced to him for a moment then to Alyssa, the frightened witch backing up a bit with a quiet squeak.
“She’s a letchyask, Daniel, there is no path to redemption for her,” she condemned, with Apoch and Astreal nodding slowly in agreement as they watched Alyssa with harsh glares.
“Never say never, my grace, after all you yourself once believed a human could never love a witch,” Daniel reminded hopefully. Charlotte smiled slightly and looked to him with a simple amused murmur.
“Daniel, I dare say the odds of you succeeding with your radical dreams are greater than her ever being forgiven for what she did. If you truly care about that witch, keep her far away from my land,” she reasoned before turning to walk out of the home. As she got to the door she stopped and glanced back to Daniel with a raised eyebrow.
“By the way, I have a little favor to ask all of you. Should you come across any of those fragments of Eden, bring them to me, I’ll be sure to reward you handsomely for each piece you find,” she mentioned. Daniel’s group looked to each other then to the alpha with curiosity.
“My grace, what exactly are those things anyway?” Triska asked.
“Nothing for you to be concerned about, you have enough to be focused on, what with Daniel’s quest and all,” Charlotte replied with a shrug. Specca nodded then stepped forward.
“My grace, may I please ask you one more thing?” she requested as she got down on one knee. Charlotte just waited for her to speak while still facing towards the door. Specca looked down for a moment then to the witch with a cautious expression.
“Last night, you called Jovian and Jacqueline ‘gemini’. What are gemini? I couldn’t find such an entry in our monster guide, though I’m certain I’ve heard that name before. Please, what in Eden were they?” she asked. Charlotte turned to her with a solemn expression then to Daniel as everyone listened carefully.
“They are Darker Ones, most foul as Darker Ones go. However, they are a Darker One, not two,” she said cryptically, with everyone just staring at her with confusion.
“I don’t get it,” Luna said shaking her head.
“Don’t feel bad, neither do we,” Triska mentioned. Charlotte smirked a bit and looked down as Apoch and Astreal closed their eyes and listened to their alpha.
“They are a special kind of Darker One, a monster with two bodies, but only one soul. You cannot kill one without killing the other, and you cannot kill either by normal means. There is only one way to kill a gemini, though I suspect you’ll never be able to, right now nobody can,” she explained.
“They survived all manner of harm the other night, how can they be killed? How can they truly be stopped?” Specca asked. Charlotte walked up to the girl and held her wand to the nixie’s heart, with Specca looking to it then to the witch as she showed a grave expression.
“The only way to kill a gemini is for each to be struck through the heart by the hands of heaven and hell, at the same time,” she explained.
“I still don’t get it,” Luna whined.
“None of us do. Please, you’re not making sense, how can we put those bitches down if we come across them again?” Triska asked urgently. Charlotte rolled her eyes then looked to her with a dull stare.
“I just told you. There are supposed swords of legend, one forged from the heavens above and another cast from the fires of hell. One must be struck through the heart of a gemini while the other’s heart is pierced by the second mythical blade, only then will the Darker One truly die,” she clarified. Specca looked at her curiously then jumped with a gasp.
“The Archlight’s Blade! That’s where I’ve heard that name before, it’s a sword made by angels themselves!” she exclaimed.
“The Archlight’s Blade? Wait, you mean that sword Daemon was using last night?” Triska asked. Specca nodded as she recalled the magical sword that the mysterious traveler wielded, how it was able to fight against both a succubus and a deathmare while being capable of unleashing magical spells of bright light as well.
“That’s one of the swords, I heard tales about it belonging to the angels in heaven, but those were just stories, I had no idea it was actually a real weapon,” she said looking to Charlotte with wonder, the witch nodding to that.
“You and me both. The swords are that of legends, nobody has ever actually seen them before. When I saw that he did indeed possess that weapon, that was the single most surprising moment of my life,” Charlotte agreed.
“But wait, if you knew that gemini were real, then surely you had to have known the swords were real too, how else could anyone have known that such weapons were needed to kill them?” Triska asked with confusion. Charlotte breathed out and looked to her with a solemn gaze.
“Because the way to kill a gemini is also a myth. Nobody has ever slain a gemini before, ever. They don’t breed, they don’t die, rather they seem to appear out of nowhere and then vanish again after killing all those they come across, commonly brushed off as folktales of the insane and confused. However, their eyes are the giveaway of their true appearance, what
reveals them for what they really are. That is how I knew what they were, how I knew that a gemini had arrived here,” she explained.
“So the only supposed way of killing them, if it’s even possible to kill them, is to strike them both through the hearts at the same time with each of the swords of legend,” Daniel said curiously.
“If that is indeed true, what is the other sword needed, the one cast from the fires of hell?” Kroanette asked.
“The Hellfire’s Edge, a sword forged from the demons and dark spirits of hell, the opposite of the Archlight’s Blade,” Charlotte replied solemnly. Specca thought for a moment then looked at the alpha carefully.
“My grace, I do remember reading about that sword as well, how it was only in tales told by humans, a sword capable of using the most powerful of dark magics. And… there was something unique about each blade as well, how only certain people could use either one, though I question whether or not those were just silly conditions made up by humans,” she mentioned, with Charlotte nodding with a smirk.
“Yes, what you read about those two legendary swords was true. The Archlight’s Blade can only be used by a virgin, while the Hellfire’s Edge can’t be used by a virgin,” she confirmed, with Daniel’s group looking to each other curiously.
“The swords are limited by whether their wielder is a virgin or not?” Daniel asked with confusion.
“So, wait, you’re saying that if I had the Archlight’s Blade, I couldn’t use it now?” Triska asked looking to the alpha with puzzlement. Specca nodded then looked to her with concern.
“That’s right, only a virgin may wield that sword. You’re not a virgin anymore, Triska. Should you try to hold the sword it’ll set you ablaze with the fires of heaven, it’ll kill you,” she warned, with Triska jumping in surprise to that.
Chronicles of Eden - Act 2 Page 91
