Chronicles of Eden - Act X

by Alexander Gordon

  “Specca? You okay?” Clover asked taking hold of her hand.

  “Speak to us, please!” Luna begged.

  “My dear, are you alright?” Doku feared while kneeling down near the nixie.

  Specca slowly looked around at everyone while trying to speak, the girl getting out a single utterance of a grunt before passing out. The girls looked to each other with concern then slowly over to the metal rod that was lying still nearby.

  “Is that what caused her to go crazy?” Falla cautioned.

  “What is that?” Luna worried. “Where did it come from?”

  Star warped over to the rod and carefully examined it, the other girls watching as the jinx was on her hands and knees with her tails swaying above her. The cat appeared to be stalking the inanimate rod like it was a mouse before she slowly reached out and touched it. Star jumped with a meow before she started trembling, the other girls watching nervously as she developed a large blush on her cheeks while her eyes lost focus.

  “Star?” Doku carefully asked. “Are you okay?”

  Star shut her eyes while her hips started shaking, the girl straining to hold in her voice as it was apparent she was feeling something very strongly. Her lips quivered while her thighs started to become wet from her largely growing arousal. After a moment the cat yowled and yanked her hand away, the girl holding it with a stunned expression before dropping onto her side and meowing loudly with a shaking leg.

  “Star?” Clover worried as she rushed over to the cat. She jumped as she saw the jinx yowling with a pleading look in her eye and bucking hips, the girl’s colored eyes slowly turning up to the elf while she trembled on the floor uncontrollably. Clover knelt down and held the jinx close, seeing the dazed look she had and feeling the cat still shaking slightly with weak mewls.

  “What happened to her?” Falla asked.

  “You came from touching that thing too, didn’t you?” Clover wondered, with Star looking up to her and nodding with a meow. The elf turned to the metal rod lying nearby then to the others while they were holding onto the unconscious nixie.

  “Is she alright?” Doku worried.

  “Yeah, she’ll be fine,” Clover said looking down to Star. She noticed the cat’s dripping excitement between her legs, her flushed face and glazed look in the eyes, and her breathing had become soft and ragged while she was stunned from the spike of pleasure that had shot through her body with tremendous force. Clover held the weakened jinx in her arms and gently brushed her hair before everyone looked over to the strange relic on the floor.

  “A better question is what the fuck is that thing?”

  *****

  Slowly but surely Cindy crawled up the stairs of the library with a determined expression, the wraith reaching for each step and pulling herself up while Snapper clung to her back as she watched them gradually ascend with a curious gurgle. Cindy grabbed one step and pulled her body upward, doing so again and again while the passing steps scraped sand off her chest and legs to which she paid no mind to.

  “We’re going to make it, Snapper,” Cindy grunted as she heaved herself up along the rough incline. “We’re going to join the others soon. Just hold on.”

  Snapper watched her crawl up the stairs with a curious eye then looked around at the library while she held onto the wraith’s back.

  “We’re coming!” Cindy called out as she approached the top of the stairs. “Wait for us! We’re almost there!”

  With weak laughter the girl pulled herself to the top and stood up, her body slowly reforming again while she cheered in triumph with arms held high.

  “We did it, Snapper!” she said with an excited hop. “We climbed the stairs! We’re awesome!”

  She blinked then looked behind her, the girl spinning around a few times as he saw Snapper was no longer on her back. With a gasp she then saw Snapper tumbling down the stairs with soft thumps, the youngling finally reaching the bottom and collapsing down with a buzz of her wings.

  “Snapper!” Cindy wailed in horror. She watched the swarm sit up with quick snaps of her teeth before looking around curiously. The swarm saw Cindy atop the stairs and cawed a few times before hopping up the steps towards her. Cindy stared in wonder at seeing Snapper nimbly climbing the steps before she hopped onto the floor at the girl’s feet, the child snapping her teeth and jumping about playfully with buzzing wings.

  “How did you do that?” Cindy whined in defeat. She picked up the swarm who snapped at her with a wide smile then looked at the stairs with a pout. “I don’t understand how everyone can climb those stupid things but me. I bet Kroanette can’t climb them at all, she’s way too big for those dumb things. She probably can’t get up here at all, I mean how could she?”

  She and Snapper blinked then looked over to the side to see a lowered ramp running down alongside the edge of the upper floor, leading from the ground level up to where the sand wraith now stood at the top of the stairs.

  “I hate this stupid place,” Cindy muttered. “It’s boring and mean to me.”

  Shaking her head the wraith then looked around in search of the other girls. She took off running down the aisles with Snapper holding onto her bosom with her claws and teeth, searching each corridor of bookshelves and tables for her friends while the screaming she had heard earlier finally stopped.

  “Where are you girls?” she asked running through the rows of bookshelves. “And why is this place so big?”

  After a while she rounded a corner and stopped at seeing the other girls ahead of her, all of them gathered behind a broken table that had been propped up to act as cover to which they were hiding against. Luna was holding Specca in her arms, the nixie out cold with a blush on her face while the butterfly kept her close with a worried frown. Next to them Doku was seated with Star lying on her lap, the jinx’s head resting on the harpy’s thighs while she appeared to be weakened from something. Clover and Falla were keeping low behind the table and peeking over it at something, with the elf holding a broken table leg in her hand like a club while Falla was keeping her wings lowered behind her.

  “What are you doing?” Cindy asked, with all the girls who were awake then noticing her standing near them. “And who was screaming?”

  “Oh, Cindy,” Doku said. “It was Specca who was crying out earlier. Something… tired her out very quickly.”

  “Specca? Is she okay?”

  “She’s sleeping now,” Luna answered brushing the nixie’s hair. “Something was making her go crazy earlier. The poor girl’s exhausted now.”

  “What was making her go crazy?” Cindy asked walking over to them.

  “That,” Falla said pointing down the aisle. Cindy and Snapper looked over to see books scattered about, a very large puddle covering the floor, and off to the side a small little steel rod with softly glowing blue lines.

  “I don’t understand,” Cindy said shaking her head. “What made her scream? Was it those books?”

  “No, she likes books,” Doku answered. “Those didn’t make her scream at all.”

  “Was it all that water over there?” Cindy asked pointing ahead.

  “No, and that’s not water,” Falla said shaking her head. “Don’t drink that.”

  “Then what was it? Tell me,” Cindy whined.

  “That thing,” Clover said pointing her stick towards the steel rod. “Whatever that is it made Specca lose control of herself the second her tail touched it. Star tried touching it for just a moment and she was nearly knocked out from it too.”

  “That thing made them do that?” Cindy wondered with a puzzled look. “What does that thing do?”

  “We’re not entirely certain,” Doku answered. “Though it appears to make whoever touches it go… well… a little out of control.”

  “A little?” Falla exclaimed at her. “Did you not see what Specca did earlier? She went insane!”

  “She did?” Cindy nervously asked.

  “That could happen to us next!” Falla shouted pointing to Specca.

 
; “It could?” Cindy feared.

  “That thing’s dangerous,” Clover warned. “A simple touch and you’re flailing around on the ground screaming and peeing yourself.”

  “Oh no,” Cindy gasped. She blinked then showed a puzzled expression. “What’s peeing?”

  “What do we do with it then?” Doku asked.

  “We need to get rid of it,” Falla urged.

  “How?” Luna said. “The doors outside are locked until Daniel stops the carriage. And we can’t throw it out, whoever touches it will go crazy just like Specca did.”

  “Look, everyone just calm down,” Clover ordered. “As long as none of us touch it we’ll be fine. Let’s just think of- wait, Cindy? Where did you go?”

  The girls looked around at seeing the sand wraith missing then ahead and gasping as they saw Cindy standing over the rod with a curious expression on her face. Snapper was looking down at the relic with a small gurgle while she kicked her feet about.

  “Cindy, don’t touch it!” Falla cried out.

  “Get away from it right now!” Clover shouted.

  “Don’t do it, Cindy,” Doku pleaded.

  “But I wanna know what peeing is,” Cindy said tilting her head. “This thing will show me, right?”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Clover yelled out. “Just get back over here right now!”

  “HEY!” Alyssa shouted. All the girls looked back to see Triska and Alyssa standing at the end of the corridor, both of them fully dressed and staring at the girls in bewilderment.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Triska asked. “We could hear you all the way in the bedroom.”

  “What are you girls doing in here?” Alyssa demanded. “Why is there a broken table and books lying everywhere? This is Twilight’s library, remember? You can’t treat her stuff like this!”

  “Triska?” Luna wondered. “Are you okay now?”

  “I’m fine,” Triska simply said. “Never better.”

  “But… how… you…” Doku slowly questioned.

  “How are you able to walk still?” Falla asked in disbelief.

  “Forget about that for now,” Clover barked out before turning back to Cindy. “Cindy, don’t you dare touch that thing!”

  “Touch what thing?” Triska asked as she and Alyssa walked past the girls and their barrier, both then jumping at seeing the large amount of liquid on the floor.

  “Holy shit,” Alyssa said grabbing her hat. “What were you girls doing here?”

  “Peeing,” Cindy replied with a shrug. Triska and Alyssa looked back to the others with stunned faces then to Cindy as she watched them with a curious expression. “Do you know what that is? I want to know.”

  “Alright, what the hell is going on here?” Triska yelled at the other girls.

  “She’s being loud again,” Cindy whimpered stepping away.

  “Someone start explaining, right now!” Alyssa demanded stomping her foot.

  All the girls pointed to something, with Triska and Alyssa slowly looking down to the metal rod nearby that was everyone’s focus. Alyssa held her hand out and levitated the relic up into the air near her, the witch eyeing the strange trinket carefully while Triska reached out for it.

  “Don’t touch it!” the girls cried out together. Triska glanced over to them curiously then to relic while Alyssa turned it around with her magic.

  “What is this?” Alyssa asked the girls.

  “What does it do?” Triska wondered.

  “Too… good…” Specca whimpered. Everyone looked over to the sound of the nixie’s voice while Luna cradled the incapacitated girl in her lap. Specca shivered slightly as she appeared awake enough to barely speak a word of warning of the steel relic.

  “It feels… too good…”

  “Specca?” Luna softly asked. Specca shuddered and collapsed in the butterfly’s arms, her eyes barely open while she murmured something in a trance.

  “It feels… too good… to resist.”

  Chapter 11

  From Ages Forgotten

  In the world of Eden it was possible to stumble across an ancient relic or a powerful artifact, either after searching tirelessly for such a find or simply by accidently discovering it. While it was known that magical casters and alchemists forged these unique trinkets with rare and sometimes dangerous elements, what they were created for wasn’t always clear. Maybe it was to summon a deadly Darker One to do their bidding, or perhaps enchant themselves to become even stronger. Whatever their purpose was one thing remained true when it came to these mystical remnants.

  In the wrong hands they were always disastrous.

  *****

  At the base of a large mountain a worn dirt trail lay stretched out between the rocky slope and an old forest, the aged timbers having only a few leaves remaining on their branches while running between them in the shadows a few wolves could be seen now and again. The wind blowing through the valley carried dirt from the mountainside and clouded the path, reducing visibility and filling the air with a stale odor along with a haunting whistle. Yet even with the ominous traveling conditions a white horse pulled a carriage along the trail at a steady pace without ever slowing down, the ride being driven by two lovers who weren’t paying so much attention to their surroundings as they were with another troubling matter they were faced with.

  “I hope Cindy was wrong,” Daniel said while holding the reins to the horse. Next to him Squeak was seated with her hips turned to allow her abdomen to rest on the seat, in doing so was able to hold onto Daniel’s arm as she faced him and rested her head on his shoulder while also showing the same concerned look he was. Her pickaxe lightly clanged against the seat by her feet as the ride bumped a little on the road as the travelers made their way towards the homeland of one of their own, or at least what presumably remained of it.

  “I don’t understand how the entire centaur kingdom could be destroyed like that,” Daniel worried. “What kind of monsters could have done that? And why?”

  Squeak squeaked something while holding onto his arm, her eyes looking ahead with concern at Lucky who galloped along the trail then to Daniel as she shook her head with a few more squeaks.

  “Poor Kroanette,” Daniel sadly said. “Hearing that about her home… her family. If she gets there and it’s all gone… I pray she doesn’t have to see such a horrible sight.”

  Lucky continued to pull the carriage across the worn road as they rounded the wide base of the mountain. Daniel and Squeak looked up to see sunlight glittering on the snowy peak of the crag while the wind gently blew by with a quiet wail.

  “Please, let her family be safe,” Daniel voiced.

  “Daniel Sorres,” Twilight spoke up in their minds. “Forgive me for the long absence, I’ve been quite tired lately. It’s good to see you again.”

  “Twilight,” Daniel said looking up with Squeak. “Am I glad to hear your voice. We could really use your help.”

  “Oh? How can I be of assistance?”

  “Cindy told us something, something very dire. She said Ruhelia was attacked by monsters and destroyed. Kroanette’s rushing off to see for herself as we speak. Can you check on her homeland, Ruhelia? Can you see if what Cindy said was true?”

  There was a long pause as Daniel and Squeak awaited the reaper’s reply, something that caused a bad feeling to grow between the travelers.

  “Daniel Sorres,” Twilight solemnly said. “I’m… sorry to say this, but…”

  “No,” Daniel breathed out. Squeak held a hand over her mouth and shook her head a little.

  “The truth is I saw Kroanette racing ahead of you. I was curious why she was sprinting with such a troubled look on her face. So I peered further ahead for what she was running towards, and… I’m sorry. Ruhelia stands no more.”

  Daniel and Squeak slowly looked to each other in shock as the reaper sadly sighed in their minds.

  “Please forgive me,” she begged. “I didn’t see it happen. Last I checked on her home it was perfectly f
ine, everything was as it should have been. But now… there’s nothing left. The entire kingdom has been removed from Eden.”

  “How?” Daniel asked. “How could such a thing happen?”

  “I don’t know. I’m so sorry, I feel so completely useless to you. I didn’t see what happened to her home, I wasn’t keeping a close enough eye on it. Oh, Daniel Sorres. Please forgive me. I wish I could have told you sooner.”

  “Ruhelia…” Daniel said looking down in dismay. “It’s gone? Her home? Her family? Everything?”

  “I don’t know what happened to her family. I can only see a great scar in Eden where Ruhelia once stood. I don’t know what caused it or if the centaurs were able to flee in time. I… I don’t know, Daniel Sorres. I’m so sorry.”

  The whimpers of the reaper were heard in their minds, with both Daniel and Squeak looking up in sorrow at hearing Twilight holding back her sobs.

  “I’ve failed you, again. First I couldn’t save poor Cilia, and then I didn’t notice Kroanette’s own home being attacked. I’ve let you down, I’ve let her down. I’m so sorry, Daniel Sorres. I really am. Such a horrible tragedy and I couldn’t help avert it, I couldn’t… please forgive me.”

  “Twilight, it’s not your fault,” Daniel assured. “You couldn’t-”

  “No, it is. I’m supposed to be helping you, guiding you, being your friend. And what have I done? I allowed something horrible to happen to Kroanette’s home and I have no answers at all for what occurred. I really am a terrible monster.”

  “Twilight, that’s not true.”

  “Oh dear. How can I tell her, Daniel Sorres? How can I tell Kroanette the truth? She’s going to find out soon, it’s going to break her heart. How can I possibly help her now?”

  Daniel looked down and closed his eyes, fearing just how badly Kroanette would take it when she saw that her home was no longer there.

  “I deserve to be locked away,” Twilight mourned. “I’m no use to anyone. I’m just a monster in this world. I should have seen what happened, I should have tried to stop it. I should have… oh, I truly am a blight upon this world.”