“I knew you could defeat her, master,” Sasha proudly spoke. “I never had a doubt.”
Remaining silent Daemon merely watched her over his shoulder, with Sasha looking over to where a few shards of the Archlight’s Blade glinted in the moonlight.
“I am so sorry for what happened with your sword, master. I never imagined it could have been destroyed like that. But I’m happy to see you didn’t need it. You never needed it. You’re able to handle yourself without any trouble in this world, that I’ve always been certain of.”
Slowly Daemon turned to face her. As he did Sasha looked over his chest and arms before seeing his eyes staring deeply into hers.
“Master? Are you alright now?”
Stepping closer to the reptile girl Daemon spoke not a word, instead his eyes continued to burn into Sasha’s while his demonic aura began to overwhelm her like a thick cloud. Her grip on her sword trembled slightly as she felt her body heating up, her self-restraint towards her swordsman waning quickly as he seemed to ignite her inner nature with his piercing gaze.
“Master? What… is it?” she shakily asked. With a small yelp she looked down to see his arm now holding her close from around her waist, his grip on her hip causing her breathing to quickly increase.
“Master? What…” she said before trailing off. Slowly she looked up to see him holding her close and staring into her eyes, the look behind his glowing eyes drawing out both fear and also excitement for the same reason.
“Am I talking to my master?” she quietly asked. “Or… the monster within?”
“Sasha,” he spoke, his voice echoing in her head as she began to lose her strength.
“W-What… do you want, master?” she breathed out. “What is it you desire?”
“You,” he replied, her eyes then going wide while her sword dropped from her hand. Her mouth opened in surprise while her heart pounded so hard she swore it was trying to break through her chest. Trying to respond only got a faint squeak out of her as she felt Daemon holding her securely in his arm. Without saying anything more Daemon arched his wings back and promptly shot into the air, carrying the reptile girl with him as she continued to stare at him in stunned silence.
“Sasha?” Rulo quickly asked as she caught a glimpse of what happened, herself and the other girls then seeing Daemon flying into the air with Sasha. “What the hell? Master? Sasha? Hey!”
“Where are they going?” Hollia exclaimed.
“My lord!” Forrus called out.
“He’s flying away with Sasha,” Scay curiously said. “Why is he doing that?”
“Master! Sasha!” Rulo shouted as she started running after them. Forrus and Hollia took off as well while Saffron continued to watch Daemon flying off in confusion. Mika swiped her sword down low and created a red and violet casting ring below her feet, the sorceress channeling swirling golden trails of light from the spellbase up along her feet before she took off running with the speed of a centaur after the others.
“Tabitha? Tabitha!” Scay cried out as she quickly slithered off towards her friend. “I think we have to go now! Tabitha!”
Saffron squeaked and shook her head before seeing Minos slowly standing up again, the minotaur watching Daemon soaring away with a forced look of determination. Glancing down to Saffron she saw the ant girl inspecting her with a raised eyebrow before she took off after the girls. Minos gripped her battle-axe and slowly pulled it out of the dirt, taking a moment to admire the weapon before holding it over her shoulder and turning her eyes back towards Daemon. She smirked and clenched a firm fist before her as she chuckled to herself with renewed spirits once again.
“I CAN DO THIS! I CAN TALK TO HIM! I WILL, AND THEN WE’RE GOING TO MAKE BABIES! FOR GLORY! FOR HONOR! FOR MY RACE! SO SAITH ME, MINOS!”
She roared out triumphantly then took off with a heavy stride, chasing after the man she was determined to mate with. After she worked up the courage to say hello to him first of course.
Chapter 6
Lord of Monsters
In the world of Eden all monsters were despised amongst humans to at least some degree. Most were outright condemned and mercilessly hunted on sight, others were given just enough tolerance to enter cities and do business with, and a few were occasionally disregarded due to the low threat they naturally posed. For a human to actually defend monsters, protect them, and even fight for them was unheard of and considered to be nothing more than a twisted fantasy.
After all, what were the odds monsters would be grateful to them in return?
*****
Under the night sky all was quiet and peaceful within a secluded grove resting on the outskirts of a deep woodland. The stars above twinkled with a serene celestial radiance, something that when viewed by those of lesser creation would invoke ethical and provocative inquiries about life and their role in the grand scheme of things. To question life, it’s meaning, where it was going, and what wonders awaited in the future for all those gazing up at the stars that night.
“I am so horny right now,” a gremlin groaned softly.
“Tell me about it,” another agreed. “I’m soaking between my legs.”
Lying on a patch of grass the two monsters gazed up at the stars together, one having a thistle of hay in her mouth while the other was leisurely adjusting her glasses to view the sky with and then without the rounded lenses. They each had leather skirts and several pouches fastened to their belts along with blouses of black and green flowery designs, one being unbuttoned towards the top with that gremlin always wishing to tease her larger bust size to any she could. Nearby three horses were hitched to an old wooden fence that stood beside a dirt road, with the dilapidated remains of a cottage barely remaining upright further behind in the shadows of the trees.
“Seriously,” the first gremlin sighed as she tried to keep her hips and bouncy bosom still. “It’s been so long. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
“You’ve only been out here for over a day,” the second pointed out. “You have no right to complain. I’ve been working outside the city for over a week. I’m the one that’s starving here.”
“Yeah, but you like going outside for your work,” the other moped. “I much prefer to stay inside with my experiments.”
“You mean with your alchemy or sex?” the second chuckled.
“Both,” the first smirked with a shrug. “I’ve been making some great headway with my latest batch. And as for the sex I’m not ashamed to say I’ve been trying to spice it up with-”
Without pause the two gremlins shot up and looked around on high alert. They quickly got onto their feet as they heard a rustling sound, the two women narrowing their eyes as they kept a hand each over their alchemic pouches. Hearing the noise growing louder they turned to see shadows moving in the darkened woods, their eyes peering into the night quite easily as always for their race. The gremlins carefully grabbed hold of their weaponized bags as they watched the shadows approaching them, their tension only lasting a few more seconds before they breathed out in relief of what they saw.
“You scared us,” one of them said as they saw Calam walking out of the thicket into the moonlight.
“Boo,” Calam sneered before giggling playfully.
“What took you so long?” the second asked as they relaxed their stances. “You were only supposed to deliver the message to that man, right?”
“I’m sorry,” Calam apologized, brushing off leaves and twigs from her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. They were understandably skeptical about the message and wished to speak with me further about the matter. I can’t say I blame them.”
“Did they believe you?”
“There is some doubt amongst them,” Calam admitted with a shrug. “I suppose it can’t be helped. They are nice people though. They invited me in to have a cup of tea and talk with them for a while. Very… interesting individuals to be around and speak with.”
“Is he going to come to Stonegate to see her?�
�� a gremlin curiously asked.
“I have 20 gold riding on him saying no,” the other mentioned.
“Well, he’s not going to be coming just yet,” Calam replied glancing back over her shoulder. “I believe he trusts me to some extent, but having him traveling to Stonegate is still something they aren’t quite comfortable with at the moment. Again, who could blame them?”
“Looks like I’m collecting when we go back,” the gremlin laughed, nudging her friend who sighed and shook her head in defeat. “Haha, easy money.”
“Seriously?” the second one complained. “He’s not coming? I bet that he would, I mean from what Kroanette’s been saying about him I thought nothing would stop him from coming to see her.”
“To be fair, he actually did want to come with us,” Calam explained with an amused smile. “He was willing to take that risk to see his beloved centaur again. I must say he does seem to be everything Kroanette has been bragging about with us.”
“He did want to come? Really? Then why isn’t he?”
“They insisted on checking out Stonegate first,” Calam answered, with the gremlins then noticing two others approaching her from behind. Stepping out of the shadows beside the ant girl were Clover and Triska, the two girls sharply examining the gremlins and keeping noticeably on guard. The elf had her bow and quiver of arrows which she remained ready to draw at a moment’s notice while the cambion kept her hand resting on the handle to the Hellfire’s Edge at her hip.
“Who are they?” a gremlin asked pointing to them.
“This is Triska and Clover,” Calam announced, gesturing to the girls. “Two of Daniel’s mates who have volunteered to come with us in his place.”
“Wait, that’s the elf, Clover?” a gremlin questioned in surprise. “She’s the one Kroanette said is always jealous of her, isn’t she?”
“I think I can see why,” the other mentioned looking at the elf’s chest. “Poor girl can’t measure up to Kroanette’s boom-bags with those.”
“I’m going to kill her,” Clover said to Triska. “After we confirm she’s alive and well, I’m killing her.”
“You two know Kroanette as well?” Triska carefully asked.
“You kidding?” a gremlin laughed. “She’s the talk of the town.”
“Princess Kroanette of Ruhelia,” the other humbly stated with a fanciful wave of the hand, with Triska and Clover easing their stances as they showed some surprise to her words. “Yes, we know of her quite well. And you two also.”
“Triska, Daniel Sorres’ childhood friend and extremely loud mate.”
“Loud?” Triska shouted back.
“Spot on,” Clover flatly agreed.
“And Clover, the small chested elf who’s equally as loud and also quite abrasive.”
“I’m going to fucking kill her!” Clover yelled out.
“Spot on,” Triska flatly said in agreement.
“Now now,” Calam gently assured. “There’s no need to get upset. Kroanette has been telling tales of all of you for days now. We know everything about you girls thanks to her.”
“Why is she telling you all of this anyway?” Clover demanded. “Seriously, why would she tell total strangers all about us and lie about her stupid boobs being so fucking huge, because goddammit mine aren’t that small in comparison and she fucking knows it! And it’s not my fault centaurs grow those fuckers so ridiculously huge anyway! I can’t be blamed for that! At least mine aren’t going to snap my back like a fucking twig when I get older!”
“Rein it back a little, Clover,” Triska dryly requested.
“Don’t call them little!” Clover shouted at her, holding her breasts and shaking them as if to prove her point. “They’re not that fucking small and you know it! Dan knows it too, he loves them just the way they are on me, and don’t you fucking forget it!”
“Haha,” a gremlin laughed. “Yeah, you’re just like she said you would be.”
“They are quite the lively bunch,” Calam agreed. “And they’re most eager to know more about Stonegate and what happened to Kroanette. Triska and Clover here have agreed to come with us to make sure everything is safe for Daniel to come see afterwards. He would much rather trust their testimonies over mine after all, and again, who could blame him?”
“That’s fair,” a gremlin reasoned with a shrug. “Honestly, I was betting he wouldn’t be coming right away. And I was right. And I’m going to get a nice handful of gold when we return because of it.”
“And here I thought he was going to come charging into town like a brave knight,” the other gremlin sulked. “That’s the image of him I got from Kroanette.”
“He wanted to,” Triska admitted. “And he was very adamant about doing just that. But it was unanimous among his mates that he remains home until we were sure what we’re dealing with. Clover and I will take the gamble that you’re telling the truth. If it turns out you’re lying about Kroanette then you can be sure we’ll make one hell of a fuss on our way out of the city.”
“Either we return to Dan with good news,” Clover warned. “Or we return to take a bath to get all the blood off us.”
“Yeah, yeah, we get it,” a gremlin dryly said holding up her hands. “Doom and gloom upon us all if we deceive you. Sure thing.”
“Well, you heard them, girls,” Calam said to the gremlins. “We’d best show them we’re on their side or else they’ll probably mount our heads on a pike. Let’s return to Stonegate at once. Triska? Clover? Are you two willing to ride with my friends here and not rip off their heads until you can at least see the truth for yourselves?”
“We’ll give it a try,” Triska answered with a shrug.
“No promises if they try anything stupid,” Clover warned with narrowed eyes.
“Splendid,” Calam agreed with a clap. “I apologize for not offering a seat on my horse with me, but I’m afraid my abdomen would prevent anyone else from sitting behind me. Triska, you can ride with Jezzele. Clover, you can ride with Velm.”
“I’ll try not to spook you on the ride,” Jezzele chuckled as she waved Triska to follow her, the gremlin spitting out the blade of hay and straightening her blouse over her large bust. “I’ll take it nice and easy with you. Not like I’m going to test my luck upsetting the girl who has a succubus living inside her.”
“You know about Kitten?” Triska wondered as she followed the gremlin.
“Yes, we do,” Jezzele answered with a smirk at her. She unhitched her horse and mounted the steed before patting behind her while moving aside her tail. “And I have to say, if you choose to trust riding with me over flying to Stonegate with your wings, that does make me feel better about us becoming friends in the future.”
“Show me Kroanette is alive and well first, then we can talk about being friends,” Triska replied, getting up onto the horse and watching the gremlin carefully. Jezzele nodded and noticed the cambion keeping her hand on her sword.
“If you do decide to kill me with that thing, please don’t harm my horse as well. He’s been a good companion out here.”
Clover watched Velm getting her horse ready and hopping up onto it, the gremlin adjusting her glasses then waving the girl over to join her. The elf glanced around the darkened woods with a sharp eye before turning to Calam, the ant girl gently brushing her horse’s nose and smiling curiously at the girl.
“Something wrong, Clover?” Calam asked.
“We’re going to find out,” Clover retorted. She walked over and hopped up onto the horse behind Velm, holding her hands on the gremlin’s hips above her belt and being extra mindful of her surroundings. Calam giggled from seeing the elf remaining on edge then climbed up onto her steed, gently petting the horse with a caring smile before glancing to the side at the nearby cottage remains. She chuckled slightly with a brief smirk before snapping the reins, getting her horse to take off with a hasty trot.
“Let’s go, girls.”
Jezzele and Velm followed after, the three riders making their way down the di
rt trail under the moonlight. After the dust settled and all fell quiet, a jinx warped into the clearing while keeping a close watch where the riders were heading. Star meowed softly with slowly wagging tails, her skirt fluttering in the breeze along with her hair as she observed the dust clouds from the horses gradually fading away.
“I hope they’re lying,” Reiko chuckled as she phased into view beside the jinx. “I wouldn’t mind another feeding frenzy to help recover my strength. Oh, but of course I don’t mean any ill wishes towards poor Kroanette. Heavens no, I don’t mean that at all. The last thing I want is for Daniel to cry again. That would be just terrible, wouldn’t you agree, Star?”
Star rolled her eyes with a mew before she took off after the riders, warping off the ground and into the trees where she leapt and teleported across branches in the shadowy thicket in her pursuit. Reiko giggled and chased after her through the air, the two girls following their friends into the unknown while being ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice.
*****
Sitting on a log in front of their campfire Daniel was lost deep in thought about recent events. His shield was placed against the seat and glowed in the fire’s light, his arms having been freed of the armored burden as they were now being used to cradle a young swarm in her sleep. Snapper remained as still as stone in Daniel’s arms, her hands curled up near her chin while her legs were tucked back in her sleeping position. She slept peacefully in his care, her antennae keeping still while her mouth was opened just enough to show a glimpse of the sharpened teeth within. Holding his adopted daughter did bring a sense of elation and reassurance for Daniel with what he was out there for, yet at the moment he had other things distracting his mind, the same that his girls were also distracted with as they sat near the cozy campfire with their man.
“A sanctuary?” Alyssa repeated for the umpteenth time. “Stonegate is… a sanctuary? No matter how many times I say that I just can’t believe it.”
“Are you sure Calam wasn’t lying, Falla?” Specca asked, having a stick with a fish skewered onto it held over the fire. “There had to be some sign of deception when she said that.”
Chronicles of Eden - Season II - Act I Page 18
