Two weeks into being trapped behind enemy lines, I''m starting to hear rumors of a truce. Some of the soldiers are heading north to get a glimpse of it. This might be a good opportunity to travel. I hate being here. I''m constantly looking over my shoulder despite being around mostly friendly succubi, I can''t let my guard down.


    I stash my weapons in an empty stable and then travel north to Tranquilith. By the time I reach my childhood neighborhood, it''s dusk. Some succubi forces occupy Kromagian homes. Most of them have encampments in the middle of the street. They pay no mind to me as I walk through their camp, except for one. By her slurring speech, bubbly voice, and lack of clothing, she''s on something strong.


    "Where are you going?" She says, then grabs my shirt from my chest. I don''t smell any alcohol coming from her breath, but rather a floral scent.


    "Home," I say, pointing at my house in front of me.


    "That''s your home?" She says, smiling. "Mind taking me inside?" She snuggles her chest on my arm, putting her massive breasts between them.


    "No," I say, moving out of her grip. "I want to be alone."


    "Ah, come on," she whispers erotically. "No man should be alone. Especially a man like you." I try to ignore her disgusting advances. Every time I step away, she jumps in front of me and becomes more aggressive. "You must be tired. I can smell the sweet sweat from your body."


    "Back off," I say, raising my voice.


    "Sweetie, let me take care of you."


    "No! I have a-"


    "Woman? Where is she?"


    "Right here," a scubbuss says behind me. She shoves the harlot away and walks to my house. "Just play along," she whispers. "Leave us be," she says to the harlot. "Go find someone else to fuck." We walk into my house. I can''t see anything but her green fluorescent eyes. "I''m sorry about that. We''re not all like that."


    "I know."


    "Thank Xanlos, you understand," she whispers. "Let''s find some light." Her eyes dart around the room. "It must be extremely dark for you." I ignite my head and then increase the flame to get a good look at her face. "Whoa! Close your hand. Don''t use magic around here."


    "Why?" I say, absorbing the fire.


    "They''ll arrest you," she whispers, glancing over her shoulder.


    "Who will?"


    "People like me," she whispers almost in a mutter. "Let''s find a place with more walls." The bathroom upstairs is the most enclosed part of the house. I take her there and tell her to wait while I check on something. She does what I ask without asking for any specifics. I crack open my bedroom window and summon my sword. Instead of flying across the kingdom, it warps halfway before flying into my hand. My dagger remains attached to the sword belt.


    Oh, thank goodness everything came.


    "Alright," I say, walking back to the bathroom. "Speak."


    "I come peacefully."


    "What''s your name?"


    "Jaeneth. We met on the battlefield."


    "We did?"


    "I almost slew you." I remember her eyes. I draw my sword and point it straight at her face. "Wait, wait, wait!"


    "Why did you stop?"


    "A woman told me."


    "Huh?"


    "An angel. Can you believe it?" She says and chuckles. "She said, don''t kill him," she says as she tries to mimic the angel''s voice. "Then all of a sudden, something pulled me out of harm''s way from that big woman with green eyes."


    "Who spoke to you?"


    "She didn''t give me her name. But her voice was deep for a woman."


    Sinara...


    "How did you find me?" I say.


    "Through her," she answers, pointing at the ceiling. "She insisted I follow you."


    "Why?"


    "Protection." The word makes me raise a brow. I''m perfectly capable of defending myself. What makes Sinara think I need protecting?


    "Strange... Has this angel said anything else?"


    "Make sure no one bothers you." The more she talks, the stranger this whole situation is getting. I do not trust her entirely. She is my enemy, yet she claims to be working for Sinara, supposedly. I need to keep my distance and remain vigilant just in case that isn''t true.


    "I''m staying up here for the night. Sleep downstairs."


    "Alright. I''ll see you in the morning."


    All through the night I sleep well. Come morning, I wake on my own. The sun is barely coming over the horizon. I head straight to the bathroom to ready a bath. The tub is already filled with clean, cold water. The floor around the tub is wet, including all sides of the inner lining of the tub.


    "Early bird," I say.


    I clean up and head downstairs. Jaeneth stands with her back against the front door, fiddling with her tail. I get a good look at her before she notices I''m examining her. She''s lightly pink with textured skin. Her horns are directly on top of her head. Unlike the scubbus I know, their horns are on the side of their heads. Also, her horns are stubby and barely emerge from her hair.


    "Is there something wrong?" Jaeneth says, letting go of her tail but keeping it near her stomach.


    "It''s nothing. I was just looking at your horns."


    "Ah!" She says, grinning. "Aren''t they cute? They came in over a month ago."


    "You sound so proud of them."


    "It''s a big deal," she says as we walk out. While she''s explaining why her horns are important to her, I lock the front door with one of Thyrna''s master key spells. The whole house gets encased by a thin, nearly invisible magical barrier.


    We travel north on foot. Just like before, my weapons are safely hidden. Several miles later, I can see the terrible outcomes of a recent battle. Blood stains the streets. Kromagian weapons are placed into unorganized piles scattered randomly on the streets. One soldier tosses a spear near a pile I''m walking past. It bounces, and the tip of the spear narrowly misses my ankle.


    "Hey, watch it!" I say.


    "Excuse me?" He says and grabs my arm tightly.


    "Sweetie," Jaeneth says, pulling me into her body. She cradles the side of my face against her breasts. "Forgive my concubine."


    "What?!" I say.


    "Just play along," she says quietly through her teeth. "Apologize to the man."


    "Forgive me, sir." Just to add dramatic effect, I bow my body. Instead of accepting my apology, he punches me in the face.


    "Hey! What the hell was that for?"


    "Apology accepted," he says. "Now scram!" I''m seconds from lashing out.


    "Let''s go." She takes me away at the perfect time. "I''m so sorry for that. Best you stay close and remain quiet." My face hurts and I''m beyond livid. I can feel my heart trying to beat out of my chest. The mere idea of delivering a solid punch across his face excites me. It entices a stare, but I realize that I need to relax. There are too many soldiers nearby. One satisfaction will be the end of me.


    Jaeneth continues guiding us. We eventually arrive behind the enemy lines by nightfall. The ceasefire is taking place on an open field near farming land. Long stick torches light most of the field. There are camps, tents, and social gatherings all over the place. At the center of it all is a special-looking tent. It''s purple, tall, rectangular, and guarded by orcs.


    "I wonder who''s in there," Jaeneth says. "Shall we check?" No one but Zadione''s soldiers is here. I''m not about to surround myself with enemies more than what''s around me.


    "Not a chance," I say.


    As I''m checking my surroundings for a way around the line, Jaeneth directs my attention to the purple tent. One of the orcs guarding it opens the right flap. Zadione steps out with Rhyndac. She watches her exit through a portal. Even after it closes, she stares at it as if it is still there. Then she tilts her to the left, gazing at the stars above. Ethan comes out of the tent to join her. He speaks to her in an irated manner. I make Jaeneth take us close enough for her to eavesdrop on them.


    "Wow! He''s angry," Jaeneth says. "Your king remains defiant. He won''t surrender."


    "Good. We need to keep on fighting," I say.


    "Wait... oh... no..."


    "What is she saying?"


    "Officers, rally your troops!" Ethan says. The soldiers go into formation. I get bumped into the ground and nearly trampled on. Jaeneth squats over me to use her body as a shield. She shoves, directs, and blocks people until she''s able to stand me up.


    "You okay?" She says.


    "I''m fine," I say.


    As the soldiers gather together, portals begin to open behind the officers. Once one formation collects, they march in. One portal far to my left suddenly collapses. It shatters like glass and then explodes.


    "Move through!" Someone says. Everyone begins to rush to the other side. The portals funnel crowds of war-crying soldiers. I watch Zadione step inside the purple tent. Another collapsing portal blows the flaps open, giving me a glimpse of her opening a portal.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "I''m going after her," I say.


    "Who? Zadione?" Jaeneth says.


    "Yes!"


    "Wait!" she says, holding my arm so I won''t run off. "I''m supposed to protect you."


    "And you''ve done that. Your service isn''t needed anymore. Farewell, Jaeneth."


    "I guess I have," she says, letting me go. "I shall pray we never meet on the battlefield as enemies."


    I use the soldiers to cover my approach. The orc standing on the left sees me coming. He nearly snatches my head as I sprint by them. Zadione turns around and sees me as I''m a few feet from her. She grins from ear to ear and opens herself wide to me. I tackle her through the portal. She throws me off by pressing me over her body without much effort and draws her sword.


    "I like your persistence," Zadione says. "How were you able to get within my camp?"


    "I walked," I say. She laughs as if she heard a joke. She dips her sword and clutches her chestpiece with her other hand. The second I try to make an attempt to take advantage of her dropped guard, she freezes me. I can barely move my body. My arms and legs feel like they are twice their weight.


    "Kaioson," she says slowly, walking closer to me while looking around at the fighting. "You should surrender while you''re ahead. Look around you." The telekinetic hold allows my eyes to move. All I can see is dead bodies and her soldiers overwhelming Kromagians. Fairy archers fly through the sky, raining down arrows. When she steps over to my right, I can see burning ships. The fire lights up the ice, holding them in place. "All that work the Paladins did to stop me was for nothing," she says with her lips against my ear. "I have won. This world is mine." I refuse to believe this is the end. I try to break free, but I start to exhaust myself. "Here." She rubs her thumb over my mouth to free them from her power.


    "You haven''t won!" I say. "We will stop you!"


    "Who?" She says, smirking. "Haleema? Rhyndac? Xanlos? I will have this kingdom by the hour!"


    "No!"


    "Yes!" Her hold suddenly ends. I fall on my hands and knees to catch myself. The tips of her boots come into view as I stare at the ground. "Look at me, boy." She aims the tip of her sword between my eyes as I slowly lift my head. Her eyes start glowing. "Surrender to me and I''ll spare your life."


    "No."


    "Pretty please?"


    "Fuck you!"


    "What a shame."


    I summon my sword mentally to come to my aid faster than calling it to my hand. Zadione somehow sees it approaching. She blocks it from taking her head off. Her smile has turned into a teeth-grinding frown. I grab my sword to fight her one-on-one. Sparks fly from our blades. Despite all of my efforts, I''m unable to throw her off.


    I ignite my sword when she blocks my swing. The sudden intense heat burns her face. She rolls away from the blade and takes several steps back.


    "Ouch," she says, rubbing her cheek.


    "You are no god. You''re just a crazy, egotistical woman."


    "Watch your mouth, Kromagian."


    "Did I strike a nerve?" Instead of replying to my question, she throws me towards the ocean. "Yup!" I say, grunting. I use my sword to stop myself and land on the coastal wall.


    "Kaioson!" She says from the sky. It''s so dark that I can barely see her. The few things visible are her eyes, white hair, and golden sword.


    I light up my sword and stand ready for another fight. The wind randomly begins to stir. It rapidly picks up speed as if some gigantic storm is on the horizon. Zadione sways around but steadies herself. The fairies flying around can''t storm the force. All of a sudden, lightning electrizes a fairy, killing it on the spot. Another strike hits three more.


    "Who''s doing this?" Zadione says. "Show yourself, mage!" Any fairy circling us dies. The wind intensifies, but more so around her. For a moment, she loses her balance. She bends her knees and locks herself in place even more than before. As the wind throws the fairies around, some slamming into the ground, she remains still as a statue. The only thing moving is her hair. "Enough of this childish magic! Face me!" A bolt of lightning comes down between us. I shield my eyes from its brightness.


    "Kaio," Ulrika says gently.


    "Ulrika?" I say, pulling my arm down so that my left eye can see. Her body is sparkling, including her sword. She presses her hand into my chest, guiding us away from Zadione. "What are you doing?"


    "Getting us out of here."


    "Why? I could use your help."


    "We both know that''s not going to work."


    "Where are you going?" Zadione says, coming to the ground.


    Ulrika unleashes a powerful shock of air at Zadione as she lifts her foot to step forward. It''s strong enough to throw her off her feet. She disappears in the distance. Ulrika summons another intense flow of air to keep Zadione down.


    "Follow me. We have no time to wait," Ulrika says and then makes me run with her.


    "Where are we going?" I say.


    "To a ship on the other side of this pier."


    "Why?" She doesn''t answer. I ask why again. I get the same answer, but she hesitates. "Ulrika? Are you okay?"


    "Stratus says Zadione''s takeover is imminent. She has instructed us to flee west."


    "What?" I say, stopping. "You can''t be serious? We must continue fighting."


    "Kaio, just do as I say!" She takes me by the hand as we run. Once we make it to the end of the walkway where the stairwell meets the docs, she stops. "She''s here." I look over to a lonely ship docked. There''s a faint yellow spherical barrier around it. All of the sails are down, yet it''s stationary.


    "She? The ship?"


    "There''s no time to explain." She stands on the ledge and puts her hand out to me. "Let''s go." I take her hand. She yanks me up with air assisting her. "Jump!" We leap towards the ship. The air beneath us swirls to keep us from plummeting. It guides us to the ship. Just before we can land, something hits us from behind. I slam on the main deck. The fall nearly knocks all of the wind out of me.


    "Ulrika!" I say, coughing.


    "Get the fuck off of me!" She says as if her voice is bouncing off of walls. High above me, a purple and blue lightning storm lights up the sky.


    "Ulrika?"


    "Kaioson?" Stratus says, coming from below deck. She looks up and says, "Oh no! She''s here! This is not good! I need Ulrika for this work."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "This ship is spell-protected. She needs to speak the words I told her to set sail."


    "What words?" Before she can open her mouth, Ulrika appears lying on the ground after emerging from a bolt of lightning. Her sword falls behind moments later.


    "Damnit!" Ulrika says, groaning. I rush to pick her up once I see her struggle to roll over on her side. "Kaio, you need to go without me."


    "Excuse me?!"


    "Stratus, for my sake, promise me you''ll get him there." Stratus grabs Ulrika''s hands and makes a solemn promise.


    "What''s going on here? Why aren''t you coming?"


    "I got to keep her distracted." She stumbles off the boat, dragging her sword behind her.


    "Ulrika! Get back here!"


    "I... can''t. You''ll have to do this on your own, my love."


    "Do fucking what?"


    Zadione appears a few feet from Ulrika in a lightning strike as she''s answering my question. The explosion of the thunder muffles her words. It reverberates so loudly that it makes us cover our ears. Suddenly, she yells something at me. The ship sails catch a rush of wind. It moves away from the dock. I try to jump off, but an invisible force rebounds me back in.


    "Ulrika!" I scream.


    Zadione runs past Ulrika and flies over to me. Ulrika intercepts her. They fight like lightning stretching across the sky. Both colors clash, creating an explosion of a dark blueish-purple tint. Their battle lasts minutes, then stops abruptly. The last light I see in the sky is purple. Ten seconds later, the sky lights up with Zadione''s lightning. It darts all over the place. Some appear over my head.


    "What''s happening?" I say.


    "She''s trying to find us," Anasha says. "Don''t worry. We''re invisible. Not even the sound of the sharp clashing in the water will give us away."


    "In that case... You have some serious explaining to do!" I point my sword directly at her stomach. "Talk or I''ll..."


    "Relax, Kaioson. There''s no need for that."


    "One of you brought me here! And when I came, Ulrika was frantically trying to get me on this ship! Now she might be dead!!!" She tells me to calm down again. All it does is anger me further. "Speak! What''s going on here?!" I yell, almost growling.


    "Ease your tone when you speak to us, boy," Sinara says sternly as she walks up the steps from below. "This wasn''t the plan." Anasha comes up behind her. She immediately stands far back from everyone.


    "Plan?"


    "Our plan." She opens her palms out to Anasha and Stratus. "A shot in the dark to once and for all beat our sister." The first thing I think about is Coretha and her champions. I remind them about her plan, but Anasha says it won''t be enough.


    "How? You haven''t even used them!"


    "We need a better army, Kaioson. Where you''re heading, I hope there will be."


    "An army in the west? Orcs won''t help us."


    "I''m not talking about them."


    "Then," I say, then pause to figure out if there is anyone else. "Who''s out there?" They look at each other before she puts my sword down to step closer.


    "We don''t know. Those lands are not under our jurisdiction."


    "Yours? As in..."


    "The goddess," Anasha says, coming up to me past Sinara. "We have another sec that guides a world beyond this continent."


    "There''s a land beyond the orcs'' territories?"


    "Yes. We''ll arrive there shortly."


    Shortly? It''ll take us days to reach the other end of the ocean.


    Five seconds later, the ship momentarily stops. My vision begins to blur. I drop to the ground just in case I faint. It speeds up, knocking me off balance. Anasha helps me to my feet and maintains my balance.


    "Was that?" I say.


    "The ship ported forward," Anasha says. "Come. We shall lead you to the forest." It''s too dark to see anything. She leads me off the front end of the boat. Instead of falling, we glide to shore. Sinara and Stratus do the same.


    "This is it," Sinara says. "The veil. Listen closely, Kaioson." She stands close and gently holds my face in her hands. "This is your new task. Find us an army or at least someone capable of rivaling Zadione within our brothers'' domain."


    "You have brothers?"


    "Yes," she says, looking at the skies. "They are like us."


    "Great," I say, rolling my eyes. "You know, If you all three were to help, we wouldn''t be in this shitty situation."


    "Kaioson," Stratus sighs.


    "No! Defy Xanlos. Defy his laws!" They go silent. Sinara lets go of my face. I remind them of their wishy-washy intervention they''ve done since I''ve known them, but I don''t think they care. Their minds are dead set on my being their tool.


    "You will be greeted by a spirit."


    "It will guide you to the other world," Stratus says. They stand aside to give me a pathway. I give Sinara and Startus a disappointing head turn as I walk by them. When I set my attention on Anasha, she has her head down. I stop being angry to avoid showing it to her. She genuinely seems bothered by what''s happening.


    "Hey," I say. "Are you okay?"


    "Forgive us," Anasha whispers with the side of her face on my chest, facing the forest. "We''re scared, Kaioson."


    "Listen," I whisper, moving her with me to be out of earshot from the others. "What are you scared of?"


    "We''re..."


    "No. Just you. Tell me." She can''t find the words to say. Her lips move, yet I hear nothing. "Fine then," I say, letting her go. "If I fail to find someone or anything, I know the three cowards to blame."


    "Kaioson..."


    "Save it. Go and witness a world you have doomed."


    My path is a dark one. A quiet void stands before me. And inside of it, something is waiting. I enter the forest with my sword leading the way. Before I know it, I''m deep within. I can''t see the entrance anymore.


    "Just keep heading straight," I say to keep myself calm. The trees around begin to sway. Some of the trees smack into each other. I cast Perfect Gemetry and Concussive Shield to protect myself from falling limbs. Only the leaves fall. Not a single branch hits the ground. "Strang," I say, looking up at the darkness. Once I look down, I see a silhouette of a woman standing roughly five feet from me. Her naked body is fluorescent, and her pupils are glowing green.


    "Whoa there," she says when I go into a defensive stance. I ignite my sword to make her back away. She doesn''t seem phased by it.


    "Who are you?"


    "The one you are searching for. Adonya, keeper of this lushest forest," she says, carefully going around my protective box. "Your divinities contacted me and asked to bring you over to this side of my veil."


    "Will you honor their plea?"


    "Maybe."


    As Adonya is moving, I get a good look at this unusual woman. Despite her mildly greenish-blue leathery wetish skin, she doesn''t horrify me. She kind of reminds me of a succubus minus the horns and tails. She''s taller than me by a full head length. Her breasts are large and she has a curvaceous frame. The length of her hair nearly reaches her butt.


    "I''ve never seen a human like you before," she says.


    "Is that so?"


    "You''ll be quite the gazer among these people."


    "What people?"


    "Follow me," she says, curling her finger several times.


    I keep a safe distance behind her. We traverse for an hour without pause. None of us speaks to each other. Occasionally, she turns around to glance at me. When she does it again, she tells me to rest. I set my protective boundaries. She walks off into the forest. For the rest of the night, I don''t see her until the morning when she wakes me up.


    "Ready for some more walking?" Adonya says. "We are close to one of my portals."


    Another hour or so later, we make it to a clearing. It''s leveled with mossy gray stone. There''s an entrance leading down into a hole. I see a glowing blue wall inside. It moves as if it is made of water.


    "Is that it?" I say.


    "Yes."


    "I''ve never seen a portal like that before."


    "Really?" She says, crossing her arms. "What do they look like in your world?"


    "Ovular," I say, putting my fingers together to form the shape. She holds out her fingers to make the shape and then aims it at her portal.


    "Such an odd shape. Anywho, hopefully, the aid you seek will be on the other side."


    "Great," I sigh, taking a step down.


    "Before you leave," she says, holding back with her hand pressing against my chest. "Take this." She manifests a green leaf out of thin air and gently stuffs it behind my waistbelt.


    "Why?"


    "It will show that you are trusted by a very, very good friend of mine." The tone of her voice when she mentions her friend softens. She''s smiling. Her attention wanders a bit. When her smile grows, she snaps out of it. "His name is Emrys Dorian. Hopefully, he can help you."


    "Thanks for your help."


    "Don''t mention it, seriously. Good luck, Kaioson." Right as I''m asking her how she knows my name, she morphs inside of a tree.


    Here I go again. This time I''m going into a strange world alone. All I got is a name. Not even directions to go. But no matter. I''m still a bounty hunter. Little information isn''t a problem. For the sake of everything I hold dear, I''ll find Emrys Dorian and convince him of his aid no matter what.