《Adventures Of Ian The Wise》


 Prologue: Memory of green

    Earth gave a little quake again. It started few hours ago and is only growing stronger as time passes by. I can only hope that this prison of mine would cave in and bury me, granting me a welcomed release.


    For sixty years I have been trapped here. Or better to say, imprisoned, by the schemes of no other than my own father. I''ve been caged to the bedrock, surrounded by rocky walls for years and the only light I have is of a single torch. I should be thankful that I even have that, but I would prefer darkness to this dead, cold, pale blue light that it casts. I''ve been here for so long that I became accustomed to the fact that the only thing I can talk to is my own shadow and few sculptures embed into the walls.


    Looking at them, it reminds me how much I miss the warm comfort of my homes campfires and smiles of my people, instead, I will live the rest of my life having that everlasting torch blind me.


    In the first few years of my captivity, I was afraid that those ominous statues would come out of their frames and chop off my head. After my situation became clear to me, I hoped for them to actually come out of that rock and do just that. They are two and a half meters tall, in shape of human wearing a plate armor, but their faces look grotesque, twisted in a judgmental smiles. They look utterly demonic to me, in every possible way. Having them look at me for all these years, deprived me of any hope. Twenty years ago, I stopped praying for rescue and accepted my fate. The only thing left for me are my memories and simple counting of minutes and days. Due to my blood, I can''t die, no matter ho much I starve and there is no blade here that could finish the job.


    My father is a malevolent creature. A person whose only way of living is tormenting those beneath him. He is a snake that is capable of devouring his own children. Beings of his kind, could rarely produce offspring, but to every rule there is an exception and I am the result of such an exception.


    As to my mother, she is a mortal and a beast kin. She showered me with all the love she had and never abandoned me, despite being used by such a monster. She is a strong woman with a benevolent and kind spirit. Even in this place I still strive to the ideal that she is. I may wish for an end, but my father will never break my will when it comes to who I want to be or how I want to act.


    The ground is shaking again, making the dust swirl and little rocks drop from the ceiling. These tremors were barely felt only few hours ago. Now, it is loud whenever it happens and accompanying it, is a voice, a bone chilling sound, like something is raising from the very bowels of earth. I have never heard anything like it. I can no longer hope, but there is still a tiny speck of light remaining in me.


    "Maybe today''s the day this will all end." I looked at the ceiling and closed my eyes.


    It is said that moments before you die, you could see your whole life moving before your eyes. I''ve been locked here since the day I turned eighteen. For sixty years, I''ve been reliving the past in my head, trying not to go mad. And I miss my home, I miss my mother, my people and the sea of trees. I remember the giant tree and its warm bark, it towered over our home, sheltering us from rain and wind. Not far from it was a river and a hot pond that we used to play in and wash. On few wide plains kept for farm work, you could lie down and sleep in fresh grass. The sea of trees is vast and there was not a place where you could not reach out with your hand and touch green, budding leaves. It''s a beautiful place with hundreds of thousands of happy, smiling people.


    I was revered as a gentle goddess amongst them. I helped them, I listened to them. They were coming to me to heal their ailments and to bless their children. But I am not a god nor a saint. I killed far to many to be called that. For my family I was like a goddess, but for enemies, mostly humans I was nothing more than a witch. This prison of mine is in human lands and they called my home a Forest Of Evil Spirits despite the fact that there was no evil there, just happy, smiling people. I hope they are fine and that the forest is still there.


    "I regret not saying what I wanted to say on that day Imbess. I never had the chance to say goodbye. I miss you so much."


    Imbess Ile was a boy I fell for. I gave him my first and only kiss, on a little boat on one of spring lakes in early summer. Red fireflies were there, shining, singing their nightly song making that night magical. It was a special time that I will never forget. His face was handsome, with sharp features and a look that showed desire as well as restraint. It held my heart in a strong grip. He was delicate and charming, beautiful even compared to other elves. He was my prince.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I hung my head. It is all lost now. Most of the races live a long life and sixty or seventy years isn''t that much, especially for long eared folk. But, I will die or be forever trapped here. Waiting for someone your entire live, I wouldn''t wish that for anyone. Waiting for the one who might never return is a very sad future and I wouldn''t want for him to wither away like that.


    "The ether is gathering." I can feel it. I no longer have any strength, but my senses can still feel, ether gathering in this cave. Whatever is causing those tremors, quakes and wails it is raising from deep underground, focusing in this chamber.


    The torch flicker and the pedestal in the center of the cell that it was placed on, cracked as another tremor shook the room. The everlasting torch rolled on the rocky floor, sending shadows to places previously being lit for decades.


    I know something bad is coming. There is this inexplicable, ominous feeling of fear and oppression. I only ever had similar thoughts when I met my father for the first time. He is evil to the core and what I am feeling now is close to what I felt in his presence. I am anxious, it''s like I''m waiting for death, while grim reaper is brushing my neck with its cold hands, preparing it to receive the sharp scythe. My body is so weakened and withered that it almost has no water, but cold sweat is still forming on my brows and palms.


    All of a sudden tremors stopped, but the oppressive feeling remained. The ether was so dense and palpable I could barely breath. For all the years in this place, I never lacked oxygen, but now I was gasping for air.


    CRACK... THUD...


    I saw something moving at the edge of shadow and light. One of that grotesque statues in the wall moved. It cracked and dropped loudly on bedrock raising dust everywhere. Because of it and the torch being on the ground casting light haphazardly, I couldn''t see exactly what was happening. In normal circumstances, being who I am, I wouldn''t have any problems seeing in the dark, but years in this place dulled my senses.


    My heart was beating furiously. The only thing I know is that someone is standing there obscured in darkness. Waking up.


    THUD...


    It maybe took few seconds, I heard a heavy stomp and then a thick dread took over me as I saw it. I hoped for an end, but what I saw sucked my soul and terrified me. It shook and then paralyzed me. I saw a pair of eyes in the darkness. Pale torch light seemed to avoid them refusing to show their owner. Moving shadow, traces of light and ominous sounds made me think that the death incarnate arrived to take me to the lands of the dead. Those eyes, could never belong to any mortal. Gold and black mixed together. Like grains of sand deep in the desert. Like moving sea of dunes. Powder of glittering gold mingled with black, far darker than the surrounding shadows. With every little move, their glow followed Leaving behind illusion of two intermingled colors. Like they followed a warm wind only to moments later disappear into nothingness.


    Whatever it is, it started to move. Closer with every step. My mind raced trying to figure the identity of this person. Gods could alter their appearance and form, but not their true essence and what I see could never be imitated. Whoever it is, he or she, or it, is from beyond this world. It could only spell doom for its inhabitants like many times history has already showed.


    What came out of the shadows, was a man. It surprised me because apart from the eyes he looked like any other human. His silhouette was that of a two meters tall fair skinned man, completely different from monsters of myths I was expecting. That didn''t fool me thought. He might look human enough, but everything else proved he wasn''t one. His very presence itself, created overpowering aura. If I was a simple girl, I would have quivered and fainted on the spot. His face wasn''t anything special, compared to that of elves or other people of the races, but there was an allure to him I couldn''t quite grasp. His hair were short and black and his lips created a thin line, showing no emotion of any kind. If I had to guess his age, he would be no older than thirty and no younger than twenty. The only thing that made his facial appearance distinct were the eyes. They were as majestic as they were intimidating.


    He was wearing a very strange armor of overlapping plates, it looked heavy but not bulky and it moved in perfect sync with his body. Apart from a simple green cloak, the armor was a true work of art. Mostly black with lines of gold and deep green. It had intricate engravings on shoulder pads, on high neck guard surrounding the neck in a wide crescent moon and on the torso. It looked beautiful but also incredibly unnerving. At the height of solar plexus it depicted a humanoid creature with two pair of wings fully spread. It was holding an orb in its hands, that could only be a representation of the sun. That sun was shooting rays, piercing all creatures that were crawling below it. Some had angelic wings and silver swords and some were clearly humans or beast kin.


    There are many powerful beings in this world. Some actively protect it, few use it for their own whims and goals. Many just live their lives in boredom and do not interfere with mortals. From weak to powerful they are all bound to the rules of this world. The one standing in front of me, as history already proved, do not abide by these rules. I know perfectly well who he is and I also know, there is no longer any chance of escape for me. My fate is already sealed.


    As I look at his face I close my eyes and ready my self. I opened my mouth.


    "I am ready..."

 Chapter 1: Dignity of a grown man

    If you asked me if I am into furry, comic or manga stuff, I couldn''t say with full certainty that I am not. I would have to say I have no opinion on the matter. People have their quirks and fetishes and so do I. Normally I wouldn''t be running with my jaw hanging down, while at the same time staring like some fool just because I saw a pretty girl. As bad as it may sound however, I am now doing exactly that. My mouth is wide open. It has been since a good minute ago. There is no sound coming from it as I am afraid that if I utter a single word I would make a complete and utter fool of myself. That''s because of two reasons. First, I have no bloody idea where I am. This place looks dilapidated and removed from any kind of civilization. Its just a simple cave with one broken pedestal and few statues here and there. On that note I think I just walked from one of those and I have to say they are really hideous. Whoever hammered them into form must have been hit hard in the head. They look nothing like a proper depiction of, well.. anything! Their eyes where hallow and every one of them had some crocked smile that looked like some freak on a show. I would make a comment and say something about it but I wouldn''t want to make the girl sitting here put off just because I complained about interior design she probably spent some time with. Besides, If complaint was the first thing that left my mouth here I would be nothing more than some little girl making faces and throwing tantrums. Its better not to say a thing. Be dignified and stoic. That''s who I am.


    The second reason is more of a prosaic nature. You see I do not know if this girl could understand me. I am trying to say something but I can''t utter a single phrase. Words are just stuck in my mouth. Well, it''s true that this girl is beautiful, but it is not a reason to keep silent or loose my head, also she looks more like a kid than anything else. Moreover she isn''t human. She has animal looking ears and tails. Not one. I say it again just to be clear, there are yellowish tails sticking out of her behind and on top of her head blond furry ears stand up in full attention. The very ears are so big I am astonished she hasn''t toppled over with them yet. That makes little to no sense and is probably the reason I can''t say a thing.


    I don''t know what kind of evolution could produce such an effect. I won''t be boorish to keep my mind occupied with thoughts of how her skull is built. Apart from that ridiculous trait of hers, she has thin but shapely mouth and face that looked like chiseled by some world class artist. It looked pretty, but incredibly unnatural. I would think twice before letting my self fall with that face. Her skin was very pale, probably due to lack of sun. Small upturned nose, accented big cartoonish eyes the color of pure turquoise sea and her hair although dry and somewhat destroyed were very long and bushy. Poor creature was shuddering all over when I glanced at her and it is quite obvious she is frightened. She sure is an adorable little girl. However, nothing could overshadow the terrible state she was in. Her arms and legs were practically twigs. Her bosom caved and her face however beautiful, was marked by years of horrendous conditions and lack of proper care. Judging from all the messy state she is in, I could only guess she has been through true hell. The girl was chained by rusty cuffs that were holding both her wrists and ankles.


    In summary I was looking at an adorable puppy that I wanted to pick up and shoveled with food. Patting her head would be nice too. Of course, I hesitated to make any move here. Think about it, an unknown stranger comes up to you and start giving you head pats and telling you it will be fine. Yeah... nope. Not happening.


    After few short glances I shot her, we locked our eyes in a little stare battle. I wanted to reach out to her somehow, so I followed her initiative and guess what? She closed her eyes after few seconds, opened her cute little mouth and calmly, with a queenly tone voiced her thoughts.


    "I am ready."


    "What are you ready FOR! Throw me a bone here! Please!" I almost yelled it out loud. The good thing is I could understand what she is saying. I furrowed my brow and made a face like I was thinking things over.


    Ok, think, deep breaths. The moment I came to I was in one of those damn ugly things in the wall. I woke up with one hell of a headache and do not really remember what I was doing yesterday. In fact, I can''t remember yesterday or the day before yesterday. I have vague memories, but nothing consistent, it is all just one big blur. This is clearly not earth. So the question is, whether I am a degenerate, hallucinating about emaciated girls in caves and statues with a face of an ork, or I am in deep, deep trouble. What if it is the latter? I can''t be sure yet, so I can''t allow my self to panic. Panic is the enemy of reason. Lets indulge in this delusion for a bit and see what happens. This girl should have at least some answers.


    I shifted my position and lowered my self to her level, kneeling on my right knee. I stretched my right hand like I would like to make a greeting, but it must have looked incredibly dodgy or the girl thought I was going to harm her since she shuddered again and closed her eyes even tighter. I was going nowhere with this. I opened my lips to introduce my self but at that moment no sound came out of my mouth. I could not remember my own name. I was kneeling like an idiot with outstretched hand mumbling under my nose comprehending how stupid this all looked. This started to grow into a major problem. I know that I am not a person that drinks much. I somehow knew that I was picking up my renewed ID not so long ago, but how come I can''t even remember my name. This is seriously bad. I don''t know how to start a conversation here not to mention that I have no idea about my own identity.


    I was starting to be aware of cold sweat forming on my hands and forehead. If I do nothing here and simply keep kneeling with a look of bamboozled fool for even a second longer I feel like I would die of embarrassment. While desperately searching for a way out of this predicament, I took better look at the chains that bound the girl. They were rusty and heavy, with weird patterns inscribed on cuffs. They were fixed to the ground and at most 2m long. This poor girl had very limited space to move around. If only I could break them somehow.


    In search of escape from this humiliating situation I focused all of my concentration on those chains, wishing for them to disappear and save me from having to explain myself.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    CRACK...


    Miraculously chains that bound ''Furry Ears'' snapped in half saving me any further embarrassment. Well, I called her furry ears but I don''t even know her name, so for now it will stay like that. I stood up and turned my back to her, breathing out a heavy sigh of relief. I know that coincidences like chains breaking out of nowhere or upon a simple wish, do not happen. But this is a world of my delusion for now. Lets just stick with it and say that the chains broke due to persistence of my stare. Of course it''s more probable that they were just old and broke at the right time and the right moment. All four cuffs, that is.


    I took a look around the cave again, searching for a door or an exit of some kind. I Also wanted to escape piercing eyes that were now drilling into my back. Solving the communication problem would have to wait until there is some proper light and space to sit down. You could say I was running away and of course, you would be right, but sometimes its easier to just go with the flow. And the flow told me that I should search for an exit.


    There were around fifty of those silly statues placed in even distance of each other and upon closer inspection there was a place with two columns and an ark above them. It wasn''t big and it kind of blend with the wall, but it was obvious it was a closed passage. Now, you do not need to call me a genius, but I think it is obvious how to open this door. There must be a switch or a lever somewhere. I watched enough movies to be certain there is some contraption managing this door, so I walked to the closest statue and peered deep into its ugly mug with utmost confidence. There... there was nothing there. I shoot a quick glance at furry ears but she had the same surprised face she had moments ago, still gawking at her hands and legs. I was prepared to show my full dignity of a grown adult, that''s because I believed people of certain age should not allow their weaknesses to be in full view. Thankfully I didn''t have to.


    I decided to ignore this little failure and went to the next statue in line. There was a button deep in its hallow eye. I pressed it and moved back to the front of the rocky passage. I certainly was confident outside but inside I was praying for the door to move and spare me any more embarrassment. In my eyes it took literal eternity for the door to start making scraping sounds. Little by little it moved, revealing a corridor behind it. Hanging on the walls, there were the same creepy torches as the one in the cave. They shone with their pale blue light giving impression of some weird dungeon full of undead. Hoping there are no skeletons walking around I smiled to my self, laughing in my mind at the silly thought. Moments later my smile waned. I realized I literally walked out of some crazy old looking statue and the first thing I saw was a girl with numerable tails.


    "Are you not going to take my life? If you wish to make me your subordinate you should know I shan''t yield to you, no matter what method you use." That melodious voice was non other than that of long tails standing behind me. She sneaked up on me almost making me jump. I pondered for a second, but I could understand why she asked that. Furry ears stood in precarious situation, not knowing why or what was happening or who I am and why I helped her. Not that I actually helped here in any way yet.


    She was rather short so I was betting she had to be a kid, but her way of speaking pointed to a more adolescent or even an adult person. Though In my eyes even a seventeen is still a kid. I don''t remember my name, but I do remember that I was full one hundred and seventy cm in height, so I am not that tall. The girl in front of me is a good one and a half head lower. She is barely reaching my neck with her ears. Thinking about it now, everything around looked rather... short. Like my height jumped all of a sudden. To top it off my balance is also somewhat skewed.


    Getting back to her question. The one who locked a kid in such horrid conditions must be a complete jerk. I would utter more invective but I do not know the whole situation, also I do not know for how long she was held in that creepy cave. There is one more question of more of a physical nature that I can''t get out of my head. That girl was caged for who knows how long, so... How on earth is she able to stand tall with those sticks that are supposed to be her legs. Her physical condition is clearly bad to the very extreme of the word. Is it because of those furry traits of hers?


    What answer should I give? I have decided to gather my wits and give a response when it is most suited. On that note I already wasted like a minute on self dialogue making the girl wait with her stare becoming even more wary. Lets just make a tactical retreat for now and see what happens later.


    I made a head gesture towards the end of the corridor and moved ached. My boots echoed making loud clanks with every step. I wondered why I was making so much noise, so I looked down. There were some kind of black greaves on my feet instead of my plain derby shoes. I must have been too preoccupied to notice earlier but I should mention that I had some kind of metal armor on almost every part of my body. I returned my sight back to the round stairs in front and focused on ignoring everything else. I should also mention, that keeping my dignity is first and the most important thing in the world. There is a reason for that, but I will keep it to my self for now. Suffice to say, if I don''t act like people in my age would, it would mentally kill me.


    I made a steady progress and reached the stairs in just under a minute, taking a long, but slow strides for the little one toddling behind to not injure herself. I would be more than happy to help and carry her, but one look told me that it would be a grave offense.


    The stairs looked very old with dust all over. Normally you could grasp some kind understanding of the architecture when looking at stuff like that, but in this case the steps were simple and plain. I worked my self one step at a time when a distinct whosh could be heard and not a moment later something dropped beside my left leg. When I looked down my face went pale. It was clearly a dart with a blackened end. A poisoned dart just bounced off of me. I believe I just miraculously avoided death and I dared not to look behind or the girl would instantly see me panicking.


    There are traps here on these stairs. I am quite scared but if I won''t move or if I start checking every step by pressing it with a torch, the girl will think I am a coward and her opinion would plummet. More importantly I would look incredibly stupid doing so. I gulped silently and started moving again praying in my mind to high heavens for the armor I am wearing to preserve my life. At the same time I tried to make my steps as light as humanly possible. Thankfully, whoever there was in high heavens, took pity on me since there were no more traps below my feet. Furry ears kept herself as close as possible almost stomping on my heels. The climb took only few minutes, but it felt like hours trying to endure the fear of all the traps that could sprung at any moment.


    The top ended with a rather closed space with the same type of door that was in the cave below us. Thankfully there was no need for search for a hidden switch. It was in plain sight next to the arc door. I exchanged a short glance with my short companion and decided to pull the lever.


    The same scraping sound made its way to my ears and sliding door revealed what lay behind it. As I watched with bated breath, anger rose within me with every second that I looked. What I saw made me angry, very angry.

 Chapter 2: A little bit of fury

    The first thing I saw when the door slid open was a prison cell. It had all the markings of frequent use. Wide variety of devices I should not name out loud, stood menacingly in three corners of the cell. The same pale torches that were in a corridor below us illuminated the place with their dead hollow light. Apart from one lousy table and 2 wooden chairs, there was no space where you could look and with full conscience say it looked fine. In the last remaining corner was something that had fully drawn my and furrys attention. Two slender legs with clearly visible buttocks were in full view, shining their sweaty surface at me and my long tailed friend. We could not see the face of the girl since she was trapped in some kind of pillory. It looked exactly like those that were used in medieval times to cage offenders and apart from flogging, I bet people were also using them on criminals with potato or tomato throwing contests.


    There was something else that was also in plain view. As you already know, I have already picked up a kind of a doggy person, so I was not as surprised as I was the first time I saw a tail sticking from someones back. This girl had a tail too. A long, black, slender cats tail. I believe, freeing her would be a good way to gather some information, but before that, I believe I should address another matter.


    I turned my head to where the table and chairs were. Whether I liked it or not, my hands and jaw clenched. My anger was rising fast. Explanation would take to long so I''ll just say that I do not see myself as a righteous or a just person. In domain of black and white I understand that there should be a degree of gray to maintain balance in things. However, although I do not remember who I am or what kind of life I lived, I want to believe that I have always striven to be a good person. Of course, it isn''t always possible but I want to think it is still a kind of resolution I kept as a goal. If I saw a murderer I would report him. If I saw a rape, I would do what I could to stop it and right now what was making me very, very angry was a single guy whose pants were down and his junk fully on attention. It was obvious what would happen if we came even a minute later. The guy was clearly a prison guard, but no matter what his role was, what he was about to do was unforgivable. I value cool head, reason and wits, but at that particular moment my emotions got the better of me. The second thing I hate the most in the world is forcing someone to do what you want. Forcing yourself on a girl, defenseless or not, brings me to an even grater rage. I wished for the guy to pay for his transgressions to be, even if had not yet commited them. At that moment I wanted, with all that I had for the guy to end up as a blob on the wall. Anger clouded my eyes and completely overtook my judgement.


    This however, would end as one of the biggest mistakes I have ever done and would weight on me for a time to come. The man would die and I would never know if he actually was a criminal and if he would have ever followed with his intentions.


    The moment my feelings took over my reason the guy was yanked with extraordinary force and literally sprawled on the wall. The pressure was so great that it splattered poor dude crushing every little bone he had, painting whole room with his blood and killing him instantly. I averted my eyes and cranked my head away with speed I thought I was incapable of. This situation was far too graphic for someone like me. I am not used to seeing gruesome, horror scenes. My head turned to the entrance of the cell wanting to go out and have a bit of fresh air before I puke whatever I had in my stomach, but there was no escape from this situation. Someone was already there. At the entrance stood a second guard and he was as much in a shock as I was. His eyes were traveling in rapid succession between me and his former colleague whose remains were still dripping from the wall.


    "Umm..." As bad as the situation looked I didn''t want to cause any misunderstandings. I still wasn''t sure if that was my doing or some strange phenomenon completely unrelated to me. I raised my hand and tried to calm the guy in front but the only thing that left my lips was a stupid grunt. My mind came back to a relative rationality but my body still needed more time and the guy didn''t wait for me to recover. The moment I raised my hand he made a run for it. He disappeared faster than I could say a thing.


    "W-who''s there?" A raspy voice resounded in the cell. It Looks like the girl caught up with what was happening. Well, it is no wonder as half of her body was splattered with blood. "Wha-what is going on?".


    "Stay calm, sister, I shall free you in just a moment." Furry ears walked up to the table and picked up some rusty keys. They weren''t the right ones though, so she grabbed the locks with her little hands and literally ripped them off of the pillory. I thought it was impossible but I remembered how her own chains broke apart. They must have been so rusty that they fell off with just little touch or the girl simply has superhuman strength. I would bet on the latter since otherwise the cat would free herself a long time ago. Anyway, angering that Short Stuff, is a quick way to end up in a grave. I was also interested why she showed no trace of shock or surprise at what happened. Maybe all those years in captivity desensitized her to cruelty. If that''s true, then I could only pity her.


    Cat girl was freed in no time. She was little taller than furry ears, but wasn''t as emaciated.


    "I am Malay, daughter of Kiara. My home is in the Forest of Spirits. What is your name and how come you are here dear sister?" Long Tails introduced herself to the cat girl, finally revealing her name. That''s certainly progress. I made sure to keep myself away from them and not look at the sorry state they both were in. Unfortunately, that bloody display hit everyone and I was the only lucky person to get away scot-free. Also, I needed time to gather my bearings. Currently all my brain cells where trying to figure out if I was somehow responsibility for what happened. The cat girl lacked proper garments too, making her half naked and I wanted to uphold my own code of conduct as much as possible.


    "You''re the Lady of the Great Forest? But she disappeared almost seventy years ago! Are you really her?" Now, that i think about it, I think I am still in shock. I am having auditory hallucinations. She sure said seven years ago, right? It couldn''t be seventy or short stuff would be a granny and she looks nothing like one.


    "Yes. The very same. Do not worry, I am here now. Are you hurt anywhere?" Malay checked the girl for injuries. After she was done, she grabbed the cat into a tight hug and started stroking her black hair along with her cat ears. After few moments I heard some loud sobs. Looks like she had emotions that needed to be spilled out. It is no surprise as she barely escaped great harm, not to mention she could have had rough history before she even ended up in this dungeon. There sure is no place for a boorish guy like me there, so I moved to the entrance giving them some space.


    After good twenty odd minutes, black haired girl calmed herself enough to have a coherent conversation. I have no idea how they managed till now with all their surroundings being what it was. Long Tails sure was a persuasive person to have a complete stranger open up in matter of seconds. More importantly, there was something that was occupying my thoughts. I readied myself for some kind of welcoming committee or at least for some new guards to walk down to us. I was already preparing to somehow talk my way out of this, but not a soul showed up yet, which gave me quite the bad premonition. In the meantime, the cat finally managed to talk a bit about herself.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    "I''m, March. Me and my little brother were traveling south. We left the Great Forest because of the war and were on our way to high mountains, where it is hard for humans to climb." She took a deep breath. Clearly she had trouble speaking about all of that. "Our grandparents are living in southern peeks along with most of our tribe. There are couple of ways to get there. We could cross demons territory or travel by sea, but demon roads are extremely dangerous and cat kin senses do not work very well when not on the ground. The only way left to us was to sneak through human lands. We chose to cross Holy Empire despite it hunting beast kin, It has the shortest route to the mountains. Traveling through other countries would take us a lot more time."


    March dropped her head along with her ears. "We managed to sneak past most of the Empire. My brother and I were clever and never revealed our ears or tails. We kept to ourselves and stayed in cheap inns or in the wild. Trouble started when we were about to cross the town we are currently in. Townspeople call it lucky because it is close to the mountains full of resources, where you could get rich fast, but for us it was the most unlucky place in the world." She rose her head and kept going with her story. This cat is a far stronger girl than It would appear with just first look.


    "Humans have a special unit of scouts called the Seekers. They are trained to recognize and catch people of non-human races. They are fanatical and cruel. Once they cought us, they took me and my brother to a magistrate building to turn us into slaves or worse." This is a very dark thing that I just heard. If humans use slavery as their bread and butter, then it would be difficult for me to find common ground with people of this world. Earth completely abolished slaver more than one hundred and fifty years ago. This world however, could very well be in one of its darkest ages.


    "Lady Malay, please I beg you!" Cat Ears went on all fours with her head plastered to the ground right before Shorty who was practically wearing rags stained with years of caged dwelling.They were really filthy and they reeked. It isn''t an exaggeration to say she could be smelled from miles away. Cat girl didn''t care, she was loudly sobbing and begging. Her hands were clutching those rags with all that she had. "Please, my lady. You are the great Witch of the Forest. With your power there is still hope to save my brother. I''ll do anything, please, save him!" At that moment Short Stuff looked at me with a very calculative eyes. I already said that you do not have to call me a genius but this was far too obvious. This girl was thinking ways of how to wrap me up in this mess.


    "March, sister, I am in a very weakened state. It would take me several weeks if not months to return to my original form. My power is not lost, but I need time to recuperate. I shan''t be able to offer help yet."


    At those words cat ears hung her head and tears started to flow along her little face. Quite sobs penetrated my ears and at the same time all of my hastily gathered defenses. Long Tails did not stop drilling her turquoise eyes into me, probing for any kind of weakness. I know what she was doing. But I will not go down without a fight. She might think she is a clever little fox, but I am an adult and she is not.


    After few seconds of our little mental brawl Furry Ears turned her attention back to the cat kin and calmly said. "I might have said that, but not all is yet lost. Do not loose hope, for we are not alone." March lifted her head and peered into Furrys eyes which in turn focused all of their attention on me. Previously, this cats brain must have been overwhelmed and in quite the shock, but now that time has passed. Inevitably this young girls eyes followed suit.


    Her face paled with green the moment she saw me. It made me quite uncomfortable. I am no prince charming, there is no denying that. I was never very popular, I think? Although, that reaction really drives home how people see me. Moreover, it''s not the first time. Even that runaway guard paled when he looked at my face. This is so sad. Those statues few floors below us were unsightly, but maybe I have more in common with them, than with normal people.


    Jokes aside, cat girl just jumped to my feet and started bawling madly.


    "Y-your l-l-lordship!" Your what? Cat Ears clutched the hem of my cloak with her hands the same way she did with Shortys rags and started babbling incoherently. Foam filled her mouth and her eyes were slowly moving up to the back of her head. This was a disturbing sight. Thankfully, Long Tails came to the rescue and placed a hand on poor girls shoulder. She also placed a second hand on her back. I couldn''t know what she was doing exactly, but I guess she was giving her some needed comfort and support.


    "March, calm yourself. Breath deeply, focus on my voice and my hand. I shall give you strength to stand unhindered. It''s only temporary, but will allow you to convey your plea." This girl was truly incredible, but I shouldn''t omit that it was mainly her fault that it came to this. After few deep breaths color returned to cat kins face. There were still tears running down her cheeks, though.


    "M-m-most es-esteemed l-lordship. Please! H-help us!" I cast a quick glance at Furry Ears. She was wearing a triumphant smile, which gave me a pause. This little sneak played me well. I admit, I''ve been had. She got me good. I kept my face a stone mask, yet she still managed to figure out that I am weak to tears. Also... I really do not want to end up as ''l-lord'', so let''s just show my card of a grown up and finish this.


    I focused my attention on catnip which immediately shut her up. I studied her face for a bit and decided to show her that I was acknowledging her and have taken things seriously. So, I followed by putting a hand on her other shoulder. Catnip had the same out of common sense, type of ears like the Long Tails brat. However, cat type was less furry and the tail was a lot more slender and not that bushy. She had fair, little brownish skin, like Caucasians after catching a tan. Her hair were black and cut short. Lips were rather wide, making me remember about Cheshires cat mad smile and her canines were prominent enough to fill the whole picture. Her pointy nose sported a rather impressive snot so I would rather not comment much about it. Eyes were teary but there was determination and fire in them. It was clear she was ready to do literally everything possible to save her brother. As most cats she was slender and her moves were flexible. Also, she had rather impressive... assets. I wanted to impress on the fact, that even with such terrible experience, she was still ready for sacrifices in order to save her family. I can''t turn my eyes away from that. I looked deeply into her brown eyes and made a clear distinct nod. After that, I removed my hand from her shoulder and moved to the cells entrance. The moment I moved away she plopped to the ground breathing heavily. She must have really taken it hard. I am a man, and just some minutes ago she had a terrible experience with one. She still managed to overcome her fears and ask me for help. I have no other choice but to do what I can to help her out. Like any responsible adult would.


    "Does that mean, his l-lordship will help?" It would be great if she dropped that doubled l. Otherwise she will be named and stay as Catnip. Also, its about time I talked to them.


    "Yes, most likely. This person broke my chains and freed me." I do not remember ever breaking any chains. If I did, I would have to take responsibility for a needless death in this room too.


    I took a deep breath which was a bad idea due to the smell of blood still lingering in the air and made steps to what I thought would be the direction of next floor.

 Chapter 3: Mr. Mongbock and a flying boot

    In the vast land of the Holy Empire, there is a place that attracts many different kind of people. It''s a town bordering a long and particularly high mountain range. Said town is growing to the size of a large city in a fast, organized manner and soon, will become a center of great commotion. With its impetus, that commotion will span almost all of known world. Captain Bork however, could not have possibly known that at the time.


    Bork, was a brawny man late in his thirties. He has been working hard for his position of a colonel in Holy Order of the Empire for almost twenty years, however his current rank was that of a captain. His most distinct and almost fanatically protected trait was an impressive beard that was tied up in braids. It has been sprouting from his broad chin for as long as ten years, which gave him both admiration, respect and from some jealous types, even scorn. Currently, his thick brows were furrowed in deep concentration. In front of him on an ornamental table of oak polished wood, that filled almost whole of his office, was Ulysses the 3rd. A little model of it, actually. Real Ulysses was a pride and joy of the Holy Navy, a true miracle of human ingenuity and engineering. It span almost seven hundred meters, was capable of flight and its cannons could pulverize any enemy at incredible distances. Ulysses was one of a kind flying fortress. The model itself cost almost all of captains three months of pay, including traded rations, so he was rather desperate to not make any mistakes. He moved his big hand ever so slightly, closer with utmost care not to damage his precious possession. Tiny paintbrush held in his fingers, closed to the vicinity of the steering wheel. Ulysses model wasn''t small, but it sure was, very delicate.


    "CAPTAIN! SIR!" There was a loud shout and a bang. Doors to captains office were being knocked with enough force for them to be on the brink of falling out of their hinges. Borks fist clenched on a broken brush very tightly as a sigh of relief escaped his mouth. If he hadn''t been on guard and started just a second earlier, three months of renunciations might have disappeared into thin air. With hand full of tiny splinters, he sat down and dumped wooden remains of the brush from his palm to the trash and again focused on the door.


    "Enter." As Bork voiced his order, a stout man in his early twenties entered the room with a pep in his walk. He stopped right before the model, trying to perform a standard salute with both of his arms in the air. Seeing his adjutant crudely waving his hands so close to Ulysses, made Bork exceedingly nervous. As sad as it is to say, the man that came in was not cut out to be a soldier. The only redeeming quality he possessed, was his willingness to obey orders. However, no ammount of persuation to drop out of service would work due to the mans obsession on an unrealistic idea of proving himself. You see, lord of this city has many offspring. He also has a problem with what to do with all of them. Having no better alternative, some are sent to military, to excel or at least gather some merits. Cutting it short, young prince Mongbock is an idiot, and one of many at that.


    "What do you want Ravan? I almost ruined Ulysses there because of you. If it''s damaged, it will be your pay that will be cut." Bork stared his adjutant down, at the same time trying to calm his dangerously elevated anger. Unfortunately for poor captain, his anger management levels will end up being tested again.


    "Sir, there is a report of a god showing up on lower floors. It said that one of the guards have already been killed!" Bork thought, that it was an unusual report. Gods do not normally interact with mortals. Apart from few that indeed invest in human matters, rest keep to themselves. Humans and other kind of people do pray to them, wishing for boons and blessings, but rarely ever receiving them. To be frank, most are simply bored of humanity. A god showing all of a sudden in a little border town on the edge of nowhere, dead center in prison, killing people left and right, was as probable as Bork becoming a new emperor. To top it off, gods are bound by the covenant and they are not allowed to kill mortals, except for few extreme cases. Captain placed his head in both of his palms. The only thing he needed to ruin the rest of his day, were some delusions his subordinates produced after one to many beers.


    "Ravan. You are an adjutant and a commanding officer of defense corps. If you are going to spout idiocies, then you might as well have done something worthwhile. How about you go train with recruits on the square for once, instead of wasting your time believing in fake reports?" Bork moved his forehead, resting it on one of his wrists while shooing Ravan away with his free hand.


    "Sir, but..." Ravan tried to force the issue, but had to leave immediately when met with captains outburst of "Get OUT!".


    Normally, Ravan Mongbock would leave without a fuss, but this time was different. His nose itched. He had a feeling that the report was true, that the chance for him to gather merits and rise within his household was about to present itself. He pondered for a minute, standing in front of his superiors office and when a light of thought struck him, he made his way to the barracks.


    Bork on the other hand, was trying to cool off using some breathing technics. When that didn''t work, he closed his eyes and created a sheet of white paper in his mind. He stretched both hands and placed them on the ornament table in front oh him. Local physician already told him many times that he should learn to control his anger. Several minutes passed and Bork calmed enough to grab another paintbrush.


    Facing the captain, on the beautiful brown table, there was a little pedestal. On that pedestal, in all its beauty and glory Ulysses the 3rd radiated a calming and serene aura. Its elegant sails and tiny mates were calling Bork from across the deck to grant them their wish. And their wish was to be touched by delicate bristles. With slow, trained, dexterous movements, he submerged his brush in blue paint and when last droplets fell, he moved his brutish hand closer to his precious model. He stopped a centimeter from the little wooden head of Ulysses admiral. Borks suspended hand trembled. There were loud voices and sound of hurried footsteps just outside his room. He perked his ears and listened, but after a good minute, there was nothing but a blissful silence. Convinced that whoever it was moved away, he stuck his tongue out and started painting his beloved model.


    "CAPTAIN! SIR!" Without waiting for permission or even having any decency to knock first, Ravan stormed the office with a loud shout, making poor captain jump high up in his chair. Behind the adjutant trailed a guard whose, unsurprisingly, threat detection levels started to rapidly raise. His danger avoidance sense hit a critical, allowing him to move aside in time.


    "RAVAN!" At that particular moment young noble of Mongbock lineage was struck by something with such speed and force that he ended up lifted from the ground and flung back to the corridor.


    Captain Bork stood up from his chair. Walked to the still opened door and closed it. Afterwards, he moved back and sat down rubbing the bridge of his nose with his trembling fingers.


    "Tell me, what is this all about?"


    "C-captain my n-name is Rosh, p-private Rosh. I m-maintain watch on l-lower f-floors"


    "Relax Rosh, I am not going to flog you, unless you''ll act like that idiot Ravan. Take a deep breath and start from the beginning." He tried to make his voice as calm as possible, but whether it was to late for that due to his feat of throwing things or the guard already being on the highest possible alert, Bork gave up.


    "Y-yes sir. For todays shift, Me and Ral were responsible for the fourth floor of the dungeon. I went to the barracks on the second level for a bit and Ral was about to interrogate the beast girl spy that scout unit caught." Roshs voice trembled and his face looked pale, almost green, it was just like he would have seen a ghost. That pulled captain Bork out of his musings about his model and forced him to actually pay attention. It was clear that this private was in some kind of shock. He would understand if such reaction was from a soldier that just faced his first battlefield, but privates like Rosh hardly ever had an opportunity to see true war and prison guards on far away borders with the wild, were almost never sent to front lines. The area of expertise of such people were mostly torture and acts of cruelty. When it came to battle, they weren''t very useful.


    "When I got back, there were four people in her cell. That is, Ral, cat kin spy caught by seekers six days ago, some other beast girl in rags and..." Rosh stopped for a moment, but Bork did not rush him. "...and, Ral died. He was... on the wall and simply, died. There was... a god there. A two meter tall man in black, green armor. His eyes glowed with gold and black. He looked at Ral and died. He just, died." At that point captain Bork thought that, that was enough. It was clear that Rosh exaggerated greatly. It must have been a knight of foreign country using some elaborate teleportation and ending up in a wrong place. However, there also is a slim chance he was sent here on purpose and that he has a very clear goal. Bork couldn''t dismiss this possibility, no matter how small it was.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "Rosh, look at my face and take a deep breath. Focus, this is very important. Describe, the girl, in rags. Try remembering all the details you can. Tell me how she looked and how she acted." Gaining this information was an imperative. As the captain of this prison, Bork could dismiss exaggerations of his soldiers, but he has to check on the known facts that already hold true. It was extremely important to him to check if what Rosh was about to tell him, was consistent with his own knowledge about one being, that is secretly held in these walls.


    "The girl, sir?" The private lifted his head, gazed at the ceiling and closed his eyes trying to recall how the girl looked. "She was, umm... I guess she was very pretty? Sir?" Vain on Borks forehead protruded menacingly. This must have given Rosh a push, since he hastily followed with a more proper explanation. "Oh, sir, I think she had several tails. If I am not mistaken she was of a dire wolf variant, with a human face, body and posture." Hearing this, captains menacing aura deflated like a balloon. He didn''t want to listen anymore. The only thing he wanted, was to go back to his precious model. However, he still had to confirm. If he ignored this, it could end up with him having a hell to pay.


    "Rosh. Tell me exactly, how many tails she had?" If Rosh said that there were less than four... "I am sure there were more than five, sir." ...Then this situation would have been salvageable.


    Bork buried his head in his hands and started making sobbing sounds. Surprised by his superiors odd behavior, Rosh did what he thought best to calm him down. "I-its ok sir! It will be fine, its just some beast girl. Don''t worry captain!" While saying that, he patted Borks broad shoulder. To his astonishment, it only made big guys sobs even louder. Thankfully, captain Bork was a tough nut. It didn''t take long for him to pull himself together. He clapped his cheeks and stood up strengthening his back. "ADJUTANT!" He yelled.


    "CAPTAIN! SIR!" Yelling in turn Ravan barged in without delay and saluted with his crude imitation of soldiers manners. His face sported a beautiful footprint of captains boot.


    "Get me Lieutenants Valerie and Andol. Have Lieutenant Caraan take command and have him gather all of our troops in the courtyard. Make sure that they create a cordon cutting any possible escape route out of the dungeons entrance." Captain Bork was listing his instructions in rapid succession overwhelming Ravan, who up until now has never been entrusted with serious orders. When it came to it, Borks experience and commanding charisma made up for any lack of aptitude that this young noble might have had. "If any guard is still inside prison, make Caraan pull them out. Do not engage the girl under any circumstances, unless she leaves the dungeon. Make sure you remember that correctly. Now go."


    "Captain, what if they free the rest of the prisoners?" Rosh, made a valid observation. However, in Borks eyes non of the convicts kept here were of any threat. Only the girl mattered. This whole place was built in order to mask her own prison. Most of people kept here, were petty thugs or simple dissidents. They were of no particular importance. Murderers or thieves were sent to mines were they would die in time. People of the Races were converted to simple slaves or livestock and after interrogation were sent back to magistrate. Those were rare cases however, since beast people and similar elements started to avoid human settlements, knowing full well what fate would await them if they were caught. Currently, slaves were a hard to get commodity.


    Bork stood up and made Rosh help him with putting on his armor and cloak. He reached for his sword and fixed it to his belt. "Rosh, follow me." He opened the door with firm movements and walked out of the office. One of his lieutenants was already waiting, squatting with his back leaning against the wall. Andol wore a condescending look on his face. His mouth was no better as it lacked any respect for either the captain or anyone else.


    "Capt''n! I was surprised you mobilized Valerie. She is even more of a loose cannon than I am. So? What''s going on? Mind tellin'' me?". Having said that, Andol smiled from ear to ear showing up his teeth and then heaved himself up using his greatsword, that was as tall as him. First of Borks lieutenants, Valerie, was a last resort that captain Bork was intending to use. Still, he preferred to leave nothing to chance in upcoming confrontation.


    Bork narrowed his blue eyes and started with an order. "I am going to the armory. If you meet Valerie tell her to get her swords ready and meet me there. Andol, this is just for your ears for now, but It is possible we will have to subdue a demi. A very difficult one. Prepare well." Andols brow went up, almost touching his long brown hair. His eyes that were expressing boredom almost all his life, sparked with excitement and desire. "Hoh, you are going to keep the promise? I''ll hold you to that capt''n. Do not disappoint me. Please." Andol moved quickly, disappearing in one of the corridors leaving behind only a smell of pricey liqueur.


    Moving fast and crossing corridors both Bork and Rosh could see soldiers scrambling in and running in the direction of the courtyard. A loud bell could be heard from one of the tall watchtowers outside of headquarters. After few minutes, Bork reached heavy double door to the armory and produced a silver key from his pouch. These kind of doors were specially made. Only master of locks or extremely powerful force could possibly breach it. In Borks understanding it was practically impossible for anyone to get inside without a key. He inserted that very key into the keyhole and turned it counterclockwise twice. A soft click ringed and the heavy door slid open.


    "Bork." A clear voice sounded behind captain almost making him jump. Rosh on the other hand was averting his eyes. Whenever possible, almost everyone in headquarters were actively avoiding Valerie. This went both ways.


    "Good, you''ve come Valerie. Rosh, stay here." Bork shot a quick glance at his lieutenant and walked inside. Valerie kept close on his heels.


    "Valerie. As am sure you know, to the north of Holy Empire there is a place called the Great Forest. Many years ago it had a different name. Forest of Spirits. At the time, it was far larger than it is now. With years it shrunk, mainly because of us, humans." He was slowly moving forward, searching for one particular tool. After his little introduction, he waited a bit for a response, but after just few seconds he moved on with the story, realizing that he wont get any.


    "That forest is still home to People of the Races. During last seventy years humans have relentlessly hunted for beast kin and we are still at war with that place. Holy Empire is continuously burning up their precious trees. I know you won''t blabber this out, but still keep it to yourself, at least for now, because what I am about to tell you is a closely kept secret. Although, I guess you already know all about it. Most certainly because of those eyes of yours and your patron. Seventy years ago, that forest housed a particular individual." Bork ignored rows of armor and weapons, as he stopped his walk in front of an old cupboard and then opened it up.


    "The name of that individual was Malay. Her mother is a woman called Kiara, who is still alive and very much kicking. She is a mortal and a beast kin of a wolf variant. Her position is that of one of the elders of the Great Forest." From the opened cupboard, Bork produced two sets of chains. Cuffs on those chains shone with bright violet light and had intricate engravings.


    "Now, the important part. Malays father, is a god." He handed the chains to Valerie, who received them in her hands. "A very malevolent god. I won''t say his name here, but you probably already know. Most likely it was him, who lead to the capture of his own daughter and to top it off he did it for fun. Though, the lest part is just a speculation." Bork moved to the corner of the armory and pulled out one more key out of his pouch. This one was from black obsidian. No force could possibly bend or brake it. At least Bork knew of nothing that could do that. He looked down at the small case in front of him and used the key to open it. Inside, was a black flute. It had an ominous aura that was seeping to the air around them. Looking at it Bork had an impression that it exuded a foul, rotten odor. It was a demonic tool used in olden days to subdue and capture powerful beings.


    "Valerie, if we are in luck, then we will be able to subdue a demigod today. However, If we are not..." Bork looked directly into Valeries eyes. "I will need your help. In her time Malay was said to be exceedingly powerful." Bork picked the case that was shielding the flute with his fingers and moved out of the armory, then he gave it to Rosh. "Keep that with you at all times. Do not open it. Keep at my heel no matter what. If you drop that, I will cut off your head personally." Seeing his captain being in fully serious, private Rosh could only keep nodding.


    All three of them marched within now deserted headquarters and after few minutes they walked out into the open air in front of the building. In a large crescent moon surrounding prison entrance stood a good two hundred men in lousy armor. Borks two remaining lieutenants and Ravan in a goudy, unpractical breastplate were located in center of that wide encirclement.


    "Is that all we have?" Bork faced a tall man in his fifties. Of all his men Caraan was the most reliable one. Moment later, he received a swift reply. "Yes, captain. There is not a single one of our troops left in the dungeon." Caraan waved his hand and two men in messenger outfit came out nowhere. As always he read his captains intentions two steps ached.


    Bork produced a seal out of his pocket and gave it to one of the messengers. "Take the fastest drake we have and go to the royal capital, to commander Morthel at Holy Order headquarters. He will understand when you show him the seal. Stop at nothing and no one, understood?" Messenger gave a salute and run off to the stables. Bork turned to the remaining messenger "Go to lords manor and request for tower mages reinforcements. If he asks why, just tell him one of his sons is in grave danger, I am sure he will understand." When second messenger moved out of sight, Bork yelled "SPEARS!" That command made all the guards point their weapon to the front of the dungeons entrance.


    "Do you really think its necessary for all those preparations capt''n, isn''t it a bit match? The demi can''t be that dangerous, unless it''s something like the Witch of the Forest of old." Andol was sitting on the ground with a little bottle in his hand. He shot a questioning look to his commanding officer and took a swing of his liquor.


    "You heard the tale of the witch of the forest, I see. That''s good. I am sure that even you in your short life heard how dangerous that witch was. I will tell you this only once. Do not underestimate those tales or you''ll find yourself, dead." Bork remembered his own dad telling him the very tale when he was a kid and later he read battle reports from the time when she was still active.


    Now, it was time to verify if the tale hold true and if it does, the very earth and air could become their opponent.

 Chapter 4: Parfait of destruction

    I think, it would be hard to find even a single person who like sweets and at the same time do not like parfaits. I like them too. Women in general also, like parfaits. At least, that is the conclusion I ended up with. In truth I have very little experience when it comes to it. Well, parfait subject would require an explanation, but that topic will have to wait for a bit. Lets begin with something else. Currently, my memory is a bit of a mess. It''s hazy at best and a blank space at worst, I do not much remember a thing from before I woke up in this place, apart from small fragmnted memories, however, I do remember common Earths knowledge. My name is also something I do not know. That is also, the main reason why I haven''t yet introduce myself to the two girls. The girls I am talking about are a cat and a dog. Of course, not in a literal sense. To explain it properly, I''ll have go back in time a bit, before the parfait incident that opened my eyes to the dangers I, myself, pose.


    ***


    "Lady Malay, we are closing in on a room with a very strong smell. I do not detect anyone there, but they could be hiding." The one acting as a scout, is the cat girl, March. Internally I started calling her Catnip, since she is adamant on not dropping her way of addressing me. This girl is slender and dexterous. She took a vanguard position in our little group. I already said that she moved dexterously, but I believe I should expand on that. Cat Ears was moving in a very strange manner to say the least. She was waving her hands in strange manner and from time to time, she was also making little jumps or twirls. She would raise her leg high in the air, only to make a salto in the next moment. To top it off, she was constantly whispering something to herself. I had an image of one particular ministry while observing her odd behavior. I did not know if she was an adult, but If I were in her place, I wouldn''t wont to make myself a fool in front of other people. It was very embarrassing, looking at her straight face while she performed acrobatics without any visible purpose and in the middle of a place like a prison. Taking into account latest unexplained developments, I chose to ignore it. At some point, Catnip managed to conjure some leather armor and pants to cover her butt. I was next to her all the time, but I have no idea where she took them from.


    "Lady Malay, what about opening prison cells? We can blend in the crowd and escape. Prisoners won''t attack us with his, l-lordship on our side." Catnip shot me a quick glance and returned to her weird performance. When it comes to those convicts, freeing them would be a bad idea. We know practically nothing about these people. Releasing murderers and thieves on streets full of innocent civilians, would be extremely irresponsible.


    "March, would you comfort mothers if these people end up killing their children?" Cat ears stopped abruptly and hung her head down.


    "I''m sorry. I wasn''t thinking."


    The one who took words out of my mouth was a second girl. Code name, Short Stuff or long Tails or anything that brings the meaning of fur and the word short together. This girl outmaneuvered an adult like me and wrapped me up in helping Catnip rescue her little brother, despite me having no idea how I could possibly do that. Short Stuff was walking between me and the cat girl, sometimes peering into the cells and waving her hand to the prisoners inside. I had a feeling that she was pitying poor Catnip and not wanting her to be the only and total embarrassment, she joined her in whispering under her nose.


    "Sister, think nothing of this lap of judgement. These people shan''t help us, even if released. Every single one is a victim to mental inhibition." Are those prisoners under some kind of conditioning? How could that girl figured that out just by looking and waving at their faces?


    I was wondering about such topics, while we were slowly nearing the barracks. Catnip said earlier, that there are doors that lead directly to the exit. That route avoided a large section of the dungeon. She also said that she was able to ''sense'' this thanks to her scouting skills and her nose. The nose thing is believable, but the other is totally ridiculous and I simply ignored it. She must have crossed the barracks while she was being taken to her cell.


    It wasn''t long before we reached the place Catnip spoke of. As we entered the barracks I took a look around. The place was nothing more than just a very large room. It had rows upon rows of bunks and mats. Several doors were in different corners, probably leading to other parts of the dungeon. A lot of scattered clothes and used guards outfits mired this place, making it smell particularly bad. Swords and spears however, were neatly set on racks showing that the occupants had at least some discipline. There was also a tiny mess hall in one of the corners, making the barracks completely an all purpose room.


    "No one''s here. They must have left in a hurry. Look, there is unfinished food on the counter." Cat girl pointed at mess hall and quickly jumped to the other side of the countertop. Her stomach started making loud noises the moment she spotted food. "Lady Malay, should I prepare something for you and... umm..." This girl must be either very shy or very frightened. Since the moment we left her cell, she did not dare to look me in the eye for more than a second. I suspect the latter explanation and I can''t blame her. Her experiences are traumatic enough to not want to have to look at men.


    "Shall you join us?" I gave a nod to Furrys question, without even thinking to what I was agreeing to and sat next to her on one of wooden chairs that crackled dangerously. I was afraid it would break under the wait of the armor I was in, but I gave it a go since it felt very light. Thankfully, the chair passed the test.


    "We should prepare. Lack of people on our way could only mean more on the surface. We shall meet with great odds." It should be ok. I''ll try to talk our way out of it. As an adult and a grown up I should have experience dealing with difficult situations, so I should be able to negotiate something. The only problem is, how to explain the death of the guard. He was attempting to force himself on a girl so we should have some leverage on out side. Also, I do not know what was the cause of his death. It is sad to admit, but I am practically just following the girls around and I am not entirely sure what I am supposed to do in this delusion of mine. I really have no true cards up my sleeve to get us out of this situation, apart from my tongue. I am not ready to fully admit, that all that has happened until now was real. I am probably lucid dreaming right now and if I am, then I am a real degenerate.


    While waiting for my plate I pondered. Catnip and shorty had a strange relationship. They met only an hour ago but Catnip fully saw Short Stuff as some kind of guru or great leader. She believed her unquestionably and took everything she said as an ultimate truth. Furry on the other hand, held herself as a queen and an all knowing Witch of the Forest of... something. I stopped listening at some point. Her way of speaking is a fake, though. I know that I know that, but I don''t know how I know. I just know. I guess it''s my experience back from Earth and when it comes to Earth I wasn''t able to understand women there, too, I think. To me, they are just mystical creatures and to deal with them, I am implementing my motto and It goes like this ''The best way to live a non stressful life is to ignore things you can''t hope to understand''.


    "Your l-lorship. Here." Catnip served me a plate with soup and bread. It''s probably the best thing she could find here. I took the spoon and looked at the girls. They were already wolfing the same thing I got. I followed after them and started with the soup. However, one spoon later I almost spat it on the poor girls sitting next to me. The two of them had no problems eating it. Either they were so hungry that they couldn''t distinguish edible food or they simply liked it. I didn''t want to embarrass myself in front of them so I embraced my mental fortitude and gulped down contents of the spoon and put it away. One spoon is enough. The soup was... spongy, with little pieces of something that most likely was supposed to be meat. I won''t comment on it though. Suffice to say, it was not, food.


    It''s quite silly. I can recall when I was a kid and my grandmother tried to murder me with similar meal, but I can''t remember how she looked like or what the food was. I can only presume that my memory was tempered with or is very selective about what myself want to know in this reality. I can only guess.


    I took the bread and gave it a try. Next moment, I sneakily put it in the soup. This was horrible. I really wanted to eat something sweet to cleanse my taste buds. That reminded me of one particular event. It was when I was seven or eight years old. I''m talking about my first ever visit to a restaurant and my first parfait. It was a place of heaven and I was there served by a beautiful angel lady. The thing I ate back then, was vanilla ice cream. It was covered with fluffy cream and raspberries. Caramel with chocolate topping made it almost impossibly sweet. I was so into it that I persuaded mother into buying me three portions. Later on, I was sick because of that, but the important part is, it was an incredible discovery.


    I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, trying to remember how good it was. I remembered the glass the parfait was in and even the long handled spoon that is specially used for deserts. I could even feel its metalic surface in my hand. My mind relaxed and flew with the desire to taste the cream and raspberries again. My taste buds started to work overtime and salvia field my mouth. I saw the three parfaits in my mind and I reached my hand to grab them. I wanted to taste them so much, that I even imagined myself putting the spoon into one. With cutlery filled to the brim with cream I closed onto it with my mouth. It was unbelievably sweet, just like the first time I had it. I took another spoonful and then another one. I didn''t want to stop... but I was forced to.


    "Ekhem... I am very sorry to interrupt, but... what is that?" Short Stuff was asking me a question, but her face was not directed at me. She was drooling all over.


    I decided to fallow her eyes and as surprising as it was I ended up staring at my own hands. There were two parfaits on the counter in front of me and one in my hand. In conclusion this was good and bad. Good because it tasted good, bad because three parfaits appeared out of thin air and I already ate half of one.


    This situation had many ramifications. Most of them were bad. I stood up with slow and careful movements and placed two deserts in front of the girls. Catnip, was eyeing the desert with mixed feelings. On the other hand, Furry was already digging into it.


    "I haven''t had sweets in so long. March you can eat that, it''s not poison. I''ll take your portion if you won''t hurry." For a second there shorty dropped her pretense of a high and mighty girl. I moved to one of the more remote chairs in one of the corners. I had more important things on my hand, than to care for that little lap, literally. The appearance of parfaits forced me to rethink my position.


    I looked at parfait in my hand and asked myself, can I control my thoughts in every possible situation? Is that possible? Is there anyone who could do that? If I accept those parfaits as real, then I would have to accept that I had already killed a man. I wished he ended up dead and in consequence, he died. Accident or not, that would have been a result of me not being able to control my thoughts.


    My point of view is... Lets say that there is a human who can do everything that he wants with just a thought. He would be able to defeat any offender, create any kind of tool or gain any aspect of power he desires. Flight, speed, money, power, everlasting youth, women, men? anything you can think of. A god amongst humans. I looked at the parfait in my hand that was starting to melt.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Humans are not gods, however. And with good reason.


    I do not believe in existence of gods, but for the sake of the argument, lets say that a human being have such power and gods are real. A god would have no problems due to its own existence being what it is. It''s self explanatory. Moreover, they are often bound by rules set by themselves. Such rules do not apply to humans. They are fickle and sometimes embodies the very definition of chaos. Gods might by chaotic at times, but they do not destroy worlds willy-nilly. Humans do not have such restrictions. They are fully prepared to push the button and took everything with them to hell if they are mad enough. Give such a person power that of a god and we suddenly ends up with a three year old holding a tactical black hole. It wouldn''t be on a scale of single nuke anymore.


    I am not saying I am crazy, but as most humans, I already proved I can''t control my every single move or thought. I do no know the scale or limits to what could happen. Whoever would put me in such situation would be a madman with a very poor taste in jokes. You might ask, why? You can do what ever the hell you want! Well, sorry, but I am one of those like uncle Ben. With great power comes great... you know. Responsible adults do not blow up other people just because they can. At least, they shouldn''t. At the moment I am nothing more than a walking bomb with a ticking timer and I have no idea when I will blow up again. Conjuring parfaits may sound trifle, but it made me realize how dangerous it actually is. If I mess up...


    I looked at the girls finishing their deserts.


    Few minutes ago, I said that it is best to ignore things you have no hope of understanding. I will have to retract those words. I am in a precarious situation. If I think of all of this as a delusion then nothing happens. I''ll wake up at some point and say "eh, it was a strange dream". But if it is not a dream. If I won''t wake up. If I act like nothing happens and will kill someone by mistake again. Will I be able to look my self in a mirror? At the moment I am just toddling with a bomb strapped to my neck. I have no limiter apart from my code of conduct. I do not want to die, but if that happens due to my ignorance, I wouldn''t want to drag people to the grave with me.


    "It''s about time I talk to the girls."


    ***


    "It''s so sweet! What is this food. It''s so tasty. Have you ever had anything like that, lady Malay?" Feline kin, my countryman asked me and I couldn''t say a word. I had many deserts in my time, when I was living in the forest. We had bakeries, but they have never created a marvel like this. I was privileged and had access to many rarities. Even chocolate at rare occasions brought from the demon lands. But I had never had sweets that were cold and puffy. I am a demigod so my resilience to changing situations is strong enough to not dwell on my years of captivity, but even I, am surprised at recent events. Especially that man.


    "This is heavenly. Once your tongue try this mellow sweetness, it won''t ever leave your thoughts." This desert may steal my reason for a moment, but I must remember that I am the Great Witch of the Forest of Spirits. I am a force to be reckoned with. Humans fear me and beast kin love me. However, I am extremely weakened. My power has been drained during those seventy years and I barely have enough for parlor tricks. We need strength and help. That is why I must not appear weak and appeal to the man that could be our salvation. I must look as a strong and dependable as possible. I can not allow to be used as a tool by this creature that is now brooding in the corner.


    "March, eat fast and listen to me. Keep your voice low." I whispered. If we are to survive our predicament he needs to think that we are useful and have a strong will.


    "You might have already guessed, but he is most likely an Outer, but not like one summoned by gods. He is probably one of outer gods himself. Do you know what an Outer existence is?"


    "Umm... If I remember correctly, an Outer is a human summoned from a parallel world. They are bound to the god that allowed the summon. It''s common knowledge. As for the outer gods, they are malevolent beings that find cracks and travel through the ether to our world. When that happens, gods usually summon an Outer or even move themselves if humans can''t deal with them."


    "That''s right. Outer gods are entities that live of blood and slaughter. They seek to control the world, subdue it''s inhabitants or simply destroy everything. They generally have little to no emotions. They act on instinct. For them, the world is prey and they are the hunter." I looked at the man again. That is also what is strange. Up until now, there was no precedent of any outer god ever being good natured.


    "March, I have been acting confident, but I can''t possibly win against an outer god. Not even with my restored self. This man is incredibly dangerous, but... he has done nothing wrong to us, yet. That is also what do not match with all the history books I have read. A being like him, actually bend down, because of his weakness to tears. He decided to help because you teared up." It might be cruel, but in our situation we have little choice, but to use any and every trick to stay alive.


    "Sister, I am sorry but I hope you''ll understand. He must like you since he offered his help. He often glances at your..." I looked at her breasts "...face. You must be ready to use that to our advantage." I gave her a meaningful look. "I need time to observe and decide what to do."


    At first I thought he was going to use me or simply kill me. After I regained freedom I sneakily tried to probe his defenses or at least measure his strength. I failed. It was like trying to pierce an iron wall with a pin. That armor he is wearing is also some kind of magical tool. I doubt normal weaponry would be effective against it. Thankfully as long as he has human emotions, it should still be possible to cajole him to our side somehow.


    "Lady Malay, if he will help save my little brother, I''ll pay any price he asks." March was determined to rescue her sibling. It looks like she would be ready to seal the deal with the devil in order to achieve her goal.


    As we finished our talk, he came back to where we were sitting. He moved to the other side of the countertop and faced us. He smiled a very, very creepy smile, showing up all his perfectly white teeth. His aura was already strong but now it was overwhelmingly intimidating. I had to support March with my hand or she would have fell from her chair in fright. That smile was seriously scary.


    "Hello, good ladies. Please forgive me for my lack of manners. I have not introduced my self earlier. Alas, I do not yet remember my name, so please call me Ian for now. You see dear ladies, my memory is vague at best. I am afraid I do not know where I am. I will not press you for answers right now, but please be so kind and enlighten me on common sense of this world, when we find a little bit of time. Prison grounds is hardly a good place for such conversation. What do you say? Won''t you agree?" He finished and kept on with that horrible smile.


    "What?" I asked.


    "What?" He replied.


    What''s going on? An outer god straight out of this world, like those in stories of cruel and malevolent beings that burn, destroy and slaughter, just said hello, call me Ian. He did that in a polite, amiable way. His voice was deep but was not haughty or demanding. His aura and smile was ridiculously intimidating, but his words were completely out of sync with his given impression. I don''t understand what''s going on.


    "What?" I asked again.


    "Oh, it did not work. Alright, I''ll drop it. You know Short Stuff, I have a feeling we will have problems communicating. Let''s just cut it short, I am on your side, so let''s get along, how about it?" What did he call me?


    "Your l-lordship, what does..."


    "Catnip, please drop with the lord thing. Just call me Ian." March recovered faster than me. We had same dumbfounded look just a moment ago but it was her that snapped out of it faster. And what in the world is catnip?


    "Well, I won''t force you if you don''t want to. Just think about it. Anyway, I believe we should start moving. There will be some hard negotiations ached of me."


    Did he call me short? I was trying to remember if he really did address me like I am some little child. In the meantime he stood up and went to one of the doors on the far side of the room. Me and March followed behind. How is he going to talk with people above? That would be impossible. His looks alone would make most people faint on the spot. Also, humans are antagonistic to People of the Races. They would never let us leave, It would never be that easy. Does he have no awareness of himself or his surroundings?


    "L-lord Ian, that''s the wrong way."


    "Huh? Catnip, were you saying something?"


    "Yes my l-lord, that there is the right passage. Also, my name is March your l-lordship." March pointed to the doors on the other side of the room.


    "You do, have problems with letter l, don''t you Cat Ears." Ian raised his hand and plopped it on Marchs head. He just did an unthinkable thing like it was nothing. "Please, lead the way."


    Not only he blatantly ignored March, but what was absolutely outrageous is that he started patting her on the head and even petting her ears! You can not do that! Not to beast kin and even for humans that is a taboo, unless you are lovers. That is the form of affection restricted for bound couples. No one does that unless you are extremely intimate with each other. March is so shocked that she does not know what to do! Such advances are simply, deplorable! I told her she should be ready, but that is far too much!


    "Ekhem, March please go ached." I tried to help her get out of this embarrassing and at the same time unthinkable situation. Her eyes were wondering all over the place as she moved on. I was in a bit of a shock too. I did not suspect that anyone would be so bold and depraved to claim someone in such a way. Not even the lowest of humans do that.


    I was fully concentrated on my thoughts when I felt a warm hand landing on my head. I stood still as I was slowly realizing I was being petted. I am a Great Witch. I am a demigod and yet this guy is stroking my head like there is no tomorrow. He claimed both March and me in span of one minute and is smiling like a kid that just done a silly prank with that horrid smile of his. I was so slow in processing this situation that I had no time to evade it. Besides even if I could, I do not know if that would upset him and that is dangerous. I looked at him with all the hatred I could muster.


    "Don''t fret Long Tails. Leave everything to a grownup. You kids should leave worrying to adults like me."


    You will pay for this humiliation Ian. I don''t care who you are. No one is allowed to call me a kid. Even if it''s the last thing I''ll do, I''ll make you pay the price for bounding and insulting a demigod like me.


    ***


    Once we left the barracks we made our way through few more corridors and came upon a big hall with crossroads to different sections of the dungeon. This time it was Shorty that led the way. She was fuming and very angry at something. It must have been me, since she kept looking at me with eyes that could kill. It''s like I had offended every member of her family and even her pets. I wonder what I did.


    I stand corrected. I know exactly what I did. Maybe I shouldn''t have called her a kid and pat her head. I had a feeling that would be a bad idea, but I still went with it. Well, what can I say, it was stronger than me. She hates being treated like a kid. Just like a typical Kid. So, she will stay as a kid.


    As for Catnip, she was also acting strange. She wasn''t performing her acrobatics anymore, but her face was fully red and her eyes were darting everywhere but me. She was jumpy and frightened. I must have scared her somehow. I will pat her head later and try to calm her down if possible.


    I came to a decision to take this world seriously and dismiss the notion that this is all a delusion. I would prefer to go crazy, than to risk killing a living, breathing people. It''s just not worth it. Risk is simply to high. Especially with me blowing myself and other people up.


    We stopped at the end of the stairs that were leading to the exit. It was already past noon and sun was still high in the sky. I hoped I would be able to talk some sense to people managing the prison. These two girls looked adolescent at best. I can''t judge their age, but kid is still a kid as long as it did not hit majority. Keeping them in a prison is a crime in itself.


    "Girls, stay behind me. Let me do the talking." I moved first and walked to the wide open courtyard. What awaited me was a good two hundred men with their spears pointed at us. They formed a wide circle around dungeons entrance. It gave me quite the shock. What were they expecting, an army of convicts? They were all incapacitated. They must have known that only us three will come out. Why prepare such forces to fight two kids and a single man. There was no sense in retreating people from the dungeon in the first place, but why creating such a big welcoming committee.


    "Witch of the Evil Forest, surrender willingly! If you resist, we have the means to fight you. You have one minute. If you start casting spells, we will act accordingly." There was a guy with braids for a beard. He was using a short voice-tube, in the middle of the encirclement. He must be the commander. I looked back at both girls. Catnip had her tail between her legs and was holding it with both hands shaking. Six Tails on the other hand was looking around. After few seconds she moved her head to meet with mine.


    "Well, you said you will do the talking, right Ian? Show me how it''s done. Show us how the grown up solves things." She had a wild smile on her face that gave me shivers. Women sure are scary.


    I looked at the soldiers and the commander. He looked totally set on his mission to apprehend us. This will be difficult.


    I took a deep breath, rose my hands in the air and started walking forward.

 Chapter 5: Pretty, rainbow color, sparkling cloud

    Forming a large crescent circle, inside prison grounds, stood around two hundred men. Captain Bork and his lieutenants were there too, commanding the gaurds to keep their ground and face the dungeons entrance. Actually, Bork was in a bit of a dilemma. What he thought to be a hard battle just went into an insanely difficult one, if not outright impossible. That is, because instead of facing one strong enemy, he now faced two, with one outclassing the other in terms of strength by many magnitudes. Captain Bork was in a bit at a loss of what to do next. His plan to subdue the witch did not account for any factors other than few stray prisoners and a single knight of foreign country. What they met however, far exceeded what they expected.


    "You know capt''n, I wanted to fight a demi for a long time now. Heck, I even enlisted and followed you. You told me you will provide me the opportunity at some point..." Andol cackled slapping his thighs loudly. "...but you''ve got yourself demoted, because of some noble lass. I had the laugh of my life when I heard she was already married."


    Bork was perceived by his troops as a strong and reliable man. They knew they could rely on his experience and charisma. However, people around felt uncertain when Andol was loudly mocking their commanding officer. What was more, Bork was not denying even a single word of his lieutenant.


    "Now, color me impressed. I never thought that your promise would come out to be true. Here of all places. I''m disappointed though. That girl is no challenge. Witch of legends is nothing but a skinny skeleton. My pops used to tell me tales of how she was capable of leveling whole towns with her powerful magic. Looking at her now I think those must have been just exaggerated ramblings of an old man."


    Andol returned his sight to the dungeons entrance. He focused on the man leading two girls.


    "Capt''n, I would like to fight the demi, but that girl is not even worth rising my sword. She is no threat. That guy on the other hand, I''ll have to pass. I am not as crazy as Valerie."


    Captain Bork was deep in his thoughts. He was trying to calculate and find some way to get the witch and avoid confrontation with the being standing in front of them. Every scenario seemed hopeless. He could use the flute, but that was the last resort after Valerie. Using it would have a very steep price.


    "Val, what''cha thinking? Wonna have a go at that dude?" Seeing as his captain was completely ignoring him, Andol turned to the girl next to him.


    Valerie, hasn''t spoken a single word yet and was just staring at the trio with contemplating look. She rarely ever talked. Only Bork had any form of solid understanding of what this girl was like. Because of that, Andol wasn''t really hoping for any kind of reply. She had a unique skill or more to say it was a blessing, but it made her detached from most of her surroundings. Apart from some particular situations she kept herself withdrawn from people.


    "I am going."


    "Huh? Valerie?"


    Valeries melodious voice took Andol by surprise and left him with his jaw wide opened. Contrary to what he thought, Valerie made a one hundred and eighty and started to leave the courtyard, directing her steps to prison grounds entrance. She was going to leave through the main gate.


    "Valerie? What''s wrong with you? Val?" Valerie didn''t listen and just moved straight for the exit. "Where the hell do you think you are going! Hey!"


    "Oi, Captain! Valerie is leaving, wake UP!"


    Andols shout brought poor captain out of his stupor. Valerie, was Borks most powerful asset and she just left. He knew well enough that he had little to no power over his lieutenants. Apart from Caraan, Bork was surrounded by oddballs and weak wielded men of questionable honor and background. He was once a colonel and was fast on his way to higher ranks. He longed to times when he had real power and reputable people under his command.


    "Ravan, go after Valerie with few guards and stick to her, maybe she knows something we don''t."


    "Captain, sir, but I am needed here. You need me to fight the witch. Sir, she is right there!" Ravan Mongbock pointed to the girl with seven tails and wolf ears, but completely ignored a far greater threat that was standing in front of her. He was obedient but at the same time stubborn to some degree. His mind wasn''t great at finding opportunities, but even he saw a chance to gain recognition for himself, by catching a runaway witch of great fame and splendor. His ignorance blinded him to many situations that took place around him, including interference from his siblings. He wasn''t at all happy to abandon possible merits from this fight.


    "Do I need to repeat myself? Go, NOW!"


    Ravan made a crude salute. With sour expression on his pouty cheeks, he made his way through the gate leading to the city. A five man group of prison guards were tagging along with him. His stout body moved with clumsy haste. Ravan would look as a good and diligent soldier if not for a still visible footprint on his face. He wished to be seen as a true heir of Mongbock household, but his looks and actions denied him that wish. Golden and far too gaudy armor along with halberd that was too big for him, made his silhouette sway to the sides when he walked. It made his appearance look silly, thwarting any attempts at seriousness. His lack of any notable skills and tunel vision set on becoming the first heir, when he had no serious bone in his body to present, made him a laughing stock of the whole city, as well as his family. Still, he was a son of a powerful and very rich noble. His position made it difficult for people to openly laugh or scorn him. Young master of Monhbock family did not know that commoners who openly mocked him, would often end up with their heads parting their bodies. His more capable siblings would defend family honor and in doing so would gain recognition from the patriarch. For many of his brothers and sisters, Ravan was just an opportunity and a stepping stone. It is sad but his father has never praised him or recognized his efforts.


    "Was that reasonable Capt''n? Sending him away?"


    "That idiot would charge only to die a fools death. It''s better for him not to be here, also I would have hell to pay if anything happened to him." Captain Bork made a hand motion and Caraan showed with impeccable timing.


    "C-captain, LOOK!" Rosh who have kept himself close by, pointed at the trio at the entrance to the dungeon.


    Following his outcry every soldier on the grounds as well as Bork and his lieutenants, concentrated on a man who slowly started walking. He was wearing blackish armor accentuated with golden patterns. His cloak was a deep shade of green. Chest part depicted an ominous scene of a winged being holding out a sun. Its rays were piercing all creatures crawling below it. Mans eyes were glowing with menacing black and gold. The glow seemed liquid in form, mixing constantly, like moving grains of sand, flowing away and disappearing in the air seconds later. He had otherworldly aura that was hard to grasp.


    Andol stood up readying his greatsword and both the captain and his right hand man Caraan tensed. All men in the vicinity could feel an ominous deep seeping feeling of fear as their skin covered with cold sweat. Apart from the eyes, the enemy looked human enough. Everyone present could feel however, deep down in their hearts, how far away from humanity that person was.


    "Captain, he is rising his hands, maybe he is going to surrender?" Andols voice was shaking and it was obvious he was trying to keep his cool with his standard banter. The effect was rather miserable.


    "Don''t be stupid. He is..." It took only a second for Bork to come to a solid conclusion. He was, of course, mistaken, but he couldn''t have possibly known that. "Is he, going to cast a spell? He is casting spells! CARAAN! Mage Unit! Suppression fire! NOW!"


    A group of 50 men in dark red robes with strange symbols moved from the rear. Lord of this city sent them as reinforcements to aid his son, who in all seriousness have already left. They started to chant loudly sending air ripples as ether concentrated into different kinds of phenomenons. Hail of elements in form of earth arrows, wind bolts and fire bullets showered straight at Ian who was walking with his hands raised in gesture of peace.


    ***


    I looked around this over-exaggerated congregation that chose to meet us head on. It was over two hundred men in crescent formation. We had nowhere to escape to. The man using a voice-tube is probably one in charge so I decided to head in his direction. Intending to not provoke any misunderstandings and worsening the situation even more than it already is, I rose my hands in the air. I only made few steps when I was abruptly stopped by their commanders shouts about someone using some, spells?


    Next moment I thought I was going to die. However not because of any mortal wound. You see, strange people with robes and pointy hats started popping out of nowhere. I said that but they just came from the rear in a rather unsightly way. Their attires covered in mystical symbols and occult signs screamed ''I am a wizard''. That wasn''t the silly part though. I had to cover my mouth when they stepped forward and started whispering or yelling very embarrassing phrases. When I heard ''fire obey my command'' I held my stomach. Moment later ''wind hear my call'' forced me to bend on one knee. That wasn''t all. Most of these ''mages'' were advanced in age. Hearing a sixty year old grandpa screaming at the top of his lungs in full seriousness, phrases like "Goddess of Earth, grant me your eternal bossoms power." just can''t be taken seriously. It''s never going to happen. These people however, were completely serious. I was wondering if this is some kind of stupid, yet elaborate prank. It''s just that surreal. It wouldn''t be silly, normally that it is, since it very much was. I did everything I could for my mental fortitude to hold on. I kept my face straight, but internally I was screaming for them to stop. It was important to me to be perceived as responsible and grown up adult, but I do have my limits. If I laugh I might be offending these people. Also, two girls behind me tensed up and started to run to where I was.


    Moment later I broke and started to openly laugh my brains out. In my defense, it could not be helped. Why? Because except of simple yells and embarrassing chants, this theatrical troupe started to gymnast their way into making me completely unable to stand on my legs. It was no longer ''salamander, lord of fire grant me your power''. Now, it was scale making or arm flexing or jumping around old dudes in wizard robes, waggling their walking sticks and canes in the air, screaming to godly powers for aid.


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


    The deciding moment came for me, when a young man in his twenties most likely an apprentice, looked in my direction, full of determination not to fail in the performance and follow with his troupes marvelous play. He did a duble squat, squinted his eyes and after making a pompous face, shouted to the god of thunder to strike me down with righteous fury. So, I had no option left but to break and laugh it all out.


    I was laughing like crazy when something changed in the air and I heard a distinct whoosh near my ear. I rose my head to check. Did they use a bow by chance? It turned out it wasn''t a bow.


    There was a mass of light of different color and shape heading straight for me with great speed. I was crouching fully in shock. Another moment and I will end up as a well fried shish-kebab.


    "What are you doing! Get down!" Just before fate turned me into some greasy, skewered potato, six tails materialized behind me. She pressed one of her skinny hands to the ground and said in a loud unnatural voice. "RISE!" Earth trembled and rose forming a thick wall around us. I could hear dull impacts as it took hundreds of projectiles on itself. However, although thick, it wasn''t strong enough to hold this onslaught for long. There were already small holes forming in few places.


    "What were you trying to do Ian? You said you were going to solve this! Was that your idea of a polite talk? Were you going to laugh them to death?! I saw what you did! Why in the world would you want to mock tower mages in situation like this! What is wrong with your head! Your idea of how a grown up should solve things is the very definition of what NOT to do!" Barrage of insults landed on my head, but I wasn''t listening. I''ll overlook the fact, that I literally had no option to actually talk with anyone, before they started shooting stuff.


    "What are those lights?" I asked wanting to understand what is actually happening. Some of them are missing our spot and fly over our heads, creating loud booms and exploding.


    "Not an hour ago you were conjuring sweets without a word and a drop of ether, out of thin air and now you are asking me what magic is?"


    "You know, four tales? You do realize that you''ve dropped your pompous way of speaking, right? Also, you ought to show respect to your elders." I retorted wanting to buy some time and gather my wits.


    "I have seven tails you schmuck! SEVEN! And you lost any respect you could have had when you started groping those grotesque statues in lower chambers!" Dull impacts intensified and the girl only cared about throwing unwarranted abuses at me. Wait...


    "Y-you saw that?"


    "Of course I did, now do something!" If looks could kill, she would be on a way to the first place in glaring championship. More importantly, all my work to look as a reliable and dignified adult was ruined by one instance of me fumbling at the very start.


    I wanted to continue grieving my luck, but my musings were sharply interrupted. Time slowed to a crawl as one of fire bullets pierced the wall and passed just in front of my eyes. I followed it with my sight admiring its every detail. It sure was beautiful. Red weaves were encapsulating a blue flaming core and it was burning so brightly. It struck me deeply, that if flame bullets like this one hit me, I would end up with a fist sized gaping hole in my body. I really do not want to die yet, whether this is all in my head or not. Life is a pretty valuable thing. My death would not benefit anyone.


    My heart started to beat furiously. I looked at my sweaty hands. My mind turned blank, my breath hastened. I started to pant and cold sweat formed on my neck.


    "I just don''t want to die. W-what should I do? What am I supposed to do?"


    "Ian, don''t start panicking on me now!"


    "I-I a-am not panicked? I am an adult! Adults do not panic. I''m n-n-ot panicked at all! No ma''am."


    Suddenly I felt a slap on my cheek and shorty grabbed my chin right after.


    "Ian, get a grip, look! Even March is looking around and seeking a way out of this situation. You might be safe and those spells will probably do nothing to you, at most singe you a little, but with my current strength, I will die if hit enough times. Not to mention March who will be killed instantly! We need firepower to break through this siege. Think of something!" My mind cleared a bit. I looked at Catnip who was crouching behind Furry. Her eyes were closed but her ears moved to the sides constantly, perking up at every little whoosh and boom.


    I looked at the earth wall that was close to crumbling down. Long tails was filling up the holes as much as she could, but it was obvious that we are already on borrowed time. My eyes opened wide as something that looked like a spark of blue lightning, found an opening in the wall and smoldered tips of my hair, blowing up just few meters behind us. It left a small crater of scorched earth. This is serious! We really do, need some heavy firepower, like a cannon or... a tank! We need a damn tank! However, I have no idea how to operate an actual tank. We need something strong, intimidating but not dangerous enough to be considered a weapon of mass destruction. We need to stop this situation, but I do not want to kill people. Something intimidating, scary, but at the same time harmless, just like my plush toy. Oh... I know, my plushy toy, that''s the thing! When I was a kid I had a coloring book. It was sold along with the toy and both were from the same series about a sad and conflicted creature who searched for its partner. The author made it a sad ending, making me cry a lot, but the story grew on me. I was scared of it at first, but before I was much older, I was always keeping the plush with me. It became my best and only friend.


    "Ugh... my head hurts like crazy." A splitting headache attacked me out of nowhere, but I still tried to remember how my dear friend looked like. My memory is hazy so this was a challenge. Images of the toys magnificent form and my time with it, flew through my mind. I slept with it, hugged it, talked with it, I told it my greatest secrets. I wouldn''t allow anyone touch it. It completely stole my youthful heart. As a little boy I was so in love with the toy, that I painted its every part with different color for it to always be together with rainbow. I didn''t want it to be sad about its partner being gone. I wanted it to smile and always be stupidly happy.


    Remembering it now makes me really embarrassed. Thankfully no one here will ever know about that part of my history. I also imagined the toy to have special powers. But I''ll omit that for my own sake, hoping it will stay buried for all eternity.


    "Ian, I can''t keep this up! Do something for gods sake or we are all dead or worse!" Three Tails was speaking something, but I was submerged in my memory. My concentration was barely holding. I tried not to faint because of the splitting headache and rush of memories. Furrys shouts were intertwining with the image of my friend. Words were repeating constantly in my head. We need help, we need to get out of here, we need a tank, we need firepower, I need my friend, I need...


    "TATSU"


    My words came as an incredibly loud rumble. It rolled over courtyard grounds indiscriminately silencing every single sound on prison grounds and possibly even beyond it. Magic bombardment stopped instantly. I looked around. Our little defense bunker looked more like a Swiss cheese than an actual shelter at this point. March choked few times and suddenly rose her head, making me look up too.


    There was a change as air thickened. A kind of heavy, oppressive feeling started to weight on the surroundings, hitting everyone present on the grounds, except one clueless person.


    Ether condensed, heavy fog started gathering several meters above ground. It glittered with different colors, tones and shades, creating beautiful view of myriad reflecting sparkles. Along with this breathtaking scene a feel of dread started to spread among guards below. Unexplained pressure assailed prison grounds, with full might of an awakened dragon.


    "What did you do?" Few Tails grabbed my head. She looked me straight in the eyes while holding my temples in both hands. "Tell me. What did you do?" She looked quite determined to get the answer out of me, but I had little to no idea what was happening.


    "I can practically lick the ether in the air. No amount of magical power, however condensed could possibly allow that, except for grand rituals and such need the efforts of whole country or several gods! Ian, you might as well have just called a punitive force of the whole Holy Empire as well as nearby countries, not to mention the attention of every major god! This thing in the air is like a big, bright, shining beacon! So, tell me. What. Did. You. Do?" She pointed her finger at the foggy cloud gathering above our heads. "Tell me what that is!" I had no idea what she meant. To me, it just looked like a pretty, rainbow color, sparkling cloud. She must have been joking with the gods thing, but I am ready to believe that a country might have some sensors picking up on stuff like that cloud.


    "I.. I am not sure." Clarity was slowly bringing my brain up to speed on what was happening.


    Almost every guard and mage in the vicinity was sprawled on the ground panting heavily and that was almost two hundred men. Their commander along with his lieutenants were wobbling on their feet, trying to stand firmly on the ground.


    "You see Shorty. When I was young, I had a toy. I must have unconsciously called upon it in panic, you know? To calm my nerves and escape to what was best in my life."


    "So you did panic after all."


    Ups, I must still be in mild shock since I broke my character again. Lets ignore it, I hope that with time she will forget about this little slip up.


    "Ian, you said it was a toy from your childhood, right? Tell me what it is exactly that you have summoned. This thing rings every possible bell in my head."


    I cleared my throat and looked again at the cloud. It was really pretty. It glittered with every possible color you could think of.


    "Ehem... If it comes to the cloud, then that thing there is most probably a ryuu or tatsu. Tatsu is an older naming and is not used that often. I don''t know how it is originally called in China. I never looked into it. I only know how Japanese people call them, so..." I spread my hands, in gesture of not knowing this particular information. As a grown adult I should have possessed an extensive knowledge about many different topics, but in my current circumstances its quite limited.


    "So? What is a tatsu?


    "In most common understanding that would be... a dragon." As my words left my mouth, long tails stopped looking at the still forming cloud and directed her big cartoonish eyes back at me. Mind you she was still holding my head in an iron grip. I preferred not to ponder on how she was this strong while not having a proper meal in who knows how many years.


    "Are you telling me that you summoned a dragon, here, in the middle of a city full of innocent people?"


    I gulped. Unconsciously, I just wanted to hug my old toy and by accident performed an act of escapism. I try to act my age, but can you blame me with all that is happening around? Furry made a very solid argument. That is true. In all seriousness however, I didn''t think that I would actually summon anything. As pathetic as it sounds, I just wanted to hug my plushy.


    "Do you know what kind of creature a dragon is, Ian? Do you have any idea what you have just brought to this world? Let me tell you a bit about these lizards. The number of active dragons in my time were only one and it needed a combined allied forces of several countries along with few summoned outers and even a gods tool to kill it! They sleep most of the time, but when one wakes up, then there is a chance that rest will also wake up and when the rest wake up, then all hell breaks loose. Kingdoms would burn, people would burn, everything would burn or be eaten. If that cloud of yours is truly a dragon, do you know how many children would be left crying?


    Long tails rant forced me to escape with my eyes to the left, after a second, when I realized that left side is where the cloud was forming its thickest part I moved them to the right. On the right however, Catnip was shaking and foaming from her mouth again.


    "W-well Five Tails, we shouldn''t rush to any conclusions yet. W-who knows? Maybe that is a good dragon?"


    "You mean you don''t know? Are you actually asking me if the thing YOU summoned is good? You don''t even know its alignment? I can''t believe I was acting to keep your respect! You''re unbelievable!"


    ''''T-thank you?" Looks like I''m still left with some good graces.


    "I wasn''t praising you! You are not very consistent with yourself, are you? Also, I have seven tails. Remember that. Seven!"


    Or maybe not. The important part is, I am almost certain that the thing above would take form soon. Problem is, would we be eaten along with citizens of this small border city or not. How will I ever take responsibility for this mess. I would really like to run away, but I can''t, can I?

 Chapter 6: Fortress doors are made to hold

    It''s pretty. A beautiful rainbow color cloud came to life few minutes ago. It circles, solidifying more and more into a solid form above our heads. Constantly moving, shifting, swirling or merging together. It is bringing both joy as well as dread. That mysterious fog, sparkle and shine creating a kaleidoscope of colors, making the ground below a true show of mesmerizing play. That isn''t all. You could even glimpse a bit of a long tail swinging in the mist, taking form and dispersing seconds later. The mist was expanding. It would soon swallow whole of the prison grounds, threatening to spill to the rest of the city. I was admiring this magnificent sight, when an iron grip of skinny fingers forced my head to change its direction. A pair of pretty, but also very angry lips were shouting abuses at me, without their owner caring to even open them. Shortys eyes were beautiful in their own right, but were also gates to torrential rain of constant slander if you looked to deep when she was raging. She didn''t need for her mouth to utter a single word for her to let people know how pissed off she was.


    I already knew why she was looking at me like that. She made if very clear, but I am still hesitant to take her previous words for granted. I might have summoned something. Maybe this truly is a dragon, but I can''t be entirely certain. Not until I see it. For now, it just looks like it''s just a nice mist of different colors. However, there certainly is something afoot. I might be slow witted, but even I can see that people around are barely holding on. Whole courtyard is filled with collapsed men, panting and trying to endure whatever it is that is afflicting them. I thought that maybe that fog is poisonous, but I breathe the same air they are and I do not feel a thing. Also, five tails is communicating with me unhindered.


    "Ian, we should move while that thing of yours is still materializing. Grab March and lets run."


    I have to admit, that girl has nerves of steel and she even came up with an obviously brilliant plan of just ''run''. However, if she thinks I will just ''run'', like some frightened little kid, then she is mistaken. I did panicked, for just a tiny, fraction of a second, but that is already an old story. I am old enough not to show such embarrassing sights, so I won''t ''run''. I would like you to Imagine a grown up man running away with his tail between his legs, carrying a young girl on his shoulder or under one of his arms. How would it looked like if not like a villain kidnapping little girl and running away with his prize. There is no way in hell I will allow something like that to happen. I would sooner burn up in flames rather than show such shameful appearance to people. I am going to do this majestically, with my full repertoire of gentlemans dignity.


    I stood up from the ground, placed my hand on four tails head, petting it gently and spoke up to give her a bit of a grown ups wisdom.


    "Relax Shorty, just leave it to me and learn from my behavior."


    "What could I possibly learn from you? The best way to offend people? I remind you that this mess is your doing!"


    How rude? As far as I remember I have never offended anyone on purpose and it is her that forced me to do something in the first place.


    "I am a hundred and eighty two so I am not short! And stop touching my head!"


    Six Tails was muttering something to herself, but I was already looking to the prisons entrance gate. It is an obvious escape route. Guards and gymnast wizards are in no condition to stop us. Alright, lets do this like a pro.


    Strengthening my back, I walked up to Catnip and bridal carry her in my arms. Its very embarrassing, but it is still far less than tossing her like a bag of potatoes onto my shoulder. I won''t mention that piggyback is a ''nope'' option too. The girl is stacked, so I''ll omit my reasons. let''s just say that my cloak is in the way of that particular form of transportation. Also, she is surprisingly light. Judging from her...build, she should weight a bit, but she is as light light as a feather.


    Having picked Catnip up, I started walking in direction of prisons exit. Scenery was enchanting due to myriad of ever changing colors above our heads. With that majestic sight, I made my footwork methodical, slow and firm to match.


    "Whats with the duck walk? Are you in pain or something? Ian, we have no time for childish games!"


    Five Tails was mumbling something again, but I had to make myself look respectful and humble. I might have fumbled previously, but I''m fully intending to not make any more mistakes when dealing with other people and my first test when it comes to humans of this world is about to come. A guy with braids and blonde hair was making an attempt to get in our way. He wasn''t very steady on his feet as his gait looked rather comical.


    If he is an administrator of this prison, then I would very much like to say few words to him about how he should treat his prisoners in a civilized manner. He beat me to a first move however with his strange actions. He took out a black flute from somewhere and was trying with all his might to play a song. This was really strange. I do not know the norms of this world yet, so as far as I know this might be a standard greeting.


    I came face to face with him and looked down straight into his eyes. He must really have been sick, since he instantly paled. Second later, his face changed to all different shades of green. Still, this is my chance to get few words across and I didn''t want to lose it. I corrected my posture, as much as potato sack in my arms allowed and poured my emotions of humility onto my face. It already worked with the girls so I tried it again. I don a wide business smile showing up all my teeth. I wanted to show sincerity and honesty, but with a business tone since I hoped to negotiate. With little breath I opened my mouth.


    "Hello, good sir."


    And... he fainted. Before spectacularly hitting the ground, he made a very gurgling sound and his eye sockets went all white, while at the same time his mouth produced a large amount of foam. It took me a second to register but I heard a flat voice near my side.


    "Wow, master, your brilliance astounds me. Please, enlighten this humble insignificant little wolf as to what exactly should she learn from this." Two Tails was barking something, but I wasn''t listening. I was sure however, not to meet her flat eyes. Not so long ago, this girl was a cool queen ready to blow up with self importance, but it turned our that she is just a cheeky little brat with some anger management problems.


    "What are you doing Shorty? Are you going to rob from an unconscious man? What do you need that flute for?" Furry just stole a black flute that the administrator was holding with clenched fist. I am sure he wouldn''t be keen on parting with it, so he will be sadly surprised when he wakes up.


    There were two more people besides us that were still standing. A guy with a very, very big sword and a man in his already older days. Both of them were keeping their distance.


    "Three Tails, that flute looks good in your hands. It matches your crooked beautiful smile and fashionable ragged clothes."


    She smiled sweetly. I must say, that smile could captivate anyone, if only that person was suicidal. I must have said something that stroke a chord with her favorability and my points went down few notches, but that is most likely a temporary thing.


    "I''m gonna murder you in your sleep."


    Ups, I think that is enough for now. We should move on I guess. Catnip was happily sleeping in a bridal carry. She must have passed out due to all this chaos and stress. I''ll pet her head when she wakes up.


    First step however is for us to visit a magistrate building in the marketplace and find her little brother. I promised her that and adults do not break their promises, no matter the cost. If it''s possible at all, that is.


    ***


    "Say, furry, are the houses in this world normally like that? How should I say this. They look like they are meant to impose rich look, but at the same time, they fail at it." We just passed a house that looked like a futuristic space rocket with a pointy roof. It wouldn''t look that bad if not for boomerang like antennas strapped to its sides.


    Since we are at this topic. You could ask me If I am knowledgeable about modern architecture, or any other kind of architecture at that. I would have only one answer for your question. I would have to admit that I don''t know squat about it, but I am not totally clueless. Even to my eyes buildings I am currently seeing look odd at best and bizarre at worst. The best example would be a mansion that looks like it is built out of damn pancakes and having a hobbiton main gate. For your information, we have already seen three houses of such design.


    "I have a name you know? As for the houses, I don''t know. I am not a human and never lived in human cities. I am guessing this is nobles district. At the forest that I used to live, mother and other beast kin built houses out of enchanted wood and stone. This should also be true for most beast kin settlements."


    That picked my interest. This place didn''t tickle my fancy one bit, but a forest full of furry eared people is another matter entirely.


    "Enchanted wood and stone? Is that some kind of special magic?"


    Furry Ears cast me a questioning look and followed with her explanation.


    "We build our homes differently. Humans use crude tools like hammers and axes to chop wood into forms they see fit. They force their incantations into objects or items. They make iron and steel using strength of their hands and hot forges. In summary humans brute force almost everything they do. On the other hand most beast kin around the world use a more sublime methods."


    Furry looked happy reminiscing about her home and her family. It was nice seeing her smile rather than listening to her abuse throwing tantrums.


    "If we want to build or create something, we sing it into form. We gently ask the wood to bend or stone to change shape. Spirits in our forest listen to our song and help with conversion too, making the process faster, more precise and beneficial to all sides. It''s very simple. We give the ether in the air and in our bodies in exchange for wood and stone to shape the way we need. Our homes are the trees and earth itself."


    So its a kind of symbiosis. I wonder, what their civilization looks like. I would ask if they have canalization and toilets, but that would be inappropriate, wouldn''t it? Sticking to those girls could give me information about this world and help me decide what to do next. It could be quite a fun way of spending time too. After finding Catnips brother, first thing for me would have to be finding a way not to spontaneously combust whenever I concentrate on striking a match. Touring this world would have to wait until I figure out how to do it.


    We have been on our way for the past fifteen minutes, but to tell the truth, I have no idea where we should be going. The first thing people on our way do when they see us is just scream and run away. I have no opportunity to ask anyone for directions. There are no policemen and even guards just scurry away without looking back. We are walking blind without knowing our way around. Catnip being our only guide is currently out cold in bridal carry.


    "So, Long Tails, my dear furry friend. You were able to have a lengthy conversation with Canitp before. Did she happen to tell you how to get to that magistrate building that is suppose to hold slaves?"


    "She didn''t, but I am sure you''ll figure out the way since you are such a responsible and wise adult."


    This brat... fine. I''ll prove that I can manage things, even in different world. The solution to our problem is very simple. All we have to do is knock and ask some residents where the marketplace is. I''ll have to choose one of those silly buildings first, so lets pick one that is a little bit more decent.


    We walked for ten more minutes before a nice looking mansion built out of red brick came to view. It was a two story building and the only thing out of place where the windows in the shape of horizontal ankh sign. Mansions main gate had two guards standing by, but the moment we came close they run inside not caring to even close it behind them. It''s like an open invitation so I passed it and approached the door. I was hopeful, because they were simple and of standard shape, not like most I have seen so far in this world. Having a potato sack... I mean Catnip in my arms was a bit troublesome so I placed her against the wall and took a deep breath. There was no knocker, so I decided to use my fist to make a loud sound and inform people inside that we are here.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I gathered my strength and knocked against the door... which made a flip, hitting me square in the shins and then returning to their original position. Ow.. That hurt a lot. I crouched down and tried to massage my legs. I don''t get it. I have pieces of sturdy metal almost all over my body including boots, so how on earth wooden door could hurt so much.


    "Pfft... hehehe" I looked behind me to see Three Tails on her knees. She was laughing while holding her stomach.


    "Laugh while you can Two Tails, If you knew this would happen, you should have warned me. Only an immature kid behaves like you do. No wonder you are so short." She was still laughing but a moment later looked at me with outrage and fury in her eyes. Yes! My little revenge completed. That''s what you get when a kid starts a fight with a grown up.


    We have waited few minutes but there was no response to my knocks. Even if unwelcomed, I decided to just enter and make myself a guest. I took hold of the doorknob and pulled it. However, as strange as it sounds, the door just remained in my hand. Doorknob and all. I was puzzled. Maybe there is a different way of opening doors in this world. "Hmm... how peculiar. I understand that nobles in this world prefer doors that are easy to carry around?"


    "Pfft... hahahaha, easy to carry around, you''re killing me..."


    This time Short Tails was throwing a laughing fit on the ground holding herself with both hands, crying, giggling and generally making inarticulate noises.


    "Those were, pffft... those were magically enhanced doors Ian, hahaha. You can''t normally rip them off their door-frame, you know?"


    What a stupid kid. I took the door under my arm and waltzed inside with my head held up high. I wont be belittled by a frigging kiddo.


    What greeted me inside was a short corridor with a big hall at its end. It had a beautiful red carpet and rows of paintings on the walls. To my delight, there was an old guy in what must be a butler outfit, standing in the very middle of said hall. Butlers are normally stoic and easy people to get along with. At least that''s the preconception I have. He was holding a sharp looking sword in his hand. I am not knowledgeable about sword fighting but even to my eye he seemed to be a veteran and a master of sword play. He was loudly trying to dissuade a man next to him from greeting me. That man had a princely outfit. He must be the young master or the very master of this house himself. There were no visible maids or guards, so those two were the only people around.


    I took a deep breath, again. Holding the flip doors under my arm, I locked my eyes with the young master and started to cross the corridor. I thought it best to return them properly. Four Tails as the kid she was, was toddling right behind me. This was a serious moment, but she was still giggling, proving her character to be very childish.


    Seeing me slowly traversing red carpet, the two gentleman hastened their heated exchange.


    "Young master, please I beg you! Take young miss and run while I''ll be stalling the intruder. You stand no chance against this individual. Your father will surely understand!"


    "Baldrick, I am not some common rabble to run away at first signs of trouble. I shall face this threat to our honor and family with full dignity of a noble stature. Do not stand in my way."


    "Please, young master at least take the rings!"


    "Don''t be daft. What would patriarch say if he knew I relied on magic trinkets."


    "Those rings are worth more than this mansion! Please, young master."


    Huh... I think I''ll like this guy. He knows how important it is to keep a dignified appearance and how to hold respect. Maybe I''ve just found someone I would be able to hold a civilized conversation with. I smiled involuntarily and focused my attention on young master. He stiffened all of a sudden, but this is still a reaction that tells me he is prepared to hold a dialog. I am going to be as polite as possible. First thing I ought to do is to apologize for the broken door, unless its some kind of portable door custom. They are so easy to just pull out of their frame that I wonder if its common to walk with them around neighborhood.


    When I was close enough to hold a decent conversation, I leant the door against the wall and faced young master of this house. He was extremely pale on the face, if not straight out sickly green. I think I''ve already seen similar symptoms today. Anyway, he was a handsome man. Quite tall, with little facial hair. He couldn''t be more than twenty and in his hand was a sheathed sword of rather intricate design.


    Once again I donned an already tested on the girls, smile of honesty and sincerity, in an attempt to encourage this youthful man to have an amiable and polite conversation with me. I opened my mouth and started to introduce myself.


    "Hello, good sir."


    And... he fainted. Before he hit the floor with a dull thud, I heard an already known to me gurgling sound. Young masters eyes only showed whites and there was definitely foam gathering in his mouth. This corpse on the ground was still breathing, but the young man of this house was flat out unconscious. I must say, this is quite humiliating. I haven''t had a single decent conversation with a human being since I came here. What''s more, there is a girl that is now seriously testing my patience in holding back an urge to fondle those cheeky ears.


    "Pfft... hahahaha I can''t anymore! first the captain of the guards." She squinted her eyes and tilted her head to the side, sticking her tongue out. "Then the fortress doors..." She made an over-exaggerated jumps holding one of her shins, crudely imitating my first encounter with this mansions doors. "And now... pffttt hahaha" She tilted her head sticking her tongue out again. "Ian, you are a true master comed... ow ow ow ow ok ok, I get it. Stop! I won''t laugh anymore!"


    I released my hold of her ears and checked on young master, but he was already being dragged away by the butler. He was quite nimble for his age. I wonder if he is one of those ninja butlers you hear of every now and then. If not the master, then maybe the servant will be able to give us directions. I faced the butler and prepared myself. I think I will succeed this time. This old man seems to be very experienced and not quick to loose his composure. Feeling my gaze he swiftly moved in front of his employer and faced me with a trained posture of a seasoned warrior.


    I was ready for the third round and opened but mouth to introduce myself, but I was interrupted yet again.


    "What is this ruckus. Baldrick? Why is Leonard on the ground? What is happe..." The owner of the voice stopped abruptly. Seeing me and short tails in the middle of the hall with one men gurgling foam and the other with a face of determination ready to protect his care from armies of hell, must have given her a bit of a stop.


    "Young miss, run! Hurry! You must escape while I''m still holding the ground!"


    I think I heard him say something similar before, haven''t I? Anyway, If she is a young miss of this house, then it means that she is my second target to ask for directions. Since young master is already down for the count, that leaves her or the butler and judging from butlers behavior it would be easier to hold conversation with the young miss. The girl looked very young, no more than fifteen years old. She wore scarlet pants adorned with silver rose patterns and golden chemise covered with a red vest. Her apparel looked more boyish than girlish. If not for the wavy long hair falling down to her waist, her attire would make her look like she was a boy. She was pretty, with cute little freckles spread around her pointy nose. Half of her face was covered by blond hair, so I can''t really say what her eyes looked like. She was speechless, but despite the odd situation she held herself straight and didn''t break eye contact with us.


    Thanks to that I came to realize, that this is my chance! I grabbed her attention so I should start with apologizing before any more unexpected things happen. I''ll ask about magistrate after I explain I mean them no harm. Once again I donned my business smile and was about start with introduction. And as you could have guessed, yes... I was interrupted.


    "Don''t you dare open that mouth of yours, Ian. That little girl wont be able to handle it."


    "Listen up Two Tails, would you mind not butting in when an adult is about to speak? Kids like you should just sit down and not worry so much. I can handle myself pretty decently in a simple conversation."


    "I have SEVEN tails you numbskull! Seven! Is it so hard to count, or are you incapable of even that?! And one look at your face is enough for people to pass out! Can''t you get that? When was the last time you saw yourself in the mirror Ian?! I won''t let that poor girl end up like the guy on the floor there!"


    Well... that was cruel. She pointed her skinny little hand at foam stricken young man, who was now being resuscitated by the ninja butler. Alright, maybe there is some truth to her words. I''ll let her have this one. It would weight heavily on me if that girl pass out because of me. To my surprise the young miss giggled and cast us a sweet smile.


    "Do not worry my dear guests. I am protected from external influences, so his lordship should feel free to talk with me if he wishes so." This little adorable princess made a low, polite bow and made a formal introduction. "My name is Doeranaya Galedrianna Mongbock. You can call me Doe if you wish. I am seventh daughter of my father and second daughter of my mother. In the name of Mongbock family and the patriarch, I welcome you, esteemed guests to this humble abode."


    "Young miss, these people are very dangerous! Please, you must escape while I hold them back!"


    Ninja butler was speaking his common spiel, but this is a chance to finally get things moving. She said she was ok with speaking to her, so maybe this time I''ll be able to hold a conversation with a human. I focused on the girl with double the concentration, ready to start my already prepared speech. At that moment, there was a loud sound in the hall as a ring on little Does hand cracked.


    "Not a word, Ian. You hear me? Stand next to the door and keep your mouth shut. You screw this up and I will never let you pat my head again! I''ll handle this. You hear?"


    I heard. Mostly abuses and threats, but what was more serious was the fact that she was right. She said that just looking at my face made people pass out and I can''t deny it. For now, apart from Furry herself, I have a one hundred percent rate of people foaming with their mouths when standing face to face with me. Coming to this world must have scarred me into some kind hideous form and my face must be really ugly for even men to pass out. This is quite sad. There is a bigger problem than that however. And it is a threat of no head-pats.


    It took only ten minutes for Furry and little Doe to come to understanding. Even the butler standing next to them mellowed down and looked at Two Tails with pity and understanding. What in the world did she tell them?


    "You were unjustly locked for so many years Lady Malay and also your feline kin friend. I was always against slave trade, but my position is very difficult for me to act openly. My house is not fond of my stance on the matter as I have already helped some beast people run away in recent years. I will do everything in my power to help you and your cat kin sister escape, moreover if you have such a powerful individual as his lordship on your side, it would be a lot easier for me to maneuver."


    Does speech was passionate and really delivered on what she thought on our situation. She was ready to act on our behalf. That is commendable. I should pat her head. She really is a good girl.


    "Baldrick, go and fetch us five concealment cloaks and two remaining rings of suppression for me."


    "Are you sure about this young miss? Your brothers won''t like it and if your father hears about it..."


    Dark ninja in full butler mode had a grave expression on his face. It must have meant that if she was ever found out, she would have some major problems on her head and yet she was still determined to help us out.


    "You might have forgotten, but I am a scioness of a noble and righteous house of Mongbock. I will do what I believe is right for the good of our honor and our family. Now please, just hurry Baldrick. Judging from what auntie Malay said we do not have much time."


    I had to do a double take and look intensely between Doe and Shorty. I had to make sure I heard that correctly. Namely, what in all that is holy is an auntie Malay! What in blazes did I just hear. Furry ears mouth was twitching! She was called auntie but didn''t say a word back! Normally she would be throwing curses at whoever said that. Little heiress of Mongbock somehow overpowered her and walked away scot-free! This deserves a solid reward!


    Doe looked positively radiant in my eyes for achieving the feat of subjugation of such a fearsome beast. I walked up to the young girl, looked at her cute face and made a genuine smile. I slowly raised my hand above her head.


    "Oh no you don''t Ian. Don''t even think about lowering that hand."


    There was a mortified look on Shortys face. This told me everything I needed to know. My action will greatly piss her off, but a reward was in order, whether she liked it or not. Her and Catnip aren''t the only people that deserve head pats for good deeds.


    "Don''t you dare!"


    Furry was ready to jump me any moment now so I sent her a sweetly vicious smile and placed my hand on Does little head. After few head pats, she started to shake with joy, so I went with a little bolder move and started gently stroking her blonde golden locks. Of course I didn''t forget to say the words of encouragement and gratitude.


    "You are a good girl little Doe. Your words and actions moved me. I am very, very happy with you. Keep up the good work."


    "Ian, you complete and utter moron."


    Furry was mumbling something to herself just like she often does, so I didn''t pay much of attention. She did however buried her hands in her face and few seconds later started banging her head against the wall which actually surprised me. Still, I couldn''t care less about that kids tantrums. I focused on caressing little misses head. I never had a child, at least my hazy memory never pointed at me having one. But if I ever end up with a child I guess I would be having the same feelings I have now. Of a father praising his kid for doing a good job. I think this is a reward for both of us, Isn''t it, little Doe.


    ''''I brought the rings and the cloaks young... miss?" I didn''t even hear him sneaking around. As expected of a true butler. He is a ninja in every essence of the word.


    "His lll-ll-lord-ship made a m-mark, a cc-laim on me. He d-declared me to be his h-happiness-ss."


    Hmm? That''s strange. Normally head pats should be a happy occasion, but the girl is shaking more and more. Also, the atmosphere is becoming muddy and dark. Well, I am sure it will turn out to be ok. I am a bit concerned about Furry though. She is still banging her head, but now she is using the door instead of the wall, maybe because the wall already has several holes in it. I must say those doors are quite sturdy. Anyway, I hope we are finally ready to go find Catnips brother. I also wonder what is the situation with tatsu outside. I am sure it will be fine. I nodded to myself. It will definitely be fine.

 Chapter 7: It was just an accident. Right?

    I believe that there is a common trope when it comes to butlers. Currently, my memory is so selective that I can''t be certain if what I do remember is what actually is my memory or something that is supposed to be my memory or something entirely different. To make it more understandable, lets talk about the butler called Baldrick. For starters, I do not remember my own name so I took Ian as the first thing that came to my mind as a temporary measure. In contrast, my memory tells me very clearly that Baldrick is a common butler name. He has a totally normal white and black butler tail tuxedo. His hair and a neatly cut short beard is of standard butler white color. His height is also of butler standards. His moves are fast, dexterous and graceful, like that of any typical butler. I should also mention that like any respectful butler, Baldrick is also master of shadows and swords. His proficiency in assassin or ninja arts is of outstanding butler level. Finishing this little summary, my memory tells me with crystal clarity that he is of typical butler material, while at the same time I seemed to not be able to remember what I ate for breakfast two days ago. That is why I was speaking about common tropes, but I can''t possibly know if it is common or not, especially in my current situation.


    Butler Baldrick has taken a vanguard position within our little group of five people. He also took upon himself to transport Catnip on his shoulder. Thankfully his butler mannerisms prevented him from looking like a kidnapper. However, I must say that his killing intent is so strong, that I can''t easy up even for a second. He clearly hates me and that is just because of few innocent head pats I''ve given to miss Doe.


    Since we are at the topic of young miss Mongbock, she is currently in front of me. This fearful little creature jumps on her little toes whenever I send her a smile or give her a reassuring pat on her shoulder. I could stop, but then I would never be able to break the ice and grow in her eyes as someone who she doesn''t have to fear. I loathe the idea of being hated by such a good and adorable kid. Well, it doesn''t work, but I hope it will at some point.


    "There is no need to be so frightened little Doe. It''s not like I eat little children when I am hungry." I sent her another smile and gave her one more pat on the head plus a little stroke as a bonus.


    "Young miss is not a child. She turned seventeen last summer. Lord Ian, treat her with respect and keep your hands to yourself."


    "You should ignore him Mr. Baldrick. That two meter tall boulder thinks that anyone shorter than him is a child. He will ignore anything said to him as long as it is convenient. To put simply, he has a brick for a head."


    That is definitely not true. Also, the butler must have been joking about Does age. She looks nothing like seventeen, but I do admit I might have grown up a bit in height. And even if, seventeen is still considered a kid by normal standards. Anyway, getting back to the topic. Shorty and Doe both do not look with favorable eyes on my pitiful self. I was thinking what might change their mind and I found the solution. I am sure you''d like to know, so, I''ll explain.


    You see, little Doe is a girl. An adorable one at that. Although I do not believe myself to be prejudiced about women behavior, I am quite convinced that certain items are bound to rise a girls mood, courage and especially happiness to elevated levels. To make my point clear, I would like to note that young miss in question, grew two more rings on her left hand. Since we started walking in the direction of commerce district, she is constantly rubbing and touching them whenever I pat her head or speak to her. Those must have given her enough courage to be able to respond to a stranger like me. The moment she put them on, she stopped stuttering and her walk became steady.


    You probably already guessed the answer. Yes, its jewelry. If I want to win her over I would need to conjure some pretty trinkets. Same is probably true for the rest of the squad. Shorty doesn''t strike me as someone that likes shiny things but who knows, I might be wrong. Currently, she treats me as someone stinking of rotten eggs, so placating her should take priority. Catnip on the other hand is fine with me for now, but I should still think in categories of probabilities and she is a cat. Cats behavior can''t be fully predicted. It''s just impossible. They act kingly by default. It''s better to have crown of gems just to be safe.


    In summary, I need shinnies in large number or high quality. There is however a big problem with this line of thinking. I can hardly go around handing out rings or gems to girls left and right, not to mention to those of questionable age. Even if I wanted to do that I would have to find a way to conjure the trinkets first. By now you should have already guessed that I am quite penniless.


    "What are you brooding over again? Pay attention Ian, Baldrick just said we are closing in on to the main avenue."


    "That is right. We are now entering an Alley Of Commerce. At this hour it should be full of people but displacement cloaks should prevent anyone from recognizing us and even if, the Mongbock crest will keep guards away. Not to mention his lordships presence will clear the road of any obstacles."


    "Say, Mr. Butler, whats the point of hiding your identity if your crest is for all to see? And why I haven''t been given a cloak. You all have one so I feel a bit alienated."


    "Crest is not easy to spot and mostly only guards know where to look. This is also for thieves to know who they are about to rob. It works as a simple warning sign. Most nobles use these cloaks if they are about to do some less than legal transactions. It''s like telling people around they do not wish to be approached."


    "Huh? Isn''t it like telling people you are going to do something illegal?"


    "What commoner in their right mind would try to meddle in nobles affairs? That only happens if a noble wish to declare a war against other noble house. Even If that happens, it''s either in shadows or in a field of battle. Besides, you can''t prove who is under the cloak unless you take it off. No one would force that, fearing retaliation from a mighty family."


    "Alright, so why wasn''t I given a displacement cloak?"


    "Is your lordship jesting now?"


    "Ignore him Mr Baldrick. Ian just shut up. Don''t act like you don''t know, that cloak would rip the moment you put it on. And get that hand off my head."


    Whoops, She got angry. Anyway, I took my hand away and listened to the butler as he was explaining commerce district layout. To sum it up, the avenue was just a very long road that span almost whole city. It was a built in commerce allay that was zigzagging and constantly growing in length. Commoners houses where just popping up around it. It was built in a way to be easily accessed by most residents. However, the logistics of this place must have been a true nightmare. It was handy for commoners since they could enter the avenue from virtually anywhere in the city, but traders who have shops here must have it tough. There is also a large marketplace area that is considered the center of the avenue. It is also there that we are heading. Buildings here are decent, almost normal. At least non of them look like a Swiss cheese from planet Moon. We have had the misfortune of passing few in nobles district that could almost take the cake for being a cheesecake. Literally.


    Speaking of cakes. I think I should at least try to improve shortys mood. I''ve decided to probe a bit. Lets call it, reconnaissance.


    "How long are you going to be mad at me, auntie?"


    "Drop dead!"


    Is what she said. That''s how it is. Jokes aside, I came to conclusions and its about time I shared some of them.


    Excluding my surprise when I literally walked out of some cute, ork looking statues this morning, three things happened that I can''t ignore and would have to delve a little bit into. It hasn''t even been a full day, but the scale of happenings can''t be swept under the rug. First and foremost, a man died because I lost control of my emotions. I felt angry and a prison guard ended up as a horrible splatter on the dungeons wall. The worst thing in that situation was that I haven''t lifted a single finger and he died anyway. Second instance of unexplained outcome was when I went off daydreaming, remembering my childhood memories I didn''t even know I had. I conjured three sweet parfaits out of thin air. That cemented my suspicions that the mans death earlier, was really my doing. Whether it was an accident or not, I was responsible for that. Lastly, the third situation was when me, Catnip, and Short Stuff were cornered on prison grounds. I am a grown up, so I have to admit it when its due. I panicked. I wished to be rescued and concentrated my brains power to the utmost limits on some form of escape, creating a big sparkling cloud in conclusion. In summary, strange, unexplained things happened when my emotions got the better of me, when I went blank and let my mind drift away to the realm of daydreams and lastly when I strongly focused my mind on some kind of effect.


    Now, If I am not careful. I might literally explode because my mind drifted to some silly things like chewing a bubble gum. I need to find a way to not explode and even if that happens I need to make sure to not drag whole city along with me. I need to think of a solution.


    I looked at Catnip and the girl with ever randomised number of tails, depending on the level of our animosity. Although I have vague understanding that Shorty might be far older than me, she still looked like any other fifteen years old girl. I can''t allow them to die just because I went and offed myself due to some stupid thoughts.


    ***


    "Lieutenant Valerie, what in gods name are you doing?" Ravan Mongbock, was in a bit of a pickle. However, to get to that point, it is important to know a bit about the town called Onaboron.


    Onaboron is a border town on the edge of the vast land held the Holy Empire. It has a long mountain range in its southern parts that is very lucrative for miners, hunters and especially explorers of many different kinds. You could find precious metals, rare minerals and miraculous herbs on those peaks, not to mention dangerous monsters that could be hunted for rare ingredients. All these resources made it possible for Onaboron to grow large in a short amount of time. Its residents were calling it a lucky town, because it was easy to strike gold quickly. On the other side of the peaks you could find a monarchy with King Gideon The Restless, but due to impassable terrain Holy Empire rarely had any real scuffles with Insomniac King. To manage a fast growing populace and traffic as well as large amounts of inflow of gold, many nobles of rich and often distinct houses choose to send their sons and daughters to Onaboron. That was in order to have a cut of this cash cake in any possible form. For the purpose of management of this cake, a magistrate building was erected in most populous area of the commerce district and one of the best architects in whole of the empire was employed to build it. No slave traffic or official matters could be arranged outside of this imposing structure. Not legally at least.


    This marvel of an architectural genius was truly of hellish design. It stood in a center of a large market square having in its shadow a magnificent fountain representing the late emperor Vlad The Sucker. Like in nobles carefully maintained district, the magistrate building had a shape that was far off into the realm of modern art, more than of any commonly usable building. It could be said, that it was a center and heart of Onaboron itself.


    This important place, was now greeted by shouts and turmoil, caused by one misunderstood woman.


    "I. Want. A slave."


    lieutenant Valerie that serves in defense corps of Holy Empire, normally has a beautiful, yet rarely used voice. Now however, it was raspy. She was out of breath and heat was emanating from her whole body. She was also holding a very frightened receptionist by her vest. The poor girl was unable to free herself from Valeries vice grip and she was barely touching the floor with the tips of her toes. Many local residents as well as few nobles were observing the situation with curiosity and interest.


    "Y-yes miss, I''ll prepare a slave for you, but first, please release me!"


    "I need. A boy." That phrase could still pass as innocent to some extent if not for Valerie being in state of total agitation. She was huffing deeply, emanating hot air and her sweat was dripping from her arms and forehead wetting the floor. Also, she followed with a rather alarming set of words that could easily be misunderstood. "Give me. A young boy. Quickly."


    Ravan Mongbock was looking at this incomprehensible situation being completely at a loss for what to do. He had never seen her ever act like that, not to mention this is a public place with lots of witnesses. He understood that different people had different needs, but what he was currently witnessing, boggled his mind.


    "A boy? H-how young, miss?"


    "Ten. He has to have. Ears."


    That statement made Ravans brains grey matter quicken their response time. His mind wasn''t very fast to begin with, but now little cogs started to move rapidly, forcing him to think. Valerie spoke in rare occasions. Only today she spoke more than in the last month alone. Few people knew who she really was and what character she truly had. She is a mystery, that only captain Bork and few others know anything about. Ravan was not included within that group. However, one thing was certain. As little as Ravan knew about her, he knew she would never abandon her mission. She would never do that. Ravan wasn''t a complete fool. He understood that whatever she was searching for, the boy in question is the key.


    "Ten years old? I see, miss please follow me to one of the soundproofed rooms."


    She pointed to the corridor and made an attempt to break free, but to consternation of people in the hall, poor girl was lifted up and dragged to the room instead.


    "I need a boy. Ten years old. Feline variant." Last part was far more specific than anything else Valerie has said today. Ravans understanding started to make a loud clicking sounds, he already heard something about a cat kin today.


    "Very sorry miss, but such requests are very hard to be met. Please forgive me asking, but do you have enough founds for such a purchase?"


    Having said that, the receptionist eyed Ravan, knowing full well that his father is one of the wealthiest people in the whole empire. Only problem is that Ravan wasn''t very liked and his father didn''t really care about him. The same could be said for the rest of his family. Beast kin slaves came with exorbitant prices and only few every year could be obtained at Onaborons market. It was a high commodity with exceptional fluidity. A beast person changed owners constantly and varied in price, depending on its health, gender, age and many different factors. Ravan was relatively wealthy, but not wealthy enough to buy a high end product like a rare cat kin, that are known for high magic resistance and exceptional senses.


    Valerie seeing no way of getting her thoughts through, swiftly changed her approach or she might have noticed another way to solve her predicament. She looked at young Mongbock.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    "Ravan, a cat in the dungeons."


    This short phrase, made Ravan instantly understand what Valerie was searching for. It was like she knew how and what to say to make him see why they made their way to the magistrate. His thoughts accelerated just because of few simple words.


    "A week ago, two cat kin were brought to the magistrate by the seekers squad. One was taken for questioning and second was left here to be processed. We need information about this young boy. Is he still being held here, or is he already sold. Where is he now?"


    Ravans change of pace took young receptionist by surprise. Still, she was a professional. "I am very sorry, but that particular merchandise is already sold and I cannot disclose clients informgh..." At that moment Valerie made an extremely sharp move and caught poor girl by the throat.


    "Speak! Or die."


    Sheer intensity of killing intent pierced young receptionist and made her legs weak. Cold sweat formed on her brows. Although she was a professional at her job, she wasn''t a soldier. Her experiences amounted to rowdy nobles and drunken commoners. She has never met face to face with death and Valerie was the very personification of grim reaper. Just her will alone created an image of death incarnate.


    Without thinking, frightened receptionist started spilling everything she knew about the transaction that took place six days ago.


    ***


    "Lord Ian, what is that little hammer?"


    "Ah, I''m glad you asked little Doe. I called it the Whacker mk 1. I hoped for a tool to protect myself. Unfortunately, it''s a failed product."


    To deal with my current problems I would need to think long and hard, but for now I needed to deal with the most pressing one. That would be the protection of myself and my comrades. I was trying to think of something that would be nonlethal. At the same time it would have to pack enough of a punch to knock out any possible offenders. Of course, it would only be an improvised short term solution. I was thinking about some shields like bucklers. Those types of armor however, weren''t good when it comes to offense. Going around bushing peoples heads with a sturdy piece of metal was hardly a good option. If it were I could very well just use a crowbar and paint the armor orange. I was thinking of many different things and my mind went of daydreaming again. As you could have guessed, that had an almost instantaneous effect. My hand grew a bit heavier and an object appeared in my grip. It was a toy sized little wooden mallet.


    Normally, mallets are associated with clowns or strongmen in theme parks or are used by cartoon characters on TV. I always pitied poor wolf whenever his head was smacked into the ground with one of those. Mallets in general are supposed to be particularly large, cumbersome and not intended for combat. The first thought that I had when thinking about knocking people out was the image of a clown with ridiculously large mallet. However, if I had something like that strapped to my back I would look incredibly stupid. That''s probably why this toy is so tiny. My mind must have made it so that I wouldn''t make an idiot out of myself. In conclusion, I ended up looking stupid anyway. All that armor on me and I look like a fool holding something that is barely visible in my hand. I wanted it to be small, but it went to the extreme.


    "Ian, show me that."


    "Awfully bossy, aren''t you Short Stuff." I handed her my new toy. She furrowed her brows and started touching it with deep concentration.


    "Ian, what in the world is this thing? Do you have any idea how absurd this item is?"


    "It looks just like a little wooden hamer, is it really that special?" Doe thoughts were similar to mine. I am quite certain I conjured a dud.


    "Doe, if you value your hands, never touch this item. To begin with, it''s incredibly heavy. I doubt that typical human would be able to swing it, let alone lift it. It also has some kind of lightning effect when held. I don''t know what it is but I can feel a current. It might burn you if you carelessly touch it. There is some kind of wind element surrounding it too. Ian, how many enchantments did you put into this?"


    "A true joker you are Four Tails, as always. You should have said at the start that this is a Mjollnir." This kid, making fun of me. I know that most guys would like to have their own Mjollnir, but this is just too silly to comment on."Don''t listen to her Doe, it''s just a toy. No need to be afraid. I have not felt any dangerous currents or wind when I was holding it. Also, it felt really light. If it was as heavy as she said, she wouldn''t be able to hold it like she is right now, right?" I pointed at the obvious. Logic should always triumph over any argument.


    "I am a demigod you cretin, I can handle most of magic tools unless they are cursed or made specifically by Nam. I don''t know what that Mjollnir is but this hammer is incredibly dangerous."


    I have no idea how was she able to both insult and praise me at the same time. Praising little toy is one thing but insulting a grown up is another entirely. There has to be consequences.


    Wait a moment, what did she say she was?


    "You are a what?" I asked.


    "I am a demigod. Just you wait till I regain my power and my body. You will never call me a kid again."


    "A demigod... huh, sure. Why not? But you know, if you are a demigod, then I might as well be a god. How about that? Cool, isn''t it, Shorty." Yup, she is nuts. I can just go and join her in this silly game she is playing. This way this kid won''t be alone in her delusions and won''t sink any deeper. Hopefully.


    She did some magic earlier so she sure has some abilities, but godhood... come on. Her mind must have addled being closed up in the dungeon for far too long. She must have gone full megalomaniac in order to not go crazy and in process ended up going crazy anyway. Pointing that stuff out, could have adverse effects so its better to leave it be or even join her instead. There might still be hope for her yet.


    Of course there is a slim possibility she really is a demigod and what was returned to me a moment ago could truly be a Mjollnir. Magic is prevalent in this world so denying everything would be a mistake. I am ready to acknowledge parfaits and the fact that I am somewhat dangerous with self bombing possibility, but conjuring legendary hammers or accepting little kids as gods or demigods is way over the top. Just because someone could use some magic or me summoning stuff wouldn''t make me or anyone else a god. I have limits of accepting absurdities.


    "Ian, everybody already knows you are an outer god. Just one look at you is enough. I don''t know why you don''t act like one and try to hide or mask it. If this is your idea of a joke then it is just full of crap. I don''t know what kind of sick game you are trying to play, but you aren''t fooling anyone."


    "Are you telling me that I should act on it and be some kind of a god although I am a human? I already left my dark past behind me, so don''t ask me to seriously imitate some dark and mysterious powers. I can lower myself to your delusions, but I will only do that as a joke. Let me ask you, if you are really believing you are a demigod then why don''t you yourself act like one or are you gonna tell me that every demigod has such a crappy tongue and act like a spoiled brat."


    "You are so full of it Ian, why are you even trying to pull my leg? Are you seriously thinking I will believe that you are a human? Tell me again, what that purple cloud above our heads is? You aren''t fooling a single person with your stupid jokes!"


    This girl has real issues with her brain and tatsu isn''t a proof that gods exists. Not yet at least.


    After our little exchange we walked for half an hour until we reached a big market square. In the center was a building that made my skin crawl. Who in their right mind would build something like that as a point of interest is beyond me. Since Baldrick and Doe started to argue I had no time to admire that scarecrow.


    "Young miss, please, reconsider. We should not be showing ourselves around here. If your brothers see that you are meddling in slaves business again, they will push for disinheritance or even worse. They might send assassins. Miss Doeranaya I might not be able to protect you a second time."


    "I understand your concerns Baldrick, but I already made my mind. I will help them, even if it cost me my position or even my life."


    Hearing their topics I thought that this is as far as I should allow them to risk themselves. I am sure that ninja butler can take care of himself and little miss, but when I hear words like assassination, it tells me that the world of nobles must be a scary and extremely dangerous place. Letting them go home is the right choice.


    I looked at the shadow butler intensifying my gaze. He looked back at me. We both came to an instant understanding since we both wanted to protect this kid.


    I closed my eyes and concentrated as deeply as I could. I didn''t know if it would work, since the last time was a dud, but I wanted to try either way. Little Doe is a stranger that I met only few hours ago. She is just some kid I happened to meet by chance, but at the same time, that kid is a good person. She is seeing the world in a bit of a naive, colorful glasses, being spoiled as a rich little lady of grandiose household. Doe is full of righteousness, not fully knowing what it truly is. Despite the dangers she tries to help strangers and correct the wrong she instinctively have a feeling off. In short, she has a pure and a good heart. She helped us, without asking a thing in return. If I left such a precious child without any kind of aid, I could never look myself in the mirror ever again. So, I concentrated. I wanted to present a gift that would transmit a simple thank you and at the same time add to her possessions of shiny trinkets in hope of winning a little of her trust. I made sure for it not to be a ring though. That would be a grave misunderstanding.


    After half a minute, my non Mjollet occupied hand became a tad heavier. I called the toy, the Mjollet since its a combination of Mjollnir and Mallet. You get it right? It''s funny. Right? Well...


    Anyway, this time I felt it. It wasn''t a dud. It wasn''t strong and maybe held only some minor power if not just a placebo effect, but It was still some way of doing something I could to protect this girl.


    "Little Doe, please come here." I made a gesture for young scioness of Mongbock family to face me. I didn''t put a smile this time. It was a moment when we had to part ways. I knelled on one knee in front of her so that we could speak on the same eye level.


    "Doeranaya, this is where we move our separate ways. You helped us greatly and I am thankful. You have a brave and a good heart that made a deep impression on me. I would like to give you something for you to remember us by." I handed her my little present. " Keep this with you and grow strong. It might not be powerful but it is a token of my feelings and appreciation. This little trinket represents my sincerity. Remember that you can only be righteous as long as you are alive."


    My solemn and pompous speech was rudely cut short when Shorty interrupted and stole my gift from Does hands the very moment it reached them.


    "Are you insane, Ian? Why are you proposing to and at the same time trying to murder her? If she take this necklace as she is now she will implode in matter of minutes. Damn womanizer. How, can you be this shameless."


    That was rude and I wasn''t proposing. This is a necklace, not a ring. I specifically made sure it is not a ring. There is no point in belittling me for this. Calling me shameless while she herself act shameless all the time. And why a womanizer? I can''t even remember if I ever had a girlfriend. That is really not fair.


    She took the necklace and starter to whisper to it holding it tightly. She was starting her magic or simply acted upon her demigod persona. It''s best to just ignore her.


    "Doe, that necklaces core contains an aquamarine. It might not be the most beautiful of gems, but it comes with my true feelings. Where I come from, aquamarines are believed to protect from illness. They are the symbol of youth, happiness and growth. I thought that it would look good with your blue eyes." I sent her a reassuring smile and pat her head. "You should head home. Lay low for a while. Train and gather your strength. There is no need to worry about us. You see, we have one god here as well as a demigod and super sensitive cat. We will manage somehow." I joked a bit to relive her stress, but ended on a serious note. "If you wish to help beast kin and actively fight slavery, first, you need to be strong enough to be able to uphold your values. Do you understand? You are no good to anyone if you are dead. You need to use your head and be a wise girl, then you will surely succeed."


    "Thank you for your wise words Lord Ian. I will think positively about what your lordship said."


    "Are you absolutely sure about this Doe? Me and March have no way out of this since this brick head there used underhanded and cheap tactics, sneaking up on us before we could do anything. He wouldn''t recognize boundaries that even humans respect. You however are no beast kin. You can still refuse the necklace and the claim that was made on you. Human customs are a bit different than ours. While we don''t, you do have the right to refuse."


    I don''t get any of their conversation. What''s this about customs? And I am not a brick. I at least did catch up that I created some kind of misunderstanding with the necklace. Maybe it is about the color? Also Shorty has a lot of trouble with it. She is sweating and swearing like crazy trying to do something to it. If I told Auntie Tails that it only has some placebo effect, she would just verbally assault me for pointing out her demigod play, so I''ll keep my mouth shut.


    "Here, take it. I sealed most of its power. It will gradually unseal itself along with your own growth. Keep it with you at all times. Never, ever take it off and never give it to anyone, not even your family. This is a powerful artifact and as such is immensely valuable. It''s even comparable to the works of Nam. Do you understand what that means?"


    "Thank you, auntie Malay. I will remember what you said and will keep it close to my heart at all times." She hugged furry for few seconds and then faced me with a polite bow.


    "Lord Ian. I cannot say that I am not scared of you, but I trust my intuition. It tells me you are not a bad person. Quite the contrary, I have a feeling you are a kind being. Although you are a bit forceful and shameless, you were sincere and honest with your feelings. I will gladly accept your great gift and all that is included with it. I really hope we will be able to meet again soon."


    What a sweet kid. She gave me a smile and waved her hand while moving back in the direction of her home. Ninja butler sent me a sour look but waved his hand too. Maybe we grew a bit in their eyes. Give little Doe few years and she would end up crushing hearts at tea parties. I could only wish her the best of luck.


    "Ian, carry me. Sealing your damned gift took the little strength I had left. I will fall to the ground with the first step I''ll make."


    "Don''t be cranky, or your four tails will drop in number again. There wasn''t much power to be sealed anyway. But I must admit, I didn''t think you had it in you. You are kinder than I thought. Normally, you shout abuses with the speed of a machine gun, but you treated Doe very gently."


    "I told you."


    Furry is barely able to stand. I lifted her up and placed face forward on my right shoulder. Catnip was already occupying my left. As much as I wanted to prevent being seen as some offender kidnapping two girls in the middle of the city, there is no helping this situation. She must be so tired that she even spared me the standard barrage of insults.


    "I have, seven tails. Ian, do you really know nothing about this worlds customs? Do you really do not know what kind of life deciding decision you forced Doe to make? She had little to no choice but to accept given the kind of artifact you offered."


    "How would I know?" I looked at the sun that was partially obscured by the mountains in the distance. It was already growing dark. Two moons, one red and one pale were high in the sky. "This planet is completely alien to me. In my world there is only one moon, you know?"


    "One? We have six at times. What about caressing our heads? Do you not know what such action means to beast kin?"


    We slowly made our way forward, crossing the vast market plaza. Normally bustling with people, this place was now abandoned. Inhabitants of this town must have run away and take shelter at their homes, fearing for their lives. Unbeknownst to me, a cloud of ever changing color frightened most of townspeople away giving them a feeling of impending doom. To the poor commoners and wealthy nobles an end time was coming in form of a calamity. A dragon was about to be born just right under their heads.


    "You mean head pats? Whats wrong with head pats? Every child like head pats. It soothes the soul and the body. Even grown ups are eager to receive head pats in some particular situations. It''s a great stress relief."


    "Haha, stress relief, you can''t be serious Ian. Do you know then, what it means to give someone a necklace? It is common for men or women to kneel in front of the one they like and present them a necklace. It''s a marriage proposal. In human and even in beast kin society, if you accept a necklace it is like accepting to be collared, agreeing... to be... bound... a partner..."


    Long tails head along with her whole body went limp. She must have exhausted herself to her very limits and she is now sleeping soundly. I continued on walking and stopped in front of a three story banana shaped magistrate building. Yes, this atrocious monstrosity was in a shape and a color of a banana. It astounds me how architects in this world possess no common sense when it comes to aesthetics. Looking at the girls still out cold I leaned both against a nearby fountain. I washed my hands and my face clearing my thoughts. The welcome committee was already waiting for me in front of the grand banana building.


    "I guess the two of you will be the final boss of this round, right?" I said it more to myself rather then to them. I doubt they heard me. That''s mostly because the sense of the words that Furry told me a minute ago started to set, taking over my calm mind.


    On the wide stairs leading to the magistrate banana, stood an imposing looking woman with a villainous bob haircut and stouty looking man with some grunts in the back. Thinking about it I believe I have already seen the pair with their commander before.


    I hope, we will be able to come to terms somehow and that they won''t foam from their mouths like many of my dialog partners. I couldn''t fully focus on the pair since the moment Shorty ended her talk. There was something that was nagging me and didn''t allow me to concentrate. I felt waves upon of waves of anxiety and I could feel panic starting to build, but I was sure it was not because of the two in front.


    The girl with a short villainous bob haircut made a gesture to the stout man and he moved a step forward. The girl had a scary look in her eyes and the guy looked clumsy. He made a rude gesture in the air, then politely bowed and spoke up.


    "Most esteemed lord, please show us your graciousness and allow lieutenant Valerie present here, to have a duel with your lordship. Please grant her the honor of witnessing your might!"


    It took a bit, but the sense of words spoken by Furry, that little demon with self proclaimed seven tails as well as that of the stout guys, reached me at the same time. I''ve been given a clear uppercut from both. The villain girl wants to fight me one on one, but that is still preferable to the fact that I accidentally proposed, was accepted and didn''t even register it. I could only comment it with one word.


    "I''m toast."

 Chapter 8: Two moons and one dragon are never a bad company

    "I''m toast." And I can''t run back to clear Does misunderstanding right now. The worst thing is, that if you let things be for too long, they tend to solidify and become a fact. If I can''t solve this in time, then I will have to bail as far as possible and that is something that no adult man should ever do. Normally you are not obligated to take responsibility for someone''s misunderstandings. That rule however, is deemed void, when it comes from your own ignorance. You can''t just run away from already established social behaviours. In near future, I will have to either resolve this predicament and somehow talk my way out of this embarrassing situation or simply run very, very far away, for the greater good of course.


    Now, to sum my current position, I''ll say this. In front of me I have a girl who is clearly a villain. For better or worse, I''ll call her Puma. That is because I couldn''t care less about her name. I will be running with my two girl baggage the very first opportunity I have, if the negotiations fail. I say baggage because the two of them are out cold right now. Running is also a very last resort. As a man, running with two small girls under my arms in the middle of a city full of people, would be a daunting task for even the most respectable of people, especially if they never dabbled in children kidnappings. I would leave it to your imagination, how it would look like if I run with two sacks on my shoulders while wearing all that armor and being chased by dozen men. Leaving the girls behind, would automatically transition me to a status of a total a-hole, so that option is a fat no, too.


    Apart from the villain girl, there were six grunts behind her, including one obese guy in a ridiculous golden plate, covering his torso and leaving his protruded belly completely in the open. His armor was as impractical as it was silly. He was also trying to hold a halberd of sorts, but due to it''s size he was barely able to hold it still. It was way to heavy for him. Even to my untrained eye it was obvious this guy should have never been given a weapon, particularly of such size. To top his bizarre weapons choice, his face was a literal fountain of sweat. Big droplets were pouring from his narrow chin onto his armor making all its non metal parts, drenched. However, he had one trait I was really jealous of. Despite his looks, he has something I never had. You might ask how I know since I don''t remember squat about my life but, well... I do know. It''s that simple. Call it an intuition. That guy has a thinning brown hair, kept in a long ponytail, but in his eye, you could see them full determination. He was striving for something. Those eyes were fighting tooth and nail for a win. Being so weak that even I could beat him... probably, and yet his eyes where brimming with fire. I could never match this guys spirit. In that aspect, he is far superior than me.


    "Ravan. Again."


    Puma girl sent a piercing, ''evil'' look at the guy with a halberd and then pointed in my direction with her chin. I believe I ought to explain why I''ve given her that super villainous name. First of all, there are no black pumas. Leopards, Jaguars and panthers could be black but those are associated mostly with good or neutral terms. On the other hand you will hardly ever hear about a puma that is in any way good, so a black puma must be even more evil than a regular one and the very girl in front does not only look super evil but also pissed. She just radiates ''evilness'' and I am seriously scared shitless right now. Her looks just scream ''I like looking at peoples'' entrails and as bad as it sounds, she just challenged me to a beat down.


    When it comes to her age, apart from being in a totally villainous years of her life, she is most likely in her twenties. As to what the very villain looks like, well... she has an evil bob, hair cut. I believe its called angel haircut, but on her it just looks, evil. To top that evil feeling off, her green muddy eyes are somewhat clouded, like she is partially blind. I should mention that If you look close enough into them, a strange feeling of being spied on would assail you.


    She would be quite pretty if not for her general disposition towards evilness. Her piercing evil glare, makes her totally feel unapproachable and what makes it even more obvious, is the fact that she is holding a sword in each of her hand. Those swords look very evil and also very, very sharp. Remember what I said about general tropes when it comes to butlers? So, as to the general trope with evil girls, this one has a tight leather pants and a shirt that makes her look dangerous in more ways than one. It clings to her in a very evil way.


    Most guards I''ve seen so far wore some type of armor. Even the most lousy guard had at least a crappy padded shirt, but this girl has nothing of the sort. She must prefer speed and freedom of movement, making her way of fighting even more evil. Dexterity is more of a domain of assassins and thieves rather than knights.


    The guy in the golden goudy armor, clumsily bowed again and opened his mouth.


    "Esteemed lordship, we posses the information about feline boy you might be looking for. We are ready to hand over the information about his whereabouts. In exchange we would ask for your lordship to fulfill two of our conditions."


    Goldy wasn''t very happy with his role. Being pumas personal voice tube must have felt humiliating to some extent. It was quite clear, judging from his sour expression. Still, I like him. The guy is humble and excellent at buttering people up. However, it is redundant and I am already used to the way people in this world act in order to get what they want. Catnip also titles me with lord this or lord that, although it''s obvious to everybody that I am no lord. I can''t deny that it is nice when people try so hard to please you, even if they have an agenda.


    "I beg your forgives. We are aware that forcing a divine entity to negotiate is a sin in itself, but we hope for your understanding. I humbly ask your lordship to hear us out."


    I smiled at him and gave him a reassuring nod. I urged Goldy to go on with that simple gesture, but in response he paled and started to shake. Every human apart from ninja butler, foamed or fainted every time I tried to make a simple conversation and it started to wear me out considerably.


    "If your lordship would be so gracious and remove the oppressing cloud, it would fulfill one of the conditions. We would also besiege your kindliness in accepting a one on one bout with Lieutenant Valerie here. As I am sure your benevolence already know, she has considerable strength. She wishes to test herself against your lordships might. We present those two small conditions in exchange for feline boys whereabouts."


    This guy sure has a way with words. I would be more than happy to oblige him, but there is a problem with their conditions. For starters I have no idea how I could possibly disperse the cloud above, not to mention that there could be a Tatsu in it right now. Dealing with it could be a hurdle of impossible proportions, unless I use my Mjollet and create a tornado or a giant fan with it. Joking aside, that toy is completely useless, taking into account that it is the same size as my palm, I couldn''t possibly even hammer a nail with it.


    Second problem is that I am not a fighter. That villain girl is out for blood, but I have no idea why she is out to get me. Discounting the particular case of the prison before, I have not yet done a single thing in this world worth mentioning. She has six guys to command right behind her back and if only they wanted to, they could beat me to a pulp at any given time. My only guess for this challenge is that the girl is a sadist and she likes beating and hurting people. The worst of all of this is that I don''t even know if I ever had any kind of a fist fight before. I would be ok with fighting a girl, but that''s because I know most girls would simply have no problems taking me down. You might think its ungentlemanly, but look at it this way.


    There is a difference between a girl who is a fighter and a girl who is not. Like civilians and soldiers. Like pumped up gym guy and a librarian who never used a weight in their lives. Soldiers fighting civilians is unethical. That''s common knowledge. However, refusing to fight a warrior who is genuinely seeing you as another warrior and is asking for a fair duel is simply disrespectful. Saying no to fight a girl who sees herself as a combatant would instead show that I do not respect her life decisions. If I refuse her I could be offending this woman. Still, I am inclined to a rather obvious decision. Of course, I''ll refuse. Why? Because she has two bloody swords and obviously knows how to use them. I am a civilian and I can''t envision myself fighting with this sadist, veteran battle junky, armed with deadly sharp weapons, while my only form of defense is a wooden palm sized mallet. This is an execution, not a duel. No amount of armor on my body will save me from being cleaved in half.


    I will have to think of some way to change their conditions, but the first step to negotiations are introductions. I donned my business smile and direct it at the two in front. Proper way to show myself in a good light would be a wide and open smile with all my teeth on the display. Add straight posture, extended palms in gesture of goodwill and it ends up with body language telling that I am open for peaceful and civilized talk. Both of them tensed and focused seeing me getting all serious. It''s about time.


    "Hello ma''am, good sir! My na..."


    "RROOOARRR!!"


    "..."


    ...This, is getting old. You might have guessed already, but I was interrupted. Again. The culprit? Most likely, a tatsu. The roar was incredibly loud and along with it, the colorful, cloudy fog above our heads started to shrink at rapid pace. It was gathering above the prison grounds we escaped from.


    "Lieutenant Valerie, you own me a favor for this."


    Goldy spoke loud enough for me to hear and the girl responded with a nod.


    "His lordship accepted your request, you will have your duel."


    What? I am sure as hell I have not accepted a thing! Damn dragon ruined my introduction and the villain girl is already readying her swords! For heavens sake It can''t possibly go any worse, can it now?


    ***


    Far, far away, beyond boundaries of space and time, on the edge of truths and falsehoods, where consciousness is already sleeping in soundless void, there is land known only as a land of dreams. It is a vast space ruled by unfathomable powers and beings that no mortal mind could ever hope to understand. For uncountable aeons, these unnamed beings observed and guarded this endless expanse, stale, unmovable in their role, never to act. Their focus, for millennia unwavering and unshakable, suddenly changed. An unthinkable happened. Rules set over the domain of this void that consist of nothing and everything at the same time, started to bend.


    In that space of no beginning and no end a minuscule crack, formed. Guardians emotions swirled around it as this unprecedented event took place. Countless eyes watched as the crack in the fabric of dreams came to life. It seethed only a tiny, little bit of the dream from the boundless dream world. But a bit of everything is still everything. It took only a fraction of a second, or whole of eternity if it had any count.


    Ever watchful bodies of never moving guardians, moved. Drawn by curiosity, their sight pierced the veil of reality and laid on a little rock. It was peacefully traveling in the sea of stars, not minding anyone else''s business and it never suspected to be spotted by the whole dimension of unspoken horrors and beings of boundless powers.


    The young world Arrana, was caught completely off guard. It watched, like a dear seeing headlights, as the universe itself focused all of its attention on the little planet, fearing that the dream would spill to reality and consume it whole.


    Young Arrana, that up until now bore no significance in the vastness of space and time, became a focus of powers far beyond it and their target was a little town in the middle of southern parts of its round body. Arrana came to understand that it was unknowingly sheltering an unusual guest. That guest was currently shaking in his boots, totally panicked, screaming in his mind for his plush toy to save his skin from becoming a skewered potato. It was worth to mention that the man was an adult, late in his twenties or early thirties.


    The eyes of the universe, of reality, of horrors from the abyss of dreams and the very world of Arrana itself, focused their attention on the spectacle.


    It all happened because the dream answered this mans plea. A dimension without matter, known physics or any comprehensible laws defied its rulers in order to grant a wish of a single man. To allow that wish to come true a tear formed in the dream and spilled a bit of its contents to a dreamless world. A consciousness was born in the form of ever changing colorful cloud. It squirmed and fought to affirm itself in reality. It ripped the space with all its strength to take a solid form and not disappear back to a simple dream, it was desperate because it was given an important mission.


    From depths of world of imagination, from the very abyss, a dragon of dreams came to the world of Arrana and its instinct screamed to protect one insignificant excuse of a man, whose very existence will cause chaos and draw the eyes of the universe and the powers of void itself.


    ***


    I am in deep trouble. Sparkling cloud has almost completely disappeared and villainous girl is slowly closing in on me with cautious steps and sharp swords. She follows even the tiniest of my movements with her piercing eyes. It is clear she is carefully scrutinizing my armor searching for best way to cut of my head. I have a rather high guard around my neck but I doubt it will be of any help against a girl who is specialized in hitting vital areas. The armor protecting my body may save me from a hit or two but this woman is surely a veteran of bypassing such things. I am quite certain that she is one of those that strikes fast and accurately and my head is fully in the open.


    I gripped the little Mjollet in my hand tighter and cursed my stupidity for not conjuring a riot shield instead. I already look like a fool while holding it. Those guys observing and the girl are already generous enough not to laugh at me. It''s obvious they took pity and decided not to hurt my dignity. I already said this once before, but dignity should be the most important thing in the world for a man. And for me too, even if I sometimes lose it, I always strive to keep it intact as much as I can.


    No matter how stupid I look, I will play my part with as much solemnity as I can muster. I strengthened my back and prepared myself for combat. Both of my hands gripped the toy and held it close to my right ear. I stepped back with my right foot, making a full posture of a waiting Jedi, ready to strike the first enemy that dares to come near.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Evil girl stopped in her tracks and started to measure me up and down. After a moment of contemplation she started to circle me around, sometimes stepping forward and at times stepping back. I already confirmed her to be a sadist, so I guess it''s her way of playing with her prey. I was spared the laughs but that''s the only thing they spared me of. It took her three circles, but she stopped and to my surprise she lowered her swords. Her eyes directed at the sky and stayed there, observing.


    "Everything has changed. I don''t know what he will do. Hmm... who''s that?"


    "Ma''am?"


    It seems Goldy is as much in the dark as I am. I have no idea what that girl is talking about. I searched the sky too, for the same enlightenment, but I can''t see a thing, unless you''d like to count stars popping here and there.


    It didn''t even take ten seconds for the darkened sky to lighten up with a colorful wave, accompanied by a burst of sound of a rocketing jet. I felt the earth tremble below my feet and not a second later a strange shape landed in front of me. It cracked the ground with extreme force, sending pavement and parts of the street along with earth in every direction. For the next minute I watched and waited for the dust to settle down and for my emotions to be calm again.


    I needed to be calm. That was a necessity, otherwise I would end being totally embarrassed. That''s because It is hard to maintain calm demeanor when your dark past is looking you straight in the eyes, I don''t remember it, but the shame is still etched in the mind. It is already a full minute, but the character that landed is still in the same pose. The pose of a superhero landing. This isn''t a joke, tatsu and it definitely is the Tatsu, is still crouching with a leg stretched to the side, while having one hand pressed to the ground and a clenched fist of the other high in the air. The only thing that is lacking in this scene is a fancy cape and a badass entry line.


    "Master! In this dark hour, to lighten your burdens and vanquish your foes, I, have arrived."


    I buried my face in my hands. God damn it all. This is definitely a dragon I summoned. Normally, I would think twice when making such statement, but it isn''t a rocket science and you do not need a genius to figure it out. The girl has horns sprouting from her forehead and pointed backwards, half of the body covered in scales and tail long enough to be able to constrict you two times over. But it is not what made me sure. This girl is a definition of a dark past, that many children in different countries have during early periods of their lives. The best proof is that she has not yet moved and is still crouching with that ridiculous pose, clearly waiting for some kind of response. And I am afraid that it is all my fault. When I was very young, I have been calling the plush my greatest friend and imagined it having dark and mysterious powers. Tatsu is the outcome of my desperation and my stupidity. In all the blanks in my memory, this is the clearest part.


    "Master, fear not, for I have come to put my body and my soul at your hands. I will protect you, I will fight for you and together, we will conquer the world and vanquish all evil. Injustice will writhe under our feet. The poor will be enriched, tyrants will be squashed. Master! Use me and together, we will take over this world and create an utopia, where everyone is equal and you shall rule over all creation!"


    Suddenly, my knees began to feel weak. I was about to drop to the ground and foam started to gather in my mouth. Oh my god! This is far worse than I could have ever feared. To start with, she clearly doesn''t understand what an utopia is and she has skewed idea about equality too. For the life of me, I have no idea why I clung to something like a plush dragon for my rescue. Whoever put me in this situation and allowed for my panicked idea to actually work, must be having the laughs of his life right now. Instead of a tank or a barrier I ended up summoning an obsessed dragon with superhero complex. The worse part is that she looks and talks more like a demon, spouting some cringe and very suspicious lines.


    I really need some kind of limiter or humiliations will, never stop.


    "You! Woman with black hair! I can smell your dark and evil aura from a mile away. Don''t even think for a second that I will allow your filthy hands anywhere near my master. If you wish to fight him, you will have to go through me, first."


    "Tatsu, j-just wait a second. I too, think that the Puma girl there is evil to some extend, but it is wrong to call people that. There are things you should never voice out. Adults keep such thoughts to themselves and solve things with a dialog. First of all, could you stand up already?"


    I gave her my hand and helped her up. She is a good head taller than me and I''ve already acknowledged that my height is not what it was before I woke up in this place. I hoped for my little speech to reach her because I desperately want to believe that this girl is the type that listens.


    "Master! You have given me a strong and magnificent name! I will forever cherish it. I will love, it and master with all my heart until the day I die."


    Nope, that won''t happen. I have to nail my point here.


    "Don''t be ridiculous! Also, stop with embarrassing lines. Be reasonable. We literally met seconds ago. I am not against girls drive for romanticism or the need for acknowledgment, but spouting nonsense at the top of your lungs in the middle of a street to a complete stranger is just wrong and tatsu is not a proper name. In Japanese it''s just a general naming for a dragon. You shou..."


    "Thank you! Master!"


    She... she isn''t listening at all! I doubt she heard a thing I said. She is all gang-ho, totally focused on having a serious fight. And I fear what she is about to say next, it seems she is adamant on destroying me socially.


    "Now, my master said you are called Puma, right? I won''t allow you to stain my masters boots with your filthy blood. If you dare to go against my master then I will fight you, but be warned. A seal on my right hand, holds the powers of cosmos and gate to the void of eternal darkness. If only my master wished it I could have plunge this world into slaughter already, purging it of all evil. If you are strong enough I may unbind my seventh sight and then, the council of dreams will set their eyes on you."


    "A fight, I accept."


    Tatsu is a hardcore nutjob! The only thing she is lacking to wrap up her persona, are bandages and an eye-patch. I didn''t think it could go any worse, but it just did. I am quite sure there is no such thing as a chuni in this world so in most likelihood she will be taken seriously! She is spouting delusions left and right, but people here don''t know that and the fact that she is some kind of a dragon-like will only further everyone''s misunderstanding. There is no council or seals, but it is possible that she really believes in what she is saying. If what she says is true, then fighting her or unsealing any of her cosmic powers would just kill everyone and that is pure nonsens. My self blowing possibility is already tested, but her supposed powers are not. She might be fast and strong but apart from that she is just delusional.


    Well, looking at the bright side of things, I guess I should be happy I didn''t accidentally called Klauth or Firkraag and instead summoned this pathetic excuse of a dragon. Thank god she is a dud just like my Mjollet.


    Cling... Clang...


    The two girls started to duke it out. Tatsu moved first and jumped with incredible speed. Her fingers transformed to sharpened claws. Dangerous heavy swings were like a blur, with force ment to overwhelm her target. I could barely fallow them with my eyes. Puma girl dodged first few strikes and smirked as Tatsu made a big step forward to throw a punch.


    "You''re fast, but my righteous claws will strike you down!"


    To my astonishment, Tatsu was effortlessly blocked by two swords and instantly counterattacked with a strong kick to the guts pushing her away. It must have been a heavy blow, since she crouched holding her stomach.


    "Ugh..."


    Tatsu raised her head and moved even faster after taking that kick. Apart from wide swings she started to use her tail to make sharp quick slash''s aiming for her opponents head. However, Puma was always one step ached. Tail slash''s were so powerful that they were creating real air cutters, slicing everything to bits right behind their intended target. Seeing the columns being shredded next to them, the guards still standing on stairs close by, hastily scoured away.


    "AARGH! Stand still you MUTT!"


    Tatsu redoubled her efforts. Her blows were becoming faster and heavier. Hands that were previously swinging mindlessly became more precise with each thrust. Claws and tail were only hitting air so far, so she began using her legs, occasionally even trying to bite. Failures fueled her rage and it was growing to the point where vapor started to come out of the corners of her mouth. She clenched her fists. Stomped heavily burying both feet in the ground. One after the other she began to hit the air with crude form of punches while trying to imitate karate posture. Each of those hits had unbelievable momentum, creating air bullets and completely devastating anything in front of them. The speed and power was so great that the friction each punch created, ignited the air setting the bullets aflame, somehow ignoring standard laws of physics.


    "STAND STILL YOU BITCH!"


    Tatsu was growing impatient, her flurry of punches were powerful, but not even one of them managed to land a hit. Black Puma was constantly dodging with minimal movements. Her upper body was just a blur. I do not know how she was doing it, but she could beat matrix agents at their own game. If even one of those punches hit, she would be a toast, but from the glimpses of her face, you could say she was full of confidence. She even managed to make a quick counterattack while masterfully avoiding every hit.


    She dexterously rotated one of her swords to a reverse grip and moved it in a way so the blade was fully hidden behind her back. At the same time she used her remaining sword to parry Tatsus flaming punch sideways, disrupting her stance and gaining enough time to crouch. Second later she shoot upwards making a stunning back flip, releasing her hidden blade in a powerful upward slash that managed to cut through dragons defenses. There was a clear cut on now fully enraged rainbow dragons magnificent horn.


    "I''ll. Burn. You. To. ASH!"


    Tatsus vertical irises were aflame. Rage and unbridled fury poured from her like a waterfall. She made good with her word as she gathered air in her lungs and spew fire from her mouth. It was a dragons breath that could obliterate everything in its path. The flames were blue and white, liquefying the place where Puma was just a second ago. That still wasn''t enough. The target of those flames was standing next to the fire with a bit of smoldered hair, but apart from that, she was unhurt. Her eyes were still showing confidence and on her face was a triumphant, taunting smile. To make Tatsu even more mad, she made a hand gesture to come at her again.


    I looked at my summon but the only thing I saw was a girl that went full bonkers, her eyes were spinning like crazy. With face full of intent to kill, Tatsu made an instantaneous dash, leaving behind deep gouges in stone pavement. She was only getting faster. Flurry of fists, kicks and tail swings forced the Lieutenant Black Puma to use swords to parry from time to time. It was a fight of speed and strength against speed and dexterity. Puma had to redirect attacks sideways, diminishing their strength in order to not be swept away by the sheer power of her opponents blows while Tatsus hands were covered in hard scales protecting her arms from weaker cuts, so she didn''t care about her opponents blade parries.


    Suddenly, there was a change and a standstill. Villain girl moved her face to the side, miraculously avoiding her head being impaled by Tatsus sharp tail end. There was a scratch on her cheek making it one to one in score for both girls.


    Puma raised her brow in surprise for a moment, but she quickly changed gears and sent an evil smirk to her opponent, her taunting words drove tatsu over the edge.


    "Are we learning?"


    "AAARGH!! I''ll murder you, bitch! I''ll bath in your blood! I''ll rip off your hands, legs and cut off your head, pike it and roast it along with your spine! I''ll feast on your corpse and throw your bones to the dogs."


    I would like to remind that this girl was very intent on eradicating all evil just few minutes ago, spouting about justice and whatnot. She has a hero complex for sure, but in my humble opinion, she is no more a hero than she is a villain. Leaving that be for now, we are about to have a more pressing problem. There are loud voices coming from the alleys from all around the market. Here and there more and more soldiers are starting to pop up. Looks like our time has run out.


    "Little lizard."


    Lieutenant Valerie attacked, both with mocking statement and with her swords. With speed, skill and ferociousness, far stronger than what she showed before. Her swords danced as the sound of blade hitting scales echoed around. Tatsu used her arms to defend against bladed onslaught, but it was clear she was overwhelmed. The gap in skill and experience was just too great.


    To our already dire situation, another problem started to gather in formations. Gymnast mages in their ridiculous garments decided to join up the fray. Without a doubt, they will again workout their spells against us. We have no time left. I resolved my self and decided to help Tatsu the best way I can. I''ll create a distraction for her. With her strength and speed, even a second could give her the edge. I hope that this pseudo-dragon will understand what I am about to do and use the opening. I can''t think of any other way for us to escape.


    I checked the Mjollet in my hand and mentally prepared myself. It''s just a toy. But as they say, even the smallest things can win you a battle. Please, let it work. My foot took a step back and my hand fallowed suit. Time slowed to a crawl as my focus sharpened. Her name was Valerie, I think! She was moving so fast that even with time being so slow, her hand movements were creating a mirage of having dozens of them. I looked at her chest, imagining that my dud hammer hits her square in the center.


    Short Tail said that this toy had some powerful enchantments. If there is at least a little bit of truth in her words, then I''ll count on them. I gathered strength in my hand and made a throw.


    "Hey Val! CATCH!"


    "Huh?"


    "Wha...?"


    What happened next was, well... How should I put it? It may come as no surprise, but the damn wolf girl, was bloody right. Right then and there I vowed to listen to her even if I do not want to. Let me explain.


    The moment the Mjollet left my hand, air cracked. My skin suddenly felt like there were thousands of ants crawling on its surface. Time slowed to a snails pace. I could count every wrinkle on Valeries surprised, dumbstruck face, as we both watched the hammer not larger than the palm of my hand, flying directly for her chest.


    Every meter, this ridiculously stupid toy traveled, it ripped earth and stone off the ground and sent it god only knows how far away and with a sound of a speeding bullet. The only thing left in its wake was devastation. Lightning tendrils were shooting everywhere, unfortunately hitting poor guards that were trying to scatter away. They all ended up shocked or electrocuted, spasming on their way to the ground. Fortunately it seems they will survive this electrifying encounter. At least I hope they will. The majestic statue at the top of the fountain didn''t have such luck as it was blasted off, flying somewhere far into the distance. Mjollet was homing on the poor girl without stop, while making a distinct gong sound. Seeing there is no escape she started laughing in a mad creepy way.


    She raised her swords trying to block the hammer, but the moment it reached her, they broke apart, sending their shards just millimeters of her face. Mjollet reached its destination hitting her square in the chest. But it didn''t end there. It was only gaining more momentum. It produced a blinding light and dragged her further straight through the banana shaped magistrate building, destroying it completely. It became a speeding rocket, dragging in a tornado like whirl behind it and all the stuff it destroyed along with it. It practically demolished the most important building in the city and dragged half of the district houses roofs along with it.


    It was a complete and utter disaster.


    "Why is my life so hard?" I watched as the thing I called a dud made a new shining star high in the sky. My hopes of getting rid of it dashes as It reappeared in my hand just few seconds later. I realized it wasn''t a one time disposable toy, but a self teleporting Mjollnir of complete devastation. It''s a thing I will never, ever use again.


    "I am sorry I failed you, master. You had to make a move yourself, because I was too weak. I''ll accept whatever punishment master will think of."


    Tatsu was cut a little here and there but generally wasn''t very hurt. She hang down her head waiting for my decision, but I had no energy to quarrel with her right now. I was incredibly tired. She might have failed, but the same could be said about me. We both failed.


    "Lets... lets just go Tatsu. We should escape while we still have the chance. This place is a wreck. We might be able to slip somehow in all this chaos."


    "Yes, master! Please hold on to me. Ill take us out of the city."


    She hugged my waist and a mushy sensation enveloped me. She is a good head taller, but I couldn''t care less at the moment. The soft sensation of a comfortable bean back chair took me in and the next thing I knew I was sitting on Tatsus neck, close to the ridge. Catnip and shorty was already there with me. Her full form was large, elegant and beautiful. Her scales glittered with lustrous colors. If I were to classify her, as I said before, I would say she is a rainbow dragon.


    "Tat, grab, that guy with the shiny armor and lets get out of here. I don''t think I can stomach anything more today."


    I gave my word to Catnip and that man has the information we need on her brother. As drained as I am, I can''t miss this chance.


    Sun has already finished it''s job for today and night has fully taken over. Wherever future decided to guide us, for now, only two moons were accompanying us on our way forward.


    With their light as a beacon, me, Tatsu, Catnip and Furry, were flying on. We were on our way to save a little boy from his cruel fate.

 Chapter 9: That particular day in the life of every emperor

    Great majority of people would agree that the life of a typical emperor, is an arduous one. From dawn till dusk the duty of most rulers is to watch over their kingdoms or empires and listen to the problems of their subjects. One of the best examples of these obvious truths is a man called Emperor MacAronne Makredy The Swift. He is no exception to the common rule and behavior of the people of his stature. The tall and once handsome MacAronne always was and still is, fully devoted to his role of being an emperor to the vast land of the Holy Empire.


    Like every single day for the past thirty odd years, his majesty is being woken up by his maids with the very first rays of the morning sun. He eats his breakfast alone and visits his personal throne room alone too. After his business is done, the emperor moves to, the proper throne room where he listens to his vassals and foreign visitors as well as important messengers. For his midday meal he gathers with his family in a large dining hall. There, he listens to his sons and daughters constant drivel of never ending fight and over exaggerated boasting of their meager accomplishments. Having numerous offspring is good for creating a strong and extended line of succession and his father Aronne also had many children. Just like him, MacAronne fought with his siblings too, in order to be the successor, but listening to his children is always tiring and unfortunately only few of them have qualities needed to take over after him.


    His majesty, the emperor was just in middle of his meal when important news were about to be delivered to him. Unbeknownst of future turmoil, with elegant and graceful movements he reached with his fork and slowly submerged it in flavored sauce, piercing chickobos rich flank. It is a rare delicacy, hard to procure and rumored to rise a mans virility, significantly. He moved it to his mouth and closed his eyes in order to gain full pleasure of tasting this delectable meat. His senses also picked up a sound of hurried footsteps outside. Not a moment later the door to the grand hall opened. The royal messenger moved in and swiftly knelled in front of his liege, waiting for permission to speak.


    "You may speak."


    "I beg your forgiveness your majesty. I bear a message of great importance." It wasn''t unheard of, but interrupting emperors meal without a good reason was punishable by death. It had to be something relatively important, like farmers rioting or some adventurer slaying a mighty beast, otherwise he wouldn''t be so rudely interrupted.


    Still chewing on his chickobos, MacAronne gave a simple nod.


    "There was an oracle, your majesty, it spoke about the Holy Empire!"


    That was within reason. Oracles weren''t that rare, but often more than not, they were just simple musings of a bored god. MacAronne wasn''t very surprised.


    "From the god of time!"


    "Ptff..." Emperor MacAronne the Swift made a very odd choking sound and swiftly spat his still unfinished chickobos high in the air. The tender meat made several magnificent splattering arcs, sending sauce straight for his family members and landing squarely in the ravine of his majesty latest and favorite concubines, ample bossom. It is worth to mention that although she was barely thirteen in age, his majesty was not very interested in courting as he was late in his sixties. The emperor has taken her more as a show of his supposed ability rather than a true form of performance. Suffice to say, most of his younger children, aren''t actually his.


    "Wh-cough.. What? Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I have full length of the oracle."


    "Well? Speak up!"


    The god of time was a major god whose oracles could be counted on fingers of only one hand. There were only few in history of mankind, but each warned about great threats to the world. Last one was from a thousand years ago and foretold of a great calamity in form of a demon who unearthed a mythical artifact. Thanks to that item he became a powerful demon lord that threatened to conquer the whole world. To defeat him, great costs and sacrifices had to be made. MacAronnes head started to hurt. He was thinking about what could have possibly forced such a big shot to provide an oracle.


    "It said ''From beyond the veil of abyss, horrors pry on Aranna as it welcomed a seed of chaos to the bastion of men''."


    After messengers words the hall became dead silent. Emperors children and their mothers held their breaths waiting for MacAronne to say something. It was widely known that Holy Empire was referred by most countries on the continent as bastion of humankind due to its politics and human supremacy.


    "What? That''s it?"


    "Yes, Sire. That''s all it said."


    Emperor put a hand to his chin and pondered on the meaning of this oracle. At first, he thought that this was pure nonsense. It was short and possessed no detailed information. He couldn''t figure head or tails out of it. What did it mean by veil and abyss? The only concrete information was that something is going to happen or already happened in his empire.


    He pondered and pondered, but couldn''t come to any sensible conclusion. After few minutes he gave up and reached for a glass of wine. This crimson liquid was from the great vineyards of Ocelot kingdom far to the east. You could buy a whole town or few good slaves with just one bottle. His majesty closed his eyes and tasted the mellow touch on his tongue. While blissfully submerging in delicate sensation, he heard another set of footsteps speeding towards the dining hall.


    MacAronne was not eager to repeat the mistake from mere moments ago, so this time he opt to just keep his mouth shut. He was certain it''s the same information or just a repeat from another god that the god of time woke up from centuries of slumber.


    Just as before a royal messenger stormed into the dining hall and knelled before his liege. MacAronne waved his hand giving him permission to speak.


    "Your Majesty, there was an oracle!"


    The emperor already heard about it. It was just as he thought, another oracle about the same thing. The wine in his mouth, as sublime as ever, made his senses dull to his messengers agitated face.


    "Twenty seven in total!"


    "Pfftt..." Due to complete and utter surprise, his majesty failed to keep the wine that he was currently tasting, in his mouth. In a show of a splendid splutter work, It rushed out with a cough in a yet another beautiful arc. He wasn''t eager to hit his family with it for a second time, so he swiftly tried to salvage the situation and turned his head sideways. At least he tried to, he has been given a title of the swift, but that was when he was a young lad. So, of course, he failed and half of the table along with his numerable offspring ended up sprayed with droplets of wine and spit. To his horror however, there was one person he didn''t notice earlier and he ended up face to face with him, making his face wet with one of the best wine in the whole world.


    "I must say MacAronne, this is gross." The ower of that voice was one of the few individuals, that human beings instinctively know, they should never give offense to. "I was wondering if I should give an oracle, but I decided to come here myself. I never suspected I would be spat with a mouthful of wine." Piercing, blue eyes landed on the poor emperor, who was now hastily trying to wipe the wine of his guests face.


    "God of light, Julianos. What are you doing here?"


    The whole dining hall became silent again. This on an itself was a rare occurrence. Gods do not normally visit mortals personally, they use oracles or avatars if they wish to pass on some information or if they are in need of something. The exception to this is if they wish to play or are bored to death. In most cases a visit from a god, is not a good thing. Current visitor is a benign one, having the visage and size of a ten year old child, but his appearance in the palace still meant that literal shit hit the fun.


    "He came here because Jarvous woke up and screamed about some end times to every possible temple he could."


    Yet another voice resounded in the hall. This time it was of a tall man with unnaturally long arms. He had a hunched back and a distinct crooked nose.


    "This is getting out of hand, now there are two of them!" One of emperors younger sons couldn''t stand the pressure and blabbered his astonishment out loud. Unfortunately for him, his run for the throne ended irrevocably at that moment.


    "And they won''t be the last. God of light, god of coin, fancy seeing you here."


    Third voice belonged to a woman, just like the two before her, she appeared out of thin air. She was wearing hooded, blue robe without sleeves and on her wrists a handful of bracelets jingled ominously.


    "Nazar. Who would have thought that even goddess of eyes, a true hermit, would find her way to the Holy Empire. MacAronne, we need to have a little talk. Get your family out and conjure us some new food. I wouldn''t normally say this, but I''ll pay for it. I have the coin and this is an emergency. Have your chefs bring out the good stuff and tell them to make a lot of it. I am guessing few more of us will join before the day ends." Emperor has never seen two gods at the same time, not to mention three. A whole hall of them was simply unthinkable. Despite his emotional turmoil and internal screaming, Emperor Makredy followed with given orders. As much as he didn''t want to, not following them would be tantamount to defying a god. His empire could fight one if it poured enough resources, but fighting a full convention of them would be pure madness.


    MacAronne wasn''t suicidal, so he hastily clapped and a row of maids and butlers rushed to hear his orders. In presence of three gods in one room it was a feat to stay in sound mind, but palace servants were well trained. Mostly if not, it would cost them their lives. Preparations for grand feast started in full swing.


    ***


    "Seven gods in one room. I would never have thought I would see the day again. I guess we all came here because of the same reason. I''m so happy to see you all, especially my dear Julianos. Your form is as adorable as always."


    "It has been a thousand years or so. La''ma, would you please stop with your fetishes and release god of light? We can''t start if you strangle him to death with those breasts of yours. His face looks like he is going to pass out any moment now."


    "Oh my, oh my, are you jealous Nazar? I would say little Juli here likes it on my thighs."


    "Both of you, we have more important things to do than listen to this."


    In the dinging hall, in the grand palace in the capital of the Holy Empire, a group of seven gods and one human were sitting around large round table stuffed to the brim with magnificent, pricey food and about to start a debate on their next course of action. Their fellow god that manages time, made a rather disturbing announcement that forced those few to drop what they were doing and for once, take things seriously.


    Apart from already exhausted Emperor MacAronne, there were seven beings of extraordinary importance and power, that made their way to the meeting. Within their ranks they differed in strength and role, non the less they were gods, thus far outranking beast kin and humans including the poor Emperor MacAronne himself.


    Sitting on the most left chair was the god of forge, Snithim Nam. Although he was wearing a beautiful, sleek black suite, his silhouette betrayed a bulky frame, full of strong, perking muscles. Red eyes and drool running down his red, long beard only matched his burning bright red hair as well as his hunger for all the delicacies lying in front of him. He wasn''t as much of a talking type, as much as he was a glutton one. As a true template for a god artisan, every handcraft that were ever made by his fingers were of artifact class. However, it was also known to every person present in the hall, that Nam, didn''t produce anything for a few centuries now. He was in a so called, slump.


    Next to him was a god of coin. He preferred for his true name to be known only to few so he rarely introduced himself. As his title suggested, he was revered by merchants and wealthy nobles due to his obsession with trade and coins. He was a rather elusive but a blunt man. It was his comment that put a stop to the two goddesses little quarrel.


    "Now that I have your attention, lets get to the point. I tried to contact Jarvous, but I had no luck. His little space is tightly shut. I can''t warp, project, or even astral to his place. It''s like he created a fortress and barricaded all doors within his already ridiculously hard to get into, pocket dimension. He refuses any contact. God of time was already a recluse and a coward, but he was never a paranoid senile old man. Nazar, maybe you know something? You are not a coward like him and I am sure you saw what frightened him so much. Your eyes are practically everywhere so you must know something."


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "This god of war agrees. This one was close by and became curious. He felt something fishy is going on in Holy Empire and came here to check on possible cause."


    "Haha, look at Gimbi being all serious. We all came here because we felt something strange is happening in the Holy Empire. You aren''t the only one. By the way, how is your wife? Braumhilda? I haven''t seen her for some time now. I was always wondering why are you allowing her to wield the sword in your family, while you wait for her at home with a cooking apron."


    Gimbis mouth twisted in rage but said nothing. He was a legitimate god of war. However, he had very few believers because of his scrawny look and thin scratchy voice. He wasn''t very liked due to his build and the way he aloofly held himself, also he was in a constant feud with goddess of carnage who was a true incarnation of devastation on the battlefield. Gimbi was a sorry excuse of a god in contrast to the fiery burning red hair and bulging muscles of his counterpart. She was perceived as a true goddess of war by many and Gimbi was mostly forgotten. They were never a pair. That comment made by the goddess of earth was meant to be a little harmless harassment, but to Gimbi it was a silent declaration of war.


    As to the goddess of earth, she was sitting on the opposite side to now gobbling Nam. Her green eyes were trying to pierce the darkness under her neighbors hood, with their vertical reptilian pupils.


    Vos was a woman with her bottom half that of a snake. It was long enough to round the round table at least once and that table was made so that it could guest all of emperors large family members. Suffice to say, it was large. Silk, golden Loincloth covered her more intimate parts, but apart from that piece of clothing on her hips, she was practically naked. Her breasts were under half transparent kind of a sports bra with golden patterns and they were dangerously large. Even La''ma couldn''t compete with her on that field, making Vos a target of envy for half of her neighbors, and a target of desire for the other half. Her hair were tightened in a long circular braid that span her head and at the top of it was a little munching creature that looked like a combination between a squirrel and a hamster.


    "I was trying to get in tune with Aranna but to my astonishment I was cut off. Aranna has never denied me vision before. I can''t see what is happening in the Holy Empire. Me! Goddess of earth!"


    Vos thumped her fist against the table making nearby food fly up in the air. She was a hot tempered woman who had the ability to commune with the planet. Her anger and surprise stemmed from the fact that one of her main senses was stripped off, without her even knowing why.


    "Speaking of tune, maybe I should play something to commemorate our gathering? How about it, my dear Juli?" La''ma smiled sweetly to Julianos who was still being hugged by her on her lap. The force of her love was so great that it was making his eyes bulge, threatening to drop out of their sockets.


    "We all came here for a reason, you know that right? Stop flirting you two and lets hear from the goddess of eyes. Nazar, would you do the honors? I am sure you already know what is going on. If you won''t start those lovers there will never stop getting on our nerves." God of coin made a sound argument and gestured to Nazar to start, while at the same time putting a piece of chickabos onto his plate.


    "You are just jealous and by the way that meat has some special properties, you know?" God of coin ignored her and started eating with gusto.


    Nazar on the other hand, took her hood off, revealing her head. She was a black haired beauty with a distinct bob haircut. She looked like an Egyptian queen. Her ears were pierced with earrings in shape of a tear and below her right violet eye was a doubled tattoo line that went down, reaching her sharp jaw line. She took the sip of the prized Ocelot wine and opened her mouth after a moment of contemplation.


    "Indeed, you are correct. I did see something. I don''t know why Jarvous made such a desperate outcry and then hid himself but I do have an inkling." She made a quick round with her eyes looking at everyone present and finally resting her piercing gaze on a person who looked like there were nails below his buttocks.


    "Emperor MacAronne, would you dare a guess as to the reason of why seven gods would gather here in this hall? The precedent to the event like this, was a situation from a thousand years ago that was documented in your history books. I can tell you that gods gathering only happened few times in the past. We are mostly a solitary beings, you know. Apart from few." Nazar looked at La''ma and Julianos, squinting her eyes. "To all of you that gathered here and especially to you MacAronne, there are currently eleven gods of higher or lesser standing residing or traveling in your land and that is still excluding those sitting here. More are converging from around the world and are on route to the Holy Empire and its capital. Even Braumhilde is running at the top of her speed in this direction and up until now she lazed in Vas''Kel''az. In straight line it is right on the other side of the globe. That should already tell you all, how dire this situation is if her instinct woke up like that." Emperor gulped loudly, his face paled and even took a little shade of green with this revelation.


    "That''s not all. Out of sixty seven gods still present on this planet more than half started to make some kind of move. It''s like someone put a stick in an anthill and we are all running like crazed ants trying to figure out who did it. And I think, no... I am quite sure I already know who did." Nazar, with a very serious expression stood up from her chair and addressed everyone present. "I believe an outer god descended Aranna and I am not certain if just one."


    "Are you telling me an outer god made its way here? To my Holy Empire?"


    "Yes." After confirming emperors fears, Nazar turned to Vos and sent her a reproachful gaze. She also followed with an irritated voice. "Last night, one of my chosen fought with a strange man in Onaboron. If you happened to forget, it''s on your empires southern borders, MacAronne." She sent a quick glance in his direction and returned to glare at Vos. "That girl is my number two. She is so good that she could deal with most humans and beast kin with only just one hand. Typical demons wouldn''t be a match for her either. More powerful demigods would at least have some problems with her. I bet she could even go toe to toe with some of the lesser gods. She could even give you, Vos a run for your money. She wouldn''t win of course, but she would be able to force all of you to go serious."


    Nazar took a long sip from her wine cup and continued her story.


    "She lost. My chosen, lost, without inflicting even a single scratch on that man. I found out about all that happened in Onaboron when she called out to me in the middle of her fall. It turned out that my gift that I graciously bestowed upon her was completely useless against him and he sent her flying, alone with half of the city to the sky, high enough for the fall to take several minutes."


    At that point of the story, Nazar was so angry that she started to seethe a vicious aura, unconsciously melting the wine cup in her hand and turning her chair into charcoal, all at the same time.


    "You know what is the worst thing in all of this? When I tried to look into Onaboron. I couldn''t. You know what it feels like to be the goddess of eyes and not being able to see? I''ve been turned completely blind! My sight do not work on that man, I can neither see nor track him which is absolutely outrageous. It''s like having one big blob of uncharted darkness on the map."


    Nazar dropped the remains of melted cup on the floor and walked up to Vos hitting her with a pointed finger straight at the center of her chest.


    "Vos! Mind telling me what on earth is Aranna doing? What in all blazes is it thinking?"


    "What do you want from me? You... you daughter of a skunk. I already said that I can''t reach it. My senses are as much cut off as yours!"


    "Vos, you think I don''t know that you know? Aranna is somehow able to and is constantly bending causality to help that man. Why would it do that? Why would it shield a being that could bring an unimaginable destruction to the people and to the planet itself. Cutting us off like that is like slicing off your own foot! Aranna never helped a calamity before. Commune with it and ask it what is going on!"


    "Are you deaf, you old hag. I already said I was cut off. I''ll prepare the ritual, but it will take some time. If you want it done faster, then you better help me out with it."


    "Fine. As to the rest of you, the only concrete information I have is that he has a human appearance. My chosen said that his eyes glow with black and gold and that he is wearing a blackish green armor with golden embroidery. He has taken over two demigods already. Probably by force or with some form of mind bending control. Maybe he is an owner of charm skill, which will make him a troublesome kind to deal with for women. The more time passes the harder it will be to take him down and the more force he will gather around him."


    Nazar took another cup and poured wine into it. Not minding manners she drunk it all in one gulp.


    "One of the controlled demigods is the Witch of the Forest. She went missing seventy years ago, but she popped up out of Onaborons prison grounds. Care to explain how that happened MacAronne?"


    "I umm... ekhem.. I.. I didn''t know."


    MacAronne knew, of course. It was a deal his father made with god of lightning in order to conquer the sea of trees and beast kin stronghold. He continued his fathers legacy and hoped for the next emperor to finish the job as it was almost completed.


    God of coin deep voice followed with the subject.


    "So it''s Vorfartoss doing. I could have guessed. He is meddling in human affairs for his own amusement and breaking the covenant again. I have no idea how he is able to deal with the backlash. Normally he would have been stripped of his power a long time ago, but he is getting stronger with each century. His games with lives are truly sickening. So, Nazar, who is the other demigod?"


    "That is a good question. To tell you the truth, I don''t know. She is some kind of dragonid or dragonoid. If I was certain I would say it is a dragon in humanoid form, but no dragon in their right mind would ever stoop so low as to take a human form. They detest all creatures but themselves and think of them as lower life forms. Dragons are also completely immune to any form of control. So, I have no idea who she is or whose daughter she might be. The only currently awake dragon is Fie The Frozen Terror. But you all know how she is. I already know it''s not her since I can see her passing demons territory. She is most likely going to her lair in storm peaks past Gideons realm. Hmm... actually, she is quite close to Onaboron."


    That last piece of information must have overloaded one of the participants of this gathering. There was a loud crash and along with dropped cutlery, a tableware rolled on the floor. Having seen that, Julianos wrenched himself out of La''mas lovely grip and walked up to now foaming emperor.


    "Makredy, we need you to issue a search for that man." He took the poor emperor by the neck and gave him one solid slap. "Get a grip, have your men search holy empire and find him before he grows too powerful for humanity to stop him. Do not force us to make a direct move."


    After that little action, Julianos was summoned again by La''ma by her patting her own thighs. He reluctantly came and sat at them again. His buttocks being brutally lapped and his head being heavenly squeezed, he clapped his hands in loud manner gathering the focus of all present in the hall on himself once more.


    "I would like to ask you all to contact your temples and have them search for the man described by Nazar. I hope it''s not to late, but it is possible that after thousands of years we would have to call for the great gathering of all the gods before things turn out like last time. We would have to keep our eyes peeled to this matter. If humanity and beast kind fail to subdue the threat, we would be forced to interfere and I am sure non of us wants the repeat of Demon Lord Lamashtu."


    Julianos had the form of a young kid, but in truth, that was only because he liked it. He was one of the more powerful gods out there and he could take many other forms if he only wished to.


    "I am not afraid of any god making a direct move since we all are obliged by the covenant. But I am not that naive to think that some would not try of have their way. Some will probably bend the rule and find the crack in which they will squeeze in, but that should be a minority and on a small scale. Vorfartoss is surely an example of that." He looked at MacAronne with disgust and carried on.


    "Mortal races should be allowed to fight for their status, freedom and their right to live, that is why we do not directly interfere in mortal business and have the covenant for exactly that purpose, but if the threat will reach us, gods, we will have to make a move. Neither sides would want that, I think all of you know why. Nazar, La''ma. Nam. I will create a summoning circle in my temple and call for few outers to help humankind, you will assist me with the summoning since non of us can do that alone. MacAronne, I hope you won''t misuse them like your father did in his time and I really do not want to hear outers incited against beast kin. Other gods may tell people how and what to believe in, but I am not that kind of god and just because of that, it doesn''t mean you can take advantage of my goodwill. At some point, you''ll really make me angry if you keep brainwashing and corrupting my priests. You''ve been doing that for the past thirty years. Thanks to you and your father, your whole country thinks I crusade against entirety of beast kind. Even I have my limits to tolerance, Emperor."


    That said, Julianos made a quiet pop and disappeared along with La''ma. Fallowing the two, Gimbi, Nam and god of coin also vanished one after the other, leaving half dead emperor and two goddesses in now silent dining hall.


    "Vos, my second best chosen is a gang-ho battle maniac and she has already lost. My best one is in Varudor. Crossing the sea will take her months. Send one of yours. Since force did no good, its better to send a scout. Make sure it''s not a woman in case we really do have to deal with someone possessing charm.


    "You can''t order me around you skunk, but... you are right. We do need to approach it from a different angle if we want to gather information."


    Goddess of earth made a loud click with her tongue and flicked her fingers right after. Little critter from atop of of her head jumped down on the table and prostrated itself in front of the two goddesses. At the same time it made a lightning fast movement and few nuts from a bowl next to it disappeared.


    "Listen Nazar, this one is my special. He is cute, adorable and fluffy. He is also very, very strong."


    Vos reached out with her hand to the critter, that looked like a cross between a hamster and a squirrel and started petting its head with just one finger, while creepily smiling from ear to ear.


    "Oh, I already have my doubts about that."


    "Trust me Nazar, he is a man for the job. This, is Sir Quick also called The Brick. Do you understand your mission, Sir Quick?"


    "Doesn''t he look... kind of meek?"


    "Don''t misunderstand, he might be small, but by all means he is not weak."


    "Alright, then why is he called The Brick?"


    "If I told you, your tear glands would leak."


    "Squeak!"


    "That was so sleek, Sir Quick"


    "Vos, my patience is already at its peak."


    "Ekhem... Yes, very well. Go, Sir Quick and let me know when you learn something. Remember, your target left Onaboron yesterday night by unknown means. He shouldn''t be that far. Do not engage unless provoked. If your life is threatened I am giving you permission to break pursuit and retreat." Sir Quick made a salute with his tiny paws and vanished in the air along with the rest of the nuts from the bowl.


    "Vos, tell me something, is that strange chipmunk, your..." Vos awkwardly turned her head sideways. "...oh, you can''t be serious! It''s a damn squirrel for heavens sake!"


    "But it is an adorable squirrel! Don''t judge me you hypocrite, or should I bring up what you did trying to win over Krakenoros in Beltons sea a hundred years ago?"


    "Oh, now you''ve done it. You really pissed me off you bitch!"


    "It''s your own fault you failed slut!"


    Emperor MacAronne Makredy the Swift, sluggishly dragged his limp limbs together from atop his chair, watching as the two goddesses started to wrestle and beat each other up with their fists, one even utilizing some astonishing high kicks. They were wrecking his dining hall along with all the food still there and smashing his precious round table, brought by his great grandfather from great conquests from across the sea. He lightly clapped his flabby hands together, calling his servants.


    Watching this scene, he came to conclusion, that it was about time to hand over the empire to one of his children. If non of them had the quality needed for the role, then maybe he should make a grant tournament to find one that has it. His retirement instead of closing by, started instead to drift away at a rapid pace. He looked at the two goddesses who quarreled and already demolished half of his dining hall and made a deep sigh resigning himself to many more arduous days waiting ached.

 Chapter 10: A close shave and an unwept tear

    "I think it''s a cave."


    "It''s definitely a cave, master."


    After an hour of flight, me and my dragon companion decided to hide somewhere until the rest of our group regain consciousness. Also, in the middle of our escape I came to understand that I have a severe issue with heights as well as dragon flight motion sickness. In short, I don''t think I would ever want to be on top of a dragon ever again.


    "What do you think Tatsu? Judging by the smell, I would bet it''s already occupied."


    "Someones definitely there master. I can smell it."


    "Eh... If it''s already occupied then it would be best to leave it alone. I wouldn''t want to wake up an hungry bear."


    "It''s definitely a bear, master, but don''t worry, I can deal with it. With my dark powers sealed in my left eye I will definitely protect you. If it''s evil, I''ll purge it."


    "You don''t say? Alright, let''s give it a try. We do have to sleep somewhere, even if it smells."


    When we were escaping the town, we flew in a more undetermined direction, so our current position could be summarized as a big question mark. Thankfully, Tatsu found a large cave. And since it is in a middle of a large forest and away from roads, I thought it would be a good place to hide for a bit. I don''t know how she managed to spot it in the middle of the night, but I guess it''s because Tatsu is... well, a tatsu. So, we hid in thick bushes under couple of burly trees and faced the entrance to check it out, but before we could even start, the smell already alerted us to the occupants of the cave.


    You might think that with a flying dragon we would have already arrived at wherever our final destination would be, but in truth we didn''t fly all that far. First of all, we still do not know where Catnips brother is. For a second reason as to why we are looking for shelter, is that only me and Tatsu are up and in any condition to travel. Both beast girls are exhausted and still unconscious. As to the guy we kidnapped, at the moment he is... little burned out and not at all responsive.


    "Master, look! Someone is coming out of the cave and is holding a torch!"


    "So it is not a bear, let''s talk with this person. I just hope their not bandits."


    "It''s definitely not a bear, master. Just in case, I''ll prepare to unseal my seals of power. Please be cautious, they might be bandits."


    After taking a better look, It was obvious that they were not bandits. The person that walked out of the cave was strange and surely not human. He was short and would barely reach my belt if stood beside me. His hunched posture made him look even smaller. Thanks to the torch his face was fully visible, it looked very old and wrinkled. Me and Tatsu watched perplexed as the creature moved with unsteady steps leaning on his tall walking stick. I should call it a staff since it was twice the height of its owner. He, or should I say It, wore leather scraps covering most of its green body. The creature walked few more steps and placed the staff in a prepared tiny hole in the ground. Steadied, It was casting a little fire from its tip that we previously mistook for a torch. After placing the staff, the little guy bend down on to its knees facing us and pressed its forehead to the ground. He made several, less than articulate grunts and again looked in our direction, while at the same time raising its hands in a strange prayer.


    "I think I know what that creature is. I remember I once saw a movie with something similar, there were also those green childlike creatures that were chasing some other children around on some mountains. Although those in the movie looked hideous, this one here just looks... old. If I remember correctly, those were called, goblons?"


    "It''s definitely a goblon, master. It''s just like in the moovies."


    "What do you mean, just like in the movies. You couldn''t possibly know that. I doubt you''ve ever been to Earth."


    "But master, I can still remember how we watched the moovie together as you were holding me dearly to your chest. When a big spider crawled out and shoot its web, your heart was beating so, so wildly! It was scary to the point that you even wet your pants. I''ve been with you everywhere in your youth, including toilets in that moovie hall. And at our house, you even wept in my fur and scales every time you wet the bed and..."


    "Alright stop, I get it." I put my hands on her shoulders and faced her with all of intensity a grown up person could muster. "Tatsu, this is very, very important. Etch it onto your heart, you are completely, absolutely, forbidden from telling this part to anyone. If you go around telling people that I wet my pants watching spiders, I would die. Alright? Not a word of it to anyone."


    Lets forget that this conversation ever happened. I hope this goblon would be ok with us sleeping in his cave for a night.


    It is obvious he knows we are here. I stopped hiding and walked out from behind the bushes. The poor creature was still sprawled on the ground kissing it with his forehead. Let''s hope he wont faint.


    "Hello, good sir..." And... he fainted.


    ***


    I missed this scenery so much. I am again back at my home. High on one of the branches of the great tree. My room must have been uncared for for all those seventy years. It smells with mold and animals, but I don''t care, I am finally here.


    "It''s so beautiful."


    My admiration for the morning sun basking my forest in its warmth couldn''t be topped by anything. Rivers, hills, trees and all the creatures calling this place home are under my protection. In the distance, there is a field of green grass moving with the wind and forming waves of serene comfort. It calms me, calls to me. It wants me to be embraced by its grassy fresh scent and delicate breeze.


    I closed and opened my eyes after a minute of listening to the songs of nearby birds, I could here nymphs near the lake and bustle of people. Thanks to my windows grand size I can receive gusts with wings and monitor the state of the city below. It''s a great metropolis of trees. The stronghold of the people of the races.


    Those tiny dots that I can see are beast kin, humans, elves, all of people, that are dear to me. They are residents of the Forest of Spirits and it gives me joy, watching them mingle and care for each other. They are my dream and my responsibility. At last I feel that I can relax, because I am home.


    One of the tiny dots grew larger and was on its way here. In a gust of wind a handsome elf flew up and bowed in front of me. His rakish smile pierced my heart yet again. My loneliness and longing vanished with just a single touch of his hand.


    "Imbess my love, I missed you so much."


    "Gurglbh!"


    Imbess Ile, the one I pledged my heart to, was a bit smelly today, but I do not care. After so long I am at last able to see him again. His face, so handsome, turned a bit green. Maybe he is not feeling well today. My kiss will surely cure him of any illness.


    "My dear, let me return the memory, you once given me on that night on a lake."


    I smiled at him, extended my hands and touched his face. I draw him closer and closer to my lips. I was ready for a passionate union when Imbess unceremoniously grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me back and forth. He stopped after a moment and I looked at him surprised. In just few seconds he shrank. He was now reaching my bust. Originally Imbess was a tall man. But, I do not care. I have him in front of me and I won''t let him disappear again.


    "I love you, I won''t ever let you run away."


    I puckered my lips and closed on my fated one again, then I heard it.


    "Hahaha, I can''t anymore, did you see that Chief Goblon? I''m going to die laughing if this spectacle carries on."


    "Most intriguing."


    I don''t know the second voice, but I already know the owner of that hateful, irritating laugh.


    "Ian?"


    "Oh? Nice work Goblon C. You managed to wake up our sleeping princess. Good job."


    "Goblon?"


    I looked again at Imbess, but he was no longer there, I was holding a goblin mere breath away from my lips.


    "Gurgoblh!"


    "You should release him. I don''t think he is very keen to be on the receiving end of your feelings. Princess."


    "Lord god, is right, forest lady."


    I was still shocked. I don''t know what is going on and why I was holding a goblin, but Ians racket and his unbearable laugh instantly brought me back to reality. To my horror, in my sleep I must have mistaken a goblin for my loved one and professed my deeply kept secret feelings. Of all the people it had to be Ian to see me like this.


    "Ugh... I hate you."


    "Haha, don''t worry shorty. I wont tell anyone about your preferences. You''ve been sleeping for almost two whole days. Come with us outside, Goblon A and D should be back with food in few minutes. I''ll tell you all that happened when you were sleeping, once you ate. Should I carry you? You must be severely weakened."


    I stood up and gestured him to lead the way. I was humiliated enough, carrying me is out of the question. They led me through a series of caves. I was already prepared for it, but the number of goblins here should not be underestimated. They could even reach a hundred.


    "Chief Goblon, how was the soup I proposed yesterday, have the goblons tried it yet?"


    "Yes, lord god. We liked it very much. Boiling meat with mushrooms is tasty."


    "Hold up, Ian, did you taught goblins how to cook?"


    This was an incredulous thought. Goblins are feral except for extreme cases. Evolved goblins are intelligent enough to grasp basic concepts and instinctual magic, but cooking and language is way beyond them. Even an evolved goblin wouldn''t be able to say a coherent line, unless...


    "Well, at start, we had some troubles communicating, but after talking with Chief Goblon for few hours, at one point he glowed up for about thirty seconds and then started to talk like he never had any problems with it before. I guess it''s one of those language magic that allows you to understand the other person that is prevalent in novels."


    "Language magic my FOOT! You named him didn''t you! You named an evolved goblin!"


    "Huh? What are you talking about shorty."


    "Lord God, is not forest lady right? Is not my name Goblon?"


    "Well, yes, you are Chief Goblon. I had to address you somehow."


    "Thank you lord god. I am forever your servant."


    I dropped to my knees. This is a terrible outcome. It''s completely incomprehensible. This fool named an evolved goblin and act like nothing bad has happened. My voice trembled as I was trying to force some sense to this numbskulls head.


    "Ian, you should never ever name an evolved member of a feral specie. By naming him you created a calamity that could roll over kingdoms killing hundreds of thousands of people!"


    "Aren''t you exaggerating? Like a lot? Look, Chief Goblon here is perfectly civilized person. He wouldn''t do that, you wouldn''t right?"


    "I would never do anything against your will, lord god."


    "Then, how about you stop calling me lord god."


    "I am sorry lord god, that one request is beyond my abilities."


    "Well, anyway, if humans could create.. erm... calamities? By just naming, then the world would be full of calamities, wouldn''t it? Your not making much sens my dear Furry Ears."


    "But you are not a human you cretin! You in particular should never give a name to anything!"


    "Ah, yes, yes, I forgot. You are a demigod, right? There, there, let me pet you a bit, this should calm you down. I hope that in the future my head pats will cure you of your megalomania."


    I was taken by surprise again by this imbecile and he started petting my head once more. I only just woke up and I am already dead tired. He doesn''t even understand what it means to put a hand on a beast kins head. It''s so unprecedented and shameless that neither me nor March suspected we would ever be violated like that and he did it like its nothing to him. My love for Imbess will never bare fruit because of his one thoughtless action and my failure at avoidance. I hate this man. Ian. A walking nightmare. And he is now my responsibility too. I want it so much, but I can''t abandon him. If I do, If I won''t monitor and restrain him, then this world would end up with goblins ending up as countless goblon chiefs and beast kin who are bound to him, because of head pats. All of that due to simple reason of him not understanding our customs. If it was not because of vows and how ether works, patting beast kins heads wouldn''t be a taboo. If one do that for certain amount of time, they would leave a magic imprint, linking their ether. Its unbreakable companionship contract. If both sides love each other, they would initiate it on their own.


    With all of Ians ether, swirling around him, it didn''t even taken him a second to leave his imprint on me and March, and even little Doe, although her case is special.


    "Now, now, it''s ok, it''s ok. Don''t worry, being a megalomaniac is curable."


    He put on a wide beaming smile and kept on stroking my head. His hand was warm, but I felt humiliated, he does not understand what I feel right now. How far I have fallen.


    "In all seriousness. I own you one, Mal. Don''t worry I''ll make sure to take you home. You were talking in your sleep about your forest and your lover. I''ll do what I can to help you meet your family. You have my word on that."


    I couldn''t bare it any longer. Tears filled my eyes and I started to cry. I couldn''t stop them even if I wanted to. My sorrow was stronger than my self control. This man was cruel beyond words. He didn''t mean anything bad. I knew that, but Ian didn''t understand that Imbess was forever beyond my reach and that he was the very reason for it. He didn''t know I have not been able to see my mother for seventy years. He was not aware how much I missed my home and my people. He tried to be kind, but his kindness was a poison that made me sob even louder. Such a hateful man. I was bawling my eyes out and couldn''t stop.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Lord god, I presume a hug is needed here."


    "You''re probably right, simple head pats wouldn''t work here. Where is Catnip when she''s needed."


    "I believe she is with Goblon F taking care of the soup."


    "Ah hell, I''m not good with this."


    Large drops were falling on my rags and cloak. We were in such a hurry that Doe didn''t spare us anything but the cloaks. I couldn''t see anyone or cared for anything past my tears. I just wanted to cry everything out and Ian in his stupidity tried to embrace me at that moment. I clenched my fists and started to hit him on the plated chest as hard as I could, but he didn''t move away. He kept caressing my head telling me that everything will be alright. That it is ok to cry and that he won''t allow anyone to harm me. That fool. He is a walking contradiction to his words, but there was warmth in his voice and my hands gave up. I surrendered to the tight hug and kept on crying, remembering the years I was locked up and all the times I dreamed of death. I had a glimpse of freedom and even a slim chance for love, but Ian unknowingly took it away. He saved me, but did it in a cruel way, only to bound me and force me to take the mantle I am not ready to take.


    I could only judge him as a kind enough man, whose good deeds would only end up with a catastrophe.


    ***


    "Lady Malay, are you ok? How are you feeling?"


    "Our little six tails demon, had a short bawling episode, but after that, she returned to normal."


    It took me good fifteen minutes to pacify her crying break down. But she is surprisingly tough, I have to admit that. She went through a lot and held herself standing even after being in her cell for god knows how long. She only let her feelings out the moment she felt relatively safe. It must have been hard for her to keep her cool during our escape. She might not be a kid anymore, but she sure looks like one and I am quite certain that her prison didn''t help her grow to her actual age. Taking that into account, it''s surprising that her strength of will is surpassing mine by leaps and bounds. I can''t blame her for going a little bit nuts here and there. If I were in her position I would probably escape to thinking of myself as a demigod too, that is, if it would help me even a little bit to cope with the stress.


    "Thank you March I am a bit tired but apart from that I''m fine. Ian, I am not from a demon but from a dire wolf tribe." She jumped down from my princess carry and turned around stretching her tails in a wide arc. "Unless you were never taught to count, I have seven tails. Give me your hand, I''ll teach you."


    She took my hand and started to count her tails one after the other with it. What a bother.


    "Better try the soup. Catnip and Goblon F are in charge of it. She somehow managed to conjure salt from somewhere and after adding those blue mushrooms and some mystery meat it turned out great."


    "Meat? You should know that goblins hunt for adventurers. They do not distinguish between a dear and a human. They don''t see the difference."


    "Those would be feral goblins. When I evolved I made sure to keep my brothers close to the caves and to not attack humans. I tried not to draw attention to us and managed to survive for many years this way. When lord god bestowed me a name two days ago, my control and strength greatly expanded. There is now not a single goblin in the whole forest that is feral. With me being blessed, many goblins under my influence evolved. Almost all of them are now smarter and no longer act on instinct."


    "You see Ian? That is precisely why I said to never name an evolved member of a feral specie."


    I don''t know what is all the fuss about. Chief Goblon only made sure to protect his tribe and did it in a smart way. I do not see him being aggressive.


    I looked at Catnip and gestured for her to give some of the soup to the troublemaker wolf.


    "Lady Malay, I checked the meat before boiling, it''s from a boar. We stewed it with some mara mushrooms. Lord Ian said its tasty and goblin chief provided us with a magic kettle left after some adventurers."


    "Aren''t mara mushrooms poisonous? And how many goblins have you named Goblon F?"


    "Huh? Aren''t they all goblons? There are several of them that have some distinct features so I named all of those I could distinguish. From Goblon A to Goblon J. Your little kissing run was with Goblon C. He has a scar on his neck and is very good at throwing rocks."


    "I hate you Ian. From now on, you are not to name anything. Promise me."


    "Huh? Why should I do that? I am the grown up here, not you."


    "Just you wait. When I''ll regain my full strength you won''t ever call me a kid."


    I smiled a bit. This girl finally returned to her normal self. I took the crude bowl Goblon E made from Catnips grip and forced it into furrys hands.


    "Eat up, or should I spoon it up for you too? Princess?"


    She glared up, but took the spoon from me and went to sit by the large bonfire. Catnip joined her and they both started chatting. I already told her how we escaped, so I guess that story will be forwarded to furry now. The question is, what now? Big belly guy we picked up while escaping is conscious and being treated by the cat girl, but his information wasn''t very coherent. We need time, but by now probably the whole of the empire is searching for us high and low. I doubt that the higher echelons know what we are after, but that will change fast.


    We have two main goals. First one is to rescue Catnips brother and second is to bring Long Tails to her home. We have fast means of travel, but it''s easily spotable, so we can only truly fly at night. Besides I will never voluntarily fly on Tatsus back again. Not if I can help it. There is one more thing. When I questioned Catnip, she said she traveled by woods and rarely ever put a foot in a city. Her capture was just bad luck. She and her brother decided to enter the town because they were extremely low on food. Making long story short, she knows nothing about the capital or human cities in general. Shorty was imprisoned for many years, not to mention that she is from forest settlements. I can''t say I know a single thing about this world and I don''t even want to know what is in Tatsus head.


    In summary, there is currently only one person who could guide us around, especially around the capital. Unfortunately, I made him to be a well fried chicken nugget.


    ***


    I picked up one of the bowls with nuts gathered by Goblon J and took a longer walk behind the cave to clear my mind. I walked for fifteen minutes and sat on my favorite stump, pondering on how and what to do. I took out a knife and started to carve for a bit. I happen to find a nice piece of wood yesterday and decided to take my mind off things. The woden gun I started to make was almost completed. Of course it''s just a piece of wood and having my experience with Mjollet I decided to keep my mind blank about it and only focus on what to do next. Thankfully I have a general idea what triggers the strange happenings and summonings. The surefire way is not to want anything. Whether it''s out of desperation or simple daydreaming.


    I was carving and eating nuts when I spotted a hamster in the bushes few meters away. Or maybe it was a squirrel? I must have summoned it with the nuts. It wasn''t running away. Instead it was making round eyes at the bowl. Isn''t it that hamsters eat seeds and not nuts? Or maybe it is the other way around and it is squirrels that eat seeds.


    Realizing that I do not know squat about proper hamsters diet, I came to understand that I need some proper stress release or the next squirrel I see will be able to plunge me in the nuts category. I stood up, looked up at the sun that was high in the sky and decided on a little play to take my mind off of my current problems. Since I already have a revolver in my hand, albeit only a wooden one, I might as well be a little bit dirty with it. While putting the bowl with the nuts on a tree stump I looked at the rodent and made a sour look, with slanted side to the corners of my lips.


    "You want some of my nuts? Punk?"


    "Squeak!"


    The squimster, a combination between a squirrel and a hamster walked out of the bushes and stopped several meters in front of me. I lowered my voice to sound more badass and moved my cloak on my shoulders so it wouldn''t interrupt me. At the same time I lowered my belt and placed my planed role-played gun in its improvised holster. I do not really have a true holster, so the belt would have to do. I furrowed my brows and raised my chin addressing the critter.


    "You think you''re tough? Punk?"


    "Squeak!"


    I took the posture of a seasoned shooter and stared in the eyes of the squirrel-o-hamster, with intensity and killing intent. Of course it was a fake one.


    "You think you are faster than my bullets? Punk?"


    Squimster rose to his two little hind legs, and focused on me. His two paws hanging in the air, waiting for signal.


    "You think you can challenge ME? Punk?"


    "Squeak!!!"


    I looked left and right, making sure that nobody is around. Normally I would leave it at that, but I am very stressed and nobody can see me now. I decided to changed my persona from the dirty to the bad, because, why the hell not? I''ll become a lord of darkness. I will shoot this ugly hero squirrel with my darkness bullets. Lets just not focus on it to much in case my illness would transform them to real bullets. Harming this critter would just be my stupidity. I decided to combine dark fantasy with some of the eighties or western. Lowering my voice would make it sound even more evil so I gladly went with the idea.


    "Ekhem... I am the Great Unknown, a god of evil darkness and malevolent pain, seeker of pleasures and master of all that is unholy." I am sure that there is no such thing as malevolent pain, but it sounds cool and very evil. My inner child smiled at this ridiculous monolog. But I couldn''t stop now. "Descended from deserts of void and wastelands of chaos. Stars above were my home, but no longer will they sustain me. Hear me, mighty rodent. No man is my equal. Humans are mere ants below my feet and gods are my stepping stones. I came to conquer and devour this world. No power can stop me, no man can defeat me and no woman can defy me." Now it is time for the dramatic laugh of a true third rate villain. I gathered air in my lungs and started the evil laugh in full force. "Kukukukukuku."


    I think it went well, especially that evil laugh at the end. It sure sounded nice. Acting is something I always wanted to do, but I know I do not really have any talent for it. Lets give it a finishing touch.


    "However evil they may call me, I''m not without mercy, I''ll give you a chance young warrior of squimster race. I deem you worthy to stand before me. If you manage to steal the nuts from the bowl behind me, before I pull out my weapon, you are free to go. I''ll even lower my dark, evil powers to give you a winning chance. I expect your very best." I accentuated the end so it would sound more dramatic.


    "Squeak!!"


    My performance would not win an Oscar, but it sure relieved a load of my stress. I know how I sounded, but just because I knew how I sounded, it would automatically put me on a sane level, not like with poor Tatsu who is genuinely sick and believes in what she is saying. In my case, it''s just a little stage play, with no one around and no risk of embarrassing myself.


    Now, lets finish the duel with this hamster. Mano a mano. We looked at each others eyes, testing and probing. I moved mine to the rodents little paws and at that moment it screamed, it''s eyes turned red. Surprised I quickly reached for my gun.


    "SQUEEEAAAAK!!!"


    It was a battle cry of an enraged berserker. Scared of the laud squeak, I tensed and suddenly time slowed to a crawl, just like when I decided to throw Mjollet two days ago. And just in time for me to see how that little fella took out a giant two meter axe from out of thin air and thrown it at my face with incredible force and speed.


    "Eek!" My eyes turned round at this incomprehensible sight. I quickly abandoned any form of role play. Due to the shock of having a huge, sharp edged, steel axe speeding my way, unfortunately some sounds escaped my mouth. The axe was rotating and It was polished enough for me to almost be able to see my reflection as I was moving my head and the rest of my body, with turtle movements, out of its way. I was close to wetting my pants trying to avoid that lamp of metal. I survived by sheer luck! My neck and hands instantly covered with cold sweat. Shaking uncontrollably.


    "SQUEAK!!"


    A red mist surrounded the rodent and its tiny form bulged. It instantly swelled with tiny muscles and grew twice its original size.


    Shit, just take the bawl man, take it, I don''t want them nuts anymore! I tried to scream that, but the time was still slowed for me and the squimster already thrown another set of weapons. I focused all grey matter I had just to avoid them. First was the war hammer that looked like it was wielded by some fiery giant. I barely managed to turn a second time and it missed my chest by mere centimeters. I would end up as just another blood splatter if it touched me even a little. My remains would be completely unrecognizable.


    Next was the spear that was aimed at my leg. It was a long spear or more like a pike, since it was good four meters in length. It wasn''t a problem however, for the damned squirrel to throw it like it''s nothing. I was in a position I could hardly move because I just avoided the hammer. It left me little space and time to move and third weapon was already on its way. I decided to risk it and did a little jump making scissors in the air. It was unsightly, but it did the job and the pike flew by between my legs.


    The third weapon was a giant broad sword. It was taller and wider than me. It was also slower than the previous weapons, but it rotated horizontally like a scythe, threatening to cut me in half. Thankfully I managed in time to lower my torso, hoping there would be enough space for it to fly above me. I was so happy I''ll survive this onslaught that a relieved, creepy smile crawled up my face. Just as I lowered myself I saw a speeding squimster right before my eyes. He chose the moment of the third weapon to sneak past me. I could probably catch him, but judging from his berserking form, that move would be absolutely suicidal. If you didn''t catch my drift, that damn rodent just conjured hundreds of kilograms of steel out of thin air and thrown them like they were toys. To add on to that feat, that outrageous chipmunk did it in absolutely ridiculous succession.


    I just kept smiling at him as he was passing me in slow motion. Our eyes linked as he was speeding for the bowl leaving red mist behind him. He passed me the moment his thrown sword flew above me, making me listen to the sound of cutting air. I took a deep breath. Time returned back to its normal flow. It must be adrenaline kicking in in life threatening situations. I have no other explanation to what was happening.


    "Good job. You''ve earned your bowl." I don''t know why I kept with the act. Maybe its because I was still in shock or that I retained all of my body parts. This damn hamster. After my words, the rodent vanished with the nuts. This wild fight left a large portion of the trees behind me, cut down. It looked like a hurricane wrecked this place. I glanced at the sword half buried in the earth. If I was only a tad bit slower I would be in two parts now. Instead of releasing my stress, it only doubled.


    "I''m really bad at acting."


    ***


    "Are you ok Ian? You look shaken."


    "It''s ok Mal. I just learned to never challenge rodents when it comes to nuts."


    "Did you just call me by my name? And what do you mean by rodents and nuts?"


    "Nevermind that. Chief Goblon, send some stronger goblons to the back of the cave. Some fifteen minutes of walk, they will find a large clearing. Have them bring the weapons from there. I have a feeling Tatsu will want one."


    Returning straight to the cave made me find Long Tails and Catnip treating poor shihkebabed man. He is looking a lot better than the last time I saw him. He is definitely being healed by girls magic. The moment I gave Chief Goblon instructions, Tatsu returned accompanied by Goblon D.


    "Master! Master, you won''t believe what I found in caverns below!"


    She was dragging some kind of large snake on her shoulder. Goblon D was holding its end some few meters further away.


    "Tatsu, whats that?"


    "Food?"


    "Eh... so what did you find?"


    "There is a large pond with bubbling water. It''s warm and you can bath there! My inner eye tells me it''s safe."


    "Ekhem, Ian, whose this?"


    Furry barged in into our conversation. I don''t know if she reacted to the word bath or the new guest. However, I can understand her. She really do need a bath and honestly, so do I. Especially after that rodent incident.


    "Right, Tatsu, this is Furry Ears, she has more than three tails and is de facto the leader of this group. Please be kind to her. Oh and..." I winked twice in Tatsus direction hoping she will catch up on to my meaning. "You might want to know that she is a demigod." I winked at her again, this time more than twice.


    "Seven tails, Ian. How many times do I need to repeat myself?" She banged her fist into my flank making me squirm. How my armor didn''t protect me from such a puny attack is beyond me.


    "I''m Tatsu, masters loyal servant and lover. I am a rainbow dragon. There is also a deep dark power sealed in my left hand and a demonic chaos in my right eye. I was called from the void by masters voice and forces of abyss strong enough to destroy the world dwell in my bo.."


    "Hey Tatsu, wasn''t it right hand and left eye last time?"


    "...It changed, master. Now it dwells in the left hand and right eye."


    "Right. Well that''s how it is. If I were you shorty, I wouldn''t take seriously everything she says. You see, in some circles, some professional medics believe that this is a serious illness, so just ignore it ok? The lover thing is a lie too."


    "How could you master! We slept together in the same bed so many times."


    "Drop it. You were just a plushy at the time." I looked at shorty and continued. "This overgrown dragon also has some super hero obsessions so you could sometimes hear her spew delusions about justice and righteousness. Just think thrice before taking her seriously. Apart from that, she is a good person. You can trust her."


    Furry looked at me for a long while and then turned to Tatsu.


    "Normally I would doubt you are a dragon, since dragons would never in their right mind take humanoid forms. Knowing Ian however, everything is possible."


    Shorty was, short and Tatsu was a head taller than me. Their conversation looked very strange. They both went away to talk, leaving me alone with my musings. Now that I think about it, I never really taken a good look at my dragon plushy for those last two days. In the story I read so many times, she was the saddest thing in the world. She traveled the globe in search and when she finally found her long lost lover, he died in her arms. In her travels she helped many people, but she couldn''t help the one she cared for the most. The author was really an a-hole. As a kid, I couldn''t accept how the story ended, so I colored the plushy with all the colors of rainbow, calling her my rainbow dragon. I wanted her forever to be happy.


    I don''t know how much of the original story she knows or remember or if it even happened. In her case there might not have been any story at all. She looks happy, but I can''t shake the feeling that her delusions might be a mechanism to cope with her loss. She calls me master and jokes me with the lover thing, but under the surface she might be hurting.


    I looked at her again. Tall and beautiful. Her two horns follow the line of her head accentuating long purple hair. They are changing colors depending where you look. Her skin is mostly fair, but sometimes it is blue and sometimes it is red. There is no consistency as it probably depends on her mood. However, she is mostly keeping her face at normal human tone, probably not to freak me out. She can cover her skin with scales at will and she made sure to hide her intimate parts behind them. Thanks to that she doesn''t need any clothing. The scales have a metalic shade whenever they switch colors. She also has a long, strong tail.


    "L-lord Ian, umm... thanks to Lady Malay healing up the human, he regained full consciousness. Umm... W-will you ask him about my brother?"


    During those two days, Catnip opened up to me a bit, but she is still keeping a strong guard against me. I smiled at her and nodded. It''s about time we learn where her little brother is being kept.


    I head patted her head few times and then moved my focus back to Tatsu. She is a beautiful woman. Full of curves and grace. I am a man so lusting after such a gorgeous sight wouldn''t make me guilty. But there is one thing that deny such feelings. Her lips might be full and luscious, always smiling. Her whole body might be in joy and be the rainbow of emotions, sparkling in myriad different colors along with the rays of the sun, but the most important part, can''t lie. Eyes, can never lie. And the only color Tatsus eyes ever show, is grey. Constantly, unchangingly, grey.

 Chapter 11: The mirror

    People often say that love is blind and in some extreme cases, they even say things like ''love is the most powerful force in the universe''. It is true that at times, love can drive you crazy or make you utterly oblivious to anything apart from the words of the object of your feelings. Whether you are strong-willed, dimwitted or even completely emotionless, it can flip your life in an instant and make you forget common sense. For those people who are afraid of love or simply shy away from it, the very word could be nothing more than a meaning of doom. If you never experienced these feelings or do not understand it, you often try to rationalize or even question its existence. You might be convinced that it is a simple chemical reaction linked to the human body and nothing more than that. For others who believe they had a taste of it, they commonly try to justify it as a mystical force that can''t be fully explored and that there is no solid explanation as to what truly love is. As for me, I''ve never been in love. At least I don''t think I''ve ever been. I can''t be certain since my memory is fragmented right now, but I damn as hell am certain of one undeniable thing when it comes to this accursed subject. Love, whether good or bad, certainly makes you stupid.


    "Let me go you monsters! Damn these goblins!" A man in gaudy golden plate that in no way could cover his protruded belly, is currently huffing and panting greatly. He is trying with all his might to escape his predicament, with little to no success, that is because he is being held by a number of goblins. "Lord Ian, don''t hide behind these feral creatures! I demand you accept my challenge. Release the beast slave or sell her to me this instant. She has to be mine! Your lordships hands has no right to her!"


    There can be only one explanation as to why he is behaving like a raving boar. It is a very simple conclusion. I believe that Goldy, I started to call him that because of his over the top shiny boob-plate, must have fallen for Catnip at some point. Most likely because she has been diligently caring for him for the past two days, not missing even a singly drop of sweat on his oily cheeks. I don''t know if it is some kind of bridge effect or not, but I would have to say that the girl is very pretty. She has all the needed curves, huge bossom assets, is young and have a pretty, cute face, so whether it is this or that I am not surprised he is into her and I should also add that she has big cat ears on her head that act as a huge bonus. However, their age gap is not small and despite the fact that he is from a noble house, his behavior is not at all that of a gentleman. I was also told that he is little Does brother, which I find very, very difficult to accept. As annoying as it is, in our current situation, I simply can''t ignore him. In normal circumstances I would have nothing against his flirt attempts but looking into his eyes I can see nothing more than purple hearts of a genuine pervert.


    If his feelings were reciprocated by the girl I would be more then happy to encourage them if needed, but it is obvious she has no love for him and only cares because the guy holds crucial information about her brother. It''s cruel, yes, but that is how the life usually is. I don''t know if the current status between the two of them is good, because he is in a knight on a white horse mode, willing to tell her everything she asks and jump on to protect her from any possible harm or if it is bad since he is trying to challenge me for her ownership every few hours. As silly as it is, he is not willing to listen to reason. My words are not reaching him in the slightest, they simply bounce off his thick skin. I have to admit though I wasn''t trying to be very persuasive, yet.


    It''s very hard to grasp what actually goes on in his head. He is all in on the idea of protecting her, but at the same time treats her as a slave or a tool, definitely as someone far beneath him. For me that is just contradictory and I can''t wrap my head around his line of thinking.


    Moving back to what is actually happening, the young master Mongbock is being held in a tight headlock after yet another assault on my life. His current assassination attempt, consisted of an improvised wooden ladle and a spork. Fortunately, this guy is extremely weak and clumsy. I doubt that he would be able to hit my head with that ladle even if I were asleep. Goblon G Is holding him with his arms around the neck making the poor guy''s head progressively greener, so I signaled G to release him.


    "Goldy, calm down already. I told you she isn''t a slave. How are you ever going to win girls over if the only think you do, is treat them like, lets say... a mop. Even if you care for a mop, in the girls eyes you just see her, as a mop. They won''t love you for that, unless their extremely into M category. You should drop it or change your approach, this is my honest advice."


    "I will not listen to a man who tricks women and hides behind goblins in matters of honor!"


    I shrug my shoulders. This guy won''t listen to anything I have to say. Speak about being stubborn.


    "On that note Ian, do you actually have any experience with women? Tell me if it is really alright for you to think that going for the head of every girl you meet, could be a valid advice."


    I turned my head sideways. Short Tails has a bit of a point, but head pats never killed anyone. It''s not as bad as she puts it and I know that she likes them since she is yet to brush my hand away. She has never done so, not even once.


    "I doubt you know a single thing on how to treat a woman, but you are right in this case. March is not a tool to be obtained or traded." She was drilling her eyes through my skull since the beginning of this subject. Her judging gaze was somehow making me a tad bit guilty, but head patting good children is justice. However bad it sounds. "By the way, what''s an M category?"


    "Ekhem... don''t worry your tails about it Shorty, lets change the subject." Continuing with current topic would bring us at dangerous waters, so it was better to change it. Including her, all the girls were gathered with us around a big bonfire. I escaped from her piercing gaze and looked at our alleged ladle assassin. Putting a serious look on my face and intense glare in my eyes, finally made him more receptive, at least little bit. "Goldy, lets make a deal. If you really care about our cat girl there, then you''d surely agree that the first priority is to get her brother back to her. If you''ll act as our guide to and around the capital and if you help us sneak her family out, I am willing to give you my word that I will not interfere if she decides to go with you. However, that is if and only if, she decides that on her own."


    Goldy dropped his head. He is probably thinking if this is a trap of some kind. Shorty on the other hand stood up from the trunk she was sitting on and walked up to me only to whisper in my ear.


    "What if he blackmails March behind our backs? Are you really willing to let her go with another man after what you''ve done to her? Do you really feel no responsibility?"


    "Relax your tails princess. As far as I remember I haven''t done anything to her, that I should feel guilty of so stop playing the responsibility card. I did give my word however, so I will help to the best of my abilities. Besides, look at that guy. Do you really think he is capable of elaborate plots? Ten minutes ago, he was trying to chop off my head with a wooden ladle." I gestured for Catnip to walk over to us and Tatsu joined up along with her. With all three of them, we created a whispering semicircle. I directed my words at our most silent party member. "Catnip, I am not going to abandon you to that guy. If he tries anything, tell me and I''ll do something about it. His help would speed things up, but if it turns out that he would pose danger to us, we can rescue your brother on our own. That fool already spilled where he is."


    "So, you are willing to use him and lie to him just for our convenience? You really are scum, evil and shameless to the boot."


    "Malay, he is not evil! I would know since me and master are linked with red thread of justice, love and righteousness. Goldy is at fault for treating March as a mop. If he is a fool then he deserves to be used as a fool. Also, making a move on masters third wife is already outrageously unforgivable. People like him should be burned alive and buried with a curse of souls eternal pain."


    Tatsu said some outrageously disturbing and at the same time contradictory things, but Tatsu is Tatsu, so that can be ignored. Thankfully, non of the girls took her joke seriously. I hope. Although I have to admit that Shortys dead-eye stare is becoming a rather frequent occurrence.


    "Don''t worry Catnip, we will find your brother and rescue him with or without that guys help. I''ve already given you my word. Oh and girls, don''t take Tatsu seriously. She is just joking around."


    "I am?"


    "Hmpth, this jerk as my husband? He can''t even keep his hands to himself. This type of guy would need to be constantly monitored for cheating. I am not interested in a man who touch the head of every girl he sees." She sent me a disgusting but also a resigned look and with a heavy sigh, continued on with a question. "What would be your decision March? Ravan seems harmless enough. He also is of Mongbock and Doe is certainly a good girl. Her brother does not not have the same spirit, but I can''t imagine him to be that bad. He lacks a lot, that is certain, but it might turn out that he actually has some redeeming qualities. In the end he has the same blood in his veins as his sister, so he could be of help to us."


    Long Tails lowered her big ears while whispering with us. While she was shooting boring looks at him, Goldy was scratching his fat belly. His eyes under his furrowed brows were judging us from the other side of the bonfire.


    "Lord Ian. Lady Malay, I..."


    Catnip took a deep breath. Her tail was still and it was obvious she was trying to force herself to say something. In the past three days I managed to break some ice between us, but her guard was already ridiculously high from the very start. Helping her out is not as simple as it looks. I stood up from my tree stump and smiled at her. She needs warmth and guarantee that she won''t be abandoned. Tatsu and Mal can give her that warmth and me too, to some degree. They can take care of her and be her support, but women and men support is not and should not be the same. Sometimes young girls, like Catnip, needs both in order to survive. Building her own pillar of stability needs a willing mind and many helping hands. Goldy can''t provide that help now, obviously goblons are no good either.


    My armored glove disappeared and I put my hand on Catnips head, stroking her ears and hair. This little trick with vanishing armor resulted in me getting an earful when we went for the ponds in the caverns below the goblon cave. I was so eager to bath after two days of constant stress, that in my haste I forgot about my wishing problems. My desperation to submerge in hot water earned me an ability to summon and unsummon my gear at will, but at the same time it cost me an hour of tirade and an extremely shameful display of things that should not be shown to girls of any respectable age.


    "You sure are reserved on that front. You are willing to do anything to help your brother, while not thinking much about yourself, do you? Mal is here for you, you know? Those last two days convinced me that she really cares about you. I too gave you my word and even Tatsu, being on the side of justice and all, is surely willing to help you out. You are not alone. You don''t need to say anything if you do not wish to, but you have friends that will stand beside you." Furry Ears stretched her arms and then hugged Catnip causing another short but intense bawling episode. Tatsu joined in and hugged both of the girls. Considering her height, she had to bend a knee.


    Catnip is a sweet, innocent girl and she deserves to have good friends. Although I don''t know if Tatsu could every take on that role.


    "NOOOOOO!"


    Our little family skit was brutally interrupted by Goldy''s desperate yell. He was on his knees banging the ground with his fists.


    "I won''t accept it. I will never accept it. She is mine. Lord Ian, how dare you touch her head! How shameless and violent can you be!"


    "What is it with you people and head pats? Look, there''s nothing wrong with it. You can do it too, however I would advise against it when it comes to adults."


    I moved my right hand away from Catnip and rested it on Furrys furry ears, stroking her head with slow and steady motions. At the same time I moved my left one to Tatsu and did the same. Apart from Furrys resentful gaze, she made no move against it. However, what disturbed me was Tatsus blissful look of extreme ecstasy. Yup, this is the last time I am touching her head.


    "Wha..."


    Goldys eyes were expressing a whole range of emotions. From utter horror, to total surprise, to complete disbelief.


    "Ravan. I think you already know this, but this man here lacks any common sense."


    "There is still a chance! If it was forced, the bond might not have been formed yet! I still have a chance!"


    With yet another heavy sigh Shorty shook her head. She was looking at Goldy with strange mixture of contempt and pity. I didn''t want to bicker with her about the point of common sense, so I followed with a more pressing subject.


    "Alright, lets wrap up the silly head pats issue and focus on what''s at hand." I removed my hands from the girls heads to avoid the pun. "Goldy boy, what would it be? Will you act as our guide around the capital or should we rope you against some tree in the forest and leave you there? I am sure, that with your storage, you will be a tasty snack for some wild beast."


    He was still acting unconvinced so I hovered my hand over Catnips head to give him a bit of encouragement.


    "I''ll do it! No need to threaten me. If I won''t go, there will be no one to protect her from you."


    "Glad to hear it. I am warning you though, If you try to do any funny business while we are at the capital, I''ll... turn you into a toad and give to some ugly witches to sexually experiment on. Keep that in mind." I walked up to him and pressed my gloved hand against his shoulder. "I always, keep my promises."


    Goldys face turned blue and he gulped audibly. I hope I scared him enough. It would be bad if he turned on us in the middle of our rescue mission or if he reported us to the knights at some point.


    "You really are cruel, Ian."


    "It''s his own choice. Now, lets get over our plan."


    ***


    "This, is our main target. As you can see, getting in probably won''t be easy and finding one particular person in that huge mansion won''t be any easier. Once we get into the capital, we will have to scout around in order to find a way in. Infiltrating that place is our main priority. Thankfully, we already have a solid lead."


    "It''s more like a castle or a fort rather than a mansion and the  center looks just like a pancake with domes on top. Who builds like this?"


    "You ain''t seen much of nobles district Tatsu. This thing is not really that strange compared to other buildings I''ve seen there."


    We are all gathered next to the bonfire in front of the goblon cave and what we can see now is vast grounds with another excuse of an art expression in its center. Of course it''s all conjured miniature and the plan is narrated by non other than Shorty.


    It is getting dark and dusk is slowly closing in on us, but it isn''t night yet so I can still see her and looking at her expression, I have to admit, Tatsu was on point. To make it clear, the dome parts don''t really look like domes at all. We are able to see this aberration of... well, something on an over-made, several story high pancake with guard towers, thanks to Furrys great capabilities.


    "Seriously, people in this world have severe problems with their imagination and tastes."


    "I couldn''t agree more, master."


    With no exaggeration, my eyes are bleeding rivers of blood watching this thing. That''s all because of Goldys incoherent explanations. They were translated into understandable interpretations and formulated into a simple plan, by our leader. Our captive blabbed for an hour about, in his words, ''Magnificent palace''. Making long story short, Furry made a three dimensional map, using her magical skills. She manipulated earth, mud and dirt to create a simple, yet very detailed view of the castle and its grounds where Bambom is being held. Don''t ask me about the name. It''s not me who came up with it. Still, I would be more than happy to have a word with Catnips parents regarding this particular subject.


    "Ian, focus and listen or you''ll end up messing up again. This time we are following my plan. Your ways of doing things only consist of talking things out. We all know how that would end up. We can''t allow for any incident of your doing to happen at the bal. There will be hundreds of nobles and knights in the Holy Capital."


    "Touch¨¦, Two Tails. Touch¨¦." I crossed my arms and sent her a disgruntled look.


    "Grrr..."


    Me and Tatsu were of the same mind. This cheeky girl will one day have what is coming for her.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Furry sighed deeply touching the bridge of her nose with her fingers and carried on.


    "Chaos or some kind of distraction would be welcomed, but our priority is to find the boy first. Gathering information would probably be almost impossible if you were to move in with your usual antics, Ian." She took a small bite of meat, gulped it down and returned the rest back to her bowl, she continued on with her monologue. "Getting back to the topic. We will have an opportunity to infiltrate very soon. As I already said, in four days Countess Vrostch will be having a party. She is the owner of that castle and is a high ranking noble in the Holy Empire. The bal will have hundreds of participants. It''s to celebrate the coming of age of Mor. He is her and her second husbands second son. Her first husband is the one that is tasked with the events organization."


    "Wait a moment there Shorty. I am not sure I understand. Does she have two husbands?"


    "No, Lord Ian, she has four of them."


    Goldys revelation made me drop my boar skewer, having it end up as an unfortunate addition to the pancake art.


    "What? Is that legal?"


    "Yes, lord Ian. Father of our current emperor said, ''I will make it, legal''... and he did."


    I was already having trouble understanding the norms of this world, but this piece of information made it more confusing. I know that there are always places that have some kind of patriarchal or matriarchal institutions or dogmas forced or imposed by different religions, beliefs or customs, but as far as I know, such rarely coexist with each other, if even at all. The Emperor have more than just few wives and a mistress or two on top of that and I can understand the reason for it, but I thought that was it. I can swallow why few nobles keep a mistress girl or a boy on the side. Powerful bloodlines need to flow and in their case some kind of insurance is a must. But four husbands...


    "Here, Lord God, another skewer."


    "Ah, yes, thank you, Chief Goblon." Chief gave me another piece of meat and moved behind me with a polite bow. This guy is the definition of a perfect butler. He isn''t one of those shadow butlers like Baldrick was, to my great relief.


    "Countess Vrostch, has a great swath of land to the north of the country. Vast farmlands as well as two mines of iron and a goldmine made her very rich, not to mention, a newly discovered dungeon in her lands gave here even more wealth. She came to power ten years ago and thanks to her many contributions she quickly rose in ranks. Her third and fourth husband married into the family three years ago and there are rumors about the fifth joining in soon. I myself think thank she is a venerable noble that is worthy of great respect."


    Goldy was speaking his mind while chomping off big chunks of one of boars crispy legs. His flabby chin worked hard with every bite.


    "My brother Reinqueth, is my fathers first wife third son. Three months ago, the patriarch received an invitation to the bal for Doeranaya. But, father wants to sell my sister to one of the royal family sons and not to Mor, so he pushed for Reinqueth to go instead of her."


    "Goldy, out of pure curiosity, how many children does she have and how she knows who''s the father?"


    "She has seven, Lord Ian. Her fourth husband is said to become a father in the next two to three years. Countess is currently thirty two and certain questions are not supposed to be asked." He looked at me with pure hatred. Boars leg in his grip was being violated by his trembling hands and he was attacking it with his teeth in a way that could only be summarized as venting out great amount of anger. "If you want to sneak in during the bal, the best way would be to get an invitation."


    "And that''s where my plan will go in to motion. Before that, we need to somehow get a hold of an invitation and forge it. Our current focus is to steal it from one of the nobles or from Ravans brother. Listen up everyone, we are departing tonight on Tatsus back and we are going straight for the capital. I do not see any clouds in the sky so we are going to fly low under the light of the moons."


    Furrys idea was sound, except for one part that didn''t make any sense.


    "What?"


    "You have no say in the matter Ian. We are flying. Period."


    "You can''t force me!"


    "Should I tell Doe about your wild run across the cave full of goblins while not having a single piece of clothing on you? I am sure that, that little girl would be thrilled to hear all about your perverted nature, not to mention your escapades to the memories of pure maidens as you have already scarred us with shameless image of your body! All that, just few days after your daring marriage proposal to that noble lady!"


    "On second thought, flying is ok. You know Mal, you look quite beautiful today. That cloak really looks good on you, despite those shabby tatters you are wearing and that face of yours. Your tails are also longer and bushier than they were yesterday. Your corny and unwelcoming attitude is even more charming than it was the first day that we have met."


    I said it all with the best smile I had. My attempt at cajolery was met with a rather emotionless response and a flat gaze. Damn, I don''t thing it worked.


    "We move in five hours, get ready everyone." In a quick attempt to disengage from the front lines I started to retreat back to the cave trying to evade any possible threats by putting my self in front of Tatsu. I used her as a dragon shield, but unfortunately was caught mere seconds later, invalidating all of my efforts at evasion. Cold, unforgiving hand grabbed my shoulder with Hulks incredible strength. "You''re coming with me."


    ***


    I was dragged back in front of the bonfire and then confronted with a very strange set of questions and orders.


    "Ian, if we are to succeed with our plan, you need to do something with that aura of yours. We won''t be able to enter the castle, not to mention approach capital itself If every person with even the poorest of detection skills can spot you from hundreds of meters away. We will be caught at the city gates or worse, shot with a balista before we even get close to the city."


    I was quite surprised. There was no scolding. At least not yet. Knowing this girls temper however, whatever I say or do will end up with her blowing up sooner than later and unfortunately I have trouble understanding what she means, is a balista some kind of a metaphor?


    "I have an aura? You mean, my inborn charisma, right?"


    "Charisma my foot. Ian, If I were to put you in the middle of a town, everyone in that town and possibly in all villages around it, would instantly know where you are. You are shining like a frenzied lighthouse. With all that ether you are emitting it''s a miracle we haven''t been found yet. The only reason I can think of, that we are not bothered here is because we are in a thick forest and have taken shelter in a goblin cave. Even with that I can only say it''s pure luck or some divine providence that we had those two days without any interference."


    "What in the world are you talking about Shorty. I don''t see any ether around." I looked for shining lights or any kind of magical effects, like in movies, but there is nothing here. It''s Just us and the darkening sky. "And what even is ether? Is it something like mana? Is it what you used to create that map of the castle earlier?"


    Furry in completely unexpected move sighed again and moved her hands to her forehead. With irritated expression she slowly slid them down her face and graced me with the eyes of a dead fish.


    "Why do you think you could not see a single creature in the forest except for goblins. For us to eat those skewers today they had to go to the very edges to hunt." She moved closer to the bonfire and continued on while warming her hands. "Ian, you might be an idiot sometimes, but you are certainly not dumb. There is no way you can keep running away from this. Tell me, what happens every time you are trying to talk to people."


    "Shorty, you are exaggerating again. It''s not true there are no critters around. I recently saw a squir... or maybe it was a hamster? Anyway I have no problems talking with people. Look at Tatsu and Catnip. They have no problems talking to me and even Goldy and his sister were ok. Goblons communicate with me too, even if they are just grunts. And that hamster I just told you about, it had a solid dialog with me, although it was one sided and that particular conversation stole a bit of my sanity and couple of years out of me." I set my case and smiled confidently, but apparently that cheeky girl had already prepared solid answers. She also ignored the squirrel part.


    "They faint, Ian. That is because the amount of ether you emit from that body of yours is enough to knock out a damned Rainho bird. It''s so strong that I wouldn''t be surprised even if that overgrown bird died while doing a backflip and Rainho usually weight over ten tons! Doe needed three magic items of quality I dare not to mention and they were still barely able to withstand the pressure. Ravan has a magical breastplate that must be an heirloom and is a very high class item that protects the mind. Tatsu is a dragon. Strange, quirky and doesn''t even look like one, but no matter how you put it she is still a damned dragon. By default, all dragons are immune to any kind of mind alteration influence and magic is in their very veins, they literally breathe ether. March, on the other hand, is a cat kin. Her race is somewhat resistant to magic and she is able to adapt quickly, even to yours. I am also helping her with adjustments. As for me, I am..."


    "...a demigod, yes, yes. Ok, you have an answer for everything. Still, all of this is strange, don''t you think? I could not possibly call it a coincidence. If all of you have some means of defense against my... ether, how can you explain that? How come that we all met? I do not like being led by the nose, but it looks to me like something or someone made it happen. The question is, whether it is that I am lucky or maybe it is that you are? Or maybe, non of us are and you are just blabbering nonsense."


    Shorty looked me in the eyes for a long while and after what looked like a good minute she sat down on a tree trunk that was chopped by one of the goblons earlier. Her hands started to move with fluid motions, caressing the air and creating strange patterns. When she spoke again her voice had a trace of uncertainty and you could even feel fear if you listened carefully. Looking at her beautiful gestures as she waved light with her hands, I listened very carefully.


    "I don''t know. Your existence is strange no matter how I look at it. Nothing I know makes sense when I talk with you. Was our meeting preordained? Was our fate tempered with? There are beings who can change fate. I, know one who can." The last part was almost a whisper, it trembled with mixture of anger, fear and anxiety. With pensive expression on her face, Furry grabbed a pot with water by her side and started to move one of her hands again. The motions she was making were slow and graceful. Her fingers worked with nimbleness and dexterity. "You must understand that I was once praised as the most beautiful and knowledgeable woman in the whole Forest. There wasn''t a person that did not respect me. People would often ask me for advice and I could be there for them. But I already lost all of that and it will take time to restore my body and powers not to mention my peoples trust. In contrast to what I have lost so long ago, what I gained is an infuriating baggage and a whole lot of questions."


    "That was rude."


    "Still, I can''t blame you for my own circumstances and what angers me the most is that although I want to say our situation is your fault, I know that in truth, it isn''t, not all of it at least. We were all incredibly lucky to get out of Onaboron the way we did. You created a whole mountain of problems, but I know you are... somewhat, relatively... to some degree, not a bad person. Whether I want to admit it or not, you rescued me and doing so you also saved March." With a solemn look, she stopped for a moment and looked at the two moons that shone brightly. "Thank you, Ian."


    She moved her face away from the moons and in opposite direction from my own, so I couldn''t see her all embarrassed. It must have cost her a lot to be this open with me. After a moment of silence, she resumed weaving her hands and in response to her actions, water streamed out of the pot and created clear sheet in front of her. She took air in her lungs and released a gentle breath turning the water to ice. She brushed it once with her palm changing the surface as it started to reflect her face. She took the now created mirror in her hands and started to polish it with the tip of her cloak.


    "I look like a little kid now, but mark my words Ian. With time you will acknowledge me and you will stop treating my like a brat." It looks like she is really hanged up on the idea of her authority being respected. I can understand that very well. Maybe I should change my way of speaking to this girl. "We need to hide your aura somehow. Thankfully, your dragon subordinate is skilled at manipulating ether, so I don''t have to worry about her. We will need her strength. I am still to weak to be a proper help." Her sad face was saying it clearly. She really is bummed out with her current condition. After hearing her out, it is clear this girl needs some pats on the back.


    I walked up to her and put my hand on her shoulder. I was about to tell her not to worry to much, but my attention was drawn to the reflection in the makeshift mirror.


    "What a strange surface. Have you made it to show up someone in particular or is it that my reflection is distorted to look like someone else? Are we going to change my looks to that guy so we could sneak into the castle?"


    "No, this is your reflection. There is no alteration to it."


    "What?"


    My jaw dropped. What she said could be nothing but a ridiculous case of a very bad joke. From few things I remember about myself I actually have full recollection of my own face. The guy I see in the mirror is someone completely different, it''s an intimidating, incredibly scary looking man in his late twenties. If I had to say, with this guys kind of jawline you could even sharpen razors. He would be quite handsome if not for overall, ''I''ll murder you'' face. It''s common for people to think that such looks is a magnet for girls and an epitome of being a badass, but in real life, on a normal street, with simple common people, such a guy would be nothing more but a laughing stock and he would quickly turn into a meme. If it''s really me now, then I can understand why people faint when they are confronted with this. And it''s better that way, if they had a little bit more time, then those people would turn from being intimidated to being dead from severe stomach pain caused by excess laughing. However, that is still on the edge of being acceptable. On a scale of bad to very bad, its currently on abysmal. That''s because the worst aspect of the reflection that is an absolute cringe is not the jaw or the face itself. Whoever thought it would be funny to put me in a body with this, had a really twisted personality. It''s no longer on a level of a bad joke. I really think that someone did that on purpose out of pure spite to torture me.


    "My eyes glow! They look like they are going to swim out of their sockets at any second. What the hell, Shorty, since when were my eyes like that? They look like freaking sand moving on its own!"


    "They were giving off that golden-black shine since we''ve met. I don''t know about before that, though."


    This, could not be happening.


    "Why do they glow!"


    "How should I know! Why ask me?"


    "This is unbearable. Are you telling me that all the people we talked to up until now, even little Doe, they all saw this? No wonder she accepted, she practically had no choice or she probably felt like she would be murdered on the spot."


    "It''s not because of that she accepted. Calm down Ian. You are losing it."


    "I-I need something to cover my face, I need a mask, yes, a mask. Also, it would be best if I erase the memory of myself from the heads of all these people, yes I should erase the memory and the people with that memory. Where is my Mjolet. Head trauma is the best way to get people to forg..."


    Suddenly I felt cold hands on both of my cheeks.


    "Ian, deep breaths. Breath in, breath out. Come back to reality. Do you really want to hit Doe with that hammer of yours."


    Furry was holding my face in her hands while standing on tiptoes. She was staring hard into my eyes and clearly trying to bring me back from whatever mental carousel I put my self in. I realized I was wholly covered in cold sweat and my heart was beating like crazy. A little bit more and I would end up with a panic attack.


    "You... are right." I took a deep breath and tried to relax. I narrowly avoided doing something out of desperation and its consequences could potentially be catastrophic. I am normally calm and collected, but when it comes to my image I lose it quite fast. Normally, it wouldn''t be that important. But in my current situation, my one mistake could cost someone their life. "I''m ok Mal. Thanks."


    I took a quick glance at my reflection again. What returned back to me was a look of a terminator gone mental, with bad case of cringy, creepy eyes, but it still could be worse. Thankfully, I do not have demon wings on my head or tentacles growing out of my butt.


    "Ian, give me your hand." Furry grabbed both of them without waiting for my response. "You and I are already connected due to your..." She stopped her tongue in the middle of her sentence and after a second, carried on with another thought. "I am currently trying to exchange energy between us. Tell me when you''ll feel something is different." After a minute of standing like that near the bonfire and only with the moons accompanying us, the mood became extremely awkward.


    "Trying to force myself through your shell is like trying to open a safe with a kitchen knife. It''s practically impossible, especially when I am this weak. Listen Ian, ether is energy. Mana is also a form of energy. Both are not the same, but both are energy. They can mix, intermingle or reject each other. People in this word manifest different kind of effects by manipulating this energy. There are many kinds of it, but the important part for you to know now is how it feels."


    "What about those mages in pajamas. Were they also using ether? The only thing I know about it is that it is only used by petty kidnappers."


    "Stop with the jokes. Humans and generally all mortal races, like March, have very shallow understanding of ether. In order for them to manifest anything, they need utmost concentration. They often chant, call to gods or do anything they can to boost end effects. Imagination is extremely important, and if you immerse fully in what you want to do, the effect is that much visible. Those mages were actually very strong and were known even in my time as a force to be reckoned with." She stopped glaring at my hands and directed her head for the moon above us. Then she closed her eyes and gripped my hands with even more strength. "And you mocked them in full view of more than a hundred people. Their tower won''t let it go easily. In just one day, you made an enemy of a whole country and a powerful order of mages. Summoning Tatsu the way you did, most probably put all the gods in the vicinity on a high alert, too." She furrowed her eyebrows and sweat covered her cheeks. "To make it simple for you to understand, ether is the most basic form of energy, it''s what the universe is built of. Even your thoughts could be a form of ether. Mana you speak of and other kinds of magical energy are all derivatives that can evolve from it. Do you still not feel anything?"


    "It tickles a bit."


    "This is pointless." She let go of my hands, opened her eyes and swept the sweat from her brows.


    "So, the thing I need to do, is to make that energy or whatever it is, go somewhere where no one can see it, or make it invisible?"


    "You can''t make it invisible. Beings like gods or demigods, normal mages, the simplest commoners or feral beasts, even newborn children emits energy all the time, unique all but to themselves. People can learn to curb that energy down to emit incredibly small amounts and store it in their bodies. Sometimes to great quantities, you can limit how much ether you release but this can never go to zero. Normally you wouldn''t see it without some form of detection and people learn how to hide their ether levels, unless the person in question release it in some form, that will also make them lose the energy they were gathering for a period of time, you can''t normally guess how powerful some people could be. Every person has a limit of the energy they can take in or release from their bodies. It changes with training and experience and it is even harder to manifest it into the desired form. I am trying to think of a way for you to release a standard level that would be comparable to that of most humans. It would be a easy thing for me, if you were a human, but In your case... Since the time in the dungeon, you were bursting out an inexhaustible amounts of energy without end and it looks like you haven''t even noticed it. That is what I meant by your aura. It is so dense and there is so much of it that people in your vicinity simply can''t take it. If they are not accustomed to magic or high amounts of energy, they just, pass out."


    It sounded very familiar. It is like in games.


    "So it''s just like mana points. You gather it without doing anything or meditating and you spend it by casting spells, until you run dry and then start to gather it again."


    "More or less, yes. It takes years to learn proper techniques and arts to be proficient. But in your case, there is no concept of running dry. You are like a huge dam with all of its gates opened wide. Like a fully turned on faucet with its cork screwed off. You are like an open wound from witch primal ether spills in to our world without stop. For now it is how it is, but if we leave it alone, in the near future, it could bring a whole lot unknown changes to this world. I can''t even fathom the effects it could have on Aranna."


    I knew it, so from the very beginning I really was a ticking bomb. The one who put me in this body is a total a-hole. But, I won''t be beaten so easily. I''ve been given a weapon, so, I might as well use it.


    Apart from bonfire giving us light, night took over completely. Darkness was spilling from the woods around us. Typical sound and smell of the forest could reach my ears and nose and it was really calming.


    "Mal, I''ll try to do something. Previously, I half-assed things, but this time I''ll make a solid effort." She must have felt the change in the air as she came up to me and grabbed my arm. Normally she would slip some snide remark, but this time she said nothing. I took it as an encouragement. I closed my eyes and started to formulate a wish.

 Chapter 12: Sir Quicks scary moment, but not really

    If you walk the streets of the capital of the Holy Empire, it is said that sooner rather than later, that is, depending on your level of tolerance of course, you would most probably come to realize how much you hate the place. People that carry their lives here, have the most ridiculous misunderstanding, you see. They believe the royal palace to be the wealthiest and the most beautiful in the whole world and the Holy Empire as a country to be the very center of known universe. Which is a rather embarrassing exaggeration, to say the least. The Holy Chosen, as they like to call themselves, genuinely believe that the sun that goes around, shine only on their heads, and keep in the dark everyone else. In their eyes, any other nation or country is far beneath them. Truth be told, the main palace of current emperor is indeed mostly built out of rare materials and its inner walls gives off a brilliance of gold and gems. Years upon years of constant upgrades done by every new emperor that decided he can make it look better, added some kind of new flavor, making the Palace a very peculiar type beauty. Suffice to say, It is a far cry from being the first place on Aranna in terms of true beauty and splendor.


    But for the greedy eyes of nobles and commoners in the capital, they would never agree to these news and just like there is a first place, there is also a second. Not far from the opulence of the royal palace, there is a contender fighting for the second spot. The Sunlight Manor. It is a large castle located at the edge of the city. Its wealth and prosperity overflows from its denizens and especially the owner herself. Eyewitnesses could swear that the very walls are covered with pure gold and even toilet pots for servants are adorned with expensive gems. Visiting nobles silently scowl at the countess with their hidden jealousy, but non dare to say anything against her. There, of course, is a reason for it. In the shadowy alleys, in dark workings of underworld dealings, it is rumored that only death awaits for those who seek her harm. In the past ten years, many lesser nobles tried to end house Vrostch good fortune, but one is yet to succeed and stay alive. What many may not know, the countess is a formidable witch. Her dabbling in dark arts gave her an advantage over her peers and guaranteed great wealth, knowledge and strength. As powerful as she came to be, she grew one embarrassing weakness. The object of that weakness, will soon come to be the center of a heated debate and countless number of headaches.


    Young butler Norton entered countess private chambers and gave a perfect ninety degree bow in the direction of the bed. After few seconds of hasty shuffles, from under the covers, a disheveled hair and a face full of freckles popped up.


    "What!"


    "My lady, Prince Veron and Princess Marianna with their entourage came and seek an unofficial meeting. They insist its urgent."


    For a moment it looked like the soft and velvet singsong voice of butler Norton failed to reach countess ears as she had a dumbfounded look on her face.


    "What?"


    "My lady, Prince Veron and Prin..." Norton Made a swift step to the side continuing his ninty degree bow and avoiding a dangerously thrown pillow, that almost smacked him of his feat.


    "Alright, alright I heard it the first time. Did they say what this is all about? The bal is in three days, is it regarding the participants? I''ve already sent them invitations."


    "No my lady, they only said that time is of the essence."


    It only took few seconds for the woman on the grand bed that could accommodate several people at once to restart her thought process and get a hung of the situation.


    "Fine. If it''s unofficial then instead of an audience chamber bring them to the guest room."


    "I beg your forgiveness my lady, but they have over twenty people, mostly royal knights, judging from the atmosphere I would suggest the strategy room instead."


    The countess brows went all up almost reaching the line of her white hair. Her dark eyes fully woke up and when the brows returned to their original position, her aura became menacing.


    "Norton, get them there, and activate all of castles defenses. Turn anti-spy spells in that room too. I''ll get to the strategy room in thirty minutes." Receiving his lady''s orders Norton gave another bow and retreated, having been replaced by a dozen of maids.


    The countess had a lot to think about. While her garments were being changed and her body being bathed by magic tools she pondered if she crossed some kind of line making the emperor having enough of her playing around. But she couldn''t think of anything. She was always very careful not to touch or harm anything or anyone belonging to the royals.


    Having her head full of questions and hastily calculated new plans in case of her unexpected downfall, she made her way down to the strategy room located in the war tower near the training grounds on the far east side of the castle. She made sure to be adorned with light military garment to show respect and readiness to her visitors, but to not look too intimidating. Marching through a long stone corridor with her old advisor behind her left and both first and second husband behind her right, she was making a steady long steps while showing confidence. At the end of the long passage a guard bowed down and then opened the double door for his lady to enter the war hall.


    The moment she entered, there was a soft pop and next to the already waiting royal children and their entourage, two new people appeared out of thin air.


    Countess Vrostch was prepared to some extent for who she might meet excluding the royal son and daughter, but those two new visitors put her into a state of shock. When she saw who popped in and nonchalantly sat on a grand sofa, she instantaneously broke eye contact. Her eyes kissed the floor and her knee soon followed. If the visit was official she would have to give the royals a proper welcome. Countess thought it wouldn''t be needed now, but she grossly misunderstood who really came. Her true visitor, wasn''t the prince or the princess.


    "You may stand up. It''s not an official visit, so treat us as you would others." That was of course impossible. Still, she had little to no choice but to obey.


    "Yes, you can treat us as you will for now. I''m Nazar and this hag here with boobs taking most of her brain is Vos. Veron, my dear, please follow with the introduction."


    Nazar made a seductive gesture in Verons direction and tried to send him an alluring smile, but unfortunately for her, he quickly avoided any eye contact. Vos on the other hand winked at him, while trying to catch his eyes with her cleavage, but her struggles were also left unanswered. His strained smile and visible cold sweat dripping from his royal brows gave him a look of a frightened rabbit.


    "Yes, you already know me and my sister Marianna from our debiut a year ago." After introducing himself and his sister, Veron gestured with his hand to a burly man reaching two meters in height and to two others next to him that had a very serious expression. "On the left is the current captain of the Holy Order, commander Morthel and two privates that will explain the situation later on. Private Bork and Private Caraan."


    Both privates lowered their heads and then saluted. Morthel however made a full greeting.


    "It is an honor to meet the venerated countess of house Vrostch. Your reputation is widely known and respected within the Holy Order." His voice, a slow and deep rumble, a truly manly voice that brought about an atmosphere of a calm mountain.


    "Next, the person on my right is called Valerie and she is a chosen of the goddess Nazar. She will also explain later on why she is here together with her mistress. There, on her lap you can see Sir Quick, The Brick, who will I hope, provide pivotal information. He joined us few minutes ago so even we don''t know what information he gathered, but goddess Vos deemed you indispensable in our future proceedings so we believe you ought to hear his report too."


    Two gods, one demigod, a chosen, royal children, captain of the Holy Order. The countess started to have chills down her spine. Whatever plan they have, she was dead the moment of slightest insubordination or failure. During her whole life she gathered an incredible amount of power, but compared to the individuals in the room, she could as well have gathered nothing at all. She was also curious why Valerie was in a state of a practical mummy. Almost fully covered in bandages. That was odd since healing magic progressed vastly in last forty years and you could heal most injuries within days, except for lost limbs. Not to mention most chosen had incredible endurance thanks to the blessings of their gods.


    "Machial, show yourself." A man with a dark hood and a black cloak stepped out of the shadows. Countess did not even notice him before and she was a master of the dark arts specialized in manipulating darkness. The revelation that she failed to notice him terrified her. It was clear that he had to be an incredibly skilled assassin. "He is a commander of the special unit of seekers. Around ten days ago, Machials unit caught two spies that tried to gather information in a town called Onaboron. Two cat kin. A girl and a boy. The girl was taken for questioning and the boy, has been given to the local magistrate for processing. later on he was sold to one of the noble houses. I believe you know whose."


    Countess back covered with cold sweat. She now understood what they came here for. But one boy could hardly be a reason for such a grant party to come and question her.


    "The boys name is Bambom. I bought him legally, so if it''s needed I can bring you papers with the magistrate seal." Countess was always very careful and obeyed requests from her superiors. But the thing is, that the boy is not going to be surrendered without a fight. No matter who it is, a god or a prince. Countess was determined not to give up her beloved body pillow to anyone. "Prince Veron, may I ask why you are looking for him?"


    "You''ll understand soon enough. Bring him here."


    Hesitant but with little choice, countess turned to her first husband and gestured with her head for him to go. A moment later he was already on his way. In his place several servants came in with delicious looking food and drinks. Both goddesses shamelessly jumped on the snacks leaving the rest to ponder if they even should grab a bite at all. Once the room was clear of servants, Morthel addressed one of his subordinates.


    "Bork, we will start with you. In order to rope the countess in on what is happening, we need to tell her ladyship what transpired up until now."


    "Yes, commander. Your ladyship it all started..."


    Countess Vrostch listened carefully, her eyes becoming more and more round with each word private said. When Valeries turn came, she started with her story detailing her fight with intruders and her subsequent defeat. In the middle of her tale, countess unconsciously reached for whiskey stashed in a secret compartment under the war table. The prince must have understood how she felt and didn''t say a thing. That''s because he himself fainted when he heard the news for the first time. What really brought proverbial nail to the coffin was the information on where the intruders where headed and a possibly why. There was no mistake, as the answers were provided due to the skill granted to the chosen by her goddess, at least until they were rendered useless. The intruders where clearly looking for the boy. For whatever reason, knowingly or not, the boy held the whole empire in a checkmate.


    With Valeries story coming to a close, countess took a large swing and directly drank from the bottle. Her whole house became a target of a person suspected to be a dragon and an outer god who could deal with one of the strongest chosen on this continent like she''s some brat, not to mention the charmed forest lady of an unprecedented renown. That is already a force that could flatten whole countries. To add more to her problems it is confirmed that they have two artifacts. One of unknown power but strong enough to ruin a city with only one swing.


    "It is still not confirmed why the boy is so important for the outer god for him to go to such lengths to chase after. I hope he could provide us some information. Sir Quick could you please follow with your report?"


    "Squeak!"


    Little rodent that was until now polishing one of his broadswords, stored it back into his dimensional pocket, jumped down from Valeries lap and run up to the war table. He then made a big jump and placed himself at the center, in between various delicacies. After a second he took some empty plates and bowls creating a small pyramid and then jumped again at its top meeting most of the people in the room on their eye level.


    "Squeak!!" His story began dramatically as he was swinging his little paws here and there. Unfortunately, his heated tale was met with a rather poor reception as only two goddesses were actually able to understand him. Thankfully, Vos picked up the mantle and started to translate. She sat on the edge of the table in a seductive manner. She took Sir quick from his pedestal and placed him on her long tail. It coiled around the table but most of the eyes observing them, apart from princes, were focused on another part of her body.


    "Bitch." Unperturbed by her colleagues comment Vos started to translate while Sir Quick narrated his thrilling encounter.


    ***


    "When I entered Onaboron, I picked up on the scent of my pray almost immediately. My heightened senses of smell and piercing vision of a hawk found traces the intruder left the moment I entered the city square. I met with an unbelievable destruction. Hundreds of houses left without roofs, gouges of upturned earth and smoldering carts everywhere. The very heart of the city, magistrate built as one of the most sturdy buildings in the whole country and the artistic symbol of the holy order of the crescent moon, was no more. Swept from the face of the earth. Nothing was left of it, only a gaping hole. It was truly a mortifying sight."


    Sir Quick made a long pause. He jumped up back on the makeshift pyramid and continued on. "Squeak!"


    "I knew that they couldn''t have escaped far. From rumors and eyewitness to the very master of the green tower, I learned from them what transpired. The Archmage Abaron himself seething with anger, swore a gory revenge on the being that humiliated his tower. The mages even helped with privates teleportation to the capital, something they wouldn''t normally do." Sir Quick, gestured towards Bork and Caraan. He swiftly took a nut from somewhere and after a crack and few seconds of munching, he carried on. "I listened to the peoples rumors while hiding in shadows. Many spoke of a giant snake that the enemy flew off on towards forests to the north. That aligned with what Abaron said. At that point I became wary. But, as I was about to travel in pursuit, I came upon my old acquaintance. And thank to my mistress in all of her glory for that encounter, for what I learned from him, saved my life." Vos made a chuckle and fed her chosen with more nuts.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "My friend is an old rat that survived in the slams for a long time. What he told me, was that what flew away with the outer god on its back, was not a snake. In his younger days, he once had a close call with a dragon. He remembered the scent as he was running away with all the strength in his paws. Stealing a single coin almost ended him being fried to a crisp back then. When we were speaking, he was all trembling while holding on to his whiskers. In his words, the fear he felt then was the same as he felt now. It made me sure that the enemy flew away on a true dragon. I could no longer simply challenge them to a fight. Lady Valery might not have known this and look at her current state. As strong as she is, even she can''t face a dragon alone." Valery grunted something about knowing and winning her fight but was shushed by Nazar.


    "Let him finish, I want to hear the details of that dragon. One that has no qualms changing to a humanoid form or taking passengers on its back is either completely mad or unquestioningly devoted. She might be a hidden daughter of the basilisk dragon Gunnar slain three hundred years ago, but still this is highly unlikely."


    "I determined that my only chance, is to confront the outer god directly, without his companions. Dragons can''t be charmed, but that doesn''t mean they can''t succumb to manipulation, especially by a cunning mind. So, I could try to free forest lady Malay from the spell or persuade the dragon. But, I knew nothing about the dragon or the spell, so I decided to go after the source. That however, was harder than I originally thought."


    Sir Quick quickly scanned the room. Making sure that everyone was listening.


    "I am not particularly good at discerning ether so I had to ask animals for help. I followed them to a cave, deep in the forest several hours north to Onaboron. But what I saw there, made my blood run cold."


    "Brave Sir Quick. Tell us, what did you see there?" Nazar asked ending with audible whisper. She sat on the table next to Vos making sure to step on her long tail in the process. Receiving a fast elbow blow to the ribs in return.


    "Goblins." He said the word slowly. Deliberately trying to build up the dread, but not making any real impact.


    "What? Just goblins? There are always goblins in forests."


    "Not to mention they aren''t particularly strong."


    Both the prince and commander Morthel voiced their disappointment. That didn''t deterred the rodent from carrying on with a grieving tone.


    "Hundreds of them. Walking side by side. Forming groups of five or ten. Creating teams, hunting together. Setting traps and tents, gurgling to each other and issuing commands, cooking soups..."


    "Oh crap."


    "Oh crap indeed, Princess Marianne." When soup was mentioned, all people gathered except the princess held their breath. Sir quick succeeding in his dramatic confirmation, lowered his little head and closed his eyes. For a second there, he held on to the atmosphere and slowly opened his eyes locking them with everyone in the room. He looked menacingly having his eyes covered with a large portion of his brows.


    "With my stealth abilities I managed to sneak close enough. There at the entrance to the cave, the outer god named Ian, has given a name to ten goblins and that''s not even all of it."


    "Ian? Isn''t that a typical butlers name?"


    "Shut up Bork, don''t interrupt."


    "Ekhem, as I was saying, it''s not all. Thanks to the magical device I was given by Lord Nam, I managed to overhear the dragons name too. She is called Tatsu and I also know why she is helping him. It turns out, they are lovers. The dragon is helping him out of her free will."


    "I see, so there is no point in trying to reason with her. The difficulty has risen tremendously. But I have never heard of that name before and there aren''t many dragons to begin with."


    "I agree. Morthel is right. It''s no longer a case of summoning an outer to fight an evil outer god. We need a far grater force to challenge both the dragon and her master at the same time. It''s a vital information." Veron hid his face in his hands. Unfortunately he was about to be given another piece of unnerving intel.


    "There is more. All those goblins are led by a named one called Goblon. He fell under the orders of the outer god. I believe he was already evolved when given a name."


    "Oh for heavens sake, are you telling me, there could be an army of goblins from all around the country on march to siege the capital right now?" Veron stood up with his fists clenched.


    "It needs time to gather an army, moreover if this is an organized force of goblins. And they are as much in a hurry as we are. It is quite obvious that this outer god is of the cunning type. The worst possible kind. Previous ones were just after blood or simply wanted to destroy everything. It was easy to guess what they were after if all they did was massacre people, demand sacrifices or simply wanting to become a ruling tyrant of some small country. This time, it''s different. We do not really know what his goal is, why he took a simple cat kin of no significant importance and is after it''s sibling. There is a ploy here that is completely unknown to us. We should assume he knows, that we know, what he is after, namely the cat. If he is smart and it looks like he is, then he must know that if he goes in and attack the capital with goblin army or a dragon, he won''t find him. The boy is our bargaining chip. And the best place to look for him, would be..."


    "...at my bal."


    Countess finished Nazars long conclusion. The goddess, nodded. It was indeed true. Since the bal was going to happen in few days, there would be no time to gather great forces. They needed to move swiftly or risk Bambom to disappear forever.


    "Squeak."


    "Sorry my dear." Vos took the little squirrel and placed him back on her lap. "There is one last thing I should inform you off. I came to the conclusion I should interfere as the chosen of my goddess..." Sir Quick carried with his speech, but had to stop for a second as Vos nonchalantly picked him up and given him a little smooch on the cheek. She then placed him in the middle of her, more than impressive cleavage, preventing any forms of escape. Her confusing action could be strange if not for a little wink she shot in the direction of Verons unimpressed face.


    "You think you''re so smart, you snake. Hitting two birds with one stone. No ones going to be jealous, you know?" With a quick hand trick, Nazar took The rodent out of his prison and placed him against her own rather meager assets, making the same wink in the same direction, only to meet with the same reception.


    Prince Veron Is a very handsome man as well as the man of stature. Unfortunately for both goddesses, his preferences were already set somewhere else entirely.


    "Squeak."


    Vos narrowed her eyes and picked Sir quick again back on to her lap as he continued on with his story.


    "I took upon myself to deal with the outer god. Facing a dragon could be out of my abilities but I hoped that I would still be a match for the invader. I sneaked upon him when he was alone in the woods but it turned out I was spotted immediately and I came to understand he was waiting for me from the very beginning. My subjugation plan was met immediately with his question if I was a challenger. I thought I had a chance at killing him so I squeaked, yes! In the next second, I understood I have never made a bigger mistake in my life than in that moment."


    Sir Quick stopped fiddling with the nut in his paw. He plopped on the plate he was sitting on and barely made any sound at all. The room was silent, full of people waiting with bated breath. After a solid minute brave Sir Quick gathered his wits and continued on with a shaken squeak. "Death. I felt my own death. It crawled below my skin like angered centipedes. It''s icy grip tightening on the back of my neck. My body felt like being drowned below tar and mud. Metallic taste od blood and rust filled my mouth. My soul screamed. I was stabbed to death, drowned, burned, sliced, every manner of death you think possible, I felt it. It only took few seconds, but for me... it was eternity." He put one of his paws to his heart and grimaced. "It was just a simple killing intent. The silliest part was that he wasn''t even that serious with it."


    A hand of the goddess with illustrious scales on it, landed on the brave rodents back. Vos didn''t say anything, but this little gesture brought Sir Quick back on to his feat. "I mustered all the strength I had to overcome and with great difficulty I prevailed. " He took a deep breath and met eyes with his goddess. "He said he came from the void of stars. Introduced himself as an unholy master of evil. A malevolent being that likes to inflict pain and seeks all kind of pleasures. He already devoured his world and came to Aranna to eat it next. In his words, humans are powerless. That they are mere ants and have no power needed to stop him. He doesn''t fear men and he said that no women could ever disobey him. The worst of all, is that he treats gods as... stepping stones."


    "Outrages."


    "That''s a load of bull in my opinion."


    "He is just full of himself."


    "Their kind is always the same, a load of bark and no bite."


    "But, I do believe we..."


    "Silence."


    It took only few words to bring everyone present in the room to their feet. Everyone felt taunted. Total disregard for humanity and treatment of their patrons as mere stepping stones infuriated every person in the room. Among angry voices not even the two goddesses were left without being deeply offended. But as it took few words to raise everyone from their sits, it took only one for everyone to shut up.


    Nazar uttered one word filled with magic and gathered all of the focus in the room on her.


    "Vos, I just had a dreadful thought. What if the outer god meant it literally when he said that no woman can disobey him." She slowly rose from her sitting position on the table and faced her colleague. "We couldn''t even contact Aranna via ritual." She looked Vos in the eyes and her perfect visage, paled. " Vos, what if... " Nazar with her almost perfectly beautiful face bringing to memory depictions of Egyptian queen, paled more and more. "...what if... what if Aranna actually has a gender, Vos?" Vos''s jaw dropped. That thought never occurred to her.


    At that moment there was a soft knock on the door and two husbands to the Countess along with her beloved body pillow entered the room. Bambom was a young lad barely looking to be ten. He didn''t hit puberty yet. He was mainly used as a body heater as Countess developed a need to sleep with young boys, albeit not in any way a romantic manner, she had her husbands for that. In this case however, you could say that her attachment to the boy grew beyond fondness due to his furry ears and overwhelmingly cute nature. To add to his general demeanor, he was currently wearing a sleepover rabbit pajama that was far to big for him. His cat ears being covered with bunny ones moved around trying to take in his new surroundings. Him being scared and shivering thanks to the atmosphere present in the room, made him a particularly juicy snack for the Countess as well as for the two goddesses or any women with an aunt status.


    Both goddesses put on predatory smiles and started to take him on the lap in turns feeding the poor cat kid with all manners of sweets present on the table, completely forgetting about the main problem.


    It took Veron considerable amount of time to get the issue back on track.


    However, at the same time, somewhere else...


    ***


    The cave was particularly hot. Not like tropical hot, but like forge hot. Hot, dry air travel via shafts circulating almost whole mountain. Dwarfs inhabiting lower levels use the mountain as a one big forge and the owner of the mountain allows this, due to number of benefits.


    A particularly grumpy dwarf stood with a long parchment in the middle of said cave at the very peak of the mountain. All shafts gather here, making the cave both the hottest and at the same time the windiest. He dared to take a quick glimpse at the ever growing mountain of treasures at the treasure room. The room was always visible albeit it had invisible walls. Protected by myriad of spells. The cave was so big that the room could always be spotted no matter where you stood.


    The grumpy dwarf licked his parched lips and returned to his parchment. He had a very detailed report to make. Not long after, he heard a sound of flapping wings and felt vibrations throughout the cave. An enormous body landed not far away and it''s weight started to make its way to where he was standing. He scrolled the parchment down and bend a knee, waiting until a very slow and deep voice reached him. It was more feminine than masculine, but since it''s owner wasn''t of human kind, it carried both genders parts into the mix. And it sounded quite irritated.


    "Were you eyeing my shinies, again."


    "I would never dream of it Lady Fie."


    "Hmpth, of course you wouldn''t."


    Fie the Frozen Terror is one of the younger dragons. Her renown isn''t yet such as her pears and she is very aware of that fact. Hence she is a very active dragon in pursuit of recognition. Her title was fully earned, however.


    "Lady Fie, we managed to dig to our predecessors older tunnels. Those tunnels are protected however, and we lack strength of force and magic. I humbly ask for aid."


    "You little dwarfs can never do anything yourselves. Fine, take few of my drakes and I expect more shinies from you than the last time." In front of the grumpy dwarf a little amulet in the shape of a crouched lizard hanged up in the air. The dwarf quickly pocketed the amulet and retreated while bowing and spewing superlatives in dragons direction.


    Fie neither cared for nor detested dwarfs servile nature. She knew that they were acting like that only because they had little to no choice in the matter, especially the clan in Storm Peaks. She moved in on the direction of her treasures. A bath in her riches always gave her the time of the day, but something gave her a stop. She sat down looking around. The dwarf has already left, she should have been left alone, but she couldn''t shake the feeling she was being observed. Knowing to trust her instincts, she cast a little search spell, but found nothing out of the ordinary.


    "Show yourself little thief, or I''ll not only make an ash pile out of you with my flames, but also torture you and all that are dear to you."


    "Oh my, how scary. Lady Fie, the Frozen Terror of High Peaks."


    Fie instantly rose up to all fours and weaved her most advanced magics, ready to strike at moments notice. Her back involuntarily bent in an arc. She looked more like an angry cat than a dragon. The voice she heard came from everywhere. There wasn''t a single point on which it converged. The person it belonged to was completely hidden.


    "I know who you are. A snake. A man who cares nothing for his own progeny. A defiler of his own eggs. A Fallen."


    "How cruel of you my lady. I assure you am not what people calls me and I came in good faith."


    Fie did not answer. She redoubled her effort in tracking the intruder even utilizing her sense of smell, but it was severely limited due to the nature of the cave.


    "What if I told you, there is a traitor among dragons. One that dons a humanoid skin with a smile on it''s face. What if I told you it has a human lover and carries him everywhere on it''s back." The voice of the intruder was soft, gentle very calming, almost a whisper, but Fie knew better than to trust it. It was a voice of a schemer and a lier.


    "What If I told you, that dragon is far younger than you my lady and that even gods recognized it as a far greater threat than even you. A prodigy at such a young age. She beats you to the punch lady Fie."


    "Stop this farce, there is no dragon greater than me currently awake. I am the sole dragon of this era." The voice new perfectly well what cord to strike to make Fie angry. Her pursuit of renown was in full view for everyone to see. She was still a very young and inexperienced member of her kind.


    "Oh, but it is not a lie."


    In the next moment in front of Fie, a black crystal formed. It produced a transparent film the size of Fie herself. It was covered from top to bottom in a gooey slime.


    "Won''t you care to look lady Fie, proof, is before your eyes."


    As Fie looked at the slime, it solidified, creating a solid screen. A bright light followed and many images showed on its surface. She recognized it as a very advance from of magic. A memory magic. Images brought back to life from the memory of one who held them. She saw a man riding atop a snake, no... a dragon. She was mistaken for a second, but no snake could ever posses that form. It was indeed a wingless dragon.


    "She DARED!" Fie''s anger rose as she saw a scene of one of her kind fighting as a mere human being. And her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when she saw the same girl sleeping sprawled on top of a man in full armor with one of her foot on top of the man''s nose. What she couldn''t forgive however, was the happy face when not only the man, but a whole company of people rode on her back. This was something that humiliated Fie and her whole kind to no ends and incited her to a blind, white rage.


    Fie spewed fire on the slime, melting the screen to the ground. She spread her long and slender wings as much as the cave allowed it and shot like cork from a stirred bottle. After making an impossible turn for a creature of her size, she left the cave with the momentum and speed of a fully loaded bullet train.


    "Yes, yes my dear, go forth, and bring even more to me." Although the owner could not be seen, their voice could still be heard in the cave. It changed, however. No longer being soft. "More, I still need a lot more. My dear. And when I raise you, oh the fun I''ll have..."