《Beast fiend》


 Prologue.

    Ah. Here I am again. I must have died to come here. Let''s think. How much can I remember?


    Yes, I am being reincarnated. This happened to be countless times before... My new mother must be at least four months along for my new body to contain my soul. I have a couple of months in here. Plenty of time to think.


    What can I remember about my past life? I think I was something like... Goblin? Gremlin? Gerbil? No. Something else with G... German? Gutted tag, achtung, ich fick dich... No, that''s not it. It doesn''t matter anymore, that life is gone now.


    What else do I know? I have a very powerful soul. Akin to a God. Almost all magic is harmless to me, soul magic, curses and mind control especially. Hmm. If only I could keep my memories like others. Aha, there are others, although very rare. But they all remember what happened to them, so I am an anomaly of some sort. I wonder why. I wonder that every time.


    I possess general knowledge on majority of languages. After so many lifetimes, it''s easy to see similarities between languages and learn them. I also seem to have extended knowledge on flora and fauna. Must be important for me in this life. Some combat knowledge is also there. Common folklore. Basic household skills, like cooking and sewing. That would be enough to start with for sure.


    Now, what skills do I possess? Concentrate a little... Yes, I can see my soul burning within. But there is little mana flow. No magic in this life then. Although I seem to be able to strengthen my body, so after birth I can develop faster. It''s too early for that now.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I won''t know anything of my combat skills... But it seems I have knowledge on handling weapons, so it''s likely I have the skills for that. I also have a sense of duty, like I am in the military. The need to protect. Hmm. There is a need to have a family. Am I to bear offspring in this realm? Yes, I will be fruitful and perhaps not faithful. No, I will be loyal to the fault. Then, is there polygamy in this world? Interesting.


    I can learn things about my new life through whatever knowledge I posses while I''m still in the womb. That would be weird to me, if not for the fact that it happens every time.


    Now I have plenty of time until birth and even more until I mature. I should spend my time observing and preparing for my future.


    -----


    Just a little note, I have written about 18k words so far, each chapter will have different length. I didn''t not think it through tithe end, it pretty much develops real time.


    I am in no way a pro writer, this is just one of many little stories I have floating around in my head. I hope you enjoy it, please rate and comment so I can know what you think of it and if you think there are ways to improve.

 Chapter 1.

    This world is vast. All around the giant continent, there is an ocean. Some island surround the mainland, but otherwise, there are no other land masses anywhere else. Just one, single, big chunk of land.


    To the east of this land, there is a Great Forest. What''s so great about it? Well, it''s massive. It goes all the way from the far north, full of evergreens and pine trees, covered in snow all year around, down to the south where vegetation changes into the usual trees all the way to tropical palms at the southern end. It is truly a giant forest. It''s not the only one in the world, but it is the main one and it is where the story begins.


    In the northern part of the forest, the lands where it snows all year around, there lives a tribe of people. They call themselves Val tribe or simply Val, the people are strong and powerful, they are the guardians of this realm. Their duty was given to them by the Great Beasts of the past, who were given their duty by the ancient gods. Those gods are gone now, their legacy long forgotten, only the tribe still carries a fraction of the power they carried long ago.


    The tribe was founded by one man, our ancestor, Val Loudhorn, a man of power, who used his strength for good and helped those in need. He himself founded the tribe with his sisters... Not a very pleasant beginning of a tribe, interbreeding and all, but strangely, Val Loudhorn had powerful blood which prevented any kinds of problems. Their little family were very active as the very first generation after them had over forty children and beyond that even more. Of course they worked out a way around such high fertility and their growth slowed eventually.


    Val Loudhorn treasured strength above all else, but he also valued honor, valor and truth. He never betrayed another man, having been taught by his parents that strength can be gained and fortune earned, but trust is a commodity too valuable to give away freely and to betray it is the worst crime of all. He passed on such values of his children, making them good people who valued their family ties and their bonds. Because of that, there were rarely any conflicts amongst the Val people.


    After many years, a disaster came. Over the world, an unknown darkness fell, which threatened to drown out all the light and leave the world an empty husk. At the time, the old gods had already vanished and only five Guardians were left, the Great Beasts. At the time they warred with an evil God, Gargoyle, but seeing the new threat, old enemies had to become allies as to save the world from destruction.


    Those Beasts had to sacrifice their lives to counter an upcoming calamity, one which would wipe out all life in the realm, so they approached the leader of the Val tribe back then and offered her a deal. Five daughters will be wed to the guardians and those guardians will leave portion of their power with their children. This would also make their descendants the guardians of the realm, tasked with keeping peace and helping the weak.


    The Matriarch of the tribe was a wise woman, she agreed to the deal. She had six daughters, so the eldest, she gave them all to the beasts in exchange for their power. It wasn''t some cunning plan to gain power for power''s sake. Having the strength of the guardians would reinforce her position and allow her to help more people. With the new strength she could do good deeds for the realm.


    The oldest daughter, Hoona of Val, she became the bride of the Great Bear. The beast was strong and unyielding. His power was legendary amongst the beasts. It was said, he could move the mountain or split the earth in two. His strong will and determination always allowed him to persevere in the face of danger. The portion of this power was given the the Hoona''s daughter.


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


    Second oldest daughter, Halla of Val, was wed to the Great Lion. He was proud and royal, his leadership was unrivaled. He was smart as he was strong, but he truly shined as he led those behind him forward. His war cry instilled fear into the hearts of enemies and pushed his allies onwards against all odds. He was a leader unlike any other. This, he passed onto his descendants.


    Third daughter was united with Great Wold. He was a swift beast, agile and fast. His speed was beyond the limits of the mortal body, he was able to run across the continent in hours and could run on water or leap great distances. He wasn''t weak or dumb, but speed was his trade. This he passed onto the daughter of Kira, the third daughter of the Val tribe.


    The forth daughter, Eris, received the blessing of the Great Fox. This beast was cunning and dexterous. His senses were godly, allowing him to see what nobody could. He was stealthy and he was crafty, able to hide in plain sight or to draw attention to the most ordinary thing in the world. His illusions were stronger than any other''s. Such skills he passes on to the daughter of Eris.


    The second youngest daughter, Morn of the Val, she became one with the Great Drake. Like his cousins, dragons, the Drake had scales like diamonds and magic like gods. He lacked the wings but made it up in his adaptability. He was the embodiment of the immortality, wise and powerful, he was a great guardian. So, he passed on his gift to the descendants of the Morn of the Val.


    These five girls all had daughters and they carried the power of the Guardians. The Great Beasts saw how union and kinship was important to Val, so they hid the power within the blood of the women. To unlock it, the male had to receive the blood from the female and he would be granted the power and become the guardian of that girl.


    Because the power was only ever passed on mother to daughter, all women would stay within the tribe and don''t travel outside of the territory as to stop the power from coming into the wrong hands. The men however, would become guardians and guard the tribe or travel the lands in search of those in need or to find new men to wed to the daughters of the tribe. This was the first time that outsiders would come into the tribe, but the Matriarch wished to expand her trine and allowed to do so.


    However, there was another. Evil God Gargoyle, he too wished to leave a legacy, seeing as he was about to walk the path of sacrifice along with the Guardians. He bedded the youngest daughter, Luna of the Val, and gave her offspring his power. He was powerful, strong enough to repel five Great Beasts, but his power was corrupting and vile. Any man who was touched by it trying to become the guardian would gain immense power but soon succumb to the temptation and turn evil, so the Matriarch decided to not allow the descendants of Luna to have guardians. She however didn''t punish the daughters of her youngest, as the power had little effect on the women.


    This is how six daughter tribes were born.


    Val''Hoona, the tribe of the Great Bear.


    Val''Halla, the tribe of the Great Lion,


    Val''Kira, the tribe of the Great Wolf.


    Val''Morn, the tribe of the Great Drake.


    Val''Eris, the tribe of the Great Fox.


    And Val''Luna, the tribe of the Demon.


    This is the history of my people. I myself am born into the tribe of the Great Drake. I am Zern of the Val''Morn.

 Chapter 2.

    When I was born, it was a cold evening. The snow was falling outside of our house. My mother was exhausted by the event, but once it was over, she hugged me to her chest and smiled. Beside her was a man who looked a bit like a monster. He had claws on his hands and seemed rather primal, like an animal. But he showed a smile when he looked at me. I was his first child, his son, the future pride of our family. He was glad to see me healthy and ready to conquer the world. I didn''t stay awake for long, falling asleep to their words.


    The language of this world sounds familiar, it is somewhat Nordic, although not exactly like any I''ve heard before. It took me few weeks to get used to it, but the language had plenty similarities to other ones I knew. My memory of my past lives was not there, but I had knowledge of the languages that could be useful now.


    My father was delighted to have me, he was glad to have a son he could train and to carry on his legacy. He would talk about how we would train and about how I would be a strong warrior. For months he would try and spend as much time with me as possible.


    We were part of the edge tribes or families, the blood in our veins was heavily diluted. Many of the female ancestors had taken outsiders as husbands before, so I received very little from the Val blood. My father also was an adventurer before he became a Val guardian.


    Having diluted blood meant that you could be overtaken by the power of the Beasts when you go through with the Rite - the ceremony of taking a blood and turning. In the old times, when you would take blood from the woman, you would turn into a beast, like a werewolf or a werebear. However, as blood became diluted, it was harder for men to control the power of the beast, so their minds would be corrupted and they would become Fiends, bloodthirsty monsters who wanted nothing more but to devour flesh of those around them.


    So, those who were from central tribes - people of undiluted blood, they would marry those from the royal families, the direct descendants of six daughter tribes. People like me, we would take spouses from the other edge families. This is the reason why my father only looked slightly like a monster, instead of being a big walking lizard. The power in mother''s blood was weak and he went through partial transformation.


    In actuality, all power had faded over time, so now nobody goes through full transformation, and if somebody does, they become a fiend and lash out at others and then killed. This applies even to the central families, as their guardians might change partially, gaining a tail or the ears of man changing shape, but they all still look like men.


    This would all be irrelevant to me if not for one issue. The spouses in our tribes are not decided by choice. Love or affection matters little to Val people, to us duty is everything. So, our spouses are always born the same month as us, as a sigh of good fats of divine providence or some other reason.


    A boy from Val''Kira tribe would be born at the same time as a girl from Val''Luna. They are fated to be together, so when they grow up, they get married. Usually there are multiple people born at once, like six or eight, if not more. But with me, there were in total seven births that month. What''s more, I was the only male. What''s even worse, all the girls are princesses of the tribes, each one born from the matriarch of that tribe.


    Seeing this a sigh from gods or fate, elders have decided my fate. For some reason they thought that I am meant to marry one of them and to become a guardian. This meant that at the age of ten, I would go through the rite of passage, receive blood from my bride, become a fiend and get both of us killed. In theory of course.


    To reduce losses, elders had decided that my bride would be Elaya of the Val''Kira tribe, as she had two older sisters and wasn''t really in line of succession. Her death would have little meaning. Now, imagine what kind of stigma it would put on both of us. Elaya was branded a sacrifice to the gods or something akin to that. She would get little royal treatment as a simple girl to be slaughtered by the fiend. However, the biggest impact was on me.


    As a Val, my body grew and matures quickly which was improved further by my own strengthening. I was born with little mana, but whatever I had was enough to accelerate my growth as well as my meditation and accumulation of Ki allowed me to get stronger rapidly, I was able to crawl and walk mere months after my birth, which was extraordinary for normal men, but just barely uncommon for Val.


    My father was glad to see me grow so quickly, he was surprised, being an outsider, but he prepared training equipment and spent time with me, trying to teach me. This however stopped immediately as soon as he learned about my fate. If I was to become a fiend a die when I was ten, what reason was there to spend time with me? My father dismissed me and ignored me from the on.


    Of course I didn''t give up. As soon as I could lift a stick, I would train. When I could run I would push myself to my limits and when I fell from exhausting, I would meditate and strengthen my body and spirit that way.


    But my father didn''t care. I was dead weight after all. His plan to have me succeed him and become a strong man like him was ruined, so he treated me with indifference and slight hostility. I didn''t push the issue and let him be.


    Truthfully, I knew that nothing bad would happen. Or at least I hoped. What was special about me, I was immune to most direct magics and curses. I was immune to mind control, corruption, soul magic or any other magic which had to be applied to me directly. This was because of my strong soul and why perhaps I didn''t have any memories of my previous lives. So, I was sure I would be fine through the trial. But what could I say to my fathers. Oh, I am an incarnated immortal who lived many lifetimes and now came here to kick ass? Nope, wouldn''t do it.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I also had an idea about the six girls. The marriage of the other five was postponed until much later, preferably after my Rite, but a I already had an idea of what would happen. I mean, if this is a sigh from God, wasn''t it telling me that those girls would become mine? I was sure I would get a harem!


    After my father ignored me I trained a lot, hoping to improve my chances in the future. If he was going to forsake his son, I wasn''t going to give up easily, I would improve my body so I could go through with the trial and keep my future bride safe.


    All the children in the Val tribes matured quickly, firstly because of the Val blood, which made us strong and smart, but also because the life was dangerous. The constant snowing, the wild animals and the sharp swords, they all made survival of the fittest be the motto of our tribe. You want to live, you adapt and you grow up. The northern winds and colds cleared away all the rust and grime and forged us into the adults that would guard the realm, even if we were mere children. So, I wasn''t the only child who was too smart for his own good, every child had to give up many joys of childhood to grow up quickly. Although, we weren''t without fun at all, we still had some little moments of tomfoolery.


    My official meeting with my future bride would happen when I would be four years old, at which point I would go to her tribe and train there with her men. Being a princess, I had to push myself to prove that I was capable for her. I didn''t know much of her or the other five girls, but there were things I gathered before the meeting.


    Elaya was shy and she lacked confidence. Being destined to die can do that for you. But is read, she was Loyal. Her servants always thought well of her and said that she couldn''t wait to meet me. I''ve seen her a number of times when I visited the central tribes with mother, but the girl was too shy to approach me. She had grey, captivating eyes and raven black and smooth hair. She looked cute for a kid.


    There were also other princesses. For example, Meriden. She was Brave, a tomboy who was more interested in swords and fighting than dresses and beauty. Headstrong and unmoving, can you guess which tribe she came from? People often talked about how the princess of Val''Hoona tribe beat up another kid or how she accomplished yet another feat in her training. I was sure to get along with her well in the future.


    Another girl was Aedim of the Val''Morn, the princess of my tribe. She was gifted in magic from young childhood and her parents were proud of her. Her appearance was hard to decipher, her hair and eye color changing often. Going a little forward, she settled for a mix of brown and green by the teens, both in her eyes and hair. The word that described her best was Power, she seemed to have gained the unimaginable strength from her ancestor and her eyes showed wisdom and maturity beyond her years. She was curios and knowledgable, even before our official meeting we spoke a nice,ver of times and I was surprised by how smart she was. We were kindred in spirit by how we both had wisdom and liked to share it.


    There were two princesses who always seemed to be nearby one another. The Val''Eris girl, Leah, she was Cunning. She could somehow be the centre of attention and play pranks at the same time. Or she could hide so well, nobody would. Price her standing in the middle of a crowd. She had bright orange hair which turned pink at the ends. Her eyes were sky blue, although people spoke that you could forget yourself you you gazed into them for too long. The fox princess was only a tail and ears short of being a kitsune.


    Her friend in crime was a Val''Luna princess, Lilith. I don''t know if it is ok to describe a little girl as such, but very fitting to her name, her word was Sin. She showed a different kind of maturity, often whispering things to her innocent friends and relatives, making them turn red and hide their eyes. People often called her shameless, her always talking about forbidden topics. Her demon heritage really showed, as she had red wavy hair and deep crimson eyes which showed you your own soul. I seen her once before my forth year and boy did I remember it. She had a knack on making people uncomfortable, but since I was resistant to her provocation, she was left disappointed at my lack of reaction. I thought that it was more of a bad thing for the future, as her eyes showed interest in me.


    The last princess was Eleanor and she was a royal... Pain in the butt. People who knew her talked about an arrogant kid who though of herself better than everyone. She looked like a true princess, long straight hair that shined like gold, golden eyes that made you want to submit to her and an ego that was enough for the whole family of eight. I tried avoiding her whenever I had a chance, but I wouldn''t get such luxury in the future. I disliked those types, although I didn''t have any hate for the girl, more for her mother who didn''t bother raising her daughter right.


    These were all the girls whom I will meet and get accustomed to in the future. At the age of four, I would meet them all and spend time with them, perhaps even become their friend. I was looking forward to that, meeting my fianc¨¦e and all, but it also made me nervous. How would they react, how would they treat me? How would I girl, whom I cursed to have such a horrible fate, think of me? Would she hate me?


    I didn''t know much about Elaya, so I trained to make sure to be strong enough for her. I was going to be her Guardian and I would need to be as strong as possible. Granted, I will have plenty of time to train until I turn ten, but first impressions are also important. I would need to be strong when I meet her so that I could receive her animosity and dislike towards me... Or to be good enough if she would treat me well. I had to be good enough for the girl, whose fate was to be sacrificed since her birth.

 Chapter 3.

    The first meeting of the princesses was entertaining. The first one I met was of course Elaya. When I was presented to her, I dropped on my knee, with my right hand on my heart and my head down. It was not a custom, just merely something from my previous existences, but it made a good impression on others and especially Elaya. For me it was my sign of loyalty, and for her it was the first time somebody seriously treated her as a princess.


    When I stood up, she embraced me, showing how touched she was. Her eyes were wet, but no tears came as she held back. Still, when I put my arms around her, I felt her tremble. She was never shown such affection, even by her immediate family. When we separated, she still stood beside me, even when I came to greet others. Even though Val tribes were matriarchal in nature since Lady Marliana, for Elaya, I was the king.


    When I walked up to Eleanor, her face showed contemptuous smile. When I merely bowed to her, instead of kneeling, her face distorted in disgust. She gave me a quick look of pure scorn and turned her head away. I didn''t speak to her that day. Of course her mother gave her a scolding, but it was merely for looks. Eleanor''s mother was of the same opinion of me as her daughter was, like mother, like daughter.


    Aedim showed clear interest in me after my introduction. Perhaps she truly could see the mystery that I was, or maybe she enjoyed my mature presence, different from any other children our age. We talked a lot after the rounds of introductions and she turned out to be rather knowledgable. I felt like she had an ancient soul, wise beyond her years.


    Leah had a mischevious gleam in her eyes, her smile clearly showed her future intent. I would be the main focus of her many pranks. Even mere minutes after I met others, her undergarments were somehow ¡°lost¡± and ended up in one of my pockets. There was no punishment, as it would be obvious that such a pretty girl would have a problem with suitors, even if said suitor was right in front of his betrothed. She ¡°forgave¡± me and promised not to harbour any bad feelings for me. Of course all of that said with a bright smile showing her sharp canines.


    Lilith didn''t even let me finish saying my name, when she jumped at me and kissed me. It could be considered innocent game, if not for her looking right into Elaya''s eyes as she did it. Exchange of that first kiss was somewhat of a shock for her, so I had to make it up for her later. I couldn''t leave my future bride unhappy. Interestingly enough, I was major focus of Lilith''s various affectionate gestures in the future, as she did her best to tease Elaya. Not that I was against it, I always had to give her more attention afterwards. Win-win.


    Meriden was the most active of the bunch. She already was getting swordplay lessons from her father, so she challenged me to the duel. If I didn''t have any experience from past lives, no matter my training in this one, I wouldn''t have beaten her. She was swift like a coursing river, but with all the force of a great typhoon. She clearly had the strength of a raging fire within. Such passion for fighting. For many years afterwards she would spar with me to try to bring me down. Funny that she was always the one who ended up on her knees, aha... Probably shouldn''t say it about a four year old.


    After all the introductions were done six of us talked for a bit, with Eleanor clearly showing her contempt for lesser beings and not wishing to breath the same air. Although her faint interest could be seen in our conversations, she made effort not to show it. After the prank and a duel, we talked a little and then dispersed. There were plenty other kids to play with, and Leah took great pleasure playing with them. In the end, I stayed with Elaya and Aedim. Elaya was content with holding my hand as we sat, while I and Aedim talked. I did have to give a couple of cute kisses to Elaya for Lilith''s little joke. I would totally be a part of some more jokes if opportunity presented itself.


    The night was enjoyable for all of us. In this realm giving gifts was not a common occurrence other than during some major milestones, so we didn''t receive anything. Although, not entirely true, Elaya was ecstatic, she received me. Albeit unofficially, I was part of Val''Kira tribe and pretty much her property. If princess wished, she could do anything with me. Not that I complained, she treasured me like her own life.


    My mother who brought me had my younger sister, Zerania, who was just a baby. When she left me with Elaya, I was to remain with her for the rest of my training until I became a guardian. She was somewhat sad to let me go, but my father made her leave me. He didn''t want a waste of space to be around and he was glad to be rid of me. My mother said her goodbyes and left.


    We stayed together talking for a while. Aedim liked talking to somebody like her, adults and relatives treated her as a mere child who played games with them. I could clearly see intelligence even in her four year old mind. It was immature and very young, but it was there and she was glad I noticed it.


    We talked for a bit and then we decided to join other kids. They were doing different things, like playing tag or hide-n-seek. We joined in and had fun together. Amongst the kids, there was almost no discrimination at that age, so Elaya could enjoy herself without the stigma of future demise. She tried playing with kids before, but she was too shy and scared. It was my presence that made her more confident and allowed her to talk and mingle with other kids. I always stayed by her side to make her comfortable, she was my family now.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    While we played, Eleanor often tried tripping me or making some excused to penalize me. She held a grudge against me, so she didn''t hold back when trying to ruin my fun. I didn''t give in, I had my precious Elaya then, I couldn''t ruin her fun by being sad. Aedim also seemed to enjoy herself. The fact that somebody acknowledged her made her very happy and allowed her to open up and have fun. She was still a kid at heart, so who could blame her?


    The two pranksters tried their best to make me feel ashamed or embarrassed. Of course I didn''t give them such luxury, but still they pranked me hard, making others laugh at me. The time that Lilith tripped me over Leah and pulled down my pants was dreadful, as everybody saw me in the buff. Elaya was embarrassed more than I was, as her fianc§Û was exposed in such a manner. I got myself dressed and comforted her saying it was all good, but she almost cried because of it. Aedim, not wanting to see her friend cry, made a point that it was nothing to feel sad about, by lifting her own skirt up. She was visibly red, but for a new friend she did a good thing and stopped her crying.


    I thanked her and Elaya hugged her closely. It was their very first bonding experience, formed over my bare behind. What a story to tell the kids.


    The pranksters, seeing that Elaya almost cried, looked guilty, but didn''t say anything, they just threw a few glances towards the lioness princess. She just shrugged and went on with her business. I knew that she was behind it, but no harm, no foul, nobody got hurt.


    As the night went on we continued playing, dancing around big bonfires, drinking fruit juice and mild mead. Underage drinking was not a problem here, in places water was scarce, so brewing some alcohol was the best way to disinfect the water. We didn''t get very drunk, there was perhaps one or two percent alcohol in a sizable cask, but it tasted sweet and we enjoyed it.


    We also tried singing, but mostly we were out of tune, it was like a bunch of cats getting mangled by wolves. We laughed regardless on how bad it was. We also howled and meowed at the moon, shouted cheers snd laughed to the stars. It was a fun night to remember.


    We stayed awake past midnight, doing various other fun things. By the end, we were exhausted, falling asleep one by one in a big pile of kids, by the bonfire. While we were asleep, some parents brought us blankets and covered us up. In the north it was always snowing, laying down on the ground could be fatal, so adults made sure to prevent any of us from getting ill and dying.


    In the morning we all woke up with much difficulty, still tired but unable to fight the morning sun. Getting up, we were greeted with smell of some nice deer cooking over the fire. The meat was sizzling, which made us salivate. When the meat was done, we were each given a sizable portion and then adults devised the rest amongst themselves. The celebration was going two ways, for the kids and for adults. While we were once again drinking some weak mead, adults were getting wasted on much stronger stuff. Actually, only few responsible ones were somewhat sober in the morning, most of them were drunk throughout the night and were getting more drunk in the morning.


    With out energy restored, we continued celebrations. Meriden once again asked for a duel. This time it was a fist fight, which I only won by pushing her down and holding her still. She was shouting angrily at me, but it was my undeniable win. I didn''t want to hit a girl, so that was the only viable option. After tha Meriden made sure to challenge me to more contests, arm-wrestling, running or hiding. Some I won, some I lost. The other kids also decided to join in, so it was an athletic day, thanks to Meriden.


    After we got tired, we rested. One of the older folks, who was still sober enough decided to tell us some folklore. They were mostly tales about brave knights and demons of the past, but also some had princesses and beasts. The story of how Great Wolf seduced princess Kira was strangely familiar to me. Elaya hugged my arm and said that she was going to be the Beauty and I would be the Beast. I told her that it would more likely be Beaty and the Fiend, which made her pout. In panic I started to apologize, and said that no matter what, even a fiend I will protect her and save her if need be. That cheered her up somewhat.


    When the time came to the evening, people began to say their farewells. It was getting late and everybody needed to get to their homes. Parents got their kids and I went with Elaya to her house. Other princesses said their goodbyes and went to their tribes, which weren''t too far away. We would sometimes see them in the future, although not too often.


    With the celebration concluded, we would rest until the next day. Elaya was a princess, she would go and get educated, while I would be training more. Even if we were bound to perish, we couldn''t give up and do nothing. We had to keep on fighting. My infectious spirit actually affected Elaya greatly, and previously shy girl became cheerful and lively. She was no longer alone and lost, she had me and I had her. We were together, I would do everything in my power for her.


    -----


    Another chapter I am willing to post today, I don''t want to post too much, so I hope these few chapters will provide some entertainment for you. Please rate and comment, any words of advice will be appreciated. Thank you for spending your time with me.


    EDIT: rewrote the chapter.

 Chapter 4.

    After the ceremony, I stayed with Elaya. Firstly, I would get to know my betrothed and do her bidding. Secondly, I would need to prepare for the rite of passage, so for six years best warriors of the tribe will be hammering me with their skills and knowledge. Not that I really need it but practice makes perfect. It would be a stroke of luck if I''d get to see my parents or  Val''Morn tribesmen.


    I got to stay in her house in guards quarters. The houses are mostly made of wood and beast skin. I got to see some houses made by Val''Eris people and they really like to live above the ground in tree houses. Val''Kira people are somewhat more grounded, har har. Their houses are what you would expect of any other tribesman, though royalty have rather sophisticated homes. At least for wild people.


    I also heard that Val''Hoona people like to dig into earth and often have houses below ground. It is almost uniform amongst every tribesman, although some still like to live in normal shacks, or even in tree houses, but it is mostly to family''s preference. In some places where different tribes live together, their homes use all space available, below, on and above ground.


    Now, I''ll be living amongst men, doing everything I can to become strong. Warriors wake up at dawn, which is common amongst all Val people, so I am used to it by now. With first flicker of light, we rise up just like the sun beyond the horizon, to train and do our duty. One man, amongst the rest stood out, he insisted that I would train with him. Frez is a general and a tactician, he is a guardian of one of the servants, who lives and works for Val''Kira royalty. He entered the tribe over twenty years ago, became a guardian, traveled the world and amassed considerable fortune and fame. Now he wants me to be the best I can be.


    He thinks of Elaya as his niece, even if he is not able to show his affection to her. He simply doesn''t have status for that. But now, if I can survive, I''ll be able to give her the life she deserves. He took me as his apprentice to share his numerous experiences and skills with me. And I am very grateful to him for that.


    When we first started training, he was pleasantly surprised by my skills. Honestly, if you live as many lifetimes as I did, you get some skills you can use. I know as many different styles as there are grains of sand on the beach, so I use a blend of many styles, utilizing most lethal and powerful attacks. I also have vast knowledge on exercises and training routines, which I was already applying up to now, but with help of Frez I can truly begin my training. What good is a sword if you have no one to strike?


    What is holding me back is not my lack of knowledge but my body. While I have skills, my body it not strong enough, and it doesn''t have much muscle memory. It only knows what little things I''ve practiced so far. With a sparring partner I can hone my skills and chisel this body to perfection.


    We quickly fall into a routine of exercising and doing jobs. From morning till afternoon we spar together endlessly, improving my reaction times, my stances and abilities. It is at the times like these that I am thankful that I''ve no recollection of my past lives - it would be incredibly dull to remember all those times I spend on mindless repetition of same moves days after days. Like this I can feel excitement and joy of improving oneself and attaining new heights.


    I use every bit of mana I have at my disposal to strengthen my body. Even now my body is stronger that of most children my age. I''d do my damn best to survive the Rite in the future.


    Elaya spends every free second she has with me. She has to study to be a queen some day, even if she is third in line and has no chance to live past ten. Some teachers don''t want to bother with her, but thanks to whatever influence Frez has, Elaya gets taught most of what she needs. If I get lucky, I can spend the time with her and learn something. Mostly it is useless, unless it is geography or history of this world, but spending time with my cute Elaya is worth it.


    When I am not training with Frez, I spend time talking with Elaya while doing various jobs. It is not necessary, but by woodcutting and hunting I can train some more while proving my worth to people of Val. My fianc§Ûe also tries to help. With my influence she opened up to other people and overcame her shyness. People took liking to once quiet and seemingly frail little girl, now they gladly entertain her and talk to her. I also try to part some of the wisdom I should''t have at my early age onto her. If at all possible, I''d like to improve her chances in the future, in the unlikely event I do become a fiend and she is forced to fight me.


    With my guidance, she learned a bit of swordsmanship. Not enough to be a warrior beyond the woods of our territory, but enough to put up fair resistance if cornered. Of course by the age of ten she would become a formidable opponent.


    As we lived together, we grew very close to one another. Her knowing that we are fated to be together made her very open about her feeling. Of course there was the fact that we might not survive beyond ten, so she kind of tried to make up for it. At first there was a lot of hand holding and hugging, later she would often give me her cute little kisses. I eagerly took all of them, hoping not to get her girl cooties, which is not a thing in this world.


    She also would get some ¡°advanced¡± knowledge from her sisters or through observation of adults, and tried to apply that knowledge. If it was innocent enough I allowed it, but otherwise I stopped it. There is just something disturbing about a prepubescent girl trying to French kiss. First she complained about it, but once I said that we can do it as many times as we want when we are married, which happened once we turn 16, she agreed.


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    Also there was the issue of nudity. At some point after a little spar I had with Elaya, Frez thought we were both too sweaty, so he picked us both up, placed us on his shoulders like two sacks of flour and carried us to a spring. There he just undressed us and threw us in. She was ok being nude around Frez, he was like an uncle to her and they often bathed together before when adults and children came to spring to wash up. It was me she had a problem with, I was an outsider. She just covered herself with her arms and sat in the water. I almost bolted out of there, but she surprised me.


    ¡°We will be married someday, so it''s ok...¡±


    It was more a justification to herself than anything else. Who knew that a previously shy girl would be so brave. She just stood up straight, turned to me with red flush all over her face and stood there for a moment. Then she took her arms away and put them behind her. So bold. I was shocked at her action as this was way out of character for her. But I had to give her credit, such action couldn''t be done easily.


    After a few moments of me staring at her unusual behaviour, I did the same. It was only fair. So for a bit, we just stood there, two naked kids barely looking at each other. She has seen naked people of both genders before, but I was a special existence, we were fated to be, so I was not like any other boy. I can only say that talking about anatomy was awkward. But we overcame the obstacle and after a bit were able to bath together in peace.


    After that we always took baths together, and never stopped all the way to the night of our union. We did take them afterwards, but then it wasn''t only the two of us. Wink wink.


    I think her behaviour that time was a combination of wanting to make up time before the 10th birthday, teasing from Lilith, some ¡°advice¡± from Frez and her affection for me. Despite any of this, we learned to enjoy each other''s company no matter how embarrassing or awkward we felt. We only grew closer together after that.


    As we grew up, we rarely interacted with other princesses. Of course Meriden often came to spar with the only kid capable of going against her. Aedim also enjoyed talking to me. But these were not common occurrences, because even though royalty lived somewhat close together, tribes rarely mingled together outside of some celebrations. Lilith and Leah had plenty of kids who were less perceptive than me and who gave them greater satisfaction. Eleanor was a royal pain in the butt who totally despised me for total disregard of her majestic existence. Feeling wasn''t mutual, she was just a kid who didn''t know better, but I didn''t enjoy spending my time while having to bear her hateful looks.


    My training bore fruit of course. I was strong, fast, agile. I was a warrior in the making, capable of hunting efficiently and need be fighting for my life. Free was very glad that he took me in as his apprentice. He had his own children, but seeing me close to his beloved Elaya, he thought me somewhat like of his own. Of course he never openly admitted it, but I felt the admiration he had for me. He was an uncle to both of us.


    Elaya was also prepared for the Rite. We taught her how to wield daggers and swords, sho she might be able to defend herself well. She could soar with kids our age rather successfully. My style was somewhat superior to other tribesmen. Meriden also enjoyed learning from me, but she never admitted to listen to my teachings. She had some pride and she just wanted to be my superior, not the other way around.


    With the time closing in to our rite of passage, I was somewhat worried about my chances, so I looked into any records that could tell me what I would have to face. There were few writings about fiends, but some elders took their time to talk to me. Apparently, the transformation had two sides, the body and the mind. The beast would fight whatever power was in the body, and then transform the body accordingly. If beast was weak, the transformation was very slight. This is why most modern guardians didn''t turn into fiends, they were produced from diluted blood. If blood was undiluted, the beast would be much stronger, making the changes greatly noticeable.


    However, the drawback of using strong beast was the fact that the mind couldn''t withstand the corruption. The first Val guardians were powerful and disciplined, as well as they knew no fear of transformation. They took the blood and became strong. Nowadays, people were somewhat weaker, unfocused and they were afraid of becoming the fiend. Perhaps it is that fear that defeated them during the transformation, making them into aberrations.


    Knowing this I calmed down a lot. As far as I knew, I was immune to corruption or magic, so I was likely to remain unscathed. Of course it wasn''t a sure thing, but it brought me peace. I thought that if I wasn''t able to control the beast completely, I would slow it down enough for Elaya to kill me. That would be her Rite, to survive after her guardian would transform into a fiend.


    -----


    Another short chapter. I got way more typed up already, but I am going over them trying to correct mistakes. I also don''t want to throw out the whole thing. I have some difficulty with dialogues, but there will be more interactions. Hopefully you like it. Rate and comment, k thx bye.


    P.s. Later on I added Edwad, Jacob and Bella, so we might as well rename it into Twilligth Fanfic and be over with.


    EDIT: rewrote the chapter.

 Chapter 5.

    So like that years passed. Elaya stayed cute as ever, she only got bigger. I''ve grown considerably more, thanks to my self strengthening. My development was a year or two faster then the rest of the kids, but it didn''t matter much. Even though I was stronger than any child my age, I could barely keep up with Frez. That cheater took my style and learned it to become stronger. With time he only became deadlier. It would be another decade before he would begin to grow old and frail. I would be in peak condition when I would be about sixteen.


    The time of the rite of passage crept up on us. Preparations began months before that. Many people wished to see it happening. They all knew me by then, I was a strong swordsman at such young age, not many older boys could keep up with me in duels, much less land a solid hit on me. I was also known to always lend a helping hand. Wise beyond my years, strong, kind-hearted yet humble. Many prayed to Gods for my success, it would be a shame to loose such youth.


    There were some talks of me not going through passage to save my life, but neither me nor Frez would allow it. Frez trained me for this, he would rather cut off his own legs than see me back down now. I just wanted to gain power to be able to protect Elaya no matter what. We have grown to love each other long ago, even if the love was pure and innocent.


    Strangely, concept of love was somewhat alien to Val people. It happened very rarely and it never interfered with arrangements of marriage. The sense of duty was far stronger within anyone carrying Val blood. Outsiders could experience as much of it as they wanted, we were the protectors of the realm as our duty was given to us by Great Beasts. It was almost unique that two people that would be together fell in love way before marriage.


    As of the other princesses, I was sure there was no love. Meriden treated me as a sparring partner, I was sure she didn''t know I was of different gender. Maybe she didn''t even know there was a different gender. Aedim treated me with respect as someone wiser than her. Such thing was almost an impossibility, as she could outwit most of people of Val, safe of few elders. Leah and Lilith took great joy in tormenting me. Nothing else to be said. And Eleanor, oh sweet Eleanor, her hatred for me grew more everyday. Her pride was hurt, because a commoner like me earned almost as much recognition as she did.


    At the time I began to doubt that harem would be happening. There were talks of marrying them to some other older or maybe younger boys, but any of that would happen only after my demise. It was bad taste to perform different Rites at the same time. Besides, even if we would not be together, I was still their fated, as we all shared our birth month. Heh, if only I knew.


    Weeks before the ceremony Elaya grew distressed. She would often cry, as she despised the Rite and would sometimes beg for me to forego the useless tradition. She didn''t need a guardian, she would love me all the same. It was a viable option too, elders were impressed with me and presented it to me previously. But I stopped her and denied her such possibility. When she was reduced to crying and damning me for the future alone or death, I would just hold her close and whisper to her. It really hurt me to see her like that.


    The day of ceremony came. Elaya turned ten some days prior, and I turned ten today. There we were standing, in a clearing surrounded by many warriors. I was worried that if I were to be overcome by the beast, I would want Elaya to survive, so the best warriors in all the tribes were there. If I raised my hand against my betrothed, I would be cut down immediately.


    I stood opposite of Elaya, with ten meter of burning coals between us. People who were not armed, had stones and other throwable things at hand. Once I stepped on the bed of cinders, all those objects would be flung at me. The coal was there to symbolise overcoming limits of my human form, as I had to slowly walk across to my indented. I couldn''t do it in one leap or walk across fast. I had to take time. Such was the Rite. Stones and such were also for the whole limits thing, but mostly it was entertainment. It was not an official part of the Rite, it could be omitted entirely. I added it in as it was an option. Whom would it hurt? Besides me...


    There was also water slowly coming to boil at the end of the trail. It would symbolise me washing away my previous life as a human, to prepare me for rebirth as a beast. It was an unofficial addition, in case someone threw tomatoes. The boiling part was my own personal touch, usually it would be lukewarm. My training would allow me to easily overcome the trail, I just wanted to show my dedication to Elaya. And to make it somewhat entertaining, just in case it would later turn into a disaster.


    As I step up to the trail I look around. People are concerned, but are ready for me. They know it is what I want, so they would do their part as I would do mine. I notice the princesses there also. Even Eleanor stands there with some stones prepared, with a grin showing. I just know that she will savour the feeling of hurting me. There were rumours of her learning to throw with great precision.


    As I take the first step I take in the feeling of burning coal below my foot. It is hot, but I am prepared. I overcame limitations of my body a while ago. It burned but it didn''t hurt as much as it should have. As I stand there, first projectiles reach me. Some wooden balls hit me in various places. A small pebble hits me in the head, probably thrown by a small child. Some metal balls also reach me. Nothing that I can''t endure with little effort.


    I take the next step. Now people get serious. With both my feet buried in smouldering hot coals, I truly began to walk the rite of passage. I instinctively feel a rock flying from Eleanor. I don''t dodge it or anything else that is thrown at me. I take them all, I endure. Somehow I can imagine Eleanor smiling that she hit me, only to frown a moment later as she realises it is what I want. I am here for the punishment. Her fury would only make it so much better. Truly all of it hurts, but it would be nothing compared to what I''d feel if I hurt Elaya. I deserve it.


    Slowly I begin my walk across. I lift one foot while burying the other deeper. I move it slowly, deliberately. I stretch it out. I lower it and apply force to it. I stand there for a few seconds waiting. All this while taking the beating from stones thrown at me. Someone has thrown a tomato from behind me, splattering a perfectly good vegetable on my back. I take another step. And another. Slowly making my way forward. I take it all in. This is what I must do to overcome the beast. There is no other way. My steps are small.


    It takes me a little over five minutes to make it to the end of the ten meters trail. Longer then most. I stand just before the finish, bruised and even bleeding in some places and pause before I end this. I would never take myself for a masochist. I don''t enjoy it, but this is what must be done. I take my foot off the blazing trail and step on the grass.  Then I step off completely. I did it. As soon as I lower my foot, stones stop.


    Two bulky man lift up a container with boiling water and raise it above my head. I look up and close my eyes. The water hits me and washes away all the filth off me. When it is done I open my eyes and look at myself. Bruises and cuts cover my skin, which now turned red from being showered in boiling water. Just the way I should end this Rite.


    I take the next few steps towards Elaya. She stands in ceremonial clothing, barely anything on her. In her left hand a curved dagger. Its first function is to draw blood for me to take. Its main function is to strike me if I turn into a fiend. This a test for both of us. If everything goes well, I gain the power and stay in control, then the Rite ends and we can live on. If I succumb to the power, Elaya get''s a chance to kill me before she is hurt. She looses her fated one, but she survives and passes the Rite on her own. It is a rare occurrence, but it is revered amongst the Val people. Otherwise I kill Elaya and get cut down by warriors.


    She brings the dagger to her wrist and slashes it with a swift motion without flinching. I trained her well. The dagger is then raised high above the head, to show the glistening of red blood on its surface. It is now up to me.


    I fall down to my knees and lower my head to Elaya''s wrist. Blood trickling down and dripping onto the grass. How wasteful of me. I take her hand with both of mine and raise it to my face. Taking in a small bit of air I can smell how sweet it is. Unnaturally so. Then I put my lips onto the cut and let the blood fill my mouth. It is warm and sweet, like nothing I''ve tasted before. It is warm, yet hot at the same time. The heat is not physical but something beyond that. Firstly it radiates from my tongue, and then from within my throat and my stomach as the blood makes its way down.


    I am on fire. I can feel it. The Power. Raw and primal. Strength. In blood.


    Elaya let''s out a small sign of relief. She was too scared to breath. Now, thinking the worst has passed and we are in a clear. She does not feel what I feel.


    As my body is engulfed in the fire from within, I take in every little bit of blood I can get. Sweet sweet blood.


    Then the change comes. It doesn''t hurt. No, it happened peacefully, for me at least. My flesh just changes, the bones, the tendons, they all change. It''s like I melt and reform. As my skin begins to ripple, others notice it. A few defeated gasps are heard. Some murmur ¡°A fiend¡±. It is swift.


    My skin seemingly boils within moments, then turns dark grey. My form begins to grow. Perhaps it is because of how fast it happened, or perhaps Elaya took pity on me, wishing to go beyond along with me once I am slain, but her dagger is buried in my shoulder, missing anything important. It was meant to sever my spine or break my skull, yet it just sticks out of my mutated shoulder.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    She drops on her knees just like I did mere moments ago, defeated and resigned to her fate. She is only held up by her hand, which I still clutch with both of mine. Only I am now towering over her and any others nearby. I was barely a meter and a half boy just before. Now I am almost a three meters beast of lupine origin. A werewolf. How strange and pitiful. My body, the body I pushed beyond its limits for years, the body I and Frez honed for perfection is defeated and reformed so easily. Truly pitiful.


    I just stand there, contemplating the changes and waiting for the power to take over my mind. My eyes slowly opened after being reformed. The vision is different. I can see so much more. Slow inhale brings forth new and old smells, magnified and expanded, clear as can be. The sweet smell of blood of my Elaya, the fear and panic of the crown around us, the scent of deer a mile away. So much more to take in. My new wolf ears pick up on barely audible whispers.


    ¡°Oh no...¡±


    ¡°Poor Elaya...¡±


    ¡°What is it waiting for...¡±


    ¡°No, Zern... Why...¡±


    ¡°Should we put it down...¡±


    Every word is so clear. I know who said something, where they stand and how fast their heart is beating.


    I stand there taking in my new perception of the world, waiting for the bloodlust, the hunger to come. Yet it never does. I feel something barely scratching at my soul, but it is so faint, it is barely worth mentioning. I also feel Elaya convulse, tears running down her face. Thinking I should comfort her, yet knowing how dangerous it is, I just stand there looking down at her. Poor Elaya indeed.


    My thinking is cut short by a thrust of a sword from one of the warriors. They are meant to wait for me to attack, yet the stress and fear takes over one of them. Desperately trying to end it, he charges and plunges the sword into my back from the side. Previously it would cleave me in half, but now it barely draws any blood. My fur and skin offer enough defence against steel. The only reason there is any damage is because I offer no resistance.


    I don''t even acknowledge the warrior, instead I decide to stop Elaya from hurting. I pull up her hand with one of mine and envelop her fragile frame with the other. Like that I life her up to me. I know not why, but I know that my saliva can heal. I bring her wounded wrist to my face and using my elongated tongue I lick it, cleaning away the blood and spreading my spit over the cut.


    People around us gasp, surprise, fear and slight hope mixed all together. The elders begin to think they are seeing a miracle. I begin to think I am becoming one.


    Seeing the wound close quickly, I take Elaya in my arms and embrace her, stopping her sobs completely. She feels that it is me hugging her, not the mindless beast trying to crush her. We stand like that for few moments, and then she tries to reach her arms around me. My frame is too wide for it, but still it is enough for us. Like that, I turn towards the crowd and gaze at them. Reaching for the dagger still in my shoulder, I pull it out, gaze at the dark blood that it is covered with and throw it on the ground. The wound closes immediately, just like the one from the warrior did.


    With Elaya still in my arms, now crying tears of joy, I look at the elders. Trying to speak, with the throat made for howling, and lips not made for speaking, I still somehow manage to talk. I coarse, deep voice comes out.


    ¡°What now?¡±


    Everyone is stunned. Fiend can talk! This is the first time, such thing never happened even at the times of Lady Malriana. Nobody can comprehend what happened before their eyes. A small boy, albeit amazing, still little more then a foreigner, with blood so diluted, it barely counts, transformed into a beast bigger than any seen before and is able to speak. His yellow lupine eyes, clearly show intelligence unclouded by instinct or bloodlust. What in the name of the Great Beast is he?


    If a fiend appears, it immediately lashes out and consumes the one that gave it power. Yet here, a fiend has stood for more than a minute, clearly lucid and sentient, with no sign of danger.


    One of the elders manages you talk.


    ¡°Zern, previously a boy of Val''Morn, received power from Princess Elaya and has passed the rite of passage. He is now the guardian of Princess Elaya and of the Val''Kira tribe...¡±


    Before the elder finished speaking, crowd began to cheer. Screams of joy, of excitement and of encouragement could be heard all around.


    As I look around the crowd I can see different expressions. Still remaining fear, excitement of seeing legend in the making, glances of affection, pride in the face of my mentor. I can see Meriden, with her eyes wet with tears, yet shining with joy. Leah and Lilith both looking at me with their eyes wide open, respect clearly seen. I even see Eleanor with expression other than scorn, it is very complicated and doesn''t really have a meaning, as Eleanor herself doesn''t yet know what to think and feel at the moment.


    People begin to congratulate me. I thank them, but don''t pay too much attention. I have the person I hold most dear in my arms, happily whispering her sweet nothings to me and trying to kiss my new face. She treats me more like her favourite puppy rather than a feral beast capable of carnage and bloodshed.


    We slowly make our way through the crowd, me sending short replies to people. I try to get the feel on my new body. As I walk, I feel the bulging muscles beneath my skin, I feel a new tail, the claws that can cut through metal, the fangs that are meant to shred through flesh and bone alike. I feel my legs now very much alike that of any beast. Then I look within, I feel the heat still burning within me. The power gained from Elaya still there and still very hot. Concentrating on looking deeper still, I look for the source of this heat. I see my soul, now surrounded by a red flame. I look at and try to touch, to move it. As it slightly flickers through my sheer will, so does my new form. Nobody but me noticed this.


    I concentrate more and force the fire down, compress it into a single point. At first it resists, but then it complies and turns into a flicker of light, similar to my soul yet different. The wisp stays compressed and orbits my soul, clearly still present and very much burning with fire, only now small and hidden. As this happened within my core, my form also shifts.


    My hair, my skin, my flesh begins to boil once again. This warrants few fearful gasps. The change is too swift for anyone to truly comprehend what happened. Just now I was a towering behemoth of a wolf, mere moments later I am a boy, very much like the one I was before yet different. My muscles feel powerful and lean, clearly more pronounced then before. My senses are just as keen in my human form as they were in my beast form. I know my eyes are human, but the irises are yellow like they were in my lupine form. Fangs could be seen if I smile.


    Just like that, I stand there in all my naked glory, with Elaya clinging to me and trying to kiss me, her lips squarely planted on mine. Not that it is the first time, nor the last time, but it produced a reaction unlike any other.


    While Elaya was thanking Gods for me overcoming the power in her blood and already beginning to love my new form, deep within she wanted my old one back. I had no lips to kiss, only a feral scowl intended to scare and maim. She would learn to love it, but it was not the same. Now my old form was back. It was mixture of surprise, joy, love... The squeal Elaya produced was high pitched enough to notify every canine in vicinity and the one lupine in her grasp just how excited she was. The rain of kisses resumed once more with renewed power.


    People stared at them. They could say nothing, a boy could control the fiend, not only in mind but in body. Reverting the transformation had not occurred before. Before them truly was a legend. Cheers were once more heard, with more volume and more emotion. It took all of us a few minutes to realise that I now was nude, in the middle of large gathering of people. It wasn''t nothing frowned upon or forbidden, but it was unusual. Someone regained their senses quicker than the others and brought me a cloak. It was a welcome change, as my old clothes now lay near the place where few drops of Elaya''s blood were wastefully spilt by me.


    We moved and the crowd moved. Today was a great day. A feast was held, and not to mourn of my and Elaya''s passing but to congratulate us on passage of our trials. We were now bound to one another until death and would be married in six years. A great occasion to celebrate.


    The feast was long and filled with much excitement. We ate, we drunk, we danced, we fought. I showed off my new strength. Elaya showed off her new guardian. Other showed off something of theirs. Meriden fought me with renewed vigour. Now she simply had to defeat me. The two vixen tried to trick my new senses to no avail. I was beyond their petty tricks. Eleanor was locked with her inner turmoil. Too confused, she didn''t pay attention to how much she drunk, so she lost control and eventually passed out. Nobody cared that 10 year olds were drinking, celebration or otherwise.


    -----


    Here is another bit of the story. I try to add more direct interaction past this point, but it won''t be super coming until later. I suck at it and I hope you can bear with it. I also I read that you don''t want the MC to be overpowered. The Val people are op by their nature, and MC now seem like OP amongst OP. Whatever he does now is still in peaceful times,he doesn''t get a real chance to show off his power till later. Just remember with great power comes great resoonsibilitt and great repercussions. Please don''t hate me.


    Also, rate and comment. I appreciate the views and any posts by you guys. <3


    EDIT: slight alterations.

 Chapter 6.

    This chapter is a little small, so I debated on whether post it together with another today or tomorrow. There is some talking done and the feelings are somewhat revealed. I don''t know how well I did, so feel free to berate me or give me a cooker. I hope you enjoy it.


    -----


    I was the main topic of talks for the next few weeks. There was no Val, who didn''t speak of me. There were people holding competitions on who hurt me the most during my Rite. Someone threw a rock right at my temple, while another hit me with a metal ball in the knee. Such discussion was one of many.


    The elders also had a lot to talk about. They asked me questions, they made me transform many times, they observed me and recorded everything. They spoke amongst themselves and spoke with the heads of the tribes. Much talking was done.


    During all this Elaya barely let go of me. She was so sure she would loose me, now she took every opportunity to show her affection. It wasn''t hard to haul around a very clingy girl. I gladly suffered through it all.


    The discussions about me would go on for ages. Nobody could decide what I am. A fiend? But I was clearly sane, unlike any other fiend in history. Fiends only became a thing, when guardians couldn''t control the power and went on a rampage. Was I a guardian? I took some royal blood, had full body transformation, stayed in control and then even reverted back to my original state. That is as unique as they come. First in the whole history of the entire tribe. Plus the fact that power I gained was beyond anything seen before.


    At some point elders began to talk about what to do with the other girls. They were almost immediately dismissed to be married off, until a wise man, Karmak, said that they were clearly fated for me, as having only seven children in any given month was a unique rarity nowadays. What''s more, while my body transformed entirely, gaining monstrous power, my mind went unscathed, not distorted in any way. He believed that we were fated for one another and it is nothing if not the work of the gods. We had to undergo more Rites.


    At that point, seven of us with the girls mothers were invited to participate. While tribe heads were important, they were not elders, so they would rarely be invited. I was represented with Elaya, as I was hers. Girls'' mothers were told of their predicament and asked for their opinion. Adults talked for a while, about safety and necessity of further Rites, about how could I have six wives instead of one. Girls didn''t have much say at first.


    At some point, Meriden, having heard enough talk about her life, jumped up, took her sword and slashed her hand with it, sending drops of blood on the ground.


    ¡°I WANT TO GO THROUGH THE THE RITE OF PASSAGE AND TO BE ONE WITH ZERN!¡±


    This surprised everybody, especially me. I half expected Aedim to do something in this manner, she clearly showed affection to me throughout our lives, even more so after my Rite. But Meriden was something like a sparring partner for me.


    Apparently Elaya was not so oblivious on the matter of Meriden''s maiden heart. She really liked that girl and knew her feelings about me. They clearly talked about it at some point. Even though wolves are meant to be monogamous partners for life, something in Elaya told her it would be ok.


    ¡°If Zern is ok with it, I will gladly accept Meriden to join our family and be one body and soul with my love.¡±


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    This simple statement sent even more shock through everyone. Nobody expected her to go along with it, especially not after how she reacted at Lilith''s pranks.


    ¡°I feel the same way as Meriden, if it is possible, I wish to be one with Zern.¡±


    Aedim indeed decided to speak up. She had light in her eyes, I could swear the colors in there swirled and changed rapidly. She showed happiness, with a slight hint of sadness, perhaps because she was not the first to say it.


    Next one to speak up was Eleanor, which also surprised us.


    ¡°I cannot pass up the chance to gain such powerful ally at my side. It would be unbefitting royalty to let this opportunity pass me by. I will also stand by Zern and see him rise.¡±


    Since the Rite, she changed a great deal. Her expression now showed tolerance towards me, perhaps she was unused to showing any positive emotion. She could not force herself to smile, but there was a shine in her eyes that only appeared recently.


    I could feel the grey matter boiling inside the skulls of others and trying to make its way out of their ears. For Eleanor, who openly despised me until just mere weeks ago, to be wishing to join me in sacred pact of marriage, was something akin to my own legend. Even her mother, who secretly had such thoughts was shaken by her daughter''s words. Clearly, something shifted high up in the stars.


    Last to speak were two vixens, who were like two sisters Deceit and Misdirection. Although it wasn''t as much of a shock now, their words still stirred something inside all of us.


    ¡°We are fated for one another, if Zern joins with them, he is to be one with us. We cannot let him go to our opponents. We will go through the the Rites¡±


    Words of rivalry were clear as day, they were sisters to one another, but treated others as enemies if it concerned me. They were not totally serious, but their expression showed seriousness and determination, in great contract to their usual mischievous demeanor.


    What also struck others in their hearts were Lilith''s words of the Rite. For royal princess of Val''Luna tribe to undergo the rite of passage when there is no necessity was an alien concept. The idea would be dismissed immediately if not recent happenings concerning me. This made everyone think.


    For sometime everyone remained silent, trying to think of what to do. This would be violation of any rules set before, but now my existence was breaking such rules by me merely being present there. The circumstances of my birth, my abnormal development, my transformation made everyone consider the girls'' words seriously. Thankfully no one thought I was some kind of demon trying to gain power or whatnot.


    I decided it was my turn to speak.


    ¡°I will gladly take all of you as mine, to be joined as one on day of our marriage. I will gladly go through with every rite, if not to gain more power to protect my people and my brides, but to show my strength and determination to overcome any challenges of the Val tribes.¡±


    With my words, our future was sealed. Even if nobody knew it in their minds, in their hearts it was clear what was to come. Discussions resumed shortly after. There were lots of logistics to work out, but the issue was resolved. I had five more Rites ahead of me.


    -----


    Well, here it is. I hope you enjoy my writing. Feel free to rate and comment.

 Chapter 7.

    This here is a "hot spring" type of chapter. It should contain extensive imagery of nude female physique  but seeing as the girls are all ten now, I had to limit myself to talking about "feeling" and "inner conflict". I hope you don''t get offended by the implication of ten year olds bathing together.


    -----


    For some weeks elders spoke of this and that regarding our future. It was decided that I would do one Rite, every year during my birthday. The order in which girls went was the same in which they had spoken during the meeting, with Meriden being one to give me her power on our eleventh birthday. There were more preparations to come, if I would loose my mind now, nobody could guess what would happen. Two marriages at once happened before, two Rites had not.


    I had a small wish to make the Rites harder each time, elders gladly complied. They knew why I asked for that and they took my wish to heart.


    While others prepared, so did I. I could not stop training, so we resumed spars with Zern. He was beaten to the pulp, even if I was merely ten, my new power was too much. We decided to add more partners to our spars. At first Elaya joined. Then Meriden, with her superiors skills. Aedim began to use her magic to hinder my movements.


    Leah and Lilith also joined, with their own special way of fighting. They both employed twin daggers with their style, their combat was similar but not an exact match. Feints were commonly used, but differently for each one. Lilith would fight head on, while trying to find or make an opening in my stance. She expertly used feints, often changing her attacks mid swing or using her environment to the fullest. She was tough to fight with, but wouldn''t be a problem if not for Leah.


    The fox girl would strike from the shadows, unseen and unhindered. Her strikes often reached some critical point and they would be fatal if not for my improved physique. She posed great difficulty especially when combined with others.


    Eleanor also wished to join, but she wasn''t much of a fighter. She learned to use throwable knives and needless and served more of an annoyance in battle, but she proved invaluable once she began to devise the strategies to defeat me. She head the mind of a tactician, perhaps little unbefitting a future head of the tribe. Through observing me, she learned my weaknesses and strengths and devised various plans of battle. With all of them working together, some spars would come to a stalemate. I was never defeated, but if they managed to stand till the end, it was something to brag about, no one could withstand my unholy strength on their own.


    Throughout this time, there were also changes in girls'' behaviors. They learned to show their affections towards me, with hugs and hand-holding becoming very common. Furthermore, Meriden and Aedim became as open about their feelings as Elaya, and perhaps Lilith. Simply put they enjoyed kissing. Leah was somewhat restrained with open showing of love and Eleanor would simply panic. If she saw any others trying to kiss me, she would turn red and look away. She clearly didn''t overcome her previous feelings towards me. Her inner battle of love and resentment proved difficult for her.


    We were still young, so I was never the one to make any advancements on them. I was very open, but restrained about my actions. I also didn''t let them go too far before the time was right. They often were pouting about it, but their eyes were somewhat thankful. Maybe it was their inexperience and fear that pushed them on when it was too early.


    There was also once again the issue of bathing. After group fights, Frez would round us up and send to the spring to wash ourselves. Elaya was already used to me so she had to problem. Lilith showed long ago that she was ok with mutual nudity, she threw herself at me as soon as I was naked and tried her best to tease me. Strangely, she succeeded in embarrassing me and took joy in my reaction.


    Meriden had little difficulty at first, but then she stood up, one hand on the hip, another clenched in a fist, eyes closed and her body fully exposed. She said something about pride as a warrior and overcoming obstacles and whatnot, it was hard to make sense as my head was in Lilith''s arms pushed into her flat chest.


    Aedim just stood up with a knowing look. She was the wise one amongst us. Although she was not without an embarrassed flush showing on her cheeks. Still she endured.


    Leah was very restrained, although not at all embarrassed. She kept her distance from me, not that I complained. I later learned that she did it to not compromise her resolve of waiting to show affection after marriage. That, and she had hard time controlling herself in my presence. Who knew knew that little minx had both a pure and twisted side all in one.


    Eleanor was, well, Eleanor. She sat down, her arms around her legs, facing away from me, very much like Elaya years ago. Not wanting to make it difficult for her, I turned away and and showed her my back. Not that I could see her anyway, Lilith did Not want to let go of my face.


    ¡°I turned away, you can feel free to wash yourself, I am not looking.¡±


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    ¡°Why...¡± came a low whisper from her.


    ¡°What?¡± I was confused.


    ¡°I know you hate me, you don''t have to act like you don''t. I treated you like dirt for years, stop pretending to be nice to me.¡±


    Previously cheerful atmosphere instantly vanished then. Her voice clearly showed pain and sorrow. There also was contempt, but now no longer directed at me, but at herself. I was at a loss, trying to come up with something to say. I was thankful when Elaya came to the rescue.


    ¡°Eli, you love Zern don''t you?¡±


    ¡°What!? Of course not! I mean, he is not royalty, how could I? I mean he is special and strong, but you know he is not right. I mean we are fated and all, but how could I be with such boy. Before I thought it was cruel that my fated was a mere commoner, and there were five others and he was weak and I was a princess and... I mean, how could it be?  You know, and now he is so strong, and all of you will be with him and I treated him so bad? You know how could I deserve love, he hates me clearly, he only accepted me because we are fated, I mean, why would he do it otherwise... I mean, I hated him, how could he not hate me...¡±


    Her speech was quick and barely coherent. She was confused and lost in her own emotions.


    Elaya walked up to her and hugged her, she quietly whispered in her ear.


    ¡°You love him, one day you will love him as much as I do, and you will know him as I do. And I know, he harbors no grudge against you. Zern is not the one to hate a child for something silly like that. You were small, but now you are growing up. You have to face him, otherwise you''ll never be able to truly be with him...¡±


    Elaya sounded very mature then. If I didn''t know any better I would immediately set out to look for real Elaya. Apparently me passing on some wisdom was not in vain, Sensei is proud. Sniff...


    Eleanor turned to me and looked at me with her eyes red and tears pouring down. I didn''t have a heart to refuse or resist, I walked up to her and hugged her just like Elaya.


    ¡°Eleanor, I don''t hate you. You are a sweet girl, who is a little misguided. But how can I fault you for who you are. It is not good for a lion to play with a stray cat. How could you know that the stray was little more than what you expected? You are a lioness, Pride is in your nature, and now you learned that pride is not everything. I won''t forgive you for there is nothing to forgive. You are my fated, and from this moment on we will grow up together.¡±


    I couldn''t say that I loved her, it was too early and I didn''t want to lie to her. I just hoped that whatever limited meaning my words had would reach her. We just stood like that for few moments, and then others came to us to give her a hug. We all were a group, and now with Eleanor, all seven of us were as one. She could really feel each of us and our wish for her to feel comfort. We stood there like that a little longer.


    She looked up to my face, tears still in her eyes, but with a smile and a bright glow about her.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    She reached up to me and gave a small kiss on the lips. Our first one, but not the last. From then on, we were always as one. There was no longer any discomfort or any strain between us. We grew accustomed to one another and Eleanor was able to open up her heart to me.


    Others also did their best to make her feel welcome. Our group was now inseparable. I must also mention that naked group hugs are awkward, although not as awkward as they would be in a few years, when the blood available to me will be easily diverted from my brain. Puberty is such a cruel thing.


    After that group baths were comfortable for all of us. The girls were still only starting to develop, so there was no tension between us, we were still just kids. Even later on, we would remain comfortable around each other, despite their developing bosoms and curves. I had a little discomfort in my early teens, when I began loosing control over certain parts of my body, but the girls just laughed at me. Oh how I would pay them back for that!


    Of course, the bath time outside of group fights was Elaya''s alone. She clearly stated that right now only me and her had joined together, private time is for us only, as she didn''t want to share me with ¡°strangers¡±. Meriden only became more eager to complete the rite of passage faster. As if her unyielding concentration could speed up time. If only.


    -----


    Here are about 1.7 k words. I don''t know if it is enough for a chapter, or if the other chapter later on are big enough. Later on they should be getting bigger, with less time skipping. I just don''t what to talk much about how ten year old wildlings'' everyday life would be going. This is not an anime about highschool. I try to focus on getting to the marriage and the seven turning adults and doing adult stuff. Nobody would truly follow a ten year old into battle or allow him to rule. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this, ratings and comments are appreciated.

 Chapter 8.

    So guys, since I am sitting at 42k words total, and I don''t think we are past the initial 18k I had when I began to upload this story, I decided to post the next chapter. Also I love all the praise I get, so I am not selfless like you might think. Also I wrote a chapter so stupid, I might end this right then and there as Zern''s skull is crushed by a chandelier. Of course I won''t, don''t be silly. But God, I already have twilight characters written in and I go on and add yet another concept from another book series. Just know that once you read that part in the future, I am very sorry I did it.


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    As time for our eleventh birthday closed in on us, most of the preparations were complete. Elders added some people who would wield whips to make my life sweeter. I had to really examine my inner psyche to reevaluate how much I enjoy the S&M. Apparently not that much, pain didn''t do me any good. But I was still dumb enough to go through with it.


    Meriden was thoroughly set on completing the Rite. She believed with all her heart that we would succeed. Failure was not an option. If I say it truthfully, I feared for what would happen to me if I would succumb to the beast.


    The trial itself was just a little more difficult then the previous one. I still moved slowly across the bed of cinders. It now was eleven meters long, just to symbolize our age. And to make my life just this much more enjoyable.


    Stick and stones may break my bones, but whips and chains excite me. That''s a lie actually, nothing may break my bones and whips are truthfully a pain. But still I persevered, walking through the burning trail, my eyes locked with Meriden''s not blinking once. As I made it to the end, I was showered with boiling water once more, but there was no blood to wash away, only some fruit juice from something somebody threw. My eyes never averted away from Meriden''s.


    As I stood in front of my fated, she quickly slashed her wrist just like Elaya a year ago. She raised the dagger above our heads to show off the blood on the blade and then threw it on the ground. She had no doubt she would remain unharmed.


    I dropped to my knees and held her hand with mine. Such strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Inhaling the scent of her blood, my inhuman senses showed me so much more then before. The scent was sweet, it made me want to drink it all up. Truly, if I didn''t know where it came from, I would drink every last drop.


    Not wanting to waste any of the sweet crimson liquid, I raise her hand up to my mouth and lick every drop that ran down her hand and her fingers. It was swift, and after her hands are clean, I take in the blood from her wound. Even before my transformation began anew, her wound began to close.


    This time my form flickered into my werewolf self instantly. There was a slight sound of my pants ripping, as I worn nothing more, learning from past experience. I stood there, high above the Meriden, with her hand still in mine.


    Her taste was divine. With my senses beyond any mere human, I could truly feel her essence. It was sweet, much like Elaya''s yet different. There was slightly more taste of iron and little bit of coppery aftertaste. I didn''t think it was possible to taste all that in blood, but it was there assaulting me.


    As the heat once again ran through me, my flesh began to boil. Strangely enough, I didn''t grow bigger, instead I even shrank down about 20 cm. My form became wider, my arms and legs grew more muscly and massive. As before I looked like an agile predator, now I was an unmoving mountain of muscle. My snout shortened and became something average between a bear and a wolf. My fingers on my hands were truly big, I could now easily cover Meriden''s head with just my palms.


    Feeling transformation complete, and having no signs of rising bloodlust, I decided to play a little joke. I quickly threw Meriden high in the air, caught her and bit into her side. People looked at us with shocked expressions, warriors drew their weapons. They stood like that, until Meriden began so squirm and giggle.


    ¡°Stop, it tickles.¡±


    I withdrew her from my enormous maw and placed her on the ground. She gave me a big hug, trying to fully cover me with her arms but to no avail. I was too darn big.


    People began to cheer, their expressions relieved. Once again a feast would be held. People began to speak and I stood there with Elaya on one side and Meriden on the other. Both of them could barely get their arms around me.


    As I stood there I once more looked within. There, my soul was now encompassed by two separate flames, indistinguishable from one another and melded seamlessly, yet I could feel them both. With little effort I concentrated a bit, and shrunk the one fire that made me want howl at the moon, leaving the one that wanted me to eat some honey. Should I change my name to Winnie-the-Pooh?


    Ripples came running through my form and I shrunk even more. Now I wasn''t half way between a bear and a wolf, I was a ten out of ten parts werebear. People looked at me with excitement. Now, I could not only shift between my human and my best form, but I had more than one beast form. I had three to be precise. I tested it, by quickly shifting from one to another, and then shifted into my human form.


    Once again I changed. Even beforehand I looked more developed than I should be at my age, now I looked as if I was halfway through my teens. My shoulders were broad, my muscles were bulging, my hands were bigger.  My form clearly radiating power. My eyes remained yellow colour as in my lupine form, but my hair darkened to fit the fur of a grizzly bear.


    People cheered on, I was given a cloak, and celebration began. I walked around a bit, showing my once again greater strength, by carrying both girls on my shoulders. They sat to both sides of my head and squealed happily and I spun around, holding them in place by their legs. Other princesses also came to ask for a ride, but Meriden and Elaya defended their rightful place on my shoulders. Now our private time would include Meriden, be it bathing or doing jobs. Three of us were now as one. Others would have to wait for their time.


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    Regardless, every one of them was excited. They began to talk amongst themselves, speculating what each of the remaining four would give me. The three remaining beast girls were chatting happily, when I notice strain on the face of a usually cheerful succubus.


    ¡°Why so serious?¡± I asked once I came close to her.


    She looked at up at me, with the height difference of almost two heads between us now. Inside her eyes was turmoil, just like in Eleanor''s before her.


    ¡°I don''t know. Everyone is so joyous about your beast forms and what will happen later, but you know as well as I do, I carry different kind of power.¡±


    I nodded in agreement. Lilith was a descendant of the Gargoyle, dark God of the past. His blood twisted mortals and he did horrendous things when he was alive. The girl with crimson hair was worried if I could withstand such power. She had doubts.


    ¡°Lilith, I won''t lie and say I know I will prevail. I am no God to know such things. But what I do know, is that I will do my damnest to pass every Rite. You know that you will be my last, so we still have four years to prepare. I honed this body to wield it like Meriden wields a blade, now I tell you I will hone my mind and my soul to withstand any corruption that your blood may carry.¡±


    Perhaps it was mean to talk about Lilith''s blood as of something vile, but it did the trick. She never denied her demon heritage, she embraced it and bathed in the glory of being part demon. She was in fact very proficient in dark arts, which was somewhat frowned upon by most, but not by me. I supported her no matter what and accepted her for what she was.


    Her expression changed to show a somewhat relieved smile. She knew she could count on me.


    ¡°But what will you do?¡±


    ¡°I will spend every waking hour I have to spare to train my mind. ¡¯Discipline your inner self to overcome anything from outside¡¯. I will meditate to strengthen my spirit, I will force myself to train till my bones break and I will steel my resolve until nothing can make me stray away from my path.¡±


    My speech was overly dramatic, but I would make sure to follow through with every word I said. It really helped Lilith, her face lit up with a smile and her eyes showed happiness.


    Unnoticed by both of us, the rest of the group stop talking and listened in on us. Aedim had a curious expression.


    ¡°What did you mean by ¡¯meditate¡¯?¡±


    Such practice was rare in this realm, only monks in very Far East did meditation. Aedim learned of such practice from books, where there were mentions of this. It is said to greatly improve ones inner strength, help spell casting and even allowed one to surpass limitations of the body by utilizing some hidden power within. There was also mentions of way of harnessing such hidden power for other uses. Basically it spoke of Ki and it''s benefits.


    Naturally I had such knowledge as I spent many lifetimes as monks, clerics, warriors or any other practitioners of the art. It would benefit one greatly if you used it, so I learned many different ways and even came up with my own exercises.


    In this world I often meditated, starting as early as when I was in the womb. There was little else to do, so I turned my gaze within and looked at my inner self. It also helped me in my training. Perhaps now was the time to share this practice with my fated ones.


    ¡°Meditation is practice of training, just like the ones we do with Frez, but it focuses on training your mind and your spirit. It allows you to see your inner conflicts, your strengths and weaknesses. You learn to turn your gaze onto the landscape of your soul and to expand and improve your inner workings.¡±


    ¡°You truly know such practice? Can... Can you teach us?¡± Aedim was clearly captivated by this prospect.


    ¡°Yes, I wish to have the power to resist the darkness within.¡± Even Lilith could see merit in practicing meditation.


    ¡°If such thing can improve the Warrior''s spirit, I too wish to join you.¡± Meriden always sought strength, so she too was tempted.


    After this there was a discussion of the practice and how to do it. We decided together to spend time each week just to meditate. Everyone wanted more power, and for once they will be receiving it from me, not the other way around. From then on, I gained six awfully cute pupils and one dainty old pupil in the way of Frez, who also wished to participate.


    Our practice was hard at first, but soon it began to bear fruit. Frez and Meriden were able to unlock hidden power of their bodies. Aedim used it to improve her magic. Lilith and Eleanor used it for inner discipline and to sort out their feelings. Lilith was able to resist inner darkness better and Eleanor expanded on her feelings of love. Elaya did a bit of everything, improving herself, hoping to be strong enough to stay by my side. It was truly admirable.


    And Leah... She did extremely well, doing all of those things and more. Now she could use greater capacity of her inner self to plan her little jokes. Greater control over her body and magic proved useful, but her newfound state of expended consciousness proved to be my undoing. Her pranks became flawless, too hard for even me to notice and diffuse. Entire tribe of Val became her playthings. Mere mortals had no chance against the monster I created. She took great joy tormenting all those weaklings...


    Strangely enough she also practiced self-control and self-restraint. She was able to show some affection to me, without pouncing on me like a bitch in heat. Her words, not mine. It was lovely to see her be kind and gentle towards me for once. It was sweet.


    Ultimately, we adopted the practices I taught and they managed to surpass their limits. It was somewhat terrifying to have six princess capable of such feats, but it was what had to be done for the training. It proved invaluable in the future.


    -----


    So yeah.  I hope you enjoyed reading this. Ratings and comments are always welcome and appreciated and I''ll try to respond to your posts. Kudos to you people

 Chapter 9.

    Hey guys, here is another chapter for your enjoyment. Now, before we continue, I have to tell you that I had to empty a neat little trick I call "pulling out of the ass". I present some figures regarding distances and geography, so when you think it is unbelievable or doesn''t make sense, you know why. In the next chapter we will be dealing more with that. If something is too unbelievable, just think ''magic''.  I am sorry I am bad with numbers. Anyway, enjoy.


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    After Meriden''s rite of passage was done, we spent lots of time training and doing jobs like before. But, after a few months some disturbing news arrived. For some reason people of Val tribe are getting attacked all around the world.


    Previously my people were regarded as heroes, they defended the weak and fought monsters in most desolate places. We didn''t get titles of guardians for our beautiful eyes or cute smiles. But now, people regarded us as something evil.


    Apparently, the king in the neighboring kingdom heard of me and my power and began spreading rumors about us. Previous king treated us well and had peace treaty with us. However he died under mysterious circumstances just three years prior. Nobody was allowed to investigate what happened and that secret remained buried. The new king seemed power hungry and despicable, although he didn''t openly declare war or hunted us yet.


    Now, as rumors were spreading, it was dangerous to travel far outside our territory. There were instances of attacks by bandits and by ¡°bandits¡±. There were some bounties of capture of our females. This was unprecedented event, as nobody dared to do it before. Some attackers went so far as to venture deep into our territory. Of course they didn''t get anything, their heads and their bodies remained where they were killed.


    This warranted the tribe heads to send out regular patrols on guard duty. I readily volunteered to protect my people. Normally a kid would be dismissed, but not me. I was sent to guard the outskirts of our territory, just outside of the edge of Great Forest. Naturally, Meriden and Elaya went with me. There was no point arguing with them, they listened to nobody but me, and I didn''t want to be separated. Aedim also used her influence to be allowed to accompany me. She couldn''t have her intended spend time with two of his bonded partners while she stayed behind. It was her turn for a rite of passage next, so she had to prepare with me.


    Together we traveled east to the edge of the forest, where we would have to spend some months guarding. It would take a long time getting there, because territory is so vast, it would be easier to station me there for a while, instead going back and forth from centre to the edge.


    The territory we have under our control is truly big. When Val Loudhorn was alive, he loved the forests. So when he established his tribe, he lived deep in the wilderness of Great Forest, specifically its northern part. Snow and gale only chiseled away the weakness and brought out perfection, according to Val. So all his descendants stayed in same place.


    The forest is really massive. If I had to compare, it would take up half of Canada. This world is smaller then regular Earth and there is only one continent with some little islands around it and ocean over the rest of the realm. Our forest is to the far west of the continent, stretched out from north to south. It takes up about sixth of the entire world, but we don''t control the entirety of it. Only about a quarter of it belongs to us, mostly the area that contains snow is ours.


    To the north of the forest are Dragonspine mountains. They are giant, snow covered spine-looking rocks. And by spine-looking I mean those spines that come off a dragon''s back, that are very sharp and easily cut through anything. Really just massive sharp needle-like protrusions protecting dragon''s back. There is a common folklore story that our whole world is really on a side of sleeping dragon, who decided to take a nap in the middle of an ocean for a couple million years. I don''t believe it to be true but who knows.


    The mountain range extends about a third along the length of the north. After that there is the ice cap. What is to the Far East is a mystery to me, apparently, dragon''s head is meant to be there.


    In those mountains some dwarves live, but they are very few in number. We trade with them and protect them if needed.


    To north-west of the forest, are some small mountains coming off of the Dragonspine mountains. They quickly become small going south, only to reveal high cliffs over 200 meters above sea level. The cliffs continue on down to the south until the snow begins to melt and we enter elven territory. At that point forest belongs to elves, and cliffs to the west belong to merfolk.


    This goes further down south towards eventual sandy beaches with some different fish people living there. The forest at that point stretches all the way to the south. All of it belongs to elves, although there are many creatures living with them like dryads, fairies, centaurs etc. just a freaking fantasy forest there.


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    Just as the forest ends in the south, the tropical trees reveal beaches to west and south edges of the continent. It''s tropics down there.


    Immediately to the east of us starts a human kingdom of Kelnurn. We were always allies until recently. Half of their territory is covered in snow, and further to the south weather is rather cold, but not enough to freeze water. It is somewhat difficult to grow crops there, so people mostly rely on hunting like us. They often have to import crops from demon races to the south of them, who live in warmer climate. Both of their territories are very large.


    Even further south, past the demon lands is a marine kingdom of nagas. They are like half-human quarter-fish quarter-snake race. They are peaceful unless provoked. They export pearls and seafood, in exchange for metals and land-bound crops. They like carrots more than seaweed.


    Whatever is past those kingdoms is rather foggy for me. Few Val people ever venture that far. There are some mentions of white haired snow elves, of some intelligent monster races like orcs and ogres. Also there are legends of powerful beings like dragons and phoenixes. Nothing can be known for certain. This is about the extent of my knowledge of the world beyond the trees I learned to love.


    Now, the rumors that are being spread is that Val tribe is taken over by a demon. Apparently, a dark being stole power of two women and overtook as the leader of the tribe. How somebody came up with that is beyond me, but people readily believed such tales.


    Of course our people were always respected for services we did for the realm, but at the same time they were feared. Having blood of previous Guardians is an awe inspiring trait, but the rumors that we also had demon blood mixed in were around as well. Now, people readily gave in to such stupid rumors.


    I mean they are not unfounded, I did receive powers from two girls, I did attain full body transformation that previously was regarded as a fiend. Our people didn''t hide the fact and perhaps were somewhat proud of it. Some regarded me as a hero or a God''s chosen. They would gladly tell travelers about my tale. But having my story twisted around so much is just wrong. I felt very angry at the new king, and if not for my duty, I''d go and kick his ass.


    I know, that this was a way for that damn king to divert attention from himself. I was sure he usurped the throne, perhaps mistreated his subjects. What else could he do but to create a bigger threat than himself. The number of bandit sightings increased as well and if I know something, it is the lack of money makes one walk the crooked road. Little extra tax and you get perhaps another thousand crooks. Post a hefty bounty to ¡°rescue¡± some maidens from the hands of vile creatures and you get somebody readily doing your bidding. When some people go missing, blame it on the fiends in the forest. It is a self-fueling rumor mill. All the while you can steal more money and gain more power. Ingenious and evil.


    So, the four of us set out towards out destination.  It took us about a two weeks on the dire wolves'' backs. Of course I was way faster than those little puppies, but I can''t really carry three girls on my back. There is no saddle for werewolves.


    We were given two outposts to travel between, which would take about two days of riding on wolves or little over a week of walking. Once we arrived, we left the wolves at the outpost and began to walk towards another outpost. From dawn till dusk we would walk, then we would camp out and rest at night. This would be our everyday life for the next four months. Then we would be stationed at an outpost for a months rest and once we rested we would spend four more months patrolling. After that we go back for the rite of passage with Aedim.


    This was a cakewalk, once you lived your whole life in the woods, walking grasslands and hillsides is nothing. For the most part it was very chill. We just strode around, doing some minor training and talking. Once we make it to the outpost, we rest and bathe and then back on the road we go. We enjoyed it a lot. We exercised here, while other girls trained at home. I kinda hoped that Frez would help them train, but he also was stationed on the guard duty far north of us. Still, it was some good times.


    We did get to kill some people when bandits attacked us a couple of times. They were idiots, don''t they know what Val people are? I didn''t even need to do anything, Meriden would pick them off with the bow and Aedim had to throw a couple of fireballs. Elaya didn''t get to fight either, she had no ranged capabilities. We spent few months chilling. Literally.


    -----


    So here it another chapter.  I hoped you enjoyed it. We are curently about a third way through what I wrote so far and I am closing in onto the part which I would call the next volume, if I knew what I talked about. I won''t stop writing of course. Ratings and comments are appreciated. Also, the next chapters should be pretty powerful, at least I thought that when I wrote it.

 Chapter 10.

    Once again I use magic and "pull things outta my ass". Some figures here may be unbelievable, so please feel free toberate me for it but please don''t hate me. Also please read the annotation at the bottom.


    -----


    One skill Aedim picked up after learning to meditate was something elves called ¡°Star-Whispering¡±. Apparently stars are deities and spirits of the old, leaving their mortal coil, they went up there and now they spend time looking down at us and talking. If you are very capable in magic and you have the aptitude, you can listen in to the whispers of those gods.


    When Aedim first heard the faint whisper she freaked out a bit. She tried to shut off her thoughts and instead expand her perception like I could. My inhuman senses were amazing, so she couldn''t achieve as much, but it was enough for her to hear almost inaudible words spoken up in the heavens.


    Once she realized what she did, she began training. She couldn''t understand anything at first, but after a while she realized that the words didn''t matter, they were most likely in some old forgotten tongue. What did matter was the meaning behind them. She would turn her attention upwards and she could gain some insight about the world. She learned of some white-walkers being born in Far East. She heard of how much of disgrace the king proved to be. She heard some whispers of adultery and rape in the demon country.


    She could hear many things, many of which were of little importance. Some whispers spoke of things to come. Something dark was born to the far south-east of the continent. It stirred and waited. Man, some foreshadowing right there.


    Aedim would sometimes spend her nights looking up to the sky and gazing at the stars. I thought it was ironic, how Aedim with her void-like eyes would gaze up into another void. In my head I was wondering which would win, the void within the girl, or the boundless emptiness beyond the world. I never really got the answer; they never tired of looking at one another.


    Aedim also gained a bad habit as a consequence. At night she might wonder off to find a quiet place lacking the cracking of the fire and rustling of our clothes. As she would block out almost every stimulus other than the whispers from above, she could be extremely vulnerable. She assured me she was perfectly safe, but I warned her. I could feel something bad would happen if she was careless.


    I used my training differently. With my senses and meditation, I could expand my perception for miles around. On some rest days, I would sit and listen in on heartbeats of some special people. Off to the west, there were three little hearts that drummed day and night, pumping blood without stopping. Such feat often took a toll on me, as the time would flash by in an instance and afterwards I''d need proper rest. But Elaya would often be glad to hear that others are alright, their hearts spoke louder than words.


    About three months into our first shift, something bad happened. I was fast asleep, with Meriden standing watch. Aedim walked off somewhere as she usually would. I had dreams of some women from my previous lives. I clearly remember a red head, a white haired elf and a blue haired loli. They were arguing about something and I just stood there with a baby in my arms.


    My dreams were cut short by sudden thunder. It was like being in the middle of a massive thunderstorm, with lighting strikes meters away from you, time after time. ¡°Du-dum! Du-dum! DU-DUM!¡± If was deafening.


    I didn''t even realize what happened until I was galloping across the grass plain in my beast form, charging somewhere to the east of us. I knew something happened.


    It took me fifteen minutes to cover the distance of what we would need to spend 4 days walking usually. My muscles ached and my bones had some cracks, but it was nothing compared to the headache I felt because of the thundering drums in my ears.


    I appeared in at the edge of a human camp. It was about a two hours walk away from the edge of our usual patrolled area. Humans seemed to have learned boundaries of our patrols.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    It took me an instant to clearly see what happened. There were cages, which meant slavers. Cages were filled with various women, some as old as their late thirties and as young as four or five year olds. All of them were nude, most of them were bruised and beaten, deadpan expression on their faces.


    There were elves and what I think were dryads there mixed in with humans. Some teen girls were out of the cages and sprawled on the ground, bound by their hands, some dirty rags in their mouths to keep them from screaming. I could see tears gushing out of their eyes, they were clearly in pain. Whatever was deep inside them could only be described as hell. Atop them were some human shaped piles of filth. They were not worthy to even be considered alive.


    And then there was one more thing I remembered. There was Aedim on the ground, gagged by some filthy cloth, with two hooded figures hunched over her. Last thing I could see were their hands trying to get her pants off and to get below her shirt to caress her chest. The loud, thundering sound was coming from the very chest they wanted to defile.


    Elders all feared that I would lose control during Rites. Their fears were unfounded, I always controlled the beast. What they should have been afraid of was me losing control of myself.


    Whatever happened next only came to me after the fact, in flashes. I never truly knew what carnage I unleashed then.


    With my very first move I charged the five hundred meters separating me and Aedim. By bones broke with that leap, which was the first time since my tenth birthday. The force generated was too great for a normal body. My sharp claws were meant to neatly cleave through flesh, leaving behind smooth wounds letting my prey bleed to death. They were never mean to be used with such force.


    In an instant I appeared behind what used to be two men, my claws already passed through them. In the next moment they both exploded into blood and gore, showering the entire area around them with blood, bits of their intestines and brain matter. I was already somewhere else, smashing someone''s skull or decapitating someone. Perhaps whatever happened was too fast even for me to comprehend. All I can remember now are some images of blood showering everyone present, taste of blood and brain on my tongue and sounds of screams that ended way too fast.


    Within ten minutes, around two hundred people lost any resemblance to anything other than minced meat, truly a monstrous display of power. Perhaps human king was right to fear us; perhaps darkness did overtake the people of Val. The filth never got a chance to fight back, in their panic they didn''t understand what happened until they were all dead.


    Two hundred dead bandits and slavers, little more than fifty broken steel cages, and I sat there, with Aedim in my arms hugging her with enough force to break bones. Thankfully, it was my bones that were broken. I passed out with her still in my arms, both of us covered in what used to be men mere minutes ago, my body broken and mingled through its own effort.


    I didn''t come to until three weeks later.


    -----


    This chapter is somewhat short, but I felt it was powerful. I don,t know about you, but it made me angry. Anyway, from here on out, there will be more action and dialogues, with smaller time skips in between. I have written about three times as I''ve posted so far and Zern is only slightly past the Aedim''s trial at that point. There will be more relations to other races and my attempts at politics which are probably pitiful.


    What I wonder if I should keep posting one chapter a day or speed up and post more? The chapters are bigger later on, but I still have plenty left. I am writing more everyday, even wrote some other ideas for other fiction. Please leave your opinion whether I should speed up or keep it as it is. And also should I post whatever else I''ve written. I hope to know your opinion.


    And as always, rate and comment, I appreciate it a lot. I read all the posts even if I don''t reply to them.

 Chapter 11.

    I awoke feeling like I was on fire. I didn''t feel like that since way before my first trial. Every bit of my body ached and screamed at me for using it in such a barbarous way.


    Apparently, when I was at the death''s door, the beast parts tried their best to keep me alive. They didn''t let my soul flicker out of existence and go on to the next life. My form would often rippled, boiled down and reform edagain. I made no sound throughout the entire time, but I often stopped breathing altogether, sending my party into panic. At the end, my human form had some irreversible changes.


    I was once again bigger, looking like I was eighteen now. My teeth were sharper, very feral. My skin was harder, closer to my beast form. My ears were now pointed slightly and curved back a bit, like in old movies about werewolves. They weren''t as cool as those elvish cute ones. I also had more hair, or perhaps better say fur on my body. My nails became very hard.


    Later I also found out that my beast form became somewhat more humanoid. Speaking became easier and my features were less feral and smoother. I still was very deadly regardless.


    I tried examining my soul, only to find that the flicker inside me had some red threads intertwined within. I had an idea of possible repercussions that might have on me, but I wouldn''t know until my next life.


    When I tried to move, I couldn''t suppress a moan and awoke Elaya who was sleeping next to me, leaning on the bed. Very clich¨¦. When she saw me get up, she jumped on me, kissing my face, saying something incoherent and crying. It all sent more pain coursing through my body but she didn''t care.


    The others noticed the noise and immediately appeared by my bed. All six were here. Somehow, Leah knew something happened even before the messenger was sent. They quickly packed and went straight towards me, not even asking for permission. They have been staying by my side for the last two weeks.


    When I asked what happened, nobody could tell me the entire story, just bits and pieces.


    I just woke up in the middle of the night and charged toward the east. Meriden never saw anything move that fast. She and Elaya ran after me, fearing they would lose the track of me, only to follow a trail of craters. I leapt like a freaking Hulk, from one place to the next, with enough force to leave craters behind.


    It took them two hours sprinting non-stop to reach wherever I was headed. At the end they found around fifty women and girls, hurdled together around something. Everything was bathed in blood; everyone present was red, drenched from head to toe.


    There were also broken pieces of metal, rags, some scattered weapons, glass bottles and alcohol puddles on the ground and remainders of some bonfires. The girls had a quick thought that perhaps I lost it and beast really took over, but dismissed immediately - fiends don''t leave women alive.


    When they pushed through the crowd, they could see Aedim clutching me with her arms. My body was clearly broken down, arms and legs bending in unnatural places at extreme angles. They had doubts I was even alive.


    Meriden took me in a princess carry and sprinted to the closest outpost, leaving Elaya to calm everyone down and ask what happened. For a week afterwards, Meriden had sore legs from running at breakneck speeds.


    While I was tended to at the outpost, it took Elaya and Aedim three days to bring everyone there.


    The slaves all as one said they would have to follow me. They were all terrified of me, but they didn''t even think of going anywhere but where I was. For most of them they no longer had homes, the elves and dryads were all impure now, they were outcasts with nowhere to go. The humans and few demons had their families killed during the raids, so they also were left alone.


    They all now revered me as some dark deity, who came to claim them as my own. The whole ¡°shower of blood¡± was a massive sacrifice and initiation ceremony, marking them as mine. They didn''t dare to even think otherwise. They all stayed at the outpost, doing menial tasks and caring for me.


    Well, I now have a cult.


    Aedim also said her little side of the story. She walked some distance away to do her little bit of star-whispering, when she was suddenly knocked out. Whoever it was, he was a good rogue to hide so well, even if Aedim''s attention was somewhere else.


    She was dragged off, gaged and bound by ropes. She couldn''t speak, so no spell casting. She remained calm and leveled all the way to the slaver camp. However, once she was there, once she saw all the abuse and rape, she began to panic. It only increased when her captors took some bottles of foul-smelling liquid and drank it while talking of ¡°sampling¡± her as the ones who found her first. I broke some of my fingers why I heard this, clenching my firsts and grinding my teeth from all the anger I felt. I killed them too mercifully.


    Aedim was struggling on the ground, trying to get them off her, when suddenly a shadow appeared and within a minute killed every single raider. Only after no scum was left alive, that the shadow stopped, embracing the girl and passing out in her arms. After that she just clung to me, crying, with slaves gathering around us until Meriden and Elaya came.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    They then forced me to tell my side of the story. I told them about the thundering drumbeat, about charging towards it and then losing control of myself. They didn''t understand why I would suddenly hear Aedim''s heartbeat, when Elaya told them about me listening in to the girls heartbeats when they were far away. This made the three girls break down crying for some reason. I then concluded that I seem to unconsciously be listening to their hearts, so I would know if something happened.


    ¡°You really do love us...¡± What was pretty much all they said then, something about going great lengths for them? Man, I still didn''t get any engagement rings, now that would be going the extra mile.


    I guess I have to deal with the consequences now. But first, I need to get off the damn bed. My bones seem to all be intact, I should be able to stand up, but damn it hurts. Trying to stand up, I can''t muster enough strength to stand straight. Meriden offers her shoulder, which I gladly latch onto. With great difficulty, but we manage to stand up and even walk around some. Still pain is too much.


    I decide to not push myself just yet, my body can withstand a lot, if it is this hard to stand, and perhaps I am not prepared. Instead I just lie down for a little while longer.


    While I was in bed, with girls happily chatting amongst themselves, the leader of the outpost came by once he heard I woke up. He thanked me for getting rid of those slavers. They seemed to have been a large group, too much for a single Val man to handle. They have already attacked couple of other patrols and killed some of our fellow men.


    He also said he was very impressed by me, even thought I was a fiend, such power was beyond anything he heard of.


    There now was a bit of bad news. After the slaves all left for the outpost, some groups that were out doing their own tasks came back to the remains of the camp. Seeing the hell that I unleashed there, they fled back to the capital to get some help. Now an investigation looked at the area and declared us murderers and demons. They didn''t care about those men being slavers or killers; we killed their fellow citizens, so we must be executed.


    It seems they are not going to ask about who was it that attacked them, or the circumstances of the attack. They didn''t even bother contacting any of the leaders. They just declared war on us and began to amass their armies. King didn''t seem to be too smart, although he did secure yet another way to steal money from general populace. War efforts always require extra taxation.


    Nothing can be done now. Not a single person of the Val tribe is willing to give me up to human kingdom for ¡°justice¡±. They already heard Aedim''s story and whatever else slaves had to say.


    Elves also learned about the situation and they were pissed. There were some disappearances, but nothing pointing to kidnapping. Now with some freed slaves, they had evidence of human kingdom''s crimes. They are now deciding if they wish to participate in the coming war. The people we freed are not all who disappeared previously; there were some more attempts to take freedom of their fellow kin, which were repelled with extreme prejudice.


    The demon empire also got some news from us. Their reaction was rather mild, as slavery was a part of their everyday lives, but they did not like how humans broke their agreements. It seems that human kingdom tries to piss off everyone on purpose. They broke most of their treaties and agreements and tried to shift the blame on us. They actually thought that none of the slaves survived, so they got very surprised once they learned of fifty people denying our guilt.


    It seems like human kingdom is going to have some problems in the near future. We have no intention of meeting them head on; we don''t need their territories or their money. If they come to us, we will utilize everything we have at our disposal and show no mercy.


    I am going to be bedridden for the foreseeable future, a week or two, perhaps a month. If the fighting doesn''t start immediately I may be able to join the fray, but I''ll be more of a mascot or a hidden trump card. Even with all my amazing strength, I fell apart after killing two hundred humans. It is an impressive feat I admit, but it can''t be compared to taking on an army. I might hold my own against a dozen of soldiers, but I doubt I''ll be effective against thousands.


    Even if you say that killing two hundred is impressive, they were all untrained, distracted and drunk people, barely civilians who were taken by surprise. If I would attempt to do the same with the army, I''d be easily repelled, and then fall apart in the middle of their ranks.


    Not a good thing for sure.


    There also was notification, that once I get better I will travel back to meet the elders. Preparation for war will require my assistance. We will need to think how to use me best if the fighting will happen. For now I need to rest.


    -----


    Another chapter here guys. I''m glad you are liking my writing and I appreciate your support. Rate and comment if you have something to add, I read everything that gets posted. Kthnxbye

 Chapter 12.

    I underestimated my powers a lot. While it was hard for me to stay on this side at the deaths door, once I was alive and kicking again I got up very quickly. Only after a few days most of the pain faded. By the end of the week I was up and walking around slowly.


    I got to meet the people I rescued. They all fell to their knees when they saw me. Seeing someone broken down and barely alive come back like I did is impressive on its own. They also got to witness my Devine punishment with those sinners who exploded just by mere touch. I decided to stop their delusions about me, so I gathered them up to speak to them.


    ¡°Greetings, my name is Zern, I am the person who freed you. Now don''t misunderstand, I am glad I did it, but it was not my intention to do so. The only reason I was there was this Lady here.¡± I gesture Aedim to come forward. I took her hand in mine as I continued to speak. ¡°This foolish lass got herself captured, and was almost abused like you were. She is the reason I came and slaughtered all that filth. It is my love for her that made me do what I did, not some Devine will or punishment. Also, I did not leave any marks, nor do I intend to make you mine or force you into submission. You are all free folks; you can do as you wish.¡±


    Hoping that my words can be understood, I stop and look at them. There is some low murmur, they are talking amongst themselves. After few minutes, a teenage demoness comes forth.


    ¡°Lord Zern, was it not you, who tore open the cages they confined us? Was it not you, who stopped the man who raped and beat us repeatedly? Was it not you, Lord Zern, who tore open the men who defiled most of us and cut us off from our brethren? It is thanks to you, that we were bathed in blood of the very man who took our innocence and purity we carried in our hearts and bodies. It is your baptism in the blood of the defilers that washed away the dirt and filth and made us pure again. You may wish to deny it, but that is what we all know in our hearts. ?


    Darn, who knew there was such a silver-tongue amongst them? I am pretty sure she is the instigator of my cult.


    ¡°Is this what all of you believe?¡±


    Most of them immediately nod their heads. Double darn. I guess it is a viable coping mechanism. It is normal to want to return to the time before trauma, or at least come as close to that state as possible. Now, their purity is restored through my bloodshed and the demise of their captors. This is total pile of dog poop; it won''t work with their kin. But it could work with me, if I allow it. That little missy must know at least a bit of psychology. I have to keep an eye on her.


    ¡°May I know your age and your name?¡±


    ¡°It is impolite to ask a Lady of her age, but seeing as it is you, Lord Zern, I will tell you. I am Sonja Feelgood, former noble of house of Lust and I am fifteen. My family has been killed during a raid two months ago, and since then I was kept in a cage while we traveled north. My only remaining relative is my younger sister, Bella, who is seven, whom my Lord has purified just like me.¡±


    A little girl comes up to the demoness. There is some resemblance amongst them, same crystal blue eyes, same perfect skin and flawless face, same full pink lips... Focus! I can''t fall for her tricks. She may be a real succubus, but she is no Lilith and her charms I can resist.


    The whole Lord - Lady thing is suspicious. Is she aiming to be by my side? It may be at attractive prospect for her, but I''ll need to stop that train before it''s too late, although if what she says is true, she may indeed be a Lady. But I am no Lord, regardless if I like being called that or not.


    Also, what she said about her sister being purified. In order to be purified, one need to be filthy, so I can assume she has not remained untouched by that filth.


    I can feel my blood slowly beginning to boil. Aedim notices it and squeezes my hand to distract me. Right, I need to keep on track.


    ¡°As I said, you are free people now, if you wish to follow me, so be it. But I want to know why you choose me.¡±


    ¡°It is, Lord Zern, because of the way you look at us. We are all alien to you. Even humans are of different origin than you. We demons are of evil and virulent nature, the elves preach peace and love for all things, the dryads and seductresses of the forest, with poison as their main trade. Yet, you look at all of us with the same expression, be it indifference or pity or anger. In your eyes we are same people and as of the baptism, we are all your Bloodborn.¡±


    Well, seems I did not just create a cult, but a freaking race. I can see some logistical errors here and there, but that is not important now. There is one point I absolutely must reinforce. I gesture to the six beautiful girls standing near.


    ¡°These are my six intended, they are fated to me by my Val birthright. There will be no others. Do not try to get close to me if you wish to bear my offspring or gain notoriety though my name. None of that will be happening¡± I look directly at Sonja, who quickly diverts her gaze away. ¡°If you are ok with that, you may follow me. I will care for your wellbeing and protect you, but nothing more.¡±


    All of them still agree to follow me, regardless of what I said. Sonja looks somewhat disheartened, but still joins with them. They kneel before me and pledge their allegiance to me. I couldn''t stop them in time. Well, I really did create a faction.


    ¡°Very well. I recognize you as Bloodborn and with your pledge, you are now my subjects. I take full responsibility over you. Now, we have four days to prepare. We will soon be traveling to our homeland, and you all will go with me. Prepare supplies and rest before we set off, we will spend a long time on the road.¡±


    With those words I part from my new people.


    It was exhausting having to deal with all that. Now I have to care not only for my six beloved girls who can already be a handful, but also for over fifty ex-slaves, who revere me as a deity, love to bathe in blood and won''t go anywhere without me. What could possibly go wrong?


    Anyway, I have few more days before we go to our tribe. The whole journey should take us about a month on foot. There are not enough dire wolves for all of us by any count. Let''s hope the war doesn''t start until I arrive back home.


    Four days pass by quickly. My body is strong enough to travel, we pack up everything we need for our journey and set off together. The Bloodborn are all ready and prepared by that time.


    Most of the journey is spent walking peacefully with little disturbances. There were some animals they tried to attack us, but they were repelled easily. About two thirds of the way to our destination something unexpected happened. I mean, not the event itself, which totally was bound to happen, I even wondered why it took that long. No, what was important was the force behind it.


    One evening I found my tent completely empty, with Meriden and Elaya nowhere to be seen. This was a rare occurrence; they loved to spend time with me. Aedim also often talked about joining us soon, once her Rite is complete. But there I was in an empty tent.


    Ah, not empty enough. On some of the animal skins I use as bed a certain naked seductress sat her nakedness on display for me to see. Demons are surely taught well. House of Lust was it? They sure didn''t spend their time sitting on their butts doing nothing.


    I didn''t let her speak, I quickly moved to her and took off my cloak, with intention of covering her and sending her out. However, it could be easily seen as me getting ready to take advantage of her. Her sensual demeanor wavered slightly in that instant, fear flashing across her face. That was interesting.


    A naked succubus, afraid before her plan actually succeeds is not something you see every day. Deciding that I need to learn more, I play along. Ripping off my shirt, I kneel down in front of her, taking her face in my hands. Assaulting her lips, I try to make her react, but she is unresponsive, her muscles stiff and her expression frozen between panic and pain. Whatever happened to her during her time as a slave clearly fresh in her mind. Very unusual for a demon.


    Pushing on, I slide my right hand down her back and stop it at her hip, while licking her face and her neck, down to her right shoulder. At this point she starts trembling, clearly terrified of what is to come. Her sexual aura is gone, only turmoil could be seen on her face, with tears rolling down the sides.


    This is not a normal behavior for somebody who tries to seduce you, clearly. Concentrating, I listen in for heartbeats of anybody around me. There is the quick, almost out of pace drumming of the girl still in my arms. She is terrified. And there is another, the slightly faster than normal heartbeat of excitement, that belongs to a certain vixen. She must have taken the demoness under her wing, perhaps it is the common heritage for both of them. She is excited about what is happening, has she no idea how Sonja really feels? Has Lilith completely ignored Sonja and her feelings? That is very unlike her, even if she may seem somewhat insensitive, she knows the boundaries.


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    Something is amiss. Sonja must have not told her about her trauma. She is forcing herself to be here and she can''t fight the terror within. She tries to push through with something she clearly doesn''t want and goes so far as to enlist help of one of my intended. Still confused, I listen in for any other heartbeats. They are around, clearly aware of what should be happening right about now. It is actually somewhat disturbing how everyone, even Elaya went along with giving my first time to some demon girl they barely know. I wouldn''t imagine it happening like that. Are they thinking of this as some test?


    And there it is a foreign heartbeat, not one of my group''s. It is close to Lilith, clearly both of them aware of one another. While drumming of others'' show excitement and perhaps little fluster due to emotional battle of jealousy and pain, this one is slow and calm. The heart is small, drumming barely audibly, someone who believes to be in control, everything according to plan. It belongs so someone perhaps half my age. Nobody has such controlled heartbeat, except for me...


    It doesn''t take more than a second to put two and two together. I dash quickly at Lilith, or her little companion to be exact. Grabbing the kid next to my demon bride, I drag her into the tent and throw her on the ground, my strength barely restrained as to not deal permanent harm to her. Now, her heartbeat gets faster: ¡°this is not how it''s supposed to happen.¡± or something like that running through her mind.


    ¡°No! Lord Zern, please don''t harm my sister! I''ll do anything, I''ll stop crying, I can make you feel good...¡±


    Sonja has no idea what is happening, only hoping for me to not touch her sister, who has been ¡°abused¡± and ¡°defiled¡±. She has no idea who her sister really is.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Two words spoken slowly, but with enough force to show off my unadulterated killing intent. Not something I ever was good at was releasing or masking killing intent, like other heroes and villains. But now it works perfect, no need to hide it. Sonya goes pale and falls on the ground within a hair-width of fainting. Lilith is the first to run in, although she was the closest, it took her few seconds to realize what happened. Others follow closely behind.


    ¡°Leave.¡± One command sends everyone out, they don''t argue, too terrified to see me like this. Confused, they walk outside, leaving me with two demonesses.


    I once again grab the little one by her neck, applying enough pressure to show that her bones are nothing but straw in my hands, straw that will be broken if I hear something I don''t like. I turn her to face her older sister, who is convulsing on the floor in panic. She is too scared of losing her only remaining relative. If only she knew the truth.


    ¡°Is this what you do? Manipulate your sister to do things for you? Do you not see how she is hurting? What kind of monster are you?¡±


    She still tries to look calm and composed, only her heart betraying her effort.


    ¡°What? She wanted this...¡±


    One broken finger, nineteen more to go. Muffled cry barely escapes her lips. She had some proper restraint.


    ¡°Big brother, please...¡±


    ¡°Oh, why start so low, why not Onii-chan?¡±


    NOW she begins to panic. Her eyes darting around, hoping to find a way out. Her mind now erratic, hoping to remember any bit of magic she can. Her heartbeat is drumming like an orchestra. If she remains so stressed, she might get a heart attack.


    From what little memories of my past lives I have, it usually a bad thing to be caught by another reincarnated. Knowledge about immortality of the soul leaves you little restraint during torture. The body can die, but the mind carries on. If only such knowledge worked both ways, the body on the receiving end usually doesn''t cope so well. No matter what you know, you can''t make your brain shut off the pain, unless you spend years conditioning it. And you would need to do it in every lifetime again and again. A seven year old noble wouldn''t be capable of it right now, and even if she was, there are ways.


    Her terrified eyes show that she is no stranger to such experiences. Long story short, it would take several lifetimes to recuperate and get your mind back properly. Before then you could be anything between a mumbling mess and a lashing out psychopath. I might have been a demon lord super tyrant type after one torture session sometime in my past, those memories are very hazy.


    ¡°Speak. What is your goal?¡±


    ¡°Please, don''t! I... I just wanted to have a nice life, be a queen or someone up high. After the slavers you seemed to be a good bet, I didn''t think a slight push to my sister would do much harm. She would get over it eventually...¡±


    Her mumbling makes me angrier. Such arrogance. Even having this knowledge, she believes that normal people can easily ¡°get over it¡±. I hate when they think so. Life is valuable regardless if you remember your past existence or not.


    ¡°Please, I''ll do anything. I will take my sister''s place. I''ll do anything you want, just... No more pain please.¡±


    She is not talking about the broken finger, for her it is tolerable. She is talking about something more horrendous. And it must have happened relatively recently. She seems to be sincere now. Either that or she is a good liar, but that''s doubtful, lying relies on the body, so unless it is trained, lies can be seen easily. Past experiences help little in that regard. She could also be a psychopath, but then her heartbeat would be level, like clockwork, only affected by a serious amount of punishment. Anyway, I feel like she is being honest right now. I can''t help but feel pity for her. But now is not the time for that.


    ¡°Leah! Lilith!¡±


    The pair appears moments later. I put the girl down near Leah.


    ¡°Gag her, bind her, and don¡¯t let her speak. I will deal with her when we get home¡±. I almost turn towards Lilith, but then look into Leah''s eyes. ¡°Restraint only, nothing more.¡±


    That was a clarification I had to make. Leah had an inclination for rough treatment, if it can be called that. If I let her be, she would do more harm than good trying to make Bella talk. I needed her healthy and coherent when we talk next.


    As Leah and Bella walk outside, I turn towards Lilith. With a hand gesture I call her over to where Sonja is lying down. She calmed out by now, stress leaving her body through tears made her exhausted. I pick up my cloak and cover her naked form with it. Picking her up, I hand her over to my own demoness.


    ¡°Make her comfortable, she needs company now.¡±


    With the two of them I walk outside to the others. I didn''t talk much; I just said that I''ll be back in the morning and ran off after changing into my wolf form. I needed to calm down and clear my head. I needed to hunt.


    That night local wildlife population took a considerable plunge downwards. I hunted everything, from rabbits to wolves, to bears. It wasn''t the usual hunt for provisions although I did enjoy a fair bit of raw meat. This hunt was to sate my considerable bloodlust. I had no one in particular to blame, everybody did their best in their own little ways. I really couldn''t fault that little girl for what she did, even if it was immoral. She will learn in time. I did my best too that night, directing my anger at powerless little critters. Maybe one of them was just like me, hoping to start a new life in this world. No matter, I just sent them onwards to a new journey. My kills were all clean; I took no pleasure in toying with my prey. Well, almost no pleasure.


    When I came back I didn''t speak and they didn''t ask. They knew full well that when the time comes, I will tell them everything they need to know. They already pieced together the story, although it may have made little sense to them. Patience is a virtue.


    Even though I preyed upon countless animals that night without rest, I felt very invigorated that morning. When we set off, I didn''t need any rest until nighttime. Venting your frustrations really is healthy.


    -----


    This chapter seemed a little longer then others. Hopefully it''s good. I still don''t understand why people like what I write and I am scared that at some point it will turn bad. Most of the story is written far ahead of what I posted so far, i don''t know if it will be any good. Only way to find out really. Anyway I hope you enjoyed another chapter. Rate and comment if you feel like it. Thank you.

 Chapter 13.

    The rest of the journey was uneventful. The total time it took was little over a month, rather fast if I''d say so myself, but nothing beyond my expectations. We were greeted with cheers, the tale of my slaughter of slavers was passed on and almost everybody already knew it. The details were little cloudy at times, some people said that I took on the whole military force of human kingdom or that I only used a single swipe to clear the field. But otherwise it was an accurate retelling of my battle.


    I had slightly more people with me than expected, the tribe heads were somewhat surprised to see elves and demons walking with me, but now didn''t press the issue. I asked for some place where we could set up houses for my people. ¡°My people¡± raised a few eyebrows amongst the matriarchs, but they complied with my request. Actually that was something which would have happened some years later regardless. It was the elders'' plan, which I didn''t know of until later. I dismissed how easily they agreed.


    Every person had their own idea of a house. Their construction experience was very limited, but with my help it was enough to build some sturdy shacks, enough for now. Everybody contributed in their own way, the demonesses gathered supplies, the dryads used vines to strengthen the framework, and elves even used their magic to grow some trees. We were a party of mixed trades.


    We quickly set up some living space and then got to know each other. Now that we had some time to rest, I finally got to learn the names of my people. I also learned their stories and some of their customs. Of course, I was now free to change it as I wish, so Saturday Night orgies were totally a thing now... If only Elaya didn''t hear me thinking out loud about it. We still learned much about each other and could begin to build some kind of kinship.


    I also got into the meeting of elders and heads of the tribes. Apparently human king really screwed up. Firstly, elves no longer traded with them. Agriculture was lacking up north, so not being able to import veggies set them up for a long lasting diet nationwide. The overabundance of bandits also messed up merchant trade routes. They would often get raided coming in and out of the human territory, so most of them just up and left the kingdom.


    King blamed all of it on us as he did previously, but nobody listened anymore. Between starvation, poverty, crime, unemployment and other nice things king brought in with his ruling, we were very much a lesser evil. He now had to spend all the money he stole so far to pay his armies, who suppressed any rebellious activity. It was total tyranny. If humans didn''t jump on his ¡°kill the Val¡± wagon previously, we would probably be forming a party for stealthy elimination, but now we just let them be.


    The good news in this was the possibility to totally avoid the war. The likelihood of revolt happening soon was high, which would change the ruler of the country. If that happens, any previously conflicts are almost guaranteed to disappear; although the reforming of previous relationships and signing new treaties would be tough.


    Because of this and because of me almost dying, I was deemed too valuable to send out on simple patrol missions. Elders wanted me to go through with every Rite and gain all the power I can. They couldn''t let me die before then. If I were to go on a mission, my brides and any people I deem important are to remain homebound, to reduce the chance of another rampage.


    Elders also wanted me to sire children, so my safety and safety of my intended was crucial. I was not against this idea, but it would have to wait until our marriage ceremony at sixteen. This was the idea I implanted in Elaya, who passed it onto others. Now, even if I wanted to do anything serious with them, I would be turned away. Not that I would try anything, we still were little younger than twelve.


    The development of the girls was apparent now; their secondary characteristics began forming and growing. Lilith would already turn the heads of men wherever we went. The whole ¡°wait-till-sixteen¡± was completely arbitrary, this realm had no age of consent. People here were more like ¡°grass-on-the-field¡± or ¡°it bleeds-it breeds¡± kinds of people. Sixteen was the usual age of marriage amongst Val. It was also what tribe heads chose for my marriage with Elaya, if I were to somehow pass the rite, all those years ago. Elders were stuck babysitting me until then.


    It became apparent that I won''t leave anywhere until Aedim''s rite of passage, so we began to slowly prepare for it. This year the idea for addition to my Rite was throwing sharp objects. I don''t even know why I go along with these ideas, probably not to embarrass myself, as I was the one to come up with them in the first place.


    I also spent time building up houses in my territory. Our homes became more sophisticated over time, getting closer to what royalty had. Although there was some exquisite style to our houses - dryads and elves did fine job with their unique skills.


    At some point I had to sort out the issue with Bella. Not wanting to stretch it out too much, I''ve gathered my people about a month after we arrived and sat down with them and Bella. I asked her to tell us her story and not to hide anything, she was now one of us, so she had to be open if she wanted to stay and have our trust. People had hard time believing her story, but I knew she was truthful. Her wish to have a happy life outweighed her fears of me. I treated her kindly, or kind enough for a threat that she was. The lack of torture helped her open up.


    Her tale, as far as she knew began only a dozen or so lifetimes ago. She was one of many daughters of a powerful wizard. He experimented on them, nothing too horrible, just various magic formulae to boost their powers or change affinities. Apparently one of those allowed Bella keep her memories when she died.


    I had an idea to make her remember whatever she had done to her, but then I decided against it. I could see how memories of previous lifetimes could be a hindrance. I enjoyed my life as it was.


    Her second life was spent as a mermaid. She had a lot of fun, seeing how her previous knowledge and skills benefited her and helped her thrive. That was her happy life.


    Her third lifetime was a struggle; her life could be described as an ultimate rape fantasy. She was born a bee demihuman, who were mostly treated like property. They would often have to go through with ¡°taming¡± - having sex regardless of their wish, to remain sane and lucid. She was a servant of a wealthy lord. She would tend to the lord''s garden, clean the house and do other maid things. One day she met lord''s son, who studied to be a Mage. He was smart and kind, although he lacked talent, which made his father treat him harshly. They became friends and would spend some months together. She fell in love with him and wished to spend her life together, so she would need him to become her master


    At some point, her Lord learned of their friendship and approached her. He said that she would be given to him once he turns sixteen, if she did some minor tasks. One of which was having a wealthy noble take her. She wanted nothing more than to be with the boy, so she readily agreed. It was degrading and disgusting, but she would endure anything. She saw him looking at her, and she could do nothing but smile while thinking how they would be together soon.


    Of course she was betrayed. Such a naive young thing. She was told to meet master in forest clearing not too far away from the mansion. Once she got there she was ambushed by some plant demihuman. Being eaten alive is not a nice way to go.


    When she was reborn, she was hurting, betrayed and separated from her love. She wanted to feel it once more, she was desperate for it. That would prove to be her undoing.


    In that particular lifetime, she was born a kerna, centaure-sque type creature, with her lower body of a fawn and some deer like antlers. I would imagine she was beautiful. Still naive and hurting, she found herself confining in an outsider, an elf, with dark grey skin and red, shimmering eyes. He was charming, smooth and handsome. Truly a lady killer. If only that was a metaphor.


    She fell in love again. At some point she decided to confess her nature to him. She was surprised to learn that he also was reincarnated. Her joy was great but short lived. That man turned out to be a monster. He tortured and killed women for his own leisure. How delighted he was to learn that there was someone who would bring his mark beyond the grave. He made it his life''s work to come up with ultimate torture, spending years perfecting his techniques on her. He never let her die, using healing magic on her to keep her alive and kicking.


    She begged to die for many years. He treasured her screams of pain and her pleas. It was unfortunate that both kerna and elves were practically immortal. She spent enough time to last several lifetimes in that hell. By the end she was broken, insane, a husk of her past self. Her end came when a hero came to slay that despicable man. He was laughing, while bleeding, that she would remember him forever, even beyond the grave. Once the hero came to free her, she lashed out at him, heavily wounding him and getting cleaved in the process.


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


    After that she spent several lifetimes coping with all she had experienced. No living soul should experience such torture, so the very next life, she clawed at her mother¡¯s womb, killing them both. She truly wanted to die, to forget. But it couldn''t be helped.


    At some point she calmed down. It took a long time, but she was able to put some if behind her and begin anew. She also got to experience joys of hikikomori lifestyle at that time.


    Two lifetimes ago, she had a somewhat proper life as a royal gardener. It was a simple and easy life, letting her bury the terrors in the calm atmosphere of the flowers and bushes of the royal palace. An ultimate therapy if you will.


    After that, she had a life as a princess of the elves. She enjoyed royal treatment and ordering people around. She was a bit ruthless and sadistic, but her people prospered under her rule. She also had some semblance of love, although she previously swore to forsake such emotion. Now she wanted to have similar treatment, and to live fulfilled life doing whatever she wanted.


    Throughout most of her story she was crying. The girls comforted her and held her close. After she was done, she took some time to calm down.


    ¡°You asked me to be truthful, so that I can be one of you, but you yourself never told us that you are just like me.¡±


    This was what I feared and why I contemplated killing her instead. To my surprise and relief, the girls already knew. I talk in my sleep! Elaya made sense of my words when she was eight and shared it with others. They all vowed to keep it a secret as long as I want it to stay that way. Such a minor habit revealed my greatest secret. How pitiful...


    ¡°No, Bella, I am not entirely like you. Yes, I was reborn, I lived numerous lives, but I know little about them. I am an entirely new person, safe for few moral traits. All I have from previous lives are some skills and knowledge. I am not who I was a lifetime ago or ten lifetimes ago. As such, I try my best to live every life to the fullest. That is why I am capable of loving and protecting Elaya, Meriden and others. Each lifetime is special and should be cherished, if not for the memories you would lose upon rebirth, then for the people you leave behind when you pass on. This is what I want to teach you. ¡°


    My thoughts on rebirths were eye opening for Bella. She treated it as one single unending life, while I tried to treasure every moment. For Bella one single moment of her extra-long life marked the rest of it as unhappy. She decided to give it a go and try living her life not as unhappy ten-millennium old hag, seeking only comfort, but as a seven year old girl with a little extra insight. It wouldn''t change overnight, but with effort, she could live happily.


    This was also important for Sonja. Now, knowing the truth, the understood that her sister didn''t need protection, but affection, love and support. Now she could provide those things for her. Any protecting would be done by me if required.


    We all bonded and talked amongst ourselves. Bella was accepted as one of the Bloodborn and counted like family for us. Sonja also gladly lost the facade she had; she could now enjoy her life as a teenager, and not care about being a noble and securing her image. It was also good for me; my greatest secret was revealed to not be much of one. I was often scared that it would drive them away. Even if consciously I tried to tell myself it would never happen, deep inside there was always that fear. Now it had no hold over me, I had one less nightmare to think of.


    We continued to develop our little village. All the women were free to do what they wanted, many of them sought companionship, but other than me, most men avoided them. Women were rarely brought into the tribe, as their offspring would carry no power. They would often serve as servants and not marry. So, their attention was directed at me, and I denied them any hope. Instead, I began to train them. If they can go out into the world, they could find whatever they seek.


    Thankfully, Frez offered his help, with one condition of me training his twin sons. I didn''t spend much time with Frez'' family before, so I didn''t know them well. But I agreed, as I respected Frez and would gladly help my friend.


    His two sons were nine year old Jacob and Edward. They often fought amongst themselves over various things and had little affection towards one another. I decided to instill the spirit of kinship into them. I called for a Bloodborn girl of the same age. She was elven in origin and had superior agility and reflexes. After the baptism, she gladly took up arms and trained diligently with me or the girls. At that point, both of them had no chance against Rose.


    I told them, that she is my pupil and if they wanted to take her place, they had to defeat her. Whoever wins in the fight with her would become my apprentice. Of course they clung onto the idea of tutelage under the Fiend. Their sibling rivalry showed immediately, they each challenged her to a duel again and again only to fail miserably.


    At the same time, I had Eleanor talk to each one of them. She had her way with words; she explained the fault in the statement I made, because if they both defeated Rose, I would have to teach them both. Neither liked the idea, but sharing me with a brother is better than not having me as a tutor at all.


    She also taught them to observe and plan. As one brother fought with Rose, the other would watch them both. Then, they would switch places and repeat the process. Meanwhile they sparred against each other, utilizing their newfound knowledge. Learning to exploit each other¡¯s weaknesses and forcing one another into unfavorable situation were key skills for a warrior. In the end, they learned to feel one another in combat, their style evolved to complement one another. If one was to make a mistake, the other would use it immediately, or if they were on the same team, pick up the slack.


    Their combined skills were way beyond what each of them could do separately. No matter how much they fought Rose one on one, they never succeeded. They continued observing her, her footwork, her signs and feints, her tells. In the end, when they were prepared, they both challenged her. She wasn''t surprised, she easily saw through my ruse, but played along masterfully.


    It was a hard duel, but in the end they persevered. Rose was distraught; she sunk to her knees, crying about losing my tutelage... Nah, she just went off to train with Meriden, that girl was way better. How could you think otherwise, she was a girl, she used BOTH a sword and a bow, and she had those horrifically cute freckles ever since she entered puberty...


    I had to admit defeat. The boys both challenged Rose and defeated her together. Word given cannot be taken back, so I was forced to teach them both personally. Oh the humanity.


    Frez really thanked me for it afterwards. He could never make them play along with one another. Now they were inseparable.


    I continued to train them for a long while after; they became the Val Twin Blades, two brothers with little but their parents in common. While they looked similar, Jacob had a feral nature; he would train his strength and eventually became bulky and muscly. He also thought once he becomes worthy he would become a Val''Kira guardian. Edward on the other hand had a slender build; he had a calm demeanor, almost like an elf. I think he got it from Rose. He favored agility and dexterity, wielding two blades and having some throwable knives, as in contrast with Jacob who wielded heavy two-handed blade, preferring to crush opponents with one blow. He also didn''t seek power, so he was content with simply marrying a girl. Perhaps that one girl he had a crush on in Val''Luna tribe. His brother didn''t understand what Edward saw in those bloodsucking demons.


    The whole marriage thing didn''t get solved with them until years later. I must say their choice surprised everybody.


    -----


    Hey guys, here is another chapter. I didn''t bother to wait for the start of the new day, so I just post it now. I make a couple of references you might recognize if you read other fictions. The twilight reference was uncalled for, but I couldn''t stop myself from laughing when I thought of it, so I went ahead and wrote the twins in. Don''t hate me plox. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading, rate and comment, and I appreciate your support and love.  Euge out.

 Chapter 14.

    Soon our twelfth birthday came. This was my and Aedim''s month. We were both born into Val''Morn tribe, the descendants of great Drake. In Val tribes, the twelve months, which I always think of as usual Jan - Dec, are named after the six beings that gave us power. As our language is very Nordic, the names sound like Bolbjorn or some-other-jorn, their meanings are essentially six months of waking and six months of resting. The order of the months reflects the age of the six original ancestors. They are in order: Hoona, Halla, Kira, Eris, Morn and Luna. Which translate to Bear, Lion, Wolf, Fox, Drake and Gargoyle. So March here has meaning of Howling Wolf. June and December are Stone Cracking and Hardening Flesh, just because Gargoyle.


    Our month is called Leaping Drake, so Val''Morn tribesmen decided to do a little extra and have a festival to honor me and Aedim. Honestly, all seven of us should have been celebrated, but this was about our origin and whatnot. There still were minor parties Bloodborn threw with my help for each one of us. Strangely, we were all born in the same order as the order of the age of the ancestors.


    The oldest of us is Meriden, born of 4th of May. Every time I think about that date, I get an image of typhoon in my head, but I have no idea why. Weird. Next was Eleanor, born on the 10th. Elaya was born on 14th, Leah on 19th, Aedim and me on 23rd and 24th, and Lilith is the youngest with her birthday on 29th.


    When we first underwent the Rite with Elaya, we both had to be ten, so my birthday way chosen. Meriden also chose to have the same date, so it was decided amongst us that my birthday would be the day of all the remaining Rites.


    This meant that we would have a whole month worth of small parties, leading up to our Rite with congratulatory or mourning party combined with Lilith''s birthday. Her party would be the grandest.


    The concept of birthday parties was alien here. Merely surviving another year barely counted as a feat to be celebrating. The announcement of betrothal on the other hand warranted some festive cheer. That was why we all met on our fourth birthdays. The rite of passage is another major reason do get drunk and dance nude atop the table, cough, Eleanor, cough. And then there is marriage. Those were the regular ones.


    The success in wars or celebration of winners in tribe competitions, which happened rarely, also led to consumption of alcoholic beverages.


    After this, Bloodborn all tried to celebrate their days of birth. Interestingly enough, Meriden and Aedim both shared birthdays with two dryad girls.


    Enough talk about dates.


    Our rite approached quickly, we were barely sober during that month. Only two days prior we stopped drinking completely. I learned ahead of time what my new beast form could be. Main characteristics of Great Drake were his hard scales, a flexible tail and horns. All the things I liked. The boost in defense was nice, but the horns would make me look wicked and the tail would be awesome. No longer would I have the duster that''s only good for wagging left and right, I would have a proper tail useful in both love and war. Not that there would be a lot of love till I am sixteen, but extra hugging limb would come in handy.


    Also there were mentions of Drake healing very well. I didn''t know whether it was regrow-a-limb-well or close-otherwise-fatal-wound-well. Perhaps I would just be harder to kill by making me bleed. Meh.


    The trial itself was rather tame. Ever since I almost died, my skin was hard enough that I could take a swing from a dull blade and not have a scratch on me. It also protected me from heat.


    I slowly walked across the twelve meter trail of hot cinders. Others cheered, but they saw I had no difficulty ignoring whatever they threw at me, so for the next Rite there were many new ideas, including but not limited to: sharp things mixed with coals, sharp points on the whips, sharp things under my nails. There were awfully many sharp things.


    When I stood in front of Aedim, she wore a bright smile. She waited for this moment long enough. We would be bound together mere moments later. She slashed her wrist, raised her dagger high above our heads to demonstrate the blood on the polished blade and just like Meriden before her, threw it at the ground.


    I dropped on my knees as before, and took her hands in mine. This was now becoming a habit. Taking her wrist to my face I once again inhaled the smell of blood. It was sweet, but for some reason I could distinctly smell cinnamon. And there is no cinnamon in this world. What a cruel joke by the Gods.


    When I licked her hand clean of any blood and licked her wound to close it, I restrained the other two beasts inside, which proved problematic through transformation. When my form began to change, it changed into that of a drake. At first it was ok, but when the heat wave reached my lower back, and moments later my head, I keeled over in pain. Your flesh boiling down and your bones completely changing shape were totally fine, but growing new bones proved problematic. Aedim panicked a bit, but I gestured that I was fine.


    When I stood up, I looked just like I thought I would. Two and a half meters high dragonman, with plenty of muscle, completely covered in scales. I had a tail, one very flexible and easy to control. I also had horns. I looked cool. While my back was turned to the crowd and only Aedim could see my front I checked one thing that really bothered me. When I tensed my muscles, my privates, previously hidden within folds of my skin, withdrew. Seeing this and the relief on my face, Aedim firstly turned beet red and then laughed out loud. Before I turned to face the crowd, I once again hid Zern Jr. in my own skin folds, where it would remain until I can hide it in someone else''s. Har har, penis in a vagina joke.


    I took Aedim into my arms and embraced her. While we walked to the crowd, I took a cloak that was already prepared for me. As I tried different new form combinations of drake-wolf and drake-bear and the drake-bear-wolf, I noted each of them and then switched into my human form, while covering myself with the cloak.


    In my human form I now had a tail. It was just as long, if not longer than in my beast form, reaching down to the ground with a third of it lying flat. I would have to walk with it pointing upward or wrap it around my leg. I true trouser snake! Coming off my lower back, it first was slightly thinner than my wrist and then shrunk down to about to the thickness of a thumb near the end, where it expanded slightly. It looked like a flower bud that would open up at the end of my tail. Thankfully it didn''t. I also had small horns coming off my forehead. With a little effort I could elongate my tail to twice its size or shorten it to little more than half the original size. I could also remold and reposition my horns, so I put them at my temples and made them slightly wavy.


    In all honesty I now looked like a demon. I didn''t have any scales or vertical eyes, because that would be overkill. But with my yellow eyes, my slightly pointy ears and now the horns, I seemed to look less like a human. Oh, what would the human king say if he saw me now?


    My strength also grew with this new transformation. My senses expanded once more, my muscles were more defined, my bones denser and harder. I seem to be getting more overpowered with each time. I also felt the greater regeneration affect me easily. It wasn''t just faster healing, it was faster metabolism, which I could control, thank the Great Drake. If I wanted to, I could get wasted easily, but at the same time I could drink and never get drunk and even break down poisons rendering them harmless. What a cheat ability. Now I will get my revenge on Meriden in our next bout of drinking.


    With my new characteristics observed and noted, we dove head first into celebration. We had so much elven and dwarven boose this time that we didn''t wake up till early June. What a party!


    Afterwards, we resumed out normal duty. As in, elders did important work and I and my group continued slacking off. Well, we trained. Now there was me training and them training. I didn''t bother dueling anyone anymore. Taking my swing straight on would easily shatter bones. Steel was like putty in my hands. I''ve become a monster.


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    Previously, I needed less and less sleep after each transformation. Now, with Drake''s power inside me, I could go on without sleep for weeks before getting tired. And this with only three transformations so far, just how powerful would I be with six? May be I should stop now? At least taking on an army wouldn''t spell my certain doom. My scales are too hard for steel. They would need mithril or adamantite to cut me.


    At least my tail is awesome. Being able to wrap it around someone is cool. Lilith became jealous of it, she wanted one just like mine. Her justification was that she did have a demon ancestor and those had tails. She became even more jealous after I began to tease her with it. She was the only one I used it on, as she was more open to ¡°experiments¡± than the rest. Perhaps it was my hormones talking or the lack of sex for at least twelve years. How many adults you now with a dry spell that long?


    Thankfully we didn''t do anything too serious. I am not even going to clarify what we Did, but I''ll say that she often needed a breather afterwards and had trouble walking straight. Whatever that meant, it is not for you to know.


    Anyway, not seeing any way to further improve my physical strength, I concentrated on meditation for strength of spirit. Even with three years to prepare, I would put in all the effort I can to control the Gargoyle when the time comes.


    Now that I no longer needed much sleep, I could wonder my inner landscape for weeks at a time. I would often send Frez'' twins on a quest of great importance and meditate while they were not around. Although, at no point did I neglect my people or the princesses. I was available whenever they needed me, but they often were busy, as each one gained more responsibility and more power within our tribe.


    If I spent four days meditating, trying to expand my consciousness and improve my senses, I could now cover about quarter of the forest that belongs to us. Which is A LOT. Although it was still very draining on me, I would tire quickly and would have to recuperate afterwards for a couple of days. Sometimes I would get nosebleeds.


    Otherwise I would travel through the memories I had available. One time I came towards something than Aedim said to me before. Cutting my meditation short, I made my way to her. My suspicions were confirmed. As Aedim now frequently heard of the growing darkness to the Far East.


    I decided to bring this news to the council, who ensured me everything was fine and laughed it off, until I mention that information was gained through Aedim''s Star-Whispering. That forced some changes on their faces. They became serious and looked at one another. I was swiftly kicked out to go mind my own business, while they spoke with Aedim.


    Having no tasks to do, I decided to walk around and see how my future brides were doing.


    Elaya spent her time tending to the needs of others. She would spend some time looking after kids or caring for the elderly. She was very compassionate. Of course this was more a hobby for her, during her serious work, she would learn how to run the tribe with her mother. This puzzled me, as Elaya was third in the line of succession. When would she get a chance to run a tribe?


    Leah and Lilith still very much enjoyed tormenting mortals. Their pranks grew in severity somewhat since the time they were kids, now it could include some tampering with tribe''s budget or messing with prearranged marriages. Although nobody was really hurt, they seemed to get more serious. I should probably get a grasp on them. But no harm no foul, right?


    As of their serious duties, Leah employed some Bloodborn, some Val people and little extra from other places to create a spy network. Industrial espionage as I called it. She was handling gathering of the information for the sake of our people. Her efforts were not really acknowledged by the higher ups yet, but she enjoyed doing it, and in the future it would surely prove useful.


    Lilith decided to have an assassin guild as her pet project. She gathered whatever Bloodborn that wanted to learn the art of stealth, as well as some elves that were not peace loving hippies and trained them. The skills she taught were not just staying hidden, but the arts of quick stealth kills, disguises, tracking and being able to notice and counter being tracked as well as employ of various other ways to kill people. Dryads, with their natural aptitude for poison were a great asset. Lilith also got Leah to teach the art of hiding in plain sight. Nobody could do it as well as her, so any employee of Lilith would need the skill to act while under observation and in such a way that no suspicion was roused. She could teach it herself, but asking the master would yield better results.


    Meriden fully embraced the way of the warrior. She was my intended, she didn''t need the silly training to be more lady-like, and she didn''t mingle in politics. What she wanted was mastering the arms of the world and showing her strength. She readily accepted anyone who sought power and trained their body and mind.


    Through our combined training, Meriden learned to feel and use Ki. She also learned strengthening magic from me, as she couldn''t use any proper magic just like me. She surpassed Frez some years ago, as her skills were broader and her training more severe. She didn''t have any real duty unlike the man. But Frez was an excellent general and masterful tactician, so their worth couldn''t be judged adequately. On one hand is an excellent warrior, with vast array of skills, capable of mowing down most enemies, on the other is a general who could think of a strategy to counter almost anything. Working together, they would be an unstoppable force.


    Compared to either of them I was a brute, if I swung my sword, I had no proper elegance like Meriden, nor a clear purpose like Frez. I and Jacob were kindred spirits in that regard, preferring to end the fight with one single hit K.O.


    Eleanor maintained her public image and tried helping wherever she could. She didn''t prepare for running the tribe, instead she tried solving whatever issues people had. I would have thought that she should be in Elaya''s place and vice versa, but no. Elaya didn''t give a rat''s ass about what others thought of her. She did good things because she wanted, and need be she would do bad things. Eleanor on the other hand was proud. Her royal nature didn''t allow her to look bad in the eyes of her subjects. She was more like a strategist, planning for the future, doing things for people in order to maintain good public relations.


    Aedim used her time to study arcane arts. She wasn''t the only one to study magic, but she took it farther than any other. I sadly was of little help, I didn''t inherit much knowledge about it. Aedim improved her skills and taught others as well. She was like a court wizard for us.


    I visited each of my beloved girls, and then goofed off, doing whatever I felt like.


    You might think that letting twelve year olds do important things was misguided, but firstly, in this world succeeding in any Rite, be it rite of marriage or rite of passage, makes you an adult, so Elaya, Meriden and Aedim were treated as such and Eleanor, Leah and Lilith were regarded as technical adults, as they would surely pass. And secondly, living past forty was somewhat a considerable feat, as people had only basic knowledge of medicine.


    Maybe I should make it MY pet project. Although all the medicine I know is sewing up the wound and pouring on some liquid courage. Not exactly groundbreaking. There may be a merit in improvement of personal hygiene. Having toilets would be good probably, although we are wildlings, who have time for a toilet. Squatting and walking is enough... I kid, I kid. We use leaves to wipe...


    Well, back to hunting wabbits.


    -----


    So another chapter is here. Enjoy reading it. Right now there will be fewer time skips and more action. Between this Rite and the next a lot of writing is done. Also, we are coming up on a bit of silliness, so in a bit it will get little bizarre. Rating and comments are appreciated, I hope you like what you see.

 Chapter 15.

    ¡°Zern, a week ago you brought to us the news of darkness appearing far to the east. You also said that it is your betrothed who brought you such news by way of Star-Whispering. Such skills are revered by the extremely talented elves, as even amongst them it is rare. We decided to entertain the possibility of you telling the truth, because both it would be beneficial to have one amongst our ranks and it is you who brings us such rumor.¡±


    ¡°Yes, as elder Karmak said, such a rare arcane art cannot be overlooked because of improbability of it being true, so we contacted the elves and they sent one of their own Star-Whisperers. As of today, it has been confirmed that your betrothed is indeed a Star-Whisperer. I mean no offense when I say it, but it is a shame that it is you who will be marrying her with your pitiful aptitude for magic. If a powerful Mage were to father her children, we would almost guarantee to have a bloodline of Star-Whisperers amongst the people of Val. It is known to be a hereditary trait.¡±


    ¡°Esteemed elder Katara, I hear your words and I promise you, if any of our children have talent for magic, especially for Whispering, I will do everything in my power to cultivate such talents.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your words. Now we must tell you that from now own, Aedim will be training under an elven Star-Whisperer.¡±


    The elder makes a gesture motioning somebody to come forward. A woman, in her late thirties comes into view. She has an unusually well-rounded body, different from normal slender elven forms. She had long and pointed ears, almost going above the top of her head, which show her great aptitude for magic. She has a very mature aura for an elf, she must have lived a long time, and her elegance and grace are unparalleled. Clearly, she is experienced in many ways, some of which I am not meant to know. If I didn''t get regular teasing from Lilith, I could fall for her charms. As she parts her lips, a soft, pleasant voice with depth hidden within is heard.


    ¡°Greetings, I am Star-Whisperer Amaruelle, the keeper of the art that has been passed amongst only us elves. We were surprised to hear of a human, who attained such height in magic to hear the feint whispers in the heavens. I have personally tested her and I am pleasantly surprised by her progress. I must inform you now, that in a few days we will be leaving for elven territory. Your bride has to be initiated into our order and given proper training.¡±


    ¡°Lady Amaruelle, may I know for how long will my beloved Aedim be away from her family?¡±


    ¡°The initiation does not take long. But we estimate that she will be away for six months. She will learn the basics of the practices of magic. This includes arts other than Whispering.¡±


    At those words Aedim lit up like a candle. She often pestered me to bestow some of my otherworldly knowledge on her. This is exactly what she wanted. I only have to hope there is no ulterior motive for such long separation. I know that Aedim wants to take this chance, I have no right to deny her this opportunity.


    I let out a defeated sign. Six months would be the longest separation ever since our birthday ceremony at the age of four.


    ¡°Zern, you must know that you will be separated from Aedim and in fact from all of your fated for longer than that.¡±


    Dumbfounded, I can''t help but stare at the elder man named Karmak.


    ¡°This is the second reason you have been brought here. We have investigated the rumors you brought forth before the council. What we learned is disturbing.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to your fianc¨¦e Leah and her information network, as well as some other sources, we confirmed that there indeed is a disturbance to the Far East.¡± Another elder by the name of Baewulf interjects. ¡°The population of the monster races is rapidly increasing. Usually it is kept at the constant level, but something seems to be driving them to stop their inner conflicts.¡±


    From what I know, monster races are in a perpetual state of war amongst one another. Between the constant killing, the cannibalism and a lacking interest in mating except for certain periods of the year, their numbers are kept low. Something had to overcome all those issues to make a noticeable change in their population.


    ¡°Yes, I understand how what esteemed elder Baewulf says may prove to be a problem.¡±


    ¡°The human kingdom never posed a serious threat to us. Even if we had to fight them alone, we could keep casualties to the acceptable levels. However, if monster races would come together under a single ruler, in a few years nothing short of world-alliance would be able to fight them. Their numbers have already grown a lot, within a year there would be twice as many monsters as last year. And the growth would only accelerate as more and more of them mature.¡±


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    ¡°As you should know, dwarves hide beneath their mountains are rarely fight. We can''t expect them to provide anything more than basic equipment and supplies. Snow elves are content with their situation on the other side of the world. They practice their necromancy and ice magic hoping to achieve true immortality. Those fools wouldn''t even think about helping us fight.¡±


    ¡°Merfolk would provide little assistance on land. We could sand a convoy to the Naga Empire, but most messengers return separated from their heads. They dislike intruders in their territory. Human empire is unlikely to come out of their revolt any time soon.¡±


    ¡°The only forces we can hope to amass together are mages and archers of the Elves and the Demon military. And that is if we can prove to them the necessity of union.¡±


    Elders take their turns describing just how dire our situation is. The picture they paint is not pretty. If there is indeed a force driving monster races together, if nothing is done soon, we may not have any chance to survive the massacre that would unfold.


    ¡°Zern, you are young, but we all know of your exploits and your capabilities. Your influence drives people forward. Now your next Rite is not for another eleven months. You have no official duty other than to get strong. Your training can be done on the road, there is nobody who can be your sparring partner.¡±


    I seem to grasp their intention for me by now.


    ¡°From what we know about you, it would take you two months running at full speed to reach their territory. About the same to get back on time. It leaves you with seven months to infiltrate, identify and take action against the threat. We will leave decision-making to you.¡±


    Thinking about this whole situation doesn''t take a long time. It makes sense and it is probably a right decision right now. Other Val tribesmen have fewer options than me. I would be the most efficient in this task. I could also disguise myself with my beast form. As if reading my mind elder Baewulf continues.


    ¡°We believe your unique ability will allow you to disguise yourself and if need arises, change disguises on the go. Werewolves and drakes,


    albeit rare, are considered monster races and sometimes have been sighted in those lands. Seeing your bear form should not arouse much suspicion either, new monsters appear all the time.¡±


    ¡°Great elders, I understand my mission and its importance. However, there is one issue.¡±


    I make a gesture at Aedim.


    ¡°Absolutely not. You are absolutely not allowed bring anybody with you. They will be a liability and a weakness to be exploited. You WILL go alone.¡±


    ¡°Actually that was not what I meant. You can overrule the decision of the three to whom I am not bound to yet. Aedim will go to the elven kingdom and Elaya I can influence through words. It is Meriden I am worried about...¡± Faces of the most people present visibly distort. Meriden was headstrong and narrow minded. Making her change her decision would take nothing short of a miracle and it is well known how she goes wherever I go. ¡°Elders trying to force a princess of Val''Hoona tribe may not be received well by others, as well as she can just outright ignore your order. Unless you talk to her woman to woman, there is nothing I can do. I have no say by default, she is a matriarch...¡±


    ¡°About that...¡±


    ¡°Not now Karmak.¡± Elder Katara interrupts and continues ¡°I will personally talk with Meriden. Hopefully she will hear the voice of reason. Meanwhile you have a week to prepare for your journey. Take anything you need.¡±


    I readily depart to begin preparing. What can be said, next day I had to prepare a saddle. I couldn''t get through to her, neither could elder Katara. Meriden listened to nobody, she gathered her gear, her sword, twin daggers and a bow. My saddle would get a quiver, so she wouldn''t have to carry the extra weight. It was a burden I was willing to bear.


    We also got plenty of supplies. One important thing we needed was slave collar for Meriden. Humans were unwelcome in monster territories, so only slaved humans were tolerated. She was against it, but once I told her it was the necessary condition she complied. At the end of the week, two of us departed.


    -----


    Hey guys, here is yet another chapter of the story. I have to thank you guys for writing words of appreciation. I hope that my writing is to your enjoyment. Ratings and comments are welcome. Thank you.

 Chapter 16.

    Elders estimated it would take us sixty days to run the across the entire continent. It took us forty seven. I pushed myself as much as I could, sometimes running in the night if Meriden could push through. Less time spent on the road meant more time to do our job.


    We established my persona as Wolfgang Von''Krit a powerful count - turned werewolf who kept his sanity. Chased out of his own lands, he could take nothing but basic supplies, some gold and the most loyal slave. She was my bodyguard, which I didn''t need as I was twice her size. But that was our story.


    I specifically instructed Meriden to never leave my side. She had a mithril collar with elvenweave thread. It was expensive by any standards, but it would allow me to keep her close as well as get herself free if there was any emergency.


    Once we crossed into monster territory and close to a settlement, Meriden dismounted me and we changed our appearances a bit. Meriden put on the collar made for her and a green elven cloak. It would protect her from the environment and hide weapons she had on her. Only the bow couldn''t be hidden.


    I donned a similar albeit a more royal looking cloak on myself. I also put on some stretchy pants below the cloak, just in case I''d need to transform. Werewolves would often go nude, the fur covering their entire bodies was enough. I just wanted to feel a little more civilized.


    With our attire we slowly made out way to the small village, a collection of wooden shacks with straw roofs. At the entrance to the village an ugly orc stands guard. He looks very shabby, with worn-out leather armor and a bent iron cap on his head. There is a faint hint of intelligence in his eyes.


    ¡°Oi, hu-mit-u-bee?¡±


    Perhaps the intelligence is a little fainter then I thought. Meriden replied to him with disgust clearly shown.


    ¡°We might be the Great Count Wolfgang Von''Krit and his loyal servant Laura Swiftblade. You better pay proper respect if you don''t want your shithole of a town to burn.¡±


    The Orc showed an amused grin, loyal slaves are unheard of. Also, I ought to punish the unruly human, preferably right here and now, even more preferably with her being nude. He puts more effort in talking, hopeful that I just might do something.


    ¡°Oi, you betta shut the darn bitch. Others not forgive well. I forgive well.¡± He makes a slight gesture towards his crotch. I understand his intention, but I won''t let his dreams take form. Although I get a chance to order her around a bit.


    ¡°Kneel and beg this fine gentleman for forgiveness.¡±


    Meriden turns red but complies with the order. Her face shows righteous fury with something else mixed in. Once we get out she will be sure to remind me of this. Well, I might as well enjoy the few months I have to live.


    ¡°Forgive the foolish lass, she is the feisty one amongst us.¡±


    My scowl distorts into a grin-like expression. Orc doesn''t flinch at the disturbing imagery before him, instead his face also shows a massive grin. Usually nobles ignore him or treat him with a serving of a knuckle sandwich. But it is not like he would remember it and to do better each time.


    ¡°We have been traveling for months from human territories. My... associates decided it would be wise to inflict this curse upon me to take me out of the picture. I and the lass managed to run away, but we have little material possessions. We heard that lately these territories are peaceful and offer sanctuary to fellow monsters. Would you be so kind to point us to an inn? We need to rest before we move on.¡±


    Only about a quarter of my words sink in into his thick skull, thankfully it was the right quarter.


    ¡°Oi, aye. Go there, big house is inn. You see picture of small horse you ask fer Mieltzkin.¡±


    With that the Orc motions us deeper into the village and returns to his guarding duty. We part with him and walk further into the village. I remember to give few small tugs to the thread connecting us. Meriden, still red with anger and embarrassment comes closer and whispers to me.


    ¡°You, treating the crown princess of Val''Hoona tribe in such a way. What a nerve you have, I will make you pay once we get out of here...¡±


    ¡°Ah, my dear, but you are forgetting that right now you are not Meriden, princess of Val''Hoona tribe, you are Laura Swiftblade, my bodyguard and personal love toy. So what is it you should say to me?¡±


    ¡°L...love toy?¡± Meriden, still red, quickly looks at the ground. Her expression no longer angry, now more embarrassed and submissive. Of only she was like that at other times. She decided to live her life as Laura for the time being, clearly not wanting to jeopardize our missions. ¡°Ye-yes master, so-sorry master.¡±


    I pat her head to reward her for her effort. ¡°Good girl.¡±


    We walk to where the Orc guard pointed towards. There we find a wooden inn with a sign of a small horse and words ¡°Pfrancy Pony¡±. I couldn''t understand the proper name, as the horse looked both prancing and fancy. Not wanting to think about the life''s mysteries, we make our way inside. I had to almost crouch to get in, my 3 meters height towering over everybody.


    Inside, there are only a handful of people, mostly orcs and ogres as expected. There also was some grey-skinned man with grey clock, grey pointy hat and long grey beard waiting for somebody. In the corner, a hooded figure sat, arms crossed over the chest, silently observing everyone.


    We make our way to what I made out to be a counter. Behind it, on a tall stool sat a goblin, with a bored expression he stares at the ceiling. In the land of the blind, a one-eyed man is king, is the land of idiots, a cunning goblin is mayor.


    ¡°I bid you good day sir, I am a vary traveler that came to your settlement. I and my companion are both tired and hungry, would you be so kind as to offer us some accommodation and perhaps a hot and tasty meal. In the desert every meal is hot, but the taste is what we long for¡±


    I decided to lay it on thick. The goblin showed an amused expression, very few people can talk clearly and even fewer can form complete sentences.


    ¡°I heed your words traveler. Welcome to my fine establishment, I am the innkeeper of the only inn around and also the mayor of this prosperous village¡± his words oozing with sarcasm, he decided to play along. ¡°My name is Mieltzkin Sandpepper.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor to meet a ruler of this town. My name is Wolfgang Von''Krit and my companion is Laura Swiftblade. You do marvelous job around here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a noble. Your manners and impeccable, I should have known it from the start. A refined man with such a beauty for a companion is rare sights here...¡±


    We exchanged some more pleasantries for another few minutes, and then we decided to stop the farce.


    ¡°The room will be 8 copper for the night. Meals not included.¡±


    To me it seemed a little cheap, even for this shabby place. When I pull out some coins from my pouch.


    ¡°Ah, should''ve known you got human currency. It would be 13 copper then.¡±


    That''s about what I expected to begin with. After the small exchange of money, we drifted towards one of the tables and sat there waiting for some grilled monster meat and ale. I quizzed him about this and that, and also asked for the information about a capital and how to get there. Little is known about monster territories, maybe there wasn''t even a capital.


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    With a wave of his hand, the goblin called over the hooded figure in the corner. When a person came over it was easy to see that even though he was about the same height as Laura, about 150 cm, he was still heavily hunched over. When he sat with us, he pulled back his hood revealing a face of a troll.


    The man was a wood troll to be precise, they are smaller than other variants, but they have superior regeneration and they are very-very flexible. If he would straighten out he would easily reach the same height as me.


    His face as well as his build was very slender, one could even say he was anorexic, although he had lean muscles that stuck very close to his bones. His skin was greyish-blue color. He had two tusks protruding from his lower lip, his left one broken in the middle.


    ¡°This here is Nrogara, a troll. He is a known adventurer, so he earns his coin on the road. He travels a lot and he is a decent tracker, so if you need directions he will give them to you, or even guide you there. For a price of course.¡±


    I spent the next ten minutes asking him about whatever we needed. When I asked about his price to get us there, he pointed at Laura.


    ¡°I want her.¡±


    Either he overestimated his own worth or underestimated Laura''s. The goblin showed an amused expression, Laura showed a strained one, trying to be obedient and having to suppress her anger was a new thing for her, and clearly she needed practice. I just pondered over this for a moment.


    ¡°Tell you what, if you want her, you have to prove you can handle her. Tomorrow you two have a duel, if you win, she is yours, but if you lose, you settle for the coin with a considerable discount.¡±


    ¡°No, I fight the man, not his toy.¡±


    He didn''t even consider Laura as a formidable opponent, any of her weapons were hidden beneath her cloak, and she looked nothing more than a pretty slave to bed.


    I didn''t say anything yet, I just lifted up a sturdy metal tankard, slightly smaller than a human head, and emptied its content into my mouth. When it was empty, I took it and crushed it with my fingers with little effort. Troll now looked a little more white than usual.


    To emphasize my point even more, I took the remainder of the tankard into both of my hands and squeezed it hard. Then I rolled the resulting mass in my hands, trying to make a perfect sphere. When I tilted my hands, s metal ball the size of human fist landed on the wooden table with a heavy thud.


    The troll looked at me with a perplexed look. Goblin looked at me wide eyed, totally bewildered by my monstrous strength.


    ¡°I may be a little too much for you to handle, but my little love toy should be easy enough. Tomorrow you get your chance to lay your hands on her. Deal?¡±


    I extended my hand towards the troll. He thought about it for a moment and then shook it. I think he might have already known that he had no chance, but his curiosity about me and my companion made the decision for him.


    After that we talked more about various topics. I asked about various new races and any other news. We managed to learn about whoever was banding everyone together. Apparently it was a drake-human with a vast array of magic. He is even capable of voiceless incantations. It is because of his great skill that everyone is afraid of him. What he can do is far worse than death, so the fear of the punishment makes everyone behave.


    My new friends asked me about life in human kingdom. I wasn''t well versed with the politics, so I mostly talked about the new king, the coming rebellion against him and about how my non-existent adversary cursed me. We spent a good few hours conversing with one another. Mieltzkin was very interested in me, such excellent conversation partners are a rare commodity in this place. At some point we got tired and were preparing to leave to rest.


    ¡°Listen, I know you''d like to ¡¯cuddle¡¯ with yer little beauty here. Ah, don''t shy away you are such beauty. I''d buy you if I had enough money, but this whole village is not worth the sand beneath yer feet...¡± Mieltzkin was very drunk by now, so his conversation was all over the place. ¡°Er, what I try to say is we got no baths here. Water is too scarce here to waste it on cleaning. There is an oasis we all use for such purpose, about half a day away from here, you should pass by it on yer way. But today you''d have to go on all sweaty, ehehe.¡±


    We thanked him for his advice and then paid for the meals and the booze. That stingy bastard took two silver coins from me, even though the food was not worth a tenth of it. Apparently the tankard was some special blend of metal, specifically reinforced for big fellows like me. So I had to repay him for it. He also took the sphere I made with my hands. He thought of displaying it next to the tankard and citing my story for other customers.


    Regardless, we made our way to our room. It was very small, with bare minimum inside. There was a small bed and a nightstand. If I would lie on the bed, there would be no space for Laura, unless she slept on top of me. I wasn''t all against it, but instead I shifted into my human form. We dropped our gear on the floor and climbed into bed together.


    Laura was strangely obedient, taking her role seriously even when we were alone. We didn''t do anything sexual, waiting for marriage was something all the girls embedded deep into their core. Maybe it was actually a bad thing, but now it''s too late to complain. Instead we just cuddled, with me as a big spoon. I wrapped my arms and tail around her.


    Laura wore nothing but a silk nightgown, going down to her butt. It mostly was there to deny the view of her bosom, but it still left her ass bare and exposed. She didn''t wear any other undergarments, they were not all that common and also they were ¡°too restricting¡±. I was in my stretchy pants, not wishing for Laura to be exposed to the horrors hidden under them.


    We lay there, with a lot of skin exposed, wet from the sweat. There was no dirt or grime, as we both took great care of cleaning ourselves while we traveled, but without proper bath or at least a clean spring, there was nothing to be done about sweat. Laura didn''t feel threatened, so she fell asleep quickly in my arms. I took a little longer, enjoying the sensation. She was covered in sweat, but it was not at all repulsing. Actually it was an enjoyable aroma of a young girl''s body. Mesmerizing and arousing. I fought down any urges that might have surfaced and instead just took in this moment as something to be treasured.


    Sleeping like this was not uncommon amongst the bonded four of us. But usually it was more covered, with more blankets, more clothes and a lot less sweat.


    Soon I drifted off to sleep, Morpheus inviting me to his kingdom of Dreamland.


    -----


    Hey guys and gals, here is another chapter. I hope you enjoy reading this. Thank you all for your support. Rate and comment if you want to show your support, I appreciate every little bit.

 Chapter 17.

    In the morning we both felt refreshed. It was a long time ago when we got to sleep in a proper bed, even if it was hard and somewhat uncomfortable. You forget about comfort when you ride for days and days, getting as little shut-eye as you can afford.


    We got dressed, I changed my form and we got down to have breakfast. It was nice to eat something with some spices in it. Bland meat got old about a week into our journey. Laura packed everything you might need, from ropes to whetstones and sparkstones. She even packed a tiny pick, in case we decide to do some spelunking. What she didn''t take were any spices or even salt. It was clear she never once cooked in her life. She spent an hour on her knees once we ran out of prepared food... Begging.


    After breakfast we walked outside the village, to where we would have a duel. Word to mouth travels quickly, so a large chunk of the population was present, hoping to see human scum crushed by a troll. Mieltzkin took bets, hoping to earn a few extra coppers. He already knew that I had aces up my sleeves. But I didn''t need to use them, I just let Laura loose on the troll.


    When she took off her cloak, she revealed her alluring attire of a warrior princess. It was tight and left nothing to the imagination, just how we all like it. She had her sword and daggers fastened at her belt. Taking her sword into both her hands, she took a stance with the sword at her side pointing backwards.


    When Nrogara removed his cloak, we could see a man clad in leather armor, granting him great freedom of movement while having decent protection. He took a dagger in his left hand with a reverse grip, pressing it against the length of his arm. It wasn''t too long, but if utilized properly, it can leave grave wounds. In his right he had a short sword. He kneeled low to the ground, almost pressing himself into it. A very low stance. He was tense, like a loaded spring, like a snake ready to strike at its target.


    When I gave signal, they both sprang into action. Laura charged into the fray, ready to swing her sword. Nrogara lunged at her, quickly closing the gap of ten meters separating them both. As he moved, using my improved senses and reflexes, I could see his body swaying from side to side, very animal-like. Throughout the fight, his style felt very wild and primal, clearly a style of many generations living in a forest amongst wild beasts. The breast Nrogara faced were not mere wolves and bears, something more deadly must warrant the use of such a powerful style.


    Laura underestimated him, clearly hoping to cleave him with her first strike. I told her that anything goes short of decapitiaon, as most otherwise fatal strikes would heal. The troll was of the similar opinion, clearly not wishing to hold back.


    Nrogara dove under her sword, his reflexes very impressive. He then punched her straight in the stomach with his left hand while slashing with the dagger. As he moved behind her, Laura was left with a deep gash through her side, bleeding.


    Now she was mad. Her previous angry expression disappeared, leaving a relaxed and confident one instead. This was her battle mode, she would feel the flow of battle, push her body to her limits and she won''t rely on anything other than her instincts. It was a deadly visage for her enemies. Ignoring the pain, she shifted her stance, bringing her sword down, and its tip almost touching the ground.


    This was her favorite stance, she called it Reaper''s Dance. Its real name eluded me so I didn''t correct it. This truly looked like a dance. From now on, her every movement of her body would be as one. It would not be like running and swinging and dodging and parrying, with each action a separate step in the sequence of steps. No, now it would be one continual movement, each action merged with another. Her step with her foot would be accompanied with a movement of the sword, the curving of the back, the turning of her head. This was a very instinctive style, usually left unused as there were no opponents able to survive it long enough. I got to see it a few times when we patrolled the borders of our territory. Nrogara, with his extreme reflexes and superb regeneration would surely survive the confrontation...


    With her next step she brought her arms in front of her, her hands turning making the sword spin in a beautiful arc. She was already preparing for her next attack. Nrogara came at her, trying to end the fight quickly, hoping for neither of them to get wounded badly. The shift she had gone through was not unnoticed, it unnerved something inside the troll. Perhaps it was some genetic memory of a beast too deadly to fight, or perhaps it was the change in her facial expression. Something made a little buzzer inside his head start screaming ¡°Danger¡± at him.


    He made a number of attempted strikes, each of which would end the duel if they reached the target. Laura repelled them effortlessly. She moved with grace, with beauty. The contrast of their styles made it obvious who would win. The wild, uncontrolled style was quick and powerful, but it was no match for her flawless form. Each swing was diverted with minimum effort, she barely attacked back leaving shallow scratches, when she could easily take off a limb. She was toying with him. Seeing the fight was like seeing a dragon play with a pup. Loud bark but no bite.


    The duel went for a little while longer. I felt pity seeing Nrogara''s fruitless effort to fight back. It was a useless struggle, a one-sided slaughter so to speak. It was clear who the winner was. It was not empty sound that Meriden was a best warrior amongst the Val people. Frez and I made her into an unstoppable force.


    Deciding that it was enough, Laura quickly struck twice, making Nrogara drop his weapons. Even before they landed on the ground, she swung her sword and threw it at him, while quickly taking her daggers off her belt. It impaled him right in the middle of his chest and then he was on the ground, with two shallow cuts on his neck, two daggers pressing against his skin. This was accompanied by the sounds two metal blades hitting the ground.


    It was obvious to Nrogara that she did not intend to kill him. A mere inch to the side and his heart would be split in two. A little more force on the daggers, and his blood vessels in the neck would be ruptured, starving his brain of the much needed blood. A single movement more, and his head rolls.


    An undoubted victory.


    Everyone was astonished. Nrogara was a known man, he traveled a lot and fought a lot. He was experienced and smart. And to fall so easily was something unexpected. Everyone looked at Laura as if she was a monster. Not that she wasn''t.


    She withdrew her blades, with quick swings she cleaned them of a blood and strapped them in place on her waist. She then took her sword out of his chest, once again swung it to clean away the blood and slid it into the sheath. Her swings were beyond fast, there was no doubt the blades were free of any blood.


    Crowd was surprised to see Nrogara stand up as if nothing happened. Being impaled through the chest was surely a fatal wound. But now he just stood up, dusted himself off and walked to me. He kneeled on one knee in front of me.


    ¡°I am now in your service.¡±


    The meaning of his words eluded me completely. I thought he would just lead me to the capital and we would part ways. But, instead I gained another subject. To him it was obvious that I spared his life, and to see my slave dispose of him so easily showed that I was on the whole other level. He was right, but he also didn''t know that if I wouldn¡¯t use my power, I had no chance against her. Once, during a spar back home, I almost lost both my hands and my head within twenty seconds of the beginning of the fight. Only my thick fur, my hard skin and Meriden''s restrain saved me. But he didn''t need to know it.


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    ¡°Very well, I am in your care.¡±


    With that he stood up and we walked to Mieltzkin. This sure needed a celebration.


    Throughout all of this the crowd was silent, except of the few cheers at the start. When the whole dynamic of the fight changed, everyone was speechless. A single Orc was very pale and had hard time fighting nausea as he thought back at how he insulted Laura.


    Mieltzkin scooped up the money, shook his now full pouch and yelled about drinks and food half price in celebration of the amazing duel we witnessed. He also said some praises about Count Wolfgang Von''Krit, about my modesty, my generosity and my restraint. Jeez, he sure can lay it on thick. He could be my equal in that regard.


    We then made our way to his place through the silent crowd. It would take it about twenty more minutes to disperse and begin to talk. The inn was full about an hour later.


    We celebrated that day, because why the hell not. We gladly drank the goblin dry. I allowed to get drunk enough till my vision got hazy and I even enticed Laura to drink little more than she usually would. There was also a lot of singing, I tried to emulate karaoke, but with no TVs it was useless. Still we had a lot of fun.


    People walked up to me and shook my hands, shook Laura''s hand, thanked us for not killing their families and whatnot. A certain Orc guard spread himself on the floor, asking for forgiveness for his words, now knowing full well that it was him who needed to be punished. He asked for lashing and for a beating, as it was what his words warranted. Apparently this much fear can awaken what little intelligence you have.


    Overall we had a good time. By the end of the day, we decided that we would leave the next day as we had most of the needed supplies already. Mieltzkin was crying about losing his newfound brother and his sister-in-law for whom he would care deeply and make sure she wouldn''t cry at night if I were to suddenly drop dead in a ditch somewhere.


    On that note we bid everyone farewell and went up to our room, of course the greedy goblin didn''t forget to charge us money even in his half delirious state.


    We undressed once again, I turned back into a human and we went to bed. Thanks to the drinking and the excitement we experienced, our cuddling session was a lot more hands-on. There was an awful lot of kissing and licking, but not THAT kind of licking. We just attempted to cover as much of each other in our spit as possible. I got to fondle her breasts through her nightgown. I also held her naked butt cheeks as if my dear life depended on it. We were two very horny teenagers that night.


    She was developing well for her age. Her breasts were closing in on a B cup. Her butt was also very enticing and curvy. Laura was growing to be a first class beauty, and I would have that beauty all to myself. You could think it was weird, but despite the fact that I looked a lot order, about eighteen or nineteen, and despite the fact that I was reincarnated, as I remember little of anything before this life, I technically was twelve, just like she was.


    Anyway, we spent a good few hours studying each other''s bodies and not going further. The privates were still a big no-no. But I was happy still. Afterwards we were exhausted so we fell asleep embracing each other, her body held to my very closely, my arms around her back and my tail wrapped around her. I must say that at some point, her nightgown stopped covering anything below her breasts, so both her stomach and her nether region were in direct view. I was happy, but thankfully I myself still wore my lovely stretchy pants. I just hope Elaya is not going to learn about it when we go back home. Ah, who am I kidding...


    Next day we set off towards the capital. According to Nrogara, it is about two weeks travel by foot. During this time we will traverse sand dunes and dry lands. Monster territory is in the most southern part of the continent, far to the east of the Great Forest. The only other place that is as far south, is the Naga empire, and it''s only because they live in water.


    Most of the monster territory is a big desert with patches of dry mud and clay. When it meets the ocean, there is some tropical vegetation, like palm trees. To the north there is a jungle, but not like the ones we have back home. Instead of the lovely elves and sexy dryads, here they are riddled with monsters. Being turned to stone by a cockatrice or violated and eaten alive by some tentacle Venus flytrap mutant would be the less scary fate. I would not go there under any threats.


    On our journey we would go near few oasises... Or is it oasi? Multiple oasis. And as of Laura''s request we would stop by most of them. Most of the journey was boring. We got attacked by some giant scorpions and scolopendras. What we found out, our swords have little impact on their thick carapace. Laura was pretty useless until Nrogara showed us the exact points to pierce in-between the armor plates. I used my strength, but outside of my bear form it wasn''t that great. Those things were just too damn big to kill with one punch.


    When we got to the first oasis Laura was ecstatic. We spent almost two full months constantly moving, we made almost no stops even to wash ourselves. So, having a huge puddle of clear water was a godsend. With a Look, Laura made sure to let Nrogara know not to disturb us, which I reinforced with a low growl. Our private time is that for a reason. While we went toward the water, the troll decided to hunt, so he walked in the opposite direction. A wise decision.


    Washing yourself in a lupine form is hard. There is so much more hair to go through, so I had Laura help me. I couldn''t risk exposing myself, even if Nrogara is away. In this world werewolves don''t turn human and back. Laura also requested help washing, which I readily agreed to.


    It took us quite a bit of time to go through all the fur and the skin to wash. I won''t lie and say we didn''t enjoy it or we didn''t make it lengthy or purpose. I felt like Laura was considering not waiting much longer. I felt the same way too, but decided not to say anything on the matter.


    It is awkward having the tail and horns. Previously my tail was just like a duster, I couldn''t use it for anything other than to balance myself. Now it was proper bone and muscle tail with long hair covering it. Since the transformation my drake features stayed with any other form. I could only make an effort to conceal them, getting rid of them was out of the question.


    After we washed ourselves, we dressed and had a meal once we found Nrogara. Then we continued on. We made four more stops after this one.


    At night we would have to stay in the open and we didn''t light a fire as to not attract any animals that are out there during the night, much to Laura''s discomfort as the nights were actually cold in the desert. She had to spend her nights hugging me to keep warm. Just how did I survive such an ordeal?


    We only got attacked twice during the night, both times it was some kind of massive spider with hard carapace. It''s like this world wants to undermine our efforts so far. I should have learned to wield a great-hammer instead of these toothpicks. Both spiders looked like a giant black widows but with no red spot on the top. They were called Widowers. Stupid spiders. Other than that, the rest was just us walking.


    -----


    And here is another chapter. We are getting closer to solving the mystery of the monster territories. I would like to give you some warning, but I don''t want to spoil anything just yet. I hope you enjoyed reading and thank you for your support. Comments and raising always appreciated. Thank you.

 Chapter 18.

    When we reached the capital I was impressed. I was half expecting them to live in shacks, like, well, like us. Instead there was the proper wall and the gates made of sandstone. It wasn''t like the human or demon cities, from what little of them I managed to see in this life, but still it was impressive nonetheless.


    There were two guards stationed at the gate. It was open and people could freely walk through. Nrogara approached one of the guards.


    ¡°Hey there Mentis, I bring new blood. They ran from humans.¡±


    The guard looks at me and Laura. His face distorts s little at the sight of the human.


    ¡°Strong?¡±


    Nrogara thinks a little about the question. I was hoping he is not going to do anything bad. He might have picked up on the little extra curiosity about their leader.


    ¡°Boss might wanna see them quick.¡±


    ¡°Go. He got here three days back.¡±


    The guard motioned for us to go. When we walk inside we get to see many small houses made of sandstone. Very interesting. I didn''t think they would be civilized enough to build so much. What Val people heard about monster races was that they were mostly brutes who fought with clubs and pissed themselves. This was more sophisticated. Who knew their hands could handle tools.


    As we made our way deeper into the city I got to see many different races. There were beastman, which got me excited until I saw a fur covered human sized cat with six swollen tits with nipples exposed. It dowsed out any curiosity I had for them. The beast races were mostly anthropomorphic animals with some human features.


    There also were other races which you would hear about in old legends. Minotaur, centaurs, harpies, lamias... Those last ones actually looked somewhat attractive, but still too far off from being anything human. Some of the races I''ve seen near the elves in the great forest, but here they seemed more wild and animal-like.


    Soon we came to a massive Arabian-looking palace. It has some Egyptian statues and shapes here and there, small pyramid decorations. It was a mix of both styles. A guard at the entrance threw a curious glance our way.


    ¡°New blood for boss.¡±


    After Nrogara''s reply we were led in. Man, this guy was really very well known. Actually our whole mission was going so well. It''s like somebody up there liked us or something. Perhaps Aedim managed to get in touch with somebody.


    As we walked through, Laura tried staying close to me, she took my hand in hers to not let me go. We were looking around, seeing amazing artwork. I didn''t expect such expression of emotion from monsters. They surprised me more and more.


    After we were led through for ten minutes, we ended up in a large and spacious room. In there on a wooden throne sat a human-shaped dragon! with his eyes closed as if he was meditating... Really, he was only human in shape, he had everything else, the horns, the spikes on the back the big leathery wings. His brownish-green scales were shiny and majestic. I was a little jealous. He acknowledged us with a look and the guard left.


    ¡°Lord, I bring you new blood. I seen their strength, I fought the girl. If not for Master''s mercy, I be dead now...¡±


    If dragon-man didn''t stop him, Nrogara would describe every little thing about us in his broken speech.


    ¡°I thank you. Now leave.¡±


    ¡°I cannot. I serve Master now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I was confused.


    ¡°Curious... To have Nrogara''s loyalty you must not be somebody ordinary.¡± He eyed me up and down, trying to observe me very closely. ¡°You can drop the facade now.¡±


    ¡°What facade? Ha ha...¡± This situation was very familiar. I had hard time thinking of something to say. Laura also felt tense. ¡°Ah, you must have realized we are not lovers after all!¡± I let go of Laura''s hand hoping to convince him everything was cool and take few steps away. It stung me as she tried to hold on.


    He looked at me curiously and then slowly walked towards Laura. His tail was flat on the ground, snaking behind him in the zig-zag movement as he walked. His wings covered him like a cape, interlocking with tiny claws at the chest. I felt very nervous as he studied me. Something unnerving was about this whole situation.


    ¡°What I meant was you not being a werewolf and this girl not being your slave.¡± As he said it, he took her collar and tensing his muscles a bit, ripped it apart.


    My heart sinks. Fuck. Fuck! FUCK! FUCK!!! Just how strong is he? Even in my strongest bear form, I have to use all my strength to bend mithril. And here he tensed only slightly and ripped it to shreds. And he could have hurt Lau... Meriden doing so. I knew he was an excellent magic user, but also being this strong... I would have no chance of killing him.


    He steps back, as to show his good intention. I can see Meriden trembling, so I slowly step to her, enveloping her in my arms. She knew just how strong he was. We were totally at his mercy now. I could have tried to run away, but I would not leave Meriden behind. It seems she remembered the elder''s words. I hear her whisper through her tears ¡°Leave, please leave...¡±


    I tried to remain calm.


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Ah, there are many rumors. The tale of the excellent warrior princess, whose beauty is unparalleled even at her tender age, except for her five sisters who are just as lovely. Or the story of a massive fiend, capable of speech. I wasn''t entirely sure until I noticed your horns. And then there is also...¡± He makes a gesture, beckoning somebody to come over. I looked at the direction of the gesture and managed to see an opening to what would be a dungeon, hidden in the shadows behind some pillars.


    From there a big black cat comes, completely covered in black leather and cloth. She has another person in tow. A demoness, barely twenty years of age. She is beaten up and covered in blood, little too dark to be human''s.


    ¡°We picked her up about a month ago. She had some truly impressive talents. If I hadn''t met her personally, she would still be hiding and spying on me. Too bad, she got too close. I must apologize for her condition, we had to make sure at whose employ she came here. She was remarkably resilient to most kinds of torture.¡±


    The girl looked like she was very far away from this material plane.


    ¡°I had to use some more exotic methods. Don''t worry, her mind remained fairly undamaged. She is just under an effect of my spell.¡± With that he waved his hand, undoing his magic. The girl¡¯s eyes focused and started to look around. She was rather confused. When she saw me, she had a slight smile and then immediately looked at the ground, ashamed. Her mission was not a success.


    ¡°What are your intentions for us?¡±


    ¡°I believe, it is as good time as any for some negotiations. if you can convince me of your good intentions, you will walk out of here alive and unharmed.¡± he makes a slight pause to emphasize his point. ¡°If I see any ill intent, I will make sure to keep you alive long enough to see all your treasured wives bear my children and then kill them in front of you.¡±


    The man knows to strike where it hurts. I uncontrollably wince at his words. Meriden clings to me harder.


    ¡°It doesn''t seem like we have any choice.¡±


    ¡°A wise decision indeed¡±.


    He walks to the back of the throne room to a small doorway, which leads into his personal study. There are some more doors to his bedroom and a room with a massive bath. I don''t hesitate to follow him, as I need to do everything I can to get Meriden out of here.


    We huddle together around a table with chairs. Dragonman sits on one end, us three on the other, Meriden holding onto my hand. Panther girl and demoness are still outside.


    ¡°My name is Regios, one of the Dragons. From what I gathered from the agent your wife sent, you must be Zern of the Val''Kira tribe and this is Meriden of the Val''Hoona. Truly a beauty in her own right. If I bothered with humans, I would probably duel you for her hand.¡±


    He chuckles at his joke and I try to smile as well. I don''t know what he wants with us, so I''d better stay silent and entertain him.


    ¡°I must commend your wife, she trained your spies well. If I didn''t have two millennia worth of experience I would surely dismiss her and not look her way twice.¡±


    That doesn''t help my thinking. Technically I myself am older than him, but my body is young and my memories lacking. Is he like me and Bella? Or is he just ancient? Why was there no commotion before if he is this old?


    ¡°Now, let''s get down to the heart of the issue. Before we begin, could you...¡± He made a circular motion around his face. ¡°I like to see my opponent face to face.¡±


    I transform into my human form, leaving Nrogara with an open mouth. He clearly didn''t expect to be serving a human...like thing with animal features.


    ¡°I hardly constitute your opponent. And I must point out I have no wives yet. I am engaged to three of my six beloved girls, five of which are back home. But I will pass on your praise to Leah when I see her.¡±


    I try to be honest with him. Honesty is something to be treasured, so I hope he appreciates how open I am. At least I will hope he will spare Meriden and others if negotiations go sour.


    ¡°Ah, yes, yes. I am hoping to meet them someday and hopefully as allies. You have interesting people around you. Six princess brides, all of them mesmerizing and each one unique. I heard there was one who became a Star-Whisperer. Aedim is her name?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are very knowledgable. She is very talented in the arcane arts, although I doubt anywhere near as talented as you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, perhaps she is not as powerful as me, but she is talented. Hearing the whispers from heavens is something I''ve strived to achieve, but never was able to. And yet you are going to be eternally bonded, body and soul, in the near future. I must be honest, I feel jealous that you are the one who has his hands on the only mortal, other than elves, who attained such ability in the last thirteen hundred years.¡±


    He stops as if trying to remember something. I take in all the information he is willing to share. Regios really does seem like somebody very old.


    ¡°And you used what''s called ¡¯meditation¡¯ to achieve such result. I am intrigued by such prospect. I came across monks around the world in my time, they talked about it. But mostly it was talks about looking inside, breathing and waiting. I actually spent about five years atop the Siren Peak. And I all I got was a cold. Can you imagine a dragon with a cold?¡±


    He chuckled at his own joke once more. I actually thought about something else. What kind of pandemic would dragon flu be if unleashed on the world? I might have just thought of the first weapon of mass destruction in this world. Bio-weapons are not outlawed here yet.


    ¡°The girl had some training with it before she came here and I ¡¯borrowed¡¯ some of that knowledge for myself. I''ve been practicing your methods lately, I must thank you for it. I made some breakthroughs with my previous bottlenecks. Where have you gained such knowledge?¡±


    This made me ponder for a moment. Should I reveal myself to him? I decided to be truthful, but do I have to be this truthful? I decided to start from afar.


    ¡°Have you, in your two thousand years, ever met a person who claimed to be from the beyond, reborn or transported?¡±


    ¡°Hundreds have claimed to be such things. I''ve met about two dozen heroes or villains who were summoned here, some of whom I helped summon myself. They were interesting people, but they had heads full of air. Always blabbering about adventuring and following the road. Too much have drama for my tastes. They often wanted to get a ¡¯harem¡¯ going. Whatever that meant. Always bringing as many girls as they could with them.¡±


    Meriden clasped my hand tightly, painfully even if not for my fiendish strength. Her expression no longer showed fear, now it was a strained expression of trying to restrain anger and killing intent. I responded by lightly squeezing her hand to reassure her of my good intentions.


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    ¡°In some worlds, there are many various works of fiction. Some people use fiction as a type of wish-fulfillment. They write about traveling the worlds, time-travel and adventure. A common prospect is a ¡¯harem¡¯, having many females to tend to your ¡¯needs¡¯, often never marrying and settling down. How successful one is in attaining such ¡¯harem¡¯ is open to interpretations, as some people find it amusing to surround their main character with voluptuous women, often longing for the hero, and having said hero be oblivious to their advances and never making a proper decision.¡±


    I put both of my hands on Meriden''s as she still tries to crush mine. She does not like what she is hearing.


    ¡°I personally don''t think it warrants a choice if you love them all. I love Meriden as much as I love Elaya and Lilith. It would kill me to have to choose just one. Sadly, many worlds have the notion of monogamy, where you have only one partner for life or something similar. Anyway, what I mean to say is, people out there read such fictions and then try to emulate them when they get a chance.¡±


    Meriden calms down a bit, her face relaxing. I try to comfort her even more when Regios asks a million-dollar question.


    ¡°So, in those works of fiction... Is it common for the hero to get nosebleeds once he sees a woman in the buff?¡±


    ¡°What?! Don''t tell me, there actually were people who did that? The only times I got nosebleeds were when Meriden would smack my face into the ground. I never understood people who wrote about that.¡±


    We sat there for a bit, silent. Meriden calmed down, she now was unconsciously rubbing my hand. I felt very warm inside, it was unusual for her to show affection so mildly, like the others.


    ¡°You seem to be very knowledgable on the matter. Are you saying that you have been summoned to lend aid?¡±


    I throw a sideways glance at Nrogara, who sits with a bewildered look. I think for a moment and then decide to go on.


    ¡°No, I haven''t been. I was reborn in this world, once my previous life had ended.¡±


    Now Regios changes his expression from a previously cheerful one to a serious one. He might not have had a good experience with my kind.


    ¡°I must say, amongst the hundreds I''ve met who made such claims, only five had a somewhat believable story. Their ambitions were not good for the inhabitants of this world. Three of them I had to put down myself, as their wish for world dominance, as well as their way with magic and technology would not bode well for others. The other two found their own demise on their own volition.¡±


    He has mistrust in his eyes. I should be careful what I say next.


    ¡°Yes, I have somebody just like that back home. Sweet little thing, spent a lifetime getting tortured, then torches two worlds after that. I am working on her right now.¡±


    I try to show the brightest smile I can muster, but he didn''t seem to like my attempt at humor.


    ¡°Ahem, I am a somewhat special case. What I do get with each rebirth are skills that may be beneficial to me. It is how I know of meditation and sowing. I also get knowledge of languages and various other things. What I don''t have is any memories of my old self. I know not who I was a lifetime ago or two lifetimes ago. Only my skills are kept each time. I am just as much a native to this world as you are. My morals are somewhat transferred along as well, but I ensure you that I want nothing more than to keep the ones I love safe and happy.¡±


    I give Meriden''s hand one more squeeze as to tell her it is her I am thinking about. The dragon looks at me while formulating his thoughts.


    ¡°What makes you think I would believe what you say?¡±


    ¡°Of course I can''t straight out prove my claims. But what merit would it be for me to lie? You have two thousand years of a lead ahead of me. Your strength is clearly greater than mine, your magic even more so, as I have little to no talent for the arcane. Would it be wise to lie to you, only to go into hiding hoping to devise some sort of plan of fighting you, a dragon who can simply outlive me. I would imagine that getting killed and carrying on in another life would be a simpler solution.¡±


    He stays silent as he thinks over my answer.


    ¡°I am here on a mission from the elders, to gather information of a possible threat to me, my family and my tribe. If there wouldn''t have been a threat I would be back home, preparing for my next Rite. As it happens, you seem to be at the center of it, so here I am now to investigate. Believe me, I would rather be back home, having a bath with six beautiful girls. But their lives might be in danger, so here I am. Do you think I would do this if I didn''t care for them?¡±


    ¡°There could be a hundred different reasons to be here... But, I believe you. You are either an incredibly good liar or a sincere fool, to tell me your tale so blunt and straightforward.¡±


    ¡°I hoped to offer you the truth as a sign of my goodwill. I thought with me being truthful, you would at least spare my family if I were to perish after being deemed an enemy.¡±


    Regios looks at me for a moment.


    ¡°You seem to be fairly certain you are an enemy to me.¡±


    Meriden once again tries to break some bones in my hand. I think she wants me to stop talking, as we were on such good terms a moment ago, he might have let us both go.


    ¡°I am here to learn about a possible conflict between the monster races and rest of the world. My elders are certain that if monster races are allowed to thrive and prosper like they do now, the war will be imminent. And I cannot allow that to happen. It is my duty to stop the monster population from growing further. And it is you, who seems to be the center of these events, which makes me your enemy.¡±


    Regios looks at me with regret. I can understand that he found me interesting and hoped to gain some insight from me. Now it seems he has to kill me. Not that I wouldn''t like to avoid that.


    ¡°It is truly a shame, you would prove invaluable to me. Just the mere knowledge on meditation could speed up my progress by hundreds of years. And I really hoped we could negotiate a peace treaty amongst us.¡±


    ¡°It really is. You seemed to be a good fellow, perhaps we could have become friends. But I cannot let the darkness spread and threaten my people. Maybe in another life.¡±


    Regois'' eyes suddenly flare up and show amusement. That really confuses me.


    ¡°Zern, you spoke to me truthfully and I respect that. If we were to fight and I killed you, I would send your fianc¨¦ home unharmed. I have honor. But before we go into the whole killing one another, would you care to entertain a thought of mine and explain to me why you believe that I am the darkness that plagues these lands?¡±


    Huh? That is the thought that haven''t occurred to me. Elders and other races all regard monster races as vile and evil because of their apparent violence and disregard for life. Now that they overcame that, they are deemed even more dangerous and evil, enough to warrant a possible war in the future.


    But, as I walked amongst these people I don''t see the evil intent in them. Yes, they are brutish and empty-headed for the most part, but not evil. They have the capacity to care for one another and to do well. Mieltzkin was glad to have us stay in his inn, Nrogara recognized our strength and mercy and decided to serve me, even the Orc guard had enough intellect to recognize his mistakes and apologize. Who says that having a peace treaty with these people would be something impossible?


    We thought that the rising of monster population was directly connected to the darkness. But the changed around here began before the first whispers about it, almost like it happened in preparation. It could be a total coincidence, but what if it is not. What if Regios knows of the darkness somewhere in his lands and he decided to prepare for it.


    Also, According to the dragon, he was around for two millennia, why would the whispers of the darkness only start now? If Regios was around that long and he ruled these lands, than he probably had some kind of plan to instill peace amongst his people, perhaps for years before today. He might''ve decided not to go through with that idea until much later, but was forced to act by the appearance of a sudden adversary... The darkness?


    We firmly believed that the darkness was trying to raise an army amongst monsters. But it was the other way around! The monster races wanted to repel the new evil power, so they went ahead with the plan that was years in the making.


    They have little need for new lands and resources, they have plenty. They won''t need to expand and go to war with anybody. Even if that happens, there is plenty uninhabited land around - nobody apart from monsters wants to live in such dangerous places. We have no reason to fight, the war with monsters is meaningless! In fact we have a common goal! We can be allies in this matter and fight hand in hand!


    What''s more, we would gain more trading routes - monster territories cover about the quarter of the world. We teach them some skills and we got more workforce! Monsters are strong, we could really use them. Combining our efforts, we could propel the monster races into a more civilized state, while at the same time gaining more resources, trademark skilled labor and military forces. We could only benefit from such arrangement.


    Furthermore, there never was a need for the spying and no need for my mission. I could have been back home, having naked bath time with my loved ones. Instead I am all the way across the world having a conversation based on the biggest misunderstanding in history. All we had to do was approach them peacefully! All I had to do was to say s few words and pull some strings. I would be home getting teased by Lilith. Oh the humanity!


    Regios looks at me while I think about this issue. My expressions are extremely easy to read as I don''t even bother to mask them. He gets a smile that only grows broader as emotion on my face change. He can''t help but laugh out loud when I perform a double-handed facepalm on myself.


    ¡°Now, if your intention is to fight me and shrink back down the monster population, I would have to kill you and eat your brain. However, if your main goal is to cleanse the darkness in these lands, I believe there is no reason for us to fight. Perhaps we could unite with this common goal in mind?¡±


    I can''t help but smile. This was a huge waste of time. Well, we could have spent it more productively. So stupid, nobody thought that talking could actually work.


    ¡°I guess you are right. We should start forging peace...¡±


    With those words we shake each other¡¯s hands with large grins on our faces, as if we were friends all along. Meriden and Nrogara clearly confused and wide-eyed from what has happened. Well, I don''t have to explain anything, at least not now. It is better to think about the terms of the peace treaty. It will need a lot of booze.


    -----


    So uhm, here is the resolution of this particular issue. Dragon Regios doesn''t seem to be too dangerous to me. Zern might have gained an ally. I can tell you that this part is somehwat lighthearted and I seem to have made dragons into a comic relief. They are just too damn eccentric and OP to be normal. In a bit we will learn about some more family members, perhaps even meet the Dragon King. Wink.


    What I can also tell you that sometching is happening back home. In fact, what I would call volume one would end once Zern leaves to go back home. You will need to wait until then to learn. And I''m sorry if anything is not to your liking, the story just unfolds like this, I have to say :( anyway, I hope you annoyed this. If you like to help me grow, rate and comment, and thank you for your time.

 Chapter 19.

    Regios turned out to be a swell guy. Little rigid due to his old age, but nothing that couldn''t be overcome by a few bottles of dwarven mead. On that note, we find ourselves in the massive bathtub sipping on sweet honeyed liquor. Nrogara was given private quarters with some maids to keep him occupied, so now it''s just me and Regois, sitting opposite of one another with Meriden hugging me, my tail snaking around her legs. She seems totally relaxed now, forgetting the tension that was felt just this afternoon.


    ¡°Is this right? I learned runed magic long ago, but I''ve never thought to use like that.¡± With that Regois etches the last few rune letters into a magic circle at the bottom of the tub. Once he pours some mana into it, it starts doing its job, quickly heating up the water and producing bubbles and currents to make the water ¡¯boil¡¯.


    ¡°Yes, this is what''s commonly called a jacuzzi.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I heard some otherworldlers complain about lack of ¡¯jacuzzi¡¯, but I thought it was something akin of torture for self-pleasure. I mean who would want to sit in boiling water to relax? Other than me? A-ha-ha¡±


    Regios really likes making jokes and laughing at them. After beginning our peace talks, it was decided that sitting at the table does not have the needed atmosphere to make the right decision involving the fate of the known world. Hot tub seemed just like the right place. We drifted to it some hours ago and since then consumed vast quantities of various alcoholic beverages. Currently we stopped at mead, as its sweet taste complements well the meat that was procured for us.


    We have talked about possible alliance and while it seems very plausible and beneficial to all sides, I just don''t have enough authority to give a definite answer at the time. When Meriden heard it she couldn''t be quiet.


    ¡°What? Who gives a shit? They not like it I cut them. What Master says will be what will happen. Fuck''em.¡±


    It seems her experience with a collar affected her a little too much, perhaps she even liked it. Her inner ¡¯Laura¡¯ would slip out every now and then. The swearing and her slurred words made me chuckle. She wasn''t usually the one to say such things towards authority, but alcohol seemed to loosen her tongue a lot. After all the shock she experienced, she tried to drink herself to death, which I had to stop earlier. Since then she has gone all lovey-dovey on me and very mushy. Human girl couldn''t compete with a dragon and a drake. The usually stoic girl couldn''t hold back any longer and would occasionally throw in her commentary.


    I found it very cute and attractive. She was now naked, clinging to my arm, her curly red hair gleaming in the torchlight, and going down to her shoulder blades, her face covered in small freckles and her cheeks colored deep red from all the drinking we had done. How could you not love such a creature?


    Now we were talking about my otherworldly experiences, however little of them I remembered. Earlier I have already told Regios proper exercises for meditation. We also talked about various other techniques and training plans he could use.


    The jacuzzi was one of the casual things I decided to share much for our own enjoyment. Regois really liked it. Not that it mattered to him to keep the water at a constant 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the dragon could soak in lava if he wanted, but the bubbles and the swirling water produced the desired effects. Plus it would be good for future negotiations.


    I also learned great deal about the dragon. Turns out, we are somewhat related. His grandfather, the Dragon God, was the older brother of the Great Drake. He was more powerful than the younger sibling, until the Great Drake was granted the power and the status of the Guardian by Elder Gods.


    I say related, but I remember something about people being related to everybody else 33 generations ago or something. It has to do with you having two parents, them having four and then eight and so on. If it was perfect and without interbreeding, it would take about 33 generations to have six billion people around. Of course we are not on Earth right now, so it would be even less. But it doesn''t matter, because fourteen thousand years that that have passed since the Guardian Beasts'' time would have many more generations in between.


    But Regois didn''t care. To him I was family and so was Aedim. His thoughts seemed funny to me.


    ¡°You see! Even if I were to kill you and take your wives, even if I were to decide to breed with humans, I could not forsake my morals and bed my distant cousin. It is only you lowly humans who can fall so low...¡±


    He actually gave me a scornful look as he said it. I didn''t bother to tell him that all my future brides had Val''Morn ancestors.


    So we talked and talked. We decided to end it late at night, when Meriden passed out from exhaustion, it was impressive that she lasted that long. I decided to take the girl with her skin all wrinkly from being soaked that long to our room. Regois said we would continue talking the next day.


    I didn''t bother to cover either of us as I walked through the corridors. Regois had a habit of walking nude, even if he was covered in scales head to toe, his servants didn''t care. And I felt no shame, as I believed myself to me rather well endowed, after all the transformations and development, I already looked like a young and fine adult. I didn''t even need to use my limited shapeshifting powers to impress anybody.


    With each new transformation, my grasp on the powers was getting better. After the latest one, with me shifting my horns and tail, I found out that I can somewhat shape myself in any form. So I could make my face look different or my hands be bigger. Hands weren''t the only think I could make bigger, if you know what I mean. But there was no need.


    I still stayed in my default human form, as it is straining to actively keep my shape changed. This was also applicable in my other forms, so I could make myself bigger or smaller if needed, but it would take a lot of effort if changes were vast. So I didn''t bother to do it much, other than to train it from time to time.


    So, as I walked to my room in all my naked glory, with exposed redhead in my arms in a princess carry, I noticed some servants eyeing me lustfully. I wouldn''t think they''d find a human attractive, but apparently going ¡¯bald¡¯ was a noticeable trend as of late, and myself with all the beast traits that I had looked more like monster going bald, than human. There definitely were some glances at my bare behind. Not a pretty image I know.


    When we got to our bedroom, I didn''t bother dressing Meriden up in her nightgown. I just lowered her on the silk bed sheets and covered her with a light blanket, then got myself into bed as well. She turned to me and wrapped herself around my arm, still asleep. I didn''t hesitate to join her in the dreamland. I didn''t really require much sleep, but the accumulated mental exhaustion warranted some rest. I didn''t try to resist.


    In the morning I woke up closer to the afternoon. Meriden was still sound asleep, and I didn''t want to wake her, because she would surely suffer from a massive headache. I got out quietly, dressed in some clothes previously prepared for me and went to find Nrogara. The clothing seemed very royal-looking, with high quality cloth and golden threads and decorations, I still felt like a peasant, walking around in baggy pants, purple vest on my bare skin and a fez. It also made me want to call out to some friendly animal, like a monkey or a parrot...


    Luckily it didn''t take long to find Nrogara. He seemed to be in a great mood after the maids gave him a royal treatment. I asked him for a little help because of what he previously told me.


    Troll blood was often used as a reagent for healing potions. Spending a lot of time in the wilds and learning a lot about nature, it was natural for Nrogara to pick up alchemy along the way. Now, of he needed some quick coin, he could bleed himself dry and sell some potions of his own making.


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    What I wanted him to do, was to take some of my blood and try doing things with it. My regeneration was not as great as the troll''s, but what I did have was great capacity for detoxifying. Most poisons seemed harmless to me and alcohol was nothing to me. I decided to give him very concentrated dose of whatever did the detoxifying and ask him to make a potion. If not for the possibility of selling it, then for the sole purpose of saving some lives once Meriden wakes up. Yes, I was hoping to find a remedy for hangovers.


    Nrogara gladly accepted this challenge as he seemed eager to please his master. At first he was bemused by what I was, but after seeing the kinship and respect I shared with Regios, he too decided to disregard the fact that I was human. And I was glad because of it.


    After I give Nrogara a quest, I go on to find the dragon, catching some disappointed looks from the servant girls. Clothed, I am not that sexy.


    The first thing I asked him was how he coped with his tail. Having to curl it upwards so it doesn''t touch the floor is annoying.


    ¡°Ah, having hard scales helps a lot, I don''t need to care about it being injured or stepped on. But mostly its practice, you get used to dragging it around after a decade or too.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thanks, that''s going to be very useful advice.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, no problem.¡± He chuckles once again and then grows serious. ¡°Now, we should probably talk about the main point of why you are here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I gather you don''t want to share this with anybody. I wondered why you didn''t talk about it when Meriden was around. Was it your ploy to drown her in booze?¡±


    ¡°Booze, eh?¡± He tasted the slang term I used. ¡°Nah, I intended to kidnap you in the dead of the night to talk to you privately, but it worked out for the better.¡±


    ¡°So, what is so important to keep it hidden even from my intended?¡±


    Regios stayed quiet for a bit, gathering his thoughts and thinking where to begin.


    ¡°This Darkness, is beyond anything I''ve seen before. It is a cult, which originated around here three decades ago. For the most part they are just a bunch of lunatics who worshipped some dark God and claimed the coming of the end of the world. There is a new one of those every year, but they are often short-lived. This one however managed to gain some sort of power. Little less than two decades ago, the very few members they had become exceedingly powerful.¡±


    ¡°What sort of power? Demonology? Necromancy? Soul magic?¡±


    I just list a few dark magics from the top of my head.


    ¡°It is all those and more. They are actually trying to form an alliance with white-walkers in the far north with mutual exchange of power and rituals. They want to recruit them for the future.¡±


    ¡°Snow elves, huh? I wouldn''t think they''d be interested in having some outsiders help them and order them around.¡±


    ¡°They weren''t, until recently, when they were given some information that solved a problem that stood between them and true immortality. It is not enough yet, but they promise to help achieve it for their support. I personally don''t see a merit in this ¡¯true immortality¡¯ as living gets boring after five hundred years. Hell, I''ve become a ruler of entirety of monster races that long ago because I was bored. I was thinking of turning into an evil overlord to spice things up¡±


    He cracks another joke and lets out a chuckle.


    ¡°What do we know about this cult?¡±


    ¡°Almost nothing. They kill anybody whom they don''t contact themselves. Their base is in an old temple in the jungle to the north. Some very old and dusty place with nothing but images of snakes and spider webs. That is until very recently. About the time your betrothed heard the first whispers, something changed within the temple. Dark power now surrounds it, killing anything instantly. Only members of the cult are spared. What''s more, a dark miasma spreads around it infecting and mutating everything it touches. We were able to contain it for the most part, but it takes a great toll on our forces. The ¡¯Zone¡¯, as we call it, produces many monstrosities that try to breach and the borders around it and expand.¡±


    This was something I''ve heard about before.


    ¡°Let me guess, there was some changes to the temple at the center of this ¡¯Zone¡¯?¡±


    Regios raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes. A giant black monolith stands tall right in the middle of the Zone. When it first appeared a small force of elite troops was sent to investigate. What they reported is that it tried to speak to them. The group did everything to destroy it, even using whatever legendary weaponry they had, the apocalyptic-class magical spells and even unleashed a soul fussion attack. No damage has been done by any of those attacks.¡±


    This was not surprising to me. I had a question to ask to be sure.


    ¡°Has anybody touched the Monolith?¡±


    Regios'' brow goes up even higher.


    ¡°Yes... One ice-troll woman managed to get close enough to it and lay her hand on it.¡±


    ¡°Did she go through any changes?¡±


    ¡°Yes... Her great hammer changed its shape, she was clad in lightning, gained monstrous strength and went on a rampage spouting some nonsense of her wish being granted. It was only thanks to my intervention that we managed to kill her. Her hammer disappeared and we had nothing to show for all the losses.¡±


    Hoping to be wrong I ask another question.


    ¡°Was her name Thor?¡±


    ¡°What? No, her name was Nir''Mjol. Why?¡±


    I can''t speak. I cover my eyes with my right hand and put my left hand under my right elbow. I sigh heavily. What kind of idiot governs this realm? Regios looks at me bemused, waiting. I sigh once again.


    ¡°Let me guess. The natural laws are all warped within the zone? There are some strange stones that gained artifact like powers? There are periodic releases of some dark energy about a week apart? The elders of the cult have never been seen since the appearance of the monolith?¡±


    Regios looks at me with a puzzled expression and nods at each of my questions. I can''t do anything but double facepalm. I let out a loud moan. I walk to Regois'' private collection of his best drinks and pull out the strongest alcohol in this realm - Godsend Heavenbrew, so strong, it is potentially lethal even to dragons. Without care I uncork the bottle and take a heavy swig of the burning liquid as my senses scream out in both pain and pleasure, this substance not meant for mortals, while I hope it kills me so I don''t have to deal with this stupidity. Feeling the effects quickly overwhelming me I put the bottle down, raise my hands to the heavens and shout, hoping for whoever is out there to hear me.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you? Why the hell are you so unoriginal? Is it really so hard to think of something new that you have to copy someone else''s story to amuse yourself? Fuck you, you, stupid piece of shit with no imagination!¡±


    And then a mithril chandelier falls on my head.


    -----


    Well, a somewhat silly end to the chapter, you have to forgive me. Also the use of the zone... I''m sorry for this. Anyway, we are closing in to what I would call volume one, where easy life for Zern will end, later on new things are going to happen. It''s going to become more serious and more complex, as Zern will have to be more than just a kid with guard and scouting duty. I don''t know  if it will be a positive change from what it is now. But changes are coming.


    I hope you enjoyed reading this, MC is not dead, don''t worry. Thank you for your support, ratings and comments are appreciated as always.

 Chapter 20.

    Waking up from my deep slumber, I see Meriden and Regios talking. She didn''t seem to like him all that much before, because she didn''t fully understand the situation, but now there she was casually conversing with him. She is actually sitting next to me, holding my hand in hers. When I shift my weight trying to move, she looks at me and smiles. My injury doesn''t seem to be too serious as they don''t show any worry.


    ¡°So, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Boy, I have to tell you, somebody up there really doesn''t like you. You remember what happened?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. We were talking about the darkness and what it is doing. Then you told me something unbelievable and I tried to kill myself by drinking some Heavenbrew. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sounds about right. I thought you went crazy, asking me all those questions. If I didn''t know any better I would have thought you were part of the cult. And then you were shouting at somebody up above. They must have heard you, because you got hit by a chandelier. My place does not have chandeliers. I actually gained much from your misfortune, that much mithril costs a lot of money. I must thank you for the service done for my nation. He he.¡±


    And there he goes laughing at his own jokes. His expression is almost peerless, perfect smile, but I notice a slight wrinkle for an instant. Materialising chandeliers don''t often bode well for people.


    ¡°So what, my trauma was so severe that I spent last month in coma? Will I be able to walk?¡±


    ¡°Actually, there was only a slight crack in your skull. It healed in a few hours. You''ve been passed out for the last two days from the alcohol. Nrogara used all the headache remedy you asked him to produce, just to wake you early. You would be out for the rest of the week otherwise. Thank you for the cure by the way.¡± Meriden says the last part and gives me a kiss. I must have saved a few lives.


    ¡°Yes, thankfully you didn''t drink the Godsend Heavenbrew like I am sure you wanted to. That stuff is locked up and hidden behind seventy two seals and a puzzle. What you drunk was an inferior type of Heavenbrew, the Angel-Tear. It is not as strong and is just barely lethal to normal humans. You would be ok eventually.¡±


    ¡°So I am still on this side of the pearly gates, left to deal with the absurdity of the situation.¡±


    ¡°Right... Do you want to wait before talking?¡±


    Regios is clearly interested but he tries to be discreet.


    ¡°It''s ok, don''t worry. I was just put off because it seems that not only humans copy whatever they read from fiction.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Well, firstly the Zone is something I remembered from fiction works in several worlds. The Zone pretty much always fits the same description as the one here. I just don''t think I ever encountered one.¡±


    ¡°I thought you don''t have any memories of your past?¡±


    ¡°I don''t. What I do have are some of the skills and knowledge gained previously. The fiction works regarding the Zone are some of my favorites, as I seem to have read them across various lifetimes. When you described it to me, the details quickly surfaced. I just didn''t imagine that somebody would turn those books into reality.¡±


    ¡°You think some god decided to emulate a work of fiction in this world? Being a grandson of one I can tell you, they are not all powerful to just will something into existence.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they didn''t make it from scratch, but perhaps influenced it a bit. Or maybe it''s not a god.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Just an idea too wild to entertain.¡±


    We stop talking for a while. Regois seem to want to know more about the darkness and the Zone, but with Meriden here he doesn''t say anything.


    ¡°Ah! Why did you ask about the person who got her wish granted?¡±


    ¡°That was also a folklore legend from a different world. I lightning-clad God of Thunder, wielding a mighty hammer Mjolnir, with strength unrivaled by any other. His name is Thor and he is an enemy of Ice Giants.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Yes, I can see the irony.¡±


    Once again we fall silent. Meriden notices that we don''t speak much, so she gives me a quick kiss and goes off to ¡°train some guards¡±. She likes to pass on her strength and wisdom to those in need.


    ¡°So, what do we know about the darkness?¡±


    ¡°I know nothing about the darkness. But I know that monolith is just a distraction to keep us from looking in the right direction. If the works of fiction are right and I have no doubts that they are, the Zone and the monolith originate from somewhere beneath the temple, where the elders of the cult joined their powers together to create it. Neither the Zone nor the monolith are important, we should just ignore them.¡±


    ¡°So we know nothing important then? We don''t even know how to get close to the temple and you are saying that we should ignore the Zone.¡±


    ¡°If my knowledge is of any indication, we need to get some gear enchanted against mind magic. That is what main characters usually use. What we should focus on is identifying the source of the cult''s power.¡±


    Regois stops talking and looks as he is deep in thought. I think whether these circumstances are just a coincidence, or a direct meddling by some god, who wants the cult to succeed and who reads little too much science fiction. Or is it a situation manufactured by some third party for shits and giggles. I would be doubtful of that, but if chandelier suddenly appearing out of this air is of any indication... It doesn''t matter, I won''t have any say in the matter regardless. Gods are beyond me.


    What I wonder is if I will have to venture into the Zone. If you look at what happened to me in this life so far, you would imagine that I should go there. I seem to appear in the right place at the right time. Am I the main character of this particular story, or is my advice good enough to move on.


    I think I often dreamt about venturing into the Zone, adventuring, looting the artifacts, fighting mutants and uncovering its secrets. There was a certain romance to the whole idea of constant danger and the possibly of waking up with your head in someone''s mouth. But I wouldn''t have the safety of my people, my fianc¨¦es'' and the possible future of the realm weighing on my shoulders.


    Also, this is not a sci-fi world. I''m supposed to have guns and machines to help that sort of thing. As I am now, I can barely comprehend what guns do and what electricity is. This doesn''t seem to be my kind of adventure...


    ¡°The darkness seems to be reminiscent of the one fourteen thousands years ago.¡±


    Regios stops my train of thought. Fourteen thousands is the time of the Guardians and the formation of six daughter Val tribes.


    ¡°You think this is the same darkness as the Great Beasts tried to fight?¡±


    ¡°The temple is one of many built at the time before the fall of the Guardians. Last time there also was a large area of effect magic that corrupted whoever was inside it. It is actually the origin of the Naga species, as they were once sea elves. Once the Guardians sacrificed themselves, the entirety of the area surrounding the epicenter collapsed underwater. The center of that calamity is very close to what used to be a temple, like the one in the jungle in my territory.¡±


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    ¡°That seems to point to the same enemy. But we still don''t know what the darkness is. Also, if that happened that long ago, my knowledge on the matter might be just a fluke.¡±


    ¡°You are correct. We will try to employ any tactics you may give us, but we cannot be certain that they will work. Also, will you...¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not. I will give you all the knowledge I can remember, but I personally won''t be going there, at least not at this time. I don''t know what my role in this world is, but it sure as hell not some hero type who goes off and solves every problem solo. It may not seem like that, but I see myself as more of an adviser, a force pushing others forward. Take my intended for example. Do you think any of them would be where they are today without me. Hell, Eleanor would be a stuck up bitch with no redeeming qualities about herself. Sorry dear.¡± I say, whispering the last part up to the heavens quietly.


    I take a couple of breaths to compose myself.


    ¡°Even looking at yourself, you said that I helped you clear some bottlenecks you were stuck on because you got a tiny bit of knowledge from a person my fianc¨¦e trained. How much my influence will push you directly? And how much my influence will change the world? I can''t risk my life, hoping to solve the problem by myself. Besides, Meriden won''t let me go alone and I will not expose her to that danger.¡±


    Regios nods in understanding. He knows that what I am saying makes sense and it would be dumb of me to come charging forwards.


    ¡°I know that Val are supposed to be the guardians of the realm, but I am not all Val, I am but one man. Last time it took the strength of six Great beings and I only have the power of three, however little of that power is in me. If I go now, and you somehow get Meriden home, without me her words won''t carry much weight. I will be made into a martyr in the war against monsters which will affect the realm and will give darkness enough time to cover the rest of the world.¡±


    Once more Regios nods. I pause slightly for a small breath. Talking takes a lot out of you if you do in non-stop.


    ¡°I have people to take care of, just like you. And I don''t mean just my fated ones. I have a small faction relying on me back home.¡±


    ¡°The Bloodborn?¡±


    ¡°Right. What will happen to them if I am gone? They are not Val people, even if they are under protection of Elaya and others. I doubt they will be tolerated much once I am gone.¡±


    I stop for a moment, considering best course of action next.


    ¡°What I believe the best thing I can do is to go back home and relay everything we learned so far to the elders. We will let them talk to the other nations to see if they want to forge peace together with you. Meanwhile, I will prepare some Val tribesmen, who will then come to your lands to fight the darkness. I won''t need the elders'' approval for that, safeguarding the realm is our duty and it doesn''t matter who is in need of our help. If a certain monster nation just happens to lend some help in their quest, it won''t be against the rules, even if there is an open hostility or even war. To Val people, our duty to save this realm is above anything, even conflict between races.¡±


    Regios keeps silent with a somewhat grim expression he understands that a war might happen regardless of my words. Monsters never were thought of well, and perhaps if I wasn''t an outsider, even if just in spirit, the possibility of peace would have been nonexistent. I would have to pull my own weight to convince others of Regois'' wish for peace.


    ¡°I am sorry that I sound like a coward, who tries to hide behind his people and his responsibilities. My main duty just like the duty of any Val is to this realm first and foremost, regardless of my own feelings. And I believe this would be the safest course of action for all of us.¡±


    Regios looks at me, his expression becoming lighter. In his eyes I can see understanding and... Respect?


    ¡°No. You are not a coward and you don''t sound like one. You sound like a leader. You think of your people before yourself. I know if it were not for them, you would already be halfway between here and the Zone. I am just like you, I would be willing to lay down my head for my people. I am just a little scared.¡±


    ¡°You? A two thousand year old dragon is scared? Did somebody steal your balls or were you a girl all along?¡±


    Amused smile crosses Regios'' face.


    ¡°No. I have been alone in this for a long time. I only had generals and advisors, but they only follow me because I am strong. You, you were willing to die for your people, even though you knew you had no chance against me. And now you stand before me as an ally. I am scared that your people might not want to take this road and instead throw away the chance peace. I don''t want to face you. You are a... Erm...¡±


    ¡°A friend? Is that the word you were searching for?¡±


    ¡°Geez, no, we are two millennia apart. A comrade. Yes. We are comrades.¡±


    I stand up from the bed, little shaky from still being intoxicated. Standing on my wobbly legs I hold onto the bed with one hand, while putting another on Regios'' shoulder.


    ¡°That we are. As a comrade and as a friend I promise you, even if my people go to war against you, I will not strike a fatal blow against you or your people. I might have to bruise you up a little though.¡±


    Regios looks at me with appreciation in his eyes. He is not going to say it, but he is glad to have me as a friend. We spent little time together, but that''s enough to understand that we are kindred in spirit.


    ¡°You humans always go mushy on me. What is it, did you suddenly grow a vagina?¡±


    ¡°Look who is talking. Not wanting to fight a disgusting human, what happened to you? Did the old lizard suddenly turn senile?¡±


    He shows a toothy grin and we both laugh. I sit back down on the bed and we stay silent for a while.


    ¡°Staying here is nice. But we should start thinking about our departure. The faster I get home the faster we can start talking about peace.¡±


    With an audibly sad sigh, dragon agrees with me.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    -----


    So I decided to alter the story around and count Volume 1 ending here. Perhaps the story is to one Horton on far to think that, but what can we do. I am not pro to know the proper timing. Previously it would have been one chapter ahead, but I wouldn''t want to end volume on a cliffhanger, and this somewhat tame scene is a better end to the volume.


    I already have a lot of chapters of volume 2 done, as I try to write at least a chapter a day. I however seem to be loosing my way with words, as my writings seems to become simpler and not too great. I don''t know if it had already affected my writing, but I''d like you to tell me immediately if I start slipping and my style is no longer satisfactory.


    I still empty time skips often even after this, as I only write about some Important events and then do an overview of what happens. I have no idea if you guys like that or not,.


    Anyway, I Hope you enjoyed reading this so far, I will continue posting. Ratings and comments are appreciated, thank you for your support so far!

 Chapter 21.

    We decided to stay two extra weeks to rest and prepare. We spent two months on the road, only to ¡°finish¡± our mission within few weeks. We spent more time getting to know each other than actually talking about the upcoming fight with the darkness. Regardless of how fast we wanted to get back, setting off right then and there would be too much to handle. Especially since I had two extra people with me.


    We spent our time drinking and having fun, while we could afford. Nobody knew how soon we would meet again, so time spent trying to outdo one another in the battle of wits was time well spent. We made crude jokes and insulted each other.


    One day I approached Regios and asked him about lending us mounts. I couldn''t carry three people even if I had a werewolf saddle made specifically for me. I didn''t want to spend the rest of my time before the Rite walking through the desert and the demon and human territories. Getting some giant scorpions or spiders would be wicked as well.


    He didn''t say anything, only grabbed me by my cloak, spread his wings and lifted off. We flew for about two hours until we reached a sandy-looking mountain. Some random sand structures or rocks were common in the desert, as well as sand termites'' nests. But a giant rock with caves in it was the first for me. What''s more, there seemed to be dragons all around it.


    When we landed, Regios folded his wings and walked inside a big cave. I followed him closely. While Regios looked very royal with his shiny scales, most of dragons here had dirty sand-colored scales. I guessed they must not be as powerful.


    When we walked inside, we ended up in a giant cave, where there was a big and I mean BIG dragon. He was at least towering over everybody in there with height of twenty five meters. And that''s while he was lying down and snoring. I couldn''t even try to imagine his length, his neck and his tail were very long. His scales were pure gold, with a luxurious luster even in the mildly lit cave.


    Regios came closer to the big dragon and tried to shake him awake. When it didn''t work, the small dragon began punching the bigger one. It was funny, considering that the head of the big dragon was bigger than Regios was tall. After some commotion the big dragon opens his eyes and looks ad Regios.


    ¡°Son? What is it? You know how I like my mid-century naps.¡±


    ¡°Father! I have brought a friend. I think he might be helpful.¡±


    ¡°Ooh! You really found a suitor for your younger sister? He is handsome I must say!¡± The big dragon seems awfully cheerful for a son of a Dragon God. Very casual in his demeanor.


    ¡°Regios, you didn''t tell me you had a sis...¡± I keel over as Regios punches me. Good thing I turned into my drake form just in time.


    ¡°Ooh, look and he is part drake! Regios I''ve never thought you would be so thorough with finding a man for our little Mercissa.¡±


    ¡°No Father. He is not here about Mercissa, he is here for the other one.¡±


    ¡°You know Beatrice is married long ago and had a kid two centuries ago?¡±


    ¡°No, dad, stop. He is not here for mating.¡±


    I am still on my knees, trying to force back the tears from Regois'' punch. It wasn''t hurtful, just very forceful. Yes.


    ¡°My lord... I am Zern of the Val people. I don''t know why Regios brought me here, but it is an honor to be in your presence.¡±


    The golden dragon pauses for a second and then gasps.


    ¡°Look, he even speak! And with manners! You sure he is not good for Mercissa? You know how she is fascinated by humans.¡±


    Regios seems very angry now. His scales gain a slight red gleam to them. He seems very ticked off about his sister.


    A girl in her late teens comes from somewhere beyond the golden dragon. She has dirty blond hair like I had before, but there are two streaks of pure gold in there. She also has majestic golden horns coming from her forehead, with a slight curve to them. Her eyes are green, but unlike Meriden''s that are bright emerald, this girl has deep dark green eyes with the regular circular irises surrounded by a thin gold crown. She is about the same height as me, thin but curvaceous in all the right places. An S-class beauty so to speak. She also has a lizard-looking tail and leathery wings behind her back. She actually looks like me.


    Seeing where this is going I try to seize the initiative.


    ¡°By the divines? Who is this goddess? No, it can''t be your younger daughter! She is way too magnificent to be in the same species as Regios. My Lord, how could you speak of offering such a beauty to a lowly creature like me?¡±


    Regios uses his tail to trip me and suffocate me. As his sister appeared his red gleam turned to slight pink. No Regios, for you fall in love with your sister? Is your inner perversion that makes you cover it up with your extra morals? Is that why my Aedim not good enough for you?


    I free myself from Regios'' tail and talk some more.


    ¡°Clearly my Lord, only somebody of true royalty and powerful descent should have the right to wed your daughter. If only Regios was not related to her!¡±


    Now Regios is out to kill me. He crushes my ribs until they crack and strangles me. I become lightheaded and go limp after a minute, when he roles me onto the floor.


    ¡°Ha ha, you hear this Mercissa? This human doesn''t know about you and Regios! Ah this is too funny! Regios where did you find such an excellent human?¡±


    The golden dragon laughs at the situation before him. His daughter beet red and surprised by my words looks at the ground.


    ¡°No. It''s not that. When we were younger Regios confessed to me... But I don''t love him the same. My dream is to live amongst humans, so I rejected him. He has been trying to master the body-transformation magic for hundreds of years now...¡±


    Even limp and powerless I can''t help but laugh. My body shudders from the laughter. I try to inhale some air but I can¡¯t, this is just too damn funny. Regios preparing for the fatal blow, but is stopped by his sister.


    ¡°Regios, stop hurting Master Zern. He is a guest here. Put him down.¡±


    Regios hesitates, but complies with his sister¡¯s demand. I am released from his vile grasp and allowed to breath.


    God this is not funny, the way it is going I will have another member in my harem. I haven''t used that word when talking about myself for so long.


    ¡°My Lord, I am sure Regios is going to be able to turn into human soon, Mercissa can wait a little longer. I don''t think he is willing to share his cute little sister with someone as lowly as me. Why don''t we instead ask Regios about the reason he brought me here?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, I like you human. Call me Zil, short for Zilmanarius. I am the current king of the earth dragons.¡±


    ¡°Father, don''t get too familiar with him, he is not joining our family.¡±


    ¡°My Lord, Regios has spoken on the matter, I don''t think we should press it any further.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but for entirely different reason.¡± Golden dragon uses his tail to point at his daughter.


    She is standing on uneasy legs, shifting her weight as if she needs go to the bathroom. Her face is red, and her nipples are hard... Godmanit, I''ve been around nude girls so much that I am completely oblivious of the fact she is standing there completely naked, while I describe her beauty as such. Mayday, mayday, my plan backfired! The horned girl is horny!


    I seem to have lost my friend today. He is glaring at me with eyes glowing red from anger.


    ¡°Lord Zil, I would be honored to take your daughter as my wife, but in my culture it is custom for women to make the decisions such as arrangement of marriage, and as I am already engaged and will be marrying not one, not two, but six beautiful girls, I cannot accept her as my own, as my future wives are sure to decline such possibility. I am truly sorry.¡±


    The girl looks hurt and disappointed. She turns and strolls away. The golden dragon looks at me somewhat angrily.


    ¡°Your stupid customs dare hurt my girl? What if I burn your customs, your culture and your wives?¡±


    I put on a strained smile at the mention of hurting my fated.


    ¡°My Lord, that would be counterproductive, as I would surely die, protecting my people, so you directing your fury at my people will be all for naught.¡±


    Dragon calms down quickly. He might have not really meant what he said, but my reply seems to please him. It also seems to please the girl, who has an envious look in her eyes. If only somebody fought like that for her...


    ¡°Very well, nothing can be done. Is seems Regios has more time and Mercissa will have to wait for another.¡±


    Finally, crisis averted. Regios may still stay as my friend.


    ¡°Father, I came here to talk about my niece.¡±


    Or not.


    ¡°Ooh, you believe he is a good suitor for her? But she is just a child, barely two centuries old. Aren''t you rushing things?¡±


    The dragons are awfully concerned about pairing off and mating. I wonder why.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Flaer, come down here.¡±


    A small golden dragon flies down from somewhere near the ceiling. When she reaches the floor, a sandstorm surrounds her and a small girl appears. She looks just like Mercissa would look if she were seven or eight years old. Even the way she pouts is very cute.


    ¡°Aren''t you a cute one? Lord Zil, she does seem a little too little for marriage yet.¡±


    ¡°I am not!¡± She shouts cutely and sand surrounds her once again. What comes out looks like a virgin teenager''s nightmare-dream. A slightly larger but still petite body, with huge breasts and huge ass. I cover my eyes to shield them from the horror, but it''s already etched into my retina.


    Regios laughs at my reaction and comes to my rescue. He quickly forces her to change back.


    ¡°Father, Zern is not going to be marrying any dragons soon. His future wives will sooner quarter him, than let anybody else join them. I am here about the different issue we talked about a decade ago.¡±


    Golden dragon''s game loses focus as he tries to remember something. Then he lights up happily.


    ¡°Ah! You want her to go with the human? I mean we did talk about it...¡±


    ¡°Lord Zil, from what I understand, you want Flaer to go out, experience the world, learn about its inhabitants and their customs and gain wisdom?¡±


    Regios laughs at me.


    ¡°No, what I thought of was getting you a convenient way to getting around. You don''t seem to be getting your own wings any time soon...¡±


    ¡°Not for another three years.¡± I say as I think of Lilith. Regios looks at me with a raised eye brow.


    ¡°Right... But now that you say it, it is an interesting prospect. I think father would agree it is a good idea. And Flaer seems eager to be mounted.¡±


    Regios laughs at his own joke again while Flaer jumps around and throws her arms in the air.


    ¡°Mount me! Mount me!¡±


    I facepalm, just like I have done many times during my stay here. These dragons are surely something. And their behavior is something as well.


    Last week it was sci-fi, this week is anime. Is the next week going to be murder mystery? Stay tuned on ¡°Everyday life of Zern of the Val!¡±


    Regios continues to talk.


    ¡°I just thought that it would be easier to have somebody carry around your weight. Plus father frequently complained that the brat became very noisy since she was able to talk. So if I get her out of here, he will be able to sleep peacefully, and I won''t get to listen to his complains and she sees the world just like she wants. Like killing four birds with one stone.¡±


    He shows a proud smile. Well, I won''t say that it''s a bad idea. It would help immensely. But...


    ¡°Isn''t she a little too small to carry all of us, or even me?¡±


    When I saw her descend, she was barely a meter long lizard.


    ¡°You must know that I am just as talented in transformation magic as my sister! Perhaps even more so! So I am only small if I choose to be small.¡± Once again a sandstorm rises up and covers her. What I see revealed is a fifteen meters long dragon.


    ¡°Ok, I guess you are big enough. If everybody agrees to this then I am game.¡±


    ¡°What kind of game?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean I agree.¡±


    ¡°Human, I bestow my niece''s life upon you, may you care for her, love her and treasure her.¡±


    The golden dragon seems to be giving me his blessing. I don''t think it is applicable in this situation. We are not getting married. Are we?


    ¡°Eh, Thank you Lord Zil. I will protect Flaer until she matures and finds a man good enough for her.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, sure you will.¡±


    With that the important part is over, we did what Regios wanted me to do. We stay a bit and chit-chat some. Afterwards we prepare to depart for Regios'' city. Flaer turns into her dragon form and I climb on her back. As we take off, I can see Mercissa looking at me longingly. I just hope she doesn''t get any weird ideas.


    Back at the city we made introductions and continued partying. It was actually funny to see twelve year old Meriden arguing with a two hundred year old dragon. It was hard to decide which one of them was more mature, but Meriden won in the end. They argued frequently, but soon got friendly enough. They never stopped arguing, but it was more lighthearted and amusing than serious.


    We spent the rest of our time drinking and eating, right until the day of departure. We were all feeling sad to be leaving the monster territory behind. We enjoyed our time here, we made some friends. I actually went to see Mieltzkin again and I and Regios decided it would be a good idea to have a border city for all the newcomers to get accustomed to monsters. So the greedy goblin would get some extra money.


    When it was the day of departure, we exchanged some words with Regios. I ensured him that I would do anything I could to speed up the alliance. After that I, Meriden, Nrogara and the demoness named Eclair climbed on Flaer''s back. I''ve spent some time with the demoness after I rescued her, but we never got well acquainted.


    When we were all ready, we waved to goodbye to the people gathered there and lifted off towards the west. It would take us a month of slow flight with frequent stops to reach the great forest. As we flew closer and closer, I had an uncomfortable feeling of foreboding. Perhaps there will be some difficulty convincing the elders that monsters were peaceful. But it shouldn¡¯t make me feel this weird. I mean, so far everything went so well. We avoided two major conflicts, found major clues about our enemy and even gained a possible ally in the future. I should be excited about the future. But why do I feel this way?


    As we fly over human territories, we see the towns and cities getting repaired, very different from previously torn-down state during the pillaging and constant bandit raids. They must have changed their ruler after all. Maybe elves and dwarves are helping them to rebuild. It seems to be going very fast. Perhaps a little too fast for the three months I was absent.


    This piques my interest. I decide to make a detour, flying nearby the capital. If there has been a change of power, we should learn a bit there. Flaer, Nrogara and Eclair stay behind, because they are too inhuman in appearance, while I and Meriden make out way into the city with our hoods up.


    The city is clean and fresh, streets are free of beggars and filth. I would have imagined it would look worse. It was supposed to be run down by poverty and crooks. But it seems to be doing better than ever. As we walk through the streets, we notice they are pretty empty. There seems to be a gathering as the central plaza. Perhaps a new ruler is there. Seems a bit too much of a coincidence for it to happen at the same day as we come here. Perhaps it is divine providence, for all my hard work.


    Meriden walks off to get some supplies, while I make my way through the alleyways, trying to stay unnoticed. When I come to the center of the city, there is a large crowd of people, all cheering at and hailing two people above them. As the announcer finishes his lengthy speech I try to look closely at two figures... That''s not possible...


    ¡°All hail the great King Robert, supreme ruler of Kernun kingdom, the banisher of the fiend and purger of darkness. After months of struggles, our ruler persevered, freeing the Val people from the evil influence of the fiend and uniting the races of the north and the south under one banner!¡±


    Cheers run through the crowd. Those people are actually happy to see the one person who oppressed them and made their lives miserable. But that''s not what surprised me.


    The king stands up and waves at the crowd. He has a dazzling smile, showing all his shiny yellowish-white teeth. He half turns and extends his hand to the person sitting next to him.


    That person doesn''t even acknowledge the man. She looks at the crowd with a cool gaze. Prideful and powerful, her golden hair swaying in the wind. She stands up, showing slight arrogance and dismissing the offered hand. She smiles towards the crowd, with cold aura around her. A small golden tiara, beautiful golden dress, she looks like a real royalty.


    What the hell happened while I was away? It''s only been three months.


    ¡°All hail future queen Eleanor, the Prime Matriarch of the Val tribes, who helped eradicate the evil influence of the fiend and set the people of Val on the right path!¡±


    Applause and cheers can be heard through the crowd, people are happy to see such a young, yet powerful and wise queen. Their kingdom is saved thanks to her. The fiend is no more and now they can prosper.


    I just stand there speechless...


    -----


    So yeah, just to clarify no NTR. Why whatever happened happened will be revealed next. This was originally my ending for volume 1. Was it a good idea to change it? Or should I forego the whole idea of volumes altogether?

 Chapter 22.

    What the actual fuck.


    I stand, seeping with rage, suppressing my transformation, despite it already claiming my hands under my cloak. All I can think of is ripping off a pair of testicles and force-feeding them to the scum-lord they belonged to and ripping out the pair of hearts to eat them myself. The only thought that''s keeping me sane is the though of Eleanor, who wouldn''t just betray me and do something like this. There must be a reason.


    As I stand there, suppressing the changes to my form, right out in the open, my face obscured by the hood of my cloak, I think of what to do. I don''t notice that anything is amiss right until a cold blade slides against my throat and my dark red blood trickles down from the cut. There is only one person who can sneak up on me.


    ¡°Leah.¡±


    ¡°Hello Zern. Don''t attract any attention, you mustn''t be seen. Just walk backwards into the nice and dark alley.¡±


    I do as she says, walking to where I came from, knife still spilling some of my blood. In this half-transformed state it must be at least as strong as mithril. I don''t think she had such a good weapon before. The first thing I ask makes Leah pout just a little.


    ¡°Have they?..¡±


    ¡°No, Zern, they haven''t. She is not giving him the time of the day. It is a political arrangement. And while you are alive, she will remain untouched, at least until the day of the next Rite.¡±


    I let out an audible sigh. I can relax now, but I don''t, I am still angry. How dare that bastard even think about touching something that belongs to me. Eleanor is mine, her body and soul.


    ¡°So, what''s happening? What changed while I was away?¡±


    ¡°Not here, follow me quickly.¡±


    We make our ways through the alleyways, until we stand in front of an inn. There is no name or sign, just an open door. We walk in and sit down at a table. While we were just through the door, some music could be heard, bars singing a song while playing a lute. He didn''t really fit here, but who cares. At the table, all sounds disappear and nothing can be heard apart from the rustling of the clothes and breathing, a silence ward to keep the outside away and the inside a secret.


    Leah motions to the barkeep, signaling him to bring over some drinks and turns to me to talk.


    ¡°Here we are relatively safe, if nobody saw you. The spell will protect us from foreign ears. Those are everywhere nowadays.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, what is going on. Why do I come back only to find that the stupid human King is fine and dandy, his country prospering under his rule? And how did he manage to rebuild so much?¡±


    ¡°I can''t tell you much, it is still too early for that. What I can tell you, is that right after you left, some elders contacted the human King and told him that the Fiend has been driven out and that they are free of your influence. They then arranged some meetings with him and formed an alliance.¡±


    ¡°What? Why would elders do it? I was sure that I was supported by the Val people.¡±


    ¡°That''s true, you were supported by most of the common folk. However, there were talks about granting you some authority and power within the tribe. Certain people didn''t like that idea. If you remember elders Katara, Karmak and Baewulf all supported you and thought that you were good for the Val people. There apparently was some ancient prophecy dating back to the age of the Guardians, so this too made people scared. The three main supporting elders and a handful of others were the ones who resisted the change, but they could do nothing, they are very much a minority.¡±


    I frown slightly at her words, at the prophecy and at the talks of granting me power.


    ¡°But why they sent me away, wouldn''t the trio try to keep me here to stop this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, believe me they tried. I had my ears all around, so I know that they tried. But they were outvoted, plus sending you was really a necessity, nobody but you could truly do your task. It is actually unsettling, how you managed to do it so quickly. It threw most of the plans out of the window.¡±


    ¡°Plans? What plans?¡±


    ¡°Believe it or not, I don''t want Eleanor do marry that fool. I would have prepared for your arrival in six or more months, where you would challenge him to take Eleanor from him, clearing your name or something along those lines. But, you being here so early, all of that is void. It was hard enough to prepare the announcement when I heard you appear suddenly flying over the towns. Such short term changes had me pulling some strings I had no business pulling.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I am on the side of rebellion, the people who know the truth about the Fiend and that you are not some evil puppeteer. They hate the King about as much as you do, and they want him to disappear.¡±


    At this moment a busty woman looking like a whore comes close, putting some tankard filled with bubbly liquid down onto the table. She gives me a wink and leaves. Perhaps she hopes that I ditch the orange-haired beauty and settle for her herpes-riddled self. Fucking whores... is not what I am willing to do in this lifetime.


    ¡°So what is it about the arrangement? Why would Eleanor want to be close to that guy?¡±


    ¡°It is all in the sake of power. Right now she is the most powerful person, as she is both a future Queen and a Prime Matriarch of the Val tribe.¡±


    I throw her a questionable glance.


    ¡°Eleanor and Lilith were working on this for quite some time. They roused the elders who were for your ¡¯banishment¡¯ and gained their favor. Once you were gone, she took over as the Val''Halla tribe head and then, with the support of the majority of the elders, she became the Head Matriarch. The king comes, they forge an alliance, the conflict is forgotten as the holy crusade against the fiend ends. Now the Eleanor has support of majority of the races gained from the conflict with the Human kingdom and the king right under her thumb.¡±


    ¡°This is rather complicated, how did they managed to pull this off? Why are they doing this? And what does the king gain?¡±


    ¡°With Lilith''s support and Eleanor''s conversational skills they easily convinced most people of her truthfulness. Many readily believed her stories about how you forced her into submission, how you exploited her and her sisters, making them do lewd things. Thankfully she remained pure and innocent, but Elaya, Aedim and Meriden... It was a stroke of luck that the Fiend has been cast out before Eleanor''s Rite so she could escape such horrid fate...¡±


    I just sit there looking at Leah dumbfounded. Why would Eleanor say such things is beyond me. I didn''t force them to do anything... Did I? I mean, I wasn''t against the showing of affection and I didn''t stop it. But surely she can''t see it like that... And why would people believe her so readily?


    Leah seems to understand a bit of my confusion.


    ¡°That''s actually why Eleanor managed to take her mother''s place as the head of her tribe. Her mother was branded as a traitor and an avid supporter of the fiend, forcing her own daughter to do your bidding.¡±


    ¡°But why would people believe any of this? This all seems so far fetched. Everybody saw us and how we were together.¡±


    ¡°Most people don''t. The common people, the people who met you personally and who had a chance to get to know you all know the truth. But they are a minority and they have no say. The elders have their mind clouded by fear, they believe everybody else to be afraid as well, so it is no wonder somebody would do what you said. Your word carried more weight that you actually thought because of their fear of you.¡±


    That actually makes sense. Paranoia is powerful thing, capable of making people believe many things. I didn''t know that I had such influence on the minds of people. I tried doing best to help the people of Val, but the leaders amongst them only saw fear and death within me. They believed me to truly be a Fiend, an enigmatic existence born of darkness.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°The king doesn''t care either way. He gets all the resources back, he gets a new queen and most importantly he gets what we longed for all this time.¡±


    ¡°Eleanor''s blood?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He longed for the power of our tribe for years. Now he gets a legitimate way to get it. He believes you to be a true demon, bent on destruction of the mankind, while he is bringing the light to the world. He is a much brighter and much more powerful existence than you. If some commoner from an edge family managed to get three powers, he can surely gain one.¡±


    Leah scoffs at the idea. She knows how this will end. King Robert may be royalty, but he is not Val in origin. Whatever power his blue blood carriers it''s unlikely to resist the beast. I mean, my body had as little of the Val blood as any other outsider, and it didn''t resist the power. But my mind is immune to corruption, which made it impossible for the beast to take over. But him, with his twisted mind riddled with fear it will prove a disaster to drink the blood of a Val''Halla royalty. And yet he believes he will succeed. Truly that man is delusional in his judgments.


    I still don''t understand a lot. Curious, I ask her a question about timing.


    ¡°So, why hasn''t the king already gotten the power? What is stopping him now?¡±


    ¡°It is all thanks to Eleanor. She talked about how Val people have to follow customs and how traditions are important. Her rite of passage has been decided upon, so the king cannot gain her blood until then. She also said that there is a trial to be taken, but killing a fiend should be enough, so the king is searching for you. You have until your thirteenth birthday to do something.¡±


    That gives me little over half a year to prevent the Rite and stop the king. I don''t know why Eleanor decided to go against me, but I will find out soon enough, just a little patience is all that''s needed.


    ¡°This is a lot to take in. We need time to come up with a plan. Let''s go find Meriden.¡±


    Leah stays quiet for a moment.


    ¡°That won''t be possible. She has already been apprehended by Lilith.¡±


    ¡°What? We have to go help her. The two of us can surely get her out!¡±


    ¡°I can''t help you and I will stop you from revealing yourself. I am the spymaster for the queen at the moment, I can''t do anything openly.¡±


    I just stare at her wide-eyed.


    ¡°Believe it or not, the best place for an agent of rebellion is right beside the enemy. I won''t reveal anything about you being here, I don''t want the king to use Meriden as a hostage to lure you in. As far as he knows, Meriden ran away from you at some point after your journey began and just made her way here.¡±


    Now the king has Meriden. This is too much. When the time comes I won''t hold back and I will rip the spine out of that fucking bastard. He will feel my wrath. Nobody get''s his hands on something that belongs to me. Nobody.


    ¡°So what do I do now? You say I can''t be in the capital and the Val tribes are against me, I can''t even...¡±


    Something dawns on me right there. Something very-very important.


    ¡°Where is Elaya?¡±


    ¡°Elaya is safe. Once the commotion started I tried to get everyone away. She and Bella went away towards the elves, they are staying with Aedim. Until her education with the Star-Whisperers is done they are relatively safe. The king and the Val people are demanding for them to be given back, but the elves are resisting at the moment. They will need to get out in about two months. You should hide until then.¡±


    ¡°Hide? Shouldn''t I try to get everybody out? What about the Bloodborn? Are they safe?¡±


    ¡°I tried getting them out, but I was too late. Bella went with Elaya, Sonja with a handful of people escaped and now are the part of rebellion. They are hiding, hoping to do things from the shadows. The rest have been apprehended. And no, you shouldn''t meet with them, even amongst the rebels there are people who work for the crown. If the king learns about you, he won''t hesitate to use Meriden. Eleanor can influence him greatly, but she won''t be able to overrule him just yet.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Then I go to the Val tribes. They have no leverage to use against me. There must be some people who can help me.¡±


    ¡°Zern, you shouldn''t. The Val tribes are somewhat peaceful, with only little disturbances amongst them. If you suddenly appear, nobody knows what will happen. The inner conflicts may come to the surface and there may be bloodshed.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter, some of the elders there support me, I should be able to do something.¡±


    ¡°Zern, please don''t. The elders who support you are few in number. And the Warlord is set to capturing and executing you.¡±


    ¡°What, we have a Warlord now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, by decree of the Prime Matriarch, all military is to be lead by a single, most trusted person. She picked somebody, who was set on getting rid of you. He is... He despises you greatly and hopes to get his hands on you. You should avoid him by all costs.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. I have to do something.¡±


    Seeing that I am set on going through with my idea, Leah sighs but says nothing. We sit there for a minute, sipping on what little of the ale we have left. Then she puts a circular stone the size of my palm, with runes and magical circuitry, on the table near me.


    ¡°Here is a whisper-stone. Aedim came up with it after spending time with the elves. There are only a handful, this one connected directly to me, so no one will overhear us. If you need to contact me, or if there are any new developments we can get in touch.¡±


    Leah stands up, ready to leave, but then she leans forward and kisses me on the lips. This is out first kiss in the last four months. She savors it, trying to get every little bit from me, her tongue assaulting me. Then she breaks the contact slowly, a trickle of spit between us, looking into my eyes. I can see she wants to tell me more and she wants to keep me here, but she says nothing. She steps away, outside of the ward and says something. There is no sound, but her lips move. Be careful.


    With that, she vanishes. I am left at the table with nothing but two empty tankards. The woman that served me looks my way with a hopeful glint in her eyes, but I don''t entertain the possibility of spending time with her. I get up, through some copper coins on the table and make way outside. There, using all the skills I have to mask my presence to the best of my abilities, I sneak out of the city and run to our camp. Nrogara, Eclaire and Flaer are confused by the absence of Meriden, I try to relay whatever I gained from my talk with Leah.


    First, we plan, about a week should be enough. Next, we pay a visit home. It is bound to be interesting. Now, I sleep. I am exhausted physically and mentally, I need to come to terms with apparent betrayal of two of my intended. It''s not a simple thing to do after all we shared and lived through.


    -----


    So guys, here it is. Don''t worry, no NTR here, just Eleanor wanting to be a Queen (( i hope you enjoyed my writing.


    Just FYI I did a despicable thing and set up my own website, where I can do anything I want. So, the next chapter is already on there. The link is in my signature. Sorry for that guys, I am secretly evil.


    Comments and ratings are always appreciated, thank you for reading my fiction and helping me improve.

 Chapter 23.

    While we waited I had time to practice a new trick. Partial transformation was now possible for some reason, as I discovered in the capital. Maybe I needed the right emotions or just enough power, or maybe the shock of seeing Eleanor and subduing the rage I felt was the key. Regardless, I now had a new trick in my repertoire.


    After we spent a week thinking of possible scenarios for our future, we set off towards the Val territory. It would take us at most five days getting there by air. We were cautious to not get seen by any patrols or guard stations. Strangely, now there were no sightings of bandits down below. People must have really believed that I was the cause of all the bad things in the world. At least some good came out of all of this.


    As we traveled, we made a few stops so I could get a look at some other cities. The situation everywhere was the same. Every town was prospering somewhat, citizens walking around with happy faces, merchants selling their goods and earning money. Just as if nothing happened. It would be surprising to see this under the foolish king, but now that Eleanor was practically running the kingdom, it was only natural things would go well.


    People actually talked about me, how I was a devil wanting to kill and plunder and rape and burn the world to cinders. It''s funny how ridiculous the rumors about me were. People compared me to the evil tyrants of the past and to Devils and evil gods. A bunch of sheep.


    When we got closer to the great forest, we noticed increased patrols around the border, as if they were waiting for something, which was stupid since there was no longer a war to fight. When we flew above the forest a commotion could be seen, people running around with spears and swords. It would all be useless, we were heading to the centre of the territory, the people at the border would take weeks to reach us.


    Near the place we intended to land, there already were some guards, alert and ready to fight. Before we landed, I made sure to warn the trio that would be waiting for me.


    ¡°If anything goes wrong and I get restrained, don''t try to fight, fly away and get to safety.¡±


    As we lend, we get surrounded by guards, pointing weapons at us. Dragons are a rare sight, especially mounted and docile. They rarely take care not no burn foolish mortals who approach them.


    As I jump off Flaer''s back, I still have sharp ends pointed at me, which is both preposterous and ridiculous. They can''t harm me with steel if I don''t want them to and treating a fellow Val man like this is forbidden. If one draws blood of another Val, he is to be severely punished.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this? I am Zern of the Val tribes, bonded to the princesses of Val''Kira, Val''Hoona, and Val''Morn tribes. You will lower your weapons.¡±


    The men surrounding me hear my words, some of them recognize me, but they still disregard my words. This wouldn''t normally happen no matter what.


    ¡°I came here to speak to the elders about the peace with monster races, I carry words of one Regios the Dragon, leader of the monster territory, who wishes to sign a peace treaty with us.¡±


    ¡°You see men? This is the fiend we cast out months ago. It returns to us, demanding our surrender to the monsters, to whom he clearly swore allegiance. He has a dragon and a troll in tow, as well as one of his Bloodborn, the traitors.¡±


    The coarse deep voice speaking out is very well known to me. It was around me when I was born and it spoke to me for some months with before my future was decided by the elders. It belonged Legiros, my father.


    ¡°I, the Warlord of the Val tribes order you to seize that man. He and his companions want nothing more then to bring chaos to us and to enslave us. Frez, he was your former apprentice and your companion, prove you loyalty to the Great Matriarch Eleanor and subdue the Fiend.¡±


    Frez and a few others come forward from behind my father. They are reluctant to do anything, nor do they want to. I can see the heavy gaze of Frez, he clearly doesn''t want to do anything against me, but he has no say in the matter, the word of the Warlord is the law.


    ¡°I am sorry, I have no choice.¡±


    He raises his sword and points at me. He knows he can''t harm me, but this goes against the usual customs of the tribe. It seems my father wants me to lash out at somebody, to give him a reason to execute me later. I don''t clearly understand his hatred towards me, but what can you expect of a man consumed by the greed for power. He is like the king in that regard.


    For some time we stare at each other, unwilling to make the first move.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this? Lower your weapons this instant!¡±


    A familiar voice, belonging to one elder Karmak rings out, practically repeating my previous words. The man stands to the side, as well as elders Katara and Baewulf, whom I know personally and some other older man and women.


    ¡°Legiros, what are you doing. Zern is not some evil fiend you claim him to be. He is a hero of our people and he came back from an important mission. Stop this farce.¡±


    The man in charge sighs.


    ¡°Is this an order elder Karmak? Does your group supports your decision and gives you authority?¡±


    Elder Katara speaks up.


    ¡°Yes, we all believe this is a ridiculous situation. Zern is not to be treated with such hostility, he has important news to give us.¡±


    My father sighs again, loudly as if he made a hard decision.


    ¡°Very well... Men, arrest the elders and the fiend. They are to be restricted and confined until a decision by Eleanor the Prime Matriarch is made regarding them.¡±


    ¡°What? How dare you treat the elders of the Val tribe like this?¡±


    ¡°I have the authority, given to me by Great Matriarch Eleanor, the future queen of the kingdom of Kernun, to arrest any supporter of the Fiend, even the elders. You clearly showed your allegiance to the abomination, so I have no choice but to arrest you until further notice.¡±


    This whole situation is preposterous. Leah was right, I shouldn''t have come here, the elders are now in a tight spot because of me.


    ¡°Elders, I am sorry to put you in this situation, I shouldn''t have come.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry young master Zern. You only revealed the true face of the current leaders. Now flee. There is nothing for you here.¡±


    I turn around and start walking to Flaer. There is nothing to be done here, I have no authority and no power, I barely constitute a Val man right now. Any minor law broken and I am going to be executed. The Fiend can''t be allowed to have any say right now.


    Not wanting to let me escape so easily, my father charges at the elder Karmak, with his sword drown, and stops it just short of piercing the heart.


    ¡°Fiend, stop your retreat. If you go now, I will kill every supporter you have. Their blood will be on your hands!¡±


    I turn around and look at him, my hateful expression visible to everybody. As I slowly walk towards him, I undergo a partial transformation, changing my legs and arms, elongating them and making myself taller. My boots rip, unable to contain my wolf-like appendages.


    I approach slowly, some of the guards still pointing spear at me. I don''t stop and walk right into the sharp ends of the weapons, their holders struggling to stay in place as my flesh presses against the metal. They manage to hold their positions, but the metal starts bending slightly, until the shafts of the spears break, sending splinters in every direction. Men, astounded by what''s happening take few steps back and let me pass.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    I walk right up to my father, who is visibly more pale than he was before. I put my hand on the sharp edge of the sword and clasp it into a tight fist. The steel creaks under pressure, blade ruined and unusable now. I rip the remainder of the blade out of his hand and with just my fingers I fold it in two once and then once more. Putting my arm to the side, I let the chunk of steel drop, hitting the ground with a metal clunk. Looking right into the eyes of a man I once treated with respect I speak slowly and deliberately, so he and everybody around us could hear me clearly.


    ¡°The only reason you are still alive is because we both are men of the Val tribe. You break the law, you spill a single drop of blood of another Val man, I will end you. Remember this now, if you want to live, you should not fight the Fiend. If you continue on this course, I won''t think about you being my father. I will not hesitate to put you or any of your man down.¡±


    I turn my head, looking at every man present, trying to lock my eyes with theirs. It''s an easy feat as I tower over everybody present with about two and a half meters height with my half-transformed form. My gaze sends shivers down the spines of the most men, some even falling to escape the scorn I project towards them. Good, they know I am serious.


    ¡°Now I will leave and you won''t stop me.¡± I turn towards the elders, surrounded by guards. ¡°I am once again sorry, I have to leave you. This can''t be resolved without bloodshed, and it surely won''t be mine. I don''t want the Val men, who didn''t do anything wrong but follow their leaders, no matter how despicable, to get hurt. Until we meet again.¡±


    I then turn towards Flaer, walk to her and with a single jump I get onto her back, which is a few meters above the ground. In complete silence we take off and fly away. We don''t have anywhere in particular to go, so I tell Flaer to find a relatively safe spot to rest, once we leave the forest.


    Until then I think about what happened.


    I honestly can''t say I ever thought of my father as evil or despicable before this day. He was harsh and he was hard to please, but that''s just the way he was.


    He seemed happy when I was born. I was his first child and a son no less. Until the elders told him of our circumstances, he was set on training me and turning me into a proper warrior, to honor his legacy and be the head of the family. Only after he knew of my imminent demise, he gave up on me and left me to my own devices.


    Before he came into our tribe, he was an adventurer. It is on one of his little trips that he met my uncle, who was looking for a man for his sister. This was how new blood usually was brought into the tribe. My father, seeking all the power he could gain readily agreed to the proposition. Once he came to the tribe, he went through his Rite and became the guardian of Val''Morn and of my mother. The only changes he recieved were harder nails and skin, and slight boost to the healing.


    He was an excellent warrior, many people respected him. But he was too bent on gaining power and set on becoming the strongest and most respected. He is very much like the human king in that respect. Thank god I affected Eleanor enough to change her from becoming like that. Well, at least I thought I did.


    He would often be ruthless with other men, sometimes sacrificing others for his own benefit. Not literally though. He would blame others for his own faults and take the credit for other''s effort. In his career advancement toward a Val general many heads rolled. Again, not literally.


    He was too foreign for the tribe to understand the kinship and closeness we had. It is only because of Frez that I got to experience it. In more ways than one, Frez was more of a father then Legiros ever was.


    Once he learnt that I won''t live past ten, he turned his attention towards his career. He wanted more and more power and influence.


    He tried to get another son, but to my knowledge, I only have two more sisters, Zerania and Kerrigan. That must have really pissed my father off. I came to visit them and mother from time to time, but once I passed my trial, father forbade me from seeing them.


    It was weird, I thought that once I gain the power and become a guardian of the tribe, he would open up to me. But it seemed that his jealousy and his pride took over any fatherly feelings he might have felt. His eyes showed nothing other then contempt and hate for me. Perhaps it was because I survived when I shouldn''t have, or may be his pride was hurt because it was Frez who trained me. He had his chance and he just let it go.


    Since then there was only hostility between us. I never understood why. But I let the distance between us grow, not wanting to deal with any of the feelings he harbored for me. When I succeeded the second and the third rite, he was furious inside, his eyes showed the fire burning within. He hoped I would die and prove him to be better, whatever that would mean. He clearly despised me at that point. Maybe he just hated me for being more powerful than him? But why would he, I was his flesh and blood, he wanted me to succeed his legacy, wouldn''t I have to be powerful for that?


    But now, he had an opportunity and he seized it. He became the Warlord of the Val tribe and he he is second to only Eleanor. Only I stand in his way now.


    The fear can surely twist the minds of people. Even my own father wants to get rid of me. A truly strange feeling.


    Now we don''t have anything to do, we might as well train. When we find a safe place, I will begin my training for the three people with me. I am not Meriden or Leah, but I still have skills I can part on them. We still have a few hours before landing anywhere and I feel really tired. Nothing wrong with getting some shut-eye.


    -----


    So the next chapter is here. I received a rather loud outcry of people not liking how my story is written. I now have to choices, either to continue it as it is, or to rewrite it. I don''t know whatever it is you people would like more, perhaps a poll should do?


    It is actually funny how half of the people talked about the story turning all dark and evil, while the other half talked about punishing the traitors with anything short of beheading. And people are dissapointed about me not having th eg irks punished yet. There is always the next chapter, becoming the king was not the main aim of my fiction, it was merely a stepping stone. Nothing short of God would suffice...


    It is my fault that I I didn''t make it clear how little Zern''s life means to him, his main values are his loved ones. He can always be reborn and he had experienced worse things in life. To live is to err as they say, Zern would gladly suffer for his loved ones, the main issue is getting betrayed.


    Anyway, I still have about seven more chapters after the resolution of this, I will be posting them, but if people dislike them too much I will restart this or do something else.

 Chapter 24.

    For the next two months, we trained. There was a disparity in our strengths and abilities so I had to improvise.


    Flaer was the most inexperienced of us. She never fought using a weapon, in fact she never fought at all. No creatures around her home could harm her and she was always under surveillance. A sheltered kid. But her strength was on par with mine. If she was older, she would be stronger than me, but now we were about equal. She could take my hit and not have her bones broken. Her sparring with others was the problem, she couldn''t control her strength like I could.


    Eclair was ok. She was taught by Lilith and she had some lessons with Meriden before, so she had some skills. The problem was, she didn''t have the speed or experience Nrogara had or the strength Flaer and I had. She could be considered the weakest of the group. Her style could have been superior to Nrogara''s if she did just as much fighting for he life as he did. But as she was, she needed to train diligently to catch up to him.


    Nrogara was the strongest in terms of the skills. His speed was extreme and his reflexes were monstrous. Flaer could somewhat be on par with him, but only because she was a dragon. Dragons are freaking Titans, better than anyone else at everything. Screw the smug assholes. But not Flaer she is too cute and too little.


    So, for starters I had everyone try and get accustomed to each other. Nrogara would spar with Elcair, to train her speed. He would do little in terms of damage to her, but deflect and dodge instead. Sometimes he would strike, but slow enough that she would see it and react properly. Over time they would speed up.


    Flaer trained with me first. I was the only one who could withstand her strikes because she needed to learn control. I taught her the proper grip and stance for fighting and she would try and hit me. This was mostly done to get her accustomed to the weight of the weapon and to the backlash from hitting. Her hands would hurt from the shock.


    Normal weapons would crumble from the very first strike, but thanks to Regios, we had four ebonthril shorts words. They were made from an alloy of mithril, deep obsidian and dark iron. Together they made lightweight, yet extremely durable metal, which was perfect for me and Flaer, as with our monstrous strength we were more likely to use them as clubs than as swords. They were extremely hard to bend or dent, even Regios had to use full force to bend it slightly. I was glad to have such a weapon.


    The alloy was on the inferior side on the scale of power amongst other titan alloys. It was more durable than most, but you had to do forging in one take, the metal was impossible to melt or even heat after it cools and sets, not even dragon-fire can do it. The price of the perfectly forged blade would be that of a medium sized kingdom, but there were no such blades in the world. The alloy would be much more valuable, if not for the difficulty of handling it. Our blades were extremely simple in design and not even that sharp. They would cut, but you would need to put force into the strike. Perfect for me and the dragon girl.


    After few weeks, Nrogara and Eclair could have a proper spar. The result might appear to be too fast if not for the potions made from my blood, which eased the pain and improved healing. We all did nothing but spar and sleep and eat for the entire time. Elcair had grown some muscles and so did Nrogara. The demoness became much-much faster, closing in on the troll. The troll on the other hand had his style evolve somewhat, taking some of the grace and precision of movement from the demoness. It couldn''t be called wild anymore.


    Flaer got a grasp on her strength, she became accustomed to the weapon and would slowly incorporate some moves I tried teaching her. She could spar somewhat well, with all the limited moves she knew. The good thing was that we could have her spar with the others without maiming them badly.


    After those two weeks we began sparring with one another, me going easy on them to get them used to my strength. They would go all out, pushing themselves to their limits. Sometimes I would strike their weapons or their limbs, breaking something in the process. This would be quickly fixed with ¡¯ZernGara-lixer¡± a concoction Nrogara came up with which combined both of our blood and some herbs to make a concentrated non-viscous liquid that could be taken internally. To my surprise it was extremely potent, closing wounds and mending bones in minutes. It could also be applied externally, if somebody didn''t like the taste or smell, but with lesser efficiency.


    Using the liquid frequently, we began sparring semi-seriously, breaking something every time and mending the injury. After a while, their bones grew denser and harder and would no longer break, unless I put my whole strength into the strike. Their muscles also grew denser, they were stronger then normal humans their size. Perhaps, some of my blood changed their bodies to be more like me. It was a good thing, but I thought about the morality of it. They were eager to continue, despite all the pain they went through.


    I also began to teach them to meditate. It would help them to settle inner turmoil, which almost everybody had suppressed within. Elcair had the most difficulty, despite her previous knowledge on the matter. Even with experience she got from Lilith, she couldn''t get over the slavers and the murder of her family. I had to spend some long hours as her personal therapist. She got theraped thoroughly, har har har. Not really, I didn''t dare touch her, the girls who still remained loyal to me would kill me. The loyalty had to be mutual.


    The training bore fruit, as all three of them sooner or later were able to navigate their inner landscapes. Their conflicts settled and their minds clear, it was easier for them to train and control their bodies. Their potential as warriors grew exponentially the more we did it. At some points they also managed to feel Ki and began to use it. They were becoming deadly and powerful.


    During this time I also contacted Leah to ask her why would Frez follow my father. According to her, Frez feared that something would be done to his sons, which he believed were captured. In truth, they escaped with Bella when she ran. They just packed up and left leaving no notice. Leah insisted for it to remain a secret. Otherwise Frez would turn his blade on the Warlord, getting captured or worse. He had to remain exactly where he was.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    So, we spent two months training and training, getting faster, stronger, deadlier. They were now stronger the Meriden, although not as good at fighting. When I get her out, she surely would want to employ the same method of training. Her one regret over the years was not being able to spar with me after I became too strong. She was willing to break a few bones, I was not willing to do the breaking.


    Like that, we closed in on the date when Aedim would complete her basic training. She could ask to stay and learn more, but the Val and the human king were getting impatient. There were new talks of war. How did that idiot even get to the throne, I doubt he could come up with a half-arsed plan of assassination.


    Now Aedim would be getting out soon and Elaya, Bella, Jacob and Edward with her. It order to save them from the hands of Val, I would need to sneak in and get them out. The plan was that everybody would camp outside Star-Whisperer academy or whatever they had for headquarters and I would sneak in and lead the group out.


    If anything would go wrong, although it shouldn''t, the trio would go in guns blazing so to speak. Otherwise they would just be ready to get out and go to our temporary base. The girls were notified of our plan by Leah. I had to consider if that was wise, seeing that Leah was close to Eleanor and the king. She claimed to be on the rebellious side, but I couldn''t be entirely sure. But regardless of my worries she was the only way to contact Aedim safely.


    Like that we prepared and bode our time. There was little else to do, most cities wanted us captured and executed, most of my tribesman had orders to eliminate me on-sight. The monster territories were too far away for us to travel there casually, so we just hid in our little lair. It got boring sometimes, so we would have some minor matches, like arm-wrestling, singing contest or embroidery, the last one courtesy of Flaer.


    In the end, there was nothing we could do but wait.


    I was anxious when the time came. Would we be successful or would we fail? Elaya''s and Aedim''s fate hinged on the success of this operation. It was easy enough to begin with, elves didn''t really deem us dangerous and had no additional patrols or guards. Getting into their territory was easy enough.


    When we were a short distance away from the place Aedim studied at, I left the group and moved closer. Under the cover of the dark, even with the elven sight, I was hard to see. Leah would have no problem to move in and out, raising to alarm and stealing crowns and panties of all the elven leaders, but I was ok with just sneaking in.


    I am a little proud about the fact that I was never seen. I was like a shadow, darker than the darkness itself, silent like a fart in a church. Silent and deadly...


    Ok, I got in easily and found the girls. They were in a house, waiting to fall asleep. All the guards in the place were asked to help Amaruelle with something. We had a few moments to say hello. When Elaya saw me, she jumped on me, hugging me tightly and kissing me right on the lips. It was a very pleasant feeling, not seeing her for almost six months and getting greeted with such force and passion. She didn''t let me go for s solid minute.


    When we parted, Aedim decided to give me a kiss as well. If Elaya was passionate before, Aedim had knowledge on her side. Her kiss was slower, more controlled but no less wonderful. It really is a good thing to have fianc¨¦e you can train from relatively early on. Although it begs the question, who had been trained all this time.


    When the rounds of hugging and kissing ended we took whatever little belongings they had and set off to find Bella and Frez'' twins. They were in a room down the hall, all packed and ready. The boys seemed to be a little angry at one another, but we didn''t have time to sort out the kids'' angst. They would have to bottle it up and wait till later.


    Before we stepped outside, Aedim cast a spell on us. She called it ¡°Veil¡± and it was supposed to hide us from view and make it easier to sneak about. A convenient spell.


    As we got out, we didn''t meet many guards either. I will have to thank Amaruelle when I see her next. Once we were beyond the immediate vicinity of the house the girls spent their six months studying and hiding, Bella and the boys decided to split apart from us. They had some plans to take care of, so they went on their own way. I didn''t stop them, they should be ok, I taught them well enough.


    After we separated, we went towards where others were waiting for us. It took us about half an hour sneaking to safely reach them. When I got close, I could not see well in the dark, but when we got closer I could see their tensed faces. When I realized something was wrong, it was too late.


    Two shadows appeared behind us, two blades at the throats of the girls I just rescued. The trio were held in place by Meriden, who had a slave color with gems on her neck. It was an ambush, planned and prepared in advance, and I played right into their hands. Previously, Aedim and Elaya could have been deemed victims, just led astray by the fiend. But now that I rescued them, they were my accomplices, they would be confined and shackled like Meriden.


    I didn''t get to ask many questions, one of the shadows spoke with Leah''s voice.


    ¡°Meriden, knock him out.¡±


    The girl didn''t hesitate, perhaps her collar didn''t allow such luxury. She came close to me, prepared to swing full-force.


    ¡°I am sorry Master.¡±


    Ah, Laura comes ou...


    I didn''t get to finish my thought as my temple was hit by an incredibly durable blade. Meriden had enough strength to knock me out cold. With the single strike, I fell, my perception clouded and filled with nothing but darkness. Betrayed once again...


    -----


    So, another chapter is here. I hope you enjoy reading it. Thank you guys for you comments and ratings.

 Chapter 25.

    Waking up with a headache was not something I was used to. Even after a whole night of drinking I would wake up happy as ever. This was actually the first time since very early childhood that my head was screaming at me. When I killed two hundred slavers my body ached, my brain boiled and didn''t want to think, but it didn''t ache. Now there was a dull headache, bearable but annoying. And no aspirin anywhere within the realm.


    As I look around, I see myself in a dungeon, no windows and only one entrance with metal bars. My hands are bound by some metal. It shines unnaturally in dimly lit dungeon, so I can only assume it is mithril. The other ends of the shackles are connected to two massive slabs of black metal on each side of me, near the walls. I try to nudge one by pulling on the chain, but it doesn''t move at all. They must be extremely heavy.


    I try to stand up, only to realize I am severely weakened. I haven''t felt like this in... Ever. I mean I was half-dead, I was small, I was weaker than somebody, but I was never weak. Even just beside the death''s door I felt my strength. Now I felt like I wanted to slump over and sleep.


    I try to determine why I am so weak. It can''t be poison, my ability helps me ignore most poisons, any that would affect me would be potent enough to kill me outright. It could be potion of some sort, but once again I only need to actively set my inner working to neutralize it. Scanning my body I feel no foreign agents. So it is not something inside my body.


    Looking over my body, I notice myself being naked. I also noticed myself covered in my own blood, darker than usual with a slight glint of orange if you look at it at the right angle. The blood covering me is mostly dry, but there is plenty of it on the floor. The trail goes as high up as my throat. Did they... Did they cut my throat and let my blood pour onto the floor? What a waste, Nrogara could have made so many potions.


    I try to stand up again with my new weakness in mind. I can only go a little higher than crouching, chains are too short to let me stand. I can only sit, with my arms spread wide to the sides. Nothing can be done about this.


    Having studied my surroundings I try to use my power. It is hard to do, my weakened state limiting my power. When I begin transforming, my wrists hurt like hell. The shackles are too tight. They won''t break through the transformation, so my flesh is squeezed against mithril with great force, crushing my skin and muscles. It is a bad feeling.


    Well nothing I can do about this either. Hoping to get somebody''s attention I shout and listen. I listen hard, very hard. It seems there is nobody out there. I sit with my legs crossed and try to meditate, but I immediately feel resistance. Something I haven''t felt since I was little. Damn, so many things I haven''t felt in a long time and none of them pleasant.


    I am in turmoil. Thinking about it, I really am. I was betrayed, again. Before I just tried to ignore it, submerging myself in training, not letting myself think. But now... now it''s impossible to ignore.


    I am stuck in some stink-hole, nobody anywhere near me. Three of my beloved girls betrayed me, they chained me and bled me dry. I wouldn''t have thought they would do it. What we shared, it was beautiful and magnificent. Firstly Elaya and then the others opened up to me and we shared our time and our joys with one another. I was sure it was all real and true. But...


    Now I wonder. Did Eleanor ever get over her hatred for me? May be she just pretended, forced by her mother or by the tradition or whatnot. She may have not had a choice in the matter. I mean, she said back then that she wanted a powerful ally. Was it all I was for her? Just an asset, which now outlived its usefulness?


    And the others? Leah and Lilith said that they didn''t want to lose me to a rival. Was that it? Was I just some prize for either of them? A trophy? I didn''t think that getting to me was a conquest for them. But was I ever anything more? I thought our feelings were sincere. My love for each of them was true. I was ready to give up my life for them, but this? Getting betrayed is not something I envisioned. I would never betray them...


    And is it the same with others? I mean Aedim, Meriden and Elaya all act loyal and show me their affection... But is it real or is it the same as with the other three? Is it our bond that makes them act that way? Would Eleanor betray me if we had completed the rite? Would others be so inclined to listen to me if we haven''t gone through with it? Was it the right thing? Maybe if I refused them all the way back then it would be different...


    The doubts are killing me. I don''t know what is right anymore. I am sure Elaya loved me sincerely. She had to... Why would she spend her time with me otherwise? She clearly enjoyed our time together. I can''t doubt my sweet little Elaya. She is the one who has been with me the longest, she confined and me and I in her. We were together since we were little, surely it wasn''t anything but love...


    But what about Meriden. She sought strength and I could offer it to her. Did she choose me so that she could follow the path of the warrior? She is strong-willed but she wouldn''t lie to get whatever she wanted. She has honor like all warriors, she wouldn''t forfeit it for anything. She didn''t have to become one with me to receive what I had to offer... I can''t doubt her, not now after what we went through together. She is just like Elaya, she loves and treasures my company.


    And Aedim? I don''t think she would betray me either. She showed respect and admiration for me, even before we made a choice to be as one. She liked talking to me, her interest was real. We shared our worries and our ideas. We shared our limited wisdom, ensuring one another of our intelligence. The adults might have not seen us as such, but we were smart for our age. It don''t believe that she would decide to be bonded with me just for the interest and vanity of being around me.


    But others... They are different. Eleanor is proud, she used to want power. Leah is cunning, she has more to gain right now by betraying me. Lilith is... I don''t know what to say about her right now. She is supposed to be a spawn of satan in a sense, but she was anything but. She seemed to care and she tried to do her best. I am sure she was faithful, even though I saw how she wanted more than just simple touch. She enjoyed my company, my touch, my smell. She enjoy me thoroughly. But maybe she found something else to enjoy...


    This is confusing. I am lost in thought, I have no idea what is going on. Could some of the girls really betray me? The three girls that have yet to bond with me betrayed me and the others. The three girls that are bonded to me already are suffering because of me. I failed them. I failed them all. Maybe if I would have done something more it would be different. But now it''s too late too wonder.


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    As I am thinking about all of those things and more, I don''t realize that I am crying. Tears are rolling down my face and I don''t feel them. I don''t feel much of anything. I feel numb, in my body and in my mind. The numbness comes from blood loss, from the discomfort and from the cold. But my mind is numb because of the overwhelming emotions of anger and betrayal. They cloud my thoughts, shroud my inner self in darkness. I can''t see through any of it now that I unleashed it upon myself. It''s hard to concentrate.


    And my chest hurts. It''s so strong it''s almost physical. The pain spreads throughout my body, but it can''t be stopped by medicine. My soul aches as the emotions try to tear it apart. Such a pitiful state for a boy who was surrounded by joy and happiness, only for it to turn into bitter hatred for oneself. It was all his fault. He wasn''t good enough.


    The emotions are too much to handle for a kid, who wished for nothing but to protect himself and his loved ones. Who would have thought it were his loved one he needed protection from?


    I am too confused by all that''s happened. Whom can I trust and who truly loves me and who just wanted to get something from me? Even my people, who were willing to go to war for something I did, betrayed me and hid me away somewhere. Are the girls going to be like that too. Will Elaya eventually turn away from me...


    With such thoughts I weep and turn delirious. My mind was not ready to handle such grief. I can''t be angry at the girls, they did their best... I loved them, I can''t that let love turn into hatred. But I can hate the king. The filthy scum. In my delusions I scream at him and fight him. I kill him many times for taking everything from me. I also shout for the stupid person who orchestrated the events in this world, words of anger and hatred come out. I try to pour everything I have into those cries toward the heaven. And I can hate myself. I shout of how weak and pathetic I am, of how I failed those around me...


    At some point my transformation kicks in, I flail around wildly, trying to break free, trying to turn and rampage. My wrists send hellish pain through my being, unable to break the restrains. I try to endure it in my insanity, but soon I loose consciousness, plundering towards the darkness that surrounds my heart at the moment.


    There I see visions. Some are undecipherable, just visions my mind creates to accommodate the feelings I have. Others are some fragments of my previous lives, moments when I did horrendous acts because of torment in my heart. Then there were all those people who hurt me and how I hurt them back tenfold.


    Through all that, I see a vision of a man, surrounded by a brilliant aura, his hair red and purple so are his eyes. He looks at me and sighs. He speaks of disappointment, how I broke so easily and how I shouldn''t have given into despair. He calls me pathetic and weak. The supreme ruler of the realm is displeased, his game turning out different from what he expected, because one of the pieces was chosen wrongly.


    I see a vision of myself, confined and restrained. Seeing myself from the side, crying about how the world is unfair really is pathetic. I don''t pity myself, seeing how weak I truly am. Take away my ¡¯toys¡¯ and I crumble under the pressure. Was I nothing without the girls? Was I this small and powerless? Would I achieve anything if not for them? That''s not right. In countless lifetimes I became great, I lead the the world''s the prosperity and I plunged them into chaos. I didn''t need some weak little girls to carry me forward. I was fine alone. With that I shout precisely those words for everyone to hear.


    My emotions apparent and out in the open, they slowly loose their hold on me. I slip out of the hurtful tendrils surrounding my soul and begin to regain some senses, but I am just too tired to carry on right now. Exhausted I don''t bother thinking any longer and loose myself in restless sleep. Still very hurt, but no longer tormented I manage to get some sleep.


    There was mostly emptiness. I floated in nothingness, having dream-less sleep and letting my inner torment settle.


    At some points dreams appeared. I saw Elaya and Meriden. They were talking and laughing. It was a memory I had of us spending time together, very pure and happy. Then more memories surfaced of different girls. They were happy and they felt joy of being with me. Even the trio that betrayed us, they too were enjoying their time with me. I couldn''t understand their action and their reasons, but I could remember that they were honestly happy to be around me. Their smiles were sincere and pure, showing them excited and enlightened. How could I ever forget that? Seeing those images I feel at peace. Even if something changed now, back then we were always together as one, sharing our joys and hardships. Together we were stronger.


    With that I feel at peace, no longer haunted by nightmares, just memories of our happy past. The girls were always by my side, they supported me and I them. We always did our best for the Val tribes, perhaps now this is something they have to do. My duty is to the Val people, even if it means to give my life for the cause. If that is what needed of me, then it is what I will do. With those thoughts barely registering in my brain, I fall into the peaceful rest.


    New dreams are pleasant. They show me the future with the girls. Our house which we built with the Bloodborn, now full of life. I also see happy faces, of all the people I must protect. Perhaps I will have a chance to see them sometime soon.


    I also see a dream, myself, on the ground, weak and powerless, somebody hugging me and trying to hold me close. That person has her face very close to mine, hair streaming down and covering us, hiding from the world. Her hand is touching my cheek, stroking it gently. Her lips move slowly, mouthing words of apology and regret. The person seems very sad, sometimes trembling and sobbing. I try to comfort that person, reaching my hand towards her face, but she just cries more. I stay a little longer and drift off again. For a while I would sleep, not feeling or noticing anything.


    ------


    So, another chapter is here. I wrote ahead 10 more chapters, somI won''t be changing them too much. Soon you will, see the resolution and the after effects of this situation. I know not everybody will like it, but it is the way I made it, how Zern reacts and how he is. I am sorry in advance if. Somebody dislike this enough to give up on it. Anyway I hope you enjoy reading this, all your input is always appreciated. Thank you guys for support.

 Chapter 26.

    My confinement was dull. Most of the time I would sit in the dark, minimal light coming off some candles, and stare at the wall. There was nothing to do. I couldn''t even stretch my legs properly.


    Sometimes my warden would come, figure covered with a cloak, and would give me some soup or porridge. It tasted bland, but it was something. Sometimes the warden would cut me and give me a potion of some sort. I would bleed out but I wouldn''t die. The floor was almost completely covered in my blood.


    At some point I tried to meditate. There was a slight resistance, but it faded quickly. It seems that the time spent in delirium cleared some inner conflicts. I feel at ease, knowing that my time with the girls was real, even if now they had to betray me. Nothing I can do now.


    Closing my eyes I stop all my thoughts and concentrate. Unnecessary feelings are blocked, touch, taste, smell, sight all unneeded. I concentrate on my hearing, enhancing it as much as I can. My powers are lacking, so I can''t get as much out of my ears as I could before, but it is sufficient. I can overhear the guards somewhere high above. The sound is very faint, having traveled hundreds of meters, but I use all I have to latch on to the conversations they are having. It feels like I am reading the vibrations in the stone, rather than in the air.


    ¡°Hey, you heard what the queen has done? She outlawed slavery in our kingdom completely and she imposed a severe punishment. Some slavers were executed just the other night.¡±


    ¡°I thought that the King was dumb, making that wild girl the queen, but he was dumb not doing it sooner.¡±


    ¡°Aye. I can''t believe she was at the centre of it when the fiend controlled her tribe.¡±


    ¡°She must have been very brave, standing near that thing and even holding hands. She is braver than the king. That coward just sits on his ass on the throne, doing nothing and eating. He is going to grow fat soon, now that he has somebody else running the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don''t speak like that about His Highness, it might be considered treason... But I agree. The willing girl is good even if she is young. How did the king even get her?¡±


    ¡°Apparently he didn''t yet. The future queen talks about tradition in her tribe, she hopes to instill such customs amongst her subjects. I mean, it''s not a bad idea, but what is she going to do?¡±


    ¡°She wants to have a festival celebrating the killing of the fiend, once the King''s rite of passage is complete. Until it is complete, King is staying abstinent.¡±


    ¡°Not abstinent enough ha-ha-ha! The queen refuses him, so he tried bedding one of the other two girls beside the queen. The crimson-headed bitch almost took his eye out! He has a scar on his left eye now. The king was furious, but he couldn''t do anything as she is queen''s personal righthand woman and the King is not supposed to touch anybody else.¡±


    ¡°Eh, apparently all the Fiend''s girls are under the protection of the queen now. They are not to be touched under any circumstances...¡±


    Hearing that I feel some happiness. Eleanor didn''t forget about the others, she cares enough to protect them from that vile pig. And I must commend Lilith, scarring that pretty face.


    ¡°But the king doesn''t care, does he? He got plenty of prisoners bound in the dungeons. All the Bloodborn he had found, each one is prettier than the last. Dryads, elves, even demons. A-ha-ha, King pays them nightly visits...¡±


    At those words my heart beats faster, my blood pumping. I can feel the pressure, the beasts begging for me to set them free. I know, if I get the chance, that filthy king is going to suffer longer than the slavers. Fucking scum of a human, how dare he touch My Women.


    ¡°...he also visits that one woman. You know who she is?¡±


    ¡°Nope. No idea. She just appeared one day, bruised beyond recognition, few days after the King''s coronation. He treats her ¡¯nicely¡¯ every day, you know...¡±


    Their conversations go on talking about the prisoners and their treatments. Sometimes they speak about Eleanor''s exploits, her policies and her decision. She receives a lot of praise from her subjects now, making all the right decisions. Nothing less to be expected from a descendant of the Great Lion.


    Like that, in complete boredom months passed, listening in on rumors, meditating, eating and bleeding. I was very filthy by the time something happened.


    One day warden comes in with two men. He cuts my throat again and let''s me bleed onto the ground. He gives me a poition, but it is different from usual. The two men accompanying him unbind me and drag me out, I try to resist, but am too weak to accomplish anything.


    With that I am led through the dungeon, upwards towards the ground. As we move I can feel the air becoming less stale. I longed so much to feel the refreshing smells of some flowers and grass, now floating around me. Months in confinement sharpened my senses.


    We stop in some area, with water in a barrel to wash the filth off me. I spend a good amount of time washing myself, with the help of the warden. I am not sure, but it seems to be a he. He splashes water on me and rubs some some ointments into my skin, probably wanting me presentable. I heard whispers, today must be the day that I die. It is ironic it is the same day I was born.


    When I am relatively clean, I have my favorite stretchy pants to put on. My feet and my chest bare, covered in some hair like a wild animal. They really want to show off the Fiend, beast in human form.


    After I look the part I am led through an archway, into an arena. Why would a dungeon be connected to an arena I have no idea, I thought I was below the castle.


    My execution is going to be a big show, so many people sit on seats around the arena. There must be thousands. Looking around I see the elders who wanted me gone, here to enjoy the spectacle. My father is with them, grinning like a madman. The one person that humiliated him is going to die. I also see a balcony, where the queen and king should be, but only Lilith and Leah are there. The king and queen are near the middle of the arena, King looking as royal as a filthy asshole can, and Eleanor dressed in ceremonial clothes, barely hiding her nudity under silky garments, a sheathed blade in her hands. Not very royal looking. A true matriarch of a wild clan.


    Previously I didn''t see much of the King, only on some posters and once from a considerable distance, so I didn''t really know how he looked. Now I could see him clearly. He had black hair, longer than most people, probably wanting to show of his royal upbringing. He had a goatee and a mustache, making him look like a real royal douchebag. His left eye was adorned with a vertical scar. He deserved it. Overall, he looks to be in his mid-thirties, some wrinkles and a few grey hairs present.


    I am led towards them and forcibly put on the ground, guards hitting my knees to make me kneel. If I had my full power, I would rip their heads off, but now I had to comply.


    Before me a large cup is set, in position where my head would be if I knelt low enough. Is it going to be a beheading? It feels very lousy for it to be one.


    As we stay in position, for another archway three more people are being led out. Elaya, Meriden and Aedim, all in ceremonial garbs like Eleanor, bound by their hands and feet, with an enchanted slave collar on their necks, they are led into three spots at the end of the arena. They are close together, only a few meters apart from one another. Each one is made to kneel low, their hands bound to a ring on the ground. They can''t stand up or raise their hands.


    Eleanor seems to want to make this ceremony something flashy. Seeing everything in place, the show begins.


    ¡°Today, we are all here to see a rite of passage completed for the right to be my guardian. A man before you is the one that will attempt the Rite, and as I determined previously, defeating a fiend will constitute the Rite completed.¡±


    King Robert unsheathed a very elegant-looking sword with runes and etchings, previously held in Eleanor''s hands. She passes the sheath to one of the guards. It must be a royal treasure of some sort. The king hands it to Eleanor, who slashes my throat again, making blood pull in the cup on the ground. I wouldn''t have thought that I had any more blood to spare, but I guessed it was the poition I drank before that made me recover quickly.


    ¡°But first, we will do a purification ceremony for the three girls who had been defiled by the bonding with the Fiend. This way, before the Fiend is killed, the girls will be set free of his influence.¡±


    Eleanor picks up the cup once my wound closes and walks towards Elaya, who is on the very left of the three girls. She makes her drink some of my blood and then pours some on her forehead, blooding Elaya''s cute face. She doesn''t struggle much, knowing full well there is nothing she can do. Only some tears pour down her cheeks.


    Next Eleanor walks to Meriden and does the same. Meriden tried to resist, her eyes looking at the future queen defiantly, but she was powerless to do anything.


    Lastly, Eleanor comes to Aedim, repeatin the purification process, covering her in the rest of my blood. Aedim seems to have given up, not doing anything. She is downcast and distressed, knowing she is about to witness my execution.


    ¡°With that, purification is complete. Like the slaves who were freed from the slavers who were purified by the blood of their defilers to become Bloodborn, so are you now purified by the blood of the person who defiled you to be reborn anew.¡±


    This statement was somewhat controversial as it was common knowledge that the slaves were just accompanying good citizens of the kingdom when they were lost, only to be ambushed by the Fiend and taken hostage. All the horrors and punishment made them into twisted Bloodborn, wanting to serve the Fiend. Of course nobody bothered to ask the slaves. The meaning behind the queen''s words went somewhat unnoticed, as everybody was engrossed with the ceremony showing the barbaric customs of the wild Val people.


    With that, Eleanor walks towards me and the king. With one strike, she cleaves the mithril chains setting me free and gives the blade back to the king. She, with the convoy of two bodyguards and a warden retreat to a safe distance, leaving us one on one.


    The king is arrogant, thinking he is going to win easily. Although he is not wrong, wanting this to end sooner, I don''t put up any resistance. The faster this ends the faster the girls will be released. The royal scumbag takes a few swings, leaving deep gushes on my flesh. He sees that I am not resisting and takes a few seconds to speak.


    ¡°Ooh, don''t want to fight I see? You thinking that if you die quickly, the others won''t suffer? Ha-ha-ha, you are mistaken my boy. The first thing I will do after ridding the world of your filth, is get the power from the bitch queen. Then I will fuck her. And then I will cut her head off.¡±


    Speaking of Eleanor in such a way makes me angry. She might have betrayed me, but we spent plenty of time together and my love for her was real. Feeling the rage boiling inside, I release a low growl and stare at him menacingly.


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Just the reaction I want from the lowly dog! You know, after I kill the queen, I will fuck the duo she has by her side, both at the same time! A-ha-ha! And then I will kill one while the other watches and then kill the remaining one! It will be glorious!¡±


    The bitch-king talks quietly, so only I can hear him, but his laughs and few exclamations are loud enough for the rest to hear. He looks like a madman now, probably going crazy at how close he is to obtaining the power he wanted. Him talking just makes me mad. With my limited power I undergo a partial transformation, forming claws and making my tail thicker, like in my drake form.


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    ¡°And after that, I will fuck each one of the trio you yourself fucked! Yes, they are so sweet, I can''t wait to sample their little...¡±


    I don''t let him finish, lashing out with a swipe of my hand, hoping to cut his damn head off, but he was expecting it, deflecting my strike with his sword. The blade glows and leaves a light trail, showing some magical properties. It is extremely hard, possibly even stronger than the blades Regios gave us. As expected of a royal treasure.


    ¡°Aha! Not so easy is it? My blade is Feldrazil, a relic passed on from one king to the next. It is said to be the most powerful sword, surpassed only by those wielded by gods! A-ha-ha. Taste the power that true royalty wields!¡±


    He tries to land a couple of strikes on me, but even weakened, I am faster than him. I just duck under his blade. But when I try to gut him, I get repelled by a barrier. A rune glows on the sword''s surface. This is annoying, how am I supposed to kill him, if I can''t touch him? Or am I not supposed to be able to do anything?


    The Kings swings at me again, but to no avail, I can dodge easily. After a few fruitless attempts he decides to change his tactics. Another rune glows and the king swings, sending a strike towards Aedim. He was way too far to reach her by normal means, but from the blade a light wave separates, flying through the air. Having no choice, I strain my muscles to reach her in time. A few meters from the girl the wave is stopped by my body. The strike is not as powerful as from the blade itself, but it leaves a shallow wound.


    ¡°Zern, you have to get some of my blood. My blood carries the power!¡±


    Hearing those words, I get a complicated expression on my face. Do I really have to hurt Aedim to get out of this situation? But I will be able to defeat him if I get even a single beast to full power. Without thinking, I jump close to her and bite into her shoulder. Her sweet blood and the smell of cinnamon fills my mouth, I take in as much as I can. I feel some warmth spreading through me, but it is nothing compared to the Rites. The beast is already there, the power is mine. It has no meaning to drink more blood, all I get is some extra time. I would need to drain all the three girls to get anywhere near to awakening one beast.


    I separate from Aedim''s shoulder and lick her wound to close it. It seems I am alone in this. Jumping away from her quickly, I rush at the king, utilizing the little bit of extra strength I recovered. It''s not much but it will help.


    Getting closer to the king, I use whatever power I have to fight. Slashing, dodging, parrying. We lock into combat, but it seems that I am predetermined to fail. Even if I get past the sword, none of my strikes penetrate the shield surrounding the king. It is useless to struggle. I can dodge the strikes from the sword directly, but the energy waves he sends off all have to be blocked, wounding me each time. Seeing that it is battle of attrition at this point I decide to risk it.


    When a swing from the king comes I swing my right hand, from left to right and strike on the surface of the blade, hoping to get the damn sword out of king''s hands. Sadly I miscalculated, allowing the sword to hit my forearm, embedding itself into my bone. It goes in almost parallel to the bone, so it doesn''t cut through, instead it gets stuck. My bones must still be dense and strong even with my powers gone. I howl in pain, almost fainting, but I push through and struggle against the king. My strength should be greater, but my mind is on fire, trying to overcome the pain and the blood loss.


    We are locked in a struggle, me trying to get the sword out of king''s hands and him trying to free it and to strike me. None of my slashes penetrate the shield protecting the king just as before. He punches me repeatedly, hoping that I will get distracted or loose consciousness. I fight as much as I can, going as far as to grab the sharp edge of the sword, cutting my fingers in the process. By now, it is completely covered in my blood, its once pristine edge completely hidden behind my dark crimson, almost black blood.


    We stay like that for a few minutes, exchanging strikes at one another, mostly with no result. Then the king uses another rune, creating a bright flash of light and forcefully yanking the blade out of my forearm. The pain shoots through me, bringing me to the ground. Before I can recover, the king starts stabbing me, in the stomach, in my legs, in my arms. He is furious, but sane enough to not hit any vital organs. The royal bastard wants to play with me. Regardless, the fight is now over. I stay on the ground, spasming from the pain and almost loosing consciousness, bleeding. A pool of blood spreads from me. Seriously, where all that blood comes from?


    ¡°My Dear Queen, the fiend lies, defeated and unable to fight on. Will you grant me the blessing of your blood?¡±


    ¡°My beloved king, will you not finish off the creature? It is clearly in pain.¡±


    ¡°No my Queen. I want it to witness my triumph. I want it to see how I turn into your guardian and then I want to rip its heart out and eat it!¡±


    Clearly he is a madman. As he says it, I notice a change in the surroundings. Previously cheering crowd, which I didn''t notice in the intensity of the situation, goes quiet, somewhat shocked by king''s words. Isn''t he supposed to be a paragon of justice and all the lovely and cute things, babies, toys and unicorns? Why would he talk about ripping and eating hearts. This statement had more impact than the one from the barbarian queen some minutes before.


    ¡°Very well my king. The fiend is defeated, your rite is complete.¡±


    With those words Eleanor and her entourage comes closer to the end of the arena, opposite of where the three girls I protected are. The queen takes


    Robert''s blade, dark with my blood and moves it across her wrist, deliberately slowly. It would leave the scar, if not for my blood that starts working its magic and heals the wound. At least something good comes out of me almost bleeding to death - Eleanor won''t have a scar. All through this, she looks right at me, her eyes neither cold and hating, nor loving and caring. She is not indifferent, but I can''t understand it, my mind too cloudy.


    The queen then proceeds to collect the blood into a cup like the one used to collect mine before. She hands it over to the warden, making sure he waits for her to give a speech. Then she walks to the opposite end, where I and the girls are. She looks at me, trying to communicate something with her eyes once again, but it is useless. Seeing me in my pitiful condition, she sighs, raises the blade and brings it down. She strikes the ground, making the blade stick out, right in front of me. Perhaps she wants to even the odds, but I doubt I will be able to do anything against whatever the king is going to become.


    After that, Eleanor leaves the arena, walking up to the royal balcony. Only eight people left in the arena, the king with his three henchmen and myself with three girls. It is somewhat symbolic, but the meaning eludes me. I seem to be far too gone to make sense of things. My consciousness wavering, barely there as to protect the girls. I can''t give up, not now. The three girls who are bound to me are behind me, I will die first before I let something happen to them.


    ¡°Now, the Rite is complete. As it is custom in my tribe, once the Great King Robert will drink my blood, we are bound together, body and soul until death separates us. From that moment on, I will be the Queen of this kingdom, alongside the great king Robert. Now, let the Rite be completed.¡±


    The warden, still holding the cup, raises it towards the king''s lips. He takes it into his hands and empties the blood into his mouth. For a moment nothing happens, then the king drops on his knees, gripping at his chest in pain. After few more seconds, he stops, stands up and tilts his head slightly. It is clear his mind is gone already. His back is arched, his hands are close to his chest. His posture can be only described as ¡°skittish¡±. He is reminiscent of a rat, his head and hands twitching, crooked slightly. A few moments pass and he tumbles over, changing.


    The transformation is swift, but different from mine. When I change, my body is not strong enough to fight the beast, it is overtaken completely. It is only my mind, my soul that makes me special, otherwise I would be a fiend like any other. The king however has some royal blood, whatever it is, it fights back against the beast. It''s also pathetically weak like my blood, but it is enough to do harm.


    When king begins to change, his muscle expand rapidly tearing his skin. The bones crack and reform, but cause a lot of pain. The thing, previously a human, drowns in painful screams. The form is very ugly too look at, veins visible under the short fur, eyes bloodshot, fur growing in patches. The muscles are bulging greatly, making him look like his favorite childhood drink was steroids. Repulsing in every way of the word.


    Once the transformation complete, an anthropomorphic lion stands up. Most of his fur is muddy, dark-brown color. Its mane is black, very uneven, mangy. Not s pretty sight. On its left eye is a vertical scar. Slowly, it eyes the three men before him. They all fall on their knees and sprawl themselves on the floor, kneeling down on the ground. When they raise their heads, the fiend does a single 360 degree swing, separating the heads of the two guards from the bodies. The warden and the crowd fall silent, not a single sound other then the loud breathing of the monster in front of them can be heard.


    The warden horrified, begs from mercy, only to be pounced on and the head crushed within the powerful jaws of the beast. The ¡°king¡± now hunching over the corpse, consuming the flesh of his ex-comrade. What a show! I enjoyed that actually.


    I understand that I have to fight on. Pushing through the cloudy haze surrounding me I stand up and reach for the sword. With a slight struggle I pull it out and prepare. Raising it in front of me, I close my eyes and concentrate. I have a few minutes before the fiend goes for me and the girls, so I should try and reach whatever little resources I have inside.


    Taking a deep breath I hope to reach some Ki inside, only to get distracted. A smell, a sweet smell rips me out of my inner landscape. Strawberry and peach. It faintly resembles those very pleasant things, yet different. The smell I haven''t felt before.


    I open my eyes and look around in confusion until I set my gaze on the blade. On it''s surface, my dark, almost black blood is mixed in with another, lighter red blood. Understanding whom it came from I don''t hesitate. Raising the blade to my mouth, I take it in, licking the blade, not caring if I cut my tongue or my lips. The taste is beyond anything that I felt, in this state it is like suckling on the tit of a goddess, like ambrosia. And I suckle as much as I can, the life-blood must not be wasted...


    -----


    Another chapter is here guys. Soon this will be resolved. Tomorrow the chapter will tell what happened with the king and how the whole situation turned out. I will also upload the next chapter, 28th onto my website. i hope you enjoyed reading and had a good time with my work. Comments and ratings are appreciated, thank you.

 Chapter 27.

    The crowd is confused. What happened? The king was winning, he was about to completely destroy the Fiend, to gain power and rip out Fiend''s heart. Right before them, he drunk the life-blood of the Prime Val Matriarch, the girl who is now their Queen. And he turned! The power he displayed was overwhelming, sure his form was less appealing then people imagined it would be, but it was there. Their royal leader gained such impressive power!


    But now, he is low to the ground, slowly and methodically consuming corpses of his three loyal subjects. He slaughtered them without remorse. He bites the flesh, ripping it and tearing it from the bones. He cracks open the heads of what used to be guards, savoring the pinkish brain inside. He takes pleasure in licking the blood and in sucking the bones dry of marrow.


    His new form clearly shows his inner madness. Whatever happened to him, it changed him irreversibly. His skin cracks in places, letting ominous dark purple blood to seep out of the wounds and cover the muddy-looking fur. His eyes are locked on the meat in front of him, hunger and bloodlust clearly visible to everyone.


    People are speechless, clearly not expecting the outcome. How could their king, the man who banished the Fiend, the man who stopped the turmoil that plagued their kingdom and who expelled the bandits and slavers to fall to madness? Wasn''t he all powerful and wise? He just beat the Fiend into submission, with his own bare hands. What happened?


    Even the wild Val people are all confused. The elders and the Warlord all look at the spectacle wide-eyed and terrified. This has not happened when Zern went through with his trial. His form was beautiful. It was wild, monstrous, feral, but undeniably it was beautiful! And this... this thing before them was horrendous, an abomination, a true description of Fiend.


    Only six pairs of eyes look in the different direction from the rest, clearly knowing full well what would have happened. They look at a different transformation, more beautiful and truly royal.


    The fiend has almost finished eating, when it stops, swinging its head around. It smells something pleasant. Something very sweet with a hint of an unknown substance, but very appealing. Looking around, it locks onto a girl, restrained to the ground, minimal clothes covering her body and blood dripping from her face. On her shoulder, there are faint bitemarks and some blood, dripping down from healed wound. The wound is mostly covered by the girls hair, beautiful brown and green strands flowing down below her shoulders. The smell can only be known from somebody from beyond, a smell of cinnamon.


    The fiend is excited. Such a sweet aroma is alluring, enticing it to get some of it. The saliva starts to drip from its maw, showing the hunger it feels. It hasn''t felt anything like this in it''s short life, only some echo of a memory from its previous life can compare to it.


    Abandoning the half-eaten carcass, the fiend stands up, stretches its limbs, crouches low on the ground, ready to strike and after a short delay, pounces towards the helpless girl. Its prey shows no fear, clearly distracted by something else.


    In midair, the brown fiend is struck by something, sending it down into the ground, creating a sizable crater. At the edge of the crator, stands another being, similar but entirely different. In its eyes bloodlust can be seen, but not the mad, wild and unrestrained bloodlust of a beast, but a different one, more controlled, deeper, concentrated and intelligent. The new beast is cold and calculating.


    When the ¡°king¡± rises from the ground, it sees the challenger. Not wishing to wait, it lunges towards the opponent, hoping to tear into its flesh, only to be violently sent into the ground, face first, with a single strike. As it is dazed, the opponent puts his hand on the mane, forcefully raising it and dragging the heavy fiend with it. The newcomer raises the royal fiend high enough to make them level, face to face.


    The difference can be seen clearly. One fiend is slightly larger than when it used to be human, its flesh twisted and cracked, its form ugly and vile. The muscles bulging, making it look weird, but even with those muscles, it is weak.


    The one holding it is different, the form magnificent and luxurious, a true display of royalty. The short fur covering most of the body is beautiful sandy color, with golden gleam to it. The mane is magnificent shiny brown color, each hair unbound and wild, yet together all of them magnificent. A true Lion, standing two heads higher than the abomination. A beast forged in the image of the Queen that gave her blood. They match one another, having the same royal aura, same lustrous hair, same proud demeanor. This is a true royal beast, its form slimmer yet more powerful. It is my form.


    Effortlessly, I pick up the foolish dirt bag and beat it. In my right hand I still hold the sword, previously used to threaten my beloved, now used to beat some pain into the ugly fucker who did the threatening. Using the pummel of the sword, I beat and beat the fiend, making a satisfying cracking sound whether it lands. The abomination won''t die any time soon, not from such measly wounds. I will have to make them worse.


    I carry the dazed beast, its daze prolonged by a few direct hits to its face, towards a brazier at the end of the arena. Pushing it face first into the hot burning coals, I hold it there, until its fur sets on fire. My hairs are not even singed by the heat. I let go of the fiend, allowing it to squeal and squirm on the ground, putting out the fire.


    When the fire stops, the ill-looking mane is gone almost completely, revealing scarred tissue underneath. The fiend is in pain, it looks around wildly, visibly angry at me. When it sees me it rushes towards me, seemingly fast for normal humans, but pathetically slow for me. My power now returning, the lion beast and the potion both working their magic. I don''t hesitate and swing the sword in my right hand, using one of the runes to unleash the power within. Whatever comes out can''t be compared to a weak swing of a human.


    A wave of brilliant, bright light comes out and comes towards the black fiend, rushing towards me. It happened so fast, it doesn''t react until its arm and part of its foot are gone, separated from the body. The light wave is angled slightly downwards, so it carries on digging into the ground until it hits the edge of the arena. It carries on through the solid rock, but thankfully hits nobody, as arena is much lower than the seats surrounding it.


    Loosing balance, the aberration falls down, its blood spraying all over. I decide to not let it bleed out and loose its power, so I take take it to the brazier once again, to burn the wounds closed. At this point I am just toying with it.


    It struggles against me, trying to grab my arm. The shield from the sword is protecting me, strong enough to repel the pathetic attempts by the fiend. I feel the power within the sword and with a thought I disable the shield, letting its claws reach me. Naturally it can''t penetrate my skin. I just look at struggle and snicker at the weak monster. Is this what was supposed to fight me? Is THIS what was supposed to kill me and take my fated? It''s a fucking joke.


    Just like that, I slowly torture the pathetic creature, cutting the strips of flesh off of it. The sword in incredibly sharp, easily separating the muscles and the bones, allowing me to effortlessly butcher the poor sod.


    At some point, the queen and her escort of two makes her way down and towards me. The public gasps, as they see the queen enter the arena with the dangerous beasts. She walks casually, not bothered by the gore, carrying the sheath for the blade which is in my hands. She approaches me without fear, reaches out for me and doesn''t even flinch when I growl at her. She knows I must be furious at her, but she also knows I would never harm her.


    ¡°Dear, it is enough. End the poor thing already, it had suffered plenty.¡±


    She extend the sheath towards me, prompting me to put the blade away. I swing it once, sending a spray of blood everywhere, even reaching some of the audience. From a single swing it is once more pristine, glowing radiantly. I slide it into its rightful place and turn towards the monster.


    By this time, the fiend had lost its limbs and its tail, only a torso and a head remaining. I don''t want to end its suffering just yet, so I decide to make my final act as gruesome as can be. I pick it up and turn its back towards me. With a swift motion, I dig my claws into the back of its neck, reaching deep until I grasp the spine of the monster. Slowly, I slide it out, making sure it feels as much as it can. With its monstrous vitality, the fiend stayed conscious until about half way, at which point I yanked the spine, separating it and the head from the body. Then I drop the two pieces on the ground, showing how little I think of them.


    Eleanor then leads me towards the middle, where she gives the sheath to Lilith and takes a dagger from Leah. She slashes her wrist and extends it to me. I am still in my beast form, so this is somewhat pointless, but I play along, kneeling low and taking the bloody wrist with my hands and putting it into my mouth. Once again I feel the fruity taste and smell. The same smell that saved me and the girls.


    With that, my Rite is complete, I become the guardian of Val''Halla tribe and of Eleanor.


    ¡°Before you now is my guardian and the guardian of the Val''Halla tribe, as well as your future king!¡±


    This statement sends preciously silent audience in shock.


    ¡°Frez, from now on you are the supreme Warlord of the Val tribes. Arrest those people and lead them into dungeons.¡± Eleanor waves her hands towards my father and the elders. Then she turns towards the girls beside her. ¡°You know what to do.¡±


    With those words, Lilith is surrounded by shadows and then she disappears, while Leah simply shimmers out of existence. It must have really been their plan all along. I use this opportunity to free the three girls who were in danger the whole time. They are happy, crying about the end of their confinement and are happy to see me.


    The audience is still slightly flabbergasted, only those being led away are trying to protest and are silenced with a few whacks. Frez waited long enough for this. The guards don''t question the orders given by the queen.


    With the girls free we are led to the royal balcony. The crowd now starts to murmur, talks about me and about queen''s words finally reaching everybody. A few yells and questions can be heard, nobles are mostly unhappy. Eleanor still in the arena, now alone, decides to speak.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Today, the people of the kingdom Kernun, the citizens of the the capital city Vieldon, my subjects have witnessed a birth and death of a true fiend. Your previous king was overcome by the power that is in my blood, he turned into a mindless beast who wanted nothing more than to kill and consume. The king was gone the moment his lips touched my blood. That is where his lust for power led him.¡±


    People whisper to one another. They are confused, but they all saw what happened. Whatever the Queen says can''t be denied, the king truly turned into a monster.


    ¡°As of the moment the rite of passage was completed, I was the Queen and until death would separate us, we were as one. Granted, that lasted only few minutes, but now I am your Queen. The royal family is dead, there is only one person who could lay claim to the throne.¡±


    At that moment Leah appears, with a bruised and beaten woman in tow. Her hands had calluses causes by having shackles on for too long. She looks weak and malnourished.


    ¡°Before you is the previous Queen, Margaret Kernun, wife of Siegfried Kernun and aunt of Robert Kernun, your king. She could be eligible for the throne, except she was the one who killed the previous king.¡± Eleanor turns from the crowd, now talking loudly, and towards the frail woman. ¡°Please, Margaret, tell us why you did it.¡±


    The woman tried to stand strong, still remembering her days as the queen, but is unsuccessful, as she is too weak From confinement. Still, she speaks.


    ¡°I was made to do it by my nephew Robert. He had kidnapped my children and threatened me. He said that if I wouldn''t comply, he... He...¡±


    Then the woman breaks down crying. She couldn''t say much at all. Her tears show her grief, making it obvious what happened.


    ¡°King Robert enticed his own aunt to poison her husband. He used her two children for his purpose. Then, when he took the throne temporary, until the young prince would mature, he locked up the queen in royal dungeon. Ever since than, she had been tortured, raped and beaten. That is the royal treatment she got from your king.¡±


    The crowd now once again silent, listening to Eleanor about the acts of their king. They all knew full well that after his coronation, the prince disappeared from the castle. It was announced that he went abroad, with his family to study and to grieve for his father in peace.


    ¡°Do you know what happened to the rightful heir? Two months after the coronation, there was an execution of the twelve-year old girl, a burning at the stake for the crime of witchcraft. This claim was ridiculous, as neither witchcraft ever constituted a crime, nor was there any proof. The royal princess was burned right at the central square, in front of your eyes, screaming for her mother and begging for mercy. A royal treatment from the king.¡±


    People look wide eyed at the Queen, realizing the truth in her words. Such event really happened, execution for something so ridiculous happened after the coronation. People joked about the stupid girl pissing off somebody from higher up. They couldn''t even imagine that a bruised and dirty-haired girl was their princess. She would be sixteen now.


    ¡°Your crown prince was charged with crime of stealing royal silverware from the kitchen in his own castle. He was sentenced to death by hanging. The execution was done improperly on purpose, making the poor boy suffer and suffocate, instead of having his neck broken granting him a swift and painless death. Before that, both siblings were imprisoned in royal dungeon and were made to do acts so horrendous, I won''t even describe them to you. Their innocence was robbed from them by the King, who killed them once he grew bored. A royal treatment from the king!¡±


    The speech really riled people up. However unbelievable the claims by the Queen were, they all were true, as people clearly remember some of the very few executions ever to be performed on the city square. They all remember a poor boy struggling, slowly suffocating and crying. They all remember his face, face full of agony, far too much to come out of the execution. That boy was their prince and he would be twelve now.


    ¡°That same king abused his subjects, raised taxes to unbelievable rates, endorsed crime and slavery. Once he heard about my beloved, about the Fiend and about completion of the second Rite by him, the king grew jealous of the power he wanted for himself. King Robert claimed that my fianc¨¦ was a demon, vile and evil, wanting nothing more than to kill and pillage. He is up there on the balcony. Does he look evil to you?¡±


    People turn their eyes towards me, looking at me suspiciously. I just stand there, not caring about them in the slightest. I might seem barbaric, but I am intelligent and I seem gentle enough with the girls. I also did my best to protect them while king used them to get me to bleed, not an act befitting royalty.


    ¡°Zern, I ask you, may you please reveal your face to your future subjects?¡±


    I comply with her request, changing my form and shrinking. My human form didn''t seem to change much, I looked almost the same. I did however become much more attractive for some ungodly reason. Even Eleanor looked at me with her surprise badly hidden, not that anybody would notice.


    Everybody looked at me. My skin now shone in the sunlight, as if I am made from bronze, poured into a mold. Me and Meriden spent plenty of time under the sun, and even after all the time in the dungeon, my skin stayed darker than usual. But now it had a luxurious luster to it, as if I oiled myself up, but it was even and it looked good. I could actually see myself in the small mirror, which was set up on the balcony.


    I also had a set of gorgeous hair. Previously it was darker brown, like that of a grizzly bear. Now it was shiny, like in my lion form, with an aura around myself. I almost looked like I glowed, same as Eleanor did. My look showed royalty. My hair now reached down to my shoulders, it was more wavy than before, but it looked amazing. I would get jealous of myself if I didn''t have it.


    My eyes also changed slightly, my irises now surrounded by a golden crown like a certain dragon''s. Yellow and golden eyes were mesmerizing, radiating power, royalty, courage... People wanted to serve me. If I didn''t have a claim for the throne now, they would willingly give it to me.


    My horns were slightly bigger, and if previously they were muddy-grey, now they were dark grey, with golden lines etched into them with a seemingly random pattern, but which looked eerie and alluring. My tail also got a small brush of hair on the end, just like a real lion''s.


    For once, my transformation made me look better, not worse. I can say it was a pleasant upgrade. My looks pleased me, but most importantly they pleased the girls.


    Eleanor continues her speech after recovering.


    ¡°Here before you stands a real king. He helped his tribe over the years and he defended his kinsmen, he defended me and his other intended. He killed the slavers, sent by the king Robert to kidnap my people and to bring him some toys. Sadly, even though we saved those people then, they were still abused by the king in the end.¡±


    Lilith comes forth from an archway, bringing with her my Bloodborn. Most girls seem bruised. They had to endure abuse over the time they spent imprisoned. Thankfully Flaer and other small children are ok, they must have been in different place from the older girls. I will ask Eleanor about it later. But my heart sinks when I see Eclair. She is bruised up a lot and she even has some scars. I feel myself getting angry and the aura around me turns threatening, making people wince. The three girls behind me come closer and hug me, making me relax.


    ¡°These people here were abducted and taken from their homes. They were abused then and you can see they were also abused recently. It was my fated, Zern, who saved them back then, risking his life in the process. He killed two hundred slavers, who king Robert claimed to have been peaceful travellers. Do peaceful travellers pillage, murder and rape? And yet it was my fated who was accused of such things, when in reality he prevented them.¡±


    People listen to Eleanor, taking in her every word. Nothing she said could be called a lie. Many knew of the circumstances surrounding my killing of the people. They also heard how king Robert declared the war on my tribe out of the blue.


    ¡°When my beloved departed to the Far East on an important mission, I did an unforgivable thing, I betrayed my beloved, claiming to have been under his influence. I took over my tribe and then I announced my engagement to king Robert. I did this to weed out anybody who would want to do harm to Zern and as extension to the Val tribe. You saw guards taking away the elders of my tribe. Those were the people who were willing to sell us off for power and money offered by king Robert. Now they are imprisoned, awaiting further judgment.¡±


    The audience continued to listen to the confession Eleanor made. It could be considered a crime, but nobody would care to demand retribution.


    ¡°I also schemed to become your Queen. It was legitimate and yet it was not. Whether you feel if I should be in power or not, you must know few things. It was I who got rid of the abundant crime, brought forth by the king. It was I who repaired previously damaged relations with other races, brought forth by the actions of the king. It was I who stopped the unneeded war, that started only because of selfish desires of the king. It was I who reduced the taxes, which were used to fill the already full coffers of the royal treasury. I don''t know if you want me to remain the Queen...¡±


    This barely constituted a crime, political arrangements and marriages were common as dirt, happening left and right. The legitimacy of her becoming a Queen could be questioned, but now was not the time.


    ¡°...but I tell you now, before you stands your future King, who will bring us forth towards prosperity and who will do his upmost to ensure our safety and our future as a great kingdom. It is he, who will lead us from now. All hail the new king!¡±


    With that Eleanor knelt before me. Lilith and Leah followed her immediately. Then the trio behind me, the Bloodborn and Nrogara and even Flaer all kneeled. Seeing that, the rest of the people didn''t hesitate and kneeled, swearing their fealty and their obedience to me.


    Thanks to Eleanor''s silver-tongue, to Leah and Lilith''s peerless planning and execution and to the other girls'' patience I became the king of the Human kingdom.


    -----


    Nope, no story on my webpage.

 Chapter 28.

    ¡°Please forgive us! We didn''t wish for you to suffer, but we had to improvise! If only you stayed in monster territory for longer, everything would have gone differently!¡±


    I was now in my private chambers, as of few hours ago, myself and three girls sitting on a king-size bed, while three other girls prostrated on the floor, begging for forgiveness. They walked around with dignity and respect while we moved about the capital, but now they knelt before me, three simple girls who did a bad thing. They even made excuses, like the little girls they are.


    I talked around with different people, with the girls even with previous king'' advisors, most of whom I relieved of their duty. Turns out that I made lives harder for everybody. ThE Bloodborn were supposed to be safe and sound, locked away, fed and taken care of, albeit staying in the dungeons. But once the king heard of my return, his paranoia kicked in.


    At first he tried lashing out at Lilith, but she fought back and then made sure nobody of the six girls would get hurt as well. So the king decided to do the next best thing and try to go after the Bloodborn. Thankfully Lilith was able to resist any advances towards them.


    The girls were hhurt somewhat, and perhaps I was at fault, but so were the three traitors. They said that I did my job too well, returning in mere months, exposing the whole operation and making king lash out in fear. If I had stayed quiet and hid, everything would have gone ok, but my mere appearance and capture of Meriden in our first visit threw the whole thing off the tracks.


    It kinda pissed me off how I was blamed for it, but thinking about it, it was reckless of me to charge into the Val territories demanding to talk to elders. It''s like the girls are saying that their peerless plans were foiled by their lack of foresight and inability to predict that I would complete the task assigned to me extremely fast and fly back on a dragon...


    I questioned them, what if the king killed somebody or what if he killed me? They just said they had everything under control, the king was easy to manipulate, even when he panicked and acted irrationally. During the duel, his triumph and his arrogance took over his self-preservation instinct and he wanted to see me suffer, which made him leave me alive long enough. He didn''t expect betrayal.


    Now, I can see the merits of the whole scheme and how now I am technically the king thanks to Eleanor and the two vixens. But, it doesn''t eliminate the fact that I was betrayed and left in the dungeon for five months constantly bled and disoriented. When I asked them why they didn''t tell me, they said their original plan hinged on Eleanor actually marrying the king, consummating the marriage and then killing him, making Eleanor the official widow queen. Hearing that I was really mad, punching a few holes into a solid stone wall. If they did they, I would have truly ripped out Eleanor''s heart and ate it myself, to get back whatever love we shared...


    Eleanor actually went pale when she heard me. The girls don''t seem to realise how much I value what we have. They belong to me and I to them, we are one and whole. I care little about my life, I get reborn after I die. What I do care is about the joys and trust we share and about being together. It borders on being psychotic, which would be true if I didn''t have the knowledge I had. Knowing that souls are immortal and live on makes you value your life less than whatever you fill it with. In this whole scenario, it wasn''t the torture or the solitude that hurt me most, it was the apparent betrayal.


    Now, that the situation has been resolved, I understand that the girls had my and everybody''s interest in mind, hoping to get rid of one destabilizing factor in the world and to gain more influence for me and them. Also, making me king of a country would further improve my standing in the world, now I wasn''t just the Fiend, I was the King of Kernun kingdom.


    But I am still very-very angry. I can''t let the girls be unpunished, even if it is slight. They have to learn their lesson to not fuck with me like that. I will have to show them I am serious enough. Whatever lingering negative emotions I have, I will be able to pour it into the executions of the traitor elders and my father.


    I stood up and walked around them. They were on their knees, their bodies low on the ground, only their butts sticking in the air slightly. They didn''t dare move while I circled them. This is very strange, I am sure it is I who should be graveling before the girls in any such situation, but now I don''t feel like a man in matriarchal society. I feel like a king. Perhaps they feel guilty for the months I spent in confinement.


    ¡°Girls, you did a very bad thing. You practically betrayed me, making me an outlaw, making me hide and struggle for survival in the wilds. If not for the little dragon, I would surely have perished!¡±


    The girls took it in without saying the word. It was all total bull, but they didn''t even think about objecting.


    ¡°You know, it was bad enough spending time fetching food for myself, it was bad when I thought my own people betrayed me, it was bad enough that you three acted so alien towards me. But what hurt me the most, was you making me believe you really betrayed me and separating me from Meriden, and then from Elaya and Aedim. I really believed in your act and even thought of you as of the three who betrayed me. That hurt me deeply.¡±


    I said exactly what I have thought, their betrayal was the part that hurt me most throughout this whole ordeal. Becoming a king of questionable legitimacy was all good and fine, but spending most of the year doubting myself and my fated was the worst thing that happened to me in this life so far.


    ¡°I will forgive you of course, I can''t stay mad at you...¡±


    The girls almost breathed a sigh of relief, but I didn''t let them.


    ¡°...but first, I will have to punish you. You were very bad and very naughty girls.¡±


    With that, my tail went to work. Since my transformation, I didn''t just look majestically magnificent, I also became flexible and nimble like a real cat. I could fold myself in two backwards, I could almost turn my head back 180 degrees, I could lick my elbow and put both my feet behind my head. All of it discovered in privacy of course.


    Naturally my tail also became flexible like a whip. It was strong, but at the same time, it was elastic and if I swung it hard enough, it would chip away from the stone floor. This would be their punishment, although I would use just enough force to hurt them greatly but not to scar them permanently, those buns have to be flawless for the future. I would also get to vent some of my anger.


    Using only my tail, I took off the girls'' pants. Eleanor was still in her ceremonial clothing, so it was easy, but the two spy girls had leather pants, which took some effort to remove. In the end, before me were three girls, with their buttocks exposed in fully glory for the world to see. If I wanted, I could see a little more, which of course I saw when we bathed previously, but not at this angle and this circumstance.


    Elaya, seeing what I was doing shot me a curious glance, but I just waved my hand, dismissing her worries and questions.


    ¡°You girls did a very bad thing. Where I come from, bad girls get a lashing when they do bad things. You each will get ten lashes. Remember your lesson girls.¡±


    With that I went to work. I elongated my tail enough to act as a whip and whipped Leah, who was on the leftmost of the three. She tried muffling her cry, but it didn''t do her much good. The girls, apart from Meriden, weren''t really used to rough treatment, especially in such a sensitive area.


    Next was Eleanor, the Queen of the Kernun kingdom, the Prime Matriarch of the Val tribe, who was now on the floor, waiting to get whipped. She had least experience with pain, so she couldn''t keep her voice in. She cried loudly, her voice echoing within the chamber. I didn''t fear nor care about her being heard. I am the King now, fuck everybody.


    When I whipped Lilith, her reaction was a little mixed. She was clearly in pain, but as it faded, she couldn''t keep in a somewhat pleasurable moan. Well, somebody is getting excited by whips here. When I whipped her next I made sure to apply more force to make it less of a fun ride for her.


    For the next quarter of an hour, thirty lashings were given out, making the girls cry. I made it slow deliberately, drawing out the pain and the fear of it coming. When it is over quickly, you won''t remember it as vividly. By giving each one some time for the pain to fade and then reapplying it again, I made sure they have enough experience with this. Of course I didn''t want to hurt them badly, but lessons have to be taught and I was still very angry at them. My anger lessened somewhat by the last screams of pain.


    Throughout the punishment, I could see Meriden turn red, fidgeting with her clothes, trying to do something with her hands which were restless. It seems her inner Laura was not just submissive, but masochistic too. I made a mental note and filed it away for later.


    By the end, the three girls were bawling on the floor, even Lilith whom I treated just a little rougher. I didn''t want scars to ruin the cute little behinds of the girls, so I took out a secret weapon, the ¡°ZernGara-lixer¡±. Nrogara had some of it stashed away, so now I could use it to heal the injuries.


    Putting the gel-like liquid in my hands, I spread it thoroughly on the bottoms of the three of my fated. I did it slowly, taking in the sensations. It was purely medical, nothing sexual in it, not a single thing... At that sight the other two girls who were very still previously, also got flustered with a blush appearing on their cheeks and  their hands wanting to go places. I never had a talk about sex with them, I didn''t know if they knew the joys of self-pleasuring. I certainly did. I should have a lecture with them later, now would be a wrong time.


    The bruises and the cuts on the skin quickly disappeared, leaving flawless skin behind. It was like magic, only better. I made the girls dress up and then I hugged the three of them, trying to stop their tears. They hugged me back, trying to get close to me. They missed me just as much as I missed them, they understood that the punishment was warranted and they didn''t fault me for it. We stood there for a bit. But this was more of a carrot and a stick treatment, they got a stick and now they quickly feel the carrot.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Girls, while I was delirious or unconscious, did any of you visit me in the dungeon?¡±


    With my question, the previously reddened girls all turn a much darker shade of red and try to look as far from my face as possible. I understood what that meant and hugged them tighter. With a flick of my tail I called over the other three girls, and they joined the group hug with me in the middle. I had a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. I would say it was love, but my chambers had bad ventilation, perhaps it was just too stuffy...


    Regardless of how I felt, the girls still had to know they hurt me internally, so I had to make them feel unwelcome or give them a cold shoulder. All the pain I felt inside is still there, it will take time to heal.


    ¡°You three, I can''t let you back into our circle just yet. You hurt me and your sisters, you deceived us and you acted against us on your own volition. For now, you are excluded from any activities until you are forgiven.¡±


    Those words made the three girls hysterical. It really hurt me to see them like that, their tears flowing freely, their sobs reverberating around us in the chambers. This was heartbreaking. I doubted I will last long, the girls being reduced to this mess was unnatural to me. They tried apologizing, wanting to be part of the six, but I denied them. The trust has to be earned, once lost it is hard to regain. I wasn''t mistrusting them now, but they had to know that in future their consequences will have actions.


    What made it more nerve wrecking is that girls understood that it would be the last time we stand like that, all seven of us so close together for a while. This made them cling to me just this much harder, trying to hold on to the fleeting feeling of closeness. I even regretted punishing them like that a little bit, but it had to be done. I stayed with the them for a while, and then left. The girls will have to prove themselves to me before we can act as we used to before...


    My decision was to leave it at. I couldn''t punish them more because I wanted them. They were now mine truly, body and soul. The thought of betrayal had to be snuffed out, but that is a thing for the future. Now they were my toys, each and every one of them, my little precious girls. Now I had them in my palms.


    Perhaps such thinking was not fitting me... May be my confinement changed me a little, such thoughts are darker than what I am used to in this life time. The delirium I remembered, the past lives I lived. The darkness I felt from then was now present here. I would need to sort it out eventually, my future would need it gone.


    So, like that our reunion ended. I was now a ruler of a kingdom, with Eleanor as my Queen and also a Prime Matriarch of the Val tribes. Other girls weren''t as influential, at least not at first. We decided that having too much power for one person was a bad decision. So we made some changes.


    Firstly, we freed all the elders that supported me, there were a devil''s dozen, or thirteen of them. We made them into the elder council. We also made Eleanor give up her position as Val''Halla tribe head. The six tribe heads were also a part of the council. Lastly, we gave the position of Prime Matriarch to Elaya, so Eleanor wouldn''t need to travel a lot back and forth between the two. Elaya was somewhat happy, she liked caring for her people.


    Eleanor stayed the queen of the Kernun kingdom. Even though there was no longer a Kernun lineage, we didn''t rename the kingdom as that would only spell trouble. Previous kings were always faithful and never strayed to some whorehouses or other such establishments and never had concubines. King Robert didn''t let any of the women he got acquainted with live for too long, paranoia and such. According to Leah, no woman who had been with him ever became pregnant, so he might have been sterile. What a joke. Served that fucker right.


    Our takeover was met with very little opposing force; the previous king was a fool and he brought forth s lot of problems, almost ruining the kingdom. It was only Eleanor''s involvement that stifled any conflict citizens had and if not for her, revolts would have torn the kingdom apart. It is only my beloved Queen that brought prosperity, and seeing nobody else eligible for the throne, we were allowed to stay. The nobles hoped to gain favor with us and to elevate their own positions, as the new rules may want some trustworthy people supporting them. It was a good situation for most of them. The logistics of the most of it were left to the girls.


    So Eleanor was the proud, beautiful and merciful queen, while I was the Fiend-king, ruthless and cruel but fair and courageous king. I would travel a lot, so Eleanor would stay and run the kingdom, as she seemed to like it a lot. Kingdoms run by thirteen year olds weren''t rare, but they usually had some snake-like advisors spewing venom and plotting things. Neither Lilith nor Leah looked like snakes and they didn''t use any venom, so they had to make up in plotting. And boy was there a lot of it. They had plans to eliminate some nobles while helping others, to increase production of something while eliminating competition abroad, plans to overtake foreign territories by some loop-hole that existed since three centuries ago...


    Mostly my head hurt when I tried listening to them, only getting parts which mostly were incorrect when I tried repeating them. Oh well, I wasn''t born to be a politician. Strangely, Leah would often get a wide smile while planning something, it was like the whole world became her plaything.


    With the girls splitting apart to go far away from one another, there appeared the issue of traveling long distances. In this world travel by air was considered somewhat dangerous, because of dragons and birds of prey like steelfeathers and thrunderbeaks - incredibly powerful monsters which ravaged any airborne prey. Seeing that I had a personal dragon it was no issue for me, but for others it was a problem. And I couldn''t spend my time playing taxi, I was busy with... being a hero... and such...


    I had thought about teleportation, but that magic was never discovered here. Long distance travel was not needed mostly, as people just stayed in their territories or had minor squabbles with their close neighbours. I even thought about approaching dwarves and gnomes about making a monorail running through the continent, when, as on cue, Aedim approached me to talk about something.


    She previously came up with whisper-stones, magical walkie-talkies of this world. Now she had another idea. If you can connect two stones to make them seem as one and to allow you hear something from halfway across the continent, why couldn''t you connect two places to make them seem as one and to travel between them. I was going to tell her it wasn''t that easy, but when prompted, strangely enough, I remembered some knowledge about the subject.


    I had hard time explaining all the fine little details that popped into my head, because I could barely understand them myself. Still, I did my best to talk about different types of teleportation, the wormholes, the quantum tunnelling, the deconstruction and reconstruction of the matter. The fine points of quantum physics escaped Aedim, but to her credit, she got most of the points right. Knowing my little genius, soon there would be teleportation all over. With that knowledge Aedim traveled to the elven territory to study more.


    Meriden witnessed the strength Nrogara and Eclaire displayed and she made me train her. With the help of Nrogara''s potions, Meriden went through monstrous exercise regime, even more harsh than the other two had, turning her into a monster. Seeing how I was the best suitable partner for her, she decided to always stay by my side. She was now like a warrior-princess, beautiful and deadly. She never stopped training, hoping to achieve the same strength I had.


    Speaking of Nrogara and Eclaire, the troll became my personal alchemist. During our travels and afterwards I learned that blood alchemy was one of the finer and more difficult disciplines of the art. Mixing plants to make potions was pretty straightforward, but identifying and then isolating and utilising the parts that blood carries required finesse beyond ordinary alchemist. He received a sizeable salary and was moving around with me, also training with me. He hoped to learn from me and to receive more strength. After my transformation he withdrew some of my blood, which now was dark blue, to experiment.


    Eclaire and other Bloodborn were not traumatised as before. Firstly, they underwent various trainings with Leah and Lilith to make them more resistant to torture and other similar experiences. Secondly, most of them had learned to meditate and they could sort out their inner turmoil if needed. Tertiary, they once again saw me gruesomely execute their captor. Now, they revered me even more, thinking I would protect them or punish whoever hurt them. Not that I wouldn''t, but I was no god.


    On a side note, Meriden, Aedim and Elaya were now considered Bloodborn as well, seeing their baptism in my blood. They were elites now, as they were touched by the esteemed leader of the cult... Ehm, faction. I thought they wouldn''t like it much, but they were actually happy to be my subjects now. Eleanor also decided to go through with the baptism, which would be performed privately with just my girls and the Bloodborn. Two others decided to wait until later date.


    Now Eclaire was the strongest of all the Blooborn, other than my fianc¨¦es, thanks to my training. I put her as Sonja''s bodyguard, because I was going to use Sonja''s past as a noble of the house of Lust. We needed to get close to demons, so I had some plans for that, but about that later.


    The first and most important issue was the alliance with monsters. With that, I announced that we would be having an assembly, calling leaders of humans and Val, as well as other neighbouring territories.


    -----


    Yo. So i am posting Beast Fiend here again cause I feel like it. Having thrown a tantrum I now want to post it back here again. I will be posting it once every two days, since the pace I am writing it now is slow.


    Also, I redid the first two chapters to make them better. You know, since I''ve written seventy odd different things since then, revising them should make ''em better.


    Also also, sould I be posting my other fictions on here? Greyskin and Promiscuous half-breed?

 Chapter 29

    Well, getting all the leaders together was somewhat difficult. We sent out messages to everybody we could think of. It took us about two months to work out every little detail and to actually all come together. We chose a trading outpost between the Human kingdom and the Demon kingdom, which also was close enough to the Great Forest.


    I had to do some actual work for once. Flying around on Flaer, trying to get messages where they needed to go. I didn''t go directly to the leaders of the factions, only carried messengers close enough to cut the travel time greatly. In the end, the results of our effort was more than satisfactory.


    Unsurprisingly, the snow elves didn''t show. Their research into necromancy and immortality took precedence over any other affairs. They were like a bunch of lunatics, just chasing out our messengers. Monsters also didn''t show because they weren''t invited. This meeting would decide if we would invite them in the future. For now, I would represent monsters.


    Surprisingly, almost everybody else showed up. Humans were represented by Eleanor and some nobles. They were good people, as deduced by Leah after thorough investigation. Val people were represented by Elaya and three elders that previously showed support for me. I also had a feeling that two vixens were around, making Aedim the only one not present. Meriden was by my side as always.


    Demons arrived, with their Demon Lord Hooligein representing them, with a few demons in tow. They were representatives of the main houses; a lustful succubus from the house of Lust, a fat demon from the house of Gluttony and a crooked-looking very thin demon from the house of Greed. The others decided not to participate, as they didn''t seem the matter important. House of Wrath was there to fight, not talk.


    Elves were represented by their two leaders, Lord Galadrim and Lady Cerebria. They were accompanied by their escorts, ensuring their safety. Overall they looked very pretty, their long hair flawless and their skin pure and fair. They were very beautiful. Meriden actually made a point by stabbing me with a dagger not to look at the Lady Cerebria for too long.


    What surprised us was the Merfolk from the west and the Naga from the south who showed up. We sent messages to them, but only out of courtesy as to not offend thems, we didn''t expect them to show up.


    Merfolk sent their prince Swivier who was accompanied by two beautiful girls of little importance. They didn''t have fishtails like I expected, instead they wore very revealing clothes and a lot of jewelry, most of which was enchanted.


    The Nagas sent their matriarch princess, Parsisilla, who was accompanied by two large, bulky guards, in full plate armor. They looked like lamias, with snake bodies, but they also had fins and scales like fish. The princess had four arms instead of two, and she was adorned with expensive looking jewelry like the Merfolk.


    We also didn''t expect Dwarves and Gnomes to show up, they came in as a single convoy, which was expected as they lived together. The dwarves would sometimes venture out of their mountain fortresses, but the last gnome seen out of their home was decades ago. Nevertheless, a stout dwarf, reaching slightly higher than human waist, clad in heavy armor was accompanied by a small bearded man, slightly taller than a normal human child of the age of six, in wizard robes. Flaer was taller than the gnome. Those two were Zigmen, a dwarven general and Gnostic, a gnomish court wizard.


    Any other races would be represented by the people present here, like Lord Galadrim representing dryads and centaurs of the Great Forest. Monsters were represented by me, Flaer and Nrogara, who were a part of my faction now.


    While we waited for everybody to settle down, people chatted amongst themselves and consumed refreshments offered. At some point it was clear that everybody was present, so it was decided to begin the talks. I raised a heavy tankard and flicked it a couple of times with my clawed finger. The dinging sound was just enough to quiet everybody down.


    ¡°I welcome all of you here. It was pleasant to get acquainted with all of you, but now we must settle down and talk about the issue we came here for. Alliance with the monsters. I represent Regios the Dragon, leader of the monster territories, who expressed his wish to sign peace treaty with other races, promoting mutual non-violence and possible trade. I wish to hear any suggestions or objections to that idea.¡±


    Lord Galadrim was the one to speak first, saying what most people present thought.


    ¡°Why would we believe you, the Fiend? You say that monsters want peace, but how can we trust them or you? They may be peaceful for now, but if they get more powerful, what would stop them from attacking us after that?¡±


    I was about to reply, but dwarven representative interjected.


    ¡°Exactly! How do we know this ain''t some ploy to get our riches? We dwarves ain''t so trusting to believe some darn monsters.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we gnomes also think the same. How can monsters be trusted? We don''t want them near us. They are evil and they want to get their hands on our most prized possessions.¡±


    ¡°I as a Demon Lord don''t see any benefit that could outweigh the risks involved...¡±


    ¡°How dare you insult the King? He and his Queen rule our kingdom justly and wisely. If the King says the monsters can be trusted that he is right...¡±


    ¡°We, as the elders of the Val tribes support the decision to enter the discussion with the monster races...¡±


    Quickly the meeting turned into people randomly shouting things at one another, hoping to be louder than the next guy. Facts and opinions were thrown around, people quoting their counselor and my words. It was total chaos.


    I waited a little to let everybody scream and shout to their hearts content and then stopped the mindless shouting.


    ¡°Be quite!¡±


    With two words spoken loudly, people shut their mouths and listen.


    ¡°Now. I don''t insist on signing the treaty now and letting monsters do whatever they please. That was not my intention. I want to discuss the possibility of including the leaders of monsters in future meetings, to hear their say in the matter and to allow you to judge for yourself, whether they are trustworthy. None of you have even been in monster territory, much less spoken to any of the people there. As I was sent on my mission to gather intelligence, I witness how they live and I can say, while they are not as civilized as most of us here, they strive for better life just like us. Who are we to deny them such luxury?¡±


    People stir in their sits considering my words. What I said was true, people have their opinions about monsters formed entirely on rumors and false facts. Speaking to a real monster would be a better way to know of them. But people still seemed skeptical.


    ¡°I have met their leader. He is a reasonable dragon, he cares about his people like we care about our men. He made it very clear that he won''t sit by idly if we try to harm his people, but he also said that he wants a peaceful resolution to this situation. Off the top of my head there are numerous benefits to the alliance...¡±


    I speak of the workforce, the resources we could gather, of extra trade routes and money we could gain. Eleanor also spoken about possible benefits the human kingdom will have by allying with monsters. The other leaders listened.


    ¡°Above all those, there is one more merit to this. You have all heard by now, but there is darkness stirring to the East. The Val elders presumed that monster population growing had something to do with that, and they were right. But only because monsters want to fight said darkness.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that whatever monsters claim is true? What if they are really controlled by the darkness and just try to misguide us?¡±


    Elven lord spoke once more, raising a valid question.


    ¡°I don''t. But, they hope for our support, which Val tribes have already provided. I have sent a handful of personally picked best Val men, who will go and investigate the darkness and if necessary help fight it.¡±


    ¡°What? How could you go lending them help and then come here talking about possible discussion of peace? What kind of farce is this?¡±


    Demon lord was not amused by my words.


    ¡°I nor my tribe have not lent help to the monsters. They were sent with the mission to investigate the darkness, which coincidently appears to be close to monster territories, in the jungles. If there is any mutual benefit in cooperation, they were not forbidden to do it, but they had no instructions to help or to fight for monsters. This is an issue of safety of our realm, which is exactly what Val men were tasked with by Great Guardians.¡±


    ¡°You expect us to believe such things? What if Val men are already working for monsters? What if King Robert was right?¡±


    ¡°Lord Hooligein, the issue with the previous king has been solved. He was proven to be a fraud, with many people supporting my future Husband and his rule. It is perhaps you who should be questioned, whether you have this realms best interest in mind. Throughout the commotion involving previous king you did nothing, only raising prices twenty percent. You didn''t care about demons who were taken as slaves nor did you try to aid your neighbors.¡±


    ¡°What are you implying little girl? You think now that you are a Queen, you can accuse people left and right?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, god no. I accuse you of nothing Lord, but I have to question, why would you care so little when conflict, directly influencing your kingdom and your people arises, yet now, you oppose the possibly of alliance with monsters so strongly? Could it be that it is detrimental to you in some way? I wouldn''t imagine that well being of the realm would be opposed so strongly, it could prompt some questions, like what if Demon Kingdom is allied with darkness or worse, was the cause of it?¡±


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


    Demon lord just glares at Eleanor, hoping that she drops dead. His red skin turns darker shade of red, showing his anger. His horns start smoking.


    ¡°How dare you girl, accuse us of such a vile act? You dare imply that I would aid destruction of the world?¡±


    ¡°I imply nothing Lord and I accuse you of nothing. But your reaction seems questionable at best. If you have no real contribution to the discussion, I would suggest you sit and stop talking about my fianc¨¦s competence as a ruler, when yours is slightly more questionable.¡±


    With that Eleanor turns away from the angry demon, showing that she finished with him. Her cool demeanor forces demon lord to sit down, as he can''t reply, and only grind his teeth.


    ¡°Well, I heard some questions whether monsters could be considered intelligent enough to be involved in discussion and future relations. Here with me are two members of monster races, now my subjects. Nrogara is a troll adventurer and Flaer is a dragon princess, niece of the current ruler of monster territories. You can ask them some questions to judge their intellect.¡±


    With that I threw the two as little lambs to the wolves that were leaders of the other factions. They were questioned thoroughly, asking them about their origin and their lives. Dwarf made a slight remark about Nrogara''s speech, which in turn made other leaders snicker.


    Then people begun discussing everything amongst themselves. This whole thing was very draining on me. While I could easily charm anybody with my amazing speaking skills, talking politics was the same as knitting while walking across a vast chasm on a rope - very hard. There were a lot of different things said, but I lost track of most of them, my concentration was slipping.


    Merfolk and Nagas all were for discussions with monsters. It seems they felt some kind of kinship towards them. Elves also had expressed that centaurs and dryads felt that monsters should be trusted. They were almost like monsters, only more civilized.


    Eleanor showed off her skills in conversation, masterfully enticing people to join the discussion with monsters. Majority of the representatives agreed to get in contact with Regios and allow him to participate in further talks on the subject of peace. I was glad that it went rather smoothly. The rest I left to the elders and my dears, while I just lost myself in my daydreams.


    At the end, I presented every leader with a whisper-stone. These were bigger than the ones I used to speak with Leah before, because all of them were interconnected, speaking into one would prompt all others to produce sounds. There were some spares as well, which we just kept in storage. This would allow leaders to stay in contact in the future, without needing to come out God knows where.


    After the official part was over, everybody was prompted to enjoy the party after. We had a lot of various beverages, so everybody could choose anything they liked. During this time, everybody got s chance to talk in the casual manner with one another, after all the taxing work was done. I approached Lord Hooligein with Meriden in tow.


    ¡°Lord Hooligein, greetings. We haven''t met before the talks, I am Zern of the Val tribes and the current king of Kernun kingdom.¡±


    ¡°What? You came here run some dirt in my face after your little girl made me look like the source of all evil?¡±


    Demon lord was rather rude, but I could understand, seeing that he was in a sour mood after exchanging words with Eleanor.


    ¡°No, forgive me. I wanted to apologize for the behaviors of my intended. Whatever she said was uncalled for. I will lecture her later today, when we will have some time in private.¡±


    ¡°Your words don''t matter now. Everybody believes that demons are somehow related to the darkness. And nobody knows anything about it!¡±


    ¡°Well, Lord Hooligein, perhaps we should take some actions as to convince people of your good intentions. We could open up some more trade routes, perhaps even have a demon embassy? Although I know a good way to show your goodwill.¡±


    Demon lord eyed me curiously. He didn''t expect me to approach him like that.


    ¡°What would you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see, I have a former demon noble, a girl from the House of Lust. She is one of my Bloodborn. I would imagine that reinstating her as a noble would show your support of humans and of our alliance.¡±


    This was very unexpected development coming from me.


    ¡°Hmm. Firstly, even if I could reinstate somebody as a noble, the Houses don''t ever give back somebody their status within the house. Even if your girl could join back into the house, she would start as a servant of somebody else. Besides, Ratisin, the Head of the House of Lust would be against such idea. She is opposed of the alliance and of the foreigners. And lastly, what benefit would I have in all this?¡±


    As expected of demon lord! Always thinking about profits. Their whole life is centered around pleasure and profits.


    ¡°In all honesty, I had a different idea. I don''t want her to be part of her previous House, which abandoned her and forgotten her. No, I would like to create a new noble house, especially for my Bloodborn, consisting of not only demons but other races as well. This would show your openness towards others.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. And if I decided to entertain this ridiculous idea of yours, what Sin would you pick for the new house?¡±


    ¡°Well, Lord Hooligein, isn''t it obvious? A former noble of Lust, now a Bloodborn. It would be criminal to not create a House of Bloodlust.¡±


    ¡°Bloodlust? We already have a House of Wrath.¡°


    ¡°With all due respect, Wrath is about fighting, violence and war. Bloodlust is much more intricate, more diverse. My Bloodborn are trained in various arts, from information gathering to assassination. Torture, spying, tracking, even seduction...¡± I made a gesture towards a certain succubus, doing exactly that with an Elven Lord. ¡°My people treasure blood, they won''t spill it needlessly, but if prompted, they will savor the feeling. You must know about the initiation into the Bloodborn?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''ve heard some stories.¡±


    Bathing in blood of enemies was not a practice used openly, mainly because it required a lot of enemies. It somewhat impressed and intrigued the demon lord.


    ¡°And what benefit would a House under my ruling give you? From what I gathered so far, each House lends its support and resources when needed. How much help would a House backed by an entire kingdom and Val tribes could offer in dire situations? My coffers are full to the brim with gold, after the ruling of previous foolish king.¡± I spit out the last to words, still disgusted to even think about that filth. ¡°Just think how could such a powerful house benefit you, when it is not controlled by somebody who wants power in your kingdom. We only want cooperation, everything else we have plenty. And meanwhile, I could use the talents of my people and investigate who is loyal to you and who is not.¡±


    I stop, to let the horned demon think for a while. He considers the options and possible merits of my offer. It is a very enticing offer.


    ¡°Lord Hooligein, I won''t ask you to give me the answer right now. In fact, I will let you think as long as you want. When you are ready, you can contact me using this.¡± I give him a smaller whisper-stone. ¡°This stone is connect to the other one I have. Nobody else could listen in to our conversations. If you ever need to contact me regarding this matter or otherwise, feel free to use it.¡±


    With that, we exchanged some farewells and I drifted off to have conversation somewhere else. I found myself engrossed in a minor argument with Lady Cerebria, regarding how violent monsters are and how easy they are to deal with.


    ¡°...Lady Cerebria, I give you my word, the monster races are more tame than you were led to believe. They are no more barbarians than the people of Val...¡±


    I never got to finish my argument. At that point the wall of the building exploded, sending chunks of rock everywhere.


    ¡°I have come here to free my beloved Master Zern. Let him go or I will slaughter everybody present!¡±


    Everybody present just looked in the direction of the voice. There was a Valkyrie, a girl absolutely naked, with leather cape fluttering in the wind, only a horned helmet, with two golden horns coming off of it. She had dirty blond hair, with two strands of gold, as well as two green eyes with gold around the irises. She stood with all her naked glory, a sword and a shield in each hand, looking menacingly at the crowd. When she saw me, her face lit up and she smiled. At that moment I could feel five distinct pairs of eyes, sending their killing intent at me. I did the only thing I could, one thing I didn''t have to do in a while. I face palmed.


    -----


    Yo guys, I wrote a little something for the mysterious contest, if it won''t invonvience you, check it out for shits and giggles. ---> I DID IT!</a> <---


    Also, Comments and Ratings are appreciated. Thank you for reading.

 Chapter 30

    Standing in the middle of a crowd, now everybody''s eyes locked on me, I couldn''t help but wander, why is it that Regios and his family make my life so weird. Although Flaer seems to be tame, after spending plenty of time with me. I don''t understand what is it about dragons that makes them so eccentric. Standing, I ponder about this life''s mysteries, hoping to survive this day to tell the tale.


    Only moments ago, half of the building was obliterated by a naked, caped girl with horns, who demanded for my release and threatened to kill everybody. And this is during the meeting to decide whether monsters can be trusted and are peaceful enough to cooperate.


    Then the girl saw me and rushed to me. All while throwing away her helmet toward the gnome representative, knocking him out, and revealing her horns. Her cape also fluttered quickly and turned into a pair of wings. The very same wings the girl used to enveloped me once she got close enough to hug me.


    Now I was covered with two big wings, with a naked girl clinging to me smiling and crying, her tail wrapping around me. Right in the middle of many leaders of different factions. With Lady Cerebria right next to me. With five of my six intended glaring daggers at me, trying to burn a hole in my body. If Aedim was here, the attempt might have been a success.


    ¡°Master Zern, I was so scared! I found out that you were captured, Regios suddenly stopped talking about you only saying you are ok, so I felt you were not OK, I crushed half his castle until he told me what happened. I took some weapons and came rushing over. I am so glad to see you!..¡±


    The girl was rambling on about some things. Why is it that only Regios and his relatives make me feel like I am in some kind of anime. My fated all seem like real people doing real people things and acting normal. Only the dragons make situations which make me want to die. I mean seriously, has she no common sense?


    After a loud sob, the girl tightened her grip on me, making a loud crunching noise and making me cry out in pain.


    ¡°Mercissa! Mercissa stop! I am in more danger now than I''ve been in for a while!¡±


    ¡°What!? Master Zern who threatens your life? I will crush them!¡±


    ¡°Mercissa! Let go, you are already crushing me!¡±


    ¡°What? Ah, no, please forgive me Master Zern.¡±


    The girl lets go of me and prostrates herself before me on the floor. Released from her dragon grip I take a couple of seconds to pull myself together. I seem to have a number of broken and fractured ribs now. Damn dragons are too strong.


    I can feel a giant question mark floating in the air, everybody looking at me curiously. People seem to be unfazed by the sudden disappearance of a wall or a dust cloud that ruined most appetizers and drinks in people''s hands. A naked, winged and horned girl sprawling on the ground in front of a newly appointed king, who is also a Fiend is way more interesting.


    I take off my coat and use it to cover the girl. I raise her, trying to talk to her.


    ¡°Mercissa, it''s ok. Stand up. I am fine. You just have a bad sense of timing. I was freed two months ago, I am ok.¡±


    Answering her questions I try to calm her down. It takes a while, but eventually she stops crying and becomes coherent enough to talk properly.


    ¡°My dear Zern, who is this?¡±


    I didn''t know Elaya could speak in such manner. Her voice sent shiver down my and many others'' spines. I would often imagine her being a little jealous of some girl, but to make her sound like this... It''s like icy spears going right through the heart.


    ¡°Aha everyone! This is Mercissa, she is Regios'' little sister. She was a little sheltered when she grew up, so she is not used to our customs. Please forgive her for this rude entrance.¡±


    Hoping to diffuse this situation I try to apologize in her stead. It doesn''t help in the slightest. The leaders are all fine, but it is the five girls that make feel like bells are ringing, summoning me up to the heavens. I don''t think I have long left to live.


    ¡°Girls! This is Flaer''s elder sister. We''ve met when I went to meet Lord Zil and Flaer for the first time. She is fascinated by humans, so she kind of adores me a little too much...¡±


    ¡°Why is it that we only now learn of another girl, who is so familiar with you? And why is it that you took shape exactly like her?¡±


    Eh? I look at myself as pause for a second. Fuck. I really do look like her, with golden lines through my horns, the golden crowns in my eyes. The only think I am lacking right now are the wings.


    ¡°Elaya, my sweet little lovely girl, there is no reason to be angry. I didn''t think that I would meet with Mercissa again, so I didn''t think it was important to mention her. We have decided before that we won''t be getting married and...¡±


    Fuck! This was something I should have not said. Just with that temperature dropped in the entire room. People were looking at us amused.


    ¡°Zern. What do you mean married? You have been talking about marriage with some wench behind our backs and now she comes and throws herself at you?¡±


    ¡°Now, now, there is no need for foul language...¡±


    ¡°Master Zern who is this child?¡±


    The one thing that Mercissa could have said that would make things worse was said. Even thought Elaya was growing up nicely and turning into a first-class beauty, compared to Mercissa she was a small girl. It didn''t matter that technically we were same age, I looked older and I was and at least a head taller.


    Elaya''s eyes turn cold, scornful, just like when Eleanor''s when she was little. She looked at us slowly, observing every little detail. I was still holding the dragon girl by her shoulders. Realizing this I take a step back. The coat that covered her slips down, as she doesn''t bother holding it. With that, Elaya turns and walks away.


    ¡°Zern, you truly are a fiend. Val tribes no longer recognise you as one of their own. Leave and never return.¡±


    Eleanor, knowing how she mistreated me previously and earning for my approval says nothing, but she still walks away following Elaya. They must have misunderstood something.


    Damnit. Why is this turning into a real life cliche? I turn to bid farewell to my guests to go chase the two girls.


    ¡°Dear guests, there seems to be trouble in my homestead. I have to say my farewells and go chase after my two fianc¨¦es. Apologies for the unforeseen turn of events.¡±


    With that I run after the two girls. Meriden watches me depart and then snaps out of it, making an ungodly screech.


    ¡°Ze-e-e-ern! How could you!?¡±


    She runs after me, thankfully I am faster. I almost slip out of her grasp, only to find myself on the floor, tripped by some unknown force. Above me are two harpies, one red-haired and other orange-haired, both scary in their own right. I can actually see shadows forming in their eyes. What is it with this situation? Shouldn''t they be all scared of hurting me and trying to get on my good side? Technically they didn''t hurt me, just stalled me slightly.


    While looking at them I receive a critical hit to the back of my head, thankfully remaining conscious. A third contender appears. Three girls with red-ish hair, all wanting my blood, look menacingly at me. I can feel my spirit fleeing. Fucking dragons, why they make my life a living hell. The three girls all communicating on the same wavelength without words.


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    At that moment dragon girl finally catches up to us.


    ¡°You kids, stop bullying Master Zern!¡±


    I thought it was impossible to divert their attention away from me, but Mercissa did it successfully, now three pairs of eyes look at her, preparing to dismember the poor dragon. I try to slip out, only to be hit in the head again.


    ¡°Stop it! What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Zern. It seems that you have been bad this time. We have got to punish you.¡±


    ¡°I have done nothing wrong! We are just acquaintances! Why is this happening!?¡±


    ¡°Master Zern, why are these kids bullying you?¡±


    ¡°Mercissa, these lovely girls are my intended. Please be nice?¡±


    ¡°Ah? But they are so young? Is this why you don''t want me? Am I too old? Is that why you chose Flaer?¡±


    Three pairs of eyes lock onto me again. This is bad.


    ¡°No, absolutely not! I am not going to cheat on my girls! I love them, so I can''t be with you!¡±


    ¡°Master Zern doesn''t love me?¡±


    The dragon girl starts crying. Oh, come on! She just lumps onto the floor, bawling. Her hands are clutched into small fists, she uses them to wipe away the tears but more come immediately. This would be very cute if this was not a life and death situation. I think I said a good thing, but the killing intent only got thicker. What the hell?


    ¡°Ma-ma-master Zern, do-o-o-oesn''t like me-e-e-e!¡±


    The dragon girl really acts immature. I don''t think the girls ever acted like that. Although I never told them I didn''t like them.


    ¡°Mercissa, of course I like you, you are a nice girl! But I don''t love you like I love my fianc¨¦es.¡±


    This doesn''t help at all. Lilith rushes to the girl, while Meriden sits on top of me and proceeds to hit me on the head repeatedly. Leah just glares at me. I don''t understand women.


    ¡°Please stop crying Mercissa! You know we can''t be together, I have my six lovely girls, and you have Regios who wants you to love him! We almost made peace, if you do this here, it was all for naught. He will annihilate us!¡±


    Meriden just keeps hitting me on the head. It doesn''t hurt much anymore. I''m just getting woozy.


    ¡°But I don''t love Regios, I love Master Zern!¡±


    Ah! This is hopeless. What can I do here?


    ¡°Mercissa, I am but one man. There are many others who could make you happy! I already have six future wives, I can''t have a seventh. My girls won''t allow it!¡±


    ¡°Zern, what did you say to this poor girl? We are not monsters!¡±


    What?! I have to get out pronto. I try to get out from underneath Meriden. I transform my hand, digging my claws into the stone, pulling myself forward. Meriden still remains on top of me, hitting me. Gah!


    ¡°Hey! Why are you on top of Zern? Are you mounting him? I want to mount him too after he mounted me!¡±


    What the actual clusterfuck!? Where did Flaer come from? Meriden stops for a moment, then brings her hand up and then plummets it towards my head. This hit is much harder. I start drifting, but I have to remain focused.


    ¡°Flaer! Please tell them that we are only friends! We are not getting married or anything!¡±


    ¡°Huh? I didn''t think we would, but we don''t need to for you to mount me. You can mount me any time you like. And grandpa already gave us his blessing, so it''s ok.¡±


    Bam! Critical hit! I barely can remain conscious.


    ¡°Girls stop it! I''m not into little girls!¡±


    I''m waiting for you to turn sixteen, was what I wanted to say next, but I was knocked out by Meriden. I don''t understand what happened at all. When I wake up, we all are in my private quarters, Flaer running around and happily singing something about being mounted, while five other girls surrounded the dragon girl. Why are a bunch of thirteen year olds are all sitting around a thousand-something year old dragon, trying to calm it down...


    ¡°...he is not that bad, he just thought we would be against you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he never told us about you. I am sorry I reacted the way I did, I thought he did something bad while he was away from us.¡±


    ¡°Yes! We don''t fault you for his actions.¡±


    ¡°But Master Zern didn''t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, he should have told us about you and how you felt.¡±


    I stir, trying to get up. The girls notice me and all fall silent. As I get up, seven pairs of eyes look at me anxiously.


    ¡°Zern...¡±


    ¡°You girls calmed out a bit? Thank god. Did you get to talk? You know that this is a misunderstanding?¡±


    ¡°Zern, we talked. We are ok with it.¡±


    Huh?


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We are ok with Mercissa being your seventh. She says she loves you and she wants to be with you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I just stare at them for a moment, trying to put all my thoughts together.


    ¡°Girls, you can''t be serious? Why would you suddenly agree to this?¡±


    ¡°She is just like us, she loves you very deeply. She was going to take on a whole kingdom to save you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, two months after I would be dead! Besides, half of the Bloodborn love me, while the other half lusts over me, would you accept them as well?¡±


    The girl fall silent, each one contemplating something. Oh, fuck no!


    ¡°You know what? Fuck this! I need a drink!¡±


    I quickly stand up and rush out of the room. With my shove the door flies off its hinges and turns into a bunch of splinters. I''m too anxious to control myself. Within seconds I find my way to the banquet hall, where most people were still socializing, even though it was past midnight. The place has been cleaned up and looked half decent, although it had a giant hall in one side of the building.


    Seeing a doorway to a side room, I rush in there. There are many casks and barrels of drinks, prepared especially for today. I turn off my drinking protection, hoping to get thoroughly drunk. I pick up a random cask, pop the wooden top off and empty the whole thing into my mouth. It takes me half a minute to gulp it down. It was rum, good old fashioned rum. It burns my throat, although it is nothing special. I''m inhuman after all. Not wanting to give myself any chance to survive, I uncork another barrel and empty that into my mouth. It is a beverage very much like vodka, but slightly sweet.


    I suddenly feel very hot, so I decide it is a good thing to go for a walk. Deciding that a wall is just a door unopened, I walk straight through one. Outside, I assume my ultimate form, drake-bear-wolf-lion, and take off into the nonexistent sunset. Pretty soon I just black out, not remembering anything.


    -----


    Dragons amirite? Anyway, chapter thirty is here. I hope you enjoy reading this, there are much more to come. Ratings and comments are appreciated, I read them every time. Thank you .

 Chapter 31

    This time I wake up with a splitting headache. Apparently drinking a barrel and a cask of alcohol with zero tolerance was a bad idea. I am alive, but I wish I was dead.


    Immediately I turn on my metabolism, making my organism process all the poisonous stuff in my blood. Hopefully most of the alcohol will be neutralized soon. For now I need to get a drink.


    I raise my head, trying to look around. I am in a dark cave, minimum light coming from somewhere beyond my vision. The cave walls don''t let me see the exit. Around me are four little furry things, the size of a football. They seem to be moving around, and once I stand up, they turn into four small creatures. They look very cute, but they don''t seem to be capable of caring for themselves. Looking around I see a half-eaten corpse of something resembling those creatures. I hope that I didn''t do that. Looking at myself, I find myself covered in green blood, different from the red blood around the corpse. Well, I can guess that I might have not killed the little ones'' parent.


    Picking up the four small furry things with my huge hands, I make my way outside. There I see a massacre. A big something, which I can only describe as chimera, with many different animal parts mashed together, is ripped in half with chunks of meat laying around. The green blood covering me seems to belong to the chimera. It is hard to make up what it is exactly made up of, but I notice a horse head, some lion feet, a snake for a tail, but also there are some parts I don''t recognize.


    I settle down the four small creatures next to the dead chimera. They move their faces around and smell it, then they come closer and dig in. I get to have a good look at those little fur balls. The lack of light in the cave made it difficult to distinguish their features before.


    They look like cats, with six feet and smooth dark brown fur. The fur remind me of moles, it is short and shiny. At least I think that''s what mole fur looks like. They also have long tails, as long as their bodies, which look like they belong to a rat. The fur balls seem to have sharp teeth, which makes it easy for them to rip away some meat and eat it. Honestly I haven''t seen a creature like that before.


    After looking at the cat-moles, I look at myself. I am in my beast form, the one that is made up of all beasts. I have both reptilian and mammalian features, which make me look weird. I am covered in green scales, with short brown in-between them. My underbelly is also covered in yellow fur, with rough reptile-like skin underneath. My face seems to be weird as well, it feels like a mix between all the forms, it''s hard to describe properly. There are some very sharp fangs in my mouth, and my horns make me look like a goat. Yes, ram horns. I also am very big, like four meters big, with my hands and feet being huge.


    Looking around I am somewhat confused about where I am. I seem to be in a jungle, with giant trees all around me. The titanic trees surround us and the cave, some of which were broken during the massacre of the chimera. I question whether I did any of the damage, but unless I ask somebody, there is no way to be sure.


    Now, the jungle could be one of the two, either a forest to the west, where elves and dryads may be, but I never heard of the cat-rats there or about the chimeras. On the other hands, there is jungle to the east, but it is way too far from where I''ve been before. I mean, last time it took me little less than two months to get there. Granted, I now have an extra beast to use, but still the distance is too great. I would have had to be out of it for more than a month and travel in the straight line without stopping. Not that it would be impossible for sober me, but not for drunk me.


    This makes zero sense. I doubt drinking as much as I did would knock me out for more than a month. Yes, I did set my tolerance for alcohol to zero, making me as susceptible as a newborn, but a month is a long time. This situation is very weird.


    Thinking about my course of action, I decide that the best thing to do is to move west. If I am in the Great Forest, I would soon reach western cliffs or beaches, where it would be obvious where I am and I would be able to decide what to do then, when I am in little danger. But if I am in the eastern jungle, I would be getting closer to going home. Win-win.


    As I am thinking about what to do, one of the four fur balls comes close to me and snuggles up to my leg. I pick him up and look at him. What I discover, is that his under belly is bald, covered with very short fur and it is somewhat yellow in color, instead of brown as the rest of the fur. I then look at each one and see that each one has a distinct color of their bellies as well as their eyes. I decide to name them accordingly. There is Lemon, Rose, Smurf and Green. I thought of naming the last one Salad or Brocolli, but decided against it. Green seems like a swell name to me, it is also my favorite color.


    Seeing how they are totally defenseless and alone, I can''t abandon them, so I take them with me. Putting them on my shoulders, I start to make my way west.


    There are plenty of animals, which would be dangerous to regular people, with their razor sharp claws and their amazing mimicry abilities, but I am too much of a monster right now. Four beasts are no joke. Looking at the animals present here, they are all very scary and very deadly, but they don''t seem to be corrupted or malformed, as they could be in the Zone, which is supposed to be in eastern jungle. If they were, I would probably freak out, I don''t want to be anywhere near that place right now. I don''t want to be in the jungle either, but this is manageable.


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    After about two days running, mind you not sprinting or four-legged galloping, I come across a clearing, with some uprooted trees and a huge carcass the size of a truck. Up to the scene, a trail of trees with their tops and branches broken can be seen, as if something crash landed here through them. The remains here look like a mix between a giant wasp and an eagle. It is a feathered body, but it had four insect wings, as well as a massive stinger on one end. It is a bizarre creature. What is more bizarre, is how it died. Its throat is ripped apart, almost separating its head away from the body. By the looks of it, massive claws ripped into its flesh. If I think about it, the marks seem to as if it were my claws that ripped it apart. Huh.


    Thinking about it, the creatures is supposed to be a Hurricane Buzzard, the fastest airborne predator. It is not the most dangerous, but it can easily outrun dragons and any other birds. And it is an adult at that. Crossing half a continent in a week should be plausible. And me, going out of it for a week seem very possible too.


    Now, from what I can piece together, I got drunk, turned into my ultimate form and sped off somewhere, possibly east. At that point either the dragons tried chasing me and lifting me in the air to stop me, or I decided that leaping high in the air was a fun thing to do. I must have been snatched by the Buzzard and carried off towards its nest. If I was extremely drunk, I might have not noticed anything at all and just slept or enjoyed the ride, but when most of the alcohol has gone through the system, I could get my thoughts together and decide to land. Killing the buzzard and crash landing with it, I then took of somewhere. I traveled, with most animals not being too much problem, until I came across the chimera, which was having a nice meal consisting of the little ones'' parent. It came out to greet me, got ripped into pieces and I decided to crash in the cave for a bit. At which point I woke up and got sober enough to start thinking straight.


    The theory seem very plausible, which made me believe that I was in the eastern jungle. Now I had an option to go towards Regios and his city, but seeing how it is Mercissa and her antics that made me react and run away, I doubt it is a good idea to see him... Ever.


    Also, it is somewhat a cowardly thing to just run away from your responsibilities. I talk all high and mighty, saving the world and caring for my people, but when a girl falls in love with me and other girls want her to join in with us, I don''t find anything good to say and just run away. So pathetic of me...


    Well, seeing how it is a bad idea to travel towards monsters, I should continue to go further west. With that, I and four of the little ones set off.


    It takes us about a week of running, hunting and occasional sleeping to notice some changes in our surroundings. The air got cooler and trees began to become little more scarce. By the end of the day, we came out of the forest to find ourselves in front of massive grasslands. So I was in the eastern jungle. Now I got a few options. Do I go into human kingdom and face Eleanor with Leah and Lilith, or do I go to the Great Forest and face Elaya? After the banquet night, I don''t feel like talking with either of them, so I decide to travel towards the Great Forest, specifically towards the Elven territory in the south. It would take a little longer, but Aedim is there and she seems to be the most reasonable of all of us. I will have to hope that she will think first, before saying anything to me about Mercissa.


    Before we set off, I use some vines, tree bark and wood to make a harness of sorts, so that I can carry the four little cubs with me while galloping. They should be comfortable enough to sleep in there while I will traverse the vast plains. I don''t need that much sleep now, so I can run straight through the nights. After we get ready, I secure the little ones and then take off, running at a great speed. Now I traveled faster when I did with Meriden, so it took me thirty four days to each the edge of the Great Forest. I tried to stay hidden while traveling, but there were still some sightings of me, although I doubt people realized just who I was. My usual form was that of a werewolf, not of a giant lizard.


    When I reach the forest, I travel southwards, towards the elves. It takes another couple of days to reach the first Elven guard post. They noticed me coming, but they didn''t expect me in my current form. I had some arrows flying at me but I didn''t even blink. I just stood there with four cubs, looking at elves being all nervous and trying to defend their Mother Forest, I chuckled for a bit before addressing them.


    They recognized the name Zern, and they even apologized for the rude behavior. Their Lady Cerebia has shared the news of the peace talks and of Master Zern disappearing, so elves knew of me. There also was a somewhat vague description of my current form, which they recognized once I told them who I was. They pointed me in the direction of the Star-Whisperer headquarters. Thanking them I ran off once again. It took me another week to get there, meeting regular convoys and guards. Once I reached my destination, I could only hope that Aedim would be more reasonable than the other girls.

 Chapter 32

    When I came to the Star-Whisperer headquarters, I had some people waiting for me. They were some elves, who were informed about me coming to see Aedim. My appearance was surprising to them, but they were told to show me to Aedim''s room, because she was busy at the moment, but she would come soon.


    When we got to the room, I could relax a bit. I reached my destination and hopefully I would be safe, with Aedim protecting me from other girls. Seeing that I was pretty filthy, I decided to have a bath. Filling it with hot water, I slip in with the four fur balls and turn into a human. I had to keep my skin harder, as the little ones often tried to gnaw on my fingers and toes, their teeth probably growing. I say little ones, but as before they were slightly larger than cats, now they were similar to a medium-sized dog. They grew quite a bit.


    It is like that, myself naked with four cat-moles in the bath, that Aedim found us. She just looked at me bewildered by my current appearance. I had longer hair, which now I needed to cut, but I still looked handsome. She just turned away with a sigh and went to get undressed for a bath.


    When she returned, she was nude and showing me her exquisite beauty. She has grown to be very good looking by the age of thirteen, her forms filling out nicely. She is lacking the maturity in her looks that girls in late teens have, she looks more cute in some ways than sexy. But regardless, it is too early for me to do anything, so I just look at her but don''t touch. At least not naughty touch.


    ¡°Be careful, the little ones bite. Feel free to give''em a smack.¡±


    ¡°Little ones? Where did you find them? How old are they?¡±


    ¡°I found them when I came to after my drinking spree. Sadly their parent was dead at that point, half-eaten by a chimera.¡±


    ¡°Parent, huh. Was it a mother that you found?¡±


    ¡°What? Aedim, what are you implying? She was already dead when I found her, not when I regained my consciousness.¡±


    ¡°Really? It''s just Val men that have become guardians are known to sometimes sire children with beasts, especially if they have gone through a powerful transformation, and yours is as powerful as they come.¡±


    ¡°Stop it, you know I would never do anything like that. They don''t even look like me. I found them already moving about and eating meat, I couldn''t have done anything in that short amount of time.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. Almost two months is a short amount of time.¡±


    ¡°I was in the eastern jungle. Look, this is my form I was in.¡±


    As I say that I turn into my ultimate form, taking up almost all the space in the bathtub. It was very big, but so was I. Aedim is wide-eyed, but I don''t know whether it is from my form or from the fact that I was so far away.


    ¡°See, they look nothing like me.¡±


    She still looks at me amazed. I look weird, but must she be so surprised?


    ¡°You traveled to eastern jungle and back in less than two months?¡±


    ¡°Technically I traveled there in a week by air. I was picked up by a Hurricane Buzzard sometime after I ran. After that I killed it and landed somewhere in there. Found these guys and traveled back. I thought it wouldn''t be a good idea to see any of the others or to visit Regios.¡±


    ¡°You were right, it''s not a good idea right now. The other girls kinda freaked out when you ran away from them. I told them it was ok, but they though you didn''t want to see them anymore. I spent four days listening to five girls crying constantly.¡±


    ¡°Ouch. Who is it that didn''t stay behind? Was it Meriden?¡±


    ¡°You know it. She just grabbed a whisper-stone and hopped onto Flaer and they set off after you. They were surprised to see you disappear so fast. They were traveling all around when they heard some patrols speak of a massive beast running west towards the forest. The others also heard it, and now that the elves saw you, they are all traveling here. You have a couple of days of peace, but then the beasts will be unleashed.¡±


    I just sit there in my furry glory, little ones gnawing at me and Aedim snuggling close. She seems to like whatever little fur I have on me. I decide to turn back into a human, to accommodate her size better. She sighs at the loss of fur, but comes closer and puts my arm around her.


    We sit like that for a while, just enjoying each other''s company.


    ¡°So, how much do you know?¡±


    ¡°Zern, I know everything. The girls had plenty of time to tell me what happened and what they thought about the situation.¡±


    ¡°What do you think? You are the smartest one of all of us.¡±


    ¡°Well, I haven''t met Mercissa, but she sounds nice enough. She also loves you a lot apparently, despite her only seeing you briefly. You left a very good impression on her, charming her with your words. She adores how loyal you are and how you would lay down your life for us. I would say it was weird, if she talked about anybody else, but knowing you I am sure she is sincere.¡±


    ¡°But, Ae, she barely knows me and I her. We don''t have anything in common and she is a dragon. I mean Regios is going to freak out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he did. After you disappeared, he sent a message, requesting a duel ¡¯once that coward mans up and shows his face¡¯ for Mercissa''s hand. He wants to beat you senseless. His tame response actually surprised the leaders of the other factions, and they have been conversing since.¡±


    ¡°Damn. Why can''t it be a chess match or a tictactoe game? Can''t I forfeit the duel and give Mercissa away?¡±


    ¡°You know as well as I do, that neither he nor the girls will allow it. Plus, you yourself wouldn''t do that to that poor dragon girl.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you are right. But how am I going to duel that dragon? He is more powerful even with me having four beasts within me.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, but I am sure we will work something out.¡±


    We stayed silent after that, just clinging to one another. In all honesty, Aedim was the one girl with whom I spent least amount of time because of how far she was. I couldn''t travel all the way to elven territory every weekend. Speaking of...


    ¡°Ae, how is your little project going?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it''s finished.¡±


    ¡°Finished? Do you mean you achieved teleportation?¡±


    That really surprised me. I didn''t expect her to do it in... Four months?


    ¡°Yeah, turns out elves were trying to do something similar for a while. They have records of unsuccessful trials as well as magical circuits and spells all neatly filed away. I used them as well as the knowledge you gave me to replicate various kinds of teleportation.¡±


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    ¡°Various kinds?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have portals, personal port-stones and a large teleportation array. Although I failed to incorporate the phrase ¡¯Beam me up, Scotty¡¯ into the spell.¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha, that was a joke. It''s from some fiction work about space travel. So, how are the results now?¡±


    ¡°Well, the portals are somewhat stable, although the range seems to be limited at the moment. We need more durable materials for the frame. I have my assistant, Chell, looking into it. She doesn''t talk much but she is brilliant and tenacious.¡±


    ¡°Did you ask the dwarves about it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we got in contact with them, now they and the gnomes are looking at the blueprints and trying to create some frames from titan alloys. But we actually have one use port-stones and the dwarves made some of those with blue adamthril for multiple use. They work flawlessly, but they all lead to here.¡±


    Aedim was talking about an alloy of adamantite, mithril and blue orichalcum, used for their durability and increased magical conductivity.


    ¡°That is convenient. So are they making the frames from blue adamthril as well? That must cost a fortune.¡±


    ¡°It does... But the possibility of traveling long distances in seconds outweighs any costs. Dwarves actually have mining tunnels under the ground going about half-way through the Great Forest. And you know how far that is. Traveling that distance underground is hard, with our technology it would speed up the process of transportation and expansion.¡±


    ¡°You truly are my little genius.¡±


    With that I kiss her on her forehead. She actually purrs a bit at that. It is very interesting how knowledgable she is. She even knows about metals as much as I do, even though she is not really interested in them.


    ¡°Zern. I noticed that you often have little to do outside of running around doing errands. I thought that you perhaps need a hobby, so I had Amaruelle talk with dwarves... You like metals and gems and dirt. Why don''t you go and learn mining and blacksmithing?¡±


    At that my eyes grow wide and it dawns on me. Why haven''t I thought of it? I know my metals and I like forged blades and jewelry and dirt. Why would I not do this? This was a great idea!


    ¡°Aedim! You are a genius! How did you come up with such idea?¡±


    ¡°Well, you sometimes seem very bored, so I gathered you might need something to do. Plus I saw you appraise some swords you come across...¡±


    I didn''t let her finished, I just started kissing her and hugging her close to me. The fur balls got out of the bath a little while ago and were lying on the floor resting, so we had nobody to interrupt us. I took my time saying thanks to Aedim, making her very happy. We haven''t kissed like that in a while.


    We kissed for a solid half hour, which was a feat to be praised and then she sat in my lap, still naked. I had to cushion her bum with my tail for obvious reasons, but she didn''t mind. We stayed like that until water became uncomfortably cool, at which point I opened up the drain and carried Aedim off to bed. We were relaxed so we just plopped down and covered ourselves. I didn''t have my favorite stretchy pants, so when we spooned together, it kind of turned into light-medium petting. I didn''t do anything more, but Aedim enjoyed it still. We fell asleep, my arms around her and my tail wrapped around us. We were very close.


    For the next couple of days we just enjoyed our time together. I really missed Aedim, even though we had spent time together before, we rarely did in with just the two of us. We had time to talk and to show each other some ideas we had. Well, it was mostly Aedim who showed me things she was working on, but they were very impressive, even if I couldn''t understand most of the magic related stuff.


    It was a very pleasant time together. During the day she would show me fruits of her labor, showing off her teleports and how they worked. I was really surprised to see two open portals floating each between two pillars with runes and etchings. I didn''t remember how portals looked in my previous lives, so this looked very cool. I spent some time just jumping between the two dimensional holes and throwing things in them. It was fun.


    I also got to meet Aedim''s assistant, who was a young elf, with brown hair, which is somewhat uncommon amongst elves, who wore her hair in a ponytail. She had long ears, which pointed to her high aptitude in magic. She stayed quiet most of the time, just observing me and Aedim. In the end she quietly whispered that she was ¡°Glad''o see master''s fianc¨¦¡±. Very sweet girl.


    In the evening we would do romantic things like going out to eat together. Elves mostly ate fruits and vegetables which didn''t really fit my pallet, but seeing Aedim in some beautiful dresses made me forget any complaints. She looked amazing, with her brown and green hair, with elven dresses, mostly of the same colors. Elves loved nature.


    Sometimes we walked around through tree bridges and climbed up towards the tree tops, looking at the night sky and seeing myriads of stars up above. There was a distinct lack of lighting around us, so sky was very clear and very visible. It was beautiful, almost as beautiful as Aedim. I made sure to tell her that.


    A few times we spent at home, sitting with lit candles and feeding each other fruits. It seemed really girly, but hey, I didn''t complain. I enjoyed just as much as my fianc¨¦e did.


    At night we would snuggle together in bed, just whispering sweet nothings to one another and caressing each other. We would often fall asleep like that. It was amazing time to be alive.


    Of course we didn''t forget about the fur balls. We found some things for them to do, while we were busy. They had plenty of toys and space to run around. We still called them fur balls because we didn''t know what they were.


    We had eight days of peace and quiet, until first notice of a flying dragon reached us. I couldn''t know for sure if it was Meriden with Flaer, or the other girls with Mercissa, but it wouldn''t matter either way. Our little vacation was about to end. Those were some good times, which we both would treasure dearly. Like that our time together alone ended.

 Chapter 33

    On the local equivalent of the Saturday, all hell broke loose. I just woke up, did my morning business, and myself with only some pants on, I was lying around, playing with the fur balls, Aedim sitting nearby drinking some juice. I didn''t expect anything to happen, so I was a little surprised when seven girls showed up out of the blue.


    When they saw me, the morning turned into a pandemonium. Different voices shouting same and different things. I was accused of being Satan, of being irresponsible, of being an asshole. I couldn''t really deny anything so I just stood quietly for a bit. When I realized that it is not going to get quieter, I decided to take matters into my own hands.


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡±


    A single word made everybody freeze. My voice made walls vibrate slightly, everyone winced at the mere volume, even the fur balls who were carelessly playing now curled up into a ball.


    ¡°Now. I must apologize for running off, that was an act unbefitting a man. I got scared at you deciding for Mercissa to get married to me. She is not one of my fated ones, and she has known me very little. I didn''t want to burden the girl with an unhappy relationship and make her regret her decision.¡±


    Girls stay quite, contemplating my words. Me, being a good fit with the six fated ones was akin to divine providence or fate, we were born together and we were meant for one another. The same douldn''t be said about Mercissa. She was a wild card, perhaps she would be the happiest girl in the world, perhaps she would get disappointed and torch half the human kingdom.


    ¡°Furthermore, my union with Mercissa undermines most of the effort we put towards peace with monsters. Regios loves Mercissa and wants to be with her. If he won''t be able to, he will attack us. Now, he asks for a duel for her hand, but who knows what will happen during or after the duel. I am not certain I can fight the dragon by myself, and depending on the result, I may die or be seriously crippled. That will also put Mercissa on a tight spot. Have any of you thought of that before making a decision?¡±


    Obviously they have not. It was all spur of the moment, emotional and illogical. The girls would have considered all the fine points and thought about it properly. Now, we are left to deal with consequences, some of which are very dire.


    ¡°I admit, I should have told you girls about Mercissa, as I could have imagined her trying to get close to me, but I didn''t think expression I left on her would make her fall in love with me. That is my fault and I am sorry. But Mercissa, think about what have you done. You jeopardized future peace with monster races, risking a war and possibly getting many people killed in the future. Is that what you wanted? Does love worth it?¡±


    Mercissa seems shocked by my words, she hasn''t considered every little bit to make her decisions. She just rushed in without thinking. I can see tears forming in her eyes. She is about to cry again.


    ¡°I admit, I am just as much at fault as you are. It were my words that affected you and my unwillingness to take action that led to this situation. I will accept responsibility for that and I will deal with that.¡±


    Mercissa looks at me with a complicated expression. I had just accused her of possibly starting a war and how that would lead to a massive loss of life, but now I take full responsibility and let her be free of it. There is some admiration mixed in amongst all the other emotions. Just what I needed...


    ¡°Mercissa, if you want to join in with us, I will accept you as my girls have already done that. But, our union will happen with everybody else in three years time. Until then you will live as one of us and you will decide if you still want to bond with me, your body and soul and all...¡±


    The dragon girls smiles slightly at that. Her guilt was great, but now she seems to have gotten what she wanted, and she even gets to live with me and my girls and study us. She will need to get accustomed to our way of life.


    ¡°Ok, now. I want you all to think about what you have done. As much as it was my fault, it was also yours that you accepted Mercissa instead of sending her away, making our relationship with Regios turn sour. I eon''t blame you, as I am the one to be blamed first and foremost, but I want you all to think next time before doing something foolish.¡±


    The girls all nod in agreement, understanding that I want them to think about their actions and their decision. They didn''t even involve me, just saying they are ok. They didn''t care if I was ok or not, they ddin''t think of repercussions.


    ¡°Now, they issue that is most important right now is the duel with Regios. We need to find a way for me to beat him, so that Mercissa stays. Mercissa, mind you, because of what you did, Regios is now able to take you against your will if he succeeds. You are now a prize to be won. However bad that sounds, that is the truth.¡±


    The dragon girl is downcast once again, with others patting her to make her feel better. She smiles at them weakly, it seems she just now understands her predicament. Then Eleanor speaks up, saying just the right thing.


    ¡°Well, a duel needs weapons and I think we have just the right one to even the odds.¡±


    That makes us all blink once in confusion and then we all realize what she is talking about. That might actually be the trump card we need.


    After my speech, we all settle down and relax. The girls were very nervous about me running off, so I now had to take a good amount of time to explain and apologize to them. We discuss the future duel and how to succeed. We also discuss me running away and finding the fur balls. They actually became popular amongst the girls. They tried biting but after a few well placed smacks they abandoned the idea. By now they were about the size of a small horse. If their parent is of any indication, they would grow to the size of a car. Mercissa didn''t know what they were, so we kept calling them fur balls.


    At some point we all drifted towards the bathtub. Myself and eight other girls, including Flaer, a true harem... When I made the joke, everybody but Meriden looked confused, and she gave a smack. Then she explained it to others, earning me a few more smacks. Lilith, Leah and Aedim did it playfully, while Elaya and Eleanor did it wholeheartedly. The dragon girls just giggled, saying they like to be part of human customs. I had to explain that Flaer wasn''t part of it, which made her pout. The others all looked at me with dark expressions. Fearing for my life again, I told them that if I am still alive in a few hundred years, when Flaer matures, I would consider it. Strangely that satisfied them.


    At some point I have forgotten about the girls'' punishment, allowing them to join in with us. It has been months already, girls had plenty of time to reflect on their mistakes. And I''ve seriously missed them, the Eleanor''s shy and closeted attempts at the show of affection, the Leah avoiding, yet wanting to jump me and looking at me with love-struck eyes, the Lilith teasing me and making me horny constantly. In all honesty I wanted  everything to be the way it was. And I wanted Lilith... To help me in certain areas...


    We also discussed other matters. Girls were excited to learn that I would go do some mining. They also got very interested in Aedim''s progress. We talked about the House of Bloodlust and about our affairs in the demon Kingdom. We also had to say something about what to do with my father and the elders who betrayed me. Only Elaya wanted to pardon them, seeing as they were Val men. I and Eleanor both agreed on execution, while other girls somewhat swayed towards our opinion. I just wanted them all dead, but Eleanor understood how dangerous is it to have people who want you gone around. Look where it got King Robert. So we agreed on that and decided to work out the details later.


    Aster that after all the emotional trauma and stress, girls earned a good vacation, so we all spent a week just lazing about in elven territory. We swung some vines, we drunk some wines. It was a good time with all of us together. It was a while since the last time we were all together like that, except now there were even more of us.


    Aedim showed her teleportation successes. She said that once the dwarves make the two pairs of gates, one pair will be sent here and the other will stay there, so we can have instantaneous travel. Gnomes were vary of the elves, but this would allow Aedim to go back and forth easily to oversee the construction and perhaps get some gnomes to collaborate on the project. They are known to be great tinkerers and they often think outside the box. Sometimes at wrong times, but right now it could be beneficial.


    Aedim said that once I go to dwarves, I would take a port-stone with me. Once the gates are complete, I would teleport them here and then travel back through them once they are set up. It was quick, efficient and smart.


    She actually gave us port-stones made of blue adamthril, so we could teleport to her at any time. They were permanent, as they didn''t burn out upon use like the ones made of actual stone did. She planned on expanding the designs, perhaps allowing all of us to teleport between various destinations and towards one another. Everybody agreed that they needed a function to teleport to me. These port-stones also doubled as whisper-stones, although very quiet ones. You''d have to actually concentrate to hear anything.


    After we spent time together, we had to part ways. Everybody had their responsibilities. Flaer and Meriden were always with me, other girls went about their business. Mercissa decided that she wanted to get to know each one of us, so she would fly around and observe me and the girls as she pleased.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I got in contact with Regios, who it turns out calmed quite a bit after talking with his father. Lord Zil told Regios that the girl''s heart is a fragile and mysterious thing, and nothing short of a miracle will make her change her mind. After they had a thorough discussion, Regios calmed down, as he didn''t want to make Mercissa unhappy. He also hoped that spending time with me would make Mercissa rethink her decision. But he still insisted on a duel, if not to win her over then to make sure I can protect her. I thought it was a fair request. We decided to do the duel right before my next trial, as a way to entertain people. It wouldn''t be the actual rite of passage, plans were already made for that, it would just be something to excite people as well as give reason for Regios to attend.


    So, with most important part over, we started doing things we planned one by one. First thing was the execution. We decided to do it in Kernun kingdom, as to avoid violating any Val laws. Val man can''t spill the blood of another Val man. So we had an executioner from human kingdom who would do it.


    We came to a conclusion that people would be beheaded, it would be simple enough if not for the number of people. Previously elder council consisted of fifty people. Now, only thirteen of them served, while others would be executed. So thirty seven people would have their heads roll. My father would get a truly royal treatment. Actual event would take place in the Vieldon city square. This would allow everybody see, how traitors of the Crown would be dealt with.


    Execution took place a month after our time spent with elves. Only I, Meriden and Eleanor were present for the execution. Two vixens were busy with their jobs and Elaya wished to be left out. There was a little more than half a year left before next Rite, so we didn''t rush things just yet. Killing so many people was bloody, we had to use four different men to behead them, as they would get tired quickly.


    We would lead each one of those traitors, read out the charges against them and give them a slither of hope. They were given last meal the night befor and now they had a few last words to say. They would often beg, cry or curse me. I didn''t care, I just looked at them with hate and anger, wanting them to understand how little I thought of those cockroaches.


    The beheadings were all normal, nobody messed up, nobody made mistakes. The men who were executed all tried asking for mercy, but nobody listened; they were rotten to the core. My father was the last man to die.


    For Legiros'' punishment I decided to have him quartered, because it was like fate, giving me just the right tools to do the job. The four fur balls, even if they were not too big yet, they were plenty strong. So, I had four mithril chains attached to each of Legiros'' limb, those chains connected to each fur ball. Then I issued the commands.


    First, that man was just hung in the rain, between two cat-moles. They stood there, building up his annoyance and nervousness. This kind of punishment was rarely used, but everybody knew it was painful. After a bit, I told the little ones to move out slowly. The limbs got stretched, bringing great pain and making the executed scream. It wasn''t enough to damage him fatally, but it was enough to hurt him.


    The whole process was slow deliberately. I wanted him to suffer, to feel how it felt to be abandoned. It, as well as his betrayal brought me pain. Now I wanted him to feel it as well. It also made me ecstatic, seeing him scream. I think I looked like a madman, with my eyes lit up and staring at the man with a sadistic smile. But I was just glad that this was over and that I got to hurt somebody.


    At some point, the skin began tearing and cracks were heard from the joints, dislocating something. His clothes became strained with blood. I didn''t stop, only doing this slowly and letting him feel everything.


    At the start, he was silent, then he was screaming. At some point he began cursing me, wishing for me to die, wanting my people to burn and for the dark gods to take me back. He hated me and he showed it clearly.


    Soon, he became incoherent. He was just screaming, pain and suffering emanating from him, making people wince and cringe at the sight. He started spamming, throwing up... He lost control over himself and went mad from the pain. At that point Eleanor had enough, she made the fur balls do a swift motion at separated that man''s body in four, with blood and entrails spilling on the floor. It was a gruesome sight.


    I wasn''t too happy about premature command from Eleanor, but I was about to stop it myself. Besides, people had to see me as ruthless King, wanting to torture and execute evildoers, while Eleanor was a merciful Queen, keeping me in check and defending people from me. When the deed was done, we just stood up and walked away, leaving the mess to be dealt with by executioners.


    So, that issue was dealt with. I thought I would feel some regret or remorse, but I didn''t. That man was hardly anybody to me, he abandoned me and then he betrayed me and wanted to kill me. ¡°All who draw the sword will die by the sword¡± and all that.


    Next came the issue of the House of Bloodlust. Lord Hooligein actually got in contact with us while I was ¡°away¡±. Lilith handled him well and he agreed to give us necessary status and land. We didn''t have a base of operation yet, so I took Lilith and Sonja as well as Eclaire with me and flew towards the demon kingdom. There we looked for a good piece of land and hired plenty of workers. We made them build a massive, luxurious mansion where my Bloodborn will live within the demon kingdom. It would be big enough to fit all of us and more. It would be magnificent once it would be finished.


    After that we had some talks with Lord Hooligein and he asked us to be very discreet. It was not official yet that a new house will be formed, and he wanted to keep that a secret for as long as possible. To this, we asked Leah to send a few of her best people who could manipulate information well. They would mask our plans and make sure no rumors leak about us.


    Until the headquarters will be finished, there was little to do here, so after having some nice dinners with demon lord, we left towards home. It was estimated that the house would be completed sometime after the next Rite. How convenient.


    And of course next came my mining expedition. I traveled to dwarven territory rather quickly atop my trusty steed. Flaer didn''t like me calling her that, but what could she do?


    Once we were amongst the small people, I went to work learning mining and blacksmithing. My monstrous strength and sharp claws made digging and mining a breeze. I could easily dig through a lot of dirt and get a lot of ore. It also made it easy to forge weapons made of harder alloys. But when I tried to make some jewelry or add some finer details, I found that I lacked dexterity and finesse. I was a brute with massive strength, but I had little control over my body. I needed to learn to use small portions of my strength, so I could do fine little details easy. This was difficult, but I was somewhat successful in that regard.


    At some point the port-gates were completed. Just as Aedim planned, I teleported them with me back to the elven territory. There they took few days to set up, but in the end we had a permanent and quick way to travel from the south part of the Great Forest to the northern mountains. Aedim was able to meet the gnomes and dwarves who worked on the gate, and they were very impressed by the success. Now they could mass produce those.


    Aedim talked to main engineers and tinkerers, trying to squeeze as much ingenuity out of them. Putting all their mind power together, they came up with simpler yet more complex designs for gates, eliminating unneeded parts, while allowing different gates to connect together. Now you only needed to know which gates you want to travel to, dial the code and open the portal. This eliminated the need to have a pair of gates for every distinct location you could come up with. Man, Aedim and the gnomes invented stargates. They looked different, but they functioned the same. When I told her that, she liked the name and changed it from port-gates to stargates.


    The time before the next rite of passage was spent productively. Leaders all came in contact with Regios and they made an early version of a pact. Peace talks were still going on, but they seemed to be successful for the most part. Some people were sent towards monster territories to learn about them. Their first stop was always Mielztkin''s town, which had some mentions of me. The new inflow of people allowed him to earn more money, and I was one of the main attractions. He actually showed the ball I made from a tankard and challanged people to repeat my feat, for a price of course. He also sold lots of drinks and foods, as he was the owner of the only inn in town.


    So, doing this and that, the time for the next Rite slowly closed in. Leah was excited about it and about the show that would be put on. Regios said he would be ruthless. I wasn''t scared of him anymore, I had my secret weapon primed and ready. I too couldn''t wait for the next trial. From what I learned so far, Leah''s blood smelled a bit like vanilla. I was looking forward to that. It really felt like the world waited for my next rite.

 Chapter 34.

    When Leah''s rite of passage came close, all the girls, the Bloodborn and many of the Val people gathered together in the Great Forest. They were preparing for the new celebration and hoping to see me rise higher. The power of the new beast is surely going to make me stronger.


    Before the Rite would commence, we would have a duel. We talked about it, Regios gladly agreed to fight in our territory, he wanted to meet my girls and to see his sister, whom he hasn''t met since she rushed off to rescue me.


    We prepared a large arena, cutting down many trees and digging out a hole in the ground. The hole was about ten meters deep, so our fight would be unlikely to have casualties amongst the audience. Aedim and her Elven friends cast some powerful protective enchantments to absorb any excess power trying to leave the arena.


    Special guests would be attending this ceremony. Lord Galadrim and Lady Cerebria decided to come and witness the Rite. I was a somewhat influential figure as of late, so seeing me gain more power was awe inspiring and fascinating. Lord Hooligein also attended, with some succubus girls in tow. He seemed to have a liking for the House of Lust. Other leaders didn''t come, as they were either too far or too busy.


    First, there would be a party since early morning. In actuality it started on previous night, but that''s a minor detail. We have been partying for the whole month, seeing how we have many birthdays to celebrate.


    We were drinking and eating a lot, there were vast selections of beverages and appetizers to choose from, everybody could find something to their liking. People were glad to have a chance to talk to leaders of elves, demons or humans. The elders and Frez also enjoyed spending their time here, the last Rite was not as cheerful.


    Fur balls have grown to a size of a horse, so they were running around chasing one another. We disciplined them when they were small, making them behave well.


    At some point during the party, a mighty roar could be heard.


    ¡°RO-O-O-O-O-A-A-A-A-AR!!!¡±


    Apparently Regios hasn''t spooked anybody in a while, as his roar sounded more like he shouted it, rather than he actually roared. It was impressive enough, as it was loud and threatening, enough to send any nearby creatures to flee.


    After that, a massive shadow descended upon the forest. A massive body with giant wings flew overhead and made its way towards the arena. It landed there, sending dust clouds around. When the dust settles, in there stood a humanoid dragon, looking around menacingly.


    ¡°Zern! You stole away my sister, my beloved Mercissa! Now I''ve come to claim your head!¡±


    With that, he breathed out a huge flame, covering most of the arena. Previously moist dirt dried completely and got charred in places.


    ¡°Come out you coward! You shall feel the strength of a dragon! I shall turn you into mush and eat you!¡±


    His threats were impressive, knowing his strength he could probably do it.


    He spreads his wings, his arms, showing his impressive physique. He had sharp claws on the ends of his hands, sharp fangs glistening from within his maw. A true display of power. Nothing less to be expected from the son of a Dragon King.


    ¡°My dear brother! You came too late, I fell in love with Master Zern, he captured my heart and nothing can give it back. Even if you kill him today, it won''t change anything, my love is etenrally his!¡±


    Mercissa plays a damsel, not wanting to be taken back by monstrous brother and leave her beloved behind.


    ¡°You don''t get to speak, sister. That lowly human bewitched you to take you away. Only his death will set you free! Where are you little human?! Have you no honor?¡±


    I know that this is my cue. I myself transform into my drake form, covering myself in scales and gaining impressive horns on my head. I also undergo partial transformation internally, giving me greater strength and speed.


    ROAR!


    My roar is more animalistic than Regios'' but not as powerful, but it has the desired effect.


    ¡°You dare show yourself here, in my domain? This is my land, these are my people, she is my woman! You dare come here and threaten me, threaten to take away my Mercissa? You will perish!¡± My words reverberate around the arena, making the dragon girl blush.


    With that I rise at one side of the seats around the arena, Eleanor by my side with a sheathed blade. I reach for the blade and slowly unsheath it and raise above me and with it high above my head, I shout loudly, hoping to reach whomever it is I am asking to grant me power, while activating a rune on the blade, making a bright flash.


    ¡°Cthulhu! Grant me your strength!¡±


    Yes, perhaps he doesn''t have a bright and sunny personality like my blade displays, but nobody other than me knows it. With my godly powers activated, I jump down, Feldrazil in my hand, ready to fight.


    We look at one another, very similar in appearance, a dragon and a drake. We both have shiny green scales, impressive horns on our heads and sharp claws ready to rip flesh. I don''t have any wings though.


    The audience is totally captivated in whatever is happening. They might know that it is all for show, but the duel is going to be real.


    Deciding not to wait any longer, I do a medium power swing while activating a rune on the sword. I don''t want to gravely injure Regios, so I don''t go full power. A wave of bright light leaves the blade and charges towards Regios. Wanting to show off his power, he meets it head on, dispersing the energy of my attack. He doesn''t escape unscathed however, his scales seem dented and crushed where the wave met with Regios.


    ¡°Gah! So, you have such a powerful weapon? I guess I won''t have to hold back!¡±


    He quickly charges at me, using his claws to try and pierce my stomach. He is faster than me, but he hasn''t really fought in a long time, making him somewhat rusty. I make up for the difference in speed with my trained reflexes.


    Parrying his claws on one hand, I try to cut his shoulder, but my blade is deflected by the other hand. He is very fast.


    He slashes at me, but my body is protected by a shield, saving me from a deep gash across my torso.


    ¡°Using such cheap tricks! You really are a coward!¡±


    ¡°I am no fool to let you kill me with your monstrous strength. Weak races have our own way of fighting those who are strong.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are weak!¡±


    He begins to swipe at me very fast, too fast for me to counter. His strikes get stopped by the shield, but I feel the power is strained somewhat. Even though it uses my power, which is beyond previous king, it is still not enough to withstand so many attacks from the dragon. As I feel the shield failing, I jump away trying to make some distance.


    Regios, not wanting to let me escape, sends a wave of fire from his mouth towards me. I try to dodge it, but my side gets burned as fire penetrates my shield. I feel my hair burning and my flesh cooking from such a powerful flame.


    Seeing that I have little chance up close, I start sending wave after wave towards Regios, increasing power each time. He dodges them, so I increase their speed as well. He moves from side to side, faster and faster, coming towards me in zig-zag movement. When he almost reaches me, I send a horizontal wave towards him.


    He didn''t expect such development, quickly ducking under it but getting his wings shredded in the process. They are not gone completely, but he won''t be able to fly for a while.


    He roars in pain, getting madder.


    I jump away, not wanting to be anywhere close to him. He sees my reluctance to fight up close, so he starts throwing spells at me. Fireballs, arcane spears, lightnings, icicles, stone bullets. It takes everything out of me to dodge them, and a few spells that hit me get deflected by the shield, which managed to recharge somewhat.


    For a minute he fires his spells, trying to get me. For a minute I dodge them, hoping to avoid getting injured. At some point the shield fails again and I get hit by a rock bullet, making me hit the wall very hard. He clearly didn''t hold back.


    As I try to get up, only to see my blood flowing our of my mouth. Well, damn, Regios means business. His rock bullet seems to have penetrated my side. It heals quickly, but it leaves a stinging sensation. It has been too long since something actually penetrated my skin.


    With me finally standing again, I see Regios making his way to me slowly, getting ready for some more fighting. He doesn''t want to end it too quickly, and he knows if he just beats me senseless, his sister will be angry.


    He gives me enough time to recover. I enter a stance intended for sword fighting and charge at him. He doesn''t get faster, still walking calmly. As I get close enough to strike, I swing my sword, from side to side, wanting to cleave him. Regios catches my sword with his claws, which are hard enough to withstand the hit.


    For a few moments, we are locked, trying to overpower one another. He tries to get me with his claws on his other hand, but I move out of the way so he can''t do it easily, as he already has to block my sword and moving around would give me better position.


    Neither of us is getting anywhere, so I decide to activate the swords ability I call Piercer, the same one I used at the start to show of Cthulhu''s power. The skill temporarily improves sharpness and hardness of the blade, by using the magic of the runes, artificially extending the blade and making it thin and sharp enough to cut diamonds. With a flash of light, the weapon neatly cuts through Refios'' claws, giving him a nice manicure.


    Loosing his claws, Regios roars in fury, mad about loosing weapons on one hand. He can''t block my sword with it or deal any real damage, because only slight stumps left of those previously menacing claws.


    His eyes grow red with anger. If I cut him, he would just regenerate, but growing claws forcefully will be a painful and difficult process. Not wanting to be the only one in pain, he decides to share the joy with me. He starts slashing at me with the hand that still had claws, making me parry it, while also punching me with his clawless hand. I can'' too everything at once, so I protect myself from the claws and take a few punches head on, which sends surges of pain through me. He can pulverize rocks with his strength, a few punches easily smash my bones, making loud cracking sound.


    I retaliate, by jumping to the side and sending powerful light waves in a cross formation. This requires two very powerful and swift strikes at once, which is hard to pull off, but the power more than makes up for it. This attack is almost impossible to dodge up close and Regios is forced to take it head on. The waves of light make dust clouds form just from the force of the strikes, temporarily obscuring my vision.


    When the dust settles, I see Regios, with cuts all over his body, some seem very deep and possibly life threatening to lesser mortals. He stands there, with his hands above his head, a ball of energy formed above him, growing bigger and bigger every second. The only thing that is missing, is him glowing and changing color.


    ¡°You foolish human! I will destroy with this one attack. Even weaker dragons will be erased from existence by my power, don''t think you would survive this!¡±


    He might be very mad because of the manicure. Perhaps I shouldn''t have done that. As the attack charges I can feel that the spell is probably going to blow away everybody present. He seems to have lost control and doesn''t want to restrain himself. Knowing that I have to stop him, I take a risk and charge towards him, hoping to get close enough.


    When only few meters separate us, the dragon prepares to release his attack. The massive ball is swirling above him, and once Regios points his hands at me, I make my move.


    I brace myself, my sword pointed towards the mad dragon, the final and forth rune growing. I pour every bit of strength I have, every little drop of energy within my body to empower next ability. Regardless if I succeed or fail, it is over. Let''s just hope that I somehow manage to stop Regios.


    As the massive magical sphere leaves its position above the dragon, it flies towards me, only to explode a meter from its origin. Around the dragons a dome, very much like the shield that protects me is formed. I call this ability Prison, as it allows to restrain somebody within.


    As all the magical energy is released, I feel myself stumble and my consciousness waning, but I hold on, doing my utmost to protect the people around us. The magical inferno rages within the prison, wild mana and fire and whatever else Regios puured into that magic all swirling and trying to break out. Moments later, most of the magical power has dissipated, absorbed by the shield and the dragon who is locked within, so I release the power, falling onto the floor, barely staying up on my knee.


    Whatever power was left inside the prison rushes out, clashing against my body, hurting me. Now, while I am immune to direct alteration of my body from foreign sources, like trying to control me through telekinesis or mind controlling me, I am not immune to the left over effects of magic. You can'' test me on fire, but you can set a tree on fire and use that to burn me, it works kind of like that. So projectile attacks, although less effective against me, they can still hurt me with enough force behind them. So, the leftover energy from the dragon''s attack singes my scales, turning them dark brown. I still try to stand, but pain assaults me, trying to defeat me.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I stand like that, hoping to see if Regios is ok. He wasn''t hit by his attack directly, even if he was, he should have survived it even in his somewhat weakened state after our clash. The backlash from the attack was great enough to knock him out however. It''s as usual, if you can'' the feat your enemy yourself, make that enemy do the work for you.


    He is lying on the floor, his blood cooked and his scales all charred black. He is not immune to magic like me, it has slightly greater effect on him. His wings are mangled, almost completely gone, just thin crispy strands of flesh and bone. Overall, he looks like burnt sugar.


    Seeing that result, I raise my arms above my head and attempt to stand up, only to stumble and fall. I just let myself lie, knowing full well people are already rushing towards us with some vials of purple liquid - ZernGara Plus, new and improved potions of super regenerative liquid. It is ging to do wonders for both of us.


    As I am approached by Merdien, she pops a cork form a vial and empties it into my mouth. I was thinking that it would taste bad, but it actually is pretty good. It is like a nice cough syrup, slightly sweet and minty. Whatever Nrogara put in there sure makes it taste awesome. I might just have that for as a refreshing drink every now and then.


    The same is done to Regios, as to heal his injuries. As he starts to regenerate, his previously charred remains of his wings crack and fall off, only to make way for new stumps of pinkish scale-less flesh to appear. His charred scales also fall off, revealing his inner self, all pink and squishy. Within minutes, he regrows his scales and wings, returning him to his normal looks. Although his wings now gain a slightly more yellow tinge compared to what they looked like before.


    We celebrate our victory, with people cheering and trawling whatever they had towards me - flowers, hats, coins, undergarments. The display of excitement cheers me on, making me do victory poses and silly faces at the crowd. In the middle of one of those I am swept off my feet, wind knocked out of me and an almost nude dragon girl sitting on Tom of me kissing me. This was actually our first kiss, I asked Mercissa to wait to settle the issue with Regios before doing anything. Now that the issue is settled, we could do all the kissing we wanted.


    Mercissa was inexperienced, but seeing as she was very close to being in her twenties, I didn''t need to hold back because of some redundant moral compass, I sucked on her face like a vacuum, the excitment of battle arousing me greatly. The adrenaline is still in my blood, heightening my senses and making me enjoy this a great deal. The other girls look at us somewhat jealous, but they say nothing. We are fourteen now, perhaps I will be a little more lenient and allow us to go further. Although I wasn''t actually reinforcing any guidelines as of late, I was horny in more ways than one.


    We are locked together for a good half a minute, before somebody approaches us. Eleanor comes over with a slight pout and makes me sheath my blade. With both my hands free, I can do some groping, making Mercissa yelp in surprise. The girls, not wanting to let me have my fun, totally not being jealous or anything, all swarm me and pull me away, to announce my victory.


    ¡°Zern of the Val tribes, the King of Kernun kingdom has dueled and defeated Regios the Dragon for the right to wed Mercissa, Regios'' sister. From now on, they are engaged, to be wed with Zern''s six intended on the day of his sixteenth birthday¡±


    Elder Karmak announces my victory, excited by the show of power and the awesome duel. People don''t seem to realize how close they came to Pershing just now.


    With congratulations all around and people cheering for me, we don''t notice when Regios wakes up.


    ¡°You bastard! How dare you use my own magic against me!¡±


    The dragon stands up, looking at me menacingly.


    ¡°Yeah? Well perhaps you should have thought better! Who knew that trimming some nails could defeat a dragon? You clearly made yourself loose, when you lost of control.¡±


    ¡°You lowly human dare to tell me how I lost?¡±


    We come together face to face, looking at each other with grim expressions. If we didn''t just almost kill each other, you would think we were about to.


    We stayed like that, glaring at one another, until Regios made an annoyed expression and I burst out laughing.


    ¡°You damn monkey, you better take care of my sister. If she is ever unhappy, I will have to show her who the real man is by beating you and taking her back.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I will take real good care of her. Don''t you worry.¡±


    With that we grin at one another and come together for a bro hug. People eho didn''t know of Regios were a little surprised by our sudden show of friendship, some even believed his threats to be true. But we were friends now, perhaps even family soon.


    With that part out of the way, we proceeded to party. We had a couple of hours to kill before the evening comes and the Rite commences. We gladly drunk some strong beverages. Regios even shared few liquors from his own personal stash. The Lords actually enjoyed seeing him in non official manner and speaking to him, and especially sharing some very rare drinks with him.


    It was a good time, eventually coming up to the trial. When the preparations were in place, we got ready for the main event. By that time, the evening sky was darkening, ready to turn to into the night soon.


    Once again, like the previous times, I stood in front of a fourteen meters long trail. It was littered with extra hot cinders, courtesy of the dragon Regios. Around us were people with bladed whips and people holding stones. Regios was in that crowd, snickering at me, ready to participate fully. The water at the end was also there, boiling. Somebody, not pointing fingers at scaled assholes, offered an idea of washing me with burning oil in the end, but it was scrapped as oil won''t do much washing.


    An extra addition, thanks to Aedim, was a special potion made by elves and dryads. It was something akin to poison, but still had some beneficial effects not to count as one. There were some minor effects, like faster hair growth and better digestion and whatnot, but its main effect was considerable pain throughout my body.


    I gulp down the ghastly concoction, feeling the effects immediately. They are short-lived, just long enough to last through the trial. Not seeing any point to wait any longer, I step on to the trail of hot cinders. The Rite was all standard, safe for you times I stumbled after getting hit by Regios.


    When I got close to Leah, I once again dropped on my knees and waited for her to cut herself. Taking her hand in mine, I lick her blood, feeling the faint smell of vanilla. Yes, such a wonderful thing. I take in the sensation and then I lick her wound to close it.


    The warmth spreads through me and I change, once again without pain. My appendages change and I turn into a furry manly fox. I thought my fur would be orange, like Leah''s hair, but it actually is brown, like my usual hair. In some places, like at the end of my tail and on my chest, it turns yellow with gold. I look like a weird fox. Overall, I am smaller than in any other forms, but instead I am... Elegant? I seem to have very nimble, yet attractive appearance. My muscles are there, but they are smaller, hidden underneath the fur. I still look like a male, broad shoulders, Adam''s apple and such.


    As I and others gaze at my transformation, it becomes obvious that some people really like my new form. Few girls get a glossy look in their eyes. When I gained the lion, I was manly, but I was like a royalty, noble and beyond reach. While I looked amazing, I didn''t have the same effect as I do now. It seems like Leah''s charm also passed onto me, making others crave for me. It is sure not a bad thing, but I will have to learn to control it.


    As I stretch out, making a few cracking noises and feeling my new body, I notice that my senses became much sharper than before. Each beast form improved them, but I would need to focus to take advantage of them. Now, it''s like my senses extended twice fold without any conscious effort from me. I feel myself drown in all the noises and smells. Now I can understand why Leah is so good at what she does, her observatory skills are beyond normal humans.


    I also feel how agile I am. With Lion, I was agile, but also powerful and strong. It was a mix of those advantages. As a fox, I am fully built for agility and dexterity. I know I am not as fast as in my wolf form, but I am flexible and fluid.


    Finally having enough of observing my body, I turn to Leah and take her in my arms. She is as beautiful as I am, so we make a natural couple with two of us side by side. It''s like I''m the reflection of her inner self. Only my horns seems a little out of place.


    Wishing to share some of my affection for Leah, I lick her face, leaving her puzzled. My beast forms are not meant for kissing or talking, other then the drake form which is very humanoid, so I can''t express my feelings normally.


    Now, licking my beloved girl''s face it feels natural, like this is what I am meant to do. I never gave in to instincts before, but now it seems fox has some powerful ones. Incidentally, I immediately reach for a robe, as I feel myself getting aroused. Trying to cover myself, Leah surely notices my predicament and laughs lightly.


    ¡°Now, you know how I feel.¡±


    I really do now. Leah always stayed somewhat away from me, now I can understand it. I feel her arousing aroma, her sweat and her womanly musk. We only just turned fourteen, but she is already ready to become a woman. And I feel that, as well as her willingness and perhaps desire to give in. If this is what she felt, even expanded by my inhuman senses, it is no wonder she had hard time pouncing on me. What would she do without meditation?


    I try to contain my desires, but to no avail. My manhood is not as big as in wolf or bear form, but it is still pretty sizable. Not wanting to walk around with a bulging erection and poke people with it, I transform into a human. Now here also more changes come. My hair now resembles Leah''s as on the ends they turn yellow and golden, just like her''s. My ears also changed shape slightly, becoming more like that of the elves''. The features of my face seemed to have become smoother, more feminine in some minuscule way. I am still threatening and feral, but some lines of my face became more appealing.


    With my change, my senses also dull somewhat, reducing the intensity, but it is barely enough to calm myself down. As my fight downstairs subsides, the beast contained and locked away, I take Leah in a princess carry and walk with her towards others.


    People are already cheering and laughing at my success and girls are gossiping about my changes. If any of the Bloodborn weren''t in love with me before, they are now. I can hear them whispering clearly.


    We make our way through the crowd and get congratulated on gaining yet more power. I now had the power of all five Guardian Beasts, leaving only the Gargoyle next. I am an impressive existence, completing five trials like it was nothing. My soul sure is amazing to allow me to amass such power and live on.


    My influence is vast, people often ask me for advice. The way I do trials has already been noted and young ones try to copy it as much as they can. Some people call them Retribution Rites, as they try to punish themselves in advance for the possibility of hurting their intended. Strangely, it increased the success rates and transformations of people who went through with them. Willpower and conviction must play a great part in resisting the corruption of the beasts.


    I attended quite a few Rites as a guest, seeing the trial from the sidelines. It is an amazing feat if you think of it. Walking across the burning cinders, having to endure the pain and the punishment you receive from people throwing things at you. Without training it would be impossible, people,would fail on the first step. It really is impressive how strong-willed Val people are.


    Anyway, with the Rite completed, we can enjoy the party. Everybody cheers, drinks and eats, I also enjoy my new overpowered senses. It is truly a day to have a good time. So with that, we dance and brawl until way beyond midnight, celebration extending into the next day. Seeing how we were going to party throughout the month, it didn''t really matter. So, we partied and had plenty of fun.

 Chapter 35

    Once Leah''s right was completed, I had some free time. The mansion for the House of Bloodlust was not yet completed, and I had little business to do otherwise. So, I trained more, hoping to get stronger. Using my new form turned out to be very good, although I couldn''t be around any females. My acute senses would always overwhelm me, making me horny beyond my limits. It was hard not to rip clothes off of girls, so I would have to train in solitude.


    But in truth, it turned out to be a blessing, with all my senses enhances beyond their previous limits. I would now train to control them and use them to my advantages. Walking around in a blindfold turned out to be hard at first, but soon I learned to use my hearing and other senses to navigate around. I also trained to navigate only by touch or smell. It was different from my normal training, but the pay off was good, having all my senses easier to control.


    Once I would stop loosing control of myself, I began meditating and expanding my perception. This turned out to be much easier compared to before. I now could accurately pinpoint positions of all the people around me, what they were doing and other details. If only Leah could do the same, there would be no stopping her. So much information is out there, waiting to be discovered. Too bad I am not efficient at using it and taking advantage of that information.


    But, after some training I was able to control my rising urges when I was close to girls. This didn''t really have any real merits, I wouldn''t be using my fox form near them any time in the future, but it was a good thing to know that I was the one in control. Also, it was a good training for when I go through the rite of passage with Lilith. Her source of power comes from an evil God, who was both more powerful and more corrupting than the Guardians. No one k owns what will happen then.


    I also enjoyed benefits greater dexterity from my new form. Small movements of fingers and hands were easier to make and control, allow me greater expertise when handling small things. Doing jewelry was much easier, allow me to engrave tiny details into metal. It would allow me to make a great gift for girls when we get married. I couldn''t give nothing to my beloved girls, even if my gift would be a meaningless trinket.


    While I trained, the girls had their work to do. Leah and Lilith playing spymasters, Aedim building teleports, Eleanor and Elaya running their territories. Only Meriden followed me around and sparred with me from time to time. Her strength grew greatly after using imporved elixir that Nrogara made. She hoped to be am strong as I am and so she gave her best for that dream. I had to hurt her frequently, but when I refused to go on, she looked at me with tears eyes and whispered ¡°Master, Please...¡±. I couldn''t fathom how she managed to learn to manipulate so well. Of course the two vixens taught her, but man, she would use it on such things...


    The elixir made using my new blood, which became slightly lighter, turning deep blue color, provided additional benefits towards improving one''s mind. Meriden seemed to get faster, her reflexes became even better. Thinking also became easier for her, like some blockade within her mind clearing and allowing her thoughts to flow freely. Seeing how the fox improved mind-works, I tasked Nrogara with creating as much of the elixir as possible and give it to my six human girls as well as Exlaire and himself, so they would train and improve greatly. I didn''t have nearly enough blood to give it to all the Bloodborn. Using restorstive potions reduced the diminished the effects greatly.


    Also, Leah decided to become Bloodborn after our trial, making Lilith the last who has not been initiated. It didn''t have any benefits, other than being recognized as cut, so Lilith decided to wait until after our trial to go through with it. Leah however took great joy in getting covered with my blood and drinking it. According to girls my blood was somewhat tasty, reminding them of some fruit in the elven part of the forest. They said it wasn''t an exact match, but it came close.


    When I had enougn training and meditation, I went to visit dwarves again. I had my small shack, where I kept everything I dug up and created. It was made of stone and was full of dust,  littered with swords and trinkets and raw chunks of ore and some ingots.


    I continued on improving my blacksmithing and jewel crafting, allowing me to create intricate designs on whatever I crafted. My monstrous strength allowed me to forge the hardest of alloys, making the most durable and strongest of blades, but they were not good if you couldn''t sharpen and detail it properly. Balancing the blades was hard, but now with my awesome new dexterity I could do it well enough. With enough practice I would become a good blacksmith.


    I also enjoyed making rings and necklaces. They were pretty and fun to look at, especially knowing I made them myself. When mining I would get plenty of gemstones, some expensive, some cheap, all of which I could use to craft pretty little trinkets. Local appraiser told me that I was only lacking experience, if I would learn advanced techniques I would make well-sough after jewels.


    It gave me a lot of satisfaction from doing such seemingly useless things and yet getting some money or pretty things for my girls. Of course, for them I used only the best of metals and the purest and shiniest of gems. My loveliest gems had to be surrounded by gems no less lovely. I loved my girls to bits.


    Closing in to our date of marriage, we got more liberal with the show of affection. Deep kissing was all but allowed by now, but some teasing was also permitted. Only Eleanor was opposed to me fondling her breasts sometimes, she was the Queen, it was improper to do so without having the eternal bond. But she looked somewhat jealous when she thought I wasn''t looking at her.


    We would come together to have baths from time to time. Having port-stones made it easier for all of us to be in the same place at once. Aedim succeeded in making port stones with multiple destinations, thanks to gnomes, so after the girls were done with their business, they could teleport to their secret chambers at home.


    The baths would sometimes get intense. Ever since I gained the fox beast, my libido was in the overdrive. My fated, who were all growing up so very nicely, they all did little to help me with resisting my urges for sex. In secret, I would sometimes get Lilith from help. She was the most sinful of all of us and most experienced other than me. Well, more like she got experienced by being around me and our mutual teasing as well as me telling her things. We never had sex, not until we would be married, Elaya made sure to beat that thought into everyone''s heads. She said that she would be my first, if anybody tried taking that privilege from her, she would rip out the throat of the slut who would do it. Not something she would say casually, her threat was heard by everyone, and noted and filed away.


    However, threats or not, I and Lilith would get into mutual pleasuring sessions. I wouldn''t do it with anybody else, either because I would hurt them one way or another and the girls had no experience in any of the sexual practices, as well as I still lacked self control in those situations, or I would not be able to control myself at all and outright rape them. So, I and Lilith would be getting some private time. It was amazing to put it simply. She was a real succubus in human form, her finesse with her hands and her tongue... It was like being between heaven and hell, with her teasing and then plunging me into pleasure.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Leah knew about this, how could she not, but she kept quiet and didn''t intrude. She knew as well as I did that we would just fuck like rabbits, or more likely foxes, and won''t stop until one of us passes on. Two mutually horny people with extended senses was way too much for either of us. Waiting until later was best for all of us.


    The girls were very horny throughout puberty, especially closing in on our eventual union. It''s like the more they waited, the more sexual energy accumulated in their bodies. I was certainly looking forward to our sixteenth birthday.


    Anyway, all of us enjoyed spending time together. Actually it was pretty cute to see Mercissa, who was completely inexperienced at that point, turn red and heat up enough to make the water really boil. I had to calm her down before she actually hurt anybody, her body was way too hot for anybody to handle. A dragon who is more than a millennia old being so immature was weird. I guess it comes from being a daughter of the Dragon King and being in love with humans. The dragon girl would get talks from other girls, but actually kissing with tongue for the first time made her panic.


    For some reason Flaer would also join the sessions sometimes, but only as an observer. I wanted to kick her out the very first time she tried sneaking in, but the girls insisted for her to be there. They seemed to think that I would really live long enough for Flaer to mature and become another one of my brides... Those silly girls. I am not some God. Even if Bloodborn revere me as such. Silly mortals. Eh, not something I should be saying.


    Actually, if you think about it, once I had the few fast growth spurts, I didn''t seem to age. Granted, relatively short time has passed, but I still felt like I wasn''t changing. Perhaps the beasts slowed my ageing somewhat, or perhaps my body is just making up for my rapid changes, allowing me to adjust and not growing older for a bit.


    However hot our bath times together were, outside of them the girls seemed to be avoiding me. I understood the reason, hot blood and animal instincts would drive them crazy if they were around me too much. It was obvious that beast power within girls affected them, not just in looks but inside as well. And myself being like an Alpha male, they felt they need to give themselves to me. I would say it is a nice feeling, but not when you have to wait for later. In all honesty, they have been avoiding me for a while, trying to have as little contact with me as possible, only talking to me when it was absolutely necessary. I could smell certain smells on them, smells that only naughty girls have when they do naughty things. My presence was maddening to the girls, so I didn''t press the issue much, instead doing more training or mining.


    Meriden was the only one who stayed close to me regularly, and she poured her ¡°passion¡± into fighting. Once she became stronger, her fighting got more dangerous even for me. In the middle of a spar, she had a tendency of forgetting herself in the flow of the fight, several times almost taking my head off. Thank god she was still weaker than me, but I was scared to think what would happen if she becomes like me. Thank good she can''t receive beast power like me...


    At some point I decided to train a certain skill, skill that Leah used often which allowed her great advantage over anybody else. I could do it, but at a much smaller scale, only granting me a slight boost to my sneaking skills. When Leah did it, she would vanish from the plain view, leaving nothing behind. I wanted to learn how can she hide her presence.


    It was a difficult skill, which only select few could employ properly. Leah was naturally gifted at it, she learnt it at the young age and used it extensively to prank people. As a spymaster, she had just the right skill set.


    My first attempts were semi-successful. I would just mostly make people not notice me, unless they were looking at me intentionally. It was similar to what I could do before, only slightly powered up. I asked Leah, and when she was free she tried teaching me. Talking about what presence is, the energies and techniques involved and how to utilize everything in perfect harmony. It was somewhat complicated, but using the meditation, I was able to get her the basics, feeling the needed resources within and then tried out the techniques Leah talked about.


    At the start of her tutelage, I could only hide my presence slightly, making people think I was unimportant and ignore me, but as we progressed, I became better at hiding. Soon, I would turn almost invisible, people would be walking into me and won''t be realizing I was there unless I address them. After more work, I would be able to swimmer our of existence as Leah does, becoming a void, empty and invisible, nobody being able to detect me. With my pure fox form, these powers were beyond what Leah could do, once I mastered these abilities, she could not know where I was and what I was doing. Even her extreme receptive abilities were powerless against me. I on the other hand was able to hone my perception to such a degree to see Leah when she used her abilities. It was awesome, no more pranks, no more centipedes in my clothes, no more pants undone for everybody to see.


    Since local equivalent of May, when Leah''s Rite was complete until November, all I did was train blacksmithing and jewelcrafting, train with Leah and meditate. Upcoming trial would be the most difficult of all, as the power is alien to the ones I received previously. It was uneventful time, people were still, not doing anything evil. Slavers were eradicated, bandits all gone, no wars to fight. Peaceful times. Only in November we received good news of the mansion in demon kingdom being complete. After I received the news, I called Lilith, Sonja and Eclaire as well as all the other Bloodborn, so they would get ready and travel with me to our new base.


    For some reason I felt that having Bloodborn separate from Val and Humans was the best idea. Bloodborn were all mixed races, they didn''t really belong anywhere, because humans were somewhat afraid of other races and Val didn''t want females without power. Demon kingdom was the best bet with the demonesses gaining nobility and the rest would be having a good life as well. The House of Bloodlust would be a house of expert spies, assassins and trackers. We would be the gathering information, which wasn''t anybody else''s forte. And we would be executioners. Silent or showy, spilling blood was now a specialty we had, myself and the girls teaching Bloodborn our techniques. Perhaps house of wrath will be good at fighting wars, but we will be good at preventing or ending them.


    Overall, we had fifty four girls. Seven demons, ten dryads, sixteen elves and twenty one humans. Bella was still traveling with twins, so she would come at later date as well as some girls who were doing business in foreign lands. Whoever was here would be traveling with us immediately into our new home base. House of Bloodlust is about to be officially launched.

 Chapter 36

    House of Bloodlust was amazing. A massive mansion, three stories high but covering a huge area. There were hundreds of rooms, each having exquisite style. There was victorian style and egyptian style, japanese style and nordic style... Or their local equivalents. Styles would mix and match, and if somewhere else this would look pathetic and shitty, here, over the massive area covered, even the drastic changes were barely noticeable, the mansion was just that big.


    You would think that royalty lived here. Technically now I was here, but otherwise, it didn''t look like a noble''s house, this was a masterpiece created for an Emperor who conquered the world. Truthfully I didn''t expect this. Lord Hooligein will be having a massive plus against his name in my mental notes.


    Around the mansion, a massive garden was erected. There were a couple of small mazes, some neatly trimmed bushes, a few arches and numerous trees growing around. I just felt the urge to undress and run around naked chasing somebody. It truly felt like a house made by demons, the atmosphere was magnificent, captivating and corrupting. I felt myself slipping, wanting to give in. Good thing Lilith is around, she is going to have her work cut out for her.


    When we saw my master bedroom, my jaw dropped. It was massive, with chairs and dressers near walls, a massive emperor-sized bed near the furthest wall from the door. I could fit not just all of my seven girls on there, but also about a dozen or two Bloodborn. That Lord Hooligein, what a dirty mind he has, to give me such gifts...


    All the girls present enjoyed walking around and looking at their new home. To them this was impressive, even Sonja, who was one of the higher nobles before was very happy. Following Lord Zern was a good decision way back when.


    There were also plenty of maids and butlers, all lower nobles from less influential houses. They were instructed to treat every single of my Bloodborn with upmost respect. Actually, I thought only demons would be becoming nobles, but turns out every member of the Bloodborn was granted some kind of nobility, with new ones could be added upon initiation. This was very generous of him, which I didn''t understand at first, we haven,t done anything yet. Granted we covered most of the cost of the mansion and opened up many new opportunities in trade and in relations.


    I got to meet with Hooligein at the end of the week after we moved in. I had Lilith and Sonja and of course Eclaire with me at the time. We were invited to his own home, which was a proper castle, with many other nobles attending. Many of them had exquisite clothes and armies that seemed to fit their Houses. Succubusses had very revealing clothes, some even wearing tight leather outfits. Wrath demons all had armory and weapons, each looking scary and dangerous. Others had some expensive clothes, or clothes fitting their profession. It was easy to see who was who. Nobody but us knew what the occasion for coming together like that was. A surprise for everybody.


    ¡°Lord Zern, welcome! It is nice to meet you. Would you introduce me to your pretty ladies?¡±


    ¡°Of course Lord Hooligein, this is one of my intended, Lilith. She is a one of my intended and she is going to be my representative in demon kingdom. This here is of course Meriden, you have met before. This is Sonja, the head of the newfound House and Eclaire, her personal bodyguard.¡±


    ¡°Such beauties surround you Lord Zern. It''s good that your intended is here and is the only one who is yours.¡±


    ¡°Yes, truly...¡±


    ¡°Forgive me Lord Hooligien, but every Bloodborn belongs to Lord Zern, body and soul. Even if we are defiled and broken, Lord Zern will restore us and care for us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Lord Zern sure made an impression on his subordinates.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, I am working on it. The seven girls are already a handful. Sonja should be thinking about her future and possible continuation of her family.¡±


    ¡°Seven? You don''t mean that girl from the time we all got together?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s exactly it. During my little absence the girls bonded greatly, so it was out of my hands whether she should be one of us.¡±


    ¡°Your girls sure had a good education to make them so accepting of others into your circle. I don''t get that so easily, but thank god I can just buy new girls for myself if I feel like it. Ahaha.¡±


    At the mention of slavery Sonja and Eclaire tensed slightly, but quickly regained their composure and relaxed.


    ¡°Truly you are right. We have been together for as long as I remember and I like to think I brought them up properly, but it is impossible to say who was the one trained throughout our lives.¡±


    ¡°You may like to think that you did the training, but with women it is always the other way around.¡±


    ¡°Aye if you judge by my Lilith here, I did a poor job training her, she is a wild thing. Which is a very good thing now, if you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Aha I do, I do. I''ve been acquainted with a Val man, who was married to a Val''Luna girl. He said that they are like wildfire.¡±


    ¡°They truly are. To be honest, I can''t wait until we are sixteen. I hear newly weds have a lot of fun, and we will be eight of us.¡±


    Lord Hooligein looked at me curiously for a moment. Truly, I was looking like a young adult, with all the transformations and training. My looks became somewhat attractive and very royal. I even looked like a demon with my horns and tail. There were plenty of demons who had no wings and who looked like humans. People looked more curiously at Lilith than me, which made me snicker a few times.


    ¡°Don''t tell me Lord Zern, you can''t still be a virgin. I would imagine you would have already taken some of the girls.¡±


    ¡°Oh, believe me, lately I would pounce at such opportunity, but when I was small, I was foolish to make my first intended promise to wait until our marriage to do it. And as much as she loves me, nobody would are take her place as my first, so everybody complies with her wishes and stays away from me. Although I have already expirienced certain joys of womanly body.¡± With that I nudge Lilith slightly and smirk at her. ¡°But honestly it is all is going to worth it in the end.¡±


    ¡°True true, the wine well aged is the wine well drunk. The longer you wait until you pop the cork, the more pleasure you will experience once you do it.¡±


    We exchanged more pleasantries and talked about this and that. The evening was going pleasantly, I met many of other demon nobles. They were curious why I and my non-demon posse was there, but I told them that I was Lord Hoolegein''s guest. The surprise was his to announce.


    At some point a succubus I''ve met before, Ratisin, came over to talk to the demon lord. She wanted to ask some inconsequential questions and then inquired why were we here.


    ¡°Ah, it seems the time is just right. The audience is in the right state of mind to take in whatever I am about to announce.¡±


    The demon lord raises his hand, calling for attention and casts some flashy but useless sparks up. Demons like fireworks.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we are all here today to acknowledge and celebrate a certain wonderful occasion. I wish to announce that as of today a new House will be formed.¡±


    These words sent everyone in shock. Such thing hasen''t happened since founding of the original seven Houses. What would possibly prompt the demon lord to do such thing?


    Reactions were mixed, some people showed angry expressions, others showed curiosity or even plain indifference. There were a handful that showed distress and quickly changed to some other emotion. I and Lilith specifically made note of those individuals. It seems like House of Lust and House of Pride are not too fond to have another house.


    ¡°A number of nobles have been kidnapped previously, essentially stripping them of their birthrights and rank. However, Lord Zern have rescued them. Now he wishes for some of those fallen nobles to return to their origins and to become nobles once more. They won''t be returning to their old houses, that would truly be unfair to you good people, so instead another house will be formed, the House of Bloodlust, which is symbolic that the leader of said house was a member of House of Lust. The new house will be backed by the human king and it will be mostly independent of other houses and traditions. They are willing to lend us their support if such need is to arise, which I, as a demon lord cannot overlook.¡±


    Those words had more emotional responses. Ratisin seems genuinely displeased, but she hides it well. Instead of outright complaining, she starts from far away, trying to learn more and to talk him out of our arrangement. She does it beautifully, but demon lord remained unmoving in his conviction. It is unclear whether she is just pissed off at having her ex subordinate becoming a House head or she really has an issue with outsiders.


    There were standard questions towards me, Sonja and Hooligien. We answered them to the best of my abilities and socialized with people. Some demons actually were curious to find out that Lilith was a descendant of Gargoyle, a dark God of the past.


    Gargoyle is revered amongst demons, as has the only demon who ever became a god. He was a demon lord, who became so powerful that he challenged one of the ten Elder Gods and actually killed them and claimed his power as his own. He was way more powerful than the Guardian Beasts and his legacy still lived on. I was surprised to learn this, as only few mentions of Lilith''s origin could ever be found back home.


    I was looking forward to becoming a demon, they look awesome and give a lot of benefits. Demons of this realm had many affinities, but they mostly controlled hellfire and darkness. I was hoping to finally be able to cast some magic, as well as getting wings, as those mark the strongest of demons, like a dark God.


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    As the night went on, nobles did a lot of drinking as usual, there ware also a lot of dishes like piglets cooked in milk, rainbow rabbit stew and even salted windowmakers. Everything was tasty, I and my girls all consumed plenty of delicacies.


    While we talked, I felt something within me grow. Beasts wanted to growl and bite, I was feeling anger. Slavery was a part of life in this country and everybody talked about it. Knowing how I met my Bloodborn, it was no wonder such talks made my blood boil. Lilith seeing me and knowing me pretty well tried to calm me down. Truly, I just needed to wait long enough to get my time alone with her.


    While we talked, some people said their praises and gave advice on running a house, while others showed their displeasure at the news they heard that night. There were mixed reactions. I and Lilith discussed our finding and Lilith was more perceptive than me, she trained for that and was able to discern lies and deceptions easier. She said that many nobles were somewhat against the idea, but most of them just didn''t like another rival in politics and power games.


    She did say that House of Pride and Lust as well as Envy all seemed to be perplexed at the idea of having outsiders, foreign entities so close in their territories. Their general reaction was neutral, perhaps even positive, but their replies all gave off animosity and lies. They didn''t want me there.


    As the night concluded, we traveled back to our House. It was decided that Bloodborn would be investigating the three Houses first. Thankfully we had a number of servants now, some of which be,on bed to those Houses or were affiliated with them in the past. They were not forced to come with us, so no hostility could be expressed at that. Perhaps some of them even were spies, but it would only improve our own game. Lilith would get in contact with Leah and get working on this later.


    But now I needed some release. I sent Sonja and Meriden to bed and made Eclaire and Lilith follow me. Lilith was a little surprised at me bringing a demonesses, but she said nothing. No girls dared to defy me any more, I was their one true king, my word was law now.


    I needed a release. My trained demons were good at taking punishment, especially if it came from me. I had to give a few backhands or even whippings occasionally, but they received them with glowing devotion. For some reason they found it pleasurable when I punished them, if I didn''t go too far and then cured them. This applied to both Lilith and Eclaire as well. So I need them now.


    Ever since the five months in the dungeon I have changed. I tried not showing it, but it seemed that soon it will have to come out. I became crueler, more menacing. Those memories that came to me in my delirium, the betrayals, the pain... They were all from the past long gone and forgotten, all impossible to remember clearly, only some images and feelings. But, they were enough to make something stir.


    I was many things previously. I was an angel, a beastman, an animal, a demon. Now, I once again remembered what it felt like, the cruelty, the empowering taste of having somebody else''s in your hands. I felt what it would feel like to be Lord Hooligein, although even he was tame compared to whom I was. Now, I felt conflicted about those emotions and my current life. My duty to this realm and my people dictated for me to be devoid of any darkness, yet now it was there.


    I couldn''t hurt my beloved, even after their betrayal. But I executed anybody else who was involved, the elders, my father, nobles that wanted too much, slavers and bandits... So much blood was spilt, and I marveled in it all.


    When the girls asked for forgiveness I wanted to punish them and discard them, but then I couldn''t do it. Neither my current life as a Val or my precious lives as Demon would allow such thing to happen. They were now my play things. Eleanor and the trio were not aware of the changes, but Leah and Lilith... They were aware. It was Lilith who knew it first. When we began to get more intimate, at first it was all fun, but at some point the anger inside me was pushing out, asking for release. I wasn''t even aware of it before then. And all I could do was to lash out at Lilith.


    We both liked it. We liked it back when I gave the girls a thorough whipping, but I denied it. Now I loved this feeling, overpowering somebody, toying with them. I now felt very much like both Leah and Lilith. Fuck pranks, punishment and torture were much sweater.


    At first I thought that somebody tried affecting me or controlling me, but thorough investigation revealed nothing. It was me and only me that was affected and I felt joy at it. The change was sudden and unwanted, but it brought me new enjoyment in life, as well as a way to achieve greater pleasures. And I had just he right tools, right here in front of me.


    Now would be the first time Eclaire would be involved. She was one of the most devoted to me as well as she was able to withstand a whole lot of pain while we trained. She would be perfect.


    When we were in my master bedroom, I opened up a secret passage. Only a handful of people k ow of it and even fewer know if its purpose. Beyond it is a tunnel, one of many around here. This one would lead to many places, but I was only interested in one.


    When we made out way towards the room, Eclaire was suprised, but she didn''t doubt her Lord. Seeing chains, bindings, whips and other torture equipment made her shudder somewhat, but it was unclear if it was from fear or excitement. Maybe she understood what we came here for. She wasn''t a helpless little girl, she was a warrior and most of all she was mine. She could not oppose me, but in her devotion she didn''t want to. If the pain is what her Lord wanted to share with her, than she would gladly take it.


    The first thing I did was to cut my arm and offer it to Eclaire. She was Bloodborn, but she was not an elite. Now she would be. She greedily sunk her teeth into my flesh, trying to pierce it but it was useless. She settled for just sucking whatever blood was offered.


    Apparently it tasted heavenly and acted almost like a drug. Eclaire''s pupils grown wide and she became somewhat distant. But she was lucid and present, perhaps a little too much. When I wrapped my tail around her neck, she moaned and fell on her knees, clearly orgasming from anticipation and my touch. Not the reaction I expected, but she was the first to drink my pure blood since the transformation.


    I didn''t offer any to Lilith. She refused to become Bloodborn until our Rite, and I was fine with it. Then we proceeded with the main attraction. Binding the two girls to a wall, I took out my frustrations on them. It was a simple torture, using my tail as a whip to leave marks on their bare backs and asses. It would leave scar if not for my blood and elixir made from it.


    Lilith bore it all, occasionally moaning in pain or pleasure. She seemed to be willing to take this to keep this from happening to her sisters. She thought that other wise I would treat Elaya or Aedim like that. She wasn''t wrong, but it would be Eleanor first before the trio.


    I didn''t hold back, my strikes would cut the flesh, revealing the blood and muscle underneath. This was not a disciplinary action, this was real torture for the sake of torture, for my amusement.


    While Lilith had a struggle, all the agony assaulting her, Elcaire had a time of her life. Her beloved Lord purifying her body with his own tail, drawing weakness out of her mortal flesh, bringing righteous pain... Something like that was going through her mind, making her shudder every now and then, her ecstasy apparent for the world all in my person to see. She stayed wet throughout the night, both her blood and her juices. My senses told me as much, but regardless of how aroused it made me I didn''t act on it. The current act felt much sweeter than a broken promise could.


    Throughout the night I had fun, occasionally healing the two girls and then going at it again. I don''t know what made me better than them, those people out there hurting women and children. I didn''t know how these two stayed sane and intelligent. Perhaps they never were, seeing their devotion and love for me, a Fiend, a bloodletting, cannibalizing monster. But closer to the morning, their faces showed tired, yet blissful expression. They were happy to serve me.


    Lilith was my intended, and she had lowest chance of success and would probably kill me regardless of my success in my previous Rites. She felt the same way I felt before my first Rite with Elaya. Her guilt pushed her forward and seeing how I accepted her and used her, she was willing to endure anything, especially since my own confinement.


    And Eclaire, she seemed to have been broken before, only to be restored with my influence. She, and other Bloodborn were mine for the taking, their minds telling them that I was their salvation. Even if their bodies had to suffer, their souls would be delivered to some hypothetical paradise I would create. Even more intelligent ones believed that following me was beneficial to all of them, seeing how I was one of the strongest and fastest growing of the existences around.


    I washed them with cold water and led them to my bed. We just plopped down, huddled together, exhausted. We all fell asleep easily, waiting for the new day to come. New things awaited us, things that had to be done.

 Chapter 37

    Having established the House of Bloodlust, my girls began to play games. Lilith enjoyed having fun with the Bloodborn, it seems she was infected by the same bug I was. Long story short, some people were given special training to raise their pain tolerance. I won''t say I was against the idea, I very much enjoyed my special time with her and Eclaire. But she felt like she wanted to be on top, metaphorically speaking, and even if I allowed her to, there were no whips made from titan alloys, so they would not hurt me. So Lilith decided to train her own little group.


    Of course it was optional, it would even give some benefits and such. By benefits she meant that whoever could go through the whole training with Lilith, they would then have nice time with me. When she told that to me I drooled a little. I really began to enjoy my time with Lilith.


    I don''t know whether it was my own darkness or the stress from the upcoming trial, but both of us turned dark. We felt powerful and we marveled in that feeling. Lilith really turned into a demon, submerging herself in their mentality and their ways. Now living in demon territory, she had plenty of time and ways to research torture and interrogation. Not that she wasn''t pretty good at it before, but any kind of ingenuity needs a kick of some sort and here Lilith had plenty of those.


    It actually was quiet funny how most other girls somewhat avoided me, afraid of Elaya and not wanting to break the promise, while I spent most of my time with Lilith. I could always smell their longing for me. We all knew that most of our peers have long parted with their virtue and given in to lust and desire. But I just had to take my outworldler ideas and blabber my mouth about a promise to a girl, who otherwise would have been taken long ago, only to save some points in my own internal moral system.


    Seriously, this world is pretty much in medieval times, back then the concept of ¡°children¡± was alien and new. There were only adults and small adults. And here I am trying to keep them innocent and pure a little while longer. I am pretty sure Aedim lost her innocence the night I slaughtered two hundred people in front of her. Being in the middle of bloodbath is fine and good, but taking a girl few years too early is a ticket to hell...


    Uh, I am just frustrated, being around so many girls and having to state abstinent I annoying. I mean, I have all the Bloodborn for the taking, but I don''t want to hurt Elaya. Although what she doesn''t know can''t hurt her. I might need to kill the other girl after I do the deed but...


    No! This darkness can''t be allowed to control me. I need to be the one in control! This is bad. I am immune to mind control and most other magics, which is good usually, but it also means that my own turmoil can''t be fixed with some simple tinkering with inner workings. I have to solve my problems myself.


    Meditation doesn''t help me here. I am not in turmoil or in conflict. I just received some knowledge I wasn''t supposed to and now I have two different parts of myself in the same lifetime. Although I have to question whether it is really random. Every time previously, I gained just the right knowledge when I needed it. The Zone, the teleportation. Perhaps I need this darkness right about now. Maybe otherwise I wouldn''t survive in the demon kingdom or would push Lilith away when she would be succumbing to her own dark side.


    Right now it feels that we are bonding over this. The pain we share, the darkness that we bask in, the torture we dish out at others. But, we don''t force them, at least I like to think that. We offer them a choice. I mean Lilith doesn''t have much choice, she is guilt tripped into taking her sister''s place in my games, but she also enjoys them. She loves them in fact, perhaps as much as she loves me. I wonder if I should be jealous of my torture.


    Anyway, we are doing extensive play within the demon kingdom. There are plenty of people who would like to work for us. Being one from the House of Bloodlust, or perhaps even one of the Bloodborn, it would give them more power and more opportunities. We recruited many lower nobles from other houses and common folk, hoping to get their help. Spying on other houses wasn''t easy, but it was simpler this way. Of course there was the possibility of counter spying, but we prepared for that.


    Leah also played a big part. She used the port-stones a lot, traveling between the human kingdom, the elven forest and myself, carrying information back and forth. She did her work well and I wanted to reward her, but she refused. Self control wasn''t something she excelled at. It was easier for her to wait for a little longer.


    Her subordinates amongst the Bloodborn were doing the best spy work. Their skills were better than the ones'' who worked for Lilith. We actually had to make up names for the two groups. Ones under Leah we called Droplets, keeping with the theme of blood, small and quiet, unnoticeable, they spied from the shadows and then slithered away. Ones under Lilith were called Scratches, literally meaning cutting or letting the blood flow. Silly names, but the girls liked them. Besides, only us three and the two groups knew of the names.


    We had discovered some things. Firstly, Lord Hooligein was innocent, or as innocent as a demon lord can be. He didn''t know anything about the darkness and its origins. The houses under him however were seen meddling with the things that they shouldn''t. Every house had something to do, although not everybody knew what was it that they did. Mostly just work given by another house or by some third party, which couldn''t be traced.


    We were pretty sure that Houses of Lust, Envy and Pride were all in it. We didn''t have much hard evidence, but we weren''t pressed for time. Regios and the Val were doing a splendid job keeping the darkness back. We could take a little more time and do a more thorough investigation.


    What we pieced together was an idea, by some demons to bring some dark power into the realm, to enslave other races and control the world. Demons are made of darkness, the unknown entity is made of darkness, it''s a win-win for them. The Houses didn''t really knew what they were dealing with, only financing the cults and asking for power.


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    If only it were that simple. Rummaging through various ancient archives from all the different places, thanks to Aedim and Leah, we were able to piece together a fuller picture than the cultists or the Houses had.


    Originally there were ten gods who lived in this realm. They warred and they erred, they made peace and forged the world. They were swell guys from what archives talk about them. But at some point they seemed to be dying or falling asleep, their powers leaving them.


    One of the gods was defeated by the Gargoyle, who than became an evil God himself, becoming the embodiment of evil in the realm. He was having fun, killing, torturing, all the things decent demons do, but he never tried destroying the world, he liked it a fair bit.


    Four other gods fell asleep, their followers built temples for them to reside in, full of traps and other dangers. There was one temple within each corner of the world. The south, where naga now reside, the east where Regios lords over, somewhere in the jungle there. And there are two more we don''t know of, somewhere up north and somewhere to the west, perhaps in the Great Forest.


    And the other five gods instead of sleeping, gave away their powers, however small they were then, to five beasts, so that they could fight against Gargoyle and the evils of the world. Pretty standard setting, five good guys, one bad guys, powers shared between them and a whole bunch of fighting.


    That lasted for several thousands of years, until darkness appeared. Something happened to one of the slumbering gods, perhaps a ritual of some sort was performed or he just stank too much, but the darkness appeared from somewhere and it began changing and consuming everything. The animals and the people changed, the lands turned infertile and were devoid of life. So, as the classic plot twist, the bad guy and the good guys all came together to stop the imminent end of the world. They sunk the temple but perished in the process. For some morphing reason I get an idea I''ve heard this before. I guess I will never know.


    Now something seems to have happened to another god and it was surely caused by somebody. The cult did something and created the darkness again. Whether it is the same one or a different one is up for debate, but the main points all seem to be there.


    I sent this information to Regios, which made him think a lot. Even if we defeated the current darkness, there were two more possible other location for it to appear. And one of them would be near my home. It was decided among us that some quests would be posted, asking for any information about ancient temples. Perhaps even few expeditions. If we would be able to find them, we could prevent fire rise of the darkness and stop the cult. It would be an important job to do.


    Regios also talked about whatever was happening within the Zone and their progress, how they pushed it back, how they got pushed back, about what they find in there. As much as it was all fascinating, I knew a lot of that ahead of time, plenty of novels in my past lifetimes had speculations about the subject.


    So, we had a somewhat eventful year. The deal with the demons was working out, we gained more influence and more subjects. Amongst the few people we temporarily recruited there were a few interesting ones.


    There was a young sword master, noble from the House of Wrath, who was dissed by his higher ups, so he came to me. Black-skinned demon was very skillful in the way of the sword. He wasn''t as good as Meriden, but he was good nonetheless. His appearance was somewhat weird, his white hairs contrasted well against his ebony skin. He also had two distinct personalities, one of the evil demon and one of a noble, dark and light. It was like the demon and somebody else were mixed together. Sudiak was also good with magic, perhaps even too good but hid it well. But we took him in, hoping to train him and make him one of our own if he proved loyal.


    There was also a demon girl, Belinda, she was a succubus from the House of Lust and she proved invaluable in gaining information. She knew a lot, she had her sources. Leah took a liking to her, hoping to keep her once the whole ordeal would pass. The girl seemed conflicted between which house to choose. We had greater benefits, but she and her family were all in the other one. Loyalty is weird.


    There were some others, some we trusted, others we kept on a leash, hoping to learn of how loyal they are. But one thing was for sure, we never told them anything about our plans. They could learn of some of our capabilities, my weaknesses and habits, but they never knew what we did and what we had as out trump cards.


    We were experts at manipulating the information and moving the chess pieces. They wouldn''t know what hit them until it would be too late. But that won''t be until much later.


    The time was closing in on May, soon the next trial would be happening, the last and most dangerous of all. Perhaps the stress really did get to us, as my games with Lilith and her few chosen grew in frequency and intensity. Thankfully there were always my blood and the elixir, in case something bad happened. But some girls did get few extra memories to remember me by, some not so pleasant. Although girls felt fanatical about me, I couldn''t explain it. They were fine and rational, doing their jobs and being smart, but once it came to me hurting them, the were glad to receive the punishment from their Lord. It made them harder, better, faster, stronger...


    The day of the next Rite was coming, we were all nervous. This would be the true miracle, the first trial to be successfully completed with the guardian living on. People spoke of me forfeiting, even Leah had s few mentions of the idea, but I kept on with in. I couldn''t let Frez'' efforts go to waste. He trained me for this. Even if he was busy being a warlord, he still rooted for me. Besides, it was only me trying to subdue the power of the dark God who copied the ritual he only heard about, what bad could happen? Who cares that any men who went through it was destroyed by darkness and withered away, I am not those men.


    Men, my hands are itching. Better go find Lilith...

 Chapter 38.

    The time for a trial came. It wasn''t just I and Lilith who were nervous. Everybody had some doubts. Stress accumulated in all of us over the months, now hearing the possible release. If things would go well, we would be able to move on and leave it behind us.


    For this trial a lot of people showed. A lot of Val were present to witness the first real Val''Luna guardian. Regios was here as well as Lord Hooligein. Neither could miss me becoming a demon. The first I needed to to restrain me if things would go wrong. The second just wanted to watch me become his kin.


    Frez was here and finally his twins too. Bella finally decided to show up, with two guys in tow. They seemed to have been fighting a lot lately, some issue that didn''t concern me. Elders were there, also curious about the ritual. This Rite would be my last one and one that would make me a true legend. A guardian of all six tribes.


    My girls all took off some time, their attendance wasn''t optional. Eleanor had some queen business, but I made it crystal clear that I didn''t care. She was nothing but compliant since her betrayal. A thing I really liked.


    Lord Galadrim and a Lady Cerebria also came. They liked the last trial, it was something to behold. And party that lasted for days after... Let''s just say that after last one there would be another little Lord or Lady soon.


    Flaer was somewhat excited, she liked the fighting with Regios before. She was little saddened that I wouldn''t be kicking his ass now, but she got over it quickly. The promise of booze and some meat made her happy.


    The preparation for the rite of passage were smooth, nothing really hindered or made any problems. Whatever business we had, it was going smoothly.


    This right would have me walk through the fifteen meters of coals, with whips, stones and sharp weapons thrown. They were non issue, I haven''t really felt them since three trials ago. The poison from last time was there and a new addition was a heavy chain with some stone with engravings on it. When I put it on, I heaved under the weight of my own body. The chain tripled my weight, which would usually be a bad idea, if not for my extremely strong skeleton. It still made it hard to move around. Perhaps I should use it in future training.


    The trial itself was easy as always, even with the chain. I made my way across, no problems. Then I was in front of Lilith, her in ceremonial clothes, almost nude. She seemed to tinker with them a bit, as all her curves were accentuated well, making her appearance more alluring than usual. I felt longing for her at that moment and my tail slightly swung left and right, as if preparing for a hit.


    As the girls previously, Lilith shed her blood and threw the dagger on the ground. Her smell was sweet, no real distinct feature to it like Elaya''s. I didn''t wait long and put my lips on her wound, hoping not to let her bleed too much.


    When I tasted her blood however, everything was different. Lilith was sin incarnate, and that also applied to her taste. It was supreme, so sweet and intoxicating. I felt in heaven and hell all at once, my body shuddering slightly from the divine feeling I got. It took me few moments to realize that I actually dug my fangs into her wrist making her wince in pain. I reluctantly let go of her, still wishing for more, and turn my attention of my senses.


    Lilith''s blood was warm, but the sense it gave off wasn''t hot, it was opposite. Chilling feeling ran through my body, starting at my tongue, going down my throat and accumulating in my stomach. The chill was increasing slightly, but it didn''t feel uncomfortable. Waiting for my transformation I look within.


    Inside me, there is a bright light that is me and five red lights, almost all exactly the same, but different in some ways. And now there was another light, or should I say, dark? It was a more of darkness, looking similar to the other five little lights. It just floated there, not intertwining or getting closer to my light. It seemed to be waiting for something.


    I felt slight probing of my mind, like something trying to poke it. In reality, it must have been pretty powerful for me to feel it, mind control immunity and all. I was hoping it would end there and nothing more would happen, but it was for naught. For few moments nothing happened. Then, as all the blood reached my stomach, the mote of darkness shot out towards my soul. If it couldn''t control it, it would then devour it. That was the thought that came from it.


    As soon as black tendrils touched my soul, my body began convulsing in pain. No, in Pain. Big Pain. It was hell on earth for me, my form boiling like in previous trial, but instead of forming into something else, it was just melting, expanding and contracting. I felt like I was going to explode. Also the pain, it was both scorching, like a hot iron going through every orifice I had, trying to burn my eyes, my ears, all of me. It also felt bone-chilling cold, like I was frozen to zero degrees kelvin. Actually, I remembered how that felt from before, and this was worse.


    My soul was screaming in pain, it and the beasts trying to resist, to fight the darkness, fruitlessly trying to extend my life. The demon power wanted control, it wanted to consume, to grow and to live. I couldn''t let it. With my soul, my body also screamed. Out of my throat, six different voices all rang out, six of us fighting against the dark god''s power, hoping to survive. It was nerve wrecking, hearing me scream like that. Shiver ran down everyone''s spines, they never imagined such a scream possible.


    I was on my knees, grasping, clawing at my skin, hoping to end it, by my form was unstable, I didn''t bleed or get cut. I simply was a mountain of flesh, growing bigger and smaller with each heartbeat. All over me black lighting was spreading. The dark power coming out of my body manifested in various ways, mostly like lightning, but in several places it was a jet black flame. With each second, the intensity of it grew.


    I thought it was a fluke, that I didn''t feel much pain in previous Rites, only slightly getting flustered when I grew horns and tail. Now it seemed I was just saving up the pain for this moment. And I wished that I would have felt it divided amongst five previous trials, hell, separate it over the last fifteen years of my life! What I was feeling was pure agony, my mind was hoping for release.


    Direct attack on the soul were not possible normally, not to this degree. It would require two souls to get so close, you would need them to occupy one body, and no mage is crazy enough to leave his body or to let another inhabit it. That was why I didn''t fear soul mates much, their souls would be weaker and wouldn''t do much unless coming too close. This I wasn''t prepared for.


    The dark tendrils entangled my soul, the beasts, everything inside and then they reached for inside of me, hoping to take control directly. The pain was enormous, the sol being ripped apart and shredded. If I were to die, I would respawn later in some other world, mostly uninjured, but the pain would linger for a long time...


    The fight lasted for what felt like an eternity, the darkness trying to consume my soul, hoping to take control of my body, I fought it hard, trying to expel it, but it was too late. It was a part of me and there was no escape. Trying to help me, the five beasts also sprouted their red threads and intertwined themselves with my soul, making us closed together. The consequences would most likely be permanent, across all future lifetimes, but it was the only way to survive now.


    The moment that the dark tendril broke through my defenses, touching the innermost part of my soul, my body quickly expanded, becoming few meters in diameter and then quickly grew smaller, taking a shape. The black energy around me also condensed, entering my form, being assimilated by it. With that, a primal scream of pain rung out, two of us merging. The moment dark tendril got through, it was already decided. We merged, becoming one.


    The moment we touched, my mind went blank and then everything was gone, turning black. Within the blackness something stirred. Then the world lit up again, fading in and I was standing.


    Below me, thousands of demons, weak pathetic weakling, destined to never taste the power I was given. The pathetic God died and left me with his power, allowing me to consume it and become a god myself. Now I was all powerful. My will absolute. The seven houses demanded for my execution, for my crowning, for my exile, for my ascension... They didn''t know what they wanted and they didn''t care, they just wanted something. So I gave them something.


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    With a sweeping motion, I make the crowns kneel. I was a god now, who cares what they wanted. I was the boss now, these were my things now, without their own will.


    They were all on their knees, looking at me astonished. I turn towards the elder council, who roused the people against me and set them all on fire with my thought. They betrayed me, and now I payed them back for it. Setting me up against a god, hoping me to die and for them to take over my place. Pathetic.


    The people who betrayed me, they too will face my wrath. What could be fate worse than death, other than eternal servitude to somebody you hate. I extend my power and change them. The sins they all drown in, they would define these people. Their inside will be reflected in their appearance. Their sins would guide their lives. They will carry my hatred forward.


    My race, demons, were proud creatures, people of unbound spirit, strong and powerful. Most of them are here now. We were simple people, only different from humans slightly in our appearance. Now, it would change.


    I reach out and feel for every demon. Yes, they are all mostly here. Only few are far away, the exiles. Some to the far north-west, others to the far south! more of them in other places. Too far to have done anything in my betrayal, them I will spare.


    But these monsters in front of me, they don''t deserve the power demons have. They don''t deserve the beauty and the strength our strength carries. Them Imwill punish.


    I touch each and every one of them and change them. Their soul and their body are now one. You, slut, for your promiscuity, you will be granted appearance fitting your rotten soul. And these angry people, wrathful and angry, your sin will be reflected on the surface.


    I change each one of them, making them into the fiends they are. They don''t deserve to be happy or to have freedom. The sins of the fathers shall be carried by their children. Their past shall define their future.


    Their betrayal is their crime. I can''t allow these people to roam free, they deserve to be rules by a monster worse then they are. Now, I will become such monster. My power is monstrous, now I will make them see the monster they made me be. I will make them regret what they did to me. My world is going to become my playground, a place for my wrath to exist. The betrayal cannot be forgotten or forgiven. These people are now mine to toy with. Forever.


    With that I change my appearance. The traits of pure blooded demons disappear. No longer do I have a gem in my forehead or tattoos on my body. Instead, my skin turns dark red, from my forehead sprout two massive horns, like those of the old kids tales. The satyr, the evil tormentor. That who I am. But I have to be more. From my back, two massive wings sprout, like those dragons have. I also grow a tail, long and powerful enough to strangle the weaklings below. My nails turn into claws, my teeth turn into fangs, my aura changes to black. I now share the curse my people share, we shall carry it forever and ever. They shall never be freed of it and allowed to have the true power my race has. They will remain my toys forever, until I die...


    With that I wake up from my delirium, bloody sweat rolling down my body, my mind now crystal clear, free of pain and suffering. Having witnessed the change of the Gargoyle, I now understand myself more. He wasn''t originally evil, his own people made him turn evil. As did my people. I wasn''t turning evil because of my past or because of somebody''s influence. The betrayal affected me and I just denied that it had an adverse effect. I denied the pain, hoping to carry on as nothing happened. I am in pain, but I understand now and now I can go on.


    With that I open my eyes. Before me Lilith is kneeling, worried over what was happening. I push myself off the floor with my arms and stand up straight. My body feels normal, but I know it is not. I am about three meters high, my skin is obsidian black, with golden tattoos over my body. My horns changed, thin golden etchings becoming thicker, expanding, while the dark grey area compacted, as if it became concentrated darkness, becoming black. They seem to contrast, the golden parts shining and black parts consuming the shine.


    My hair in this form is black, with golden ends. There is no longer yellow anywhere on me. I take a mirror that was prepared in advance from nearby stand. In there a demon looks at me, with the whites of my eyes gone, turning black, like the void and my iris and pupil both becoming gold, with a crown now coming off them, like roots sroputing through the blackness of my eyes. It is truly bizarre. I also notice a gem embedded into my forehead, a golden gem with a black core. I also notice two wings behind my back.


    My appearance is that of a true demon. People look at me with fear and astonishment. Even Lord Hooligein is surpisised to see what I have become. My girls also seem to be eyeing me intensely. Regios just looks bedazzled.


    I don''t know what to do really, I don''t feel like speaking really. Instead I decide to improvise. I wrap my tail around Lilith quickly and easily bring her over to me, raising her to my face and kissing her deeply. The tail restrained most of her movement, but she doesn''t resist at all, just giving in to me. My hands shamelessly move on her back and her behind, but I don''t intend to do much more than kiss right now.


    I spread my wings and take to the skies, Lilith wrapped in my arms and tail. The mere flapping of my wings sends massive wave of dust and makes people and trees shake from the force of air that was released. With five other beasts, I am stronger than any demon right now. With the secret I learned, I am sure to become even stronger.


    I spend few minutes flying around, making out with Lilith, until I decide to land. I fold my wings and just fall down onto the ground, where there are no people. I don''t bother stalling the floor, instead using my wings to protect Lilith. When I make contact with the ground, I shatter the ground, making fissures appear, leaving a crater underneath me and myself about halfway in the ground.


    I get out of the hole created by my fall and walk towards people. Now that I am somewhat calm, I can see something new. Within each one a soul stirs. I see my girls, each one having a soul and a red light circling it, disconnected completely. I see Frez, who has a soul entangled by a bizarre web of red strings, looking very wrong. I see Lord Hooligein, who looks like his soul is connected to his body, yet some of the light inside is disconnected. I can see everyone''s soul and if there is something abnormal with them.


    My own soul is now white, with five red and one blue lights surrounding them. The blue light gives off a black glow, but otherwise it seems pure, as if free or vile corruption. I purified the darkness, now that as know it is just a part of me and not some memory from the past, now I don''t have to resist it or fight it. Changing myself now will be hard, if not impossible, it is better to accept myself.


    Wishing for myself to turn back, I am surrounded by a black flame, which licks away my demon form, revealing my new human form. My hair is now very deep dark brown, turning into bright gold, with no yellow now. My eyes remain as they were in my demon form, golden iris and pupil with golden tendrils going to black outside. They look weird, but I like it and so does Lilith. With a thought, my wings disappear, consumed by the black flame. I seem to be able to change my appearance around, appearing or disappearing my wings, horns or tail, like very powerful demons. I also seem to be able to use a bit of black magic now, but that will have to be trained later.


    Walking amongst people, I can feel something else. Their blood, it is calling to me, asking me to purify it. I don''t know what that means, but it is something I can find out in the future. Right now I want a drink. This was a hard Rite to complete.

 Chapter 39

    Waking up the morning after party was a disaster. I woke up to a scene from some horror movie, with myself as a wolf, naked and covered in blood, with a girl in a similar condition. What was the first thought that would come to my head? Score? Did I get laid? No, the first thought was ¡°Fuck, what have I done?!¡±. Then there was the realization that I must have broken the promise, with a girl I didn''t seem to recall and mauled her to death.


    This was a scene from a movie. A guy turns werewolf, looses control, kills some person and then has to deal with the consequences. Good thing I didn''t rip her heart out and eat it...


    The only thing that saved me was that I didn''t immediately ran away, like I would have done before and instead tried studying the girl. When I removed the black and grey coloured hair, I see Elaya''s face and I just stare at her. Did I kill Elaya? Did I loose control and rape her? Did my inner dark overcome myself? The doubts ran through my mind.


    I turn into my normal form and try to look over her body, trying to find the wounds that made her bleed. The blood is dry, so it doesn''t get removed easily, I have to take some snow and rub it on her. Quickly I realize that she doesn''t have any claw marks or any wounds. Then, after a couple of seconds she starts squirming and calling out to me.


    ¡°Zern, it''s cold. Come back.¡±


    She is still half asleep, but I think of it as my saving grace. I don''t know what happened, but I don''t want for her to wake up and see it in this condition. I need a way out. Quickly thinking of what to do, I decide to get her to a lake or a river. In winter most of the water is cold, although there are some hot springs around. I quickly grab my beloved girl whom I betrayed and materialized my wings.


    I took Elaya in a princess carry and cover her up with some clothes so she doesn''t feel cold while we fly. In fact, how was she ok through the night, humans would freeze to death. Out of sight, out of mind, it''s too early for this. I need a coffee or a local equivalent of one.


    In about twenty minutes we get to a small body of water from which some steam is rising. I made sure not to wake Elaya up, but she stirred around a bit. When we landed, I dropped out clothes on the floor and then slowly came to the hot spring. I noted that clothes are not ripped, perhaps I wasn''t that violent.


    When I get close to the water, I lower Elaya carefully, trying to not disturb her. As she enters the hotspirng, she shifts a bit but still doesn''t wake up. I must have really drained her last night.


    Slowly, I wash her body of any blood. First her stomach and her sides, then her breasts and her back. I notice something weird, apparently I was bleeding quiet a lot last night. I am covered in blood also, my back, my shoulders, everywhere. Did I cut myself so much last night? Was I trying to keep Elaya alive after giving her a grave wound? There was so much blood, it mixed creating a weird purple hue.


    I come to washing Elaya''s face when she finally wakes up. My hand is brushing her check, trying to wash away my blood off her face. She looks like she slaughtered some weird animal and then ate it raw. After I brushed the same place a number of times, Elaya flinches and opens her eyes. She takes few moments to finally focus and look at me.


    For a moment we just look at each other.


    ¡°I am sorry! Please forgive me!¡±


    I try to apologize, knowing that what I did was wrong. I lower my head and don''t even look at Elaya. For about ten seconds I just stand beside her in water, waiting for an answer. Not hearing her talk or cry, I raise my head slightly, only to see Elaya grinning with a smug look. Why is she smiling? An why does she have fangs?


    ¡°Zern, you really are an idiot.¡±


    She reaches for me and kisses me. Her tongue enters my mouth and attacks me. She even puts and effort to brush it against my fangs. Confused I just stand still for a moment and then return her passion.


    Her fangs seem to be sharp, sharp enough to even cut my tongue. She notices my blood and forcefully sucks on my tongue. It is a weird feeling, having your fianc¨¦e suck on your tongue to get blood out. Was it really that good?


    We stay like that for an undetermined amount of time, myself just enjoying this completely new feeling and then we separate, with Elaya looking at me and smiling, a bit of my blood rolling from a corner of her mouth. She then proceeds to kiss my neck and I realize one simple truth. If the promise was broken, Elaya was only more glad it was. She seems really excited, her pupils dilated, her nipples are hard and her triangular ears perking up...


    The shock of the sudden realization hits me like a rock. I push Elaya slightly away from me to have a good look at her. Eyeing her up and down, I see that she had changed from before. Mainly, she has big wolf ears sticking out of the top of her head. Her hair has also changed color and her eyes now have yellow in them, like mine used to. What?


    As I am looking at her, my beloved girl is just staring back with a wide smile, knowing how I must be in shock. Wanting to know more, I reach with my hand towards her ears and start rubbing them. Elaya closes her eyes, the edges of her mouth twitch uncontrollably and she lets out a moan. I can''t remember her being like that, was she ever this lustful? While I keep rubbing her pointy bits, a tail brushes on my leg. I try to stop it, only to realize it is not my tail. My tail is resting between Elaya''s legs and rubbing her slightly, whatever is hitting me is not mine.


    With a surprised expression, I reach out my hand and catch the sudden intruder, which forces another moan out of Elaya. Trading the tail to its origin, my hand comes to rest against my fated''s buttocks. The tail is extending from slightly above it.


    Not that I dislike the new changes and new Elaya, she really seems like a wild animal, very much like me but...


    ¡°How come?¡±


    It takes Elaya a few moments to come back to reality.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How come you have ears and a tail?¡±


    ¡°Zern, you don''t remember last night do you?¡±


    ¡°N-no?¡±


    ¡°Well my dear fianc¨¦, last night you took me for a flight, showing me the beauty of the world. Then we landed and I poured out my heart how I was afraid of loosing you and how I didn''t want to keep the promise anymore. And then we fucked, fucked like dogs, bloody and dirty. Being an uncontrollable sexy beast that you are, you kinda cut me on my sides. Not wanting to scar this pretty body of mine, you shared your sweet, delicious, magnificent blue blood, which changed me into what you see now. He-he.¡±


    Thinking back to yesterday, I can remember some, like the party and the girls being girls, but at some point it just cuts off. I really should stop shutting down my alcohol tolerance.


    ¡°How much do you remember? I remember nothing of what you tell me.¡±


    Her eyes gleam with a mischievous light and her smile curls upwards.


    ¡°Oh? Well I have some bits and pieces up there.¡± Elaya taps her forehead with her finger. ¡°But it seems you don''t have much in there.¡± She taps my head. ¡°So how about we make some new memories so you will remember everything?¡±


    With that she pulls me closer and kisses me again. She is unrestrained, totally wild and primal. I can feel heat radiating from her like from a bitch in heat. I separate us for a moment.


    ¡°Elaya? Why did you change so suddenly?¡±


    ¡°Changed? Well I am a wolf, a beast just like you. And wolves don''t need to be civilized, we are the kings of the forest after all. We broke the promise of tender love and friendly compassion, so that we could enjoy fucking like animals. And you don''t know how glad I am that we did.¡±


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    She pulls me in once again. Assaulting me, she sends her tongue in my mouth and cuts it on one of my fangs. Perhaps she wants to return the favor?


    With the complete change in demeanor, Elaya became like a different person. She was shy when we met, which she overcame and became sociable, but she never was this confident. Being a wolf, being like me, the power changed her. I wanted to say how I liked the previous Elaya better, how I wanted her to return... But I didn''t. The new, confident, wild, animalistic and feral Elaya totally rocked. Well, she was still the same, only more honest about her desires and her feelings. Her body was stronger and more durable, her mind lost the restraints the held her back, but she was still loving, caring and loyal, but also more passionate and lustful.


    While I was pondering about the situation in my head, Elaya went full throttle on making new memories. Well, so did I unconsciously, my tail snaking in-between her legs and my arms caressing her buttocks and her breasts.


    Seeing where this is going, I decide to push all worries to the back of my mind and enjoy making some new memories. We went at creating things to remember for a few hours, oh the joy of fiendish stamina and longevity.


    When we were done, it was way past afternoon. I woke up slightly after dawn, so we couldn''t have had more than six hours to sleep, but even now we felt great. Well, I felt like I could forsake sleep entirely, seeing how I had six powers inside me, but Elaya was still slightly human, but she seemed unfazed by the lack of proper beauty sleep.


    When I was going to put on my clothes, Elaya came to me and stopped me.


    ¡°We are wolves, we don''t need clothes.¡±


    She was really taking the whole ¡°wolves¡± thing to heart. I didn''t dislike it, but going around naked was not what I wanted to see her do.


    ¡°I will sooner bit off my tongue than to let another man feast his eyes on my woman. Cover yourself.¡±


    With a sigh, Elaya took the clothes she wore previously and ripped them to shreds, just enough to cover her curves. She was totally naked underneath, which excited me and made me look out for her.


    ¡°You know what? You in your human form don''t seem any less feral than you in your wolf form.¡±


    ¡°My wolf form?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you don''t remember do you? We literally fucked like wolves, you and your claws digging into my sides, your snout licking me. It was painful, but I made sure to return the favor with my own claws.¡±


    With a giggle, she demonstrated her sharp nails. They didn''t seem too different from before, perhaps more pointy. But if what she said was true, they must be pretty damn hard.


    After that we were done dressing and left toward the tribe. Elaya didn''t let me dress up too much either, I had my ripped pants on and nothing else. Elaya wanted everyone to see my nude torso and pinkish scars on my body from all the love making. For some reason, my blood healed everybody without leaving a trace, but myself, I had some time where any marks persisted for hours or days.


    When we made it back to where the party happened, everybody was dead. Well, not literally. Out of all the people, mostly everybody was drunk enough to still be sleeping, even if it was already past noon. My girls weren''t in the pile of drunken bodies, their smell was coming from our tent. Seven of them were there. For some reason, Flaer always stayed with us and was now counted as one of the group, even if it was against my will.


    Elaya didn''t seem to care about the hardships people faced last night, she walked right in the middle and began to howl. If wolves were in the centre of the tribe, it would spell trouble, so people began to stir awake, trying to determine the danger.


    For some reason I felt like howling as well. I walked up to her and let the air out of my lungs, producing a low sound. Us two were howling in the middle of the camp, with people around us getting up to look at us. With the two voices ringing out, one high pitched, piercing and another lower, rumbling sound, we sang the song of our union.


    I felt something in Elaya shift and her form melted, just like mine does. She grew a bit, becoming slightly taller and ripping her clothes. Before people stood a first female fiend. Her body was covered in fur, but she was unmistakably a woman. With her transformation her howl became louder and more powerful. I just stressed my voice cords to match her without transforming.


    Quickly, people got up and came out of tents to see what all the noise was. Seeing a new fiend standing next to me, people were puzzled and surprised. When Elaya ended her howl, she looked at the people around us. Her facial features were larger than mine and her fur was more lush and fluffy than mine, marking her as a female.


    With a growl-like voice she loudly proclaimed.


    ¡°I am Elaya of the Val''Kira tribe, the Prime Matriarch of the Val tribes and fianc¨¦e of Zern of the Val tribes. Yesterday I left you all a human girl, frail and weak. Today I return to you a woman, a changed and transformed woman, no longer frail and weak, but powerful and beastial, just like my beloved. All this thanks to the blood of one we call the fiend.¡±


    Elaya transformers with those words, returning to her new human appearance. I come to her, covering her naked body with my wings and the black flame. She became really shameless, trying to expose herself like that. I will need to punish her for disobedience later. Seeing my reaction she just smirked at me, knowing that I would do that. What a bitch!


    ¡°I am now a new being, like my future husband. We are one, body and soul. The power my fated now carries in his blood is beyond what we Val carry, it is more powerful than that. Now we bow to the the future leader of the Val people, one who will give us new power and new strength. One who will lead us forward and who will change us. All bow to Zern of the Val tribes!¡±


    My girls have some strange liking to giving speeches. Previously Eleanor and now Elaya. Well, I suppose they are not leaders for nothing. With her speech done, people really do drop on one knee and bow their heads down in submission, even in their drunk and sleep deprived condition.


    Elaya however doesn''t do it, perhaps she views herself standing beside me, as my first and lawful mate. Wolves are loyal, they have one mate or at least one true mate that stands beside them, like in our case. Instead of bowing, she jumps on me, wrapping my torso with her legs. It''s a good thing I have my wings and my flames around us, so people don''t see what she is doing with me in the middle of the crowd.


    The other girls look at us with envy, surprise and joy. While they are not the first, they will be next and they know it. I just carry Elaya to our tent, trying to hide her motions and locking my lips with hers to stop her moans. Perhaps a somewhat abrupt end to her speech, but it will have to do.


    I step inside into out tent, followed by the girls. Now, we will be dealing with seven others who would like to be in Elaya''s place right now. God, new Elaya is so wild, I will need to train her. I hope she is housebroken and I don''t need to take her for a walk in the future. Well, I have plenty of tools for punishment, Lilith made sure of that.

 Chapter 40.

    This was an unfamiliar situation. I was sitting pretty much naked, with naked Elaya in my lap, grinding against me. What''s more, seven other girls were around me, looking at us in bewilderment. They were surprised by both, the unsavory act we were performing right in front of them and by hoe Elaya looked and her new behavior. She was grinning, covered in my wings and my black flame, but still making it apparent what exactly was done here. She was grinning because she was proud to be my only mate currently.


    ¡°So... Girls why are you all standing around us and looking at us like that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don''t know, maybe we are wondering whom will you fuck next?¡±


    Lilith is straightforward as usual. The expressions on the girls faces are mostly curious, with Flaer pouting slightly and Mercissa being beet red. She never got used to the naked bath times. Being in presence of two people fornicating was new to her, even if she lived amongst dragons most of her life.


    Elaya decided to throw her two cents in.


    ¡°I imagine it would be in the same order as we went through out trials, Meriden and Aedim first, then Eleanor, Leah and Lilith.¡±


    Girls began to murmur amongst themselves. They weren''t very happy with the order, but it was a fair assumption. Although, I had a different idea.


    ¡°I am thinking of moving Lilith forward a bit, right behind Aedim and moving Eleanor and Leah all the way back, right until the marriage ceremony.¡±


    ¡°What!? Why?¡± Eleanor didn''t like that idea.


    ¡°I do have to punish you both, even if you are forgiven, I haven''t forgotten your deed. I waited for half a year to be reunited with my beloved girls, you can wait a little more to have me take you.¡± I reply with a slight grin. Mentally torturing the girls was growing on me.


    ¡°What? And why would you move Lilith ahead of us? it''s unfair!¡±


    ¡°Unlike you, Lilith has been punished almost everyday since the betrayal, in fact she was getting punished for you two as well. I am thinking that during the next time I punish her, I may finally reward her for all the hard work.¡±


    ¡°How have you been punishing her? Surely I can handle any punishment that Lilith can.¡±


    ¡°Eleanor, believe me, you can''t.¡± Leah tried talking to the queen. She knew everything about everyone, but since she was my pet, she told nobody about my playing sessions.


    ¡°Hah, Leah, why don''t you undress Lilith, so we could show what kind of punishment I give her?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Leah proceeded to take Lilith''s clothes off, revealing her naked body. Compared to Elaya, Lilith was slightly more curvy, with her breasts being a little bigger. True to her demon blood, she was a real seductress.


    When she was completely nude, I snaked my tail out from underneath Elaya, making her pout slightly. Seeing that my tail was free of its constraints, Lilith stands on her knees, her back turned to me and her hands placed on her the floor slightly in front of her. With a quick wind up I deal out a single, powerful lashing. Over time, the strength of my strikes became greater, as Lilith became stronger thanks to constant appliance of ¡°ZernGara-lixer¡±. Her skin was harder than normal now.


    A single deep red gash went down her back. She didn''t even flinch in pain, she learned to enjoy the pain I dealt to her, just like the Bloodborn we involved in our games. After the pain lessened, she let out a low, quiet moan.


    The reaction from this was... Unsatisfactory. Elaya looked at Lilith with curiosity, her newfound power made her curious if she could do the same thing. Meriden looked at her with envy, biting her lower lip and rubbing her legs together slightly. She never got over her inner Laura, only making it grow in strength after she avoided me for so long. She would often call me Master Zern or Lord Zern. She was the only person using different names to call me, other than Fianc¨¦, Beloved or Fated. It was uncommon amongst Val to use words like ¡°Honey¡± or ¡°Pumpkin¡±. We preferred actions over words, because words could deceive, but actions were true.


    Aedim looked at Lilith with indifference. I mean, she is smart, but I didn''t expect her to know about this. Was she as perceptive as Leah? Perhaps she noticed how we would sometimes disappear with Lilith... I don''t know, but she didn''t show any surprise for one reason or another.


    Leah just flinched from phantom pain, still remembering the lashing I gave her. To her it was crystal clear that the force I used now was much more than what she received back then. She couldn''t imagine how Lilith withstood such punishment.


    The only three surprised were Eleanor, Mercissa and Flaer, looking at Lilith with wide eyes.


    Flaer just whispered to herself, wondering why haven''t I done that to her, since she was my mount. It seemed that Lilith enjoyed it, so she would too probably...


    Mercissa was surprised by the human who too a strike like that and even showed pleasure. She didn''t expect such reaction from a mere human.


    Only Eleanor showed the reaction I expected, both fear and shock mixed together. She remembered the last lashing she received and she didn''t want to feel it again. Hitting Lilith, the sound was much louder, making her understand that I used more strength this time. Punishing Lilith like that almost every day, she felt bad for her sister and somewhat fearful of me.


    ¡°So, you see how I play with my dear Lilith and why she deserves to be ahead of you?¡±


    The two girls stayed silent for a moment, contemplating my words. Would they be willing to endure the same just to be with me sooner? They didn''t know.


    Leah came out of her stupor and went to get some elixir to heal Lilith''s wounds. She applied the thick substance to her bleeding cut, making it heal quickly. I don''t know how much of that stuff we have, perhaps I should give my blood to Nrogara, so that he could study its new properties and whether it could be used for elixir now.


    ¡°Zern, is there a way for us to not have to wait until marriage? I don''t think I can stay away for you for that long, while you are going around, making love to my sisters.¡± Leah had a concern, she didn''t want to wait much longer to have me. Her heightened libido made her crazy, now she could have her way with me if I allowed it. She was ready for almost anything.


    ¡°Aha, smart as usual. As a matter of fact I have come up with a solution for your dilemma. In my bag, there are three bundles, please take them out.¡± With my words I point towards a backpack that I use to carry some of my things from place to place.


    Leah finishes helping Lilith and walks towards it, rummaging through it quickly. Then she brings out three bundles and comes towards the rest of us with them. Unraveling them, three necklaces of different styles are revealed. One of them is an exquisite piece of jewelry, magnificent and luxurious. Another looks like a dog collar, with a small leash attached. The third one looks similar to the second, but with spikes and no leash. Each one is adorned with various gems and some etchings on the surface.


    ¡°Is this what I think it is?¡±


    Aedim is smart as usual. Leah also seems to understand what these things are. Each of them is tight, if any of the girls would put them on, they would be a hair width away from being choked. Leah recognizes these things because she was the one to put them on the three girls before my fight with the bitch King.


    ¡°Yes, these are the three enchanted collars that Elaya, Meriden and Aedim wore during my forth trial. I''ve tinkered with them a bit to fit your specific styles, as to not inconvenience you while you work. I want you to wear them at all times, until I deem you worthy of having freedom. Until then, you will be under the enchantment, unable to be free of my will.¡±


    At my words the two girls got a weird expression. They didn''t think that I would actually turn them into my little slaves. Well, payback is a bitch.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.¡°Um, since Lilith doesn''t need to wear one, could I get one instead? Please master?¡±


    Now that I wasn''t expecting. Meriden shifts left and right, not knowing whether I will get angry or not. But I like the idea, Meriden seemed so submissive before. Now she will be my own pet for real.


    ¡°Of course. Why would I deny my beloved girl something that she wants? You can have the spiky collar that I made for Lilith.¡±


    With an excited yelp Meriden grabs a collar and puts it on her neck. Once it locks, the enchantment activates, so only I can take it off and order Meriden around. I try out a few commands to see if it works properly and my new slave girl happily obliges.


    Lilith looks at Meriden with a slight pout. Don''t tell me, she actually wanted it?


    ¡°Lilith, if you want one I will make you one.¡±


    ¡°No, I don''t want a slave collar. I just like the design of the one Meriden has. I would like something similar.¡±


    Aha. The fashion industry as such does not exist, neither do sex shops or BDSM type stores. Spiked dollar is my original invention within this world. Actually, it is weird how both Meriden and Lilith seem to like the same thing, while being completely opposite of one another.


    Meriden is head strong, willful and very warrior-like, but at the same time she is submissive with me. Perhaps she likes to feel under my command, to feel protected and dominated. Ever since the monster territories, she liked to call me master and obey me.


    Lilith on the other hand seem very much like a dominatrix, but she submits to me because I am her fated and because I am stronger than her. With the Bloodborn, she gladly asserts her dominance and shows them who the boss is. I could say she is more ruthless than I am, thankfully the Bloodborn are all trained for that by now.


    While I was drawing the parallels between two of my girls, Mercissa drops a bombshell.


    "Why is it that all you are talking about is who it is going next? Shouldn''t we talk about Elaya''s transformation? Or do you all want to have some children quickly?"


    "Children?"


    The thought hits me right in the face, making cold sweat form all over. I feel cold, my insides suddenly twisting and turning, making me feel uncomfortable. I have not thought about children at all. There surely was a possibility of it in the future and I was not opposed to the idea, but I didn''t expect to think about it just now, while still being inside Elaya, after spending a whole night and a day having raw, unprotected sex with her. The thoughts was just too real.


    "Hey, you didn''t need to go on and scare our dear Zern like that. Our little wolf is scared and his not so little wolf is scared too. I can feel him shrinking..."


    Elaya is unhappy. She has been riding me this whole time, sometimes licking and kissing me. It surely made girls look funny at us, but once the conversation got relevant to them, they got over that fact. It was Aedim who brought peace of mind to me.


    "Val men are known to be quiet fertile, so to counter that, Elders have long ago came up with countermeasures, using certain herbal remedies. We have all been taking the medicine to stop us from getting pregnant since your trial at the age of ten. That''s the usual time for all girls to begin taking it."


    Her words soothe my mind, I am out of danger. No little mini-Zerns running around any time soon.


    "Of course we will stop taking it before our marriage, as we all want to bear your children. Although I don''t know how it works with dragons, we will be procreating once we are all officially married."


    These words don''t make me panic or scared, I kind of figured that after our marriage something like that would happen, but having children at this point in time would have been a shock to me. I don''t want to bring a bastard into the world by having children while unmarried... Wow, what a weird thought, I never actually had such an idea before, it just popped into my head.


    "Ok, no children. But what about the transformation? That never happened before, has it? It''s women who carry the power in Val tribes in their blood and the men who transform, right?"


    Mercissa was still on the point, trying to talk about perhaps the most important subject of the century.


    "Well, I don''t know the whole story, but it seems that whatever the dark god Gargoyle did, he didn''t follow the exact procedure as the Great Guardians did. My soul being rather powerful, it seems to have purified the dark power of the Gargoyle, making it into a purer form. Now my blood will awaken any latent power as well as empower existing strength. Elaya is stronger than I was during my first transformation."


    "Yes, she also have changed a lot. I mean, I never imagined I would see her like this. It is completely different from the Elaya we all know."


    "I am sorry Ae, but Zern''s blood just makes me so horny. I can''t stop feeling hot and I all I can think of is riding Zern."


    My blood works like some sort of aphrodisiac. If that''s the case, we should be careful about whoever drinks it. We can''t just make all the girls drink it.


    "If what Elaya says is the case, perhaps we should perform the transformation on everybody in order, one by one, like we agreed before."


    Girls stayed quiet a bit at those words. They seemed to really want to be with me, but having them running around being horny would not help the matters.


    "Although, I will be awakening Lilith tonight. I need to see how my blood will affect her and if she can even be transformed at all. We will do it in our mansion, there is plenty of tools we might need."


    "Why would you do that? We have an order we agreed to!"


    Eleanor did not want to be left out to be the last, or one before last.


    "Actually, I would like Leah to be there as well. We talked about it before, we want to be together when the time comes. I hope you can indulge in my little request."


    "Very well, tonight it is Lilith and Leah. After that is Meriden, then Aedim and lastly Eleanor."


    "What!? Why would you make me last? I deserve to be treated better. I am the queen."


    "And do you remember what you put us and master through to become one? I think that all you have endured so far it too lenient of a punishment. In your place, I would be thankful that master have not banished you."


    Meriden''s words were true and spoken harshly, but nobody objected. Eleanor knew better than anybody how she treated me. She was the instigator of my betrayal and gained the most from it. If anything, I treat her better than others, because when they do mistakes, they get punished. Not as severely as Lilith, but still.


    "Now, let''s stop the discussion here. You will need to wait at most a week, maybe even less. Mercissa is going to have to wait longer and Flaer is not going to do anything at all, as I don''t think she is mature enough to be having sex. Now, put on my little gifts, get dressed and go enjoy the party. We will be out once Elaya gets plenty of love from me, the faster we are left alone, the faster we can rejoin you. I am not good at multitasking."


    The girls had gave me a few pouts, especially Flaer. Leah and Eleanor put on the collars I made for them and walked outside. Before Mercissa left I sad few more words to her.


    "Mercissa, I don''t know whether my blood will affect you and if the effect will be good for you, we can discuss it later. And whether you are sure you want to be one with me, that we will also talk about. Please, make sure you are committed when you make your decision."


    With that, all the girls left and I was alone with Elaya, able to fully enjoy her body. We stayed in the tent for a bit longer, myself trying to force my blood out of Elaya through lovemaking. Hopefully its effect will wear off soon. And no more blood for her. Others are waiting outside, many want to know what truly happened.

 Chapter 41.

    It took me about an hour of thoroughly working with Elaya to calm her down. Her libido was under control when we walked outside, but she still clung to my arm. Thankfully she was wearing proper clothes and had no intentions of removing them. I made it clear to her that I didn''t want others to see her nude body.


    Outside, people were continuing to party while talking about what happened in the afternoon. Elaya''s transformation produced a furor amongst the people, first female guardian appearing was something special. And it all was happening around me. How did it happen? Who will transform next? How does it work? Am I a girl or is Elaya a boy? Both, stupid and smart questions were asked, I tried replying to them, but I couldn''t give proper answers to everybody, as I didn''t even know them myself.


    The girls were somewhat ticked off at how I wanted to handle their transformation. They all wanted to gain power, nobody even had a thought of rejecting my blood. However, few more people came to me, asking about this new ability of mine. Firstly there were Jacob and Edward, two twin brothers traveling around with Bella, a Bloodborn  girl who should be around twelve or thirteen by now. She has been absent for a couple of years since my betrayal. It was convenient of them to come back for this exact event, when I seem to gain a power to purify and empower others. They asked what will happen if Bella were to have my blood, would she be able to make the twins her guardians? I told them that I will try turning my girls throughout the week and after that I will think about turning my Bloodborn, at which point we will see.


    Frez also came to me. He asked about whether my blood would affect him. The warlord of the Val tribes would gladly swear loyalty to me in exchange for more power to lead his people. My reply was similar, that after my girls, we will see how my blood will affect others. The same thing I told Nrogara and Regios, who wanted to know about Mercissa and her future.


    The elders were asking about this new power and I had to gather them and the few leaders who were around. I didn''t want to keep anything a secret, especially since all the people present were our allies. I told them about my vision, about my theory about demons and Val and about my thoughts on the new power.


    One of the elders was known for his vast collection of historical facts and stories. He confirmed my suspicion that Val Loudhorn may have been a half demon, his strength coming from his mother, who had a lustrous gem in her forehead and and some tattoos. The same tattoos are sometimes used to day to mark exceptional warriors or hunters, although they are voluntary.


    Hooligein took interest in my story, he himself studied the origin of his race and was curios to know that it just appeared many millennia ago, as if popping out of thin air. Having multiple thousands of people transform in one day would explain the appearance of the vile race and their worship of the god Gargoyle. He asked me about fine details and together we worked out that although I gained some of his power as well as his purified form along with his corrupted form, I was no god.


    The leaders also were curious about how my power may affect non-Val, so they would be waiting to learn of the effects. I couldn''t let them attend the transformation of the Bloodborn, explaining the aphrodisiac properties of my blood, which saddened lord Hooligein. Elven lords also seemed to be disappointed, but they hid it well.


    After a thorough discussion, we continued to party, although Lilith and Leah seemed to be very eager to go straight to the after party. They were very close to me, trying to pull me away, so I didn''t get a chance to get drunk.


    After a few hours, the three of us used the port-stones and teleported to my mansion in demon territory. There were few servants there, but they were busy with their work of keeping the place neat and clean. We snuck into my bedroom and used a special tunnel to get to my own little dungeon. It wouldn''t be necessary with any other girls, but with Lilith I believed would be some difficulty during transformation, as she will have to deal with the darkness inside her. While I purified the more do darkness in me into the blue light I have now, within Lilith I can see a black mote, circling her soul slowly. I doubt she will feel any better than what I felt during my transformation.


    She would be the first to transform, because it would be hard to control Leah and help Lilith at the same time, if Leah were to transform first. As we prepare, I ask Lilith to undress as I don''t want her to ruin her clothes, the black flames can burn anything if not controlled. And she won''t be controlling them the first time around.


    With her nude, I chain her to the wall, using hard ebonthril chain. It should be very durable and resistant to the dark flames. Leah is helping me as well, not wanting her sister to get hurt. Once Lilith is fixed in place, I pull out a metal cylinder covered in leather. Lilith will have to bite down on it to help her deal with pain, biting your tongue would be a bad idea. With everything ready, I slice my palm and let Lilith have some of my blood.


    For a few moments she is taking in my blood, trying to suck in as much as possible. After having enough, she murmurs quietly.


    ¡°So good...¡±


    But her words are cut short by a burst of black fire and lightning. Leah is hiding behind me as to not get hurt. Lilith''s form is covered with black energy, ravaging her body. Inside her, two forces battle, the black mote of darkness from the Gargoyle and a blue one from me. They are locked in a struggle over Lilith''s soul.


    My demoness is writhing in pain, biting hard on the clamp in her mouth. Her muscles spasm and contract, she seems to be experiencing something like a seizure. I decide to help her, motioning Leah to retreat, I come closer and engulf myself in my own flame. While black, my flames are purified and not file like that of the Gargoyle''s. Trying to help Lilith, I hug her, wrapping my arms and tail around her, trying to surround her with my flames to soothe her pain.


    She is moaning from pain, just like I was a few days ago. I whisper words of encouragement in her ear, but it is hard to know if they reach her. I whisper words of love, wishing to make her feel my love and my warmth towards her. I try forcing the darkness out of her. Who knows if it will help or now, but I hope it would do the job.


    We stand like that for about ten minutes, my blue light trying to force the darkness out and to protect the Lilith''s soul. My closeness seems to have helped her, as she stopped convulsing in pain after I came in contact.


    After that time, the black more is extinguished, disappearing, replaced by the light I had inside me. Lilith now has a purified blue light orbiting her soul, which begins intertwining with her soul. The black flames don''t subside just yet, changing her form into something different.


    Her hair gains a deeper red color, with slight shade of purple, like her new blood. Her eyes also turn to be like mine, with the whites gaining black color and her irises becoming deep red with slight glint of purple.


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


    Our of her forehead grow two horns, growing upwards with slight curving. I am sure she will be able to change shape as she likes. She also grows a tail like me, but without a little brush in the end. Hers is thinner, more feminine, but it seems to be just as strong. Behind her back the flames take shape of two wings, gaining a half material form, as there is not enough space for them, they are covered in flames and are half transparent.


    Her forehead also has a crimson gem now. She seems to have gained both, the cursed form and the pure form of the demon people. I wonder whether she will be able to switch between them like I do. No reason to think that she can''t. She also has crimson tattoos all over her skin, making her look tribal or more tribal than Val usually are.


    It doesn''t take much longer for her to calm down. Her painful transformation is done, her soul is safe and sound. She is all sweaty but she is ready to continue. However, I don''t let her free just yet, it wouldn''t a punishment if I did. Teasing would only spice up our evening.


    I command Leah to undress now, making sure to keep her clothes safe. I like how the two dress, it would be a shame to loose their beautiful uniforms.


    Leah''s shape is. Ore slender than other girls, although not at all bad looking. If Lilith is a girl with a very pronounced hourglass figure, Leah has smaller hips and smaller breasts, but she would still be considered a model. She is taller than most other girls. To be honest, I can''t say which one of them is most beautiful. There was a time the girls tried making me make a choice, but I just stood there comparing their nude bodies and totally lost myself in a process. We all agreed that girls are too beautiful for me to decide on a single one. They truly are.


    I didn''t bother binding Leah, her transformation should be safer. Once she is ready, I command her to stay on her knees and put her hands on top of them. I then refresh the cut I made before and let Leah sample my blood. She smelt it before which made her drool slightly, not, with her enhanced senses she dug into my hand. She really bit me, but she could''t do much but squeeze extra few drops like that. Just from the taste, she moaned, rolling her eyes and feeling like she was in heaven.


    After a few moments her body was covered in black lightning, running through her skin it transformed her, making her stronger, letting the fox inside her merge with her. Leah''s transformation was very much like Elaya''s, she gained ears, although they seemed to be bigger and more angular. She gained a very flexible and fluffy tail, which seemed very eerie. It was very thick and plushy, but it would split into multiple tails, dividing the thickness amongst them. She would get two, three, four tails. It was hard to follow them.


    Leah''s face also seemed to become more attractive, her charm magnified to be the same like mine. However due to my own expanded senses, I could see some invisible lines around Leah, like some lines coming off her nose or around her tail. I didn''t understand what it was, but it seemed to do something with her illusion and perception manipulation. And just like with everybody else, she gained sharper canines.


    Having completed her transformation, Leah didn''t waste much time and just pounced me. As she did that, my own transformation kicked in, turning me into a fox. Our fur differed in colors, my now being dark brown with gold and her being orange with shiny pink. Her eyes stayed normal blue color, only becoming more bewitching and charming. Her powers increased a lot.


    I am not going to go into every detail at this time, but what was done was beyond this realms. Both of us in our fox forms, our senses were greater than ever, making us aware of each other''s heartbeats, breathing, even pheromones. We could almost read each other''s minds. It was an incredible experience, our bodies were connected as our minds were. We were tangled together for a good half-hour before I let Lilith be free.


    While I came closer to open her shackles, Leah came over for a passionate kiss with Lilith. I wasn''t opposed to the girls kissing, all,format in fact, but I did not expect them to be doing it. They have been helping each other for a while like that, especially once I began having sessions with Lilith. She took pity on her sister, because she was overly sensitive and was going mad. My little demoness is such a good person, helping people right and left only out of goodness of her heart and not at all because she is a little, sly succubus.


    Once it was my first time with Lilith, my inner demon did not react. It was really done differently from the Guardian Beasts, but I decided to keep the tradition going and turned into my demon form.


    While I and Leah were together, we could fairly feel Lilith''s presence, her arousal, her blood pumping and the heat radiating from her body. She was squirming, bound in chains and unable to do anything but watch. It was a real torture for her, but now she would reap the reward of all the hardships she endured.


    I''ve put my whole soul into making Lilith happy. It was erotic and evil, our tails snaking together, our wings spread out, showing the world our evil nature. When we reached the peak together, our gems and our tattoos glowed, giving off a bright scarlet and a mix of gold and black.


    Leah assisted both of us during this time, mostly helping Lilith at first. She loved her sister like she loved me, their fates were close to one another. Ever since the childhood, their mischief and cunning made them bond very close, their relationship was beyond simple love. And I got to witness it blossoming right in front of me, their true natures revealed and their feelings expressed openly.


    It was the first time their mutual lust has been expressed so openly and without restraint. What they did to one another, it was beautiful and forbidden, like the apple from Eden. And I was right in-between them, lending my own helping hand and other parts.


    Once I''ve had enough with Lilith alone, I turned to my human form and we proceeded to enjoy the union of our three bodies. It was simply magnificent, I don''t have proper words to describe the feeling.


    Our time together lasted for many hours, until morning, at which point my blood seemed to finally loose the hold over their minds. With the effects ending, the exhausted girls began to slow down and fall asleep. I was more inhuman than them, so I was able to carry them up to our bed, where Meriden was soundly asleep. She must have followed us afterwards. She knows that she is next, perhaps she wants to force the timing and turn a little quicker. I won''t protest much, but let me nap first, please.


    Actually, I remember that at some point I felt another presence close to us and a smell of arousal. Was Meriden spying, hoping to get a glance on our lovemaking session? Naughty girl, this master is going to have to punish the little teddy who did something bad. I didn''t use any rough treatment with Lilith, perhaps Meriden would enjoy it more? We will have to see. But first, sleep...

 Chapter 42.

    The day after turning Lilith and Leah, Meriden followed me around for the whole time. Once we were awake, we all went back to the Val tribes to continue partying. The leaders of other territories were all there, so I could speak with whomever I wanted.


    I realized that I was now a six-way guardian, with six different powers inside. I was probably on par, if not stronger than Regios. It also meant that I could probably try and entering the Zone in monster jungle. So, I wanted to ask Regios about it.


    Finding a dragon wasn''t hard, I just had to look for the biggest number of empty casks and food plates and there he was. Unlike me, Regios couldn''t change his alcohol tolerance, so he needed vast quantities of the stuff to get a buzz.


    The dragon has finished his strong stuff already, only having one bottle and sharing it around. While it was beyond powerful, it didn''t last long.


    So, while he was somewhat drunk, he was lucid enough to talk and I proceeded to talk with him about the fight with darkness. If I wanted to go there by myself, I would need to be prepared.


    Really, nothing has changed in the past few years regarding the zone. There was a base of operation, where monsters and Val men were able to rest and heal after venturing inside, but otherwise no new threats or new progress was made. Whatever the darkness was, it stagnated, not doing anything.


    I asked about the base of operation where our forces operated from and Regios described it as a secure compound at the outskirts of the Zone, where people were safe from its influence.


    I knew that gnomes were supposed to finish a batch of stargates. I would need to get Aedim to send one of them to the Zone base, so that we could travel back and forth quickly. I would talk to her, hoping to send one there quicker. If we can set up the gates, we could provide support and supplies.


    We discussed such matters with Regios and he approved greatly. His resources, while being rather vast, were not endless. The constant fighting and suppressing of the ever expanding Zone took a toll on his treasury, making him spend plenty of money. He would need support and the treaty still hasn''t been signed. The demons are resisting as much as they can, even if Hooligein is on board. Taking into the account that gnomes and dwarves are against it as well, Val were the only ones who provided any help, as we weren''t restrained by the usual rules. Safeguarding the realm, we sent troops there with minimal support we could provide. If the gates were set up, we could give much more as traveling won''t be an issue anymore.


    We talked plenty and after the talking I was somewhat mentally tired. Meriden was there, willing to give me a hand to rest my wavering spirit. It wasn''t even that late in the evening when she teleported us into our mansion. She didn''t say anything, but to me it was obvious that she wanted to go and play like I do with Lilith. Why would she drag me into our room half way across the continent, if we could go to our tent and stay there.


    I graciously decided to indulge her little fantasy and led her into my private dungeon. There I proceeded to play with my slave, ordering her around, making her obey my orders. Then I used my tail to discipline her not to spy on her master. I didn''t overdo it, but I would hope''d remember not to do it in the future. We had a thorough sessions of punishment before I proceeded to turn Meriden.


    She was the second highest of all the girls, only slightly behind Leah, with the height of slightly less than 170 cm. The girls still had some growing up to do, perhaps even go through a growth spurt.


    Meriden had a well toned body, forged through vigorous training and frequent fights, so when she tensed you could see well defined muscles. She even had a slight six pack, which was not obvious unless she tensed. Her shoulder were broad because she was athletic, but she didn''t look too masculine as she had wide hips as well. The hips of a woman who would bear children in the future, she was made for that.


    When she drunk my blood, she didn''t receive any visual changes, other than a slight growth of her muscles. She got sharper teeth, which could be seen when she smiled, but otherwise she remained unchanged. Her transformation was mostly internal, making her bones and muscles denser and stronger. She gained weight after she turned, but I stayed quiet about that.


    After the transformation was complete, Meriden was a little disappointed that she still looked the same, she wanted to have some bear features, but asked I asked what would she like, perhaps a stubby bear tail or the circular ears, she couldn''t reply as she didn''t like the things I mentioned. She however enjoyed her new increased strength as she would be closer to me now and her thicker skin would protect her better.


    After she was done admiring her new body, we proceeded with taming. The girl didn''t hold back, trying to milk me dry and using her strength when sticking her nails into my back. I had to use my tail a couple of times, making her understand not to hurt her master. She was more enduring than others, perhaps because of her training, so we spent many hours from the early evening until the first signs of dawn making hot, passionate and wild love. Well, as passionate as we could, with that time being her first.


    The next day we proceeded to party more, slowly exhausting the supply of drinks and appetizers. There was a lot of food prepared, but it was dwindling slowly as all the different guests would eat more and more each day, trying to fight the hangovers and the exhaustion from the previously wild night.


    I too ate my share, my appetite being monstrous after all the transformation and the workout I''ve been getting. Elaya tried coercing me into giving her loving, but I told her that until all of them were turned, they would have to wait. There were only two left at the moment.


    That day was spent nearby Aedim, as she was also eager to have her virtue taken. Others hovered around, just trying to get some attention or a kiss from me. Of course I shared my affection, but I did not go further. This day would belong to Aedim alone.


    She had some nice drinks, trying different wines from elves and demons. She was the most sophisticated and well mannered of all of us, as well as the most mature of the group. Even Eleanor and Elaya were behind her in that regard. Aedim knew many things and she liked to hear about my knowledge from the other worlds. Lately we rarely spent much time together, her being busy with developing the teleportation technology and myself being busy with Bloodborn and demons.


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    When it came to the show of affection, Aedim was somewhat restrained, but not because she was shy like Elaya previously or because she was afraid of intimacy with me due to promise or such thing, no, those things didn''t bother her. However, she firmly believed that intimacy should be intimate, shared amongst only the closest of people. She wouldn''t want to give some strangers the view of her passionate kiss. And believe me, her kisses were passionate. She seemed very mature, not like the girls who often acted like children, she had composure and she had style. I did not doubt that making love with her would be different then making love to other girls.


    When the evening began to turn into the night, we retreated. Aedim expressed a wish to fly around for a bit and to carry her to a specific place. As I took her in my arms and flew up, we looked around at the scenery, the great trees covered in snow, the rare clearings with piles of the snow sitting as if asking to jump into them.


    Aedim enjoyed the flight, not terrified at all. We spent half an hour moving through the chilly air, looking at the forest from high above. While it was beautiful, I understood that Aedim was a little nervous, trying to clam herself down. With all the maturity, she was still a woman, a girl at that. I decided to take matters in my own hands and landed beside the lake.


    Being related to dragons, drakes didn''t get bothered by cold or hot temperatures, allowing them to thrive in plenty of environments. What''s more, lacking wings, drakes seemed to be more suited for swimming, with their tails allowing them to get around quickly. While I didn''t get any extra lung capacity of gills in my drake form, it was still very good form for aquatic movement. Perhaps, if Aedim''s transformation is strong enough, we could have a midnight swim in an almost frozen lake.


    When Aedim was ready, we began the ritual. Well, I call it ritual, but it was just me cutting myself and letting her drink my blood. She was naked, standing on her clothes and lightly shivering from the cold. Her body was magnificent, illuminated by the moonlight, it seemed to shimmer. She had a mature side to her beauty, just like with her character, not being as cute as others even at the age of fifteen. She was sexy, attractive, but not cute like a little girl.


    Her expressions were more complicated, her seduction was more refined than that of Elaya or even Lilith. Even her embarrassment was different from the others.


    When she drunk my blood, her shivering stopped, her body temperature rising. With her transformation, she was in pain, horns and tail growing, just like with me. I embraced her to help her through it, my body pressing against hers. While the change happened, the magical force inside her went out of control, engulfing us in a weak flame and changing the colors of Aedim''s hair and eyes. They would flash through colors quickly, until they would return to normal once the transformation stopped.


    The black lightning surged through her for a bit, changing her until her new form was revealed. She remained humanoid, more humanoid than myself in drake form, but she was undoubtedly a drake. She now had two large horns going up, with exquisite curves to them. They were green and brown in color just like he hair.


    Her eyes now had vertical pupils, which I thought were fitting, making her look like a dragon, a true form of worldly power. She however changed them to normal, using transformation magic. She was training said magic, to stop her hair and eyes from turning different colors since she was little, so it came easy to her to change her eyes or shape her horns. Otherwise, it would have been inconvenient


    I told her that I liked her eyes, which made her blush. With that she pressed her naked body closer to me and wrapped me with her tail. She now also had a tail like me. It was not covered in scales like Imthoughht it would. Aedim didn''t change much at all actually, which made me both released and just a tad disappointed. Although, Aedim could change her shape around and make her skin into scales, but it was not the same.


    After her transformation was complete, we exchanged passionate kisses and embraces, studying each others'' bodies. We did such things before, but it was mostly to tease each other slightly, different from the intent we had now.


    Feeling the nearing of the sacred moment, my drake form was released. It was slightly more human than normal, but the difference were minimal. With that, we proceeded to make love, both passionate and sensual. It was her first time, so I made her look like a real woman. She was unrestrained, not keeping her outcries of pleasure inside, she enjoyed every moment of it.


    It turned out that her skin was tougher than normal, very much like my scales. And, what I enjoyed a lot, she was able to swim within the cold waters of the lake. We spent plenty of time swirling around and splashing each other. And lovemaking in water was also something new, both of us seemingly made to live in water. I could only imagine, how a naga would mate, their bodies made for water fully.


    We spent hours actually not having sex, instead sharing the sensuality of the moment, the love that we had for each other. Aedim,s true maturity shined here, being able to withstand my blood to such an extent and see through the pink haze. Her mind was stronger than her body.


    By the morning my girl finally succumbed to the exhaustion, becoming tired from the transformation and from making love. I carried her naked body to our tent, covering her with my wings and black flames. In there, we both went to sleep, covered in animal fur. We were Val after all, savage barbarians of the northern forest. Animals at heart and now in body.

 Chapter 43.

    Waking up, I felt somewhat heavy. Today was Eleanor''s turn. It was the first thought that came into my mind. For some reason it didn''t make me that happy, instead it made me somewhat angry. I was sure that I''ve put everything behind me, seeing how well I got along with Leah and Lilith, but it seems that not all my feelings were sorted.


    Just last night I had a splendid time with Aedim and before that with Meriden, but today I felt some pressure, as if I forced myself to go ahead. Did I not want to go ahead with Eleanor''s trial? I mean, I was angry at her before, but I forgave her, didn''t I?


    I know that she was the instigator of my betrayal, the other two only following her orders, but even though the two vixen were the ones who did more harm, kidnapping Meriden, Elaya and Aedim, getting information and more, it is Eleanor whom I am angry at.


    I punished her somewhat, but I couldn''t separate her from other two, it would be unfair to her, they played a major part on her plot. But them, they were forgiven easily, their bodies and soul now belonged to me, But Eleanor, she still has her arrogance, thinking of herself as queen and demanding royal treatment. She did not learn her lesson and she thought herself innocent.


    We avoided one another a lot, I''ve seen her much less than others. She pushed most of the communication onto Leah, so I barely had her near me. May be she wanted to avoid me as much as I her.


    Even throughout the trials and parties, Eleanor tried getting away from me once we were alone, not wanting to see much by herself. Was she afraid of me? Or did she feel my hidden animosity towards her?


    I didn''t know the truth, but the question filled my mind and made me ask myself such things. It was a hard morning to wake up and carry on. The unknowing weighing heavily on my shoulders, the uncertainty messing up with my head. I avoided thinking about it for precisely this reason.


    Leaving Aedim sleeping, I leave the tent and walk around the party. It is already afternoon, it seems I am getting into the habit of waking up so late. People are mostly awake now, still partying. My trials have always been so great, with parties and fun. Every time we would go for days afterwards, just wasting time. If people underwent the trials at the same time, they did them before mine, so they could party with us and not have to put up with plenty of people walking around drunkenly. Only those who were plenty far didn''t care much.


    I grab a rum-like drink and with my tolerance lowered, I take a nice big gulp of the stuff, making the burning sensation go down my throat. It is nice being a monster, my throat doesn''t mind having horrible substances and things showed down. I can easily cram a whole steak down without even chewing.


    With my mind heavy with questions, I decide that the best way is to drink all the worries away, I am not planning to be having children in the next year, so I can drink all I want. Trying to get rid of the stress, I overdo it a little and start partying like crazy. Before I know it, the party goes full force, people dancing, singing and fighting. The fur balls running around, doing whatever it is they do. The girls start dancing as well, showing off their new bodies, which I must say make them look sexier than before.


    Strangely, Eleanor is not around. In fact, I haven''t seen much of her since our talk in the tent after I turned Elaya. She is avoiding me now. I understand that something is wrong, but I am unwilling to do something to fix it. I just want to forget it and ignore the problem... No, this is the exact mentality I had when I ran away before, I have to face it now.


    I depart from the party looking around for Eleanor. I asked Leah and others, but they didn''t know where she was. Running around, there doesn''t seem to be any sigh of the queen around, it''s like she isn''t even here. Asking around, many people didn''t see her much today or yesterday.


    It is still daytime, but if it goes like this, I won''t be able to talk to her. In order to find her, I decide it would be best to use my meditation. I settle down atop some tree and close my eyes, listening in to her heartbeat. I did this before and still do from time to time, but I haven''t purposefully looked for a single one of the girls like this. I doubt I''d be able to do the same with anybody else, like Frez or Bella, I don''t know their heartbeats well enough.


    Listening in, I find something strange. Eleanor is nowhere near the forest. I can''t hear her heartbeat at the party, in any of the tents, anywhere in nearby places... I extend my range and try to cover as much area as possible. With a quick scan, I understand that she is not in the Great Forest. That or her heart isn''t beating... But surely she is not dumb enough for that...


    I turn into my fox form as well as augment it with other beasts, pushing my senses to the limit. Now I can feel the smells from the party even I am a rom them, but I don''t need that right now, hearing is what''s important. I shut down my senses one by one, sight, taste, smell, touch...


    Pushing on, I extend the range of my sense of hearing, listening for that single heartbeat, the girl whom I am angry at. I don''t clearly understand how far it extends, but I push on. At some point I hear it. The slight noise, the drumming of the heart. It is far away to the east and to the north... The human kingdom? Did my senses reach quarter of the way across the world? What?


    I found the last of the six girls and I know where she is now. Ignoring the ridiculous power or my senses, I charge for my tent to grab the portstone. I set it to go to the human capital, specifically my chambers, where it leads to. Once there I search around for Eleanor.


    Using the same method, I quickly find her away from the castle and below ground. After twenty minutes of running around, I finally come to the place where Eleanor sits. The dark place, it smells foul, the floor covered with my dried blood. It is the same place that I stayed at for five months previously.


    ¡°Eleanor, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Why did you come Zern? You should be enjoying the party.¡±


    I can see that the girl has been crying. Her cheeks have wet trails going down, but she still tries to sound dignified.


    ¡°I came here for you, you ran away from us. Why?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn''t I? You hate me, the way you treat me, it''s evident. The way you speak to me, you treat me compared to others. Why do you even bother trying to speak good to me?¡±


    ¡°You are one of my six...¡±


    ¡°So what? You still hate me after what I''ve done. Why do you keep up appearances, why don''t you just discard me like you should have?¡±


    ¡°Eleanor...¡±


    ¡°What Zern?! I know how you feel, I see it every time you look at me. The anger, the scorn, the contempt for me. It was the same way I looked at you back then. Why do you insist of me being one of the six?¡±


    She is crying now, not hiding her tears, not trying to look strong.


    ¡°Why do you keep going? You punish others for me, you push me away and then you treat me like nothing happened. I can''t stay like that. Just sort this out already!¡±


    ¡°Eleanor, you are my fated...¡±


    ¡°So what?! We have a dozen children born, fated to one another? And do they all go on marrying and becoming one big family? No, they have one single partner each! What is it to you that you have me or not?


    I slowly come to her, trying not to look away from the crying girl. She looks so weak right now, her inner turmoil, her weakness exposed for me to see.


    ¡°You are still my fated...¡±


    ¡°Stop with that! Why do you keep calling me that? Why do you treat me badly if I am your fated? Clearly you don''t want me to be. Just pick somebody else and be done with this. After all I''ve done, you still treat me like crap...¡±


    At those words I snap, I come closer to her, pick her up with my hands and slam her into the wall. She flinches from the impact but stays conscious and looks at me.


    ¡°What you''ve done? Girl, don''t fuck with me. Do you know how many lifetimes I''ve lived? I don''t remember them, but I know they are there! And you know the worst thing that can happen to you? No, it''s not torture, it is not death or loss of loved ones, those things heal, after a year or a decade or a lifetime, but they heal. It is betrayal. The trust you''ve put in somebody, shattered by an act of betrayal, that is what hurts the most!¡±


    At some point I''ve changed into my behemoth lion form, towering over her, my claws dig into her skin, making blood come out. Four claws on each hand dig into her back and two from my thumbs cut her shoulders. Her face distorts in pain, she is terrified to see me like that.


    ¡°You are my fated, my one pillar that should be holding me up in this world. I didn''t care for the betrayal of my father, the elders or the humans. What hurt me was you, one of my fated, going out of your way to hurt me! Do I care about being a king? I don''t! I told Bella and now I am telling you, the only thing that matters in the world are the memories you leave behind when you go!¡±


    I begin shouting, almost roaring at this point. The echo travels through the empty corridors, through the stone walls. I don''t care if somebody hears me now.


    ¡°What I wanted was all of us living a happy life! I would have fine to life peacefully, being simple tribesmen, hunting and having children! I don''t need to be some hero or king to enjoy life.¡±


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    ¡°Zern, I only wanted to do something for you, like others...¡±


    ¡°Did I ever say I needed you to do something? Did I ever tell others that? No, I am grateful just to have you girls, I don''t need anything from you. Throughout many lifetimes, there are many shit things that happen. And throughout all that, you learn to enjoy the little things, the minutes you''ve spent with the ones you love.¡±


    My temper cooled down now, my outburst mostly gone, now simply the residual feelings flowing outwards.


    ¡°All I wanted was to create great memories. Yes, I am angry at you, but I don''t hate you, not as much as you hate yourself. Just look at yourself, you''ve become arrogant again, like you used to be back then, before you met me. You think of yourself as high and mighty queen, treating others like that, treating me like that. Is that what you wanted to be when you decided to become mine?¡±


    A valid question to be asked. Eleanor was the one who wanted to be with me, she reached out to become one of the six, even before the Leah and Lilith. She changed through our times together, becoming kinder, gentler. But now, she was turning back to her normal self.


    ¡°Don''t you see? I wanted for you to remember all the good things about us, to tell our children how we loved one another. But all you can think of now is your betrayal, your guilt is eating at you from the inside, consuming what you''ve become through out time together. You are loosing whatever we''ve built together. I will get over my anger, but will you ever recover from what you''ve done?¡±


    Hearing my words, Eleanor''s eyes open in shock. She didn''t think of it like that, she felt guilty, but she thought that she had to act like a royal queen or otherwise her efforts were all for naught. If she couldn''t make me forget her betrayal, at least she could make her effort not be in vain, becoming the best queen she could be. But that also meant, she would forsake whatever she was with me.


    ¡°I was hurt, badly, by your betrayal. But what hurts me now is the fact that you are betraying our time together, the happy years we had, the memories we forged together, just to prove to somebody that your betrayal was a good thing. It wasn''t and it would never be, but I don''t care. If you would have turned into the sweet girl I knew and loved, it would have been forgotten by now, but instead you chose to keep playing this role you yourself came up with. You foolish little girl.¡±


    My voice now sounded more sad than angry. I have felt detached from Eleanor for quite a while and even if Eleanor wasn''t my absolute favorite of the girls, It still hurt me to see her turn into whatever she once was, throwing away everything we''ve done together. The girl is crying now, pouring out her own feeling she didn''t know were there. Her cries are not muffled or quieted, she no longer holds them back, letting them go.


    ¡°Zern, I am sorry, I am so sorry...¡±


    I bring her closer to me and rub her back slowly, trying to calm her.


    ¡°There, it''s ok now. I had my share of betrayals before, I don''t remember them but I would have forgiven you given time. You don''t need to prove to anybody that what you did was right. We all make mistakes, and although some maybe vast, all of them can be forgiven. I don''t want you to carry on, thinking about how you betrayed me and how because of that our relationship was ruined. We are one, body and soul, fated to be together.¡±


    Eleanor hugs my furry body, trying to bury her face in my soft fur, trying to stop her tears. She has forgotten this closeness, this familiarity we once shared. She missed it and now that she regained it, it made her cry out.


    ¡°Humans are foolish, thinking that one lifetime is all we have. We die and we carry on, forgetting what happened before. It is only when you know that death is not the end that you realize what is truly important. We all make mistakes, some small and some grave, but they all deserve to be forgiven, if the person who made them realizes it. You tried covering yours up, but you shouldn''t have. I forgive you for it, now it is time you forgive yourself...¡±


    Like that, I stop my long speech and let the girl cry. There may be more things I could have said, more things that I should have told her, but I felt it was enough. She understood the reason for my anger and why I treated her the way I did. She understood that she was also at fault, perhaps even more than me.


    I turn into my usual form and hold the girl that is before me. It is not the queen, the great Eleanor of the Val''Halla tribe, it is my bride, my little girl who got lost in her own feelings, now crying in my arms. I let her, making sure she understands that I am close, that I still love her.


    I let her carry on for a while, before I pick her small frame in my arms and carry her in a princess carry to our chambers. She doesn''t resist, she just hides her face in my chest, feeling like the girl she is supposed to be.


    The hard experiences and the dangers of the world chisel away the soft and kind childish experiences that girls should have, only to reveal a distorted image behind that. The children here grow up too fast, even if surrounded by love and care. Sometimes, they need to be reminded that they can have their weakness, their time to lean on somebody else and to let them be frail.


    When we reach our chamber, we simply lie in bed, hugging one another. It is still evening, the sun only now setting, letting this world swim in the darkness of the night. We embrace one another, making sure that we are both there, supporting one another. This day I reclaimed my pillar, the person who supports me and carries me on. And Eleanor, she reclaimed a pillar of her own, the pillar she trampled over in her misguided way, wishing to be strong, she only grown weaker, now she rebuilt the foundation of her strength.


    We lay like that, just enjoying the kinship, the love we once shared for one another. We haven''t felt this close in a while, not during out baths together, not during our meetings and not during the time we would sleep close to one another. Truthfully, we both missed it.


    We spend a few hours laying close together, not sleeping, just taking in the sensation of another body close to us. At some point, Eleanor starts stirring and looks in my eyes with a pleading look.


    ¡°Zern, uhm, if you''d have, I would like to be one with you. Like... Like the others.¡±


    She is scared to speak her true feelings, trying to be as humble as possible. I bend down to her face and give her a kiss. It is not a passionate kiss I shared with Aedim or a wild kiss I shared with Elaya, it is an innocent and pure kiss of love and affection. Just simple touch of the lips and gentle brush of her hair.


    Truly, even if Eleanor acts mature, tries to rule the whole kingdom and generally does a lot of work, she is still innocent at heart, trying to harden it for her own sake. Out of all the girls, she is the smallest, being about 160cm she still has some growing up to do. Her breasts are size two, and her figure is a little small, her hips not as wide as of any other girl. Overall she is rather petite.


    I take her in my arms and stand up off the bed, bringing us some distance away from it. Once we are safe from ruining anything important, I begin my part. Biding my lip, I reach down and kiss Eleanor, giving her some of my blood. She likes it, trying the taste and then parts her lips to invite me. We kiss, still quite innocently, but with me guiding her through.


    After few moments, she is covered in black flame, burning our clothes off, leaving us standing there naked. Her form changes, black lighting going through her body. Out of her lower back grows a tail, similar to mine. Her ears turn into a half circles and go higher up on her head, making her look like a lion. Her hair turns wavy, shinier than before. No longer straight, her hair now looks like a real mane, although she would be bold if she was a real lioness. When her transformation is complete, we embrace one another again and proceed to kiss.


    This time Eleanor is pushing forward, my blood having effects. Out tails come together, turning, covering one another in a spiral. We begin touching one another, exploring out bodies. I pick her up again and carry her to bed, where we both fall and continue.


    The love I made with Eleanor was tender and sweet. I wouldn''t have thought, but she was the most innocent of all the girls, most inexperienced. We took out time, moving slowly, until we reached climax. We spent out time together, making love and tending to our needs.


    By the end, I felt like some weight has been lifted, some of my anger has been cleared away. I am not the same good Zern I was before, but I am also not ruthless Zern I was just now. My mind seems clearer, less hazy and I seem to think more rationally now. The changes are not great, but perhaps they are necessary.


    We both fall asleep together, our bodies clinging to each other. We both changed this day, something inside clearing away, showing our true selves to the other. Perhaps now we can really put the past behind us.

 Chapter 44.

    The day after I unite with Eleanor we both wake up in our emperor sized bed in our chambers. I feel lighter, stronger than before, my mind clearer than it has been in a while.


    As I wake up and move, the girl lying next to me also opens her eyes and looks at me. Her face shows a bright smile, her expression is that of happiness. We haven''t felt this good for months.


    ¡°Good morning, beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, my king.¡±


    The girl gets up, putting her weight on one hand while covering herself with covers using the other one. Her hair is messy and she looks very cute. This seems somewhat cliche, but I really like the look. I give her a kiss and make her blush.


    ¡°We need to get back to others. Let''s get dressed.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    Eleanor seems unlike her usual self. She is shy and self conscious. This is somewhat unbelievable, I would imagine Elaya acting like this. Although she did apologize for her behavior after our night together, she didn''t revert to her usual shy persona.


    Now, from my queen a gentle, soothing aura radiates. If my transformation into a lion made me seem regal, like a true king, Eleanor became more like a mother than a queen. Her look is gentle and her demeanor is very calm and composed. Well, she really is a merciful queen she set out to be beside a ruthless king.


    We both get dressed, our previous clothes somewhat ruined. But, it''s not like we are rulers of a whole kingdom, have a castle and wardrobe full of clothing? We put on some fancy clothes and then use portstones to get back to the Val tribes.


    This past week, a lot of things happened. I learned the truth about myself, my origin, the demon race and the gods of this realm. I''ve discovered a new power which has been granted onto me by the Gargoyle through Lilith. I have finally resolved the incident of the betrayal, putting it behind us. Now we can really move on.


    The two of us arrive at the central tribe, not too far from where the party is happening. I use the portstones to get in touch with other girls. Thankfully, Aedim and Elaya were near them so they heard my plea to get everyone together. By the time we reach them, they are all waiting for me, the six fated, plus Flaer and Mercissa.


    Before I even said anything, Eleanor stood before them and spoke up.


    ¡°Dear sisters, Elaya, Aedim, Meriden, Leah and Lilith.¡± She turned to each one and bowed from her waist. ¡°I ask you for forgiveness, for everything that I have done. It was my fault that you were captured during my betrayal and through me rushing my plans, all of you were hurt. I apologize for my arrogance and for my ignorance.¡± She bowed her head once again.


    Everybody looks at the blond girl amused. Even I didn''t expect such a drastic change this quickly. But it''s a good change, that''s for sure. The girls have surprised expressions and look at Eleanor with disbelief. Lilith is the first to come to her senses.


    ¡°Wow Zern, I didn''t know that you fuck so good, you got some sense into the girl.¡±


    ¡°Aha, it is not the... Fucking... That got sense into me, it was before that.¡± The usually unmoving queen now feels that swearing is difficult for her. She is shy to say ¡°fuck¡±! I really did an exorcism in her!


    ¡°I liked the foreplay, but it didn''t change me into a better human being, what has he done to you dear?¡± Aedim also seems amused by this change.


    ¡°Zern has made me realize that what I did was truly wrong, but where I was going, nothing was there for me but bitter sadness and that I still had him and I had you.¡± Eleanor takes my hand and brings it to her cheek and then looks at her sisters with a gentle gaze.


    ¡°So, I''ve talked with our queen and we worked out our differences. There won''t be any more punishments or unfair treatments.¡±


    ¡°So, do we have to take off our collars?¡± Leah said that with both, anticipation and disappointment.


    ¡°No, keep them on, I like them. Sit.¡± Three girls all sat down, obeying my commands. Lilith also sat, copying them. Only Elaya and Aedim were left standing as well as dragons.


    ¡°So, I am sorry, I don''t understand, what is happening?¡±


    ¡°Sister! Zern mounted queen Eleanor last night and now she obeys him like I do! It''s simple!¡±


    ¡°Ah. It really is simple.¡±


    ...


    Fucking dragons.


    ¡°No, Mercissa, we had a problem before, but we solved it, now everything is fine. What I wanted to talk to you about is what do we do now that my rites are complete?¡±


    I sit down and everybody who is still standing also joins me on the ground. Sitting inside the tent, it is rather warm, not like outside where there is plenty of snow.


    ¡°What exactly do you have in mind?¡± Elaya is the one to ask questions now.


    ¡°Well, now that we have six of you turned, who is next?¡± As I say that, I look at Mercissa, who still seems a bit lost. Perhaps she made a mistake and entered a wrong tent. Sometimes I really wonder that...


    ¡°Ah, eh, I don''t know. I mean, I like you, I love you. I want to stay here. But my brother, he wants me to return.¡±


    The girls all start talking to her in unison. I can'' take out what they are saying, but the general idea is ¡°What do you want?¡±. So many girls and each one has her own idea. Except for Flaer, she sat down on my lap and hums a song that she calls ¡°Mount song¡±. It''s a song about being mounted. Obviously.


    I let the girls have their own little conversation and play with my tail meanwhile. I use the brush at the end to tickle Flaer and she giggles like a little girl. She is what, three hundred years old? I forget the ages of people. Thank god that six of my girls are the same age as me, otherwise I would need one of them to write down the ages of all others. Although I am sure that Aedim does it anyway.


    ¡°Girls, settle down. Mercissa, I don''t know what you want and whether you like it here, but let me tell you. We like you. I and my girls, we all accept you and we would gladly accept you into our family and make you a permanent member. If you are worried about your brother, I think he is going to get over it. If he doesn''t, I am sure I can beat him now, since I have six of the... Essences? Aspects?..¡±


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    ¡°Dark souls.¡± Aedim contributes to the conversation.


    ¡°Demon souls.¡± And Lilith just takes a piss now...


    ¡°Six powers. Plus, I want to see if turning you will then have any effect on me. I have a hunch.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure. I think I want to stay with you.¡±


    ¡°About damn time!¡± Lilith is relieved.


    ¡°Now, we will talk about the date of the transformation in a bit, but there is another issue. The Bloodborn.¡±


    ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°Well, unlike you, Elaya, all of them are simple folk, not born of the Val tribes and not carrying any power inside. I don''t know how it will affect them if at all. What I am thinking about is picking one from each race we have and turning them. We have Eclaire for demons. What about others?¡±


    ¡°They don''t have a solid leader as they don''t treat each other as different races. Even if they look different, they were all born in blood together through the mercy of their lord and savior Zern the Fiend.¡± Leah has a slight smile as she says it. The Bloodborn are quite the fanatics when it comes to me.


    ¡°Well, it doesn''t matter then. Just pick somebody you like. What my main concern is what happens after they drink my blood. You six have experienced the after effects of the transformation, what do you think will happen? I am thinking of giving my blood to a Val man, Frez to try as well, but he has a wife. The Bloodborn, except for our dear little Bella, they don''t have partners.¡±


    Eleanor who is on my right and Elaya who is on my left, both take my hands into theirs.


    ¡°Zern. You have six wives and two dragons who want you, you are currently a leader of a whole kingdom, a house in the demon territories and the strongest man in the history of our tribe. There are about fifty woman who serve under you and who want to be with you. You have been faithful to us all this time and haven''t strayed at all. Do you think we will mind if you get some concubines?¡±


    Eleanor speaks with an almost indifferent expression as she says those words. Her tone is gentle, nothing like her arrogant one before.


    ¡°Yes. We had slight doubts through the years, but you never made a mistake. You were always true to us and cared for us deeply. It is understandable of you have more women. Leaders always have women other than their wives. Ever since Mercissa came into our life, such possibility has been evident to us. It would happen eventually.¡±


    Elaya also seems rather calm about it. Are they for real? Is it really ok to have even more women? Six is a handful, with eight it got crazy, do they really want to give me even more?


    As I am slightly shocked, Elaya comes close and bites my ear while Eleanor kisses me on the cheek gently. Aedim whispers something to Mercissa, who gathers up Flaer and walks out of the tent. The others start getting closer to me.


    ¡°Girls, you can''t be serious. What happens if any of them get pregnant? They might have men they like, I can''t be enough for them all, what if they want love or if they want to be wed? This is all too big a deal.¡±


    Leah comes over and kisses me on the lips. She tries to shut me up and once she is successful, she parts her lips for a moment.


    ¡°Let us take care of the logistics, you just enjoy the little gift we give you. I am sure that there is enough Fiend for all of us.¡±


    With those words she proceeds kissing me. Aedim begins undressing me and Meriden helps her. This was a trap!


    With only us in the tent, the girls turn this into the love fest. They get undressed once I am totally naked and proceed with manipulating me. I must say that their ways are good, the good ol'' stick and a carrot approach, although even if I was given the carrot, I was the one giving the stick.


    That day I stayed sober and didn''t leave the tent once. Considering that we came to the Val tribe somewhere during the morning, the fact that I exhausted them completely only just before the dawn of the next day was a miracle of some sort. I am sure somewhere, somebody is creating the statue of me.


    This was a true beauty, the girl showing me how much they loved me. I never thought they would be ok with is and dreaded what my relationship with the Bloodborn would become. Over the years I really got used to the girls, helping them and getting help from them. This new turn of events is going to change everything.


    Eventually we calmed down and were able to talk a bit. It was decided that first, we would turn the Bloodborn and Frez. Aedim proposed the idea of initiating Frez as a Bloodborn, which would make him the first male in out faction, other than me. I liked the idea and Frez also agreed to it. He wanted to join me for a while but never had the balls... The chance to ask.


    We would be turning Mercissa later for two reasons. First, we would need to settle things with Regios and make sure that Mercissa was hundred percent for it. Her chilling behavior and absent-mindedness made it somewhat uneasy for me, like forcing something onto somebody who wasn''t sure of the consequences. Although at times Mercissa showed maturity, which was very welcome.


    The second reason was, I didn''t want to create a fiend of some sort. I was pretty sure that I wouldn''t, but if my blood worked like the girls'' did, there was still a slight possibility of that. So, to make sure we don''t have some dragon fiend, we would start with easier to manage people, like the Bloodborn. The date was decided a week from now. In the meanwhile, we would have plenty of time to enjoy the new us, the overly sexual teenagers and a fiend.