Chronicles of Eden - Act III (43 page)

“A Darker One,” Rulo said cautiously.

“
The
Darker One,” Sasha corrected solemnly.

Forrus glanced to them worriedly then to Daemon as the boy had a serious expression on his face.

“The greatest and darkest power in all the world,” he stated. “Sealed away by the power of that ancient artifact, that is what lies within the forgotten City of Eden.”

Forrus felt a cold chill running down her spine from his words. Daemon looked to the fire with a distant gaze while Sasha and Rulo watched Forrus carefully.

“That is why we hunt that succubus,” Sasha explained. “Why we must stop her from collecting the fragments of the key.”

“Nobody can open that seal, nobody,” Rulo said shaking her head.

Forrus looked at them with wonder then to Daemon before scratching her head with a worried murmur.

“A rather dark and unsettling tale, to say the least,” she admitted. “But what proof do you have of any of this? If this is just based off of legends and stories, how can you believe it yourself?”

Daemon slowly looked back to her with a cold stare, the lycan trembling a bit and leaning back on her seat.

“I don’t wish to upset you,” she pleaded. “And I want to believe what you’ve told me, but do you have any-”

Before she could continue Daemon held his gloved hand up to her, the girl watching as he then took off his glove while remaining silent. Forrus gasped and fell back off her seat with a thump, staring with shock at the boy’s hand while he slowly walked closer to her. She frantically scooted back on the grass, with Sasha and Rulo watching her with dull glares as the lycan scrambled back and hit against a tree before she trembled with fright.

“What in Eden are you?” Forrus asked shakily, her eyes staring at the boy’s hand which was reptilian and covered in black scales. He had small sharpened nails and sleek, black scales covering his entire hand and wrist. Forrus shook her head as she slowly stood up against the tree, staring at Daemon with both surprise and fear as he walked up to her.

“I am a guardian of Eden,” Daemon replied without any hint of pride. “One of the very few that knows the truth behind this world, and the keeper of the forgotten city from ages past. My family has been charged with this duty for generations, as old as the history books reflect, and will not allow this world to come to an end on our watch.”

Forrus stared at him with a stunned expression then glanced to seeing Sasha and Rulo standing up, both watching her with solemn gazes that showed he wasn’t joking.

“The seal he speaks of is real,” Sasha confirmed.

“We’ve seen it ourselves,” Rulo added.

Forrus looked back to Daemon while rendered speechless then to his hand, the boy flexing it slightly before her.

“A gift and a curse for those chosen to protect that city,” Daemon said distantly.

Forrus slowly looked back into his eyes as her stance relaxed, the lycan staring at the boy with absolute wonder.

“Are you a monster too?”

The boy’s reptilian hand gave off a cold blue flame around it briefly, with Forrus feeling a sudden wave of energy rippling by her, causing her legs to feel weak as she gripped the tree behind her for support.

“What defines a monster for you?” he questioned. Forrus slowly looked him over then showed a curious expression. He appeared to be human in her eyes, except for his hand which was obviously not natural for a human to have. She remembered his powerful magic and his precise focus when he confronted and drove away a Darker One right before her eyes, his fighting prowess and control being more than she thought a human could possess.

“But your hand… your power… you’re not like other humans,” she said softly. “The magic you used to ward away a Darker One without fear, your skill using your blade as if it was an extension of your own self, and the sheer control you demonstrate at all times. If not for you being male I would believe you to be a monster. Yet seeing you as you are now, I feel confused about what I know monsters to be.”

“There is much you don’t know in this world,” Sasha mentioned.

“If you knew what we knew, you’d never look at anything the same again,” Rulo said shaking her head.

Forrus showed intrigue and dread to that as Daemon just stared into her eyes still.

“All you need to concern yourself with is that I have my duty to fulfill in life,” he said with a cold tone. “Something that is of the highest priority and nothing shall get in my way of doing so.”

“I feel at a loss for words,” Forrus admitted. “Your fortitude and strength, your skill in combat, the focus in your eyes, are you a knight of your home?”

“Such a petty title isn’t enough to convey my master’s greatness,” Sasha snapped.

“Sasha,” Daemon said flatly, with the reptile girl twitching then looking down worriedly.

“I mean, Daemon.”

Daemon shook his head then put his glove back over his reptilian hand while Forrus had her eyes locked onto him still.

“A knight fights for his king and queen,” he said distantly. “To defend his home and those closest to him. I have no king, no queen, and my home is but a shadow of its former glory. I am merely a guardian of the past, one whose duty will never end.”

Forrus slowly nodded as she held onto the tree behind her.

“I understand,” she spoke humbly. “Those that killed my pack in cold blood, as heinous as they have proven themselves to be, you have a quest that overshadows my vengeance for them by far.” The lycan held a hand over her chest with a timid expression and slowly stood up next to the tree.

“Had I heard such tales from any other, I would have believed them to be mad. But I cannot doubt you with what you say, I know you speak the truth, everything I am tells me to listen to you. Please, I wish to help you with your crusade, for as long as I shall live in this world. Enlighten me, guardian of the City of Eden, tell me more about what I am blind to in this world, open my eyes to the truth.”

“You’d save yourself much grief if you would just walk away right now,” Sasha grunted.

“We don’t need another tagging along and slowing us down,” Rulo added with an oink.

Forrus looked to them with a glare as she bared her teeth slightly.

“I’ve lost everything in my life!” she snapped at them. “My entire family, my sisters, all killed before me! I had nothing else but my revenge to live for, nothing but anger and hatred driving me forward! But this one saved me, showed me that there are more important matters that need to be handled than just my quest for revenge. I do still hope I can one day slay the killers of my pack, that those infernal demons will be cast down into hell after all they have done, however this crusade of my lord is as noble as they come, and I’d gladly give all that I have to help him however I can as thanks for allowing me to live this far in life.”

“What was that? He is
not
your lord!” Sasha yelled out.

“Yes he is,” Forrus insisted, looking to Daemon with longing eyes. “He spared my life from being taken, he opened my eyes to a great purpose I could fulfill with the life I still have. He is certainly the only one who could help me kill those two hellspawns should they ever show themselves again. I need him more than you could imagine.”

Daemon just looked at her without reaction while Sasha and Rulo drew their weapons and growled loudly at the lycan.

“He’s not your lord, he’s our master!” Rulo shouted out.

“Rulo,” Daemon said flatly.

The orc twitched then looked down worriedly with an oink.

“Sorry, Daemon.”

Daemon glanced back to her then to Forrus as the lycan bowed humbly to him.

“You’ve saved my life from the hands of a Darker One,” she praised. “Something that I’ll never forget. And you’ve offered your blade to help me against my pack’s killers, even though you have a quest of the highest nature to uphold. I’m not worthy of receiving such an honor, I can only extend my eternal gratitude and services as thanks to you.”

Sasha hissed and prepared to strike before Daemon held a hand back to her, the reptile girl grunting then slowly lowering her sword. Forrus slowly looked up to him with adoring eyes, seeing the boy just watching her with a piercing stare.

“Allow me to serve you, my lord,” she said softly.

Sasha and Rulo looked to Daemon, both hoping he would reject and send her away, as the boy remained silent for a while before he rolled his eyes and looked away.

“I am not a lord.”

“Would you prefer I call you master then?” Forrus asked with a small smile.

“No, I wouldn’t,” he answered with a glance to her.

“Then my lord it is,” Forrus said with a nod.

Daemon drummed his gloved fingers on his sword’s handle for a moment then looked away again.

“Not sure if that’s any better,” he said dryly before he started walking away. Forrus looked at him with a calm smile then to Sasha and Rulo, the two watching Daemon walking by with gentle eyes before turning to her with glares.

“The time to rest is done with, we’re leaving,” Daemon announced as he kicked some dirt onto the fire and extinguished it. As he walked out of the clearing Forrus glanced between the two monster girls with a curious eye.

“What’s with those looks?” Sasha and Rulo gripped their weapons as they growled quietly at her, with Forrus then nodding slowly with a small chuckle. “Oh, you don’t like me because of my devotion to him, do you?”

“Why are you so devoted to him anyway?” Rulo snapped. “Do all lycans kiss ass whenever they meet a man?”

Forrus held back her scoff and raised an eyebrow at her.

“Why are
you
so dedicated to him?” she retorted. “You both call him master even when he clearly doesn’t want you to, you both follow his every command without question, and neither of you seems capable of going against his wishes at all. What has he done to earn such obedience from you two?”

Sasha quickly swung her blade out and held it towards the lycan’s throat with a loud hiss.

“My life is his, my sword is his, everything that I am is his, he is
everything
to me. And I’ll be damned if I let anyone take that away from me.”

“We were his bitches first,” Rulo grunted with an oink. “Go find your own master to grovel under.”

Sasha glanced to her with a grunt then looked back to Forrus with a dull glare.

“I prefer my saying over hers,” she mentioned flatly.

“I see,” Forrus said with a small smile. “So that’s why. He saved you both as well, didn’t he? He gave you a new life, and you chose to use that life for him and his quest.”

Sasha and Rulo just glared at her while remaining silent. Forrus closed her eyes and let out a small amused murmur.

“I understand how you both feel, I really do. He gave me a chance to live for something greater, something bigger than I could have ever dreamed. I would be lost without him.” She then showed a curious expression at the two girls and shook her head. “However, I’m not taking him away from you. I had no intention of doing anything like that.”

Sasha and Rulo watched her carefully as the lycan shrugged with a small smile.

“We can all serve him together, we’re all his after all. Besides, I wouldn’t be opposed to sharing his seed with those he saved as well.”

“What?” Sasha and Rulo yelled out with anger.

Forrus chuckled then quickly darted around Sasha’s blade, leaping over behind the reptile girl in a flash while glancing back to her with a smirk.

“At any rate, we’d best get going. My lord won’t be happy if we stray so far behind,” she said before taking off into the woods.

“Hey, get back here!” Rulo yelled out as she ran after the girl with her hammer held back. Sasha watched the two run off with a growl while she clenched her sword tightly in hand.

“Lay one hand on my master’s penis and I shall skin you alive, mutt,” she hissed before running off after them as well.

*****

Parked by the trail leading through the rolling hillside a caravan was seen along with a white horse that was gently grazing on some tall grass nearby. Next to the caravan a small campfire was set up with several figures seated around the fire on large intertwined roots and vines that appeared out of place and having popped up out of the ground in unnaturally curving arcs to act as pews. Sitting next to the fire was a cooking pot that had some steam rising up from its contents while the group was enjoying their dinner for the night under the stars.

“Congratulations, Triska,” Alyssa casually said. “You managed to prepare something other than sandwiches for us.” She had a bowl of something in her hand and was gently stirring the contents with a spoon while looking at it with a blank expression, then raised an eyebrow in question.

“As to
what
that something is, I have no idea,” she finished before shaking her head.

Sitting next to her Triska was glancing to the witch with annoyance while eating her dinner.

“It’s vegetable and rabbit stew, what’s wrong with it?”

Alyssa lifted her spoon and watched as the thick stew slowly dripped off it into the bowl.

“I think you need more vegetables and rabbit in it, and less
stew
.”

“I think it tastes good,” Daniel complimented next to Triska. “Not to mention Triska went through the trouble of catching the rabbits for us when we stopped here, that was very kind of her.”

Triska looked to him with a bright smile then to Alyssa with a smug grin.

“See, Daniel likes it,” she retorted arrogantly. “There’s nothing wrong with my cooking,
Alyssa
.”

Specca coughed then spat out something into her hand while sitting next to Alyssa, the nixie clearing her throat then tossing something into the fire.

“Sorry. Rabbit fur,” she said before glancing to Triska. Alyssa looked to Triska with a dull expression as the teen rolled her eyes and continued to eat her meal.

“Give me a break, I tried to get them ready as fast as I could.”

“Perhaps a little too fast,” Specca commented.

“So I missed a spot. I’m sorry.”

Next to the nixie Squeak then coughed with a squeak and spat out a clump of rabbit fur onto the ground, the ant girl shaking her head with a shudder before looking at Triska with a raised eyebrow. Triska grumbled and kept eating while Daniel smiled weakly in response. He then glanced to Falla who was sitting next to him and just looking at her bowl with a distant gaze.