by Aaron Oster
5
“Just look at you!” Elyssa exclaimed, running her fingers over his bloodied chest. “You could have been killed! And then what would have happened to the alliance?”
“Wow. I’m happy to hear you care so much,” Morgan said sarcastically. “What I don’t understand is what you’re even doing here. We know that the gnomes have spies in the Five Kingdoms, so you seem to be the one being careless. Not me.”
Elyssa clucked her tongue, then placed her hands on her hips.
“You’re dodging the question. Why didn’t you tell me about this, and why didn’t you bring any backup?”
“I didn’t tell you because it was honestly none of your business,” Morgan replied. “I have an obligation to the people of the Five Kingdoms to fight on their behalf, since none of them can take these beasts on alone and live. Could the South have gathered enough fighters to defeat this beast? Maybe. But how many lives would have been lost in the process?
“I promised that no one else would die because of a Pinnacle King and intend to keep that promise. I might look bad now, but in a few hours, I’ll be good as new. I’m already healing, so there’s no need to worry.”
Elyssa seemed far from mollified, but he couldn’t exactly blame her. Their two continents’ peace was balanced on the point of a needle. It would only take the slightest push to make it fall, and having Morgan die would most definitely assure that there was no treaty.
“Your friends are infuriating, by the way,” Elyssa said, her sodden dress puffing out around her as she sat down next to him. “They all refused to come and help, even when I said I’d go alone.”
“Even Grace?” Morgan asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh, Grace tried to come, bless her soul, but I didn’t allow it. No, it’s the others, the ones who could have helped and would have prevented you from getting all banged up and bloodied that I’m annoyed with.”
“They didn’t come because I asked them not to. Well, everyone but Beatrice, who wouldn’t have come either way,” Morgan replied with a shrug. “They were just respecting my wishes.”
“Aren’t they all rulers? Can’t they do as they please?”
“Sure. But Katherine and I have been through enough together that she’ll do as I ask. At least when it comes to things like this.”
“She doesn’t seem to like me very much,” Elyssa commented.
“Would you, were you in her position?”
Elyssa snorted out a laugh.
“I suppose not, though you’d think that she would put petty jealousy aside for the good of her people.”
“She is,” Morgan replied. “As am I.”
“We all need to make sacrifices,” Elyssa said. “As you already know, I would prefer it if I didn’t have to marry. But I cannot conceive children on my own. You’re handsome enough and a powerful fighter. Our marriage will spare the lives of millions, and as a ruler, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
“Wow. Glad to hear you’re as excited about this as I am,” Morgan said, hiding a wince as he shifted his position.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” she said, running her eyes over his muscular frame. “I don’t mind your company in the slightest, and I’m looking forward to our wedding night.”
Elyssa’s cheeks colored a light pink, and she quickly added, “Plus, Grace is such a darling, and I love having her around.”
“I’m happy that you didn’t let her come along. I was afraid she’d try to sneak out, even though I told her to stay put.”
Morgan still didn’t know what to make of this woman. It was clear she was doing what she had to, but some of the things she said seemed to contradict one another. She was brilliant, that much was obvious, but when it came to relationships, she was obviously as clueless as he’d once been. But, instead of pretending she knew nothing, she hid behind bluster and insults.
Despite his hopes that Gold would have an answer for him, he knew his marriage would be happening either way. Sarah’s revival wouldn’t be as simple as just putting the spear in her hands and allowing the soul to transfer back into her body. No. He was sure the process would be a complicated one that would require a lot to get done, which meant that he wasn’t getting out of this marriage, nor what it entailed.
“She reminds me quite a bit of you. At least, in the sense of wanting to fight and prove herself,” Elyssa said. “But at least she hasn’t turned into a complete brute and takes the time to take care of her lovely hair. I can’t wait to see what she does with it for our wedding.”
And there it was again. Every time Morgan tried to steer the topic away, Elyssa brought it right back, and he was starting to understand why. She was afraid. Having never been in a relationship and obviously never having been with anyone in any romantic capacity, this was all new for her. He was sure she was imagining all sorts of things and was looking for reassurance. Despite not really wanting this at all, Morgan knew that he had to comfort and assure her that everything would be alright and to make the experience as pleasant as possible.
He wasn’t a monster, after all. Well, at least not entirely.
“I’m sure she’ll look lovely, and so will you,” he said, giving her a wry smile and hoping there wasn’t too much blood on his face. “I know this probably doesn’t feel like the ideal time to ask, but seeing as we’re alone up here and likely will be until someone comes, feel free to ask me anything. I promise not to repeat anything you say to anyone.”
Elyssa bit her bottom lip, tucking a lock of her sodden hair behind a pointed ear. It served as a reminder that no matter how human she appeared, she wasn’t. Then again, he wasn’t technically all human either. Finally, she seemed to get over whatever insecurities she had about asking and started talking again.
“I grew up as a princess, so I never really had any relationships. It would normally have fallen to my parents to explain everything to me, but neither of them are around anymore. All I really have to go on are the rumors of the palace maids and what my friends have said, and it’s just a lot of conflicting information…”
Elyssa’s face was beet red by now, which Morgan found to be both amusing and made him feel bad for the elf. He remembered his own experiences when it came to things like this, and it was an uncomfortable topic. It helped him to speak to her this way as it distracted him from the pain. Most of his cuts were closed up, no longer presenting him with the threat of bleeding out, but the broken bones, torn muscles, and lacerations still hurt.
“I wanted to know…” Elyssa stopped, bit her lip, then began playing with the hem of her dress.
“How about you just start with something easy,” Morgan said, trying to give the woman a way forward. “Again, it’s not like anyone will ever hear about this conversation, so there’s no need to be embarrassed.”
Elyssa blew out a long breath, then nodded as though to reassure herself.
“How can it be less embarrassing to take your clothes off in front of someone else?”
The question came out more as a whisper than anything, but luckily for him, Morgan’s hearing was pretty good.
“Well, if it’s something that will make you uncomfortable, you don’t technically need to,” Morgan said. “I found that the experience tends to be better if you do. You also have to remember that you won’t be the only one, but if it makes you feel better, you can leave them on.”
Elyssa let out a long, shuddering breath, then continued.
“Will there be others there, to make sure we actually…you know?”
Morgan was taken aback by this question, then let out a snort of laughter that turned into a wince.
“No. No one else will be there. And if this is some sort of weird elven tradition, I’ll take us somewhere they can’t follow.”
Elyssa seemed to relax a bit at that, finally looking up. Her eyes were shining, and the uncertainty there showed just how afraid she really was to ask the next question.
“Will it hurt?”
“It doesn’t have to
,” Morgan replied. “If someone knows what they’re doing, the experience is downright pleasant. If they don’t, it can be a total disaster and might leave you scarred forever.”
Morgan cracked a half-smile at that.
“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. You’re in good hands.”
The last of the tension fled then, and Elyssa opened up, asking more and more questions, some of them quite graphic before she seemed satisfied.
“Thank you,” she said with a laugh as he answered her latest – and most inappropriate – question. “I was so worried about the night of the wedding that I’ve actually been dreading it since the date was set. But you’ve definitely made me feel a lot better about it.”
“I’m glad I could help,” Morgan said, returning the smile.
He shifted a bit and the core sitting in his lap caught the light, reflecting brilliantly and bringing her attention to its glassy surface.
“Is that the core from the beast?” she asked, finally willing to change the topic.
“Yup,” Morgan said, lifting the core and examining its glossy surface.
“Would you mind if I had a look?”
“Help yourself,” he replied, handing it over.
Elyssa took the core carefully, her overly large eyes widening just a bit more as she read over the status.
“Oh, wow!” she said, handing the core back. “I can see how a beast like this could give you trouble.”
“It’s not the beast himself who’s the most dangerous,” Morgan said, already pulling up the core’s status for himself. “It’s their ability to control people that can cause the most trouble.”
It was clear from the way she cocked her head that she wanted a more in-depth explanation, and Morgan knew he’d have to give one as soon as he finished reading over the core’s status.
Name: Core of Decagon the Striker, Pinnacle King of Storms
Rank - 50
Total available energy - 1Bn/1Bn
New Skill - Frenzy
This core was taken from Decagon, the Pinnacle King of Storms. Created by Samuel, the god of Somerset, Decagon and his siblings were born for one purpose – to destroy the Kingdoms in which they were placed. Killing a Pinnacle King is no easy feat, and to those who accomplish such a momentous task, the ultimate reward is bestowed. The amount of energy available is the highest one may possibly receive in the Five Kingdoms, as well as a new skill, which is learned upon the first absorption.
Morgan looked over the Frenzy skill’s description then, which seemed to mirror Decagon’s own. When he was cut enough times, he could trigger it to give himself a Strength and Constitution boost for a short amount of time. The skill didn’t cost all that much to use, only about five hundred RP, but meeting the requirements for use was another matter entirely.
Still, it was good to know that he’d be able to rely on it in a pinch. He wasn’t ready to absorb any of the energy, so when he was done examining the core’s properties, he placed it in his pocket, alongside Pentagon’s core. It was something he carried with him no matter where he went, as he didn’t feel safe leaving something so valuable just lying around.
“Well, fun as that was, I think we should head back down. The others will be starting to worry, and I’d like to assure them that I’m okay,” Morgan said. “Unless there’s something else you’d like to ask me.”
Elyssa bit her bottom lip again, then began fiddling with the massive diamond ring Morgan had presented her with upon their official engagement. Her face was growing redder by the second, which Morgan took to mean that she wanted to ask something else that made her uncomfortable.
“I was actually wondering, if you could maybe…You see, I’ve never…” Elyssa stopped, taking a deep breath, then looked up to meet his eyes.
“Could you kiss me? I’ve never done it before, and I know we’re not technically married yet, but…” she trailed off, burying her face in her hands and letting out an embarrassed groan.
Morgan stared at her for several seconds, wondering if he should just refuse. Pretty as Elyssa was, he had no interest in being intimate with her at all. This was a political arrangement, one that would assure the safety of their continents and prevent the deaths of millions. Still, despite her doing the same, Elyssa was inexperienced, and everything would be new for her.
Even though he knew Sarah was the type to become jealous, he also knew that she would not approve of him ruining someone’s ability to be intimate, simply because he was uninterested. They were going to be married, so putting her needs before his own, Morgan reached out with his unbroken hand and gently cupped her cheek.
Elyssa flinched at the contact but looked up as he slid his hand gently down her cheek and raised her chin. Morgan could feel her heart rate increasing through the contact, and her chest began to rise and fall a bit faster.
He made sure to look into her eyes, rubbing her chin a few times with his thumb before sliding his hand up to cup her cheek once more. Elyssa’s lips parted slightly, and she breathed out, her breath sounding shaky and uneven.
Then, Morgan leaned in, and she closed her eyes. The kiss felt strange to him. It was a very different experience than kissing Sarah was. For one, Elyssa had no idea what she was doing, so he was forced to take the lead and guide her. Still, despite how strange it was for him, he made sure that the experience would be an unforgettable one. And when he pulled back, he was glad to see that he had left a lasting impression.
Elyssa was panting hard, her eyes were half-lidded and glassy, and she had a dumb smile on her face. When she looked at him, Morgan could see the clear signs that she wanted more.
But as soon as her lips parted to say something, Morgan slammed his good hand to the ground, throwing his body up and lashing out with a powerful side kick. His foot slammed into the center of her chest, hurling her backward and launching her off the side of the mountain. A split-second later, a massive force slammed into his back, shattering his spine and splitting the mountain in half.
6
The time in which Morgan had had to react when he sensed the ambush was so minuscule that he’d been afraid he wouldn’t be able to get Elyssa out of the way in time. That was why he’d kicked her as hard as he had, confident that with her strength, she’d be able to survive the fall. Still, he’d felt a couple of her ribs give under his kick and knew that she’d be feeling it when she stopped, but the excessive force was necessary to get her away quickly.
Then, the attack had struck, hitting his unprotected spine and sending pain lancing through him. His body was driven down with immense force, the attack splitting the mountain in half and driving him all the way to the bottom.
“Wow. He’s still alive! I guess I owe you that five bucks in the end.”
Morgan groaned, disoriented, and tried to force himself onto his back. The pain that flared from his body immediately stopped him from attempting that, and instead, he craned his neck to one side and peered up through the split mountain to see the four figures descending.
Although he couldn’t make out their features, the familiar voice of Katherine, plus the power of the gods radiating from their bodies, told him exactly who he was facing. It was a bit of a shock to learn that Katherine, of all people, was part of this group, but his day was about to grow a lot more shocking.
The four figures drew closer, and Morgan was finally able to focus through the pain to get a better look.
Gwendolyn was immediately recognizable, and judging by her drawn sword, had been the one to launch the attack. Next to her floated someone who was both familiar and alien all at once, and Morgan felt his heart lurch.
It was Sarah! But this person was also not Sarah. Their looks were undoubtedly similar, but this woman looked like the Sarah he’d known back in City Four, except a bit older. Her hair was also flowing down her back, instead of in its traditional braid, and her body and eyes were different. Still, the pain of seeing her was as horrible as he expected.
However, it was the last figure that
shocked him the most. He saw himself, floating down next to her, but it also wasn’t him. This Morgan had black hair, was far less muscular, and a good deal shorter. The sneer on this man’s face was also an expression that Morgan would never have, and the light of cruel amusement in his eyes was uncanny.
If he made it out of this alive, he was going to skin Gold and mount his head on a spike.
The four of them landed next to him, their boots touching down lightly on the ground.
“You really had such a hard time with this guy, Gwen?” Katherine asked, looking at her nails. “He doesn’t seem so tough to me.”
“That’s because we caught him distracted and weakened, just as we’d planned,” the other Morgan said, holding his hand out to one side and summoning a black spear. “Let’s not give him a chance to recover and find out what he can really do.”
Morgan held back a groan as he realized what was happening. He inwardly berated himself for being so stupid and careless. Why had he assumed these gods would come at him one at a time, when they could simply gang up on him? If he were in their position, that was exactly what he would do.
“Can we just get this over with?” Sarah said, her voice sounding exasperated and bored. “I paused my game to come out here, and I was totally in the zone.”
The other Morgan crouched down next to him, yanking his head to the side and causing more pain to flare along his spine.
“Not to worry, I’ll finish it in a second. I just wanted to examine my inferior clone up close. I know gloating seems kind of cliché, but after a win like this, I feel it’s justified, don’t you?”
Sarah just rolled her eyes, but Gwendolyn was looking around fearfully, her eyes searching for any signs of the silver spear that had wounded her the last time.
“Stop worrying, Gwen. You’ll give yourself wrinkles,” Katherine said, finally looking up from her nails.
“Easy for you to say,” Gwendolyn snapped. “You’re not the one who was cut open by that thing.”