Monstergirl Quest Book Two

by Darknight, C. S.

  I saw a large inn on the side of the road, less than a half-mile away. I nodded to it. “We should spend the night there,” I said.

  Pandora agreed. “Yes,” she said. “While not terribly far off, we won’t reach Woodkeep Village before dark.”

  “Yeah, and there’s also a chance to gather some intel,” I said. “It looks like the inn is pretty busy. I want to take some time and sit among the clientele.”

  Pandora laughed. “Oh, Earthman, do you want to hear what tall tales they tell about your exploits?”

  Bella giggled at that.

  I wrapped my arms around Pandora’s waist and held her tight. “Yeah, I want to hear the songs they sing about me,” I answered, laughing.

  We tied up our horses out back then headed inside the inn. I wasn’t wrong, the place was pretty packed, and I was relieved when the innkeeper told us they still had a room available for us.

  We found a table in the corner. A serving girl took our order, which was good because I was starving, and we kept our heads down as I listened to the chatter among the fellow travelers.

  It didn’t take me long to realize most of these people were fucking terrified.

  Most were content to talk about small matters, goings-on in the towns that they were from or local gossip. Whenever politics came up, whether it be about the Emperor or the rebellion, I noticed the way people would raise their voice, how they would suddenly speak more confidently.

  “Mother Gaia praise our beloved Emperor!” one man said.

  “If I seen a rebel dying o’ thirst on the side o’ the road, I wouldn’t so much as spit in their direction!” one woman shouted.

  It was obvious that their over-the-top reactions were just for show. The moment the conversation drifted away from the Empire and the rebellion, their voices fell back down to a tired pitch.

  “The Emperor pays good coin to informants who report anti-Imperial sentiment,” Pandora whispered. “So even your neighbor could, technically, be an Imperial agent.”

  “Shit,” I said. “I doubt anybody accused of treason gets a fair trial.”

  “Never,” Pandora whispered. “You’ll find that most Imperial citizens loudly boast of how much they love their Emperor. The truth of it is that most despise him, or simply don’t care, and just wish to be left alone.”

  We ate dinner but, halfway through our meal, we were practically falling asleep sitting up. It had been a long day, so we headed up to our room. There were two small beds, which was good, because Bella wasn’t ready to sleep next to me yet.

  She lay down, watching me from her pillow, but within moments her eyelids slid shut and she was asleep.

  “She likes you,” Pandora whispered as she joined me to sit by the window.

  I laughed, took her by the waist, and pulled her onto my lap as we looked down at the road. There was some noise coming from the south, and soon we saw why: Those Legion soldiers were trotting up the road on horseback, holding torches. It sounded like a few of them were drunk.

  “These assholes again,” I said.

  The rat-faced officer was leading them, of course, barking orders and taking long drags from a whiskey bottle. For a tense moment, I thought they were going to stop at the inn, but thankfully they kept on going.

  Well, they kept on going after shaking down an old man heading toward the inn, of course. The rat-faced officer ordered his men to thrust their hands into his pockets and take every last coin he had on him. Once they finished robbing him, the rat-faced bastard gave the old man a rough smack on the back of his head.

  “When we’re done in the Imperial City,” I said to Pandora, “remind me to head out back this way so I can kill that motherfucker.”

  She grinned, nuzzled against me, then kissed my cheek. “Only if I get to help,” she said.

  ******

  It was mid-morning the following day when we found the cottage that Duke Elfblood had told us about. It was a handsome, cozy sort of place with a decent sized garden out back. Even with that as a source of food, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would live this far away from a population center.

  Woodkeep Village had been a tiny town, with only a general store for supplies. As our horses trotted up to the cottage, I called out to whoever lived inside.

  “Hello!” I shouted. “We’re friends of Duke Gretchen Elfblood! She told us to come find you!”

  I waited for a reply, but none came. I shrugged, dismounted, and knocked on the front door. Still, nothing.

  “Shit,” I said. “I hope we didn’t come all this way to find out that the place is abandoned.”

  Pandora, though, was just sitting on the horse with a knowing grin on her face. Then she looked skyward.

  I was about to ask her what was going on when I saw the strange man flapping his wings, circling overhead and staring at me. He was about my height, with a broad chest and muscular shoulders. He had the head of an eagle, with bright blue feathers, and avian legs to match. He flapped his large wings and landed a few feet away from me.

  “Did you say Gretchen Elfblood sent you?” the eagle-man said. I noticed he had a hefty iron mace on his belt, and he looked more than capable of using it.

  “I sure did,” I said, extending my hand. The eagle-man took a cautious look at my hand, like he didn’t trust me. Then I had an idea. “Oh, hold on for a minute. Girls, let’s take these amulets off.”

  When we shed our disguises, I showed him the eagle ring Duke Elfblood had given me, and the eagle-man smiled. He looked on at the Soulguard, impressed to see me wearing it.

  “I’ve heard rumors that an Earthman had donned the Soulguard!” the eagle-man said. “And he comes with two free Mananymphs, to boot!” He took my hand into his and shook it enthusiastically. “Gamelord, my name is Maximus Skybound. Make yourself at home.”

  He brought us inside then gave us a light lunch, along with some watered-down wine. Skybound was, he explained, one of the few birdfolk in the Empire. “My kind has seen brighter days in these parts, though,” Skybound said. “The Emperor is no friend to the birdfolk. That’s why most of us live as I do, far away from Imperial eyes.”

  “Well, you’re not that far,” I said, then mentioned the rat-faced officer and his goons patrolling the road back the way we came.

  Skybound shrugged. “I won’t do the United Rebel Front much good hiding away in the forest or atop a mountain,” the birdman said. “So, friends of Duke Elfblood, how may I help you today?”

  “We’re headed to the Imperial City,” I said. “I’m gathering information on how to defeat the Dark King.”

  Skybound nodded and drank his wine. “So you’ll be needing a ride, obviously.”

  My stomach churned. I knew where this was going.

  Skybound laughed. “Gamelord, you look ill.”

  Pandora giggled. “He’s wary of taking flight, Maximus Skybound,” she said.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be fine, I promise,” I said, laughing. “So how does this work?”

  Skybound rose up from his table and went to his window. He pointed out the window, at a lush forest on the horizon. “I have a cousin who’ll be glad to help you,” Skybound said. “I’ll go find him at once, Gamelord.”

  “That forest is a long way off,” I said.

  Skybound looked back at me, smiling confidently. “Not so far off for the birdfolk,” he said. Then he threw the window open, stepped out, and took flight.

  *****

  We weren’t waiting long. Skybound returned an hour later, with a huge hawk flying beside him. Unlike Skybound, the hawk had no anthropomorphic qualities. I assumed the birdfolk were a diverse species, with some looking more human than others.

  The big hawk with its fearsome talons and curved beak landed in front of the cottage and nodded to me. “Greeting, Gamelord,” the hawk said.

  I smiled in amazement. I hadn’t expected to be speaking to a giant bird today. “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  Skybound landed next to the big hawk. “This is my cousin,
Aurelias Skybound,” the eagle-man said. “He’s a friend to the rebellion, just as I am.”

  Aurelias flapped his wings in a show of defiance. “Any enemy of the Empire is a friend of mine!” the big hawk said. “Now, I hear we’re off to the Imperial City.”

  “We sure are,” I said. “But I hope we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves riding in on your back.”

  Maximus Skybound reassured me. “We didn’t survive this long under this murderous Emperor by being easy to spot, Gamelord,” he said. “Aurelias will take you high overhead, so that anyone watching won’t be able to grasp his size.”

  My stomach lurched at the thought of it. “So…um…are there, like, seatbelts?”

  They all laughed, Aurelias loudest of all. “Worry not, Gamelord,” he said. “No one falls off my back unless I want them to.”

  Maximus Skybound helped us to transfer our supplies to his cousin’s back. “Thank you so much for your help,” I said.

  Skybound waved me off. “Think nothing of it,” he said. “I’ve heard of your adventures, Gamelord, and it’s an honor to aid you in your quest.”

  “Is there anything I can do to return the favor?” I asked.

  “Actually, yes,” Skybound said. “Make sure you send for me when you decide to go on the offensive against the Emperor. I’d be honored to fight beside you and the Mananymphs, Gamelord.”

  “I as well!” Aurelias said, then quickly flapped his wings. “Now hop onto my back, Gamelord. I’ll get you to the Imperial City before dinnertime!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Upon Aurelias’ back, I was sandwiched between the Mananymphs.

  Pandora was behind me, her hands wrapped tight around my waist, with Bella sitting in front of me.

  As we mounted the huge hawk’s back, Bella looked back at me. “Don’t let me fall, Champion,” she said nervously, and I saw at once that she was even more afraid of flying than I was.

  I wrapped my arms right around her slim waist. Once I had a good grip on her, I felt her shiver, but not in a bad way. She lowered her hands to mine and squeezed my fingers. “It feels good being in your arms,” she said at a whisper, then as usual, her face turned red as she looked away from me.

  Maximus Skybound waved to us as his cousin took flight. Knowing how nervous Bella was somehow lessened my own anxiety, and as the great hawk beat his wings and we ascended to the clouds, I found myself far more relaxed than I thought I’d be.

  Aurelias Skybound laughed as the ground vanished beneath the clouds. “You three should enjoy this!” he said. “It’s not often birdfolk such as myself allows a rider on his back!”

  The wind was pleasantly cool, and the Mananymphs were just as pleasant on either side of me.

  I felt a twinge of satisfaction every time I felt Bella’s fingers tighten around my hands. Her hair whipped back in the wind, filling my nose with her sweet scent.

  Also, from this altitude, I could see why the Skybounds were unconcerned about Imperials catching sight of us. From here, the great hawk’s size would be difficult to measure from the ground, so I was relieved on that front.

  Below us, the cloud cover grew thin, and I marveled at the sprawling country far below us. We passed a number of large cities and smaller towns, and I saw a long, rushing river that seemed to cut through half the country.

  “Champion, look!” Bella said, then nodded ahead of us, in the distance.

  “Holy shit,” I said when I saw the outline of the Imperial City dominating the horizon.

  We were still a long way’s off from the city, but already I could see its towering buildings and glimmering spires. The city was truly huge. “The Imperial City is basically a nation unto itself,” Pandora said. “Parts of it are quite beautiful, but the Emperor’s fist closes on all who inhabit it.”

  Even from far overhead, I could make out a tremendous amount of traffic hustling to and from the Imperial hub. Down on those roads, I made out a huge number of Imperial soldiers, many on horseback. They were everywhere, damn it.

  I looked back at Pandora. “And the Emperor says he doesn’t have enough troops to send help to Homehold to deal with the Necromancer?” I asked in disbelief.

  “That’s right,” Pandora answered. “Though it’s an obvious lie, not even the most disgruntled Imperial citizen would dare raise a word of defiance.”

  As maddening as that was, seeing the sheer number of Imperial Legion troops on the roads below was disconcerting. I’d known that the United Rebel Front would be outnumbered when it came time to take on the Empire, but I hadn’t realized the true scope of our disadvantage until now.

  “We’ll begin our descent shortly, Gamelord,” Aurelias called back to us as he quickly cut east.

  The sudden change in direction gave Bella a start. Her hands grew tighter around mine, and I couldn’t say that it wasn’t pleasant.

  “Take it easy,” I said to her as the great hawk began our descent. “I won’t let you go anywhere.”

  Bella looked back at me and smirked. “Just keep holding me tight, Champion,” she said, and I had no problem doing that.

  We were much closer to the Imperial City now. In a strange way, it almost reminded me of Homehold. The capital city of the Empire was more like a mega-fortress than a proper city.

  However, there was a key difference. Whereas Homehold was heavily militarized out of necessity, the Imperial City’s endless fortifications and thousands upon thousands of troops were, I assumed, mostly for intimidation purposes.

  Even with the rebellion brewing, there was no chance that any small rebel force would attempt an offensive at the moment. The Emperor could have easily sent three-quarters of his troops home and still would have had more than enough manpower to defend the city indefinitely.

  And that was just regarding the troops that I could see. There was no telling how many thousands more were milling about within the city walls, not to mention his war mages and reserve troops.

  There was a densely wooded area a few miles east of the Imperial City’s walls. That, Aurelias explained, was where we’d part ways. From there, we could put on our disguise amulets then go strolling up the side roads to the city gates without arousing any suspicions.

  I couldn’t thank the great hawk enough. With his help, we’d gotten here in no time at all.

  He set us down in a thinly wooded clearing in the eastern section of the forest. We unpacked our supplies and thanked him.

  “No thanks necessary, Gamelord,” Aurelias Skybound told me. “Someday soon, we’ll meet here again when we storm this wretched city.”

  I grinned. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Aurelias bowed his head to the Mananymphs. “And it was an honor to meet you two,” the great hawk said. “Truly, I never thought I’d ever get the chance to lay eyes on your kind.”

  “You’re too kind to us, Aurelias Skybound,” Bella said.

  “Yeah, thanks for the ride,” Pandora added.

  “Farewell then, friends of the birdfolk!” Aurelias Skybound said as he flapped his long wings, took flight and dashed up into the clouds.

  We all donned our amulets and resumed wearing our disguises. Though there was no chance of anyone seeing through our camouflage, I wasn’t exactly eager to go strutting into the Imperial City. Well hidden as we were, I knew I was going to feel incredibly exposed walking among so many hostile soldiers.

  Bella clearly felt the same. Even Pandora’s normally confident eyes were full of doubt.

  “Alright, no sense in wasting time,” I said. “The faster we get in there, the faster we can get back home.”

  “You’re right,” Pandora said. “Let’s get in then get out.”

  Bella took a deep, trembling breath. “I never thought I’d step foot into this city,” she said. “To be honest, I never wanted to.”

  “But we’re here now,” I said. “And your enchantments are working perfectly, Bella. We have no reason to worry.”

  Disguised once more as common travelers, we
headed along the winding side roads toward the towering city walls of the Imperial capital. The traffic along these roads was omnipresent, with traders and farmers coming and going. Always, there were Imperial Legion soldiers in sight, scowling atop their horses or eyeing up vulnerable peasants, no doubt wishing to shake them down.

  However, the naked abuse and corruption we’d seen north of Silverton wasn’t as abundant here, I discovered. That should have been obvious in hindsight. Obviously, the Emperor would want to keep the citizens in the capital happier than most.

  The walls were truly towering. They were taller than the Spiggan King had been, easily. When the day came for the rebellion to storm this city, I didn’t envy the poor bastards trying to scale these walls.

  As we neared the city gates, the foot traffic increased a hundredfold. The roads were packed, from shoulder to shoulder, with commoners pushing and shoving. Sometimes, fights broke out, and the Imperial Legion wasted no time in cracking skulls whenever they could.

  Bella was getting overwhelmed. I should have seen this coming. After spending so long under Lord Ephemera’s control, the crowd was too much for her.

  I pulled her close with one comforting arm. “Keep your cool,” I whispered to her. “You’re doing just fine.”

  She smiled at me. “Thank you, Champion,” she whispered back.

  The city gates were protected by a huge moat, swimming with predatory beasts. There were strange fish with bulging eyes and sharp teeth, then creatures that looked like alligators or crocodiles, but four times as large, like swimming dinosaurs. Still, there were legionnaires everywhere, directing traffic and making the travelers move about in an orderly fashion.

  The hustle and bustle continued inside the city, though here the traffic diluted through various winding city streets.

  I turned to Pandora. “Do you know how to get to the library from here?” I asked.

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she was staring off into the distance, with a downright hostile look in her eye.

  “Pandora, what’s wrong?” I asked.

  Then I saw it.

  She was looking at the Imperial Palace, a glittering tower built of silver and emerald glass. When the sunlight hit it, the tower shimmered, a multicolored dance that was bright enough to sting the eyes.