Realm Walker Omnibus

by Erik Weir

  “That sounds amazing,” Victor said as the city grew closer with each step.

  Lily nodded. “It was. The people here now devote themselves to gathering knowledge as the Elders walk aimlessly across the world.”

  Victor nodded as they moved with accelerated speed. The Blade had lost all track of time as power pumped through his body. When the Blade and Shield were about a hundred feet from the city edge, the power dwindled and Victor stumbled forward. Catching himself, he slowed down as energy drained from his body.

  “How long was I running,” Victor asked as he slowed to a walk.

  “About twenty minutes,” Lily said as she shifted and the Blade set her down on the sandy floor.

  “I guess twenty minutes is all I have before the power stops. I wonder if I can increase the time with spending more points.”

  “I’m not sure. The spheres of influence affect everyone differently. It takes an hour for you to regenerate a point so using the power for twenty minutes might be all you can do,” Lily said as she turned and looked at the city edge.

  “I’ll test it another time. Right now, I only have two more points in Strength and we have no idea what to expect once we enter the city.”

  Lily stepped along, eyes on the open street, a layer of water covering everything. Victor was at her side, seeing the same thing. When they reached the street, Victor could see the entire city was flooded. Without hesitating, the succubus stepped into the clear water. The water reached up to her shins and stopped as she sloshed along. Victor followed; the cold chilly water pressing against his high boots.

  Shadows and light filled the senses as the pair walked on. Buildings with strange carvings were on either side of the couple. Victor stayed frosty, not sure what to expect. Hand ready to call his sword, the Blade’s senses were dialed to eleven. Lily looked around, eyes flickering to alleys, streets, and buildings. A gloom filled the air the further they walked inward. A glowing mist hovered as the buildings took on a hazy edge.

  “Stay close. It’s easy to get lost here,” Lily warned.

  “You’re not leaving my sight,” Victor said, his voice heavy in the misty air.

  Ripples moved along to the water from Victor’s right. The Blade turned his head to see something snaking along the top of the water. The Elemental sword slid into Victor’s hand as he gazed down at the creature swimming toward him. Lily stopped and turned to see Victor staring down at something in the water. The thing made its way and stopped, floating about two feet from Victor’s leg. It raised its head, beady lizard eyes staring up. Victor smiled as he saw it was some kind of lizard, one he had never seen before. The little creature turned its head, two big ears unfolding from the back of its head and opening toward the Blade. It made a few croaks and hisses while it lazily treaded water.

  “Yea, I know I don’t look like everyone here,” Victor told the big eared lizard.

  Lily’s eyes flicked to Victor, “You understand it?”

  Victor nodded. “It’s the second ability I gained from the Tempest Realm. I can speak to animals now. And no, I wasn’t talking to you,” Victor said to the lizard.

  The lizard creature croaked and hissed again.

  “I don’t have an attitude. Why are you hassling me? I’m new here.”

  The lizard swam a little closer, croaking.

  “I don’t have any food but if you help us, I can find some,” Victor smiled.

  The big-eared lizard shook its head and croaked.

  “I’m not lying. You treat all visitors like this?”

  The lizard hissed.

  “What do you mean ‘only the rude ones’?”

  Lily shook her head as her fingers dove into a side pouch of her belt. Grabbing something, the succubus pulled out a small chunk of blood fruit. Lily knelt into the water and held it out toward the lizard creature. It cocked its head, beady black eyes on the beautiful succubus. A moment later, it swam over and lifted its head out of the water. Lily held out the piece of fruit. The lizard creature gently took it from her hand and gulped it down. Beady eyes closed and open in contentment before it turned and slinked through the water. Croaks and hisses rose up against the sounds of dripping water.

  “Yea, I know she’s awesome,” Victor grinned. “And yes, we are following you.”

  Victor and Lily followed the lizard creature as it swam slowly through the murky water. The sloshing of boots echoed off stone walls as they turned and walked into a thin alley.

  “Where is it taking us,” Lily asked with an alert edge.

  “She says she knows someone who would be interested in meeting us.”

  Lily smiled. “It seems females from all species are drawn to you.”

  Victor shook his head, “You giving her the fruit was what she wanted. I’m just the mouthpiece.” Victor looked to the lizard creature as it croaked again. “Private conversation, just led the way.”

  The lizard thing made a sound that was almost a laugh and a hiss in one.

  Lily’s smile faded as her gaze fell to the water. “Victor…about before…”

  “It’s okay. What you saw in the dream happened years ago. My mother was suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s disease. It’s…um a disease that destroys your memory. We were taking care of her as she slowly lost her senses.”

  Victor’s eyes took on a faraway gleam. “My dad…he was never like that as I grew up. No one knew at the time, but he was suffering from a tumor growing on his brain. I think the stress of taking care of my mother pushed it to develop faster. A few times he would get angry over little things but it got worse over time. He had beaten me up once because I didn’t clean my room. My mom was in the other room, indifferent to what was happening. I thought I was going crazy, but it was the rest of my family going insane.”

  Victor looked to Lily, her eyes wide with concern. “That moment in the dream is when everything came to a head. My father was becoming more erratic, but that was the boiling point. He beat me and my mother. I had to crawl away and use my cell phone to call the authorities. They showed up and restrained him. They took me and my mom to the hospital.

  “I was in the hospital bed when the doctors came to me and told me that the tumor in my father had grown too big to operate. I remember feeling cold when they came back a few hours later, telling me he fell into a coma and passed away.”

  Victor walked along, eyes falling back to the lizard as it swam. “Family put my mother in a facility to help her while I went to live with one of my aunts. I didn’t have a fun time with it, but I spent my time finishing school and visiting my mother every chance I could. I started working so I could gain my independence. The first night I moved into my own apartment, I got the call that my mom passed.”

  Lily looked to the Blade as he walked; darkness in his eyes.

  “Sad to say, I was glad they weren’t in pain anymore. It was a relief not to see them dying. I sort of closed myself off after a visit to the doctors. They had performed some testing on me and I seemed to hit the genetic lottery. There is a high chance I will develop one, or both their conditions as I grow older. After what I experienced, I never want anyone to see me like that. I never want to be burden on anyone I love. I made a decision to have fun and have very little attachments. I only have this one life and I was going to live it to the fullest.”

  Victor lifted his head and chuckled. “And then a goddess came to me after I was shot and offered me a chance to be her Champion. How could I say no?”

  Lily’s mouth shifted into a shy smile. “Victor, Vala chose us for a reason. I’m sure our paths are meant for great things…and I will always be here for you…if you ever need it.”

  “Thank you, Lily. It means a lot,” Victor smiled.

  The lizard changed direction and climbed onto a set of stone steps. The Blade and Shield followed, stepping out of the water. A greenish light glowed along some of the building’s edges. Victor focused on it, seeing a glowing green moss clinging to stone.

  The lizard thing crawled up
to the top of the steps and slapped its tail against the door at the top. Lily and Victor waited on the stairs for a moment before the door opened a crack and the lizard slipped inside. The man and succubus looked to each other before walking up the rest of the stairs, opening the door and stepping in.

  Lantern light touched nearly everything within. Inky dark shadows ran along walls that were covered in bookshelves of various sizes. The musty smell of old paper drifted up as delicate warmth touched chilled skin. Victor like the comfort as he and Lily walked further down a book-lined hallway and into a large room. Tomes of various sizes covered the walls on two levels as a fireplace glowed on the opposite wall. A round table took up of the middle of the room, before a woman sitting on a plush chair, face partially buried in a book.

  Victor and Lily stepped in but the woman didn’t take her gaze off the tome, eyes scanning from left to right. Long black hair framed her pale face but as Victor stepped in, he noticed something was off with the woman. The big eared lizard moved across the floor to a small group of four lizards all piled on a blanket in the corner.

  “I see one of my friends brought you here,” the pale woman said without looking up.

  “We didn’t mean to intrude. We are new here,” Victor said as he stepped a little closer, hands up to his chest.

  The woman nodded; eyes moving left to right until a small sigh fell from her lips. Putting the tome down and closing it, Victor was able to see her face clearly. The Blade kept his expression neutral as she looked up to him. Eyes were black, like a shark’s eyes. They blinked sideways. Her skin was pale and smooth as silk, like she never saw the light of day in her life. A black dress hugged her voluptuous chest, deep cleavage showing. White arms curled and elbows rested on the table. Fingers laced together as she placed her chin on them. The woman’s smile grew wide, sharp teeth gleaming in a razor smile.

  The woman blinked a few times before her eyes widened. “It…worked!”

  “Excuse me,” Victor said, not sure what she meant.

  The woman rose up from her chair, black tentacles curling out from under the table. Victor took a step back as Lily stood to his side. Victor watched as the woman floated toward him, tentacles coiling and carrying her along like she weighed nothing. She was easily eight feet tall with the tentacles as she stood before the Blade and Shield, bending at the waist and giving Victor an eyeful of creamy white cleavage.

  “The ritual connected the planes of existence to create a focal point. I was able to find and pull on the pocket dimension, creating a vortex between worlds. I thought I failed but instead I succeeded in a way I didn’t account for…,” the tentacle woman mumbled.

  Victor shook his head, interrupting the woman’s mumbling. “I…I don’t understand. You brought me here? Why?”

  Heat hit the Blade like a fuzzy hammer. The room spun as the woman slinked closer, eyes filled with a hungry menace. The sharp smile didn’t falter as her small, almost slit like nose drank in the Blade’s scent and relished it.

  “You feel it too, Lust Blade. The connection Vala bridges from all her worshipers.”

  Tentacles coiled around Victor’s legs as he gazed into the woman’s black eyes.

  “My name is Vonn and I used a ritual to speak with Vala. I have performed the ritual many times with no effect until tonight. Had I known she had chosen a Champion; I would have used the ritual on you.”

  Vonn turned her black eyes to Lily, “And you must be a Luna Shield. I can tell by the intricate vibrations emanating from your body.”

  “My name is Lily,” the succubus stated plainly.

  “My name is Victor,” the Blade tried to say with a smile but it melted away as Vonn moved uncomfortably close, red tongue sliding over pale lips.

  “Victor…a powerful name, you two will do nicely, yes, very nice indeed.”

  “What exactly do you mean,” Victor asked.

  Vonn hovered before the Blade, hands running down his arms but never breaking eye contact. “Why to aid in Vala’s crusade of course. We must put plans into motion if Vala is to ever return from the dead.”

  Vonn chuckled slightly before pulling her hands from Victor, “But first, let’s discuss how we can help each other in these trying times.”

  Sixteen

  Victor stood before the half woman and half tentacle creature, questions blooming in his head like a young forest. Lily stood at his side, arms crossed and eyes on the warp spawn as she grinned with a razor smile. The fireplace glowed with green and orange flames, giving the room a warmth and an odd coloring. An alien mood filled the room, something Victor couldn’t quite place, but the heat floating off the pale warp spawn chased away the strange feelings and chill from his bones.

  “You seem to know a lot about Vala. Wasn’t her worship outlawed here as well,” Lily asked.

  Vonn nodded with a mad smile. “All worship of Gods and Goddesses are forbidden in this realm but that doesn’t mean many of my people don’t worship them. Most of the population despises higher form entities because of the Elders. They rather dwell in knowledge, far from the constraints of religion.

  “But unlike many of my kind, there are those who see the truth, power and wonder of Gods and Goddesses. They bring focus and hope to those who desire it. Despite being outlawed, knowledge is still knowledge. Years ago, I came across several tomes about Vala, and her ideals spoke to me on a deeper level.”

  A tentacle rose up, wrapping around Victor’s wrist. The Blade looked down, seeing the tip caress his skin.

  Vonn continued. “The Goddess touched my dreams and I knew I must do all I can to aid her. The rituals I performed were just enough to bring you here, but if others joined in performing the ritual, it would have improved the precision of the spells. That is why I need your help.”

  Vonn’s tentacles wrapped a little tighter around Victor’s wrist. The Blade’s eyes widened as he pointed to the tentacle, as if wondering if Vonn had complete control of it. Turning to Lily with wide eyes, the succubus looked down and then back up, shoulders shrugging.

  Vonn gave a sickly-sweet giggle before speaking. “On one of my travels through the city, I came across a bookstore. While I searched the rows of tomes, two women came to my aid. I was looking for a particular book and they were more than happy to aid me. I could not deny the energy and warmth I felt from them as they brushed my hand while I searched.

  “There was a pull and I could not look away. When one of them leaned in, she kissed me and I understand what it meant. We shared a bond for Vala and it played on the energy between us.”

  Vonn’s wide smile grew smaller, eyes losing their happy luster. “The owner of the store caught us kissing and immediately demanded payment. I didn’t know they were his slaves and he saw a chance to improve his private collection. He demanded several obscure books. When I couldn’t pay, he flew into a rage and banned me from his shop.”

  The warp spawn looked back into Victor’s eyes. “The look of pleading in the two stirred me into action. I couldn’t allow the two young spawn to stay with the owner, but I knew I could not take direction action or I would be exiled to the Elder lands.”

  “Books are currency here,” Victor asked while trying to ignore the tentacle on his wrist.

  Vonn nodded. “Books and bartering skills or activities, the bigger your book collections, the wealthier you are. As you can see, I have a modest amount and can in no way win Yimer and Caasa’s freedom.”

  “So, you want us to save the two warp spawn and bring them back to you,” Victor stated.

  Vonn nodded. “I will also need a special tome from his collection. The book is titled Maladies of the Realms. Vala planted the image of the book in my dreams and she must have a need for it.”

  Even from the dead, Vala is still pulling the strings.

  Victor absently nodded before speaking, “Sounds easy enough. Get them out and back to you.”

  Vonn eyed the Blade, “You cannot use violence. My people have a silent agreement of no aggression from any
source. If a warp spawn is injured, we all feel it and will come to stop the aggressor.”

  Victor raised an eyebrow, “Okay.”

  Vonn’s smile returned. “I can sense your trepidation. Not to fear, beings from other realms often visit for short periods. You will not be questioned unless you become violent.”

  The tentacle coiled tighter around Victor’s wrist and began to pull. The Blade watched as he was drawn closer to the warp spawn. Vonn sat on the edge of the sturdy table, tentacles writhing around her as she licked her lips again.

  “I know the legends of Blades and Shields. I know your power comes from connections. I will not be a miser of Vala’s love. I can feel her energy in me and it cries out for release.”

  Victor wasn’t sure what was happening as he was drawn into Vonn’s embrace. The warp spawn gave him a wicked smile as hands and tentacles ran along his body. The heat of the moment hit him like a hammer as she licked his neck before pulling back.

  “Payment first and then you complete what is requested,” Vonn stated simply as hands and tentacles began pulling at Victor’s clothes.

  Lily watched as Victor was being undressed. The Blade looked down, lost in the heat between them as his clothes were pulled off piece by piece. Vonn’s pale hands pulled away as tentacles worked. Unclipping her dress from behind, the black dress fell away, large white breasts bouncing free. Black nipples stood at attention amid creamy white skin. Victor was lost in the moment, seeing her hourglass form. White skin melded into black skin as tentacles writhed all around them. A pale hand reached down to the apex between the writhing tentacles, a pink slit blooming.

  “Please take me…enjoy the embrace like a true Blade of Vala,” Vonn said as white fingers caressed her wet slit.