Realm Walker Omnibus

by Erik Weir

  Dawn stepped to Victor and lowered her chin, shadows covering her eyes. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  “It was Vala’s will,” Victor said, the words a little hollow in his heart.

  A tear streaked down the elf’s pale cheek. “The long nightmare is almost over.”

  Before Victor could get a word in, the elf launched at him, hugging him close. The Blade hugged her back, eyes wide and unsure of the depth of her pain. Dawn snuggled the side of her face to his chest, holding him tightly before breaking away, a new light in her eyes.

  “I have to tell Night the good news,” the elf smiled.

  Victor nodded as Dawn turned and began walking toward the row of homes built into the side of the mountain. The Blade watched her go, unsure if he actually did anything or if fate intervened. Shrugging slightly to himself, Cassandra’s words glowed in his mind.

  “Doctor’s orders,” Victor smiled, then turned and marched toward the springs.

  The walk was short and when he reached the springs, the tension in his shoulders bled away. Waterfalls of steamy water poured down to the edge of the pools while many of the others barely rippled. The Blade stepped to the edge of a pool and began to undress. Glancing up to the top of the mountain, a chill touched his heart as he saw the ruins at the top. Voices rose in his mind and he quickly pushed them all away as his nude body slipped into a heated spring pool. The water instantly relaxed the spent Blade as he swam to the opposite edge and sat on an underwater ledge. Tendrils of steam rose up and he took it in, letting the healing springs do their work.

  Mind blank, heat filled his body as the white noise of the waterfalls lulled him into a state of relaxation. Slipping further down, the hot water touched his chin as eyes closed. The voices and thoughts returned, chattering endlessly about faith, love, and duty. Baaldir spoke to him to confuse and meddle in Victor’s faith and the Blade hated to admit it was having an effect. If Vala orchestrated the events, what would happen to him once she rises from the dead? Would she toss him aside as she regained her power? Would he simply return back to Earth, a place he wasn’t particularly fond of going back to? Or would he simply die and Vala spend her energy to gain another Champion for the crusade?

  The Blade tried to fight the tide of doubt. Opening his eyes, a sliver, he noticed a figure standing at the edge of the pool. Opening his eyes wider, he saw that Dawn had let her clothes fall next to his at the edge of the pool. Victor couldn’t stop staring, seeing the elf naked for the first time. Blonde hair framed her thin face. Her glasses were off and left on the top of her clothes and pointed ears stuck out from her hair. Alabaster skin glowed in the moonlight as her breasts hung unassisted. Pale pink nipples stood at attention as Victor’s gaze travelled down her smooth stomach to her inviting hips. A tuft of blonde hair curled above her pink line. Warm thighs moved as Dawn slipped into the water. The elf kept her gaze on Victor as she glided through the water.

  Victor sat up slightly, the water at his chest. Dawn swam to him, breasts and hands brushing against the Blade’s body before settling over his legs and looking up to his green eyes. No words were spoken but the energy was there as it rose between them. It caused goose bumps to rise along Dawn’s skin and blood to flush the Blade’s abused manhood. The healing energy of the pool chased away the tendrils of pain as his member grew harder due to the elf pressed against him.

  “How’s your sister,” Victor asked for the sake of conversation.

  “She is sleeping. I gave her medicine so she could rest,” Dawn said as her hands moved along Victor’s strong thighs.

  The elf continued, “I knew…when I saw you…there was something more than this bleak reality.”

  Fingers curling around Victor’s hardening cock, she stroked it underwater. The Blade watched the fire in her eyes, a wanting he couldn’t deny if he tried. It wasn’t unwelcomed and the Blade laughed at himself in his mind as a new fire burned within him. Body bending to his wants, the Blade’s manhood stiffened and throbbed.

  Dawn brushed her body playfully against his, urging his full attention before she climbed him. Victor sat, watching as Dawn moved up, pushing her breasts into his face as she guided his thick sword to her valley. Spearing her opening, the elf let gravity take hold as she slid down his thick member. Inch after inch pushed at her inner walls before she sank down to the hilt. The heat of the pool and their bodies lashed together like an invisible rope. Victor’s hands smoothed over her plump ass as she moved, sliding barely an inch up and down, keeping him deep within her world.

  Body bobbing in the water, Dawn let out small gasps as she tried to contain her needs. Victor did the same, taking a tight hold of his instincts and enjoying the elf bobbing on his cock. Bliss rose up, the connection growing brighter by the moment. Dawn’s small gasps turned into moans, clutching her upper body to Victor. Hands holding her close, Victor smiled as bliss sang its seductive song.

  “Victor…it has been…so long…,” Dawn said in a harsh whisper.

  The Blade held her, hands running along her smooth skin, lips pressing to her creamy neck. A shudder rose up as Dawn moaned louder. The Blade continued to suckle at her neck, tasting her skin and licking it like an animal and its mate in the wild. The heat dialed to eleven as bodies writhed and moved. Control fell away as Dawn upped the tempo. Moans rising, water rippled from her movements. Victor could barely hold back, the tight elf sliding down over veiny inches, faster and faster.

  “Don’t stop,” Victor instructed as ecstasy and energy whipped at his spirit.

  “Never stop,” Dawn hissed as her nerves coiled into tight points.

  Victor and Dawn continued their primal connection, bodies crying out for release. The moans grew softer as Dawn clutched harder to Victor. Cock thickening, the Blade knew he couldn’t hold back any longer. The connection nearly grew violent as the lovers matched their tempo. A whisper touched Victor’s soul and he was caught in its current. Dawn let out a long moan, her body shuddering as she reached the edge of climax. Victor looked to her; eyes lost in her beauty before his inner self cried out to be free. Dawn and Victor moaned in unison, come spurting into the elf as a string of orgasms exploded from within her world. Thoughts and feelings disappeared as the two became one for one glorious moment.

  Victor floated, leaving his body. Glancing around, he noticed he was actually leaving his body and before he could act, he appeared in a ruined temple. Standing among the broken stones and long decayed wood, the Blade turned around and remembered he had done this one before.

  A robed figure stepped from the shadows and glided toward the Blade as he stood. Shadows covered her eyes but her perfect mouth smiled at the sight of the naked man in her temple.

  Victor knelt down to a knee, head bowed. “Vala,” he said simply.

  The robed goddess lifted a hand, fingers curling. “Rise my Blade. No need to kneel for me just yet.”

  Victor stood up before the goddess, a small smile appearing on his lips.

  “You are beginning to understand how to commune with me. Your skills and abilities are growing at an improved rate. You are indeed a Champion, one I am proud to call my own,” Vala said in a sultry tone.

  “Vala, Baaldir came to me…”

  The goddess nodded her head. “I know. Even in death, I can still see much.”

  “Is what he said true? Did you cause my death so I could serve you?”

  “Will the answer satisfy you…or bring more questions?”

  Victor’s eyes took a dark edge. “It will not stop what I promised you. I…I just wish to understand.”

  Vala glided closer, hand touching Victor’s chest. The Blade felt himself hardened instantly, ready to spill his seed if she simply commanded it. Powerful urges stormed through his spirit before she pulled away and the urges calmed.

  “You still do not remember. Under all the pain, lust and sorrow, you have not remembered what had come to pass,” Vala’s voice echoing through Victor’s soul.

  Victor bowed his head, “It’s b
een a little wild lately. I have barely had a chance to sleep.”

  Vala nodded as she reached out and entwined her fingers with his, “Let’s see it together.”

  The temple rippled away and a forest bloomed. Stars twinkled high above as thick trees and underbrush sprouted across the dreamscape. Victor tried to concentrate, the touch of Vala’s hand like distilled bliss. A rustling in the bushes snapped his attention to the landscape again, senses dialed to eleven.

  “I have merged my experience with yours so we may see it from both sides,” Vala said in a low, warm voice.

  The bushes rustled again before a fox-like creature jumped into the air. The movement slowed down as Victor watched the fox creature. It had large pointed ears and face like a fox but its body was a blending of fur and scaled limbs. The tail was reptilian except for the end which was bushy like a brush. It reminded Victor of the neboos from Dark Spire but this creature was bigger and agile. As the creature reached the ground, the Blade could see the fear in its oval eyes. Time sped up and it ran through the brush at a frenzied pace.

  “Pieces of me have been running for centuries, jumping from dream to dream. The sleeping minds of others being the only places where I could rest and flee from those hunting me,” Vala said in a low voice.

  Victor and Vala watched as the fox creature jumped over bushes and bounded off thick tree trunks. The vision flashed ahead and a small pond gleamed in the moonlight. Victor turned his eyes to see someone sitting at the water’s edge and his heart nearly skipped a beat when he saw his younger self relaxing with his feet in the water and eyes to stars in the sky.

  “I…I remember this,” Victor said as it began to come back to him.

  Vala nodded her shrouded head. “Fate brought our destinies together.”

  Younger Victor sighed as the dream took his breath away. Bushes rattled and the fox creature leapt from them. Oval eyes widening, it didn’t see the pond until it was directly over it. Young Victor watched in surprise as the creature hit the water with a splash. Without thinking, young Victor leapt into the water as the creature thrashed about.

  “I was never a good swimmer,” Vala smiled.

  “You’re a Goddess,” Victor said as if that should be answer enough.

  “Any being, no matter what their power or station, has flaws,” Vala said as she kept her smile.

  Young Victor went to grab the fox lizard when it burst up and into his arms.

  “It’s okay,” the young man said as he waded back to the shore, the fox creature shivering in his arms.

  “I was simply going to continue to run when what happened next changed everything,” Vala said.

  Victor watched as his young self moved to the edge of the pond. The fox lizard jumped from his arms and landed on the pond edge. Young Victor smiled before a deep growl echoed through the area. The fox lizard shivered, backing away when something emerged from the brush. A large wolf stalked out, eyes glowing red and foul ichor dripping from its razor maw. It moved with threatening ease along the ponds edge, red eyes on the fox lizard.

  Victor watched as his younger self, still in the pond waters, reached down into the water, fingers curling around something hard. Memories flooded his mind as he remembered every detail as it played out before him. The wolf bared its teeth before launching at the fox lizard. Ears pointed back, the furry and scaled creature turned to run but the wolf was much too fast. Teeth came within inches of the smaller creature’s neck when a shadow loomed over the wolf.

  “Leave her alone,” young Victor screamed as he launched onto the wolf.

  Pointed stone in hand, the young man landed on the wolf, bashing its head with the stone with rapid strikes. The demonic wolf growled and fought to shake the young man off it. Pointed head turning, it bit Victor’s leg, teeth stabbing into flesh. Victor grunted but fought on, smashing the stone at the monster. The wolf shook off the young man, knocking him to the ground as teeth gleamed in the moonlight before biting down on an arm. Young Victor screamed as he fought on, courage turning to fear.

  The wolf whipped its head from side to side, teeth tearing into the arm and touching bone. Young Victor fought, cries turning to growls as he bashed the stone against the creature’s face.

  “I remember the pain. It felt so real,” Victor said as he and Vala watched the struggle.

  The wolf continued to rip at the arm, ignoring the stone as it bashed into its head. Something jumped into the air, white fur and scales glowing in the night air. Teeth bore down on the demonic wolf’s neck. The wolf let go of young Victor, howling in pain. The young man lifted the pointed stone and slammed the sharp end into the demonic wolf’s glowing red eye. Blood spurted as the little fox creature continued to bite down and Victor struck true again and again.

  Victor caught himself holding his breath. The demon wolf thrashed as blood dripped from its wounded eye and from the bite at its neck. Young Victor managed to get back up as the fox lizard bit down hard. Rock up, the young man became unchained, bashing the wolf’s skull until it cracked. The monster whined as blood dripped to the ground. One more bash and it slumped to the ground, the red glow fading from its eyes.

  Young Victor slumped to the ground, breathing heavy. The fox creature let go and leapt into his lap. The young man smiled as he looked down, the creature licking his wounds.

  “He won’t hurt you anymore,” Victor said with small smile.

  The creature looked up with concerned eyes.

  “Don’t worry…this is only a dream,” young Victor said as he ran his hand over the creature’s furry head.

  The dreamscape rippled and young Victor looked up.

  “I think I’m waking up.” Victor looked down to the beautiful creature. “I hope you live a long life.”

  The two looked to each other for a long moment. The fox lizard’s eyes glowed but only for a second. Young Victor grinned as his body melted into strands of dust and he was gone. The little fox lizard let out a small howl before jumping away into the bushes.

  The scene rippled again; Victor and Vala standing in the ruined temple again.

  Vala turned away from the Blade, “I travelled billions of dreams and you were the only one to defend me. I could not let such a kind act go unrewarded.”

  Victor bowed his head, “Thank you for helping me remember.”

  Vala kept her back to the Blade as she spoke, “You have proven your worth to me. I will always have your best interest at heart. Know this, I did orchestrate your fate only because I had seen it in my dreams. It was a wrinkle in time and space, an event that would come to pass, one way or another. I do not ask for forgiveness for if I could go back, I would choose the same course of actions. I only ask for understanding…and faith.”

  Victor walked closer, taking the goddess’s hand into his, “You have it.”

  Vala pulled her hand away, “Return my Blade. There is much to do.”

  The vision rippled and Victor opened his eyes. Sitting in the hot spring, the Blade felt Dawn’s weight as she sat on his lap, her face snuggled into his neck. The Blade held her close, looking up to the top of the mountain, heart feeling light in his chest.

  “Can we go someplace else for a few hours,” Dawn whispered.

  Victor nodded as he held her close, the elf’s scent filling his nose and the warm water around them filled with tendrils of rising steam.

  Nineteen

  A knock at the front door caused Victor to stir. The Blade blinked before feeling Dawn’s arms and legs on him, holding the young man close. Gently, he pulled away from her near iron grip, sat up and crawled out of bed. Grabbing a pair of leather pants, he slipped them on and left the bedroom. Crossing the small home, he reached for the front door and opened it.

  Lily stood, eyes on the half-naked Victor and small smile on her lips. “Cassandra discovered something in the book that we should all see. Have you seen Dawn? We have to meet at her place to discuss her sister, Night.”

  The succubus’s gaze looked past Victor as the elf emerged
from the room, blanket clutched to her chest and a neutral gaze in her eyes. Lily’s brow pointed for a moment before it smoothed away.

  “I’ll give you both a moment to dress,” Lily said as she turned away and waited on the street.

  Victor closed the door and turned to see Dawn enter the bedroom and begin to dress. The Blade followed, thoughts filled with the image of the demoness as she waited outside.

  All are not happy in Vala’s village.

  The Blade shook his head as he grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head.

  ***

  The metal door rattled as muffled screams filtered through. Victor, Dawn, Lily, and Cassandra stood before the trembling door. The Keeper held the leather-bound book in her hand as the screams grew manic and desperate. Dawn’s eyes watered as she simply watched, fighting every instinct to go in and comfort her sister.

  “Her condition is getting worse,” Cassandra stated simply.

  “Do we even know what her condition is,” Victor asked.

  The Keeper nodded. “I have an idea thanks to this book. Lily and I poured over it for hours before we came across what her symptoms matched. It’s not a simple madness afflicting her. We believe she is afflicted by a shadow.”

  Victor looked to Lily before turning his gaze to Cassandra, “Shadow, like the shadows we fought in Eddor?”

  Lily and Cassandra nodded.

  The older woman continued, “Shadows are lost souls, wandering from realm to realm across the universe. They are broken, filled with madness, insanity and sorrow. They have become the bane of many, haunting and spreading their pain to any who are close.”

  Lily spoke up, “Night may have been using rituals to gain knowledge, but a shadow may have slipped in if she wasn’t properly warded. Once they take up residence, they don’t leave until the person they inhabit dies. Then like a virus, they move on to another, feeding off their pain.”