Realm Walker Omnibus

by Erik Weir

  Dawn took in her surrounding and pointed to the East, “We are close. Blackwood should be just past those trees.”

  “Let’s not waste any more time,” Victor said to the ladies before turning and beginning to walk.

  Lily watched as Victor walked past her. The succubus eyed the Blade before Dawn rushed to his side. Tail vibrating again, she began following her partner and the elf. Skye and Kira followed along. The silver-haired woman shivered and Skye put her arm around her, trying to keep her warm as they walked.

  The sound of rain splashing against leaves flowed over the small group like a wondrous white noise. Victor kept his senses sharp, knowing he spent much of his Strength on the dragon form; it would be another four to five hours before he regenerated his influence. Thinking of the three things in the sky behind them, he hoped they were only spying since he would be hard pressed in a fight right now.

  Dawn’s fingers slid between Victor’s fingers. The young man turned his attention to the smiling elf as she held his hand. A pleasant comfort touched them as they walked along, holding hands.

  “Your sister was very worried,” Victor said, breaking the silence between them.

  Dawn nodded.

  “She will be happy to see that you’re okay.”

  Dawn squeezed Victor’s hand. “I know. I’ll be happy to see her too.”

  The rain thickened as they walked, lightning flashing in the distance. The gray clouds grew darker as the sun moved further to the west. Victor’s heart beat heavy in his chest as he looked to Dawn, words forming in his throat.

  “You don’t have to go at things alone. We are all here for each other. I’m here for you,” the young Champion smiled.

  Dawn looked up to Victor, rain drops sliding down the tips of her long ears. “It’s difficult…to rely on anyone. Night and I have been at this a long time, by ourselves. It’s still new to me…” The elf trailed off.

  “To have friends,” Victor grinned.

  Dawn gave a shy nod.

  “To be fair, it is kind of new to me too. I used to just have my family and didn’t have a lot of time to hang out with people. When my parents passed, I sort of put myself in solitude to help recover from the pain. Then I just kind of stayed there…until all of this.”

  Victor squeezed Dawn’s hand tight, “You are doing the best you can for you and your sister. I understand and admire your strength. I didn’t have anyone to tell me if I was doing anything right or wrong, but from my experience, you are doing an excellent job of taking care of your family. Just know we are your family too.”

  Dawn’s smooth face darkened in the rain, “For the first time in my life…It feels like that. Thank you, Victor.”

  Dawn looked up into Victor’s kind face, oval brown eyes blinking in the rain. Victor smiled, admiring her beauty and seeing her opening up to him. The spitfire attitude seemed to melt to the background as she gazed with surreal warmth. It was enough to feel the connection between them and it blazed bright.

  The elf turned and pointed with her left hand, “There’s the town.”

  Victor looked up, past the trees to the chimneys and smoke curling up into the dark, rainy sky. The group of five made their way through the trees and onto a muddy road. The squishing of mud underneath boots rose up, blending with the rainfall. It didn’t take long to reach the town edge, rivers of rainwater cascading down roofs and the streets empty. Lantern lights glowed from behind curtains of various homes and shops as five figures walked along the mushy ground.

  The sounds of laughter and shouting rang out in the small town. Victor looked down the street to a well-lit tavern. The faint sound of glass shattering and loud laughter stormed on as the rain came down.

  Victor eyed the establishment before turning to the group behind him. “Lily, can you use your soul compass…,” Victor trailed off as three dark figures emerged from the forest at the edge of town.

  Becoming silent, the rest of the group turned around to see what Victor was looking at. A tension bloomed as the shadows melted away and three women walked toward the small town. Three pairs of eyes kept their gaze on Victor’s group. They moved with purpose, walking a straight line toward them, seemingly unaffected by the rain.

  Victor stepped past his group, “Skye and Kira, find a place to wait for us.”

  The two women looked to Victor as he continued to walk, Dawn and Lily at his sides. The Blade readied himself for a fight as the three women didn’t slow down. He had no idea what they were about, but with all the talk of gods, monsters, Spell swords and Casters, Vala’s Champion didn’t want to take a chance.

  The three women stepped closer, water running down their travelling clothes. One had long, vibrant blue hair and pale skin. She led the trio as a green-haired woman moved on her left and a white-haired woman walked on her left. Victor couldn’t stop his gaze from shifting to the white-haired woman, her eyes half closed and yawning. Electricity sparked in the air as lightning flashed again in the distance.

  The lights from town illuminated the three women’s faces and Victor would be lying to himself if he didn’t find each of them strikingly beautiful. A cloud of power and elegance seemed to flow off their forms as they stepped along the thick mud. When the two groups of three reached each other, twenty feet of space separated them.

  Victor kept his muscles loose, but concern touched his spirit as he knew he wouldn’t be able to call upon much of his Strength influence. Deciding to get an advantage from the beginning, the Blade spent two Charisma points and greeted the women with a big, kind smile.

  The blue and green-haired women seemed unaffected, but the white-haired one’s mouth gaped as stars filled her half-closed eyes. Slouching forward, the white-haired woman marched forward like a zombie, stars turning to hearts in her eyes. The blue-haired woman put her arm out to stop her companion from taking another step.

  “Mildra, you’re drooling,” the blue-haired one said with a throbbing vein along her perfect forehead.

  “He’s…just so cute,” Mildra said with sleepy eyes.

  Victor tilted his head forward, keeping his smile. “You three were following us.”

  The blue-haired one gave Victor a cold stare, “Hardly. You were in our way.”

  “Then I take it, you’re not with the Authority,” Victor said with a calm edge.

  The blue-haired woman barked out a laugh before containing herself, “The Authority has no sway in what we do. Now before you begin asking stupid questions I will not answer, step aside so we may continue.”

  “Asking for the name of a beautiful woman is not a stupid question,” Victor said with a playful gleam in his eyes.

  The blue-haired woman’s eyes widened a hair as pink touched her pale cheeks. The green-haired one looked away with a smile and Mildra continued to stare like a love-struck zombie.

  “Tell him your name,” the green-haired women grinned.

  The woman leading the trio stood silent, pink fading away from her cheeks and electric fire filling her eyes. The green-haired one sighed as she stepped past her cohorts, crossed the twenty feet between them and stood before Victor.

  “My name is Izy. The one drooling over there is Mildra and my friend with the lightning bolt stuck up her butt is Vindrel,” Izy said as she held out her hand.

  Victor took her hand into his and looked her in the eye. “Pleased to meet you. My name is Victor,” the young man said and kissed the back of her hand in the rain.

  Heat flashed and Victor was consumed by it. The mere touch of his lips on her hand sent a wave of warmth through his senses, down his body and swirling along his heart. Looking up, he noticed Izy staring down at him with wide eyes. Pink touched her cheeks as she stood, stunned.

  “You’re…,” Victor began.

  “Kiss my hand next,” Mildra shouted as she moved under Vindrel’s outstretched arm, waving her arm in the air.

  Izy took a step back as Mildra came running toward Victor. Mud shifted under the white-haired woman’s boot and she trippe
d. Victor rushed to her as she fell. Arms out, he caught Mildra and muscles burned from the sudden weight. Victor grunted as Mildra looked up with stars and hearts in her eyes. The pink bloomed wider along her pale cheeks as her breath was taken away. Victor on the other hand couldn’t understand why she was so heavy when she looked barely a hundred pounds. Grunting again, he strained trying to hold her up.

  Mildra blinked before moving her boots up and standing on her own power. Victor let out a relieved exhale as he regained his composure. Dawn stared at the exchange, but it was Lily who crossed her arms and smirked.

  “Acolytes,” the succubus hissed sweetly.

  “How did you know we were…,” Victor was cut off by a loud voice from behind.

  “Vindrel, Izy and Mildra, I told you three not to follow me!”

  All heads turned to see two women approach. Victor couldn’t contain his smirk as he watched Shyryth and Astor walk through the rain in dusters, water dripping from the edge of their hats. The crimson-haired dragon woman closed the distance, giving Victor a wink before turning her hard gaze on the newcomers.

  Vindrel stepped closer to her companions while giving Shyryth a stern look. “Your last letter was much too cryptic and frankly, we were concerned.”

  Izy smiled to Shyryth, “Vindrel thought it would be a good idea to find you since you have been in our dreams lately.”

  “It wasn’t right how you disappeared on us after everything we’ve been through,” Mildra cried.

  Shyryth shook her head. “I told you three I was investigating the signs…and taking on new training. You being here doesn’t help!”

  Astor moved to Victor, Lily and Dawn. The Slinger tipped her hat to Victor before reaching around and squeezing his ass.

  “Been too long,” Astor said simply.

  “Over two weeks is too long?” Victor chuckled.

  “Yep,” Astor smirked and gave his ass another squeeze before turning to the four women.

  Vindrel crossed her arms under her plump chest, eyes closed and the vein throbbing along her forehead again. “This isn’t just about us. We have seen the signs too. Vala has whispered in our dreams and the three of us agreed we could not stand by any longer.”

  “Besides, we missed you!” Mildra nearly shouted.

  Shyryth’s demeanor shifted to controlled annoyance. The three women began all talking at once and the red dragon woman’s hands clenched. Victor and Lily smiled while Dawn rolled her eyes.

  Astor leaned toward Victor. “We have some old friends to see,” She said before addressing everyone around them. “How about we talk inside where it’s dry?”

  The three newcomers stopped talking and looked to Shyryth. The red dragon woman flexed her wings before nodding, turning and walking toward the tavern. Vindrel, Izy, and Mildra soon followed while Victor and the rest followed them. Skye and Kira stood off to the side, watching everything in a state of confusion before Lily pointed her horned head toward the tavern. The couple followed along as everyone stepped through the rain and the sky grew darker by the moment.

  Astor and Victor led the way through the main door of the tavern. Stepping in, warmth washed over them as laughter and shouting blasted their ears. Victor drank it in as the large main room of the tavern was filled with men and women dressed as cowboys. Some played cards while others laughed and drank large mugs of beer. The room was filled to the brim with contained chaos. A large, nervous bartender prepared drinks while his waiters and waitresses moved through the loud crowd with drink plates and wide eyes. Victor couldn’t help, but see that the room looked like something out of an old western and he was floored by the similarities.

  Three men saw Astor and Victor come in from their side table. Standing up, they rushed to the pair, a drunk intensity in their eyes. Victor turned to see the three men nearly on top of them before they stopped and looked the man over from head to toe.

  “Is this the guy?” One man said with an angry edge.

  “This the guy that stole Astor’s heart from us,” another said and spit on the floor.

  “I thought he’d be bigger,” the third one said with a salty grin.

  Astor rolled her eyes before she shoved the middle Slinger back hard. The slinger stumbled back a few feet before hitting the side of the table they just left. The other two laughed and pointed at their friend and soon others laughed.

  Astor turned to Victor, “These three loosely called friends are Eric, Zeb and Valen. Don’t let their attitudes fool you, they’re sweethearts.”

  Victor nodded just before seeing Zeb regain his balance and his hand fell on his gun holstered to his belt. Astor’s hand shot forward, gun in hand and aiming at Zeb. Zeb’s eyes lowered until he gazed down the barrel of Astor’s gun and gave a big toothy smile while moving his hand from his own weapon.

  “I was only kidding Astor. I meant no harm.”

  Astor’s eyes burned with fire before they cooled. Spinning her handgun, she holstered the weapon in one smooth move.

  “You see, harmless,” Astor said with a tip of her hat and moving further into the room.

  Eric and Valen turned to Zeb and began laughing louder, imitating his words like scared children. Zeb laughed as he grabbed his drink and guzzled it down. The rest of the room didn’t seem to get any less rowdy as Victor stepped through, following Astor.

  When the group reached the other side of the main room, Astor turned her attention to Shyryth. “Take your friends to one of the rooms upstairs so you can reconnect.”

  Shyryth nodded and led the way to the stairs. Vindrel, Izy, and Mildra followed, the last one giving Victor a sly look. As Mildra passed, she touched Victor’s chest before reaching the stairs and began her ascent, glancing back.

  Astor turned to Victor, “We have important friends to meet, but I don’t think we need all of us down there.” The Slinger looked to Skye and Kira.”

  Dawn smiled and moved to the two women, “Let’s get some drinks.”

  Skye and Kira nodded as they walked behind the elf with glasses to the bar. Lily stayed to Victor’s side as Astor moved to a door. Opening it, she stepped in and descended down the stairs to lantern light. Victor and Lily followed. When they all reached the bottom, a giant cellar spread out with thick wooden poles from the ground to the wooden ceiling. Lanterns hung from metal hooks as two large beds took up one wall. Opposite the beds on the other wall were barrels on their sides and stacked to the ceiling. In the middle of the room was several comfy red chairs, a thick table and two half women with black tentacles writhing from below their waists.

  Vonn and Yimer looked up from their books, black eyes growing wider. They put down the thick tomes and flowed from their chairs, tentacles moving and their bodies gliding. Hearts leapt as Vonn hugged Victor and Yimer hugged Lily. The young man and succubus held them fiercely, happy to be reunited.

  Vonn pulled away, black eyes on Victor, “How did you find us?”

  “It’s a long story,” Victor smiled.

  “We are happy to see both of you safe and sound,” Lily added.

  Vonn’s face took on a hint of sadness, “You know what happened to Caasa?”

  Victor nodded. “We found her when we went looking for you in Dark Spire. We took her remains to Vala’s realm where she will be laid to rest.”

  “Her dark light had so much potential,” Vonn said as she looked away.

  “We felt her death and had to come looking for you. We’re just glad you safe,” Victor said.

  Vonn nodded before looking to Astor. “Thankfully, Astor was more than willing to provide protection until we came up with a solution to our mutual dilemma.”

  Astor took off her duster and hung it on the back of a chair before she sat down. “We should all sit and talk. I’m sure there is much we all need to say.”

  “I’ll get some wine,” Yimer said as she glided on black tentacles to wine shelves in the back of the vast basement.

  Victor and Lily looked to each other before moving to chairs and sitting down.
Yimer floated back, several wine bottles in hands and tentacles. Setting an entire bottle of wine in front of each person, she whispered a word and the cork popped up and fell on the table.

  “We might need more than a glass,” Yimer smiled before taking her seat next to Vonn.

  Victor leaned forward, elbows on the table. The chill of wet clothes seeped into his body, but he tried to ignore it. The warmth of the cellar chased away the chill a little, but the Champion thought some wine would help. Picking it up, he glanced over to see Lily gulping it down. Taking her cue, he too drank down some wine before wiping the corner of his mouth with his wet sleeve.

  “Where do I begin,” Vonn sighed.

  “Tell them like you told me,” Astor smirked.

  The warp spawn nodded before turning her black eyes to Victor and Lily. She spoke of the strange man entering their home and acting odd. How he attacked Caasa and tried to capture them. A tear streaked down Vonn’s cheek as she explained how they had to leave Caasa behind to save themselves. Victor and Lily were silent as they drank in every word.

  The cellar took on a gloom as the warp spawn continued to tell her tale. “We weren’t sure who or what that man was, but I could sense a touch of infinite power from him. I dared not go to Vala’s realm for fear he would follow us so I chose to come here to help cover our tracks. The use of magic here in Eddor tends to disrupt the quantum strands between all living life forms, especially with my kind. It is one of the reasons this realm fascinates the Kurggoth.

  “Despite my intentions, instead of arriving in Loress, we appeared in the Forsaken lands. Thankfully, Astor was waiting when we arrived at the edge of her town.”

  Astor nodded. “Vala touched my dreams, showing me where you would arrive.”

  Vonn turned to Victor and Lily, “The use of mana here on Eddor would help hide us, but not in the Forsaken lands. The lack of life to the East made us bright beacons to any searching for us. When a Shadow attacked us not long after arriving, Astor was quick to dispatch it, but we knew we couldn’t stay there.”

  “After Vonn explained what happened and what needed to be done, we made our way west, but not before sending out a signal to the Steel Coalition. Many took up the call, coming here once we crossed the border,” Astor stated.