Realm Walker Omnibus

by Erik Weir

  The succubus continued, “My family home is not far from here. I remember these woods from my childhood. When we go, understand that society and family are different here than in the other realms. I know I told you how my people preyed on each other, eating the weak until we discovered a food that could sustain us. Blood Fruit stabilized my people into a working society. Farmers are similar to feudal lords and hold a lot of power. All farmers are considered royalty and should be treated as such.”

  Lily hesitated before she continued, “My father…like most of my people…will test you. Vala wants me to return here and I will follow her commands but Victor, please promise me, whatever happens, don’t let any of them push you beyond your limit.”

  “It sounds like they might pick a fight,” Victor tried to smile.

  Lily looked away, “They may…I don’t know. It’s been so long; I hold a spark of hope that my father will be relieved seeing me after all these years.”

  “What about your mother?”

  Lily gave a faint smile, “I don’t doubt she missed me. She was always so kind compared to my father.”

  Victor took Lily’s hands into his, lifted them up and kissed her fingers. “I will follow your lead on this one. I know it must be hard returning home, but I will be here to support you through it.”

  “Thank you,” Lily said before pulling her hands away and began walking.

  Victor followed, remembering the dream they shared. Vala was directing their crusade, but it seemed Lily was fighting it. The succubus was working through her inner turmoil, but seemed to only recently accept what had to be done. The only thing needling away at Victor was why here on her father’s farm? Lily was a Shield of Vala, but why direct them to this location? It didn’t sit well with him to think that such an abusive demon would be connected with Vala’s crusade.

  Victor tried to rein in his thoughts. He didn’t know the whole history, but from what Lily told him, it wasn’t anything positive. They were walking into Lily’s past and Vala’s Blade had to keep himself in check. Respecting Lily’s wishes came first, but scenarios played in his mind’s eye of what he would do if her father said and did anything out of line.

  They are a different people. This might be the one time you don’t follow the knight in shining armor routine.

  “Easier said than done,” Victor mentally said to himself.

  Do you think she will forgive you if you punch him in the face?

  “I hope we don’t find out,” Victor mentally smiled.

  You’re not filling me with a whole lot of confidence.

  “Have I ever,” Victor mentally smiled wider.

  Come to think of it…

  The Blade smirked as Chill trailed off. The black forest parted before the pair as they walked out into a wide field. In the distance, gourds glowed from standing vines. A pulsating light painted the far edge of the field, a wood fence bordering it. To the right, a long, flat ranch house stood complete with a well and a barn between it and the fields. Victor thought it looked like something from a Tim Burton movie and at any moment Jack Skellington or Beetlejuice would appear. Comets slowly crossed the star lit sky as the dim sun moved across the heavens to the east.

  Lily took a deep breath as she walked. Victor was by her side, taking and squeezing her hand. The succubus gave him a warm smirk before pulling away and walking ahead. A door opened to the ranch house and a woman stepped out. Long black hair flowed from a widow’s peak, over her head and past her shoulders. Pale red skin shined in the low light as a pointed tail snaked back and forth. Small black horns rose up from her forehead and a razor smile bloomed as she stepped off the porch and began walking toward them. As she drew closer, Victor noticed the striking similarity between her and Lily. If they had the same colored skin, they would look almost exactly alike. A dress with a red leaf pattern covered her womanly form, cleavage straining against the top, begging to be released.

  The woman approached with outstretched arms, “My Lily has come home.”

  “Mother,” Lily said as she stepped to outstretched arms and hugged her mother.

  Victor stayed about ten feet away as the two women held each other. At the small distance, Victor could see the small wrinkles in the corner of her eyes. Aside from that, she was womanly with curves and smooth skin. The Blade wondered if Lily ate a little more, they would look like identical twins.

  Lily pulled away and turned sideways, “Mother, this is Victor Hobbs.”

  Dark eyes shined in the low light as she held out her hand, “Nyla Brightblood, Lily’s mother.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” Victor said as he stepped closer and took her hand.

  Eyes bulging, the Blade was caught off guard as the demon woman pulled him into her strong embrace, pressing her body to his. Arms tight around his waist, she smiled evilly as she kept him close.

  “Now I understand the love in my daughter’s eyes. You feel delicious,” Nyla said with a sultry edge.

  Victor’s body was stiff against the demon mother, giving her a warm smile.

  Lily smiled. “Mother, you’re being a little too friendly.”

  “Can you blame me? He is a looker,” Nyla said and licked the tip of Victor’s nose.

  Victor’s brow shot up as a hand squeezed his ass.

  “Where’s father,” Lily asked like it took all of her strength to say it.

  “He’s in the barn, getting everything locked down before night fall. The imps have been raiding the stores again and he’s tired of killing them. He is setting traps,” Nyla said before turning her attention to Victor while still holding him, “I hope you like imp? We caught a few and their flesh can be savory.”

  “I’ll try anything once,” Victor grinned.

  Nyla slowly blinked, “Anything?”

  Lily shook her head, “Mother, let go of his ass.”

  Nyla pouted before she let go and stepped back. “Lily can be such an old maid sometimes, but something tells me you make her feel young again.”

  Victor stood silently as he was completely unsure what to say.

  Nyla turned and began walking back to the house, “Come in, come in. We have plenty of food and room now that the nest is empty.”

  Lily and Victor followed the smiling succubus toward the house.

  “What happened to everyone?”

  “Your brothers and sister are schooling in Red Breeze city. Dreg thought it would be best to send them there so they understood who we supplied food to. Plus, they are in the best institution for a hundred miles. They should be finished in two years before they come back to work with your father,” Nyla said as she stepped up to the front door and entered the house.

  Victor and Lily followed, stepping into the warm home. Pictures hung on walls while furniture dotted the open space. Food cooked in the kitchen, heat and steam rising up while blue flames licked at the bottom of pots. The air was serene as Victor immediately felt like he was back on Earth. It reminded him of relatives living in Texas and he remembered fondly on those visits when he was younger.

  “Dinner is almost done. Lily, why don’t you give Victor the tour while I set the table,” Nyla smiled.

  “I can help with setting the table,” Victor offered.

  The pale red succubus eyed Victor with a whimsical smile, “Nonsense. You are our guest. Take a look around before we sit down to eat.”

  The Blade returned her smile as Lily took his hand and pulled him along. Victor could hardly keep himself from smiling as Lily dragged him to a long hallway. Several doors lined the sides with one door at the end of it. Paintings of black trees and red leaves dotted the spaces between the doors. One door had several locks along the edge of it and a chain hanging across it. Victor noted it before the couple walked on. Lily reached a door and opened it.

  Stepping in, Victor turned his head to take in the small room. A simple bed lay against the wall with a small book shelf opposite of it. Books filled the small shelf as a single window was partially open to the field and forest stret
ching on. Lily’s room looked just as it had in their shared dream and a darkness touched Victor’s eyes.

  Lily looked to the bed, her demeanor taking on a nostalgic and dark turn. Tail hanging low, she sighed. “This is where it began. Where I lay, my body bruised as I cried out for Vala to save me.”

  Lily turned from the bed and knelt down to her book shelf. Purple hands took hold of a thin book and pulled it out. Opening to dog eared pages, she turned and faced Victor as her eyes moved from left to right.

  “This book mentions Vala, telling of her myth and legend. She accepted all, no matter how strange, unusual or beautiful. Her words helped me when I endured my father’s cruel behavior.”

  Lily looked up, red eyes gleaming. “I wanted to show it to you, how it all started. I…I never thought I would share it with anyone, but here we are.”

  Victor stepped closer, hand touching her arm, “We all have our pain. It doesn’t make us any less of a person.”

  The succubus gave a slight nod, shadows lengthening under her eyes. “Because I have explored the realms, I can see how my people’s behavior is considered evil. I grew up knowing it deep in my heart, but to see families treating each other with love and respect, it was a concept I fell in love with. It was something I always wanted.”

  “You mother seems to love you very much,” Victor added.

  Lily’s body remained still as her lips parted, “She loves, but that doesn’t change her lack of empathy. She is trapped in obeying her husband. She didn’t try to stop him as he beat me. I love her because she is my mother, but fear kept her from doing anything about it. In my culture, family obeys the strongest member and if they challenge them, one will have to die either to keep the peace or take over as the strongest member. It has been that way for thousands of years and my mother will not change.”

  “But you have changed…for the better,” Victor said with a kind smile.

  The shadows pulled back as Lily’s eyes took on a warm edge. “Sometimes I don’t understand you. Death and violence surround us and yet you stay positive and kind. Sometimes I want to punch you.”

  “And other times,” Victor grinned.

  Lily looked him up and down before stepping closer, their bodies an inch apart. “Want me to suck your cock in my room?”

  “Do we have time,” Victor chuckled.

  Lily put her hands on his chest, “We should be quick.”

  “Dinner is ready,” Nyla’s voice echoed through the home.

  Victor and Lily sighed. The Blade put his arm around the succubus and they both left the small room. The pair made their way back to the main room. To the side, a small dining room was open, plates of meat and blood fruit stacked high as Nyla moved with delighted fervor. The smell of roasted imp filled the air and Victor found himself licking his lips. It smelt like chicken and he wondered if it would taste the same.

  Nyla pointed to empty seats, motioning for Victor to take a seat at one end of the table while she motioned Lily to sit to Victor’s right. The Blade and Shield nodded as they moved and sat down. Nyla sat to Victor’s left and began picking up big spoons and piling cut meat and blood fruit onto plates. Lily helped and soon all the plates were filled. Nyla finished placing food on the last remaining plate and setting it down at the other end of the table.

  The front door swung open. All eyes turned to the entrance, but Nyla was quick to sit down in her seat, head bowed. Victor looked to the entrance, a nervous energy crawling along his nerves. A purple skinned demonic man stepped in. Red eyes glowed as black horns rose from his forehead, similar to Lily’s. He wore clothes that looked like a cross between a high-powered suit and farm overalls. The outfit seemed to clash in an odd way like a lawyer and a farmer had a baby. The demon stepped in, a smile forming as his thin nose flared with a deep inhale.

  “Nyla, dinner smells delicious,” the demon said as he crossed the main room and stood at the dining room entrance.

  “Thank you, my love,” Nyla said with her head bowed.

  The demon’s intense eyes fell on Lily and then turned their gaze to Victor. “We have guests.”

  “Dreg, this is Victor, Lily’s friend,” Nyla said in a neutral tone.

  Dreg stepped in and put a hand on Lily’s shoulder, keeping his eyes on Victor. Lily grimaced, but didn’t pull away as fingers gently dug into her shoulder. A flame flashed in Victor’s heart as he watched Lily become uncomfortable. The air took on a sardonic edge as Dreg leaned over and gave Lily a peck on the cheek, but never breaking eye contact with Victor.

  He’s already testing you. What a fucking asshole.

  Lily didn’t pull away, but kept her gaze on her food. Dreg stood up and stepped to the other end of the table. Sitting down, he took an exaggerated sniff of the steamy food in front of him.

  “So good to have a home cooked meal,” Dreg grinned evilly before picking up a napkin and laying it across his lap.

  No one at the table moved until Dreg took his fork and stabbed a piece of meat. The moment he placed it in his mouth, Nyla and Lily began stabbing and lifting small chunks of meat to their waiting mouths. Victor found himself staring hard at Lily’s father. When he caught himself, he had to purposely push away the growing fire and lifted a chunk of meat to his mouth. Teeth closing and succulent flesh touching his tongue, the Blade’s eyes widened a little. He wasn’t sure what to expect and he certainly didn’t expect how flavorful imp meat really was. It was seasoned and cooked so well, it practically melted in his mouth.

  Dreg looked over as he chewed, “What brings you back after all this time? We thought you would never return.”

  “I wanted to show my friend where I grew up,” Lily said without looking up.

  Dreg’s eyes slid over to stare at Victor, “Friend? So, you are Lily’s friend.”

  “Best…friend,” Victor said with a small grin.

  Dreg’s eyes took on a sinister glint, “Best friend. I hope our modest home is appealing. It hasn’t been the same since the children left.”

  Dreg turned his attention to Lily, “I miss your brothers and sister. They know their place in the family.”

  Lily’s lip wrinkled, but she continued to eat.

  “It’s so nice to have Lily back home,” Nyla said with happy edge.

  “It depends. Are you still a failure?”

  Victor’s fingers curled into a fist on the table. Lily gave him a look and shook her head. Nyla’s eyes sagged as she watched. Dreg turned his attention to Victor, gaze drifting down to the young man’s closed fist.

  “Tell me, best friend to my daughter; does she still speak of how cruel I was to her? How I beat her routinely and cursed her because of her holy abilities?”

  Victor stopped chewing, the air growing heavy.

  Lily put down her fork, “Father, he is a guest. Can you save your boorish behavior for after we leave?”

  Dreg picked up his napkin and dotted the corner of his mouth. “Why should I? You have been gone a long time and then return out of nowhere with…with a man clearly from another realm. Are we to put up a façade for his benefit? I’m sure you spoke highly of us while you were gone. Tell me Victor, will anything I say change the picture you have already painted of me?”

  “It’s not my place to say anything about your family or your history,” Victor said with a hard edge.

  Dreg smirked. “You have manners even if your attitude betrays you. But I am not being a gracious host.”

  The demon stood up and crossed the dining room to a small closet. Opening it, he pulled out a bottle of wine. The rest of the table watched as he hefted it in his hand before taking out a corkscrew and stabbing the cork. A few short moments later, Dreg began to pour a thick red liquid into everyone’s glasses. Setting the bottle on the table, Dreg sat in his chair and lifted his glass.

  “A 1499 vintage, it was meant to only be opened during a time of celebration. I can think of no better time than now, my daughter returning and bringing a close friend to our humble home.”

  Gl
asses were raised in toast. All four sipped the dark red liquid in unison before putting their glasses on the table. Victor couldn’t deny it tasted delicious. He fought the urge to gulp more down. It had an addictive quality that begged for more, a mixture of berries and oak sliding down his throat.

  Dreg continued to hold his glass as everyone at the table continued to eat. “Victor, I am pleased Lily brought you to meet us. She must really love you.”

  “Father, please stop,” Lily huffed.

  “Why daughter? It’s clear he is in love with you. Why would he brave our realm otherwise? People from other realms do not come here unless they are in love…or lust. It is one of our greatest attributes.”

  “I’ve always wanted to visit. I’ve heard about how demons became civilized after cultivating blood fruit. Now I can mark it off my bucket list,” Victor smiled.

  Dreg gave a deep chuckle, sitting back and taking another sip of wine. “Such a small reason for our grand realm, Lily could have told you more if she would come here more often. Our military have conquered the wilds. Education and food fill the minds and bodies of our people. We have created impressive works of art, literature and dance. It’s only a matter of time before our leaders open the borders further between the realms so we can peacefully coexist with the other five realms.

  “It will be a glorious new era and our people will lead it, dispelling fear and prejudice and bringing hope back.”

  Victor sipped his wine before putting the glass down, “I didn’t know the realms have lost hope.”

  Dreg gave a sly smirk, “If you opened your eyes, you would see the despair across the realms. I have brokered deals with the Dark Spire realm and some locations in Eddor. They hunger for magical knowledge and history. They are just two who wish to help bring a new golden age. The hate has boiled away and a new order is in demand. We stand on the cusp of a true empire and we wish to aid in its growth.”

  Victor’s eyes narrowed, “An empire needs an emperor. Who will lead this great new empire?”

  Dreg gave a small nod, “The people of the realms will decide. I am just a humble farmer doing my part for the greater good.”