Dungeon Master 6

by Eric Vall

  “But I’m still hungry, and there aren’t any desserts on the ship right now since the cook didn’t leave any extras.” The black-haired cat whined, and Rana chuckled softly under her breath.

  “Do you know why the cook didn’t leave any extra last night?” the redhead asked as she prodded Carmedy’s side with a finger.

  “No…he could have at least left some out for me.” The alchemist pouted as she held her tail tightly between two paws.

  “He didn’t leave any out for you last night because you ate them all,” Annalise stated as she bent at the waist and looked into Carmedy’s face seriously. “Now we’ll know next time not to get super drunk and waltz into the kitchen demanding food, right?”

  “…Right.” The petite feline nodded as she dropped her tail and looked to me. “What are we doing out here, Master?”

  “Morrigan asked me to teach how to use the Dáma’s soul transferal power, and I thought it would be best if we asked for all of your help,” I told them as the pale elf stayed by my side shyly.

  My other three minions looked on in wonder, and Carmedy’s huge emerald eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

  “Oh! This sounds like fun!” Carmedy squealed as she jumped up and down on the deck, but Annalise looked more skeptical.

  “Soul transferal? Like placing souls in empty bodies? How are you going to do that?” the high queen asked as her eyes swiveled between Morrigan and me.

  “Well, we’re going to start small, and I’m going to have her extract one of your souls first,” I told them, and their faces fell in horror.

  “W-what?” Rana sputtered as she backed up a few steps.

  “No, no way!” Carmedy cried as she clutched at her chest. “My soul is staying in here! Where it belongs!”

  “Master…I really don’t think this is a good idea…” Annalise stated as she reached out to comfort the visibly shaken feline.

  I shifted my feet and looked down at them from my full height. My women were frightened by the idea of having their souls removed, but my word was law, and I wasn’t going to have them refuse one of my requests. I cleared my throat but Rana, Carmedy and Annalise were busy babbling to each other to hear my voice. I gritted my teeth and raised both hands into the air as I spoke loudly for all of them to hear.

  “Silence.” I barked, and all of my minions whipped their heads to stare up at me with wide eyes.

  The single word wasn’t what stopped them but instead the tone. I rarely spoke to my minions harshly, and when I did, they knew I meant business. Carmedy held her tail firmly between her paws once more, and Rana stood beside her with her feet planted. Annalise folded her hands behind her back and waited for me to speak with huge brown eyes. Morrigan stayed by my side, but she shifted uncomfortably from the sound of my voice. I hated talking to them this way, but it had to be done with the way that they were acting. My women were warriors who’d proven themselves time and time again in battle, but they seemed to balk at the idea of letting Morrigan practice a small ritual on them.

  “Master?” the high queen started, but I stopped her with a glance, and she scurried back in line with her other sisters.

  “Are you afraid?” I asked as I leveled my eyes with them. My minions looked at me sheepishly from under their eyelashes, but I didn’t let their pitiful looks soften me. “My women? Afraid? If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, then I might not believe it.”

  “Hey!” Rana cried as she took a step forward, but I raised my eyebrows, and the fox stopped in her tracks.

  “My first question is, do you think harm will come to you if we do this?” I questioned in my grave, booming voice, and my minions avoided my gaze as they shuffled their feet. “My second question is…do you think I would allow harm to come to you? Do you think I would stand aside and allow something painful or harmful to happen to your bodies and souls?”

  My minions didn’t answer, just stayed quiet as they avoided my gaze. Annalise was the first to step forward, not to my surprise and opened her mouth to speak as she stared me down.

  “I don’t speak for my sisters when I say this, but it’s not that I’m afraid of what will happen but instead, the unknown. What if the soul transferal hurts? What if the pain is more than I can bear?”

  I stopped for a second and stared at my first wife. Her chocolate eyes were sincere, and in the depths of them was fear. All the time that I’d known Annalise, she barely showed that she was afraid, but in front of her sisters and me, she was more open about her inner feelings. I could understand all these fears, not that I experienced them but could appreciate them from my minion’s standpoint. Rana and Carmedy nodded in agreement with Annalise’s words, and my eyes widened in surprise. I’d never let harm come to my women, not once, but they were so caught up in their fear that they didn’t remember that I would always protect them.

  “Do you trust me?” I inquired as I looked into all of their faces.

  “It’s not that we don’t trust you…it’s just…Morrigan isn’t experienced in this type of magic, and this will be her first official try.” Rana offered as she looked apologetically to the white-haired elf.

  “That’s not what I asked you,” I stated as I shook my head and looked deeply into Rana’s eyes first, then Annalise’s. “Do you trust me? As your Master, as your lover, and as your husband? Do you think that I would ever allow something bad to happen to you while in my presence?”

  My words were met with a chorus of no’s, and I glanced over at Morrigan, who still stood close by my side, and the elf also shook her head.

  “You’re right when you say that Morrigan is inexperienced with this type of magic, but you are not safe to assume that I am not,” I said in a calm, soothing voice and my minions stepped closer at my tone. “I’ve held the Dáma’s power within me since the night she died. I’ve mastered it and kept it as my own. If Morrigan fails, then I will step in and take over. There is no reason to fear, I will guide her and correct her if something goes wrong. Don’t worry.”

  Carmedy gave me a wide smile and nodded as she dropped her tail and hurried over. Rana still looked apprehensive but shrugged when she and Annalise locked eyes for a second. The fox and high queen stepped forward together, and I gave them a thankful nod, then gestured for Morrigan to come closer.

  “The soul is something as real and weighty as an organ. Humans and other creatures cannot survive without their souls. If the soul is lost then the body is nothing more than a shell. Take the Blood-Curdlers, they weren’t living beings anymore, but puppets for their master to use. Souls are what tie creatures to the earth and are the source of many different types of magic.” I told them in a firm voice, and my minions nodded along slowly.

  “Do you have a soul too, Master?” Carmedy asked in a sweet voice, and I smiled softly.

  “To put it simply, no, gods and goddesses don’t possess souls like the creatures on earth do. Souls, like the bodies they inhabit, age, and know when it’s their time to pass on, but gods are not like that because, in some ways, we are immortal. Our essences are our souls, and those are what I absorb into my body.” I informed them as I placed a hand over my armor where the essences of the other gods pressed into my avatar’s body.

  “Wow, I had no idea.” Annalise murmured as she cupped her chin and looked lovingly into my face.

  “In some ways, you’re immortal? What does that even mean?” Rana questioned as she squinted at me.

  “Gods and goddesses do not die if they stay in the heavens; they reign forever. My father…” I started then stopped as his name nearly rolled off my tongue, then I looked up into their innocent faces. I’d already told them this part of my past, and if I brought it up again, I knew they would never judge me. “My father, Chirus, is one of the oldest gods in the heavens. His age stretches way beyond the beginning of time, and it will remain that way. Gods can only die by another person’s hand; if left alone, they’ll live forever.”

  “Okay, now I understand.” Rana nodded then motioned for me to continue
on with Morrigan’s lesson.

  “Morrigan, I want you to picture Rana’s soul in your mind,” I instructed the elf, and her eyes immediately closed upon my command. “Think of it as a fluid, flowing and moving, rushing and hastening to your will.”

  “Oh man, why’s it gotta be me?” the redhead groaned under her breath as Morrigan’s breathing evened.

  “Take her soul in your hand, tug on it and move it with your will,” I told the elven woman in a soft voice, and Morrigan’s hand lifted into the air then closed as she imagined taking Rana’s soul.

  “Oh-ho-ho, that feels funky.” The fox whispered as she lay her paws against her chest and took a deep breath.

  “Now Morrigan, I want you to try to lift the soul out of Rana’s body. Do you have a good grip on it?” I asked as I stepped closer to the elf and felt the pulse of the magic coming from her.

  Morrigan’s closed fist began to glow an unearthly green just as it did every time she used an unknown magic. She brought her fist down towards her chest, and I glanced over at Rana as the fox made a strange choking sound. The redhead’s face was pale, and her eyes rolled back in her head, but her breathing and heart rate were even. Carmedy and Annalise hurried over to the fox and supported her, but Rana seemed fine even though her soul was being extracted through her throat. The high queen and the feline both looked concerned and anxious, but when they looked to me for confirmation, I gave them a soft nod that everything was alright and under my control.

  Rana’s mouth fell open, and for a second, silence fell over all of us. I waited for it, taking a few glances over at Morrigan as the elf concentrated on the task. Slowly at first, an eerie white form could be seen traveling up Rana’s throat, and just as we began to see it, it spilled from her lips like smoke. I wanted to congratulate Morrigan on her success, but I didn’t want to distract her. Rana’s soul was wispy and pure white as it tumbled out and hung in the open air. It looked just like the ones we’d seen before except for the color. Rana’s soul was pure and flowed through the air like a loose piece of fabric taken by a soft breeze. I could faintly hear her voice coming from the white mass, but it was merely a whisper.

  Annalise and Carmedy stared at it with open mouths and wide eyes. They were so distracted that they almost dropped Rana’s empty body in the moment. The light around Morrigan’s hands stayed steady and didn’t beat or fluctuate like the times I’d seen it do before. The elven woman had done so well, and I was incredibly proud of my minion that I wanted to push her to something more challenging.

  “Do you have a good grip on Rana’s soul?” I questioned as I watched the fox’s soul fluctuate through the air.

  “Yes, Master.” Morrigan breathed in a soft voice.

  “Now, extract Carmedy’s soul,” I commanded her.

  The feline dropped her paws from Rana’s side and nearly toppled Annalise over without the extra support. I stifled a chuckle and used my telekinetic power to hold the fox’s body aloft while Morrigan moved on to her next sister. Carmedy froze, and her emerald eyes rolled back in her head as the elf’s power washed over her. It took longer this time, but soon, Carmedy’s snow white soul lifted into the air next to Rana’s. The two souls were almost interchangeable, and they wavered in the air, then intertwined. Annalise stared up at the two souls as she held onto Rana’s body. The high queen’s chocolate brown eyes met mine, and she swallowed apprehensively.

  “Annalise’s too, Master?” Morrigan asked in a hushed tone, and Annalise shook her head comically but stopped when I raised a hand to her.

  “Yes, if you would,” I said with a bow of my head.

  The high queen took one step back then froze as Morrigan’s power washed over her. I had never been so proud of my pale lover, and I couldn’t wait to see how she would handle three souls all at once. Annalise’s soul came free of her body and floated in the air next to Rana's and Carmedy’s. The souls combined in a white mass before my eyes, and I stared at it for a moment. I could tell them apart without much effort, but I knew that Morrigan wouldn’t have such an easy time picking them apart. The elf’s eyes opened finally, but her hand remained in the air as she held the three souls in one place. The pale woman’s eyes widened as she stared at the mixed mass of souls floating before her, and she looked to me anxiously. I’d promised them that no pain or harm would come to them, but I wanted to see how Morrigan would react to this situation.

  “M-Master?” Morrigan asked shakily, and I placed a hand in the middle of her back then pushed her towards the souls of her sisters. “What do I do? How do I separate them?”

  “Try first, my love, then I will step in if you need help,” I told her, and Morrigan turned her face back towards the intertwined souls.

  The elf reached up with both hands encased in green and began probing at the souls. Morrigan tugged on one, and it came free from the other two. She stared at it for a moment, then looked back at me for confirmation, but I kept my face devoid of emotion. The elf turned back to the souls and stared even harder with her wholly black eyes, but I knew that wouldn’t do anything. Though Morrigan didn’t possess the same powers that I did, she could tell them apart solely if she listened. If she really leaned in and listened to the whispers that floated from each soul, she would know which one was which but the elf began moving the souls around in the air frantically as she made herself even more confused. As time went on, the green light around her hands wavered for a moment then flickered angrily, and I felt in the pit of my stomach what was going to happen next.

  Bright light flooded the small space of the deck we took up, and all of my minion’s limp bodies exploded outward. Emerald green obscured my view and I blinked to clear my eyes as Rana lifted her head and placed a paw on her forehead. Annalise lay on her back and breathed deeply as she stared up at the dark sky and Morrigan rolled around on the ground beside me as she groaned in pain. I sucked in my cheeks as Carmedy was the first to leap to her feet and point at the elf.

  “What the hell, Morrigan?” the feline shouted in a voice that wasn’t quite her own. “You coulda blasted us to hell and back if you weren’t careful!”

  “Yeah, that really wasn’t safe,” Rana stated as she rolled to her knees and stood.

  Annalise lay on the ground without moving, and Morrigan stayed down as she looked around confused. There was a moment of silence as both the swordswoman and the elf made eye contact, and they slowly realized what happened.

  “Morrigan! Will you answer me?” Carmedy raved as she threw her paws into the air and her black tail whipped out behind her.

  Morrigan’s eyes returned to normal as she looked from Annalise to me, and I covered my mouth with a gloved hand to stop myself from laughing. The elf pleaded with her eyes, but I shook my head and looked down at Annalise. The hair at the swordswoman’s temples had come loose, and she looked up at me thoroughly confused.

  “I do not know what happened,” Annalise said in a low voice, and it took a second to realize it sounded strange. It wasn’t as raspy as I remembered it, but that’s probably from what just happened.

  “Of course you don’t know what happened! Morrigan is the one who did it!” Carmedy shouted as she batted her wriggling black tail out of her eyes, then her hands froze as she took it in. “Holy shit…holy shit…is that…Carmedy’s black tail?”

  “Whose tail would it be? Do you not recognize your own…tail…” Rana trailed off as the fluffy red tail rested on her shoulder.

  And then that’s when the screaming started.

  Rana turned to Carmedy, and they both stared at each other for a moment. Both of their mouths dropped open and horrified screams roared up their throats at the same time.

  “Annalise?” Carmedy’s sweet voice called as she reached out for Rana’s body.

  “R-Rana? Is that you?” Rana’s body called out as she reached for the feline.

  I knew that I needed to end this but wanted to watch it for a bit longer. Morrigan and Annalise’s body lay on the ground still as the two alien souls stared
out at their own bodies interacting. Suddenly, the elf’s body stood and raised a hand into the air as Carmedy looked out of Morrigan’s eyes.

  “Oh man, Morrigan, you’re so thin and tall, oh my gosh, why can’t you dress like this all the time? You look so good!” Carmedy’s voice called from the elf’s body, and Annalise’s face hardened from the ground. “Look at these hips! Man, oh wow, you’d look good in a short skirt.”

  “Master?” Morrigan’s voice hissed through Annalise’s teeth, and I nodded.

  “This was amusing, but I will fix it.” I stepped up into the middle of the group and closed my eyes as I held my hands out beside me. I breathed in deeply through my nose then exhaled slowly. I felt my dark power manifest all around me and then I pushed it out around our party. My power swallowed all of my minions, and I felt each of their souls.

  It took some time, and I could feel my women wriggling to be released, but I made sure that I put the correct soul in the right body. When I finished, I opened my eyes and looked into my minions’ faces. Each of them examined their bodies, patting their arms and legs down to make sure they were the right ones. Carmedy grabbed onto me and hugged me tightly as she snuggled into my chest. I held onto her as I smiled at the rest of my women, and they returned it as they came closer. I stroked Rana’s soft curls as her breath tickled my neck.

  “That was crazy,” Annalise giggled as she leaned away from me and took inventory of her sisters. “But man, I’m glad to be back in my own body. I don’t think I could stand to be that short in real life.”

  “Hey!” Rana chuckled as she gave the high queen a light shove.

  We embraced together in the warm night air, and I breathed in each of their unique scents. I listened to their heartbeats as I held them, though the experiment was fun, I still liked them just as they were, especially in their right bodies.

  Chapter Three

  Rana, Carmedy, and Annalise headed off to bed shortly after the elf’s lesson, but Morrigan hung back. I watched my three minion’s backs as they trundled down the stairs one by one. They spoke to each other in soft tones, but every once and awhile, Rana snorted through her nose and laughed. I smiled down at them as they turned the corner and headed down the narrow stairs into the belly of the ship. Even though the lesson had gone awry, they still were in good moods and made jokes at their own expense. Annalise was the last in line, and her swinging braid was the last thing I saw of them as they disappeared from view.