Dennis the Conqueror: A Harem Fantasy (Sword and Sorority Book 1)

by Scot C Morgan

"How much farther?" I asked, hoping we'd reach Sydney soon, even though I might have to face the creature which took her—a creature too large to even fit through the passage we took from town, a creature served by murderous ape-faced men. I knew it wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but we'd manage somehow. I figured, if I was truly the Guardian, then this was par for the course. I'd accomplished things in the last few days I never dreamed I would. Maybe fighting off the monster and rescuing the damsel in distress was in the cards.

  "Not much farther," Nithia said.

  Maybe it'll work out. Time will tell.

  Chapter 19

  I smelled the creature, though we hadn't yet seen it. Foul. Dank. It hung in the air like the odor of sweaty dirty socks, with an undertone of testosterone and…

  "Oh, that smell," Nithia whispered. "It's horrible. What is that?"

  I was at the front of our group, sword drawn. We were close. We couldn't see anything but trees and the undergrowth of the forest in front of us, but we knew the creature had to be near. The path had ended a while back, but Nithia was sure we were going the right way. She pointed to the tops of distant mountains we could see occasionally beyond the treetops. They must've been miles and miles away, but their positions on the horizon gave her enough guidance to get her bearings.

  I answered her quietly; we didn't want to announce our arrival to the creature. "Smells like nobody's cleaned the toilet in a while."

  Alara came up beside me. "What's the plan?" She was holding her silver staff. She'd been making it glow, but not too brightly. It was enough for us to see our way, but not so much to alert anyone else—or anything else—to our presence. Hopefully.

  "Oh, you know," I said, as we slowly walked ahead. "Find Sydney. Rescue her. Try not to get killed in the process."

  Alara stopped and got me to do the same by putting her hand on my arm. "Seriously? That's it?"

  "Well, what do you want me to say? I'm new to this. Remember?"

  Tara joined us, leaving Nithia in the rear, where I'd asked her to stay, for her own safety. "We can't just walked in there together," Tara said. "It'll only make it easier for the creature to spot us."

  "You're probably right," I said. "Maybe you three should wait here while I go ahead and check things out."

  Tara placed her hand on my chest. "I don't want to overstep my place- No, that's not right. The fact is you're big and strong…" She patted my chest, finishing with a quick glide of her hand across my upper abs. I won't kid you. I liked the compliment and attention, but then she finished what she had to say. "And the one person here most likely to be seen."

  She had a point. Since I powered up into Den the Conqueror, I wasn't exactly inconspicuous. And I probably had ninety-plus pounds on any one of the three women. But I'd been wrestling with the fact the three of them had come with me in the first place. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm the kind of guy who thinks a lady shouldn't have to fight the giant creature the ape-men worship. As shitty as it was, I figured that was my job—if it came to it. I had the strength…at least I hoped so. I was pretty decent with a sword, I thought. I mean, how many of the frat boys down the street from my apartment could say they took out even one dark rider—hell-beast included?

  Get ahold of yourself, Dennis. Drinking the Cool-Aid a bit much.

  Despite giving myself a quick reality check, I was about to tell Tara it was too dangerous, but she spoke up again first.

  "I can move fast, quiet." She slipped off her cloak and handed it to me, before fixing her bow across her back at a diagonal, with the string in the front. "I've been hunting with Cormac since I was a child. I can sneak up on a deer or even a harlax. I'll be fine. I'm only going to take a look and see what we're facing."

  What the hell is a harlax?

  I wanted to argue with her. But I saw how lean and toned her body was, and I knew from before how swiftly and quietly she could move. She was impressive to behold. She didn't have the full curves of Alara or Nithia. Hers were understated—still feminine, without a doubt. She was beautiful, but not a Kate Upton. More of a pilates hottie.

  "We don't know what this creature is," I said, still not wanting her to get any closer to it, at least not without me there too.

  "I'll only be a minute," she said.

  I was about to stop her, but she simply turned and ran off into the woods ahead, taking a path slightly off center, which led to higher ground. I watched her flaming red hair flow and whip behind her. Only a few of her footfalls against the forest floor were audible—and those were quieter than a whisper.

  She was fast. Before I could tell her to wait, she'd already cleared thirty feet. In a few more seconds she'd disappeared into the sea of greenery.

  She really does know what she's doing.

  Alara took a step to put herself into my view again. I had continued to stare where Tara had disappeared into the woods.

  "Well, Den," Alara said.

  I turned my attention to her. She was smiling and I couldn't help but get the feeling her expression was saying something more to me. She didn't look upset. She looked…actually, she looked like she was really into me at that moment. Could've been my overactive…uh, imagination.

  Alara continued, "It looks like you've got yourself a trio of girls who have minds of their own."

  Trio? What?

  "Den," Nithia said from behind me.

  I turned around. "Yes?"

  She leaned in and kissed me. I was confused at her timing. We were about to face a giant beast of some kind. Sydney was in dire need of our help.

  I opened my mouth to question her, but she spoke first.

  "I don't know what's going to happen in the next few minutes. You've given me so much in just a few days. I don't want to lose you, Den."

  "He's the Guardian," Alara said. "We're not going to lose him."

  All I could think about was how much I didn't want to lose either of them. It wasn't just lust—though that part of our relationships was awesome. Not going to kid you. But the two of them—and more and more Tara too—were connecting inside me with something deeper, something I hadn't experienced before.

  "We're all going home after we get this done, after we save Sydney," I said. I realized I didn't know for sure where home was. The stone cottage really didn't feel like home to me. No place in Galderia did. But being with Alara and Nithia, and if I was being honest, Tara too, felt like home. Wanting to keep that feeling now that I had it gave me courage. I set aside the lingering fears I had about the creature we were about to face. I had something to fight for, something more than my own life. And that knowledge stoked a flame within me I hadn't realized was there. The heat of my resolve grew.

  Tara came racing back down the slope out of the woods ahead of us. She was moving even faster than I'd seen her run a minute ago. She wasn't running as quietly or skillfully as she had before. I heard the leaves crunching and twigs snapping as she rushed toward us. Her breathing was heavy and audible, and her face was panicked.

  "It's coming!" She yelled as she jumped down a few small ridges before reaching us. She slowed a little right before she got to us, but slammed into me. "We need to move!" Her face was pale, despite running. "Come on." She pulled at my arm.

  I didn't move. A hundred feet in front of us, the tops of the trees leaned, forward and then to the side. Two massive black hairy hands against the trunks were pushing the trees back. The wood snapped and the upper halves of the trees dropped—two at first, then a few more as the creature came into full view.

  What we'd been told of it earlier didn't come close to capturing how massive and fierce it looked in person. If King Kong had a much uglier and more pissed off cousin, this was the guy. But he wasn't just a giant ape. That would’ve been bad enough. No, he had freaking fangs. They were sabertooth-like, but more sharp-edged. I wasn't going to get too close to get a clear measurement—if I could help it—but I guessed they were as long as I was tall.

  Tara had been pulling on my arm while I was watching the t
rees snap, but she finally let go and ran for cover behind some trees twenty or thirty feet to my right. I glanced back to Nithia, about to tell her to do something similar. Thankfully she'd already had the idea. I caught a glimpse of her bum as she moved into cover a little ways behind Tara. Alara stood her ground next to me.

  The creature roared, which blew leaves off the broken trees in the arc in front of it. The smell we'd been dealing with got a whole lot worse as the Saber-Kong—I named him in my head—breathed his hot stink-breath toward us. Bonus, it covered us with a disgusting mist of slimy spit which burned when it hit my skin.

  "Fuck!" I wiped the spit from my face, which now felt like I had a bad sunburn—the kind that makes you whimper when the a/c kicks on.

  "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too," Alara said. I glanced at her and saw her lower her cloak. She'd blocked most of the nasty spray with it.

  Saber-Kong took a few steps toward us, which brought him a good twenty feet closer. His head was level with the tops of the trees nearby, which were oak, but not old-growth ones. I estimated thirty feet.

  I glanced at my sword, which was only four feet long. I shrugged. "It's gonna have to do."

  "What's that?" Alara asked.

  "I'm taking the fight to him," I said before I bolted, sprinting toward Saber-Kong. "Give me some cover!" I hope she knows what that means. I ran toward the giant fanged ape, yelling like a crazy man the whole way. I don't know why, but I thought it might intimidate the creature.

  It didn't.

  I knew it was a stupid move, but I wanted to stop Saber-Kong's advance. I knew Tara could probably move fast enough to get out of harm's way, but I wasn't sure if Nithia could—or how she'd react, whether she'd be too frightened to take action. I thought if I charged the monster I could at least keep them safe.

  Evidently Alara knew what giving cover meant. As I ran through the overgrown forest floor up the slope toward Saber-Kong—sword pulsing forward with my arm movement—my battle cry was momentarily drowned by the thunderous crack which sounded as a massive blast of energy slammed into Saber-Kong's chest. I stumbled from the shockwave, but regained my footing and continued my sprint toward the him. Kong's ugly cousin didn't fair so well. The blast singed the hair on his chest—which added a distinct burnt-ape scent to his already unbearable body odor. But more significantly, he lost his balance and fell backward. I think he might've slipped on one of the broken tree trunks. Score one for sweet irony. I jumped when his massive body hit the ground. It was the only way I could keep from being knocked over myself—the ground shook when his back hit.

  I knew he couldn't see me coming now, at least for a second or two before he came to his senses or started to get up. So, I decided to take advantage of that fact and his entire side being laid out before me—within reach of the strong sharp edge of my sword's blade. I kept running and moved my sword across my body, bracing it with my left hand against the side of the guard closest to me, my right hand on the grip. I ran along side Saber-Kong, leaning into the pressure as at first the tip and then a third of the blade ripped into the hairy flesh of the monster. The creature roared with fury as I cleaved the thick tissue in a long line from his hip to the left side of his chest. Blood gushed and spurted, much of it splashing into me as I ran. I felt the wet heat as it hit me, but I didn't stop until I reached his chest. I pulled away to avoid his arm, which was flailing wildly. Branches and pieces of tree trunks were being knocked about as he crashed his powerful arms into them. I knew I'd dealt him a wound he might not survive, but blood got in my eyes and I had to guess which way to move to avoid being struck.

  I guessed wrong.

  The impact felt like a truck had plowed into my chest. I flew—I don't know how many feet—and hit a tree, which spun me around. My side scraped across broken branches and rocks before coming to a stop.

  I wanted to get up, but my body was slow to respond. My eyes were burning. I wiped them and then looked around for my sword, which had flown out of my hand when I got hit. I couldn't see it. I pushed myself up to my knees and looked over to Saber-Kong, thirty feet away.

  Then I heard Alara. She was in pain, crying out. I grabbed a knot on the tree beside me and used it to help me get to my feet.

  Saber-Kong was trying to get up too. He bent a knee and was turning to his other side—the one I hadn't sliced open—to push himself up.

  I looked down to Alara. She was on the ground, on her side. A five-foot piece of splintered tree trunk was beside her. I could see her leg was badly hurt. She was moving, scooting herself away from the log—away from Saber-Kong. But she wasn't moving fast. It looked like she couldn't move her injured leg. She was dragging it while pushing with her other one.

  Saber-Kong was sitting up now, both his knees bent. I feared he might not be as badly hurt as I thought. Maybe I didn't cut deep enough.

  I saw something flit by fifteen or so feet in front of me. It was too fast to see clearly, but I traced the path of the blurred object with my eyes. Before I turned my head enough to see where it ended up, I heard a nearly deafening cry of pain from Saber-Kong. He must've jumped an octave. Then I realized why by the way his legs jolted up and his dark leathery hands reached down. I saw his hairy giant ape ass and the end of an arrow sticking out from between his legs. Fortunately the angle saved me the direct view of the impact sight, but I had a good feeling it struck center-mass on his Kong-sized Johnson.

  Way to go, Tara!

  I glanced to the tree line where I knew she'd gone for cover. There she was, standing now, not bothering to hide. I could see she was nodding her head—proud of her shot, no doubt.

  I didn't see NIthia, but I knew she was safe behind Tara somewhere. But Alara was hurt. I glanced at Saber-Kong again. He was still reeling from the pain. Still without my sword, I wiped my eyes again to clear my vision a little more, then I ran to Alara.

  My stomach knotted when I saw her. Her leg looked pretty bad. I could tell the log had struck it. Her skin was abraded heavily. There was some blood, but not too much. But a bruise was already forming, spanning from the top of her thigh down to her calf. I couldn't see any other wounds. As bad as it was, I was relieved to see she wasn't hit in her head or torso. I knew there wouldn't be any life-threatening injuries. But she was in pain.

  "Den," she said. "It hurts."

  I knelt down and—careful not to put any pressure on her injured leg—lifted her up. "I've got you. I'm sorry this happened." I glanced back to Saber-Kong. The son of a bitch was standing up. "You gotta be kidding me." I could see Tara's arrow sticking out. "I'm getting you to safety."

  "My staff," she said.

  "Forget it. We'll get it later." I looked at the fanged ape creature again. He was holding his hand against the long tear on his side. He didn't seem to be concerned with coming after us, at the moment.

  I carried Alara over to the trees where Tara was. She came out to meet us when we got closer, apparently just now seeing Alara's injury.

  "Alara, what happened?" she said.

  Nithia came out of hiding and rushed over to us, helping me as I gently put Alara down on a soft clump of long grass behind a few trees—so she was a little hidden from the creature's view.

  I wiped my eyes again. They were still stinging from the blood. My face burns didn't feel great either, but I was more concerned with Alara's injury, and the fact that Saber-Kong was still upright after I sliced him open and Tara shot an arrow into his groin. I wanted to do something to help Alara, but I knew the creature could come after us at any moment…and I didn't have my sword.

  "I should have fired more arrows," Tara said. "Sooner. Then maybe this wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry, Alara. I was…afraid. I should've come to my senses sooner.

  "No," Alara said, wincing from the pain still. "It's not your fault."

  "She's right," I said. "And, hell of a shot, by the way."

  "Thanks." Tara smiled slightly, but I could tell she was still consumed with worry about Alara's condition, and the situation in
general.

  "I shouldn't have just hidden," Nithia said, a guilty expression on her face.

  "Nonsense," I said. "You did exactly what you should have done. I don't want you anywhere near that thing."

  I glanced over to Saber-Kong. He was leaving. Holding his side, half limping, he was moving back into the woods the way he came. I saw blood dripping from his side. It looked like drops at a distance, but judging against his height I guessed it was more like buckets. I knew he wouldn't last long.

  "Does it feel broken?" I asked Alara, looking at her leg.

  She moved it a little, but stopped, gasping for a moment. "I don't think so. But it doesn't feel good at all."

  "Well, I bet that's an understatement," Nithia said. "It looks really painful."

  "Okay," Alara said. "Yeah, it hurts like hell. But I'll live."

  I glanced to where Saber-Kong had been, then back to Alara's leg before addressing all three of them. "You need to stay with her."

  "What are you going to do?" Nithia asked, reaching her hand toward the scrapes and cuts on my side. I glanced at them. They were pretty bad. I'd been so distracted worrying about Alara and about what Saber-Kong was going to do I'd mostly forgotten about my injuries. Of course, when Nithia brought attention to them, I started feeling the pain again, but I tried not to show it.

  "I'm going to go after Sydney," I said.

  "By yourself?" Alara asked.

  "Well." I looked at her and her leg. "No offense, but I'm sure you're not up for going. I wish I could carry you back to Darguna right now, but…"

  "No," she said. "You're right. You need to save Sydney."

  "She's right," Nithia said. "That thing is horrible, and it's probably headed back to her now."

  Tara put her hand on my shoulder. "I'll go with you."

  "I know you would." I took her hand from my shoulder and held it, looking into her eyes. "But I need you," I looked at Nithia, "and you to take stay with Alara. Look after each other until I return."

  I pulled off my pack and dropped it on the ground. "There's medical supplies in here."