Harem Reborn c1-297

by Author：Magic_

  "Do you know how big it is?" I asked Mikota, but she shook her head no. "Well, Kyrin, do you mind carrying Mikota? Your abilities complement each other in useful ways, and Maxine and I can provide ranged crystal attacks. Sasha and Jill will work together as our front liners, get into positions, and let's push through this fast."

  Jill led us as we waded as fast as we could through the water, watching out not to trip on roots or debris we couldn't see. The trip went quickly, and soon we could see dry ground twenty-meters in front of us. That when I heard the splash.

  Off to my left, around fifteen meters away, a long and thick dark shadow was moving below the surface. I tried to call out, but a massive dark green snake dove out of the water straight for Sasha. Its mouth was filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and I had no time to cry out.

  Sasha didn't panic; instead, she sidestepped at the last possible second and dug her razor claws into the snake's flesh. They tore through the snake's meat like a forge hot blade cutting snow. The snake tried to react and whip its head around to bite Sasha, But a water whip rose to strangle the giant snake before reaching Sasha.

  Kyrin walked over calmly to the writhing snake, with this sword in one hand, while Mikota clung to him in his other arm. "Sh-ick." The head fell from the snake, and Sasha grabbed part of the body and slung it over her shoulders, then heading for shore, whistling.

  I looked at Maxine, and she had a troubled frown on her face while staring off at Sasha.

  "Sasha is so scary. I'm happy you're married to both of us, at least, this way, I shouldn't ever have to worry about her turning that monstrous power on me."

  I agreed with her and followed the others. Maxine wasn't wrong about being on the receiving end of Sasha's strength, but we were all friends, so we didn't have anything to worry about, right? Once we got to dry land, I was able to put Maxine down, not that she was heavy, but after carrying anything in front of you for an hour while jogging in thigh-deep water would be tiring.

  I used a knife from my pack to help cut the snake up and take many chunks of meat since it was starting to get dark. It took us another three hours of walking to get to the ruins, and it was dark by the time we got there. Kyrin had been putting large pieces of meat on his sword and using Fire magic for cooking them as it got darker, and we walked.

  There was a massive wall outside the ruins, and we all decided that this would be the best place to set up our tent and camp for the night. At the same time, others set up the tent and fire, Maxine and I snuck off. We crept deeper into the ruins, but it was all but impossible to see now, and the light of the fire never reach this far.

  "I think this is far enough," Maxine said with a giggle as she jumped into my arms.

  Our lips locked together and released some of the days penned up stresses. We had tucked ourselves just out of slight, and I was about to make good on the promise I had whispered to Maxine earlier in the morning. Suddenly, my blood ran cold as a voice spoke out from below me that sounded like boulders rubbing together.

  "Get off me."

  Chapter 47: Grock The Rock Troll

  "What was that?" Maxine whispered far too loudly in my arms.

  I was about to say something when the thing we were sitting on moved and dumped us both on the ground. Maxine let out a scream, and the thing that stood up yelled back.

  "Hey! What are you screaming for? Are you trying to wake them up?" The grinding and gravelly voice of the massive thing tried to whisper.

  The pair of them alerted the rest of the girls, and they all came running over to us. Sasha and Kyrin were on guard with claws and sword out while Mikota and Jill rushed over to help Maxine. She had quieted down after the strange thing yelled at her. Finally, I got my bearings about me and tried to talk to the thing while putting a hand up to stop Sasha and Kyrin's advances.

  "What do you mean by they? And can I ask who you are?"

  "No time, they must have heard us. I am Grock, follow me, or you're all going to die."

  The gravel voice brooked no-nonsense and turned without warning, and started to walk into the dark.

  "Wait, what about our stuff?"

  But that was when I heard the sounds start. Long soul tearing screams fresh from the underworld tore through us. Mikota and Maxine started to cry, and I began to feel crushing despair as more of the rippling screams joined in tandem. Just as even I was beginning to slip into a terror-stricken panic, the loud gravelly voice boomed out, "LET'S GO!"

  No one looked back, and the girls ran forwards, Jill and I each carrying one of the crying girls. We had no idea where we were being led other than that we were descending lower into the area around the central runes. The villager reactions and the reason for the lack of information were all very apparent now as we chased after Grock through the night.

  Finally, we arrived at a cave with a massive rock in front of it, mostly covering the entrance.

  "Get in."

  No one argued, and everyone filed into the large cave. Inside I was like a blown up dorm room, with a single rock slab that looked like a bed for a giant and a large piece of slate sat on two rocks with another bolder that looked to be the chair. Grock was the last to come in, and he pulled the stone to seal the door off, but the light of a previously lit fire illuminated the room.

  The girls went to the back near the fire and huddled. Grock came over to the rock-desk and sat turned around, facing us on his boulder chair. It was our first time actually getting to see him.

  The massive shape turned out to be a cloaked pile of rocks. Grock was a Rock Troll, the type that ate mineral-rich rocks and slept most of the time. This type of rock troll was known for its timidness towards humans and avoiding them.

  This Rock Troll didn't look that timid. In fact, he was staring me down at the moment. That granite face felt like it was burning a hole into me with those dark yellow eyes staring.

  "Why did you come here?"

  "First, one question! Why did you save us?"

  "I felt you coming. No one comes here."

  "Hmmm? That not a reason, but it is an answer. Long ago, my friend Jill and I found a book talking about these ruins. In the book, it mentions trapped souls here and a way to transcend to another plane. From what we have gathered over the years, it takes all six elements to activate the souls."

  "Your not wrong, but you must leave."

  "Woah, Woah, Woah, Rocky! We aren't leaving. Honestly, if you would have just stayed still and quiet, we would have been fine," Maxine started to complain but shut up quickly and began to burn with a bright red at Grock's next comment.

  "Oh? I should have just let you two proceed to attempt your baby-making ritual while on top of me?"

  I got a wry smile on my face when Grock said that. Maxine looked down at her thumbs as Sasha and Jill took turns glaring at the two of us. I could only imagine what they were thinking now since we had snuck off for some hanky-panky while they were getting the campsite ready.

  "Ok, ok, so you don't think we should go in, but we have to. So, is there anything you can tell us about the ruins?"

  "It is dangerous."

  "You mentioned that."

  "Very dangerous."

  "I pretty sure I read somewhere that rock trolls aren't stupid. Was I misinformed?"

  "Hmph."

  "Fine, you wanna play that way? Girls, come here!"

  The girls looked at me strangely but came over at my beckoning. I asked each on to lend me some power, I was going to try something that was sure to piss off the troll, but I was at a loss as to what to do to get info. It was like trying to squeeze water from a rock, except this time, it was thought from a stone. Each girl placed their hand on my back, and I felt each different magic pour into me.

  First, an earthen hand ripped up from the floor, grabbing the troll and pinning him down. Water flowed next, making the earth turn to mud, and it spread over, getting a better hold on Grock as Wind air poured in to dry the mud, fortify it. Grock fought against the handle, trying to break f
ree, but the light acted as a shield to reinforce, while darkness leached away the trolls power. Fire was the final element, baking Grock into a concrete statue.

  "GRAAAAA" The cave reverberated and shook with the rock grinding cry of Grock, but that was cut off as mud filled the troll's mouth.

  "Alright, enough of this bantering. I have five tired and wet girls here! Are you done being as thick as a...ROCK?!" I asked in exasperation as I forced the magic to tighten the hold.

  Grock tried to give me a defiant look, but that was it. I squeezed, and I could hear cracks forming, and hairline fractures crawled up the troll as its eye went huge. This massive monster probably could count the time's on one finger that it would be put in a position like this. I let up the pressure up, and the magic all fell apart.

  "Now, since we have had the chance to see who's is bigger, can we have a reasonable conversation now?"

  As the rock, mud, and the other elements covering Grock fell away. He gave his arm a rotation while holding his shoulder. Grock turned to me, but he had a different look to him now. There was more behind those eyes now. Grock looked at me and let out a massive sigh.

  "Not too bad, it's been a long time since I was bested and forced to back down. Not since him, before, similar. Sorry for not being straightforward. I have to watch these ruins, waiting for the next visit. This, you, them, I was told to wait. He said just wait and he would come back. How long has it been? Mind is like cave filled with rocks, but something seems similar."

  "Wait, so then you have been waiting for us?"

  "No, I wait for him, you, to return. That man, him, you, said he, him, you would come back."

  "Why do you keep doing that? Him, he, you? why me?"

  "Not me, he, him , you. Like the other, but different, and the same. Look, smell, touch, taste, all different, but same as he, him, you.

  "Are you trying to say I have been here before?"

  "Not you, he, him, you. Not the same, but you like he, him, you."

  This conversation was making my head hurt. The "He, him, you" only partially made sense, and the part that did was hardly useful to the current situation. I turned away from Grock to see what the girls thought of our exchange, but only Sasha stood behind me close when I turned around.

  "Hmmm? everyone is asleep?"

  "Honestly, I only am awake because I didn't want to leave you alone when you were talking like that."

  "Wah? What do you mean?"

  "You to have been standing there for two hours groaning back and forth with each other. Didn't you know?"

  "No, it felt like no more than a matter of maybe ten minutes."

  "Well, you seemed to have tired out the troll."

  Both of us looked back to see that Grock had already laid down and was curled up and facing the wall. So many more questions ran through my head, and I wanted to keep going but, a wave of exhaustion ran over me and let the weight of the world settle back down onto me. Sasha led me to the pile of girls, and we found a corner to cuddle up in.

  As I fell asleep, Grocks words stayed with me, "he, him, you."

  Chapter 48: Pawning Off Affections

  When we awoke in the morning, Grock was gone, and the rock moved just enough for us to leave. As everyone was getting ready to go, Jill came over to talk to me. She held a neutral expression, so I didn't think anything was wrong.

  "Hey, so everything past here we are on our own, no map."

  "I mean that's was the plan, to begin with. We knew we would have to explore once we got here to find what room the souls are in, right?"

  "Do you remember what that old lady had said yesterday? The one Maxine and I had been talking with?"

  "Hmm? The one that talked about the tree on the third level, and then also talked about," but I didn't finish and let the last part trail off.

  Even with its seriousness, Jill started to giggle like a little girl at the last part of my statement.

  "What are you laughing about?" Maxine asked as she walked over to join Jill and me.

  When Maxine got close to Jill, she received whispers from a cupped hand, and I got to watch Maxine's adorable face go from a questioning frown to a laugh hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. This laugh drew the rest of the girls in, and they all started to laugh, not even knowing what the joke was.

  After everyone settled down, I looked back at Jill. At the look, Jill started explaining what she had meant by asking me about the woman. According to that lady, there were at least three levels and maybe more.

  "Now, the reason why I'm worried is that I had Sasha and Mikota go take a look around, and what they found might completely derail our plans since we have lost most of our supplies."

  Mikota and Sasha were Dark and Light users, and their magic could bend light and darkness around them. This combination allowed them to create an illusion around them, making them invisible to the naked eye, and only another Dark user would be able to see through this trick. That made Sasha and Mikota a perfect team for this type of job.

  "What do you mean what you say that it could derail us?" I questioned Jill.

  "We found an entrance in the center of the broken down ruins of the mansion that stood here before. It was a door into the ground, but when we went down to look, it turned out to be a maze, but we didn't go in very far."

  Sasha had spoken up to explain their findings, rather than Jill giving me a second-hand account. That was a problem, and I looked to Maxine, asking her to check what we have for food supplies. After rifling through the three out of six-packs left from last night's retreat, Maxine determined we could last for a week if we stretched the food we had.

  "So, now we are all left with a choice. Do we turn back to Shadeholm, through the swamp and forest, then returning with fresh supplies? Or do we push forward?" I looked at each girl, one by one, as I spoke.

  There was some uneasy shifting until Jill spoke up.

  "I will go with you. We have been together for a long time now, and we have come so far."

  "You know I will follow you to the fiery abyss and back!" Sasha said with passion.

  "When I met you behind the auction house, I never imagined a life like this, but I go where you go," reflected Maxine with a smile on her face.

  "I go where Jill goes." Was all Mikota would add.

  "Both of us are here for you," Kyrina and Kyrin answered together, split-faced.

  That was it after that, our three packs on, the six of us filed out of the cave. In the light of the morning, we could see portions of brick walls left standing. The scene was hardly worth describing. Sasha led us to the clean and smooth metal doors.

  "That doesn't make much sense. This door should be rusted and decays like the rest of the place."

  "That's what we thought too, but even the hinges have grease on them. That has to mean someone or thing is taking care of the place," Mikota explained.

  We all headed down, and I found the place gave me a bit of nostalgia. It was similar to the dungeon I had met Victoria in. I unconsciously looked at Kyrin with his light plate and sword.

  This place wasn't exactly like the other dungeon, so maybe...

  "Kyrin!" I yelled at him because he was ten meters ahead of us, and he stopped turning around to look back at me.

  "What is it?"

  "Remember when you tried to cook us? And how you melted through the walls?"

  "Umm, yes?"

  "Well, I want you to try that again here, but this time Maxine and Sasha will lend you their power as well."

  Kyrin looked at me with a puzzled expression, but Sasha and Maxine took hold of him. The girls led him, and we all followed them to the first turn. Now in position, Sasha and Maxine stood close together directly behind Kyrin, then he raised his hand.

  Kyrin first created a jet of fire that coned out into a giant orange flame. Next, Maxine poured in her Wind magic, and the flame tightened to a powerful blue torch, and even at this point, the wall had started to meltdown. I hugged the closest person to me in excitement, wh
ich was Mikota, and she tried desperately to move away from me, but then to my surprise, Mikota stopped resisting and relaxed but not hugging me back.

  I wanted to be more shocked and enjoy the moment, but the addition of Sasha's Light magic snapped everyone's attention forward. I felt the heat in waves ten-meters back, and the roar was like a jet engine. I even heard a "WOAH!" from Kyrin as he stepped forward, blasting through walls like paper.

  For Mikota, the heat was too much. She had started to shake and sweat while clutching at my chest. So I quickly turned and moved her back and away from the heat.

  Mikota's weight started pushing into me as she panted, so I picked her up before she could pass out. I called Jill, and she ran over. She began to use her Water magic to soothe and cool the panting Mikota in my arms.