by Prax Venter
A moment later, the sleek female Awysai impaled the entity with her glowing bo staff. Mark turned his head to find her beautiful face right near his.
“I warn you, physical weapons will not harm the old one echoes.”
Her muzzle ended with two tiny holes, and his mind went back to thinking she looked like a smooth, sexy dragon. Amina’s eyes flicked down to his chest before she turned and once again guided them deeper into this haunted nest.
“Then, how do I get a magic stick like yours?” he asked, waving his club around.
She looked over her shoulder at him. “You are not Awysai, human.”
Mark caught up to her. “Are you telling me only people of your, uh, race can hold them?”
“I summon aid from the Goddess Echo. It is the heritage of my kind.”
“That wasn’t a no,” Mark said, staring at the glowing phantom staff in her hand.
She looked at him with her pure-blue eyes and long lashes, considering his persistence. Then turned her attention back to the cave ahead.
“I suggest you ask the Awysai chieftain. I will bring you to him after.”
“Thank you,” he said. His thoughts of being more useful in combat were derailed when Jezebel started asking questions of her own.
“So, what is the purpose of this site? Is it a tomb?”
“No,” Amina said. “I don’t know all the teachings, but there are no dead here. A nest is a concentrated place of old one echoes brought down by the pull of the Goddess Echo.”
Mark exchanged glances with his girls and Jezebel continued, “What exactly are these old one echoes we’ve been killing, then?”
“I know them as Echoes of my ancestors. The ones who ascended and now dwell with the Goddess.”
That sounded like ghosts to Mark, but he kept his mouth shut. Her religion was-
Jezebel blurted it out anyway. “Ancestors who’ve gone to heaven… How can they not be dead people?”
“I do not know how to answer that question,” Amina said coolly. “I suggest you also speak with the chieftain. Matters of science are not where I have focused my talents.”
“And speaking of your amazing fighting talents,” Mark said quickly, “you mentioned that they are not usually hostile, correct?”
The tranquil Awysai warrior nodded slowly.
“I often find the journey is filled with violent aggression from forest life, but when I enter the quiet stillness of the Nest and become lost in my devotions… I am at peace. I saw the old ones like this only once before, long ago. I came to find them as enraged as they are today, but then I did not attempt to fight them by myself. I ran back to my father, and we returned with many adept warriors to quiet the angered ones. Near the Goddess Echo, we found a pair of Colossi Rats had determined it an ideal spot for their own nest. They disturbed the anchor and the Nest’s connection with the Goddess, above and beyond.
“I have also heard that the red shard you seek was placed here intentionally to keep the arrogant Vulpath and Skeema to the north from disturbing the Nest, but I am sure this disturbance is caused by forest animals once again.”
“Vulpath and Skeema?” Jezebel asked, her attention locked on the nude Awysai warrior.
Amina studied his party again, and Mark felt a hint of confusion.
“I wonder how you came to me if you haven’t heard of either major city in the region.”
Mark caught her eye. “Believe me when I say that I would like to know more about how we came here as well. This is all new to us, and there’s not much more I can say on the matter.”
The earless, jet-black dragon-woman took a moment to digest his words before speaking.
“I understand, Mark, but there is not much more for me to say either. I’ve never spoken with either, nor have I been to their territories. I know they believe the red shards you seek have made the Awysai primitive or cursed in some way.”
She turned her sleek head to face Mark and spoke with absolute certainty.
“I believe it’s purely a matter of priorities.”
Mark nodded but decided to hold off all judgment until he saw more of this odd, new world.
Amina led them further into the spacious cave, and the small groups of old one echoes that attacked them were easy to handle.
The more Mark saw the sleek salamander fight with her summoned staff, the more he wanted it. Hitting things directly on their most damaging sweet spot was like a drug, and he needed to up the dosage. The shitty tree branch wasn’t going to cut it for very long. He couldn’t touch any of the enemies in this cave and was getting that useless feeling he really didn’t like. Mark also realized that his eye was not throbbing at all. Maybe they were too late, and the shard was already gone.
The sleek salamander turned a corner and inhaled sharply. The new area was a large, perfectly spherical chamber with blue luminescent mushrooms covering walls that bathed everything in a steady glow. In the middle of the room was a slab of stone that was clearly not a natural formation. Scattered on its surface was an upturned bowl of rocks, colorful berries, and cut gemstones. Lying next to the wooden bowl was a black obelisk.
“I see the Goddess Anchor has been disturbed again,” Amina said, sending her staff back to wherever it was when she wasn’t using it.
“What does that mean, exactly?” he asked, looking at the obelisk. Did she worship this smooth cut stone?
“I can’t please her and collect the residue. If the anchor is disturbed, the Goddess Echo cannot reach above and beyond.”
“I also don’t see any Heart shards,” Jezebel said, looking around the chamber. She turned her emerald eyes on Amina. “Is this the altar where it should be?”
The sleek, female Awysai nodded solemnly. “I know the red shard has always been here.” She pointed one of her three thick fingers at the overturned bowl of what must have been offerings, and a gentle tingle told him she was telling the truth.
“This is bullshit,” Sasha said, crossing her arms under the blue cloth holding her breasts in. “How is that thief one step ahead of us for every shard?”
Amina leaned over and attempted to reset the black obelisk on the table, and Mark had a hard time pulling his eyes from the gap between her thick-
“Mark,” Sasha said, and he snapped his attention to his blonde succubus. She had pulled her tube-top up over her breasts, and both heavy, round orbs of flesh were out for all to see. His AI assistant had the most perfect pink nipples he’d ever seen. Mark’s eyes moved up to meet hers, his eyebrows raising with them.
“That’s more like it,” the succubus said as she pulled her top back down. “Focus for a second. How do we stop this thing?”
Jezebel took a step closer to him and lowered her voice a little. “The only other ones we heard about were said to be with the Awysai chieftain.”
“Yeah,” Mark said. “That thief creature must have been hiding nearby when we asked that blowjob guy for directions. If it’s already been here, that must mean it’s probably headed for the others right now.”
“I offer again to guide you to the chieftain,” the salamander warrior said as she turned back to the group. Mark looked over and saw that the black obelisk was standing upright and glowing with deep cobalt-blue designs. They sort of looked like the blue markings on Amina’s jet-black body. She continued speaking over her shoulder as she moved past them and headed back out the way they came.
“I believe you have many things to speak with him about.”
Mark and the two beast-women exchanged glances before following the salamander warrior back toward the surface.
“It’s your collected essence,” Jezebel said quietly as she matched strides with Mark. “It makes you… want to get it out.”
It took him a moment to put together what she was saying. It made sense. He checked and felt that his reservoir was almost full. It didn’t help that he was surrounded by three insanely hot monster-women. Maybe he’d only seen the poorer side of the Awysai people, and there was a bustling tow
n with a nice, clean inn for them to…
“Wait,” he mumbled out loud. “We don’t have any money.”
“Money for what?” the faun-like satyr asked.
“A nice room to rent in town for, uh… to treat you ladies right.”
Succubus Sasha let out a small laugh. “If it comes down to it, I’ll have you take me in the dirt.”
Jezebel just gave him a sweet smile, and he felt a part of his soul melt into the satyr’s irresistible green eyes.
The rest of the walk to the Awysai chieftain was frustrating for Mark. Now that Jezebel had called out his pressing arousal, it was almost impossible to keep his mind from wandering- that was, until his eye started to throb again.
It started in the forest just outside a series of primitive huts and kept up a steady pressure as Amina led the group to the center of her lands. They found a well-traveled dirt path that curved to follow the lake off to his left and stayed on that until they reached an enormous dome. It reminded him of the metal ruin they had explored earlier, but this one was made from logs and mud.
Outside the central structure, Mark saw a dozen of the jet-black salamander warriors practicing with their own glowing weapons. Only a few had staves like Amina. Some had swords, axes, clubs… and he saw one sleek female dance around with two daggers while a larger male pressed the attack wielding a glowing length of linked chain.
Their guide directed them onto a wide stone path that led from the bank of the mirror-like lake to a large archway through the dome. There were no trees blocking his view of the stretch of still water, and the distant snowcapped mountains and blue skies reflected flawlessly off its silvery surface.
Once inside the dome, he noticed the impressive yet crudely made structure had only a partial roof as if it were an igloo with its top chopped off. Green, leafy plants with red berries grew from the floor in strategic rows and served as the walls in a long hallway. Many male and female salamanders traveled in this hallway with them. All were naked, and all of them seemed in peak, toned physical condition. A smile grew on his lips. There was no way that demonic octopus thief could have fought past all these ninja-like badasses- counting the ones outside, there had to be hundreds.
Eventually, they came to the center of the dome and found another onyx stone slab like Mark had seen in the Echo Nest.
Only this time, there was a giant Awysai female ghost on her hands and knees in the center. Blue streams of power flowed from a familiar black obelisk resting on the slab and into the translucent female salamander. One physically real male pressed his mouth into hers while another nuzzled his face into her phantom rear from behind. He could actually see the guy’s wide tongue wiggle just inside her translucent body.
As they got closer, Mark heard strange reverse echo moans coming from the ghostly woman as the salamander-men pleasured her with their mouths.
“I bring news, chieftain!” Amina called out. “And guests.”
The male Awysai salamander focused on the large spirit’s vagina pulled away and turned to face them. He studied Mark and his two Enthralled beast-women before signaling to the other male kissing the ghost salamander’s front side, who then moved to take over his job of eating phantasm pussy.
“I see,” said the Awysai Mark had figured was the chieftain. “I greet you, human Collector, Enthralled succubus, and Enthralled satyr. Let us leave Ohm to pleasure the Goddess Echo in peace while we talk.”
The chieftain stepped away from the stone slab to pass through an opening in the bushes and Amina moved to follow him. Mark cast a glance back at Sasha and Jezebel.
Sasha was watching their Goddess get pleasured, and Jezebel was watching him, her eyes wide. He got the distracted succubus’ attention, and all three followed the chieftain.
They were led through an open-air topiary maze, with salamander guards posted at most intersections. These seemed a few levels above the rest because as Mark and his group approached, each would summon not only a unique weapon but also ethereal armor. Mark’s jealousy for such power hardened with every guard they passed.
A lonely screech that sounded like a hawk drew Mark’s eye upward to the deep blue sky of early evening. There he saw the silhouette of what appeared to be a flying eel with a terribly long, flapping body pass over the opening overhead. The alien nature of the world he was now in had finally hit him. He had been the only human he’d seen the entire day. Mark’s thoughts were pulled to his blind eye as it pulsed in his skull. If this really was the trial version to the Crystal Heart, there was a chance he’d wake up in his apartment after the one in-game day had expired. He told himself that he would be happy to get his feet planted back in the real world after all the pain and insanity of the day, but his foreign eye sent shadowy whispers into his mind shortly after. Mark blinked, stunned. Was he not even able to lie to himself?
The path ended in a larger open area lined with shelves and bookcases. A barrel full of pearls caught his eye, but Jezebel nudged him with her elbow and nodded her head toward a display case near the back. Mark turned to look and saw two glowing red shards trapped under a glass lid. To one side was a collection of vibrant butterfly wings and on the other was what appeared to be a spice rack of mysterious powders.
“I shall speak first,” Amina said as soon as they had all entered.
The chieftain nodded.
“I found the old ones hostile from the moment I approached. I was overwhelmed until these three came to my aid. Together we fought off angry echoes and discovered the Goddess Anchor to be misaligned.” She indicated to Mark. “I believe this Human Collector is on a quest to gather the shards and reassemble the Crystal Heart. It was why they came to the nest.”
At this, the chieftain looked back at Mark, his glowing blue eyes seeming to focus on his scarred, blind eye. It was throbbing badly right now, and Mark really hoped it would stop if he got a hold of those shards. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like carrying them around if they were causing this level of discomfort.
“It’s true,” Mark said as he waved a hand at the two shards on display. “I am Mark, and it is my destiny to bring them all together.” He wanted his intentions clear from the beginning.
Amina continued. “I reset the Anchor, but that site cannot be used for harvesting until the Echo returns.”
“I understand,” the chieftain said, and Mark was having a hard time telling how old this salamander-person was.
Amina nodded once and then turned to leave.
“I want you to stay, Amina.” The chieftain spoke in the tranquil slow manner they all seemed to share. The sleek salamander female froze and then took up position near the opening that led back out into the leafy maze.
“I want to thank you, Mark,” the chieftain said. “I haven’t seen any outsiders in years, and your assistance to my child is truly valued.”
Mark crossed his arms. “We couldn’t just leave her fighting for her life.” Amina was the chieftain’s daughter? Maybe he could get the shards out of this. “As Amina said, the object we were searching for was no longer in the Echo Nest because there is another force- a sinister, vile monster. It’s out there right now trying to get to them before we do.”
“I’d like to know how many shards you’ve collected,” the chieftain said.
“Uh, well… none, right now,” Mark swallowed. “I only arrived in your world- I mean, we only just started today. I would have had two if it weren’t for that monster I mentioned.”
He nodded his wide head slowly. “I understand. And you want what I have here, yes?”
“Yes,” Mark said. “I’d also love any information you could give me about any other shard locations.”
The chieftain studied Mark and then turned his head to include Sasha and Jezebel, behind him.
“I will give you this information freely. Four total shards are believed to lie in the Awysai Chain of Lakes region, including the two I possess. Four are held by the Skeema in the Felled Forest region to the north-east. You’ll want to start
your search in Reoc’s Hold. The final four are rumored to be held in a cursed castle high in the mountains above the Lokenda Falls region, to the north. Access is restricted by the Vulpath. Visit the major city of Thomellia to seek access, but I warn you, the Vulpath believe the shards are cursed themselves and will resist your professed destiny.
“For your aid, I will include a place to sleep the night with your Enthralled.”
The moment the chieftain stopped talking, Mark felt the pressure in his blind eye start to relax. His attention shifted over to the shards still sitting across the room from him.
“Wonderful,” Mark began. “Now, what do you want in trade for the ones you own?”
“I’m glad you asked.” The jet-black salamander nodded with the hint of a smile on his wide mouth. “I will trade you the shards after you complete the task I will now set at your feet. The Skeema and Vulpath peoples I mentioned earlier do not view the Awysai as equals. Yet we are the only supply of a substance they both desire.”
The salamander chieftain stepped over to the barrel of pearls and plucked one out with his thick fingers.
“I show you a Goddess Pearl. Only Awysai can harvest them from the Goddess Echoes. Only we know how to process them into the potion commonly called Eternal Echo.” He gingerly placed it back with the others and then continued.
“I have a deal with a traveling trader who sells our stock in the two major cities I mentioned, Reoc’s Hold and Thomellia, then returns with what he claims as profits.”
The chieftain’s eyes narrowed and focused on Mark.
“I will give you a supply of Eternal Echo to sell in both cities. As a Collector and clearly not Awysai, you will experience an unbiased transaction. I will trade you these two red shards when you return with honest value information.”
Before Mark could respond, the chieftain snapped his attention to his daughter guarding the doorway.
“I ask you, Amina, do you trust this human to complete this quest with honor?”
The sleek warrior responded quickly, “I trust this human.”
“I agree,” the chieftain said. “This is the trade.”