Damsels of Jormia 2: A Light Novel (An Isekai Fantasy Series)

by Marcus Sloss

  “I’m a strict teacher. Don’t blame me if you hurt yerself.”

  She caught on quick, her personality returning to one I recognized. I smiled in response, ready to take on whatever she was willing to give.

  “I guess I can show you some moves on the way to my village.”

  She subtly reminded me of our current goal—to return Illia to her village. Despite everything she had been through and the unknown state of her village, she was determined to make it back to them.

  I was determined to fulfill this desire for her. While that wouldn’t change, it didn’t mean I couldn’t take advantage of the time I still had with her.

  “I look forward to learning from you, Master,” I said bowing to her, half to show my appreciation, half to tease her.

  She blushed slightly and started pushing me toward the front of the village gate.

  “Now, now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, I have to see if you have the potential to be my student.”

  The rest of the walk involved more teasing, Illia’s face bright red by the time we made it to the pavilion. Aquina and Cera waved us over, and we all sat down for the evening meal.

  During dinner we discussed our plans for how to continue our mission. We decided to stay in the Silverwolf village long enough to help with repairs and to be sure that the remaining Lezric would not try to retaliate.

  After that, our efforts would shift to finding Illia’s home. I told them that Illia agreed to teach me during our search for her village and the appreciative responses only increased Illia’s embarrassment.

  When dinner concluded, I spotted Vero and Mika talking outside the building and I went to relay our plans to them, wanting to be sure we were still welcome in the village. I caught Lira’s name in their conversation as I approached.

  “How is she?” I butted my way in.

  “Ondra said your quick thinking saved her life. No major arteries were severed, and the wound was closed before it could be contaminated. It will be painful, but she will make a full recovery. Ondra gave her something for the pain, so she is sleeping right now.” Mika relayed the prognosis.

  “That’s a relief.”

  “Thank you, Nolan. If I had gone to her alone...” he paused contemplating, “I’m not sure the outcome would have been so promising.”

  “I’m glad I could help.”

  I informed the two of our intentions and both were happy to hear that we would be staying in the village for a bit longer. They even said that if we needed a more permanent home, they would gladly assist in building something within their walls.

  The sentiments were incredibly sincere and while I knew we couldn’t stay, our mission too important, knowing we were welcome somewhere else in the world was a great relief. I didn’t realize just how important their acceptance was to me until I had gained it.

  We returned to our provided accommodations after that, ready to welcome some needed rest. I settled into my pallet bed, Aquina and Cera by my side, and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

  CHAPTER 5

  Silverwolf village

  Eighty days after arrival

  We were awoken the next morning by the frantic sounds of a high-pitched alarm. Sitting up quickly, I scanned the room, my eyes struggling to focus.

  This wasn’t another creature with a deafening call, right? I thought to myself, remembering the cow-like birds and their screams so early in the morning.

  I received my answer when Aquina and Cera startled awake at the next sounding of the alarm. Always in bursts of three, the sound rang out loud and clear, seeping through the walls of our hut.

  “That can’t be good,” Aquina said, pushing the blanket off us, encouraging our movement.

  Illia was already awake and out of the house, the strands of her pale pink hair in a pile on the floor. I didn’t have time to question what that was about. Instead, I pulled on my shoes, ran my fingers through my hair, and rushed out the door after the girls.

  The mood in the village was frantic, the inhabitants running around haphazardly, but I still couldn’t see the source of the alarm. At least not until I noticed a small herd of baby spiders cornered by a group of beastmen in the distance. What had happened?

  “Cover the entrance! Don’t let anything else get in!”

  I heard Mika’s voice and located him near the front of the village, directing the fighters. Running in the direction of the gate, I found the source of the problem. A wave of beasts fled from the nightmare forest headed straight for the village.

  Most bypassed the small town, but because of the hole in the gate, some were entering the village creating a dangerous situation. A continuous stream seemed to be flowing beyond the gates—so much so that it was hard to imagine that many beasts resided in the forest.

  “Aquina, Cera, you two help out on the inside. Take care of any beasts that are already inside and be prepared should any more slip through the defenses,” I relayed to the girls, quickly deciding how we would help in the situation.

  The two nodded and began their mission while I headed toward the gate, ready to defend the breach in the wall. To my surprise, Illia was already outside working to control the mob. She noticed my presence immediately and smiled.

  “Took ya long enough.”

  With her remark, she brought up a mud wall in front of the hole, protecting the inhabitants on the other side.

  “We have to redirect them. If left alone they just plow right through my walls, and eventually they’d be makin’ more holes in the wooden one.”

  I observed a moment as she used a dirt barrier to direct the path that the creatures were taking. Eventually they ran around the village wall instead of trying to crash through it. Taking her lead, I did the same, but using my fire as the barrier.

  After a while, the stampede thinned out, the last few monsters bypassing the wall without much fuss. Just where were they going? And an even more concerning question...why?

  Just as we thought the last of them had passed, the giant form of a manospider exited the treeline in front of us. With incredible speed, it was on us in no time, the plain between us not slowing it down in the slightest.

  Illia clenched her fists preparing for a fight should the creature choose to bypass her barriers. The thing wasn’t even phased by the walls of dirt and rock blocking its path. It simply crawled over them, its giant limbs making easy work of the tall structures.

  “Now what?” I asked, watching the spider nearing our position.

  “We fight.”

  One of the walls shifted as the spider moved to climb it, the hard surface slamming into the creature's body, throwing it off balance. I joined in, raining down orbs of fire from the sky singing the spider’s body.

  It disappeared, the same trick the first one we’d fought in the forest used before, reappearing on the other side of the structure.

  The distance between us and the beast grew smaller as it pushed forward despite our efforts to redirect its course.

  Illia softened the ground beneath its feet, the beast sinking into the dirt as if it were quicksand. It struggled tirelessly, shrieking its disapproval, all eyes trained on us.

  The spider turned, struggling in place and shot out a wad of fine spider silk, something neither of us were expecting. The attack hit Illia, and she flew backward from the force, her body trapped between the sticky substance and the wooden wall surrounding the village.

  “Crap, I’m stuck,” She shouted, struggling in place.

  The spider used the string to pull itself from the dirt prison, then released the silk from its backside, leaving Illia pinned to the wall.

  Not good.

  Wanting to end the fight quickly, I reached for my lightning mana gift, imagining that power would deal more damage to the beast than any of my fire attacks had so far.

  I felt the air change and reminded myself to limit the amount of mana I allowed to build before invoking the strike. I didn’t want to make any more mistakes.

  For some reas
on, things felt different this time. I could feel my mana pooling, the flow, the energy, but there was something else.

  Another power seemed to be coming from somewhere—outside of me. I didn’t have time to consider the possibilities of the feeling.

  Instead, I aimed my attack over the spider, the lightning coming down in a thick streak of bright light.

  I hit my target in the center of its back, the whole of the spider brightening as the lightning touched down.

  I could feel the electricity in the air, the spider's eyes wide just before it was overtaken by the bolt.

  When the air settled and the light cleared, the body of the beast sizzled, a small plume of smoke coming from the entrance point.

  The spider fell to its side, the lightning proving to be strong enough against the creature.

  I felt a small wave of dizziness when I turned toward Illia, but it passed quickly, serving as a reminder of how much mana one attack required.

  Running to where Illia had been stuck against the wall, I prepared my fire sword, quickly cutting through the spider silk with a swift stroke of the blade.

  I helped Illia to stand on the ground once more then watched the tree line in the distance, wanting to be sure nothing more would be coming our way.

  “Good work, Nolan.” Illia said, putting her hand on my shoulder.

  I glanced at her, her hair cropped to her shoulders and braided—that explained the pile of hair we found earlier.

  “You could have woken us up this morning,” I told her, a bit concerned she had decided to go off on her own.

  “Na, I thought you’s could use the sleep. I wanted to head over to Ondra’s hut to see about the beastwomen that lost her arm. Didn’t think we all needed to go. Anyway.. that’s when the craziness started. Don’t know what spooked them, but I’m guessing it can’t be nothing good.”

  I continued searching the tree line in the distance, but from our vantage point, I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary happening in the nightmare forest.

  “Let’s see how things are inside,” I told her, remembering that there could be more monsters to deal with.

  Illia lowered the mud wall from in front of the hole and we entered, expecting more chaos as we did. Luckily, things seemed to be under control, the bodies of several slain monsters piled up by the entrance.

  “Nolan!” Cera ran over as we entered.

  “How are things in here?”

  “Great! We just finished rounding up the last of the spiderlings that crossed the boundary. No injuries have been reported so far, and there has been minimal damage to the buildings.”

  Mika came to join in our conversation.

  “Any idea what exactly happened?” He questioned, awaiting our intel.

  “My guess—-which is exactly that—something powerful must have scared them. Enough that they abandoned their home.”

  “I’ve never seen these monsters leave that forest before - not until today that is. If there really is something in there...we need to deal with it--fast. Before it decides to come to us.”

  I nodded my agreement, already preparing mentally for the battle that surely was ahead of us.

  “First, we need to take care of the bodies. They need to be dried and buried. Their blood contains a poison, and if left alone it could contaminate the surrounding area. In the forest, the nightmare slimes dispose of the decomposing bodies, but that won’t exactly work this time around.”

  “What should we do?”

  After considering, Mika instructed Illia and I to construct a sort of hot house, utilizing both of our mana gifts to dry out the bodies. The initial process needed about an hour and all the hands of the fighters of the village to move the beast’s bodies outside the wall.

  We made the collection point where the giant spider had fallen, not wanting to move its massive form. When everything concluded, a giant mound of mud and stone stood at the front of the village, all the slain creatures inside. Inside, the air was hot and suffocating, a necessity in order to neutralize the spider’s blood we were told.

  “That should be good,” Mika said, inspecting our work.

  “Now, we wait. After a few hours, you can bury the bodies, and we should be safe from both the venom and the threat of other monsters smelling the corpses and showing up around here.”

  We followed him back through the hole where a small silverwolf was handing out containers of water and a leafy bundle filled with dried fruit and biscuits.

  “I know it is a lot to ask, but I will be setting up a scouting unit to send into the forest. Do you think your team could join them?” Mika asked, not meeting my eyes.

  “Of course, we will join,” I told him, having already decided to go long before he asked.

  Whatever was in that forest needed to be dealt with before it got stronger. What sort of hero would I be if I sat back and let others do the hard work?

  Things moved quickly after that. Volunteers gathered, Argent and Marta among them from the group that had volunteered the day before.

  Of course, Vero chose to lead the team once again. When everyone had gathered, there were a total of eight members in the unit.

  “Remember, this is strictly a scouting mission. Observe and report your findings. Do not engage.”

  “Yes!” The team agreed, and we all headed back over the plains toward the nightmare forest.

  The path the creatures followed showed in the grass, the pink blades matted down by consistent foot traffic. Everything seemed normal and quiet in the forest, even more so since many of the beasts had chosen to flee.

  “Groups of two. Don’t leave your partner. Report back to the entrance in thirty minutes time. Understood?”

  Everyone nodded, breaking off into groups. Argent and Cera, Vero and Marta, Aquina, Charlie, and I went with Kenzie. We thought it would be better to spread out our team in case anything happened.

  I headed straight for the site where everything seemed to happen in the forest. Where we had first fought the giant spider and where we had encountered the nightmare slime. I trudged through the forest with Kenzie on my heels, her senses on high alert as she scanned the treetops for any enemies.

  Pulling back the bushes, I found the downed tree but no nightmare slime to be seen. The clearing remained quiet and still, no terrifying creatures yet. We ventured further in, making a mental note to return for the tree since it could be used to complete the repairs to the wall.

  As we passed deeper into the forest, I started noticing some odd things—suspicious things.

  Whole circular areas were empty—as if everything had been deleted from the space and only the smooth dirt of the forest floor remained.

  All grass, shrubs, and wild plants had been cleared from the spot—it looked unnatural and familiar.

  My mind immediately remembered the time we’d lost two members of our caravan with no indication of what had happened. The same smooth surface had been the only clue. If I was right, the portal user had reached the nightmare forest.

  Expanding my line of sight, I realized just how many of the blank spaces were lining the forest floor. What goal were they hoping to achieve by opening so many portals throughout the forest? What was the end game?

  “What in the world?” Kenzie asked, noticing the circles of pristine dirt.

  “A portal creator,” I answered.

  Before she could question me, we heard screams coming from our far right. Running in the direction of the screams, we came across a group of three Rexco huddled near a tree, a wooden club raised out in front of them for defense.

  I ducked behind the trunk of a tree and a short bush, signaling Kenzie to follow my lead. Remaining silent, we observed the scene.

  I noticed that the ratkin wore metal collars around their necks, something I was told denoted a prisoner. Again... they were not in the forest by any choice of their own.

  In front of them, another fallen ratman laid on the ground, a nightmare slime consuming his body as the others watched in horr
or.

  They walked backward as a unit, trying to flee from the scene without attracting the attention of the slime. A branch cracked as the ratkin accidentally stepped on a twig in his retreat.

  The slime shifted, noticing its new prey, and pounced. The two ratmen that stood behind the one holding the club pushed their so-called comrade forward, blocking their bodies from the slime with his. The slime wrapped around the rat quickly and completely, the acid seeping into his fur and skin.

  Deafening screams filled the air, sending chills through my body. The other two ratmen saw the opportunity to run, but the forest had other plans for them.

  The slime split in two, its second half pursuing the rats as they ran while the main body focused on dissolving the already captured prey.

  I swallowed hard, knowing we needed to leave before the slime set its sights on us. I pointed away from the area with a tilt of my chin, not wanting to make any noise no matter how small.

  Luckily, Kenzie understood my intention, and she began her backward movement, being extra careful of the twigs that laid naturally on the ground around us.

  When we cleared the bushes, we exhaled in relief, figuring we had distanced ourselves enough from the slime and its prey to not become an immediate target, although that didn’t mean the danger had passed. Now the problem was locating the others and escaping the forest without running into either the slime or the remaining ratkin.

  In addition to the four ratkin, we saw in the bushes, we couldn’t know how many other prisoners were teleported into the forest, so we needed to remain vigilant.

  “For now, let’s head back toward the entrance of the forest,” I whispered, hoping we would cross paths with some of the other groups on the way.

  If anything, there wasn’t much time left before the promised meeting time, so everyone would naturally be heading back anyway—no need to actively search unless we knew something was wrong. Clearing the next set of bushes, we spotted Aquina and Charlie heading in the same direction.

  They jogged over to us when they saw us, clearly having found something themselves.