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

by Marcus Sloss

  The beast remained still for a minute until its outer skin heated up enough for it to feel the attack.

  Realizing what had happened, it rolled out of the path of the flames, turning to shoot out a string of its silk. The web flew past me, hitting a tree in the distance. Preparing to attack again, the spider released its silk, the line falling to the forest floor, having missed its target.

  Time to end this, I told myself, trying to feel the flow of my mana as I evaded another swipe of the creature’s leg.

  I built up the energy in my palm, feeling the electric charge beneath my skin. As the spider lunged in my direction, I ran to meet it.

  When the distance between us decreased, I released the bolt I’d been building.

  The bright light erupted from my palm, slicing through the body of the spider. A sizzling, cracking sound resulted from the blow, the beast's body succumbing to the attack. It’s body still in motion, the beast slid toward me, digging deep indents into the dirt as it moved.

  The manospider defeated, I turned my attention to the nest it had been guarding in the tree. Climbing up the trunk, using the lower branches as footholds, I made my way to the soft bundle. I could already see life inside the webs, the eggs beginning to hatch.

  Not wanting any to escape, I encircled the space with a fire barrier before burning the entire inside with flames. The nest sizzled into nothingness. The future threat had been evaded. The only thing left to do was take care of the body.

  When I returned to solid ground, Aquina and Cera were walking toward the scene. Aquina eyed the dead spider and the burnt remains in the trees warily.

  “They even made it this far?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Will you be able to burn that thing?” Cera wondered aloud, remembering the dangers of its blood.

  “I can try, but I may need to dry it out and bury it if that doesn’t work.”

  I replicated the move I’d used on the spiderling nest, first encompassing the giant body of the spider in a fire barrier before lighting it completely. I left the barrier to burn for a few minutes, knowing it would take longer for such a big target to burn.

  After ten minutes, a slight dizzy spell reminded me of my mana capacity, and I let the barrier fall.

  The exposed innards of the spider seemed to be enough to bypass its tough exterior and damage the beast, the spider all but destroyed by the continuous fire. At the very least, the blood no longer seemed to be an issue.

  Wanting to test out another earth power, I tried to bury the spider under the dirt. I lifted my hands, trying to control the earth as they moved. Rocks piled up on one another, a small tower forming from the intended spot.

  Not exactly what I had in mind. Dropping my hands, the rocks reformed themselves becoming one with the forest floor once again. Maybe if I spread out my mana’s reach, I thought to myself, trying to grasp control of a larger area.

  The dirt shifted slightly, but I still couldn’t devour the remains of the creature. Damn.

  “Illia will have to bury it later,” I said absentmindedly as I stared at my hands, questioning what I was doing wrong.

  “You are improving!” Aquina said excitedly, clasping my forearm tightly.

  I smiled, adjusting my hand to hold hers. Cera grabbed my other hand, and we all made our way back to the center of the village, ready to cook the last of our meat stores. When we finished preparing the food, Cera ran to get Illia, and we all sat together to enjoy the meal.

  As soon as Illia finished her last bite, she ran off to work in the blacksmith shop again, eager to make progress on my weapon. We remained by the fire a little longer talking about our return trip to the Wen village. While we were chatting, a loud bang in the distance interrupted our conversation, all of us standing when we heard the sound.

  “What was that?” Cera questioned, gripping the handle of her battle hammer.

  Wondering the same thing, we all moved in the direction of the noise, prepared for the potential of a battle. When we turned the corner, we heard the sound once again, leading us to a stable.

  A horse whinnied when we came closer, our guards relaxing at the realization something had been left in the village. Inside the stable there stood one horse, the horn on its head a clouded murky grey.

  “Poor thing must be starving,” Aquina said looking at the creature in the stable.

  We entered the barn, quickly refilling the stall with fresh hay that sat just outside the horse’s reach.

  The water pail left in the stall was growing algae on the top, so that needed to be cleaned and refreshed as well.

  Despite the lack of food, the horse still appeared in relatively good shape, leading us to believe it couldn’t have been more than a few days since the disappearance of the dwarves.

  We double checked the remaining stalls within the stable, but only the one contained a steed. The others were completely empty, either a victim of the black smoke or perhaps they were used to help the dwarves escape the attack on their village.

  The horse made quick work of the hay, his horn becoming clearer as he ate. Cera picked up another bunch with a pitchfork and refilled the feeding tray, feeling bad the horse had gone so long without food.

  “Do you think the dwarves would mind if we borrowed their horned horse?” Cera asked, putting the pitchfork back in its place.

  “Even if we did, we wouldn’t all fit on it, so we wouldn’t get there any faster,” I noted, looking at the back of the horse.

  Three would probably fit, although the weight might be too much for the creature. Then again, this wasn’t an Earth horse, so maybe they were stronger than their otherworldly counterparts and could carry three like it was nothing. Regardless, we were traveling in a group of four, and the horse would mean another mouth to feed.

  “We can’t just leave it here,” Aquina spoke up, again seeming to know exactly what I was thinking.

  I wanted to disagree with her, to tell her it would only be a burden, but I couldn’t. If the dwarves didn’t return, the horse would die, so I knew she was right. Plus, for all the trouble it would be lugging a horse around, I’m sure there would be benefits of having a mode of transportation as well.

  “Fine. It can come with us. But we should leave it in here until we are ready to leave.”

  “Of course,” Aquina said, her actions contradicting her words as she grabbed for a saddle on the wall.

  “I just want it to get used to us. It’s best to be prepared beforehand, right? Plus...it’s stable really does need to be cleaned out.”

  She wrinkled her nose, looking at the piles of excrement that filled the small stall.

  “We can brush him too!” Cera said excitedly, grabbing a brush off the equipment wall.

  Aquina smiled at her, opening the stall to direct the horse out of the stable. The girls exited the small space, their hands filled with supplies to care for the horse.

  I realized I had been left to clean the shit from his house…perfect. Grabbing a shovel from the same wall, I got to work, trying not to breathe through my nose as I scooped up the piles, placing them in the designated bins.

  When I finished with the stall, I headed out of the stable, interested in what Aquina and Cera were doing. I walked out to find them both atop the horse, leading him around in small circles.

  “I think we are getting the hang of this,” Cera shouted down to me from her place on the animal.

  “Did you think of a name for him?”

  Cera and Aquina looked at each other and as if they had been debating the topic earlier.

  Finally, they nodded to each other, confirming their decision and Aquina said, “We will call him Hercules.”

  I nodded, not really caring to weigh in on what I thought his name should be. Hercules...why not? If anything, he seemed to be helping take their minds off the inevitable battle and the fact that we still had no clue whether or not the dwarves were alive or if the enemy remained nearby.

  I let them enjoy the horse bonding, deci
ding to explore the village a bit more by myself.

  ∞∞∞

  By the end of the day, I gained no new clues as to the true whereabouts of the villagers. All the houses I entered mirrored the first, traces of lives being led within the walls that were suddenly abandoned. Half-eaten food and unfolded clothes - all signs that they were gone in a flash.

  I returned to the center of the village when the sky became dark, not wanting the others to worry I’d been dragged into another fight by a random monster. The girls were cooking plants on the fire, reminding me we would need to hunt for more meat the following day.

  The houses did provide a bit of dried jerky, but fresh was preferable.

  After dinner, we returned to our chosen hut and settled in for the night.

  ∞∞∞

  Three days later, as we prepared to start the day as usual, Illia informed me that the weapon had been completed the previous day and that I should come with her to the blacksmith shop to check it out. Aquina and Cera said they wanted to attend to Hercules first, so they would join us in the afternoon.

  I followed Illia’s small form as she led me back to the workshop.

  “Behold,” she said with an air of mystery, retrieving the sword from behind the counter and holding it up in the air.

  The craftsmanship appeared flawless, the blade sharp, and the hilt intricate and sturdy. She had really outdone herself. She eagerly handed me the sword, awaiting my approval.

  “This is outstanding, Illia.”

  I held it up to the light, feeling the weight of the metal in my hands.

  Flipping it over in my grip, I examined the blade, admiring her work. She rummaged behind her, putting more items on the table in front of her.

  “What’s all this?”

  “I had some extra time, and there was so much material in this place, I couldn’t help myself.”

  When she finished spreading out all the gear, I noticed she had made defensive pieces for each of us.

  “Everyone gets a chest piece. Gotta protect the heart.” She readjusted the chest pieces, a mix of leather and metal material.

  “These are for everyone as well.” She slid a pile of metal arm guards forward before fiddling a bit with the straps.

  “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have a lighter way to defend. I also made a sword for Aquina since she only has her staff right now. And finally -” She turned around again, lifting Cera’s battle hammer onto the table.

  “I made a few adjustments to her weapon. It should be lighter now but stronger. Enemies won’t know what hit ‘em.” She chuckled softly to herself.

  “Thank you for this,” I told her, gesturing a bit with my sword.

  “Well, you can’t just take it as it is. Ya gotta test it out, of course.”

  “Did you see any practice targets around here?”

  “That’s no fun.” She grinned, picking up a chest plate and a pair of arm guards from the table.

  “Alright,” I laughed, understanding her intention.

  I grabbed my own equipment from the table, the biggest from the bunch, and put them on, ready to test my new weapon and armor.

  “Do you have a weapon?”

  “Well, if you insist. I can take this one for show.” Illia shrugged, walking over to take one of the swords from the wall where they were on display.

  I smiled back at her, walking out of the shop. The area behind the store proved perfect for a sparring match. The ground was flat and quite spacious even amongst the trees. Illia stood with the sword by her side, her gaze focused on me.

  “Alright, now attack,” she commanded, awaiting my first movement.

  I followed her advice, remembering that the intention of the match was to test out the new weapon. Readjusting my grip on the handle, I ran forward, closing the distance between us. I hesitated a bit when I sliced the air in front of me, unsure how Illia would react and a bit afraid of hurting her.

  She quickly proved how serious she was about the sparring match as a wall of stone came up from the ground to meet my sword. The blade scraped the rock, leaving an indent in her defense. Taking a step back, I readjusted my positioning, ready to attack again. The wall quickly deteriorated and Illia burst through, her sword aimed for my side as she sliced the air in a wide arch.

  Our weapons clashed, the metal clanging together as I blocked automatically. She pushed back, finding her footing, a wry smile on her face.

  “Get ready for this,” she said cryptically, thrusting her sword into the soft dirt.

  The movement caused a chain reaction, the earth rising before heading in my direction like a rolling wave. I moved with the motion of the ground, trying to avoid being knocked off my feet. When the wave had passed, I switched to an offensive position, running back toward Illia after the moving earth put so much distance between us.

  I shot a fire arrow in her direction, figuring it was fair game considering she used her mana gift.

  “Uh-uh-uh,” she shook her head at me, a stone barrier easily blocking the arrow, “we are testing your sword, remember?” She smirked at me, clearly enjoying having the upper-hand.

  Fine. If that’s how she wanted to play it.

  Before I could think of my next move, she threw stones my way, forcing me to defend using the newly crafted weapon. The rocks easily crumbled from the force of the sword, and I continued to close the gap between me and Illia on the training ground.

  When I finally came within striking distance, I didn’t hesitate this time, bringing the blade down in a diagonal sweep. Illia danced out of the way, spinning in the opposite direction, a rock colliding with my blade in case she didn’t move fast enough. She seemed prepared for everything.

  I brought my sword back, aiming for the rock barrier that now blocked my view of Illia. The stone chipped then broke, her hold on the earth seeming to wane once she was clear of the attack. I struck again, a series of smaller slices this time, keeping her on her toes, the earth not proving fast enough to keep up with the repeated attacks.

  She used the rock barrier to defend from the first shot, then she switched to her arm guard and last she was sure to evade the third attack, a fluid change that proved she still had the upper hand. But how long could she keep it up?

  As I focused on her seemingly weakening defenses, I didn’t realize she had sent up another attack behind me. I turned just in time to evade a blow from a stone golem, the non-sentient creature matching my own height. Its hefty arm plowed into the dirt where I had stood only seconds prior.

  While formidable, the golem proved slow, the time ticking by as it tried to remove its arm from the dirt. I didn’t bother waiting, instead I sliced at its back, wanting to destroy it before it regained a fighting stance. My blade scraped along the stone creature, a groove remaining in the path the sword had followed.

  Realizing the groove would essentially do nothing to a creature that felt no pain, I resolved myself to aim for a more vulnerable point—the head. Hopefully, if I severed the head, the rest of the body would crumble.

  First, I put a bit of distance between myself and the golem before running full speed toward its hardened frame. A stump to my left proved to be the perfect springboard as I placed my foot on it mid stride, vaulting myself into the air and toward the golem.

  The leap provided just the right height to aim for the golem’s neck as I embedded my blade deep into the creature's weak spot. Its hands shot to the location, trying to pull the sword free, but with another forward motion from me, the tiniest crack formed down the entirety of its body.

  That small crack ruptured, and within moments, the stone golem crumbled. I jumped back off the soon to be pile of rubble, leaving my sword behind, not wanting to be buried in the aftermath.

  Illia clapped, a satisfied look on her face as I went to retrieve my sword from the pile of debris. I figured the battle had concluded as I reached for my sword, but apparently Illia had other plans.

  Before I knew what happened, I stared up at Illia’s face, her pale
pink locks brushing my forehead as she leaned over me.

  “Never take yer eyes off the enemy,” she reminded me, a bit smug she was able to catch me off-guard.

  Her violet eyes shined as she looked down at me, suddenly going quiet. All at once I became aware of the way her body hugged my own, her thighs straddling my waist.

  “Ok— you win.” I conceded, figuring she was waiting for me to say it out loud.

  When she didn’t move, I told her jokingly, “If you're not moving, I might just have to kiss you.”

  I moved my hands up to meet her own that rested beside my head.

  A flush of color creeped into her cheeks. She leaned in closer, brushing her lips against my own.

  “It’s not a threat if I do it first,” she said, moving to stand.

  She faced away from me, trying not to reveal her completely reddened face. I smiled to myself but chose not to tease her, afraid she might never want to kiss me again if I did.

  “Here, your sword,” she said, changing the subject and picking up my weapon from the rubble.

  “Crap,” she said, holding out the weapon.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I examined the weapon closer, finding a small hairline fracture in the blade. What the heck?

  “Didn’t you say this was the strongest metal?”

  “It is...usually.”

  She grabbed the sword by the blade and the hilt before bringing it down on her knee. The whole thing shattered in half.

  “Well, that’s new,” she mumbled to herself, bending down to examine the fallen pieces.

  “Do you imbue your sword with mana?” she wondered aloud.

  “I don’t... at least I don’t mean to.”

  “Well, according to the newly deceased sword, ya do.”

  She picked up a shard of the blade and held it in her hand.

  “Watch.”

  Placing her other hand on top of the first, she closed her eyes, concentrating for a few seconds. Opening her hand, she revealed a seemingly unchanged piece of metal. She picked the shard up with her fingers before easily snapping it in half.

  “The light weight and strength of the metal is perfect for attacking, but its weakness is magic—mana. I didn’t even think that could have been the reason your swords kept breaking. The quality of the weapon won’t matter much if you keep degrading it from the inside out.”