Finding Bliss: Fantasy MMMM Gay Romance (Trial of Submission Book 3)

by Natalie Wish

  “You guys do what you think is best and I will do what I have to do,” Xanran said cryptically, but Saainren understood him. He didn’t want the entity to know they were acting against it.

  And he means to distract it, the prince thought with a heavy heart.

  They often used Xanran’s druidic abilities - his connection to the earth and knowledge if the stone or other material was tampered with by the high races - to find secret places, like they did with The Dungeon of Trial, but now he was keeping his druidic magic chained, so it was up to Saainren to find the underground tunnels of Vitorous’ resting place.

  He gathered the magic around himself.

  If he believed in a specific god, this would be the moment he would pray. Everything depended on finding the traces of magic that would be present in the ruined lair of a powerful mage.

  He stretched his magical senses to find the surrounding magic. Xanran’s collar, Mexi’s dagger, the yellow tassel at the elf’s belt, the ring that helped him hide his scars, Rogan’s sword, his own spellbook and various magical trinkets and potions... He pushed further and shuddered where the corrupted copse of trees flared with a light visible only to his senses. It was full of magic and Saainren could see it wasn’t just a bunch of nightmarish trees. No, they were all connected and sprouted from the gigantic stump of a tree. It was a one being, full of twisted magic. Was this what happened to Arcadia? Was he looking at the cause or just an effect?

  Either way, he had to scan further, because Xanran was already walking towards the cursed tree.

  He concentrated on his task and there!

  There!

  On the other side of the clearing a magical sigil pinged on his scan. He gestured to the rest of the team to follow Xanran and they descended down the slope, Saainren hurrying to be able to stretch his magic around that spot of interest. He smiled with relief when he found another sigil and another and they seemed to go down into the earth.

  A tunnel!

  He only hoped it truly wasn’t just a coincidence.

  He moved towards that place in his excitement. He could barely see the mouth of a cave as it was blocked by vines and rubble.

  A nightmarish growl, more like a howl from a mutated throat, stopped him in his tracks.

  ∞∞∞

  Blood.

  The tree sang to Xanran.

  Blood.

  Crops!

  Growing, growing, yes, yes!

  “You want blood,” Xanran whispered, standing before the stump of a tree that grew into a small forest.

  Blood! Power!

  The tree responded excitedly.

  It was like speaking to a murderous toddler.

  “I... don’t want crops. Or growing,” he responded to its earlier words.

  He got a feeling of confusion from the being, but then it cleared.

  Not growing!

  It said with glee.

  “What?” Xanran was taken aback.

  He felt the being’s attention switch for a moment to Xanran’s companions, as if it was waving a hand at his team.

  Not growing. Healthy. Vitality!

  Was it...

  “Are you offering me... a way to keep myself and them in prime condition? Even after we reach the lifespan of our races?” he asked slowly.

  Did he just find immortality?

  Many years.

  The tree crooned.

  Many. Many. Many.

  Blood.

  It said pointedly.

  Was that the deal the people of Arcadia had? Plentiful crops and vitality for those that offered it blood?

  He looked at the tree and its base. A stump so wide it had had to be cut by magic. But it was powerful enough that such a small matter of missing most of its body didn’t kill it.

  What did they get tangled in? Xanran wanted an interesting adventure, but this was a bit too much!

  Blood.

  The tree insisted, it’s mental tone sharper than before.

  He was going to spin some story about how they will lure travelers here, or return with proper sacrifices... but then he felt the tree’s consciousness focus on Saainren. He was at the other side of the tree and he was quickly getting surrounded by the snarling tormented beasts.

  BLOOD.

  The tree boomed, seeing the defiance and Xanran knew he had lost the chance to stall the monstrous entity.

  Would he sacrifice someone to fulfil his goal?

  Maybe.

  But not these three people and they were the only ones here.

  He saw Rogan and Mexi join Saainren and he knew they were as ready as they would be.

  “GO!” he shouted, and a pandemonium exploded around him as he changed into a dragon.

  ∞∞∞

  Well, this was a mess.

  But hey, there was always a bright side!

  He could practice properly with his dagger!

  Mexi’s hand flew towards the head of the boar that was gearing up to spear Saainren on his corroded but still lethal tusks. The blade sank in with a squelch and thankfully he had to have hit something vital, because the beast staggered and fell on its side.

  But there were so many other beasts coming for them...

  Saainren flung a spell at the blocked entrance to the cave and the fallen boulders, wood, and vines exploded, some of the scattered projectiles hitting the three of them. Mexi could feel a trickle of blood fall down his temple but it was a small price to pay if they could hide there from the rampaging animals. But first they had to go through the ones separating them from the cave.

  Fire suddenly enveloped the ground in front of him and he jumped back, watching as Xanran’s fiery breath destroyed their opponents.

  “Hit the tree!” Mexi shouted, because it seemed to be their only hope. Even with such a terrifying thing as a dragon’s breath they wouldn’t be able to destroy the hordes of animals, without setting themselves or the surrounding forest on fire.

  The golden dragon breathed smoke out of his nostrils and turned his head towards the eldritch tree, his chest expanding with his powerful breath.

  Fire poured out and Mexi could swear that the tree screamed.

  The animals stopped attacking them. Now was their chance!

  But Xanran didn’t follow them to the cave. When Mexi looked over his shoulder to assess the situation he found the blond man collapsed in his human form on the forest floor.

  “No!” He started to sprint back to his lover and found Rogan by his side. They both lifted him up and Mexi pushed the dragon into Rogan’s arms.

  “I can’t carry him. Go, I w-will protect you.” he promised, armed only with his dagger and determination.

  They made a run for it but, but this time the tree, even with its wood still burning and smoldering, was able to sick the animals on them again.

  Why did Xanran have to fall so far from the cave?

  Mexi jumped and spun around and dashed and kicked, burying his dagger in fur and skin and keeping the oncoming assault from Rogan and his charge.

  He ignored the throbbing in his thigh where a wolf’s claw struck him and the weirdly painful bite on his right hand that he got from, out of all things, a rabid bunny.

  But then he saw a massive eagle diving for Rogan and Xanran, just as they nearly entered the cave. The sharp claws glinted in the sun like knives and Mexi was too far away. Unless he struck it with his dagger. An impossible task.

  But his hand was already moving even if the chance of actually hitting the bird were almost non-existent. He would have to have an unprecedented luck to score that hit.

  Luck.

  The dagger flew and the yellow tassel on his belt glowed with activated magic.

  His aim was true and the bird fell just inches from raking gauges into Rogan’s skin.

  Mexi ran
back to the cave faster than he ever did before.

  ∞∞∞

  The magical barrier at the mouth of the cavern came to life a second after Mexi threw himself through the opening. A bear that was snapping at Mexi’s heels barreled into the protective layer of magic with force that shook the cave. Its face, squished against seemingly nothing, looked comical and Saainren couldn’t help but to bark a short laugh.

  “Let’s move. It’s not safe here,” he commanded looking at the falling dust and small pieces of rock as the huge animal continued to slam its head against the barrier.

  They went down a winding tunnel. It looked rough at first, like a natural formation, but the further they went the more signs of the work of higher races they found. Physical and magical supports were scattered through and thanks to them the tunnels were in a surprisingly good shape. They had to deal with only one cave in, where they had to squeeze between the rocks. Other than that, it was smooth sailing.

  When Saainren saw an ornate door at the end of the tunnel, he expected difficulties, but it wasn’t locked. They had to push it together though; the rusted hinges resisting their combined strength.

  Saainren made sure they closed and barred it behind them in case the animals found some way to go after them. Protection offered by such a sturdy door was nothing to sneeze at.

  Inside the door they found a series of meticulously crafted chambers. Painted walls, columns of marble, mosaics on the floor. What withstood the passage of time was beautiful. Saainren looked closer at some of the still visible paintings and blanched.

  He changed his mind. The things here were indeed elaborate and crafted with skill, but there was nothing beautiful about depicting sacrificing humans.

  There was a collection of frescos showing the happenings in this temple over the course of decades. A progression of sacrifices, beginning with watering a small tree, to leaving seeds and flowers at the base of a tree that grew bigger and bigger. Then the offering changed to fruits, baked goods in fancy shapes... small sculptures and other priceless treasures... meat...

  From then on it only got worse. Obviously, the meat had a better effect than gold or gems and somebody dared to slaughter a goat for the tree. Other animals followed, a huge bull’s blood soaking into the earth to nourish the tree.

  But that wasn’t the worst thing there.

  They didn’t stop at the animals.

  Saainren was sick looking at the cheerful depictions of human sacrifice. Even if it started with prisoners who would be killed anyway or willing sacrifices... it ended with newborn children being sacrificed for prosperity to the blood-hungry idol.

  The worst part for Saainren was that their prayers obviously worked. The people of Arcadia were rewarded for their monstrous practices, as the whole area bloomed and became the agricultural center of the continent. They bought decades of prosperity and the only thing it cost them was to shed their humanity and become monsters.

  And just like with his father, the king of Sirelon, that led to destruction and innocent people suffering the most.

  Saainren’s resolve hardened. Ending this course and destroying the entity that fed on such nightmare become an objective in itself, not just a convenient way to fulfil their quest.

  Something like this tree shouldn’t exist.

  “Everyone, the compass is working again!” Mexi proclaimed, while Rogan was doing a quick field dressing of his own wounds.

  “Huh. The protection sigils have to be shielding the underground from the interference,” Saainren hazarded a guess as they hurried to follow where the lodestone led them.

  Indeed, it seemed that the sigils helped, as they could get the compass to work only near them and they lost the signal from time to time. But it was enough to lead them to a series of side tunnels a bit less grandiose as the ones leading to the temple. At the end they found a big cavern.

  A cavern full of bones.

  “...it’s in there,” Mexi murmured looking at the compass.

  “Great!” Xanran enthused with fake cheer. “Who is going corpse diving?”

  “I think we have a bigger problem than that,” Mexi said slowly and pointed.

  Saainren squinted, having a harder time competing with the elf’s vision, even in the light of the torch Mexi carried.

  He gasped sharply.

  What they took for the back of the cave wasn’t formations of stone.

  It was roots.

  The roots of the tree that wanted to kill them.

  In that moment Saainren realized they weren’t alone in the tunnels anymore.

  There were eyes in the darkness and distant sounds from behind them.

  The tree had its servants underground as well.

  ∞∞∞

  Rogan stood stock still when he realized the situation they were in. Trapped underground with monsters after them. He gritted his teeth and remembered how important was it to do research, to prepare for a fight, and against all his instincts instead of reaching for his sword he reached inside of himself. He called upon his patron. Iss’shi, who didn’t always respond, especially when it didn’t concern setting any souls free, but this time he could hear its melodic voice in his mind.

  “What do you need, my champion?” it asked.

  “How can I defeat those monsters?” he hurried with his own question.

  “Be what you are. And let the light guide you,” the ethereal being whispered, its presence fading before he could react in any way.

  What was he?

  A fighter. A guard. A lover.

  No, those were things he thought he was. But what did Iss’shi think he was?

  A champion? A...

  Oh. Of course. A healer!

  “I think I can heal them. Or the tree. Both?” he blurted out and looked at his prince.

  The flickering light from the torch lit up the blond curls from behind giving the mage a halo.

  His prince.

  His light.

  It would be cheesy if it weren’t true.

  As it was Rogan grinned at him and wasn’t surprised at all when the prince had the answer to all their troubles.

  “Your healing can’t affect such a big area. But I may have something.” Saainren pulled a ring from his pocket. “From Vitorous,” he explained. “It gives the power to weave two spells together.”

  “Whatever you are doing, do it fast!” Mexi called to them, as he and Xanran were the only ones that could already spot the animals running towards them from the darkness of the tunnel.

  “Do the healing spell. And trust me.” Saainren gripped Rogan’s shoulders and stared deep into his eyes.

  “I will let you guide me, my prince.”

  He filled his body with his patron’s spell. The last one he was able to cast today. Healing magic ready at his fingertips, he let the prince take his hand, while he whispered his own incantation.

  When the prince leaned down to kiss him, he wasn’t even surprised.

  After all it was that blasted nympho Vitorous’ magical device.

  Of course it was powered by sex.

  The closed lips against his were infinitely gentle.

  ...or maybe by love.

  Rogan blinked his eyes open as his healing spell twined with Saainren’s light spell. A supernova of magical energy was growing around them and his prince looked so beautiful with the light dancing around him.

  Yeah, he thought leaning into the kiss, definitely powered by love.

  ∞∞∞

  Xanran sat hard on the rocky ground in the aftermath of the explosion of light, looking at the fallen animals and the dying (or no longer un-dying?) tree and clapped.

  “That was some lightshow!” he joked because he was just Like That and he celebrated being alive with bad puns.

  Everybody groaned. And seeing as the combined spell healed all of the
ir scrapes and bruises it wasn’t from the pain.

  “You are going to be insufferable about it,” Rogan sighed, still holding hands with the prince.

  They were so cute Xanran’s teeth ached.

  “Of course! Maybe I should write a ballad about it!” Xanran chirped, suddenly in such a good mood.

  Then he remembered they had to finish their quest, and somebody had to dive into the pile of skeletons to find the right one.

  Eeew.

  “Not it!” he promptly declared waving at the stacks of bones and got a bunch of dirty looks.

  “Hmpf. I will do it. I’m not afraid of a bit of dirty work,” Mexi declared with his arms crossed.

  But it’s really, REALLY, exceptionally dirty work, Xanran wanted to say but kept his mouth shut. It wouldn’t do to discourage Mexi if he was offering.

  “I will help with the mage’s hand spell,” Saainren offered.

  “Someone needs to lift all those bodies, so you can get to the right one,” Rogan acknowledged and moved to start helping Mexi.

  Xanran watched the three of them work for only a minute before he cracked.

  “Fine!” he threw his hands up. “We are all in this together, even if it’s a messy, dirty, disgusting pile of bodies. Ugh!”

  He started helping them with the horrible task.

  His three companions exchanged looks with each other.

  They would make sure to reward their dragon for his good behavior later.

  Chapter Two

  ∞∞∞

  When they went back to The Dungeon, they barely missed the Imperial patrols. No wonder they were on high alert; not only some of the lightshow leaked to the surface and was visible from the Imperial’s camp, but also the magical red zone started shrinking.

  They did it! They really did something as insane as healing the Crimson Wasteland!

  Well, at least they started the process and Mexi was kinda glad the Imperials were around to secure the place and make sure the twisted animals didn’t spill into the nearby ecosystems. It was good to have the option to leave cleaning up the mess to somebody else.

  Speaking of messes...

  “We have your body,” Saainren informed Vitorous when they met with him and Weix in the first room of the dungeon.