“There was a time when we said the same thing about you, Falla,” Triska mentioned crossing her arms.
“I still don’t know what peeing is,” Cindy spoke up shaking her head.
Clover wiped off all of Specca’s tears, took a moment to carefully align her glasses, and then gave her a quick kiss before looking away with a blush. Specca giggled as she brushed her hair back over her ear, seeing the elf trying to keep a composed demeanor while stepping outside of her comfort zone with her family. Feeling that Clover wanted to avoid showing more of her heart at the moment Specca looked up as she thought of another question to ask.
“Twilight? There is something else we wanted to ask you. Cindy has told us some very… disturbing tales about seeing Ruhelia being attacked by monsters. Would you be able to check on Kroanette’s homeland and tell us if it’s okay or not?”
“Wait, what happened to Ruhelia?” Triska asked confusedly.
“Cindy told us about how she’s been to Ruhelia recently,” Specca said looking to Cindy. “It was while you were being punished by Alyssa. She said she met Kroanette’s sister on a beach near the kingdom and witnessed monsters attacking the city.”
“Ruhelia was under attack?” Triska repeated.
“That’s what Cindy claimed. Kroanette is currently sprinting towards her home to see for herself while Daniel and Squeak are riding after her with the carriage. Normally we wouldn’t have believed such a tale, however Cindy perfectly described Kroanette’s sister and knew where Ruhelia was.”
“And you never thought to tell us this before?” Triska demanded at Cindy.
“You never asked,” Cindy replied with a shrug.
Triska blinked and just stared at the wraith in bewilderment then looked up and around as if trying to catch a glimpse of the unseen reaper.
“Twilight, is this true? Is Ruhelia in danger?”
“Oh dear…” Twilight softly said, which instantly got everyone’s attention. “That’s actually what I had originally wanted to talk to you girls about. I’ve already spoken to Daniel Sorres and Squeak outside about it, and… well…”
“Twilight?” Alyssa carefully asked. “What happened?”
“I’m afraid young Cindy’s tale is true,” Twilight hesitantly explained. All the girls jumped in surprise then looked to Cindy as she had a remorseful frown. “I’ve seen where Ruhelia once stood, however… nothing stands there now. I’m sorry to say that the centaur kingdom has been completely destroyed.”
“Are you serious?” Triska asked in shock, with Cindy nodding slowly.
“No,” Specca breathed out holding a hand over her mouth. “Ruhelia is gone? It’s really gone?”
“I told you,” Cindy sadly said. “I wasn’t lying. Ruhelia isn’t there anymore.”
“Kroanette’s home has been destroyed?” Doku feared. “Are you certain?”
“Yes, I am,” Twilight regrettably answered. “I’m not sure how it happened myself. Last I checked on Ruhelia it was fine, but today I found that it had been leveled to the ground with no remaining trace of the centaurs that once lived there.”
“Oh god, Kroanette,” Triska lamented closing her eyes. “Her home…”
“Did you tell her yet?” Alyssa asked upward. “Does she know?”
“No, Daniel Sorres wished for me to spare her this dire news as it would only escalate her anxiety until she sees for herself. She’s still running forward and will soon be greeted with only the most terrible of truths once she arrives.”
“The centaurs… they’re all gone?” Luna whimpered.
“Monsters really did wipe out their home,” Falla softly said. “I can’t believe it.”
Star and Doku exchanged worried looks while Cindy lowered her head and cradled Snapper close to her, the young swarm noticing her troubled expression as she stopped chewing on the girl’s arm and turned up to her curiously.
“What about Kroanette’s mother, the centaur empress?” Triska asked upward. “Her family, her people, where are they? Are they okay?”
“Triska,” Specca sadly said. “Cindy met Kroanette’s sister, Hollia. She heard from her that… the centaur empress is dead.”
“Dead?” Triska feared.
“Hollia talked a lot about her dead mom and little sister,” Cindy told her. “Kroanette’s mom isn’t alive anymore.”
“You’ve got be kidding me,” Triska dreaded as she grabbed her hair. “The empress is dead too? Wha… what about her sister, Hollia? What happened to her?”
“A mean man with fire took her with him,” Cindy answered. “I don’t know where they are now.”
“A mean man with fire?”
“Twilight, do you have any idea where Hollia is?” Specca asked aloud. “Or her people, did anyone get out of Ruhelia alive? Where are the centaurs now?”
“I’m sorry, Specca,” Twilight remorsefully said. “But I don’t know. I’ve only just seen the horrible state Ruhelia is in, I’m afraid I don’t know where all the centaurs have fled to. I didn’t see a single soul remaining in what was once the centaur kingdom.”
“It sounds like Hollia is still alive out there,” Alyssa reasoned. “But a human took her from Cindy? That’s strange, why would a human want to take a centaur away?”
“Can you describe him for us?” Triska asked Cindy.
“Uh huh,” Cindy answered with a big nod. “He was mean and made fire with his hand.”
The girls just stared at her in silence while Snapper gurgled and resumed chewing on the wraith’s sandy bosom.
“Could you by chance give us more than that?” Doku requested.
“He had a sword with him, but he didn’t use it,” Cindy recalled looking up in thought. “There were other monsters with him too. A girl with green scales and a tail, a smelly piggy monster, and a furry doggy woman. I was going to eat that scaly girl before that mean man burned me and made me let her go. I don’t like him.”
“Wait,” Triska said raising a hand. “A reptile girl, an orc, and a lycan?”
“I guess so,” Cindy answered with a shrug. “Do you know them? I told Daniel about them and he thought he knew of them too.”
“Those three monsters,” Specca realized. “We’ve seen them before. They were with-”
“Daemon,” Triska finished looking down in thought. “It has to be him.”
“Daemon?” Cindy asked. “Who’s that?”
“Oh dear, not him,” Twilight feared. “Are you certain that horrible man is the one you saw?”
“Who is that?” Doku asked.
“A very ruthless warrior who seeks to open my seal,” Twilight nervously answered. “He’s been searching for the key fragments to unlock it, however he does not wish to free me as Daniel Sorres does. He wishes to kill me and take all the power and knowledge that I possess.”
“He’s after your life?” Clover asked.
“Yes. He’s after the key fragments to take my life and magic from me. If he collects all the pieces…”
“He wants to hurt you?” Cindy worried. “He hurt me too. That guy is so mean.”
“Have you seen this man before?” Doku said to Triska. “Is he really so bad?”
“We’ve seen him and his monster companions a few times,” Triska replied crossing her arms. “They’ve never tried to kill us, but they also didn’t do anything to help us when we were in danger. They’re only interested in collecting Twilight’s key. Nothing else seems to matter to them.”
“They left us at the mercy of Charlotte when we went to Eston,” Specca remembered. “They didn’t lift a finger to help us at all when she had us trapped, they just took the fragment from her and left. We were lucky she showed us mercy or else we would have died.”
“He has one of the fragments with him now,” Alyssa recalled. “He was also hot on the trail of that succubus that attacked us before, she managed to steal a fragment that was in Ashwood before running from him.”
“That’s the guy you said had the Archlight’s Blade, isn’t it?�
� Clover asked. “He has that other legendary sword.”
“Yeah, he has it,” Triska agreed with a nod. “Charlotte recognized it right away. And we saw him use it to fight off a succubus and a deathmare. It’s the real deal alright.”
“That’s the guy who took Hollia from you?” Falla asked Cindy. “That asshole who left us at the mercy of Charlotte?”
“Uh huh,” Cindy replied with a big nod. “He used fire and scared me away. I don’t like him.”
“Oh no,” Luna whimpered. “Poor Hollia.”
“Why would he take Hollia away?” Alyssa questioned. “What would he want with her?”
“I have no idea,” Specca worried. “I just hope she’s alright.”
“If Kroanette’s sister has been taken by that vicious man then I do fear for her safety,” Twilight spoke up. “Oh this is terrible. It sounds like Hollia is her last living family member. It would be a tragedy for Kroanette to lose her too.”
“We need to find her,” Specca told the others. “We need to find out what happened to the centaurs. Hopefully they managed to leave Ruhelia for safety before it fell.”
“How are we going to do that?” Clover asked. “Any idea where centaurs go when their homes are wrecked?”
Triska held her hands to her face and drew in a slow breath to keep her composure. After thinking about their options while the other girls exchanged worried glances she looked up to speak to the reaper.
“Twilight, if it’s within your power please help us find the centaurs of Ruhelia. Hollia, any survivors wandering The Outerlands, any centaurs at all. Once we get to what’s left of Ruhelia we’re going to have a very upset princess to comfort. She needs to know what happened to her people and where they’ve gone.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Twilight promised. “But what will you do about Kroanette’s sister should you find her with that horrible man? If she’s his prisoner… how will you free her?”
“When we find Daemon we’ll take care of that,” Triska assured. “We’ll take Hollia away from him so she can be with her sister. And we’re also going to take the key fragment he has with him, we’re not going to let him hurt you, Twilight.”
“But, Triska Raylight. He’s incredibly dangerous, should you try to steal that from him he’ll come after you. Him and all those cold-hearted monsters who follow him.”
“We promised to help you, Twilight,” Triska reminded her. “Daniel promised, we promised. We’re not going to let you rot in that prison, and we’re not going to let anyone hurt you. You’re our friend.”
“We’ll give him a chance to return Hollia and the key fragment to us,” Alyssa agreed. “Otherwise if need be we’ll take them by force. He’s not keeping Kroanette’s only sister away from her, and he’s certainly not going to lay a finger on you.”
“You’re going to fight him?” Doku worried. “Oh my, is that really the best plan? Perhaps there’s a more peaceful way of doing this.”
“We’ll only fight if he doesn’t cooperate,” Triska told her. “We may be out here to bring peace to the world but that doesn’t mean we won’t fight if we have to. If he doesn’t let Hollia go, if he doesn’t give up his crusade to claim Twilight’s life, then we need to stop him however we can.”
“That fucker harms a hair on her head and he’s dead,” Clover agreed. “And if he draws his sword on us he’s dead too. Legendary blade or not, it won’t help him against an arrow to his face.”
“Are you sure we can fight him?” Specca asked. “You’ve seen how strong he is, what that sword of his can do. He and those monsters who are with him are skilled fighters.”
“So am I,” Triska replied. “I was raised to use a sword. And if push comes to shove then I’ll show them all just how skilled I am with it. One way or another he’s going to leave Twilight alone.”
“That meanie needs to be taught a lesson for burning me,” Cindy pouted. “He needs to be beat up. A lot.”
“He has a fragment of Twilight’s key,” Alyssa reasoned. “No matter what we’re going to be confronting him. A fight for it should be expected.”
“Fine by me,” Clover asserted crossing her arms. “If this guy’s aiming to cause trouble we’ll put him in his place.”
“I’d prefer if we didn’t have to fight,” Specca mentioned. “Though from what we’ve seen with this man I don’t believe he’s going to give up the fragment peacefully.”
Star looked to her hand and twitched her claws slightly, the calm look in her eye suggesting she had no problem with using force to get the artifact from the swordsman.
“Maybe we could steal the artifact from him without having to fight,” Falla proposed. “If he’s as dangerous as you say that might be the better choice.”
“If we do he’ll come after us, won’t he?” Luna worried. “What if he does? I don’t want any of you getting hurt.”
“Perhaps Daniel can reason with him,” Doku hopefully suggested. “He’s quite skilled with bringing peace between others, maybe he can talk some sense into this Daemon fellow before swords must be drawn.”
“I don’t believe he can, Doku,” Twilight spoke up. “I’ve pleaded for him to leave me be, my helpers have tried appealing to his heart, yet he will not yield with his mission to slay me. He seeks all the knowledge and power that remains locked in my prison and wishes to use it to bring all manner of chaos to Eden. He will not stop, he will not show mercy, and if you make it known that you’re trying to aid me he will try to kill you too. Make no mistake girls, he’s as dangerous as a Darker One.”
“I believe it,” Triska agreed with a nod. “Still doesn’t change the fact we’re not going to let him get your key. Just focus on finding him and the centaurs for us, we’ll handle Daemon when we see him.”
“Well… alright. But do be careful. And don’t let your guard down with him. I’m sure he’ll do whatever he can to steal your piece of my key should he learn you have it. Don’t underestimate him.”
Triska nodded then looked around at the girls, seeing Luna, Falla, Specca, and Doku having concerned frowns while the others had determined expressions showing they weren’t against the idea of fighting.
“First thing’s first,” Triska stated. “Everyone get ready to see a horrific sight of a missing centaur kingdom and our co-mate crying her heart out at the very least. She’s going to need her family tonight more than ever.”
“The poor dear,” Doku lamented. “I can’t imagine the pain she’ll be feeling.”
“She’s going to be devastated,” Specca sadly agreed. “Her home is gone, her mother is dead, and her sister is in the hands of a dangerous man who’s seeking to steal Twilight’s power.”
“What are we going to do?” Luna asked. “Poor Kroanette. We have to help her, somehow.”
“We will,” Falla assured as she held her sister. “We’ll be there for her when she needs us. We won’t let her be alone in the world.”
“And we’re going to find her sister,” Alyssa assured. “We’re not going to let Kroanette lose her too.”
“Why would Daemon take her anyway?” Specca questioned shaking her head. “It doesn’t make sense, what use would he have for her?”
“Maybe to ride,” Clover mused with a shrug. “Centaurs are fast. He might be treating her like a horse right now.”
“That’s so cruel,” Doku worried. “Would he really do that?”
“I bet he is. I mean that’s the only reason I can think of why he would want a centaur. The fucker’s probably using her like a horse to get where he needs to go, treating her like shit and whipping her to go faster like an animal.”
“Like how you treated Kroanette when you first found her?” Triska dryly asked.
“What the fuck?” Clover yelled at her. “We’re talking about Daemon here, not me! And I said I was sorry for what I did, remember? Fuck!”
“I suppose that does make sense,” Alyssa reasoned. “He could be using Hollia as his own ride through The Outerlands.”
“
How horrible,” Luna said with a hurt expression. “We need to help her, he can’t treat her like that.”
“We will, Luna,” Triska promised. “When we find Daemon he’s going to let Hollia go and give us the key fragment to Twilight’s seal.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Doku worried. Triska glanced to her then looked down to the table with a stern expression as the girls considered the only other outcome to that scenario.
“Then we’re going to find out which is stronger; the Archlight’s Blade or the Hellfire’s Edge.”
Chapter 12
The Hidden City
In the world of Eden there could be found ruins of past kingdoms and civilizations, both of monster and human heritage. Sometimes it may only be a lost trinket or a sign that people once lived there. Other times if one was lucky enough an entire city could be discovered, holding untold relics or knowledge within. What remained of these ancient wonders could draw much curiosity from those who stumbled across them, although caution should still be used when approaching such remnants of lost ages.
Sometimes what was buried in the past should remain buried.
*****
Deep underground within the red ant girls nest a very unique discovery had been made. Standing amidst ant girls and a few other monsters Mika was staring with a wide eye at the three strange metallic statues that stood atop an unnaturally sleek base. The glowing green lines embedded in the cenotaph gave the area a hauntingly surreal lime shade, the soft light illuminating the cave and all who stood in silence within it.
Daemon slowly walked up to one of the statues, looking up at the intricate details the expressionless face had before turning his gaze downward at the floor where the glowing indentations pulsated softly below his feet.
“What is this?” Mika asked. “What manner of ruins are these?”
Sasha and Rulo stepped closer to the monument while keeping on guard, the two girls recognizing the sight very well just as the swordsman before them did.
“Something isn’t right about this place,” Forrus warned. “I can feel it.”
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