“Anyway,” Astreal continued. “We’ve come because our master says you need to get to what remains of Ruhelia right away. We can transport the carriage and all of you safely there, how safe you’ll remain once in that part of Eden we can’t say however.”
“Are you sure you want to go there still?” Apoch asked. “Perhaps it would be best to turn back. Those who brought this anarchy to our land could still be nearby.”
“Kroanette and Pip are on their way there right now,” Daniel told them. “We have to meet up with them. And Kroanette won’t stop trying to go home until she’s able to and can see what happened for herself. Danger or not, I don’t think anything can stop her from racing there as fast as she’s able. We need to be there for her.”
“Very well,” Apoch and Astreal agreed twirling their staves. “We shall take you directly there if that is what you truly want. Please stop the carriage so we may do so.”
“Thank you,” Daniel said before snapping the reins. Lucky started slowing down before the wagon rode over a partly buried log, the front wheel bumping over it before the rear one hit against it and stopped suddenly. Lucky neighed as he was jerked to the side from the carriage halting so quickly while Apoch and Astreal screamed while flying forward off the ride. Daniel and Squeak quickly reached up to grab the airborne witches, with the ant girl catching Astreal by her hips while Daniel managed to grab hold of Apoch’s ankles. While Astreal remained up high in the hands of the ant girl Apoch swung downward before landing headfirst in Daniel’s lap with a soft thump. Except for Lucky’s whinnying everything fell silent as Astreal and Squeak stared with wide eyes at seeing Apoch’s face buried between Daniel’s legs and her own being held up on either side of his head, the stunned expression Daniel had being frozen at seeing the witch’s black panties right in front of him as her skirt dropped down around her hips.
Daniel gulped and glanced over to see Astreal glaring at him with absolute fury while Squeak had a nervous frown, his eyes then turning down to the witch who was twitching slightly with whimpers coming from his crotch.
“Um… got you?” he slowly said with a cringe.
*****
“I said I was sorry!” Daniel pleaded desperately. “I just tried to catch her so she wouldn’t fall off!”
“YOU BASTARD!” Astreal roared while holding Apoch close to her, the shy witch burying her face in her sister’s shoulder while Astreal had her staff held out towards the trembling human. Daniel tried to keep as still as he could while kneeled down on the ground, his eyes going over the many crimson longswords that were floating all around him with their ends aimed at his neck then back to the witch who was snarling through her teeth at him. Nearby Squeak was holding her hands over her face while peeking between the fingers at Daniel, the girl fearful Daniel wouldn’t be walking away from this misunderstanding without losing some blood first.
“It was just an accident!” Daniel begged.
“How dare you hold my sister like that!” Astreal yelled. “Her body is not for you! Not for you at all!”
“I know that! I never meant for that to happen!”
“He was breathing into my panties,” Apoch whimpered shaking her head. “Like a hungry animal.”
Squeak jumped and looked at Daniel in surprise while Astreal growled like a lion who was about to kill its prey.
“I was not!” Daniel argued shaking his head. “I just tried to catch her so she wouldn’t-”
“And he was licking me down there,” Apoch sniveled holding a hand down over her rear. “He liked it. He liked tasting me.”
“I DID NOT!” Daniel cried out as the longswords around him shook slightly with a metallic whine. “I swear, I didn’t do anything like that to her!”
“You’re going to pay for this!” Astreal yelled while her staff’s end glowed with a deep red. “Nobody does that to my sister and gets away with it!”
“Wait, please listen to me!” Daniel shouted as he shut his eyes and braced for death.
Astreal trembled in anger while Squeak watched Daniel with an uneasy frown, the two then turning to see Apoch giggling while hiding in her sister’s shoulder. After a moment the shy witch glanced over to Daniel with a coy smile and shook her head.
“That’s enough, sister. I think he learned his lesson.”
“Lesson?” Astreal asked. She blinked then confusedly looked back and forth between Apoch and Daniel while the raven haired witch stepped back and smirked at the trembling human.
“That’s what you get for sticking your nose someplace it doesn’t belong,” Apoch said before sticking her tongue out at Daniel.
“Sister?” Astreal wondered.
“Mr. Daniel did save me from flying off the carriage,” Apoch admitted with a shrug. “But his method of doing so left a lot to be desired. Mainly the part about my crotch ending up against his mouth and vice versa. He didn’t deserve such a treat as that.”
“You’re not mad at him?” Astreal asked.
“I was, but seeing him begging for his life like that made me feel better,” Apoch giggled.
“She was going to kill me!” Daniel cried out.
“No,” Apoch playfully corrected. “She wouldn’t have gone that far, our master is counting on you to save her after all. She likely would have just taken an ear or an eye in retribution for you touching me in such a naughty way, that’s all. Hee hee!”
“This isn’t funny!” Daniel shouted. “I tried to be nice and save you!”
“Then you should have caught me properly like Ms. Squeak did with my sister,” Apoch huffed as she turned away. “I mean honestly, catching me the way you did. It makes me wonder if you wanted to take a whiff of my pussy.”
“I did not!” Daniel exclaimed. “I was just trying to help by not letting you fly off onto the ground!”
Astreal rolled her eyes and waved her staff, dissolving her swords around Daniel who then caught his breath while looking at the witches as if they were crazy.
“Sister,” Astreal tiredly said. “I don’t mind playing tricks on Mr. Daniel but at least let me know that’s what you were doing next time. Him wanting to shove his face into your crotch was too believable, I was almost going to behead him for that.”
“What do you mean by that?” Daniel cried out in disbelief. “What kind of image of me do you two have? And what do you mean you don’t mind playing tricks on me?”
Apoch giggled and shrugged at her sister, with Astreal smiling a little at her while shaking her head. The two then turned to Daniel as he got up on his feet while holding his neck with an annoyed expression at them.
“You can’t get mad at us,” Astreal pointed out. “We’re witches, we love to play tricks now and again. It’s what we do, it’s our nature.”
“That and you did hold me inappropriately,” Apoch mentioned shaking a finger at him. “Such a naughty boy, Mr. Daniel.”
“Next time I’ll let you soar off into dirt,” Daniel retorted shaking his head. “I promise.”
“Aw, no need to be so grumpy, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch coyly said. She walked over to him while summoning her staff into her hand, the witch then hooking the end around his neck and pulling him down to her level. “Tell you what, since you’re still upset I’ll tell you a little secret as amends for my harmless joke.”
“Harmless?” Daniel mockingly repeated.
“You made me swoon, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch softly said, holding a hand to his cheek with a gentle expression coming over her. Daniel watched her in awe as the witch sighed and slowly shook her head.
“You, a human, would instinctively try to help me when I was in trouble. Even after I’ve been so mean to you, even after I’ve been a bad little witch in my long life, you would actually do that for me. The fact that you wanted to protect me, to shield me from harm like that… I’ve never felt so loved before. And all from a human too.”
“Apoch?” Daniel quietly said.
“The truth is…” Apoch tenderly continued, the girl taking a small breath befor
e smiling lovingly at him. “I’ve falling in love with you! Oh please, let me join your harem too! It would mean so much to me if you did!”
“What?” Daniel exclaimed. Astreal watched her sister curiously while Squeak was showing a stunned expression on her face as Apoch clung to Daniel’s chest and nuzzled her cheek against him.
“You stole my heart too so now you need to take care of me! And don’t worry about what my master would say, I’m certain she’d approve of you taking me as your mate and making a baby with me!”
“Making a baby with you?” Daniel cried out. Apoch hopped up onto his chest while holding his shoulders, leaning closer to his face with a seductive grin as she watched him babbling some form of nonsensical argument.
“Of course, we’re going to have sex too, aren’t we? I promise I’ll make it magical for you. You’re in for a real treat if I do say so, I love anal way more than Ms. Alyssa does.”
She leaned close to Daniel’s face and gently held his head while he continued stammering some form of frightened reply.
“I’m certain I’m warmer and tighter than she is by far. Maybe tonight you could see for yourself. What do you think?”
“Whoa, hold it!” Daniel cried out shutting his eyes tightly. “We’re not doing anything like that tonight! Or ever! I’m sorry but there’s no way I could take another mate now, not even you, Apoch! I’m okay being friends but that’s it, nothing more! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel that way about me, I’m shocked you even do feel that way about me! I mean I’m flattered but I’m highly spoken for so there’s just no way it could work between us, Apoch! Okay? I’m sorry but… please, can’t we just be friends instead?”
Opening his eyes he then saw Apoch watching him with a cute smile, the girl struggling to hold in her snickering that was trying to escape her throat. Daniel blinked then showed a dull expression right before Apoch dropped to her feet laughing, the witch being accompanied by her sister who dropped to the ground laughing while Squeak merely watched Apoch with the same unamused look Daniel had.
“Oh, Mr. Daniel!” Apoch laughed while holding her sides. “You really are cute when you get flustered like that!”
“Did you really think my sister wanted you?” Astreal asked while trying to catch her breath. “You really believed that?”
Squeak crossed her arms with a stern squeak at the witches while Daniel tiredly held a hand over his eyes with a quiet sigh.
“I should have known,” he flatly said to himself.
“Yes, you should have,” Apoch giggled. “Sorry to play with you so quickly again, but I just couldn’t resist. I saw the opportunity and I just had to see your reaction from me saying such things to you.”
“At least that time I knew you were joking,” Astreal said standing back up. “And bravo for keeping that straight face with your declaration of love for him like that, I was struggling to do the same the entire-”
“Can we just go to Ruhelia?” Daniel called out. He looked up with an irritated grimace while crossing his arms and tapping his foot. “You’ve had your fun at my expense, twice now even, so can we just go already? Or did you two want to torment me further while we wait here?”
Apoch and Astreal exchanged curious looks before the raven haired witch used her staff’s end to hook over Daniel’s head and bring his gaze down to her.
“Two things, Mr. Daniel,” she stated holding up two fingers. “One, there isn’t much to smile or laugh about where you’re going. In fact my sister and I haven’t had anything to smile about lately while dealing with these rogue monsters and the poor witches of our community who have been slain by them. Frankly this has been a much needed break, and we do thank you for giving us that.”
“You’re welcome,” Daniel dryly said.
“And two,” Apoch continued before smiling slightly. “I may not be madly in love with you, Mr. Daniel. I may not feel that way at all about you, but… I’m happy to know you now.”
Daniel and Squeak watched her carefully as the witch showed a genuine smile towards him.
“It’s true. Even if you’re a gullible human who’ll believe anything we say, you’re still a human who wouldn’t think twice about saving a monster such as myself. You helping me may not have been the most elegant of rescues, but the thought still counted. Thank you, Mr. Daniel.”
“You’re welcome,” Daniel replied again while relaxing his stance a little.
“And… I suppose I may have crossed a line with you,” Apoch admitted before smirking at him. The witch then winked and lightly tapped his nose with her staff. “I owe you one, Mr. Daniel. Remember that.”
“I will,” Daniel agreed with a slight smile.
“Very well,” Astreal said twirling her staff. “We shall take you to Ruhelia. You’re not going to like what you see there, so be prepared for what awaits.”
Daniel and Squeak nodded as they walked over next to their carriage. The witch sisters struck their staves into the ground while their focusers and stone relics glowed brightly, the two girls facing away from the ride while waves of magical light flowed around their staves and legs. Daniel and Squeak glanced to each other and held hands, both knowing they would be seeing a terrible sight very soon. Apoch and Astreal focused their magic then waved a hand each out to either side, creating a shimmering wall of light that spread around the travelers in a wide circle before becoming enclosed. Specks of light floated up from the ground while the magical wall around them crackled with energy. With a quick fling of their hands forward the sisters spoke together in a strange tongue, the ground then lighting up with several interlaced casting circles that glowed with white and red lines. The witches spoke their spell in unison then held their staves up high before striking them down into the ground with a sharp thrust, causing a bright flash of light to warp across from the glowing walls before it engulfed everyone. A loud crackle echoed out as the pillar of light shattered, revealing the travelers to be gone while dust slowly settled around the area.
They had been magically teleported to another part of Eden, a location that while being further away was no more pleasant to behold than the decaying woodland they had departed from. In fact it would be even more concerning to behold.
*****
Inside their bedroom Triska and the girls were quiet as they had been after their little meeting in the library ended. The cambion of the group was sitting next to her duffel bag while sifting through it with an unfocused gaze, her mind still focused on the inevitable confrontation with Daemon and his followers. At her hip the Hellfire’s Edge remained sheathed, its aura suppressed within the scabbard yet not hidden to Triska who felt her sword’s power boiling underneath, almost as if it too anxiously awaited its destined clash with the Archlight’s Blade.
“You okay?” Kitten asked in her mind.
‘Just wondering what to expect. The next time we see Daemon things are going to get rough, and probably very quickly.’
“I don’t mind fighting this battle for you,” Kitten offered with a chuckle. “Sounds like fun to take this guy on. And if it would please my master to have those key fragments recovered from him then it’ll be even more enjoyable peeling him like an onion.”
‘I sometimes find it hard to tell if you’re becoming a kind soul or not…’
“I’m just doing what will please my master. We need to get those key fragments from Daemon and also take Kroanette’s sister back from him, right? Odds are we’re going to have to use force to do that. So I might as well enjoy myself with the task.”
‘I’ll handle him when we meet next,’ Triska thought as she tied her duffel bag shut and sat next to it. ‘It’s my job as the fighter of this family. Daniel may try to reason with him, I’m sure he’ll want to do so first before we draw swords, but from what I’ve seen of this Daemon fellow he’s not going to back down so easily. If he doesn’t listen to Daniel and chooses to fight instead then I’m going to make him yield, one way or another.’
“You’re no fun,” Kitte
n pouted. “Seriously, this is something I’m perfect for. If this guy draws his sword towards my master then I’m the most suited to rip him limb from limb for it. I’m my master’s slave for crying out loud.”
Triska shook her head slightly then looked to the side to see the demon’s ethereal image sitting beside her while sulking with drooping wings and a stubborn scowl on her face.
‘By the way, are you alright? I know that luststone was very overwhelming for you.’
“It wasn’t overwhelming for me,” Kitten huffed. “I was just… a little surprised by how it affected me. That’s all.”
‘You were knocked flat on your ass from me simply touching it, and you’re inside my mind without an actual ass to be knocked onto.’
“I’m fine, alright?” Kitten shouted before growling in frustration. “Like fucking hell some little rock could ever make me feel the slightest bit aroused. Nothing can make me feel more complete than my master. Nothing.”
‘I know that,’ Triska empathized. Kitten glanced to her with a troubled frown as the teen sighed and looked down in remorse. ‘The way it made me feel… it was like it raped me. Forcing that much pleasure into my body like that… overshadowing how Daniel makes me feel with his genuine love for me… I hated it. There’s nothing loving about that stupid rock, it shouldn’t be able to make me feel that way for it with no emotion behind it. It’s not real love, it doesn’t make me feel complete at all nor ever could. It’s just…’
“Raw lust,” Kitten solemnly finished.
‘Is that what monsters feel inside them? Is that what their inner nature does to them? Drives them towards raping men because it’s constantly burning within them?’
“I’m not sure about the others. I’m part succubus, so I’m always horny, Triska. But what that luststone made me feel… it had no warmth behind it like my master’s affection does. It was just… blinding for me.”
Triska slowly looked around the room at her monster companions. Luna and Falla were sitting on the bed with Falla gently brushing Luna’s hair, the sisters remaining quiet while obviously lost in thought about recent events. Cindy was sitting near them, cradling Snapper who had finally fallen asleep in her arms. The young swarm remained as still as stone while breathing softly, all while Cindy watched her with caring eyes as she treated the infant as if she were her own. Alyssa was sitting in front of the mirrors while adjusting the skull ornament on her hat as it had become loose while beside her Doku was admiring the focuser necklace hung on the wall that belonged to the witch’s mother. Specca was reading a book on the bed, having opted to relax with a nice story in the company of her family rather than remain alone in the library. Star was out in the main court again seated before her clock while mewing in rhythm to the swinging pendulum, her voice being heard amidst the silence in their home even though she was further away. And Clover was approaching Triska while holding her quiver of arrows in hand, the elf then standing before the cambion and seeing the distant look she had.
Chronicles of Eden_Act X Page 50