Act IX

by Alexander Gordon

  Clover gasped as the witch nodded with a giggle.

  “If you please her enough maybe you’ll be given some pleasure in return, haha!”

  “No… you can’t do this!” Clover cried out.

  “They’re not your slaves!” Triska yelled as she thrashed around in her seat, her body being stuck in place from the waist down despite her increased strength.

  “Let them go! Don’t take them from us!” Luna begged.

  “We’re going to tell Twilight about this!” Falla warned.

  Squeak squeaked loudly as she tried standing up, her body refusing to budge as the magical hold on her remained strong.

  “Well, this has been fun,” Apoch applauded. “Thank you for the food, it was great. Although it looks as though we’re going to be keeping your cook now. Sorry about that, hee hee!”

  “Be happy with those you’ve chosen as your selected mates, Mr. Daniel,” Astreal called out with a wave as the sisters began walking towards the exit with the bound girls in tow. “And let nothing take them away from you.”

  “I won’t!” Daniel yelled out from behind. Looking back the witches and their captives saw Daniel standing under the archway fuming with anger. His fists were clenched while his eyes were glaring with fury at the two witches. Behind him Cindy was peeking out from around the archway with worried eyes with Kroanette keeping close, both watching along with the other girls as Daniel stepped out into the main court to face the twins.

  “You’re not taking them away! I won’t allow it!”

  “Oh really?” Astreal questioned while her staff’s stone glowed softly.

  Inside the dining hall all the girls suddenly stumbled out of their seats, the magical hold having vanished instantly and allowing them to move. Pip continued to squirm around in Kroanette’s bosom, seeming to be enjoying it now rather than being stuck against her will, while the other girls recovered and all turned to the archway. They raced as fast as they could towards Daniel before silver chains whipped across in front of them in the form of a tangled net, the links clacking against one another as they appeared to come right out from the walls and hold tightly in place to block the passageway.

  “What is this?” Specca cried out.

  “I’m not playing your game, witches!” Triska yelled grabbing her sword. She then paused as she saw the twin sisters smiling curiously at Daniel.

  “What are you waiting for?” Alyssa yelled at her. “This is one of those instances where we wanted you to have that sword!”

  “Cut this apart, hurry!” Falla begged while shaking the chains. Squeak squeaked loudly while trying to rip the chains apart, being unable to crack the magical links even with all her strength.

  “Why are you stopping, Triska?” Specca demanded.

  Triska looked back to the table and remembered something that stood out to her earlier then turned her eyes to Daniel as he was staring down the two witches with anger at having Doku and Clover taken away.

  “Testing him…” she repeated.

  “What? What are you talking about?” Alyssa shouted.

  “Boobies!” Pip cheered as she finally popped up from Kroanette’s bosom. “That was fun! What were we doing again? I forgot.”

  “They’re taking Clover and Doku away! Stop them!” Luna pleaded while shaking the chains.

  “Not my boobies!” Pip wailed in sorrow, and then looked up thoughtfully while hovering in place. “Well, Clover doesn’t really have boobies to steal like you girls do. But I still like them. Even though they’re so small. She has really small boobies.”

  “Fuck you!” Clover shouted from inside the court. “They’re not that small!”

  “Forget about how small her breasts are!” Kroanette snapped. “Just get in there and help them!”

  “Okay!” Pip cheered. She zipped forward to fly through the chain-link barrier before Triska reached out and grabbed the fairy. All the girls turned to her in surprise as she slowly shook her head and withdrew her hand from her sword.

  “Wait.”

  “Wait?” Falla repeated in shock. “We have to help them, we have to-”

  “Wait,” Triska repeated as she let Pip go. Glancing to the side she saw Star had appeared next to her and was watching Daniel as well. The other girls took notice of the jinx having warped beside them instead of into the court with Daniel then turned to him with puzzlement.

  “Star?” Specca wondered. “Why aren’t you trying to help them either?”

  Star merely shook her head while keeping her eyes on Daniel.

  “What’s going on? Why aren’t we helping them?” Luna asked.

  Triska eyed over Daniel carefully then looked to Doku and Clover, both of them also watching Daniel with concern as the witches stood before them. The other girls looked to each other curiously then to Cindy as she walked up to the chain fence and rested her hand against it, her eyes locked onto Daniel in wonder as he stared down the twin sisters.

  “Let them go now!” Daniel yelled out.

  “They didn’t detain Cindy earlier,” Triska realized. “They knew she would have been too afraid to attack them.”

  Daniel felt his blood boiling from seeing Doku and Clover bound and being taken away, the sight of them wrapped in chains and brought to tears inciting great anger within him towards the witch sisters.

  “They couldn’t hold Star and Kroanette down with magic, so they threatened them with Doku and Clover’s lives instead.”

  As he watched Apoch and Astreal giggling at him with mischievous grins a familiar sensation started to light up inside him. It was the same as when he faced off against Ember, a sudden desire to protect those that were being threatened before him by any means necessary.

  “But they didn’t stop Daniel from coming after them,” Triska continued. “And they only allowed him to enter the court before sealing it off.”

  “What are you saying?” Falla snapped while rattling the chain links futilely.

  Star meowed and pointed to Doku and Clover, the two girls being pushed back with a magical force to the edge of the court and held in place with their chains snapping to the wall to pin them there.

  “I’m saying this is Daniel’s test,” Triska reasoned.

  Daniel tensed up as Apoch and Astreal twirled their staves to the sides before holding them outwards towards him, both sisters smirking arrogantly as their focuser crystals and stone ornaments on their relics began to glow softly.

  “Mr. Daniel,” Astreal warned shaking her head. “Are you intending to fight us for these two? They’re not your mates, you don’t need to do this.”

  “You were right, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch agreed. “Having too many girls around can be problematic for you and your family. These two are causing such problems with their silly love for you. It would be best if they were removed for good.”

  “I will never allow you or anyone to take them away from me,” Daniel argued through his teeth.

  “Why are you doing this?” Astreal tiredly asked. “Look behind you, Mr. Daniel. Those are your mates. You have enough, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Apoch giggled. “Honestly now, how many do you need to be satisfied? Don’t be selfish, Mr. Daniel.”

  Daniel slowly glanced back to see the other girls watching him, all waiting quietly to see what he would do next, then turned his focus back onto the witch sisters as they laughed and lowered their stances.

  “This is for the best,” Astreal assured. “You’ll never be bothered by them again. That would make your life easier, wouldn’t it? To only have those you chose as your mates, and no others to get in your way.”

  “We’re on your side, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch promised. “We’re doing this because it’s what you want and it is what’s correct.”

  “No, I don’t want this!” Daniel countered.

  “Make up your mind, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch and Astreal ordered as they got back into fighting positions. Four crimson lines bled through the air behind Astreal as she began manifesting her magical longswords, the
lines then doubling to become eight that then formed into the sturdy metal blades.

  “First you say you don’t want them,” Astreal recalled.

  “Then you say you do,” Apoch mocked.

  “What is it you really want?” they both demanded.

  “Daniel, please don’t let them take me away,” Doku begged. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bother for you, I promise to be better. Anything, I’ll do anything you ask, just please don’t let me go!”

  “Quit your babbling, Ms. Doku,” Apoch giggled at her. “He doesn’t want you as his mate. Now be quiet and behave, I’m doing you a favor by giving you a nice new home with our alpha.”

  “I don’t want a new home! I want to be with my family! I want to be with Daniel! I want to be with my husband!”

  “He’s not your husband,” Apoch droned with a roll of her eyes. “Stop being so dramatic.”

  Doku shook her head violently, her bangs being thrown to either side, before she started crying while watching Daniel with teary eyes that could now be seen. The look in them along with her pained voice struck at Daniel, and also brought something else to his attention. He could feel her aura more powerfully in his mind, and that it was growing in strength with how much it was actually calling to him.

  “Doku.”

  Turning his eyes over to Clover he saw her pinned to the wall with her hands against her chest, her eyes letting out tears that were rolling down her cheeks while she was watching him with sheer desperation seen on her face.

  “I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “I’m so sorry for everything. I’m sorry for not believing in you, I’m sorry for talking so badly to you, I’m sorry for kicking you in the nuts so much. I’m sorry for how I was, I really am. Please, don’t let me go, Dan. Dammit, you can’t let me go now! You can’t let me go now that I know what a real man is like!”

  “A real man?” Astreal snickered.

  “Yes a real man!” Clover shouted at her. “You have no fucking clue how great Dan is! The guy fought a succubus to keep Triska with him, he took on a witch to save Alyssa, he’s braver than any guy in the world for wanting to speak to monsters about peace! And he doesn’t give a fuck about what we look like or the horrible shit we’ve done in the past, he actually cares about us, monster and all! He’s nothing like other men in the world, he’s the only real gentleman out there!”

  “Clover,” Daniel said in awe.

  “I need you, Dan! Please! I can’t go on like elves do, I can’t have some random asshole hate-fuck me to have a baby now, I can’t go through that! I want a real man in my life, someone who actually cares about me, someone who would want to be with me even though I’m a horrible, fucking monster! I love you! I love you with everything I have! Please, believe me!”

  “Holy shit,” Falla marveled while the other girls were watching Clover in surprise.

  “She really cares about him,” Kroanette realized.

  “She loves him that much?” Luna wondered.

  “She sounds so sad now,” Pip worried.

  “Clover,” Triska softly spoke as she rested a hand on the chain fence.

  “Daniel cares about monsters?” Cindy quietly wondered. “Even… me?”

  “Please, don’t let them take me away!” Clover begged. “I promise I’ll behave from now on, I promise I’ll be a kindhearted girl like you want! I promise I won’t hide how I feel anymore! I’ll show you every day that I love you so much! Dan, don’t let me go, please!”

  “No pride whatsoever,” Astreal flatly said shaking her head.

  “That’s just sad,” Apoch sighed.

  Clover cried and kept calling out Daniel’s name while thrashing about in her binds, her words and heartbroken expression striking at Daniel more intensely than he would have expected. Not only that but with her too he felt the elf’s aura becoming more compelling in his mind, her spirit seeming to call out to him just as desperately as she herself was.

  ‘I can feel it, their love for me. It’s so strong. They really do love me like they say.’

  “Just stand down, Mr. Daniel,” Astreal ordered.

  Lowering his head he felt the two girls’ cries fueling that sensation within him even further. It began to burn brighter and stronger, the feeling being the same as when he fought against Ember with everything he had to protect Alyssa.

  “We’ll get these two out of your sight and then everything will go back to normal for you,” Apoch assured.

  Again he felt something inside him snap, his patience having reached a sudden stop as he felt overwhelmed with a familiar desire.

  “All you need to do is let them go,” Apoch and Astreal urged with a wave of the hand each.

  The desire to protect those that meant the world to him.

  “Never,” he growled, slowly looking back up to the witches with a furious glare. “I’ll never let them go. Doku. Clover. I will never let anyone take them from me. I will fight you with everything I have to stop you. It doesn’t matter if you were our friends before or not, I will not let you take them.”

  “They’re not your mates,” the twins laughed shaking their heads.

  “YES THEY ARE!” Daniel roared as a sudden boom of magical energy rippled from him. With a bright flash his shield and sword manifested in his armored hands, his magically created weapons and gauntlets shimmering with their vibrant colors that caused a glaring light to bloom below him on the floor. His mates behind the chain fence screamed as they blushed and staggered before they all dropped to the floor in ecstasy, the sudden spike of intense pleasure coursing through them causing the girls to lose all control of themselves. Cindy and Star watched in surprise the girls moaning and shaking about on the floor then turned to Daniel as he brandished his sword and shield along with a noticeable energy pulse that came from him.

  Doku and Clover stared at Daniel with wide eyes, his words shaking them to their core, while the sight of him preparing for battle to keep them with him caused their hearts to skip a beat before pounding heavily in their chests.

  “Daniel?” Doku breathed out.

  “Did… he just say…” Clover shakily asked.

  “They are your mates?” Apoch and Astreal asked with curious smiles.

  With a sudden burst of speed Daniel dashed across the court, movements all but a blur with his sword and shield trailing their incandescent colors behind. Astreal swung her staff forward, launching her eight crimson blades towards him while Apoch focused her magic and formed her trademark shield before the sisters. Swinging his weapon Daniel knocked one of the longswords away before quickly blocking another two that tried to impale him, his shield taking the brunt of the attack with ease as he charged to the side and dodged the rest of the witch’s swords. Almost instantly they spiraled towards him with sharp turns, prompting Daniel to repeatedly block and parry all of them with his forged armaments.

  “Dan,” Clover breathed out as she witnessed Daniel fiercely fending off the persistent longswords that kept jabbing and slashing at him. His sword and shield sparked and flashed with each clash against Astreal’s attacks, his speed from Kroanette and clarity from Specca allowing him to stand his ground against the eight aggressors and reliably defend against them all.

  “Daniel,” Doku whimpered as he knocked aside two of the swords with his shield then barged through the rest before making a charge towards the witches. With a fierce slash of his blade a streaking arc of white light seared across the court, carving through the marble floor before striking against Apoch’s shield with a loud bang.

  “I think he’s trying to hurt us, sister,” Apoch giggled as distorted air and trails of light flowed around them, the raven haired witch’s barrier standing strong without having moved an inch.

  “All for these two?” Astreal playfully asked. “But why? I don’t understand, why does he think they’re his mates now?”

  “Because they are mine!” Daniel yelled as he ran toward Apoch’s shield and struck it with his sword, clashing against the magical barrier with a bright
flash that did no apparent damage to it.

  “Are they?” the witches laughed.

  Daniel spun around and quickly knocked two of Astreal’s swords away before rolling to the side as the others swung through. As they rapidly banged against Apoch’s shield Daniel got back to his feet just in time to block and parry the blades that rebounded directly towards him.

  “Have you forgotten the girls you’ve already given your heart out to?” Apoch derided as she waved her staff sharply. A magical force struck against Daniel, throwing him back into a tumble with the crimson longswords streaking through the air after him.

  “The ones you’re betraying by being so selfish as to claim more mates for yourself?” Astreal scolded while striking her staff into the ground. From the ground around her a dozen more crimson blades shot up with bright flashes, all of them spiraling around in the air before launching towards Daniel in a steel torrent.

  “Dan!” Clover shrieked as she watched Daniel choose to run like hell after rolling back onto his feet, thankfully being a wise decision as the eight swords that were chasing after him shot past one after another before striking into the wall with loud whacks. One of the blades also lodged itself right into the grandfather clock with a heavy thwack, electing a painful howl out of Star as she grabbed her hair in horror at seeing the timepiece run through with the magical blade.

  “Look out, Daniel!” Doku cried while watching Daniel just narrowly avoiding each of the weapons. He quickly stopped and took notice of the second wave of blades swirling towards him with a loud metallic screech, the boy bracing himself before swinging his magical sword with a powerful yell. A surge of wind burst out before him, casting dust and loose debris around wildly as a small tornado grew out from the floor in front of Daniel and struck against the wave of incoming steel. The attack lost its momentum with the wind casting the swords out in all directions, throwing many into the floor, walls, and even up into the ceiling with quick strikes.

  “What’s… happening out there?” Falla strained out while struggling to pull herself up the chain fence.

  “Daniel,” Alyssa breathed out with eyes that were wearily observing his fight from the floor.