Act IX

by Alexander Gordon

  “He’s… fighting for them,” Kroanette managed to get out before moaning in pleasure and dropping back down to the ground.

  Triska had gotten up onto one hand and her knees while struggling to watch Daniel’s fight, the pleasure streaking through her body nearly driving her over the edge despite her efforts to remain focused. She saw him standing before the witches while defending against Astreal’s relentless attacks and displaying not only a heightened fighting spirit but also sheer determination in his eyes.

  “Daniel… they mean that much to you, don’t they?”

  Clover and Doku were staring in stunned amazement to see Daniel standing his ground against the witches and having overcome Astreal’s assault in a rather flashy way.

  “I’m not dreaming, am I?” Clover shakily asked. “I’m seeing this correctly, right?”

  “I believe you are,” Doku said with a small smile forming. “Daniel’s fighting to protect us. He’s… he’s going to save us.”

  Daniel again dashed towards the witches, swiping with his sword that was met with Apoch’s barrier getting in the way. Slashing at it over and over he wasn’t able to scratch or move the object, with the witches behind it giggling in unison while watching him with smirks on their faces.

  “What makes you think you can claim more girls as your own, Mr. Daniel?” they taunted together. “How many do you need to be satisfied in this world?”

  “Shut up!” Daniel yelled as he darted around the shield, only for it to quickly slide over and block his attacks yet again. “You don’t understand at all!”

  “Don’t we?” Apoch laughed before waving her staff, throwing Daniel over into the center of the court.

  “You said it all quite clearly earlier,” Astreal reminded him. She spun her staff around before swinging it down, casting all the crimson blades in the court out from their resting spots towards Daniel in wild spins.

  “Daniel, be careful!” Doku cried out.

  “Run!” Clover screamed.

  Daniel rolled back onto his feet from Apoch’s throw just in time to see the many rapiers flying at him from all sides. He focused on all the power he could from his mates, his body tensing up as he didn’t know which way to run, which way to defend, or how the hell he could possibly avoid being sliced into tiny bits in the next few seconds. In his rush to draw upon any strength or idea that could help him something quickly struck him in his mind, a symbol and colored light that hadn’t appeared before until now.

  “NO!” Doku and Clover yelled as all the swords struck into a tight ball with an ear-piercing screech, the blades sparking brightly against one another as they hit the center of the court at the same time with a small shockwave rippling out from the impact.

  “Daniel!” Doku wailed.

  “Dan!” Clover shrieked in horror at the sight.

  Star and Cindy covered their mouths with gasps while the other girls were still moaning uncontrollably at their feet with flushed faces.

  Astreal smirked at the sight of her swords being struck into the ground together then smiled nervously along with her sister.

  “Um… Mr. Daniel?” she called out weakly.

  “I think that may have been too much, sister,” Apoch worried.

  “You think so?” Daniel asked from behind. The sisters spun around in surprise to see Daniel drawing back with his shield before he bashed Astreal across the face with it, throwing the witch into a spiral off to the side with a loud scream.

  “Mr. Daniel!” Apoch gasped as she quickly backed up. “But… how… we saw…”

  “Daniel?” Doku sniveled with tears dropping from her cheeks.

  “How did he do that?” Clover breathed out in disbelief. “How did he get behind them all of a sudden?”

  Cindy was scratching her head in puzzlement while Star was staring at Daniel in amazement, seeing him standing before a trembling witch without a scratch on him.

  “How did he do that?” Cindy asked shaking her head.

  “Do what?” Specca panted with her hands still tucked down between her legs. “I can’t see what’s happening out there.”

  Triska saw Daniel hold his sword out towards Apoch with a stern glare, having watched as he had somehow unexpectedly appeared behind the witches at the last second.

  ‘Did you see that?’

  “I did,” Kitten spoke up in her mind. “Though I have no idea how he did that.”

  ‘He just escaped Astreal’s attack when there was no way around it.’

  Apoch shakily took a few more steps back while staring at Daniel in shock, her staff slowly being held out towards him as she appeared to become scared of him now. On the ground further away Astreal was rubbing her head with a groan before looking back to seeing Daniel facing off against her sister.

  “How did you do that, Mr. Daniel?” Astreal exclaimed.

  “Um, wait,” Apoch stuttered. “We weren’t trying to kill you, honest.”

  “Let me make something clear to you,” Daniel sternly said while keeping his blade held towards her. “Clover and Doku are my mates. They are just as important to me as Triska and all the others I have in my family. And do you know why?”

  “Uh… why?” Apoch carefully asked.

  “Because I care about them!” Daniel roared out, with his harem slowly looking over towards him as they heard his voice. “That’s how I know if they’re my mates or not. That’s how I know for a fact they’re mine! Because I want to protect them, I want to make them happy, and I don’t want to go on without them by my side! They’re not my mates just to have sex with, they’re not my mates so I can draw my magic from them, they’re my mates because I love who they are! I love what they are! As such they’re my responsibility, my loved ones that I will take care of and defend no matter what! And if anyone, man or monster, dares to take them away from me or cause them pain, I will kill them!”

  “Holy fuck,” Clover breathed out.

  “Daniel,” Doku spoke in awe.

  Star and Cindy glanced to each other in wonder then looked down to the other girls, all of them staring at Daniel in surprise while taking in his words.

  “Wait, please listen to us, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch pleaded with a nervous smile. “We can explain.”

  Without pause Daniel lunged towards the witch with his sword, the girl screaming and forming her magical barrier before her. His blade then pierced the shield with a loud strike and flash, the once unbreakable defense the witch had becoming severely cracked as Daniel’s weapon struck through.

  “Impossible,” Apoch spoke under a whisper.

  “It can’t be,” Astreal spoke in disbelief. “Nothing can break my sister’s barrier. Nothing!”

  The shield flickered then shattered, the shards of the magical barrier dropping to the ground and fading away as Daniel glared at Apoch with his sword held towards her. The witch stared at him in amazement while seeming to become speechless. After a while of silence she lowered her head and held a hand over her eyes, shaking a little as Daniel wound back to strike down the monster. Before he could however Apoch then started laughing as she dropped down onto her rear, the girl looking up at Daniel with a big smile as he kept on guard from her sudden mood change.

  “Well done,” she complimented. “Nice to see you no longer hesitating, Mr. Daniel.”

  Daniel cautiously lowered his sword and watched the witch laughing amusedly then looked over to Astreal as the witch clapped for him with an impressed smile.

  “Well done, Mr. Daniel,” she applauded. “I believe our test is now over.”

  “Test?” he carefully repeated.

  Astreal giggled then waved her staff back, dissolving all the chains that were strung across the archway before the girls as well as those that bound Doku and Clover to the wall. The two girls dropped to their knees as the witch walked over to her sister who got back onto her feet, both casters smiling at Daniel now without a hint of spite or malice.

  “Tell us, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch kindly requested. “What have you learn
ed here?”

  “That you two have some strange tastes in entertainment,” Daniel retorted.

  “What have you learned about those you wish to love in this world?” Astreal asked waving him on.

  Daniel looked at her confusedly then over to Doku and Clover as they were standing back up while staring at him in speechless wonder. He then noticed his mates still moaning and struggling to get up behind Cindy and Star who were also watching him curiously.

  “Wait, were you two trying to teach me something?” Daniel questioned.

  “No, we were helping you realize something,” the sisters answered shaking their heads at the same time.

  “Daniel,” Doku said from behind. He turned to see the harpy and Clover slowly approaching him with timid expressions. “Did you mean what you said? Am I really… your mate? Do I truly mean that much to you?”

  “Me too?” Clover asked. “You… you want me? Even after being such a bitch to you… I can still be yours?”

  “Doku, Clover. I…” Daniel started to say then slowly looked back to sisters as they nodded with smirks on their faces.

  “Do you now see there are no issues with them being yours?” they asked in unison.

  Daniel thought about what had happened, and how he had acted. And he also remembered what he had said to the witches earlier as he slowly looked to the glowing blade in his hand. Taking a calm breath he released his magic, dissolving his armaments while he realized what the witches had been doing all along. Looking over towards his mates he saw them slowly regaining their senses, the girls getting back to their feet while they felt their bodies gradually cooling off and also noticing how wet they had become. They quickly snapped to attention and saw Daniel standing in the court next to the witch sisters before they all rushed towards him.

  “Daniel, what-” Specca said before he held a hand out to stop them, all the girls then halting in place as he turned his focus over to Apoch and Astreal.

  “I understand what you were trying to show me. I see why you pushed me the way you did.”

  “Then I believe you need to speak to them, not us,” Astreal said gesturing towards Doku and Clover. The witch sisters stepped aside while the other girls watched in silence as Daniel turned to face the harpy and elf with a focused expression.

  “I do care about you both,” he stated, with the two girls blushing and lowering their heads slightly. “And I would fight to keep you both safe, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. You’re both special to me, irreplaceable, and beautiful in my eyes.”

  “Oh, fuck,” Clover breathed out as she shakily brushed the hair around her ear.

  “Daniel, you mean that?” Doku timidly asked.

  “If anything were to happen to you, to either of you, it would hurt me deeply inside. Just as it is with those I’ve taken as my mates, I can’t stand the notion of losing either of you.”

  Alyssa stepped forward and opened her mouth to speak before Triska grabbed her shoulder, the other girls turning to her as she shook her head with eyes focused on Daniel still.

  “It’s always been difficult for me to accept how lucky I am to have so many beautiful girls loving me as they do, and honestly I’ve often felt like I’m not worthy of any of it,” Daniel continued shaking his head. “I’ve felt like I’m selfish, cowardly, and also a lousy bastard for having you all share me like this. Even though the girls all love each other and want to be together like this, there’s always been that nagging thought in my mind that this is all because I just couldn’t decide who to love.”

  “But, Daniel-” Specca started before Squeak pulled her back and shook her head.

  “Even so, I don’t care,” Daniel declared, with the girls watching him curiously as he clenched his fist. “The truth is I do love you girls, with all my heart. You’re all special to me, and I want to make you all happy. I want to protect you. I want to give you a great life. For each mate I take as my own, it’s my responsibility to take care of them. To love them all equally and to cherish everything there is about them. And that’s something I want to do.”

  “I think he’s about to state his point now,” Apoch and Astreal giggled.

  “You two are my mates,” Daniel said to Clover and Doku, electing small gasps from them as he walked closer to the girls. “Because I want to protect you. I want to make you happy. I want to keep you with me because you brighten my life so much.”

  “Are you sure that’s not being selfish, Mr. Daniel?” Apoch questioned.

  “Not as long as I share my love equally with all the girls, not as long as I don’t forsake the love they’ve graciously given me.”

  “Do you want to have sex with them that badly?” Astreal wondered.

  “I want to be with them that badly,” Daniel reasoned. “I’m not having them as my mates just to have sex with. I’m having them as my mates so I can take care of them in every way I can.”

  “They mean that much to you?” the twins asked.

  “They do. I’m not going to pretend they don’t or try to make excuses why I can’t love them. I know how I feel. I know what I want.”

  “And what of those you’ve already given your heart out to?” the sisters mentioned, with Daniel looking back to see his harem along with Cindy and Star watching him curiously in silence. Doku and Clover eyed over Daniel’s harem as they suddenly felt like their dream of being his mate was shot down with a barrage of poison tipped arrows.

  After a long silence Triska slowly stepped towards Daniel, having her hand resting on her sword and her eyes carefully studying his expression which remained calm even with everyone’s attention on him.

  “I want you to answer one question, Daniel,” she spoke cautiously. “I’m not going to bother asking if they really mean that much to you, I can tell they do after seeing you fighting with everything you had to save them. And I am curious how you evaded Astreal’s attack earlier, but this needs to be answered first.”

  Daniel turned to face Triska while Doku and Clover nervously kept close to his back, both peeking around him to see the cambion crossing her arms and tapping her foot expectedly.

  “Are you really going to take responsibility for all of us?” The other girls glanced to each other then back to Daniel as Triska pointed to his face. “Like you said, you need to love and protect all those you claim to be your mates. Equally. Every day. You have quite a few girls who love you Daniel, and the idea of sharing you with others isn’t something we’re new to. But I need to know right now that if you add more to your harem you won’t neglect the ones you have already.”

  “You have eight mates right now, Daniel,” Kroanette mentioned. “All who love you and want to be with you. Having ten might be too much, don’t you think?”

  “You seriously love her?” Falla questioned pointing to Clover. “You want her to join us?”

  “Daniel,” Alyssa pouted as she walked over beside Triska. “Do you really want them too? This isn’t some sort of bad joke?”

  “I’ll admit I was concerned about their safety,” Specca said as she stepped forward beside them. “Even Clover, I was worried about her. But… can you really promise that we won’t be pushed aside in the least if you claim them as your mates also?”

  Squeak walked up to them and squeaked while waving her hands around in strange patterns, the worried look on her face showing she too felt uneasy about the idea of more joining their family like this.

  “That’s a lot of girls to take care of,” Luna mentioned. “Are you really going to care for all of us?”

  Pip fluttered over in front of Daniel with a frown on her face, her wings beating quickly behind her as she fidgeted her hands together.

  “I like them, I really do. But you’re not going to forget about us, are you? You won’t let us be alone, will you?”

  Daniel looked around at seeing all the anxiety his harem was facing with this choice then behind him as Doku and Clover were also watching him with concern.

  “This isn’t too much, is it?” Doku worried.<
br />
  “You’d better take responsibility for us,” Clover said with both a timid yet threatening tone.

  Daniel chuckled then started laughing, with the girls all watching him in surprise as he shook his head amusedly at them. Before Triska could say a word he stepped closer and lowered her arm, showing a caring smile towards her while he gently held her hand.

  “Do you all honestly think for a second that any of you are replaceable to me? Do you think I would ever allow myself to neglect any of you, even a little?”

  “Ten girls, Daniel,” Triska warned with a small smile. “You have a quest to finish still, don’t you think you’re going to be busy enough as it is?”

  “I am going to be busy, yes,” he agreed while brushing the hair around her ear. “I have my mission to bring peace to this world, that will never be forgotten. And neither will how much each and every one of you means to me. You, Alyssa, Squeak, Specca, Falla, Luna, Kroanette, Pip, Doku, and even Clover. No matter what tries to take any of you away from me, you can be damned sure I will stop it. I have a family to protect, and that comes first to me.”

  “First?” Triska wondered. “But your quest-”

  “Will be finished, I will succeed with all of your help. However don’t think for a moment that I would place its importance over your safety or the other girls. I have a responsibility, to each of you, to love and care for you always. And that I will uphold no matter what.”

  “Daniel,” Specca spoke in awe. “Do we all mean that much to you? That would you risk failing to complete your quest simply to keep us with you?”

  “Yes,” he answered her, with the girls staring at him in stunned silence. “That being the case, please try to stay safe, otherwise I’m going to have to take time out of my busy schedule to draw my blade and protect you with my very life.”

  “Even her?” Alyssa asked pointing to Clover. “You would risk everything, all you’ve accomplished, and even your own life, just to protect her?”

  Clover blushed brightly as all eyes turned to her, with Daniel facing the elf and nodding in agreement.

  “I would,” Daniel said, with Clover then dropping to her rear in shock as he walked closer to her. “Just as with you, Alyssa, she’s part of the family. I’ve grown quite fond of her, and I know you girls have warmed up to her as well. You were even scared for her when she was being taken away. And just as I would with any of you if you were being taken from me, I would step up to protect her with everything I have.”