Esoterica 1: Liam's Awakening: A Lovecraftian Fantasy Harem Adventure (Esoterica Chronicles)

by Virgil Knightley

I scanned the room in the moment of silence that fell as Headmistress Waite gathered her notes and started muttering something under her breath. I noticed a series of portraits on the wall. The other headmasters of the school’s past? There were apparently three before her.

  I squinted to see them better. The first one was a name I recognized from the school’s full title: Asenath Waite. She was a pretty thing in her portrait, but she had the same hateful sneer that the current Headmistress often sported.

  I gestured to the painting as the Headmistress appeared to be finishing her preparations. “Your ancestor?” I asked.

  “No, actually,” she said. “I… took the surname for sentimental reasons, shortly after I was appointed, after my predecessor’s passing.”

  I almost laughed as I noted that all the paintings seemed to have that same wicked sneer. Apparently this institution had a “type” when it came to Headmasters. Before I could reflect more on it, though, a cold hand rested on my forehead. “Time to begin, Mr. Elloway.”

  Energy surged from her wrinkled palm into my head, blinding me and causing me to crumble to the floor, but I didn’t hit it—or at least, I didn’t feel the impact. The world flashed white, then went to the blackest black I had ever experienced, but it wasn’t a crowded or closed off blackness, but a black of infinite space and openness on all sides. I was surrounded by nothingness, but as I looked around, tiny stars dotted the sky and glowed in the distance. Suddenly, I sensed the comforting psychic signature of my familiar.

  “Uther,” I said, shifting nervously in space, “What’s going on?”

  Focus, Liam. Focus on what you want, the white fox spoke into my mind. His voice vibrated through my spiritual form and gave me the chills.

  I almost asked for clarification but thought better of it. I knew why I was here. I thought about Dahlia and her regeneration. I thought about Carmilla and her incredible vampiric powers. I considered Uther but decided to save “Pimp My Familiar” for another day.

  “I want to empower my undead minions,” I said.

  I felt the warmth of Uther’s spirit brush up against me. What did you have in mind, master?

  “Can I make them faster? Stronger?” I asked. That’d be a start.

  If that is what you wish, focus on it. See it, what it would look like, in your mind’s eye, Uther’s voice echoed in my soul.

  I recalled the ferocity of my minions. They were already fairly tough based on my one experience with them. Then I tried to imagine them to be more vicious, brutal, and powerful. I saw them in my mind climbing mountains at dizzying speeds and leaping great chasms. I saw them wielding bone-scythes and bone-swords with incredible accuracy and skill.

  You see it, Uther said. It wasn’t a question, but I nodded. Then it is yours. If you can imagine it in this realm, then it isn’t beyond you. Take it.

  A green orb appeared in front of me.

  Take it.

  I reached out and grabbed the orb, and it pushed itself into my palm, seeping into me and flowing through my body, lighting up my veins until it surged into my chest, and from there all the way to my head until my eyes were overcome with a blinding green light. When the light faded, I was on the floor of the Headmistress’s study, my head ringing.

  Headmistress Waite eyed me curiously from above, offering no assistance in getting up. Predictable. “Well, boy? What did you choose?”

  I grinned, sitting up. “Power.”

  ◆◆◆

  When the Headmistress had finished her various lectures and tests of me and my newfound abilities, I was dismissed. I left her office and headed outside, unsure of where to head next. I had forgotten to ask about how to receive more assignments and practically kicked myself for the oversight.

  As I walked outside, I spotted Brian Adder, a mutual friend of Carmilla’s whom I sometimes ate with at breakfast. I trudged over across the campus green and tried to wave at him to get his attention. It didn’t work.

  “Brian!” I shouted. The athletic student stopped in his tracks, clearly surprised to see me.

  “Oh, hey, Liam,” he said, grinning. “How’s it goin’ mate?”

  “Hey, man,” I said. “Honestly, not bad at all.”

  Brian smiled politely but awkwardly. His eyes wandered over me a bit, and for a moment, I thought he might be checking me out.

  “You’re changing fast,” he remarked.

  I lifted an eyebrow curiously at the comment. Changing? “What do you mean?” I asked, perplexed.

  “I mean your complexion. You’re going paler. You’re thinner, too. Less baby-fat.”

  I looked at my arms. He was right. I hadn’t noticed until now, but Brian spoke the truth. Not only was I changing, I was already significantly changed.

  “Why is that happening?”

  “Magic changes us,” he said. “Makes us hotter, mostly. For a necromancer, though, I don’t know what it’ll do.”

  I probably made a sour face. “Oh shit, I hope my head doesn’t turn into a skull or some bullshit like that.” We both laughed, but then Brian brought the conversation back on track.

  “Anyway, were you needing something? Or just looking for company?” he asked.

  “Now that you mention it, I have a question,” I said, suddenly remembering the reason I flagged Brian down. “How do I get more assignments?”

  “They’re posted at the stadium and library or assigned by teachers. Since you’re not regularly showing up for classes, maybe just head over to the library or stadium, and you can, y’know, grab a ticket.”

  “What about the crystal?” I asked, remembering the way Carmilla created the portal that sent us on our mission.

  “Trade your ticket in at the Central Office’s front desk for a crystal, and the mission is yours.”

  I nodded, making mental notes of every word he said. “Got it. Thanks a ton, Brian!”

  Now it was Brian’s turn to ask a question, though. “Well, hold on, mate,” he said as I started to wave farewell. “Randy and I are about to fuck off on a mission tomorrow, and we need one more.”

  I was flattered by the offer, and it might be fun to bond with the boys. “I’m surprised you asked me,” I said, “But of course. I’d love to hang.”

  “Most of the gals are busy this weekend anyway, so how ‘bout a boys' night, yeah?” Brian said, slapping my shoulder.

  “Sounds like a plan to me.” The two of us grabbed each other’s palms in a manly handshake. Brian’s grip was like a vice, though, and I felt weak by comparison.

  Relinquishing our grip, I looked at my watch. I figured I should probably be checking in with Carmilla before I headed over to see Dahlia. “You going anywhere? I’m hoping to find Carmilla.”

  “Yeah, man, I’m on my way to a transmutation class. The topic is a weird one: turning hair and fur into different colors, lengths, and textures.”

  I chuckled at that. “Why the hell would that be useful?”

  “You’re not using your imagination, mate,” Brian said, tapping his temple with a grin. “Disguise, for one thing. And, I’ll have you know, some of us love switching our appearance up every once in a while.”

  “Fair enough,” I conceded. “Well, I’d better get to it. And let you go, as well.”

  “Carmilla is probably with Dahlia now,” Brian said. “So check their rooms first. If they’re both on campus, Carri usually takes a bite out of Dahlia around this time, and then they gossip or do whatever it is chicks do.”

  I nervously held back a chuckle. I happened to have a reasonably good idea of what it was that those two do. “Is there a way for me to, like, send a message in advance?”

  “If your familiars have bonded, yeah. But I can’t help you with that, sorry. I have to get going,” Brian said, backing up and waving preemptively.

  “No worries, dude. See you tomorrow?”

  “After dinner!” Brian called out, running off. “In front of the library!” I watched him run off. I wasn’t bisexual, but damn, Brian was a good-lookin’ dude. He wa
s built like an action star and had the looks to boot. And he was nice. Nicer than I’d pegged him for, anyway.

  As Brian walked out of view and I began pacing back toward the dormitories, I found myself alone with my thoughts once again. This time, though, instead of grappling with trauma, I struggled with my desires. I knew that things would likely get pretty heavy pretty fast if I saw Dahlia again so soon. I also knew that if she was indeed with Carmilla, things might get even crazier, and although the prospect excited me, I wasn’t sure I was ready for it.

  It was a surprisingly rational thought, because damn, Carmilla had already dried me out the night before, and this morning with Dahlia had proven to me that she could not be taken lightly. I literally worried I might fuck myself to death if I went in cock-ablazing.

  But I also considered my word. I gave the impression that I would visit her. And what if I didn’t? Did I really want to do that to her? It was the most surreal life or death conundrum I had ever been faced with. But before I could fully reason anything, the decision was practically made for me.

  “Necromancer!” a peppy high-pitched voice sang from the entrance of the dormitory building in front of me. I lifted my head and saw the dazzlingly attractive pair that I had just been fretting over.

  “Oh, hey ladies,” I tried to say calmly, even as my heart practically exploded out of my chest. I tried to strike a cool-guy pose, pulling my hair back and scratching my neck. I don’t think I pulled it off. The girls walked up to me and offered their greetings back, but I couldn’t even hear what they were saying because one hundred percent of my senses were focused on how beautiful the two of them were.

  Dahlia was wearing a different outfit from earlier in the morning, but it was similar. She seemed to dress pretty consistently so far. There was the signature black hooded cloak that most students wore around campus, more of a hooded cape, really, that draped over her back, but beneath it she wore a lacy white dress that was cut scandalously high above the knee. It was skin-tight, too, which allowed me to take in the full extent of her figure. Buxom was a word that came to mind. She had a figure you’d almost exclusively associate with a supermodel or a character in an advertisement for some over-the-top fantasy RPG. The neckline of the dress was deeply cut, offering a generous valley of cleavage that waged an epic battle against my self-control—the struggle was doomed to be lost, and soon.

  Carmilla was dressed in the same cloak and a black dress, just as skintight, showing off her deliciously petite figure and the cleavage she had to offer. It didn’t quite hold up to Dahlia in terms of volume, but it was certainly eye candy and appealed to a particular taste all on its own. She was a couple of inches shorter and a bit thinner, but her skin was almost as milk-white, though it had a bit more of an ‘undead’ coloration to it owing to her vampirism.

  The most obvious contrast between them was their hair color. Dahlia’s straight white locks flowed down to her shoulders, and Carmilla’s hair was jet black, a bit wavy, and when down, it extended to her back. I prayed desperately that they would say something soon, lest I be caught staring.

  “Are you seriously gawking right now?” Carmilla said with mock disgust. “Take a picture, perv.”

  The amount of blood that rushed to my face had to have been considerable. I blushed with such intensity that I actually felt immediately lightheaded. “Uh, sorry,” I said weakly. Dahlia giggled. It was a lovely sound that transformed my frowning blush into a cool smile as though by magic.

  “We just had lunch,” Carmilla said. “How about you?”

  I thought I might sense an exit. “Oh, I haven’t eaten yet. I need to go get some myself, actually.”

  “I can accompany you,” Dahlia said with honey in her voice. She fluttered her eyelashes the way she sometimes did, and I practically melted. Oh shit.

  “Do you have anything going on this afternoon, though?” I asked, feigning concern. I couldn’t believe I was trying to find excuses not to be alone with her, but that’s exactly what I was fixated on doing.

  “Nope, my schedule’s wide open, remember?” she said, clasping Carmilla’s hand and she grinned at me and played with her hair.

  Carmilla looked back and forth between us. Dahlia’s eyes were practically shooting hearts at me. I innocently sipped coffee from a travel thermos.

  “By the way—the fuck is this?” Carmilla asked, gesturing at the two of us. “The way I found you this morning, too. Have you guys been hanging out behind my back? I kinda thought we were starting to be a thing, Liam.”

  I felt terrible. I could only shrug, hoping Dahlia would explain for me. Instead, an awkward silence fell. At last, I knew the unenviable task had fallen to me. “We’re soulmates, I guess,” I mumbled. “It’s complicated.” I nervously took another sip.

  Carmilla blinked in surprise but didn’t take long to recover. “Well, Dahlia, I hope you don’t mind that I nailed your soulmate for four hours last night. Came inside me and everything.”

  I just about shit my pants, fully spitting up a mouthful of coffee. Dahlia looked at Carmilla with a look of wide-eyed shock, almost horror, on her face. “Without me?” she whimpered.

  “So you’re not even jealous?” Carmilla asked, leaning forward curiously.

  The white-haired beauty shook her head. “Not if it’s you. But don’t hog him, bitch.” She jabbed the vampiress in the shoulder playfully, but then a pensive look struck her eyes as she bit her lip. “Although I am a bit envious that you got to him first.”

  “What even is my life?” I asked the heavens. The two girls seemed to relish my confusion, giggling to themselves as I threw my hands up to the sky.

  “Liam, I’ve got an idea,” Carmilla said. “I think Dahlia and I need to get some time alone for girl talk.” She flashed a fanged grin that didn’t reassure me much, but I was relieved to see I had an out.

  “Sure, I’ll go eat. You girls have fun,” and I started walking away before they could say anything else. It took just about all the self-control I had, but I did it.

  But then, “We’ll find you in your room this evening,” Carmilla said. “We’ll play a game.”

  I stopped dead in my tracks, beads of sweat pooling all over my body. Danger! “What kind of game? Yahtzee?”

  “Oh, don’t worry,” teased the raven-haired bloodsucker. “A fun one.”

  Chapter 14

  An Eldritch Encounter

  I was worried, though. I ate the longest, slowest solo lunch of my life in the cafeteria. It was so long that it basically turned to dinner. Anxiety kept creeping back, and I was unable to calm myself down. At one point, some other cute girls sat down and tried to introduce themselves. Still, I only gave the briefest of replies, trying my best to politely shut down new potential love interests from complicating things any further. Already I had Rebecca, Carmilla, and now Dahlia. To say that I’d bitten off more than I could chew would be a profound understatement.

  I’d never dreaded sex so much in my life. Though the terror seemed silly, it was logical, I was sure. The further I got from Dahlia, the more I analyzed the pull she had on me. It was disruptive, all-encompassing. The need that she inspired was one of sheer desperation and passion. The pleasure I felt just from our lips touching was already so domineering and intense that I now feared it. Was I being irrational?

  No, I was correct. There was danger there. Add a literal blood-drinking vampire to the mix, and things had the potential to get really messy really quick.

  But then again, what choice did I have? Those two were going to come to me, whether I wanted them to or not. And I did want them to. I needed it. I could think of no other recourse but to forfeit myself to my fate.

  I stood up abruptly from the lunch table, renewed purpose blazing in my eyes, a fire lit both in my heart and in my loins. Yes, I would do this. I must. I would be a man and face my ultimate fate of dying in a threesome with two hot chicks from an orgasm so intense it would rip my soul asunder.

  This was my calling. We should all be so lucky
. Yes, if I could choose the time and manner of my death, it would be this: in my prime, as the meat in a love sandwich between two supernaturally gorgeous women.

  I wore a defiant smile. I thought about how they might bury me. Maybe Dahlia and Carmilla would say a few words at my funeral. Then my thoughts flew to my poor familiar. I almost wept a tear for little Uther.

  “I’m leaving you too soon, buddy,” I said as the white fox appeared by my side in the elevator. “I’m sorry I didn’t have time to get to know you better.”

  You’re being ludicrous, his voice said. The fox was unamused.

  The elevator door opened. “Do you think this is a fucking game, Uther?” I said severely. “You saw what Dahlia did to me in the courtyard. It’s going to kill me.”

  Or it’ll just feel really good, he mused. His argument was compelling. Even so, I was unpersuaded.

  “How can you joke about this?!” I shouted indignantly. Several people in the lobby of the floor turned to look at me, screaming at my little fluffy fox. I lowered my voice. “Uther, what’s about to happen is not for the faint of heart. I think you should go.”

  How do you know I don’t like to watch?

  I stopped in my tracks. That just roused many questions that I wasn’t ready to think about. But when I turned to face Uther, he was already gone, and I was practically outside my door.

  I walked through the door and sat on my bed, hands resting nervously upon my kneecaps. I thought about reading and studying. Maybe Uther was right? Perhaps I was just about to have a hell of a night. But if I was going to die, it might not matter if I studied or not.

  I reached into my satchel to pull out my book on mana cultivation. This would be an excellent place to start, I figured. If I survived that night, then I’d want to know how to empower myself to survive all future encounters of a similar nature.

  But before I could so much as open the book, I heard a gentle knocking at the door, followed by the soft giggling of the two women I was dreadfully waiting for. It was a very tempting sound, but today it sounded eerily like my death knell.