Chronicles of Eden - Act XI

by Alexander Gordon

  “You said you needed a centaur for your alchemy, I’m certain you did.”

  “Cenlurean roots, from cenlurean flowers, Vale! That’s wh-where h-huntan seeds can be f-found!”

  “But… you wanted an elf, I’m double certain you said you needed an elf.”

  “The cenlurean flowers are f-found in the elven grove of G-Green Haven! Elves live there!”

  “…so what you’re saying is you don’t need a human, centaur, or elf?”

  “No I don’t! Heavens no!”

  “But we have all three now.”

  “I’m well aware of the problem, Vale! This is- oh dear- and they- arg! You never should have b-brought them here! Oh dear, this is t-t-terrible! You’ve made us into k-kidnappers, Vale! Of children no less!”

  “I’m sorry!”

  “Are they- are they at least okay? You didn’t hurt them, did you? Please tell me you didn’t h-hurt them, Vale.”

  “We didn’t hurt them at all. I promise.”

  “Oh thank goodness. You need to take them back at once. Return them t-to their homes r-right away!”

  “Um…”

  “Why are you looking at me like that? Vale? What’s w-wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong, well except for us possibly being kidnappers of children now. But… I don’t know if we should take them back where we found them.”

  “And why in Eden shouldn’t you?”

  “Because there were lots of mean monsters attacking them. If we put them back where we found them they might get hurt being there.”

  “You- you found these three children d-during a m-m-monster attack? Oh dear, that’s horrible.”

  “Yeah, it was kind of bad. They were lucky we were there or they could have died.”

  “Oh my, you s-saved them from a monster attack, Vale? That… that’s wonderful. You saved their lives, that was a g-great thing you did.”

  “…totally why we brought them here. To save them. Because we’re heroes. Not kidnappers. Yeah, that works.”

  “Oh my, the poor d-dears. Are they okay? Where are they, Vale?”

  “In the storeroom.”

  “What? Why are they in there? We have p-plenty of c-c-comfortable beds for them to rest in.”

  “That’s where you keep all your ingredients for your alchemy, in the storeroom.”

  “…you only brought them here because you thought I n-needed them for my a-alchemy, not because you wanted to s-save them.”

  “Don’t think about that. Think about how we saved their lives from bad monsters. We did good. Praise us! Praise us!”

  “Vale… wait, you put them in the st-storeroom?”

  “Yes, that’s what I said. But not because I thought they were just ingredients for your potions. Honest.”

  “Oh d-dear! There are very d-dangerous elements in there! Vale!”

  “Um… whoops?”

  The frantic clacking of hooves was heard before a door was quickly opened, the light from the hallway outside glaring into the dark room that it illuminated while standing in the doorway a figure was all but obscured in the bright flash. As the light adjusted from being pitch black within the small room all became visible again. The shelves lining the walls contained boxes and baskets filled with the most random assortments of artifacts and flora. Colorful flowers and strangely shaped fruit, jars of insects and gooey appendages, tomes stacked about in no particular order with loose sheets stuck between their pages, crystalline rocks and powders, and a single green ball that appeared to be inhaling and exhaling as to prompt the question whether it was alive or not.

  And lying on the floor were three children all bound in sticky webbing while appearing to be unconscious. Grace remained still with her arms bound to her sides and ankles tied together, along with a large clump of webbing wrapped around her mouth. Max was stuck to the floor with his hands tied together and legs wrapped in webbing. And next to them Lelu was motionless on the floor while having webbing binding her arms to her sides, legs to her body, and even her tail to her rear.

  Standing in the doorway staring at the children in disbelief was a young woman who clearly wasn’t human. Her legs were that of a goat while her short tail that was nervously swaying behind appeared to be of the same animal. With her nervous trembling her white and golden laced skirt fluttered about, although it didn’t reveal anything underneath as her lower body and legs were covered in white fur. Her top half appeared more human in appearance, such as her moderate bust wiggling in her low-cut white summer blouse with a silver medallion adoring her chest with a round blue gemstone embedded in it. She kept her hands close to her chest in apprehension, as she commonly did when frightened by something, with her arms having the same white fur covering them along with frilly lace armbands set below her shoulders. Her light brunette hair was very curly while resting down around her neck, just as curly as her two horns that grew out on the sides of her head which resembled those of a ram. Her light blue eyes stared at the three sleeping children from behind her rectangular glasses while she failed to speak anything above a quiet utterance, the monster then snapping to her senses and turning to someone behind her with absolute shock clearly displayed on her face.

  “Vale!” she cried out while grabbing her hair. “You- they- and- but- you- why- no- how- and-”

  “I said I was sorry!” a tiny monster whined. She hovered in the air with square angular wings, the edges appearing to be perfectly straight while the insides were gray with acute segments that seemed more like they were crafted that way rather than being natural. The way they moved also would strike many as odd as the wings weren’t actually attached to her body but rather remained fixated behind her back in the air and shook with wavy distortions of air seen below them. Being a mere twelve inches tall the tiny woman floated about kicking her legs in a fit while dressed in a short black and green kimono, her belt being bright red while on her feet were tiny black shoes. Sheathed at her left hip in a scabbard was a large, for her, sword, although by normal sized standards it resembled a sharp butcher knife with a silver handle, the weapon having glowing blue metal at the end that hinted it was no ordinary blade. Her long black hair was tied up in a ponytail while she had two large bangs dropping down on either side of her face, a pair of antennae poking up overhead with small white balls on the ends. Three small freckles adorned her cheeks while her eyes which were a dark green were fighting back tears as she thrashed about in the air with her distress.

  “Don’t be mad at me, I’m sorry! Please forgive me, Silly!”

  “My name isn’t Silly! It’s Syliandanchevas!”

  “But Silly is a much more cute and pronounceable name! Silly the fey. The Silly fey, hehe! Isn’t that so cute?”

  “N-No it isn’t!” the fey argued with a light stomp of her hoof. “Oh, n-never mind about th-that, what about the ch-children? Why- why are they tied up?”

  “We didn’t want them running away,” Vale replied with a shrug.

  “And why is that elf gagged?”

  “We had to do it,” Vale answered with a disturbed frown. “She’s got a very dirty mouth, Silly.”

  “My n-name isn’t- ARG! N-Never mind that, just- just- just answer me, why w-would you think I w-wanted children for m-my alchemy in the f-first p-place?”

  “We weren’t going to ask questions,” Vale said shaking her head slowly. “We figured it would be best not to know.”

  Silence filled the hall as the fey merely stared at the tiny monster in stunned silence. After a while they looked to the side as quickly skittering footsteps caught their attention.

  “So, are these three to your liking, Silly?” a young arachne proudly asked as she skittered along the elegantly furnished hallway. Her long silver hair was styled into waving locks that flowed behind her back, a red bow tied up behind her head for added flair, while her eight red eyes showed her eagerness along with her bright smile. Her abdomen sported a green angular design while dressed over her shoulders and down her back was a brown fur shawl with a
red diamond adorning the front button. She scurried up in front of the girls, looked between them in anticipation, peered inside the storeroom at the three children who were slightly younger than her and bound in her webbing, then turned to the fey while awaiting her response. After a long pause she was finally given one.

  “Bermuda. My name is not Silly! It’s Syliandanchevas! Syliandanchevas! For the last time, stop c-calling me th-that ridiculous n-nickname!”

  Bermuda looked at her for a moment with a few of her eyes blinking then smirked with a simple shrug.

  “But that’s rather difficult to pronounce. Silly seems like a suitable nickname.”

  “I’m not silly!” the fey cried out hopping up and down. “Oh, n-never mind that for n-now! Why in Eden did you bring ch-children here?”

  “I’m not following,” Bermuda said with a perplexed face. “These are what you requested, aren’t they? A human, an elf, and a centaur. We brought you all three just as you wanted.”

  “I sp-specifically said to Vale I needed huntan s-s-seeds found in cenlurean flowers wh-which grow in the elven f-f-forest of Green Haven! Never once did I s-say I needed children of a-any race!”

  “Huntan seeds,” Bermuda plainly repeated. She paused for a moment then turned to Vale with all eyes narrowed at her. “Vale, that’s not at all what you told me we were out there to collect for her.”

  “I misunderstood her,” Vale admitted with a shrug. “My bad.”

  “You… what?” Bermuda shouted. She looked into the storeroom then to the fey while pointing to the children. “You mean to tell me you don’t need those three for your experiment?”

  “For heaven’s sake, n-n-no! Why would I w-want children for m-m-my alchemy? What did y-you think I would d-do w-with them?”

  “We weren’t going to ask questions,” Bermuda answered shaking her head slowly. “We figured it would be best not to know.”

  “So… what should we do now?” Vale nervously asked.

  “We need to get them out of here,” Bermuda insisted pointing to the children. “Vale, we have to take them back, quick!”

  “But I can’t,” Vale said shaking her head. “We just got back and I’m really tired. And also what about all those monsters that were attacking when we found them?”

  “We killed them all,” Bermuda argued. “There’s no more left there to hurt them. Just… just hurry and let’s take them back before they wake up, right now!”

  “But there wasn’t anyone else there, Bermuda,” Vale worried. “What should we do, just drop them off and leave them there in the middle of nowhere with monsters lurking nearby?”

  “Oh d-dear,” Syliandanchevas fretted. “They were all a-alone? Is that true?”

  “We found them in a cottage being attacked by several other monsters,” Bermuda explained. “We managed to dispatch all of them easily enough and then, well, we apparently kidnapped these three thanks to Vale afterwards.”

  “I’m sorry!” Vale whined shaking around. “It’s Silly’s fault, she never speaks clearly! I didn’t know what she was saying!”

  “I sp-speak p-perfectly clearly, V-Vale,” Syliandanchevas argued with a pout. “I just g-get a little fl-flustered when in a p-p-panic. And stop c-calling me Silly!”

  “Anyway,” Bermuda continued with a sigh. “We didn’t see anyone else around the area, these three were all alone. The cottage we found them at is still there-”

  “Half of it anyway,” Vale dryly mentioned.

  “Hey! You blew up most of the house with your stupid knife!”

  “And you blew up even more with your magic and your stupid face!”

  “Watch your tongue or else I’ll spin you up in my webbing and leave you for a week up in the attic!”

  “Don’t make me draw this out!” Vale shouted grabbing hold of her knife. “I’ll do it! You know I will! I’m warning you! I’m a pixie on the edge!”

  “Stop!” Syliandanchevas shouted. “W-wait a moment h-here you t-two. Back up. You… you s-say you blew up their home?”

  “Bermuda blew up most of it,” Vale flatly accused.

  “It’s still there!” Bermuda frantically defended. “I’m sure they can fix it up again in no time! Nothing to worry about!”

  “Oh dear,” Syliandanchevas lamented. She looked back to the three unconscious children then slowly shook her head, taking a slow breath and gradually calming her nerves. “Well… it was fortunate you saved their lives from those bad monsters, but still… what to do with them now? We need to find out where to return them to, they must have families who are going to be worried sick about them.”

  “I am so sorry,” Bermuda begged. “We didn’t mean to cause any harm, we just…”

  “You didn’t cause harm, Bermuda,” Syliandanchevas assured her. “You two saved their lives, that was a good thing you did for them. Not so much blowing up their home, but at least you got them here in one piece.”

  Bermuda and Vale nodded and looked to the newcomers with concern while Syliandanchevas stepped away holding her hands to her cheeks in an effort to keep calm.

  “I’m going to go inform VelRyan that we have… guests. You two, please take them to some comfortable beds rather than leaving them there on the hard floor. And untie them, they’re not prisoners here and we don’t need them freaking out when they wake up… although I’m sure they’ll still be rather startled by all this at any rate.”

  “You’re… going to tell him about this?” Bermuda feared with a cringe.

  “I have to, dear,” Syliandanchevas replied glancing back to her. “Though knowing him he likely already knows about them being here. You know very little escapes his eye, especially in his own home.”

  Bermuda gulped and slouched back from those words. Syliandanchevas waved them towards the storeroom then started walking off down the hall.

  “Hurry now, make our guests more comfortable. Afterwards meet me in the observatory and you can explain to VelRyan what happened with your little mishap.”

  Bermuda opened her mouth to speak in protest while reaching out for the fey, words becoming lost in her throat as she feared what would happen next. Vale watched Syliandanchevas walk away then scratched her head in puzzlement.

  “See, she was talking just fine then. I understood her. Why can’t she talk like that all the time? This never would have happened if she had just talked more clearly about what she wanted us to do.”

  “This never would have happened if you had taken two seconds to question what she asked you to bring her!” Bermuda shouted at the pixie. “Honestly! A human, a centaur, and an elf? Didn’t that strike you as a little odd? She doesn’t use live sacrifices in her work!”

  “You didn’t question it either!” Vale shot back. “You just went along with it!”

  “I don’t question her motives or requests, that’s not my place!”

  “And it wasn’t mine either, I couldn’t speak back against her orders, even if they did sound really, really, really strange. I trust her with my life after all she and VelRyan have done for me. Whatever they ask of me, it shall be done. That’s my code!”

  Bermuda grabbed her hair while growling in frustration before lowering her head with a defeated sigh. The two then looked into the storeroom at the unconscious kids while Bermuda leaned against the doorframe and gently hit her head on it.

  “This was supposed to be a simple mission,” she muttered in discontent. “They trusted us to venture all the way out there to assist her with a simple task, and we screw it up horribly.”

  “It’s not a complete screw up,” Vale reasoned with a shrug. “We saved their lives. We’re heroes. We did good.”

  Bermuda nodded slowly as Vale fluttered over and looked at the children with a curious eye, the arachne then turning her gaze down the hall while showing a very nervous frown for what VelRyan would be told soon.

  “I really hope father sees it that way.”

  Chapter 4

  Fight Against Time

  In the world of Eden one
had to be careful who they chose to fight and when. Even if it was needed to be done for whatever reason the notion of going up against a marauding bandit, a bloodthirsty criminal, or a lustful monster in the wild wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Some were more powerful than they appeared, others had tricks up their sleeves that none may suspect, and there were those that obviously shouldn’t be challenged at all unless absolutely necessary due to their overwhelming strength or magic. To confront a greater foe in these times would require bravery, resolve, and sometimes luck to prevail.

  And if all that fails then the rest is up to fate, and those that fight against it.

  *****

  Inside the underground cavern all eyes were on Mika as she remained silent and still while on her knees. Behind her Aeon watched the human with a sly smile, lightly tapping the hunter’s sword against her palm while her glowing green eyes never bothered to even glance at anyone else in the cave. Everyone of course took notice of the chronofly with growing apprehension, if not simply for the overwhelmingly haunting aura she filled the surrounding area with. Although she had the physical appearance of a giant butterfly there was no mistaking a far more malicious spirit within her beautiful figure.

  Mika slowly turned her gaze towards Daemon as he kept his sword drawn and eyes moving from the chronofly to the monster hunter with a clear look of umbrage on his face.

  “Why, Mika?” he repeated. “Why would you release the Dark Queen? What reason could you possibly have for doing this?”

  “Yes,” Aeon chuckled. “Tell them, Mika Harollson. Tell them why you came down to the city’s seal, why you fought the guardian, why you used the key that she had hidden down below to undo the seal. Tell them what your motivation was in all that, they’re just dying to know.”

  “I wanted to kill you,” Mika cursed looking back to the monster over her shoulder.

  “Well, we gathered that much,” Aeon laughed with a shrug. “I don’t think anyone here believes you, a monster hunter, wanted to free me simply out of the goodness of your heart.”