Burned Down
In the world of Eden there was something comforting to the thought of having a home for many. It was where they felt the safest, that family would be with them, or somewhere that held a special place in their heart. Maybe it was where they spent most of their life or perhaps hoped to raise a family of their own someday. It could be a kingdom they may come to possess or a simple home in the wilderness that stood as a sanctuary within a troubling world. Wherever it was this almost magical place was the one location they could always go to if they were ever sad, lost, or maybe in trouble. It would be like a castle they could retreat into if they ever felt threatened or scared.
Of course even castles could one day fall or be taken away.
*****
Deep within a lush forest in The Outerlands angry howls and painful screams were heard echoing through the woods, the cries being carried along on smoke and haze that drifted between the timbers. Further within the woodland there was a large wildfire burning brightly, flames searing across the trees and forest floor while the smell of burning wood and flesh filled the air.
“Hahahaha!” a girl laughed playfully before more screams were heard escalating. “Burn, baby! Burn!”
High in a tree an arachne was frantically searching the burning pines around her while holding her scorched arm, the monster hissing through clenched teeth while shakily skittering about on the branches as chaos seemed to be erupting all around her.
“That accursed wretch,” she growled in anger. “Just where the hell did she come from?”
Looking down she saw three trolls running by before a wave of fire washed over them and against the tree, the monsters wailing in agony before being reduced to smoldering skeletons while the timber crackled and started falling over with its base withering away. The arachne screamed as the tree slammed into the ground before she rolled forward, the fiend coming to a halt right on top of a gremlin who’s flesh had nearly been melted off her bones.
“Dammit!” she yelled getting back onto her feet. Peering around she saw mites fluttering behind the trees before they too were struck with billowing waves of searing hot flame. An explosion of fire erupted behind a boulder with the burning remains of goblins being thrown over it. And glancing to the side the shaking monster saw an ogre crashing down through the timbers on fire before more flames barreled into it with a fierce roar, roasting the large creature in seconds before it exploded from the fiery energy flowing into it.
“Hahahahaha!” the girl in the shadows again laughed. “This is so much fun! You girls really know how to party, don’t you?”
A troll ran over along with a scorpia, the two rushing behind more trees before an eruption of fire blasted out. A searing golden light sliced through the trees wildly before the lumber shattered into flaming debris, the searing whip annihilating two more goblins and an arachne that closed in on the fight before a powerful explosion of flames detonated and leveled more of the forest into charred rubble. Waves of fire washed throughout the woods in a furious torrent, reducing timbers and monsters into ashes while the arachne shakily watched it circling the clearing she was in.
“This isn’t happening,” she stuttered, her eyes staring in shock at seeing her fellow monsters being annihilated by the overwhelming fiery onslaught. “We need to inform our leaders about this, we can’t-”
“Your leaders?” the girl suddenly asked from behind. Spinning around the arachne screamed, her legs quickly moving back before she tripped over a burning log. She trembled nervously on the ground while seeing a hazy silhouette through the flames that seemed to erupt before her, a girl’s menacing chuckling being heard from it while more of The Sisterhood carefully gathered around the area.
“You mean the gemini, right?” the girl questioned. “Those are the ones leading you lowly rejects out here, aren’t they? Wow, and here I thought they would simply be incapable of making friends. World’s full of surprises, isn’t it?”
“You know of the gemini?” the arachne shakily asked while watching as her companions slowly came closer on all sides.
“Oh, I know of them very well,” the girl agreed from behind the towering flames. “A little surprised they haven’t just killed you all yet. I mean that’s all they live for, killing. They just love killing. Something you misguided girls are going to find out the hard way eventually, I can assure you of that.”
“The only one who is going to die is you,” the arachne hissed. From the sides a few trolls and goblins rushed forward along with an ogre who crashed through a few trees.
“Really?” the girl playfully asked. With a fierce blast of fire erupting around her a wave of superheated air rolled outward, hitting the approaching monsters and burning their skin instantly. The goblins screamed as they dropped to the ground with eyes melting out of their skulls while the trolls fell down choking as their lungs had collapsed from being cooked by the heated air. The ogre roared while the front of her body scorched from the heat then swung a large crude axe at the swirling fire in the middle of the clearing. With a hard impact the blade’s edge was stopped instantly while the flames billowed away in the wind, with the ogre staring in surprise along with the nearby arachne as the attack was halted with just one hand by someone.
“Do I look like a weak little fox to you?” the girl asked having caught the large weapon while keeping her crimson eyes locked onto the arachne. Her nine golden fox tails had fire licking off them into the air as they crackled with fiery energy, the tips being soft white while the yellow fur they had was ruffled and messy. Her black heels were dug into the ground from halting the force of the heavy strike while her skirt wavered in the wind, the narrow fabric hanging down her front and back being made of a soft white silk while the angular edgings were yellow. Her bust was partially covered by black fabric that was crossed over her front and looped around her neck, the revealing dress having crimson embroidery set across its straps in strange letters. On her wrists she had small coverings of orange fur that seemed to radiate with energy while her nails were painted with a black polish, her arms having crimson ribbons tied above her elbows with black embroidery set in them. Her long orange hair was tied into a lengthy braid that rested down her right shoulder while more remained draped over her shoulders, the locks shifting to red towards the bottom while the end of the braid was tied to a spiked black ring that looked like it could maim someone quite easily. Atop her head were furry auburn fox ears, one of them having a golden ring pierced in it that twinkled in the fire’s light.
The surrounding monsters who weren’t dead or screaming in horrible pain watched in stunned silence as the kitsune they had encountered held the ogre’s axe back with just one hand while smiling amusedly at the arachne before her.
“Well? Do I?” she asked with an amused smile. “I suppose I do to pathetic tramps such as yourself. You just think you can push anyone around after all, don’t you? How typical of your brood, being able and more than willing to torment others who are weak and defenseless but when the tables are turned and you’re faced with your superior sisters in the world you cower like frightened little rats.”
The ogre groaned while trying to pull her axe back, the monster staring in surprise at seeing the kitsune actually holding it in place with her hand and not letting go. The fox smirked with a vicious look at the ogre, the mere sight of her crimson eyes glaring as such causing the ogre to pee herself as a deathly aura came from the fiery monster.
“I’m sorry, did you want this back?” she mocked. With a fierce yank she pulled the axe out of the ogre’s hands, the girl who had the appearance of a young adult then holding the oversized weapon up with one hand by its bladed edge while everyone stared in disbelief at the sight.
“Okay then,” she sweetly said, right before throwing the weapon with a simple throw of the arm, in doing so launching it with tremendous force as it sliced through the air and then the ogre’s skull with a slick crunch before flying off behind her. The lumbering brute wavered slightly before dropping
to the side with a heavy thud, the kitsune giggling at the sight before turning back to the now terrified arachne before her.
“What’s wrong?” the kitsune asked, holding up a hand with her finger and thumb pressed together. Again she showed an absolutely vicious smile, the sight causing the arachne to turn pale in fright while surrounding monsters were now opting to run away screaming. Fire swirled around her arm while the air near her hand started to waver from the intense heat, her tails shaking with cinders flying off along with waves of haze as her fiery power flared up around her.
“You started this little game,” the fox coldly said before snapping her finger.
With a bright flash the entire forest was detonated into a roaring fireball. Streaks of flame shot out in all directions before erupting into clouds of billowing fire and smoke that tore through the land, the vast woodland that had once been occupied by a scouting party from The Sisterhood being completely annihilated in a matter of moments by the lone monster.
Inside the rolling waves of flame and haze the kitsune stood amidst a charred crater, gazing around at seeing her fire wiping out all the monsters in the area while her smile slowly faded. With a quiet sigh she looked up as her tails slowly stopped shaking, wisps of flame and smoke rolling off her legs and arms while she showed a disgruntled expression.
“Or rather you did, big sister.”
*****
Riding through The Outerlands on their carriage Daniel and Squeak watched Lucky continuing to pull their ride across the worn trail, the scenery having shifted to a gloomy landscape with dead trees and sunken mires passing by on either side. Sunlight didn’t pierce the thick veil of clouds above too well, what light that did manage to make it down became cloudy in the lingering banks of haze drifting among the crumbling trees. Looking around at the uninhabited landscape Daniel and Squeak started to feel the same thing while sticking closer together on the seat.
“I’m not sure why, but I’m getting a bad feeling about this place,” Daniel cautioned. Squeak nodded while reaching down for her pickaxe, her antennae twitching a few times as she felt the same ominous aura in the air.
“Actually,” Daniel mused looking up at the dull sky above. “Now that I think about it, there was something foreboding about the land we just traveled through before coming here. I wonder why.”
“Maybe because death’s in the air,” Apoch suggested.
“Or maybe you’re just blind to the world around you,” Astreal dryly added.
Daniel and Squeak jumped then looked behind to see the twin witches laying back on either side of the slanted roof to the carriage, the two girls gazing up at the sky while their staves were held across their chests.
“Apoch! Astreal!” Daniel exclaimed. “Where did you come from?”
“We’ve been back here for five minutes now,” the sisters replied with bored glances at him.
“Five minutes? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“We were wondering if you were going to,” Apoch answered sitting up. “Tell us, Mr. Daniel. What if we were bad little witches? Would you have been remotely prepared for us assaulting you to gain your seed?”
“Ms. Squeak and her pickaxe wouldn’t do much good against us,” Astreal lectured. “Nor would it help against lesser witches from raping a daydreaming dreamer out in The Outerlands.”
Daniel and Squeak looked to each other in concern then to the sisters as they shook a finger each at him.
“You’re hardly alert at all, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch scolded. “Why, if my sister or I had the mind to we could have been raping you for the past five minutes, and I do wonder if you would have even noticed us then.”
“Traveling through dangerous lands such as this while fantasizing about fucking your harem,” Astreal scoffed. “I seriously question if our master’s future is in good hands.”
“Hey, I wasn’t thinking about that at all!” Daniel pleaded waving his hands. “We’ve just been thinking about Kroanette and what happened to her home, that’s it!”
Apoch and Astreal tilted their heads the same way with curious expressions while Daniel lowered his with a troubled frown.
“Twilight told us about what she saw, how Ruhelia was destroyed. It’s something that’s hard to believe and accept. Kroanette… she’s going to be devastated when she gets there. I have no idea how I could possibly console her with her loss. It’s going to break her heart.”
“You care for her greatly, don’t you?” Apoch softly asked.
“I love her,” Daniel dearly replied. “We all do. She’s family, she’s my mate.”
“Even so,” Astreal sighed. “You must remain vigilant out here. Although we bear no ill will towards you other monsters would.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
The witch sisters glanced to each other for a moment then gazed around at the surrounding area while scooting closer to Daniel and Squeak.
“Do you know where we are?” Astreal asked.
“We’re close to Ruhelia,” Daniel answered. “That’s all I really know about this place.”
“Right there used to be a special shop,” Apoch said pointing to a large tree that had been slashed apart and burned with rubble and broken boards lying around it. “A witch who was loyal to Ms. Charlotte lived there and made the finest speed potions in the land.”
“Speed potions?” Daniel wondered.
“Yes,” Astreal said with a nod. “Ones that would allow anyone to run as fast a centaur. She often wanted to compete in the Quinlar Race held in Ruhelia, always boasting she and her trusty horse could outrun the centaurs if given the chance.”
“Poor girl,” Apoch sighed. “The centaurs always refused her, saying it was an event held for their people only. She never got the chance to prove herself and her alchemy to them.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Daniel sympathized.
“And now she’s dead,” Astreal mentioned looking back at the passing ruins of the treehouse. “A shame, Ms. Charlotte won’t be happy to hear of this.”
“Especially since she ordered some of those potions last week,” Apoch added as the sisters glanced to Daniel knowingly. “She was expecting to get them after having paid for them in advance.”
“Last week?” Daniel asked. He looked back to the smoldering remnants of the treehouse then to the witches in puzzlement. “What do you mean, she just died recently?”
“Seems that way,” the twins replied crossing their arms. “After all the forest that she resided in is the very same we’re traveling through now, and it too appears to have fallen since we were last here.”
“Forest?” Daniel repeated. He looked around with Squeak at seeing not a single living tree standing amidst the rotting woodland surrounding them. “When was this a forest? It looks like everything has been dead for a long time.”
“Look closely, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch warned. “The trees here did not die of age, instead they perished from fire.”
“You can smell it, can’t you?” Astreal asked taking a few sniffs. “The smell of ashes still lingers in the air. Ms. Terralona’s forest wasn’t like Ritherwood at all, it was quite alive and filled with beautiful woodland creatures.”
“Not anymore though,” the witches said lowering their heads with closed eyes. Daniel and Squeak looked around in wonder at seeing nothing but charred timbers and clumps of dust covering the woodland floor.
“A fire burned this forest down?” Daniel asked.
“Yes,” Astreal answered. “Although more specifically, it was the fire from salamander women.”
“Salamander women?” Daniel repeated with a jump.
“You know of them, don’t you?” Apoch wondered. “You know your monsters well, isn’t that right, Mr. Daniel. I’m sure even you know they aren’t friendly girls in the slightest, right?”
“I’m well aware of their reputation,” Daniel admitted. “They’re the complete opposite of reptile girls in Eden. They have no sense of honor or morality, they love hurting others and burning
everything around them for fun. They’re not ones I had ever planned on meeting to speak about peace with us.”
“That’s good, Mr. Daniel,” Astreal agreed. “I’m glad to see you do at least recognize what monsters shouldn’t be approached even for your mission of peace.”
“But how do you know they’re the ones responsible for this?” Daniel wondered looking around at the bare woodland. “Salamander women don’t normally come this far out from the eastern wastelands.”
“Because there have been a lot of unwanted monsters roaming Koskaysil lately,” Apoch informed him. “This isn’t the only place that’s been tainted by their presence. You have heard of Ruhelia’s unfortunate visit with them lately, haven’t you?”
“The monsters that destroyed the centaur kingdom,” Daniel realized. “They were salamander women?”
“Not just them,” Astreal said shaking her head. “We’ve been seeing many different kinds of unsavory monsters trespassing in our region as of late. We weren’t kidding when we said death was in the air, Mr. Daniel.”
Daniel and Squeak looked to each other in surprise while the witch sisters stood up on the carriage, the twins peering ahead into the distance while their skirts and hair fluttered in the wind.
“Something most foul is lurking in our land,” Apoch softly warned. “We’re looking into this unexpected arrival of degenerates, however right now we’re still not certain where they’re coming from or what it is they want.”
“For now you need to be on high alert, Mr. Daniel,” Astreal ordered. “The Outerlands isn’t normally a safe place for travelers such as yourself, but right now it’s certainly more dangerous than usual. For your sake and that of your mates, be on guard at all times.”
“I see,” Daniel said while Squeak kept close to him. “So Cindy was right, Ruhelia was destroyed by monsters. I wish I could say it was unbelievable, yet knowing how monsters can be in this world it’s hard to argue it.”
Squeak nodded and lowered her head with remorse while fearing that her own nest was viewed just as horribly as the ones who destroyed Kroanette’s home by mankind.
Chronicles of Eden - Act X Page 49