“Don’t worry, we’re going to see it for our own eyes,” Triska firmly added, hand tightly holding the handle of her sword. “We’re going to get our centaur back one way or another. But if you want us to treat you as a friend and not cut a swathe of bloodied corpses through that city in our search for her, you will tell us what the hell you’re hiding from us! What’s beneath Stonegate? Just where is Kroanette right now? Answer us!”
The girls quickly got up and backed away from the table, with Clover snapping her bow down from her shoulder into her hand while Alyssa grabbed hold of her staff. Pip shot out from Calam’s chest and zipped over to hover above Daniel’s shoulder, himself and the sand wraiths watching closely as Calam slowly looked around at everyone surrounding her.
“Well, Calam?” Clover asked. “What do you have to say to us?”
“Please don’t make this difficult,” Specca carefully insisted. “I would rather we become friends, if that’s still a possibility.”
“What are you hiding, dear?” Doku wondered. “Please, tell us the truth.”
Calam looked around at everyone before she lowered her head with a quiet sigh.
“I mustn’t say it,” she softly lamented. “I took a vow not to spill the secret with anyone. If I break that promise…”
“Wouldn’t you want us to break that promise?” Falla asked, with Calam glancing worriedly to her. “Wouldn’t you want us to break that vow if it meant you could reunite with your loved one? Wouldn’t you want that then?”
“Falla… I…” Calam said, her words faltering as she then tiredly rubbed a hand down her face. “Using that against me is most cruel, you know.”
“Please,” Luna begged. “Tell us the truth. What happened to Kroanette? Is she okay? Please, Calam.”
“She’s fine, Luna, she’s perfectly fine,” Calam promised as she lowered her head with a sigh. After a moment she rubbed the back of her neck as she deliberated her next move, the ant girl then shaking her head and turning to Daniel with a small smile.
“I like you all, and I don’t wish to make trouble here. If I tell you, can you promise me that you will at least try to act surprised when you go there? And also that you will not speak of this to anyone else? The countess of Stonegate is a dear friend of mine, and she will be understandably furious with me if she discovers I broke my vow.”
“If you cooperate with us then we will,” Daniel agreed. “If there’s no reason for us to be enemies then we will do you that kindness as a friend.”
“Very well,” Calam conceded. “I must say, first I fail with my duties in my home nest, and now I fail with upholding the laws of Stonegate. I fear I am quite the horrible servant to whoever I may serve.”
“Just tell us where Kroanette is,” Triska demanded. “What is Stonegate hiding beneath it? Our friend can normally see far and wide in this world with her sight, but for some reason even she can’t penetrate the barrier you have place around whatever is down there. What are you hiding from the world?”
“The truth,” Calam told her. “Kroanette is just where I said she would be, in Stonegate. But I never once said she was in the city on the surface. In reality she’s much further below it, as you correctly assumed.”
“What is under Stonegate?” Daniel asked. “What are you hiding down there? What truth are you trying to keep hidden?”
“Stonegate’s true purpose,” Calam answered. She looked around at seeing everyone paying the utmost attention to her, except for Reiko who was slowly getting up and putting herself back together, Rolian who merely twitched her legs a few times in her drunken stupor, and Snapper who was squirming around in Luna’s arms and snapping her teeth with boundless energy. Feeling there was no use putting it off any longer, Calam turned to Daniel with a gentle smile as she then continued.
“The rumors are only a cover, a shield that hides and defends what it keeps safely concealed below its menacing appearance. Stonegate isn’t just a monster city. It’s a sanctuary.”
Chapter 5
Clash of Monsters
In the world of Eden not all monsters were created equal. Some possessed more sexual allure than others, or perhaps had far greater strength that could never be matched by those of lesser creation. There were monsters who could fly and others who could not; monsters that wielded high intelligence and magical fortitude while others strained to even understand the simple concept of speech; monsters skilled in the art of combat while others could only run away when threatened. There were so many levels of strength, allure, intellect, and power that these lustful creatures could stand at in comparison to each other.
And then there were those who were in a league all their own.
*****
“For my master!” Cataclysm roared, galloping across the desolate field in haste with her lance drawn forward.
“FOR GLORY!” Minos shouted, stampeding towards the centaur with her battle-axe held high.
“For the love of gold, what is going on here?” Tabitha cried out in confusion.
Cataclysm charged with her spear towards the mighty minotaur, thrusting with her lance that quickly met with the handle of Minos’ axe. A powerful gust of wind erupted from the collision, with Cataclysm and Minos bracing from the force as they locked into a struggle. The spear crackled against the enchanted weapon of the minotaur, both fighters tensing up as they appeared evenly matched physically despite the larger stature of Minos.
“I’m going to enjoy ripping you to pieces,” Cataclysm sneered with an eerie grin. “How very foolish of you to seek your own demise like this.”
“NOBODY RIPS MINOS TO PIECES!” Minos shouted, shoving the centaur back and taking a hard swing at her with the axe. Cataclysm ducked low under the swooshing blade then jumped back as Minos followed around and slammed her weapon into the ground. A heavy tremor struck through the area as rocky debris blasted upward with tremendous force from the devastating impact. Swiping her twirling lance to the side Cataclysm parried the brunt surge of energy that blew at her, the centaur then leaping to the side as Minos jumped through the cloud of smoke and again struck her weapon down into the dirt with a ground-shattering slam.
“Is it true all minotaurs are as slow and stupid as you?” Cataclysm laughed as she took off into a fast sprint. The centaur leapt into the air, hooves galloping on glowing white casting rings that quickly appeared for her to step on. She ran in a tight arc through the air before leaping side to side with her lance spinning above her. With a mighty jump she then struck downward towards Minos, the minotaur holding out her hand and erecting large golden casting rings to surround herself. As the centaur’s lance struck the barrier a powerful discharge of energy erupted all around them. Minos’ barriers flashed and crackled from the strain, Cataclysm’s spear had bolts of lightning snapping off its glowing end, and the centaur remained poised above the minotaur as she laughed manically with her efforts to drive through the shield into her target.
“NOBODY CALLS MINOS SLOW AND STUPID!” Minos roared back. “YOU SHALL PAY FOR SUCH INSOLENCE!”
She gripped her axe and took a hard swing up at the centaur, deflecting the lance to the side with a bright flash and explosion of light. Dropping to the ground Cataclysm quickly dashed ahead as Minos followed around with her swing and slammed her axe into the dirt, her furious glowing blue eyes watching as the centaur promptly spun around and charged her again. With a flurry of spins and twirls of her lance Cataclysm struck at the minotaur with a deranged laugh, forcing her opponent to quickly spin her axe around to try and block the speedy attacks. Though unable to move her weapon nearly as fast as the centaur, Minos used her fist to bash away a few of the strikes while she and her foe began circling each other. The ground exploded beneath from the energy surge, bolts of magical light shot off around them and detonated into fiery explosions, their shadows flashed and grew along the ground from the constant radiances they emitted in their duel, and a group of fighters nearby bared witness to the event as it became apparent the centaur and minotaur h
ad completely forgot about them.
“God… damn,” Rulo slowly said, herself and the other girls staring in awe at what they were seeing.
“She’s able to fight off a minotaur?” Hollia asked in disbelief. “Are you serious? Who in Eden is that centaur?”
“What is a minotaur even doing here?” Tabitha wondered. “There are no minotaurs in Koskaysil or anywhere near its borders. How did one end up this far into the province?”
“Pretty lights,” Scay marveled, her eyes never blinking as the flashes of light bloomed against her over and over again.
“Master?” Sasha called out. The girls turned to see Daemon still watching the fight, eyes glaring at the powerful centaur while dark scales were slowly covering his chest.
“His sword,” Mika spoke in dismay, the girls then shifting their gazes down to the shattered remains of the Archlight’s Blade that lay scattered along the ground. “This is terrible. How could this have happened? How could anyone have destroyed his weapon like that?”
“Master,” Sasha said again as she ran over to him. The girls quickly followed after while a stray bolt of energy struck into the ground behind them, exploding violently and throwing Forrus and Rulo into a wild tumble along the dirt.
“This is crazy,” Forrus growled, looking back to the fight. “How much power do those two monsters have? I can understand a minotaur having such might, but a centaur as well?”
“Dammit, this is not what we need to be dealing with right now,” Rulo grunted, glancing back to the duel with a low growl before she ran towards Daemon again.
“Master,” Sasha worried, the girls watching as the cambion remained focused on the battle with noticeable discontent. “Are you… are you okay?”
“No, I’m not,” Daemon replied, his voice being deeper while from his back one of his wings ripped out and extended into the air. The girls jumped back as his hair began to shift to white while his eyes had a slight glow to them now.
“My sword has been broken. My followers have been attacked. This centaur has brought forth anarchy in her wake. I am not okay right now. I’m feeling rather angry about all this.”
“The Archlight’s Blade,” Rulo said looking down to the broken pieces. “I didn’t think anything could break it. How did she do that? It was made by the angels themselves, it was the strongest sword Eden had to offer. And she destroyed it in a single thrust!”
Sasha stared at the shards of the Archlight’s Blade in frustration, her tail slowly swaying behind her as she quickly looked to Daemon then Cataclysm while feeling an internal conflict mirroring the intensity of the battle happening in front of her.
‘That damned sword, I should be happy it’s no longer here to keep my master from me. I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long, there’s no longer anything keeping me from mating with my beloved man. And yet… it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. My master is furious. The choice to be rid of it wasn’t his to make, it was taken from him. Should I be angry about this? Or… relieved? I don’t know how I should feel about it, only that I hate that foul woman for upsetting my master as she has.’
“Master… I…” she started to say, words then failing to come forward as she didn’t know how to act regarding the event. She jumped with a yelp as Daemon’s other wing emerged behind him, the cambion flexing his hand that had finished transforming into its monstrous form while his cold glare never wandered from Cataclysm.
“My lord?” Forrus carefully asked.
“He has a rather terrifying look in his eye right now,” Mika mentioned with a gulp. “I don’t believe he’s in a forgiving mood over this.”
“We should probably go now,” Tabitha suggested. “Now’s our chance to slip into the shadows and get out of here while those two are busy.”
“Are you serious?” Hollia snapped. “We will most certainly not leave this matter unattended. That damned centaur destroyed my knight’s sword. She murdered that innocent woman who helped Mika’s brother. And she is making all of us centaurs look positively abhorrent with her callous actions. She needs to be stopped, now!”
“Let the minotaur handle it!” Tabitha yelled waving to the battle. “They obviously only want to kill each other anyway, we’re not involved here. Besides you saw how strong she is, she’s not worth the trouble. She’s not our target or concern.”
“She attacked us,” Forrus argued. “She broke my lord’s sword. She made a mockery of us. She is not walking away without paying for her transgressions.”
“In case you didn’t notice, something’s not right about that centaur!” Tabitha shouted back. “She’s ridiculously strong, her leg is made of fucking metal, and she’s able to fight off a goddamned minotaur! I’m not getting paid to deal with something like that! My only concern is getting Daemon out of here before that centaur decides to come over here and rape him to death! I still have a job to do and I am not going to let it end in failure!”
“I’ve still got a bone to pick with that centaur,” Rulo snorted. “Not just for what she did to my master but also how she treated me.”
“You try attacking her again and she’ll be picking her teeth with your bones!” Tabitha retorted. “Remember what happened the last time you tried fighting her? Didn’t go so well, did it?”
“She just took me by surprise, that’s all!”
“Fine, go over there and get yourself killed, it won’t be a surprise to any of us when it happens.”
“You are such a pathetic coward,” Forrus growled. “For someone who claims to be a professional assassin you’re always so quick to turn and run with your tail tucked between your legs.”
“I’m an adventurer,” Tabitha shot back as the two got in each other’s faces. “And I’m not stupid. You don’t get rich in this world by acting like a rabid mongrel, that’s how you get yourself killed. That centaur is out of our league and there is absolutely no reason for me to risk my neck trying to take her down. What would I get out of doing that anyway, huh? I’m certainly not being paid by anyone to kill her, so what’s in it for me?”
“Her spear,” Mika spoke up, with Tabitha turning to her in question. The sorceress watched the battle between the centaur and minotaur before glancing to the neko with a small shrug. “It’s clearly not a normal lance and has some pretty strong magic to it. A weapon like that would fetch a high price no matter where you picked to sell it.”
Tabitha blinked then looked over to Cataclysm while her tail began wagging behind her.
“How high a price are we talking here?” she asked Mika.
“Well,” Mika mused looking to Hollia’s javelin. “That one we were going to sell in our shop for about 500 gold coins.”
“Just 500?” Hollia scoffed. “This is a genuine spear from Ruhelia. It’s one of the finest we’ve ever made. It has to be worth more than that.”
“That was the going rate for a monster weapon of that quality,” Mika reasoned with a shrug. She then smirked at Tabitha who was looking down in thought. “But the one Cataclysm has, that’s sure to be ten times as valuable, at the very least.”
“5,000 gold coins?” Tabitha purred with a hand held to her chin. “Hmm… that’s not too bad. And maybe her freakish leg could go for a couple thousand as well. That’s very tempting.”
“I can literally feel the thick cloud of greed surrounding her,” Forrus muttered. Tabitha snarled at her before looking down again with a cautious murmur.
“Still, I’m not sure it’s worth the risk…”
“I thought you would be leaping for this opportunity,” Sasha mentioned. “With all of us assisting that minotaur we could surely bring down that troublesome centaur. Her prized lance would make a fine addition to your treasure vault, wouldn’t you think?”
“Maybe,” Tabitha slowly reasoned. “You do make a good point. As long as that minotaur does most of the heavy lifting it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for us. With any luck she’ll strike down the centaur all on her own. She is doing pretty well against her.”
/>
“Um, hey,” Scay spoke up, with the group noticing her pointing to the battle with a worried look. “I don’t think the minotaur is doing well anymore.”
“What?” Rulo asked as everyone turned to see Minos flying back into a long crash through the dirt as Cataclysm chased after her with maniacal laughter. Rolling back onto her feet Minos swung her axe at the centaur, with Cataclysm easily dodging and weaving the passing blade before she swiped her lance in a heavy arc, trailing a white radiance behind it and knocking Minos away with the forceful wave of energy.
“Hahahahaha!” Cataclysm laughed, charging towards Minos and galloping up into the air along her quickly appearing spellbase steps. “I can’t wait to present your head to my master! He’s going to love me forever for this!”
Minos rolled to a stop and slowly began getting up, gripping her axe and growling heavily as she saw the centaur leaping into the air towards her with a furious thrust.
“MINOS SHALL NEVER DIE!” the minotaur raged, getting up onto her feet and swinging her axe at the approaching monster. Cataclysm struck down with her lance, the minotaur’s axe colliding with the pole before a powerful explosion erupted from the hit. Without pause Minos was blasted down and across the ground in a long gash from the force while her axe spiraled off to the side and struck into the dirt with a heavy slam.
“I’ve got you now!” Cataclysm yelled, touching down on the ground and taking off towards the downed minotaur. Minos slowly sat up with a painful groan, her vision clearing to see the centaur rushing her with the glowing spear aimed at her head. The minotaur braced for the hit while shutting her eyes, a shameful yell being made as she felt the wave of energy coming at her from the powerful monster. With a sudden slam and thunderous boom everything fell quiet, with Minos slowly opening her eyes before jumping with a startled gasp.
Chronicles of Eden - Season II - Act I Page 14