A Monster Life Ch. 94-96

94 - Payback

I moved among the trees, not walking on the ground, yet not drifting through the mist either. I just moved silently. I had no recollection when I first existed, or where I came from, but all I knew was that I was I, even when I didn't know exactly what I was, and now I had a good territory to hunt for food with plenty of prey.

I was hungry though. The last prey escaped after a long struggle to take it down, even when I stimulated its worst fears as much as I could. I didn't understand why latching onto the prey's mind didn't work as usual. The prey should have succumbed to fear after a while, but its mind grew only hotter as its fear grew, and then I lost it.

I sensed a new prey at a short distance, and moved towards it while cautiously probing its mind so I wouldn't be detected. The prey was similar to the prey I had eaten so far, but I also sensed it had some connection to the last prey. I didn't sense that one though, and I continued infiltrating the new mind.

I recognised her as a female of the species living around here, and was glad. The species had not only a mind rich with flavours, but their bodies also satiated I's hunger well. I was pleased while I probed the female's mind for fears, and found a strong one. I stimulated it.

The female reacted at once. She twitched as the fear took hold, and I slowly stimulated it more. She drew her shiny stick, swung it around, jumped, ran left and right, and swung her stick again. The desperation of prey trying to escape their fears amused I every time, and I stimulated the helpless mind further again. The prey threw her stick and curled up on the ground, trembling hard. She was close to her end, so I stimulated it hard once more. She screamed with one last spasm, then lay still. I could already feel the satisfaction of eating her as I moved towards her, and loomed over her. I jerked back in shock when she grabbed I.

The prey was dead! I sensed the disappearance of her mind! It was not possible for her to touch I! I jerked hard but she still kept her grip on I. I forced her fear with all of I's strength, but it was no longer there. No trace of the fear in her mind was left. I lashed out at her and twisted every way. I cried out at the slash from the earlier prey.

I had not seen it coming while I struggled to free I, and the pain was great. I did not understand why that prey could touch I as well, it should not be possible! The earlier prey stood still as it looked at I. I froze when more prey appeared.

I lashed out at all their minds, but none of them had any fear while they attacked I with their shiny sticks. It hurt and I struggled even harder to pull away from them. How could they touch I!? Why could their shiny sticks hurt I!? I cried out at the pain as it became worse, and panicked as I could not escape. They would bring more pain until I was no longer I!

And then I understood I's fear. The prey had put fear in I and I was to be eaten. I could not escape. I would no longer be I. I was now the prey. I trembled as I saw the end for I. I understood what happened at the last moment while I's mind disappeared like it did for prey.

Ulric caressed Iphigenia's cheek as she opened her eyes. She smiled up at him from his lap. 'I told you I could handle being the bait, Wolfie.'

He chuckled once. 'I know, but I hate it every time I have to stand back and see you girls put yourself in harm's way.' He looked at Elzbieta, Valdys, and Conchim sitting in front of him. 'But I'm proud of how strong you all are.'

Valdys leaned back on her hands while she watched the lifeless shadow thing next to them slowly dissipate. 'It had no chance of winning the moment we lured it into our familiar bond through Iphi, and became tangible in its own nightmare.'

'Killed by its own method of hunting and killing.' said Elzbieta. 'I wonder if it realised what happened in the end.'

Conchim stood up and wiped the dirt from her behind. 'I wonder what it was. I've never heard about any such creature.'

Valdys looked up at her. 'There are ways to manipulate someone's mind, but it being done by an incorporeal entity like this, that is new. It's almost as if it had been created.'

'Created?' said Ulric. 'Kind of like me?'

She gazed at him as she pondered the possibility. 'If that's true, it's a major concern. Someone could be experimenting on ways to make demon monsters even more dangerous.'

Iphigenia's strength returned and she sat up. 'I killed the wizard who summoned Wolfie, so that would mean it's more than one person experimenting.'

Valdys nodded. 'We should prepare for more encounters like this.'

***

Tatum dug out a couple of dusty bottles of wine from a crate in a corner to celebrate. 'You must tell me all about how you defeated it so I can write it down.' he said, and poured into clean cups Kaui quickly pulled from her satchel. She didn't expect him to have enough cups for everyone, or even a couple of clean ones.

'Well,' Valdys began while thinking about a plausible explanation without revealing the secret of their bond. 'we are trained in taking control of our dreams, and we can enter one another's dreams with it, so it was basically luring it into one of our dreams, and there we fought it and killed it. It was real enough for the thing to die in the same way as its victims.'

Tatum hummed and nodded as he scribbled notes on a blank part of another note. 'I've read about mystics doing mind training, I see how that could indeed shield against the nightmares of that thing.' he said, and looked around at the various piles of books. 'I have that book somewhere here.' He pulled books from one pile and built another. 'Somewhere here. I believe they burned incense and used special objects to channel the power of their minds.'

Valdys glanced at Ulric. 'Speaking of special objects, we're looking for some old engraved stones that were part of an art collection, and we believe there's one around here. Do you know of anything like that?'

Tatum looked up from a book that caught his interest and distracted him from his original goal. 'Stones?' He frowned as he pondered. 'I can't recall anyone in the village collecting anything. Not even art.' He put the book aside and went over to a chest with a jumble of loose pages piled on top. 'I have a bunch of mana pebbles for rituals and tablets.' He took the stack and dropped it on the corner of the table and partially on top of a book. The top of the slanted stack slid away and he placed his hand on it. 'Hang on while I weigh this down.' He reached into a small box and placed a stone on top of the pages, and opened the chest. 'Let's see what I have here. An engraved stone, you said? I don't think I'll find it here but who knows?'

Elzbieta tapped Tatum on his shoulder. 'I do believe you have the one we're looking for.'

He looked up, and followed her gaze to the pages and the engraved stone on top. 'Oh.'

He replaced the stone with a tablet from the chest, and examined it. 'I think you are correct.' He looked at Valdys. 'Is this what you're looking for?'

She chuckled. 'Yes.'

He held it out to her. 'I only use it as a paper weight, so you're welcome to it.'

She took the stone with a grateful nod. 'Thank you, this saved us time searching for it.'

'It's the least I can do for what you've done for us.'

Ulric stood up. 'We should inform the village that they're safe again.'

Handil nodded in thought. 'We should also see if we can take some of the local crop with us. They could be of interest for other villages where they are limited in what they can plant. Setting up a trade might be worthwhile.'

Rachael chuckled. 'At least you haven't lost your merchant way of thinking.'

Handil grinned. 'It's just keeping an eye out for opportunities.'

***

The party entered Zarek's inn later and were greeted by Sinjin. 'We have good news.' said Iphigenia. 'That shadow monster is no more.'

His eyes went wide with surprise and joy. 'Really? I must tell our elder at once.' he said and went to the door. 'Wait here and I'll bring her.'

The party sat down while Zarek brought wine and beer. 'To your health, and with gratitude of the entire village.'

Ulric raised his mug. 'May the people here be forever safe from any nasty business.' he said, and everyone toasted to that.

Sinjin returned with elder Tameta and several more cheerful men. Tameta sat down at the table while the men sat down at others and ordered drinks. She clasped her hands together on the table. 'Thank you for helping us. You saved many lives.'

'We were lucky to have the abilities to deal with that thing.' said Ulric. 'And you were lucky we were here.'

Tameta nodded slowly. 'And now there's another thing to deal with.' she said, and placed the wanted poster for the party on the table. 'Why exactly did you come here when we barely see any people throughout the year?'

Rachael put her hand on her staff and Tipper hers on her spade next to her at once, and the men at the other tables gripped their swords. Iphigenia put her hand on Rachael's, as did Elzbieta on Tipper's. Valdys glanced at Yingshien, but she remained calm, just like the others. Ulric leaned forward without even a single glance at the poster. 'There are some demons out there who don't want us to succeed in our quest. Apparently they have some influence around here.'

'Quest?'

'Might as well show her.' said Ulric to Valdys over the link. 'She's likely to hear it from Tatum eventually.'

Valdys laid the artefact on the table. 'They're looking for these, as are we. There's not much we can tell you other than it's vital that we collect all the pieces. We had a hunch we could find one here, and we did. It was in Tatum's possession.'

Tameta looked at it for a moment. 'And I only have your word for it?'

'Yes.' said Ulric. 'And we didn't take down everyone here right now as a sign of good faith.'

Tameta looked at his eyes. Despite being a demon bloodwolf, she could see his honesty in his gaze. 'True. I have no doubt it would have been our total loss.' She smiled freely and the men around them relaxed and returned to drinking. 'I don't think you would have helped if you were as bad as the poster says. I can only advice you to stay away from the main roads. If we receive something like this here, you can be sure it has been spread wide.'

Ulric nodded while Tipper and Rachael relaxed. 'That's what we had in mind.'

'So, how can we help in return for what you did for us?'

***

Elyta looked back at the stone trolls trudging towards them from below through the tunnel. 'They may not be very fast, but that doesn't matter when we can't escape and hurt them with our weapons.'

Muni glanced at Gigacks. 'Can't you just stab one of them again?'

'Spell takes too long.' he said. 'I can stab one, but in a group the others would attack me before I finish it.'

Muni hated drawbacks to seemingly useful weapons and magic. 'Fuck.'

Tarrence looked up at the ceiling and spotted light coming from a few small holes. 'Target the ceiling of the tunnel above them, Gigacks. Collapse it.'

Gigacks understood what he had in mind, grabbed a couple of charged mana stones from his pouch, and blasted one point near the edge with thick ice shards.

The thinning ceiling cracked, and within moments, most of the arched rock ceiling broke into pieces and fell down on the trolls below.

Tarrence ran towards the pile of rock splitting the wall of trolls in two. 'Run before those buried trolls crawl free or the others close the gap!'

The others followed straight away, and the party jumped across the pile, ran for their nasr, and spurred them on hard as they rode off at great speed.

Coëllo looked back at the few trolls who went after them, although it was futile with their slow gait. 'I have to say, this is definitely not a boring kind of party to be part of.'

'Just wait until we find ourselves in really exciting situations.' said Muni and turned to Tarrence. 'Whereto next?'

'Some place a little cooler.' he said.

***

Millias looked upon the Tosk army marching in the distance towards the capital from the balcony of his castle. So many more men, women, and siege weapons than the Mawan army had to protect the people inside the ancient Mawan walls. The king took his despair and pressed it deep down in his chest. He turned to the highest commanders of the army and the few family members who returned to the castle in time. He looked each in the eyes with determination. 'We stand now before perhaps the greatest challenge in Mawan history. We all know it will be a difficult fight, but even if we are defeated, we will make it so that even the Tosk have to acknowledge our strength for many generations in their own songs.'

The high commander of the army raised his fist. 'For Mawan! For freedom! For honour!' The others joined him in the second chant, and the king turned once more to the view of the intruders upon his country's soil.

***

The Tosk army marched across the fields and through the crops, and took position at twice an arrow's distance from the capital's defensive wall. Commander Parthan rode towards the city gate with two of his captains and smirked while the Mawan soldiers stood unsure behind the parapet. 'Good people of Mawan! We do not come for you, but for the one behind the murder of our beloved and just king Mohlaban, your lawless king Millias!' He paused to let the words sink in and raise doubts while the people gazed at each other in confusion. 'We only want the criminal and his conspirators to face justice! Do not stand in our way, and no harm will be done to you! Interfere with justice, and you will face the consequences!' He looked once more over the battlements. 'You have until the end of this sixteenth period to stand down, deliver Millias and his fellow criminals, or face the righteous wrath of Tosk!' Parthan was confident his words had some effect, and he and his captains turned their mounts around and calmly rode back.

***

Millias paced up and down in his hall after hearing the message. 'They're pinning their treachery on me as the excuse to wage war!?'

Winn, the highest army commander, twitched her ears and tail in anger. 'The people won't believe those lies and will stand behind you, your majesty.'

Millias spun around to face her, his advisors, and his family. 'They brand me as a coward, Winn, and I will not stand for that! I'll prove to my people that this king does not back away from a fight.' He gazed at his three oldest sons, his sister, her husband, and their daughter and son. 'That the entire royal family doesn't back away from lies and a fight!'

Everyone thrust up a fist and roared.

Millias turned to Winn. 'I will go to the gate shortly with you, have my trusty mount prepared in full battle dress.'

Winn gave him a quick bow. 'I will await you.' she said, and left with her lower commanders.

Shoga, the eldest son of Millias, stepped up to his father. 'What of our youngest sibling? Did you call for him as well?'

Millias looked at his son, and the others. They never could understand or accept Caylais's heart. They also didn't know the real reason why he let his youngest go. 'A messenger was dispatched to look for Caylais, but no word from either yet.'

Shoga took a deep breath through his nose. He was disappointed Caylais was not here to protect his country, but also glad to not have to see him. 'Well, he's too weak to make a difference in a fight anyway, so it doesn't matter.'

Millias knew his son was right, but becoming angry about the old argument they had a couple of times before wouldn't help in the current situation. 'Go and wait for me at the castle gate.' he said and gestured at one of his advisors. 'Come with me, Flinn.'

He strode briskly to his personal study, opened a drawer from his writing desk, and handed a few wax sealed letters to Flinn. 'These are to be opened in case of my death by my next of kin. I want you to go to a safe place now and await the outcome of this conflict. Do what you have to do to stay alive if it turns out bad, and keep these until you can give them to which they belong.'

Flinn bowed. 'I will make sure to deliver these, but I hope it won't come to that, your majesty.'

Millias put his hand on Flinn's shoulder. 'So do I. Now, make haste.'

Flinn left and Millias looked at the portrait of him, his wife, and his four sons when they were still young children. His gaze lingered upon the face of his late queen. 'See you soon, my beloved.' he said, and left for his final battle.

***

The ride to the gate through the city by the royal family on the silny, their elf bred horned horses, affected morale as Millias hoped it would. Seeing the prideful family confront the enemy lifted the heart and strengthened the courage of his subjects. Cheers accompanied them to the gate, where the soldiers clearly stood more proud at their presence.

Millias climbed to the parapet on top of the gate, and looked over the fields and the ranks of intruders standing uninvited upon them. He gripped the stone before him. "You will pay for this, Yaros." he thought. "Maybe not today or tomorrow, but one day someone will come to collect from you." A group of three riders came from the Tosk army, and his gaze followed their every step to the gate.

Parthan smiled confidently up at Millias. 'So good to see you face your crimes in person, king Millias!'

Millias scraped his claws on the stone. 'The only one who has committed a crime is Yaros! Word has come to me of his treachery towards his own family and people! Let him stand trial and I will forgive this grave insult!'

Parthan looked down and shook his head solemnly. 'It is as we suspected. He will hide behind his walls, lies, and cowardice.' He looked up again, but this time at the soldiers at either side of the gate. 'Our offer still stands to those who do not resist us when we come for our fair justice! Do not protect an unworthy king who hides behind your valour!'

Winn stepped up next to Millias, but he stopped her from speak out with a hand on her arm. 'Don't give him the pleasure of a response with words.' he said, and leaned forward. 'Tell your liege he'll find out just how unworthy my people think I am!'

Millias stepped back from the parapet, and Parthan and his aides turned their mounts around to ride back to the Tosk army. The grating sounds of the heavy city gate opening surprised them and they looked back.

They spurred their mounts on when Millias and his family rode fast at them on their silny, leading the Mawan cavalry on their kechek, the battle trained large goats.

95 - Breakthrough

The minotaur army spread out in a large half circle between the trees outside the clearing around the mine. Lycator and Kolpa looked over the armed and ready minotaur men and women, the wide and thick stone slab wall, hastily but expertly erected around the mine entrance, and the alert dwarves defending it at the top. Kolpa let out a short hum. 'I do have to admit I'm impressed at how fast they fortified the mine. It doesn't make me any less hostile towards them though.'

Lycator played out a few tactics in his head as he estimated the strength of the wall and the enemy. 'Indeed. But we will raze it to the ground and destroy every dwarf regardless. It's time to put an end to a history of their greed and stealing our resources even when they were offered a good deal. Have the men build the overhead shields.'

'At once.' said Kolpa, and left to relay the order to his subordinates.

Dwarves gathering on top of their wall and arming themselves to the teeth did not worry Lycator. 'You're not the only ones who can handle stone.' he said, and returned to the tent set up for him, to draw up the battle plan in his mind.

***

Dryalus walked into the mine chamber where Thyros discussed strategies with the other division commanders around a couple of tables. 'Lord, the wall is fully manned with two divisions and the men are ready.'