Home for Horny Monsters Ch. 110

Leilani swam up and away from the royal guard. Had the Captain's army gone berserk upon his death? No, that didn't make sense. It was Francois' magic that animated them in the first place, which meant...

Leilani broke the surface of the water and cried out as hot ash hit her in the face. She held her hands over her head to block the worst of it. Other merfolk had surfaced as well, some of them stabbing down at skeletons that leapt up to attack them. Turning her head, she saw a bloodied figure stumbling toward his ship at the edge of the dock, using her trident for support.

"What in the new moon?" Leilani tried to swim toward the dock, but clawed fingers grabbed her tail and dragged her beneath the waves. It was an undead businessman, his bloated face looking up at her as he tried to yank her down to the bottom where more undead waited. She managed to swat him in the face with her tail and squirm free before heading toward the dock.

As the merfolk swam toward the shore, a massive, watery barrier was summoned to deflect the heat. The air was already so hot that it hurt to breathe. Leilani pulled herself onto the dock, her tail splitting into legs so that she could continue her pursuit.

"Francois!" she shouted.

The man stopped and turned in her direction, his features twisted up in anger. Leilani could only stop and stare as the man's broken arm twisted about, the bones locking back into place. Other than the three bloody holes in his shirt, there was no evidence of the fatal wound she had inflicted.

However, the man's hair had turned a dull gray, and his young features were now creased with the wrinkles of age. His eye was no longer swollen shut, but the open lid revealed scar tissue beneath. He lifted the trident and pointed it toward Leilani.

"You!" he screamed, his remaining eye radiating malevolence. Dark shadows curled around his body, as if clinging to him for warmth. "You cost me nearly four decades!"

"I don't..." She watched in horror as Captain Francois threw the trident. It hissed through the air, nearly faster than the eye could follow, only to pass directly over her head.

"Fuck!' Captain Francois screamed in fury, then turned to leap onto his vessel. Massive clouds boiled out from beneath as it floated away from the dock. He moved to the head of the ship and pointed a finger toward the shore. "I'm coming for you and yours, Caretaker!"

Leilani turned to look. Skeletons were storming the beach now, attacking anyone alive. The merfolk, who had dragged themselves onto the beach using their arms, attempted to use water magic to push the undead away. Mike stood behind Opal, who casually dismantled anything that came near her. The Caretaker was holding a piece of driftwood and swinging it like a club. He stood over a pair of injured workers, terror engraved on their sun-bronzed faces.

"Eat my dick, Blackbeard!" He gave the finger to the Captain. Several skeletons were attempting to move around Opal, but Ingrid and some other members of the Order had formed a protective wall around him.

"Don't let Francois get away!" called Princess Kailani from the beach. She was bleeding from numerous wounds to her arms. Several merfolk stretched out their hands and summoned massive waves to topple the ship.

Somehow, at the last moment, the waves simply dissipated, leaving Captain Francois unharmed. His vessel continued into the bay under calm seas. More undead crawled onto the beach, eagerly slashing and stabbing whoever they could get ahold of. The heat from Paradise had become so bad that several of the merfolk summoned a watery dome to protect those above the water from it.

The survivors on the beach had nowhere to go. With Paradise lost behind them, all they could do was face down the never ending hordes. As the waters in the bay surged, it revealed hundreds of the creatures, their bony features fixed into permanent grins.

Leilani felt the dock creaking beneath her. She turned to look back and stared in horror at skeletal limbs that clutched the decking and pulled themselves up. Turning away from them, she ran toward her Trident, which was embedded in the beach just past the dock. A dead surfer with one arm took a swing at her, but she ducked underneath his arm and hip checked him back into the water. Once she had her trident, she turned toward the Caretaker.

"Mike!" Leilani made it to his side. Sweat was pouring down his face and he was covered in ash. "There are too many of them. What should we do?"

"That is a very good question." An odd look crossed his face and he turned to look over his shoulder. "But I think we're about to get our answer."

The watery barrier parted, and Ratu came through, dragging a man behind her. Lily was next, the succubus wasting no time and leaping down toward the surf to smashing herself against the undead. She became a whirling dervish of destruction, dismantling Francois' army in gory fashion.

"Caretaker." There were flames in Ratu's eyes. "Overwhelming odds?"

Mike let out a laugh. "Aren't they always?"

Ratu gazed at the dead as they continued to storm the beach. The rough waves were churning now, slowing them down. "I assume the merfolk are ineffective due to the Captain's control of the water?"

Leilani bit her lip, uncertain of the answer. However, Mike just nodded.

"He still has a pretty strong connection here. It's actually coming from his ship. I'm guessing a sea god trumps anything the merfolk could do."

"Perhaps." Ratu looked at Leilani. "Find me those with the strongest control of water, and hurry."

Leilani spun in place to survey the beach. She spotted part of her mother's retinue struggling for survival. When she ran up to help, Ingrid and Wallace followed her. They worked together to dispatch the skeletons attacking the merfolk, then directed the retinue to form up by Mike. Ratu gazed out toward the water, the wind whipping her hair around her like a cloak.

The princess moved along the beach, condensing the remaining merfolk and Order personnel into one location. This caused the undead to concentrate toward one area, which allowed the Order to mount a proper counterattack with Lily's help. Once the merfolk were gathered, Ratu turned to address them.

"The Captain prevents you from pushing them back out to sea." She surveyed the merfolk with a critical eye. A couple of merfolk tried to argue, but Ratu cut them off. "Don't tell me I'm wrong, I can see how the mana is manipulated. He has commanded the ocean to push them onto shore. We can use this."

"How?" asked Princess Kailani.

"Add your power to his. Demand that the water bring them all here." Ratu turned to face the undead horde, kicking off her sandals so that she could bury her feet in the sand. "And have it do so violently. Those of you maintaining this shield, I need you to push it back toward Paradise to give us more room."

Leilani stepped forward and raised her hands toward the water, doing her best to ignore the creatures that scrambled toward them in the sand. She asked the waves to bring her a bounty, to slam it onto the sand that she may gaze on it in wonder. At her side and behind her, she could feel the others doing the same, and watched as the waves churned wildly.

Beth moved to join Ratu, tiny spheres of water swirling around her. The naga whispered something in the woman's ear, and the lawyer nodded.

As the undead were washed onto the shore, the sand beneath them formed into a swirling mass. Jagged, volcanic rocks rose from the ground like teeth, and as the undead came forward, they were pulled into the rocky grinder. Ratu held perfectly still, but Leilani could sense the naga sending her magic straight down into the ground.

The undead were being piled up, coming onto the beach so quickly that they couldn't even stand. The swirling sands expanded to claim them as well, along with a woman who tripped and fell toward the vortex. She was rescued at the last moment by Lily, who was clinging to one of the massive stones as it moved past. Overhead, a quartet of fairies flew in lazy circles, everyone watching in awe as the undead were crushed and dragged down beneath the earth.

After nearly ten minutes of this, the bay was emptied of attackers. Whether they had destroyed all the undead or Francois had recalled the rest, it didn't matter. The merfolk sat down in exhaustion as the waters finally stilled and the natural rhythm of the waves returned.

Leilani turned toward Mike and smiled, but his eyes were on the people who lay still on the sands around them.

"Damn," he muttered, his voice nearly inaudible. When his eyes met hers, he just shook his head. "I'm so--"

"Don't." Leilani pressed a finger against his lip. "The only one who gets to claim this tragedy has already run far from it. Do not take responsibility for the evil of others."

He contemplated her silently, then nodded.

Leilani looked past him at Paradise, the flames now licking at the barrier.

"We should probably put that out."

The merfolk nearest to her turned around to face the burning structure. Without the Captain's influence, it was far easier to command the waves. A thick mist formed above them, creating a water-laden cloud that rose up and passed through the shimmering barrier of water. A water spout appeared in the bay, which fed into the artificial rain cloud. When the rain fell, the runoff was black as midnight as it flowed back onto the sand. Water dripped down from above, soaking all who stood on the beach. The Director's eyes fluttered, but Ratu stood over him imperiously, as if daring him to move.

Order personnel stood nearby, gazing with uncertainty on their captured leader. Ingrid and her team moved among them, spreading word of his treachery.

The merfolk whispered quietly as the fires were put out, trying to determine what their next steps were. Leilani found her mother sitting among them, glaring daggers out toward the sea.

"Mother." She sat down next to Kailani.

The princess didn't respond at first, her eyes glistening with either tears or rain. "Do you think he attacked the colony?" she finally asked with a furrowed brow. "Or was this assault just to ensure his own escape?"

"Send someone. The fastest swimmer we have." Leilani rose and pointed at a merwoman she knew was a strong swimmer. "You. The colony needs to know what has transpired here."

The mermaid hesitated long enough to make sure Kailani didn't counter the order, then crawled on her hands into the surf and vanished. A couple others went with her to ensure the message was passed along, their tails splashing briefly before they vanished.

An uneasy peace settled over the beach as smoke and steam drifted around them. The water barrier had come down, allowing everyone to see the smoldering ruins. A few people from the Order went to examine the rubble in the hopes of finding survivors. Leilani doubted they would be successful.

Mike moved next to Ratu and slid an arm around her waist. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Leilani couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy.

Ratu nodded, then tilted her head to lay it on his shoulder. Down on the ground, the Director made a gurgling sound in the back of his throat.

"How dare you," he hissed. Nearby, a few members of the Order stood at attention as if realizing for the first time that the Director was present.

Mike scowled at the Director. "The only words I want to hear out of your mouth are the ones where you call off the attack on my home."

A pair of knights looked nervously at each other, then pulled out their swords. A mage nervously lifted her wand as if to point it at Mike.

"Don't." Ingrid stepped between them and Mike, then looked at the others. "He's not the bad guy here. We are."

The Director sat up with an amused look on his face. "I never expected to be bested in a fight," he admitted, rubbing his jaw. "Luckily for me, I'm not a betting man. You may have been stronger in this moment, Upala..."

"Ratu," the naga corrected. She looked at Mike. "It's Ratu."

"It's what I get to call you." The Caretaker smiled briefly, as if lost in a memory.

"But next time, you won't be so lucky." The Director grinned, his lips stretching abnormally wide. "You should have killed me."

"There won't be a next time, Mohan." Ratu shook her head. "You may have been running things for the Order, but even they will find fault with your actions. Once I leave this place, you will never see me again. I have a home I can go to, a family that I'm a part of. You have nothing. You are nothing."

Mohan laughed, an unsettling sound that carried across the beach. "Soon enough, you'll beg. It's only a matter of time."

"Maybe we should just kill him." Lily knelt down by Mohan, who glared at her. "Or maybe give him to the merfolk."

"We...take no issue with the Director." Kailani shook her head. "Our quarrel is currently with Captain Francois. As for our relationship with the Caretaker, I think my people would agree that we are...uncertain."

Leilani sighed, but couldn't help but agree with her mother. Captain Francois had attacked them, but it wouldn't surprise her in the least if he claimed it was self defense. He was a man with decades of experience manipulating the merfolk from within. For now, she would have to settle for a lack of hostility.

"Let's feed him to Di, then." Lily jabbed at Mohan with a pointed finger. "I'd offer to snap his neck, but imagine that would be difficult."

"Very. You may have me at a disadvantage now, but you'll find that..." Mohan continued to speak, but Leilani felt a chill run up her back and looked away from the Director and toward Mike. The Caretaker had gone unnaturally still, his gaze suddenly to the north-east. A heavy presence filled the air, as if lightning was about to strike.

"What did you do?" Mike's eyes snapped down toward Mohan.

The man smirked. "I'm sure you'll find out soon--"

Mohan gasped as Mike knelt down and seized him by the throat, then roughly lifted him into the air with one hand.

Ratu's jaw dropped, and the others nearby all took a step back as the air hissed with magic.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Mike's voice tore the air, causing others to flinch away. In the ensuing silence, the faint chirping of a cell phone could be heard.

"I believe that's for you, Caretaker." The Director pointed at Mike's pocket, clearly unperturbed by the fact that Mike was clutching his throat.

Mike pulled out his phone and studied the screen for a second. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and then he dropped the phone onto the sand. The skies above darkened and Mike Radley screamed.

The Director laughed.

🏝️🏝️🏝️

Eulalie had looked away from the computer monitor for less than a second when activity at the command center exploded. Dozens of men and women stormed out all at once, creating multiple single file lines as they sprinted toward the back of the house. The Arachne almost knocked her headset off as she positioned the microphone in front of her mouth.

"They're coming in hot by the garage," she practically shouted. Two separate teams were climbing the house using ropes. A third team set up shop away from the house with a pair of mortars. By the time the garage was breached by the first wave, a shell had been launched that struck one of Yuki's ice walls and exploded.

"What are they doing?" Eulalie watched in horror as another shell fell toward Naia's fountain. Amymone's tree swayed and detonated the shell early. Branches and burning leaves tumbled down into the water. The teams climbing the house were now in position, weapons drawn. By the time Sulyvahn made an appearance out back, they had opened fire.

"I need someone on those mortars. They're just below the gardens, and..." Eulalie stared in confusion as the transport trucks started up and drove along the driveway to the command center. "They brought in the transports. Something is up."

Another group deployed from the command center. This one was primarily composed of SoS members and they broke into a sprint toward the greenhouse. They were most of the way there when Cerberus intercepted them. This time, an icy simulacrum of Yuki rode on their back.

Eulalie scanned all the monitors, suddenly wary. Their last attempt on the fountain had been competent, but underwhelming. This felt extremely aggressive, as if--

The group assaulting Cerberus immediately split up and started kiting the hellhound. Yuki's clone froze the ground around them, preventing the iron spikes from being driven into the soil. Mortar shells continued to rain down on Naia's fountain, which was now being surrounded by the SoS. Ice walls were taken down with grenades, and a trio of knights were strapping the decoy Abella to a dolly to haul her off.

The Arachne shouted out everything she saw and the house responded. Sulyvahn mounted his horse and swung his head around in circles as he lashed out at their attackers with his whip. The plants all reached out to trip up or strangle those who passed, and Cerberus howled as the SoS peppered them with rounds.

Eulalie stared at the screen, an itch of an idea wiggling deep into her brain. There was something obvious here, staring her right in the face. The team on the roof was confronted by Cecilia, who snatched a man and tossed him off. The man was saved only by the safety rope he had clipped to his belt, now dangling above the team fighting Cerberus. Down below, the hell hound breathed hot fire in streaks that scorched the ground, narrowly missing her attackers on purpose.

Decoy. Bullets.

Those two words spun circles in Eulalie's head, and she stared hard at the screen as she tried to figure out what her subconcious was telling her. It wasn't until a man opened fire on Cerberus' face that the pieces finally fell into place.

Cerberus was a being from the Underworld, capable of guarding the gates from armies of demons. If anything, their etymology was closest to a demon. When the SoS had trapped her last time, it had been with a magical sigil mostly attuned to demonic entities. If they knew such a thing could trap a hellhound, then why hadn't somebody fired one of their enchanted rounds to see if it dismissed her?

That left two options. The first was they were aware that Cyrus had betrayed them, and that the bullets would summon the wrath of the stone lions. If true, then Cyrus was likely lost to them, perhaps even killed for his deception. But if that was the case, then this new behavior made no sense, which led her to option number two.

They were saving those rounds. Why would someone willingly wait to dismiss the hellhound hunting them unless...

Eulalie gasped. Someone in the SoS had realized that the house had taken a non-lethal stance on the attack. In hindsight, anybody who knew Mike would assume this was the case, but then why put on such a big show all of the sudden? Why bomb the fountain and try to bring everyone out at once?

The Abella statue was hauled away via the garage route. Sulyvahn and Amymone tried to stop them, along with help from another Yuki clone.

Eulalie felt all the data coalesce in her head and immediately became nauseous. The mercenaries had created a decoy of their own, which meant that something big was happening elsewhere. What could it be?

On the roof, Cecilia disappeared as a man peppered her with salt rounds, then reappeared near one of the turrets. A member of the SoS crouched down and held up a device Eulalie hadn't seen before which fired a shining net. It wrapped tightly around the banshee, and she cried out in pain as it bit into her skin. Down by the fountain, Sulyvahn stopped and held his head in a manner that he could glance up at the roof. It was during this moment that a sniper round struck him in the temple, causing the dullahan to topple from his horse. More rounds were fired, and Eulalie watched in horror as both Yuki clones shattered at the same time four of her cameras went off.