Home for Horny Monsters Ch. 077

Hi there! Annabelle here with the next exciting installment of Home for Horny Monsters!

New reader? Go to the beginning, we'll wait for you. No, really, everyone will just sit here until you come back. All caught up now? Great!

Returning readers, happy holidays! Tis the season for monster beatdowns, and this chapter is no exception. I realized when I went to post this that I have one hundred submissions to Lit. ONE. FUCKING. HUNDRED. Wow!

For anyone wondering how I was able to write so many chapters, I'll flat out say that's it's because of the readers here. Without your enthusiasm and support, this story wouldn't exist. So make sure you leave those comments, tap those stars, and show any author you appreciate some love, because you never know what world you may help give birth to next!

Don't forget that I put schedule in my bio if you're dying to know when the next part launches. I try to upload early enough in the week to hit by Friday night, but I'm not the boss of Literotica, so results may vary. Also, apologies to Tobey Maguire and his family. Apparently some close friends of his were upset that I misspelled his name last chapter. I blame the multiverse.

But enough about my life, let's see what's about to go down in

The Coming Apocalypse

Eulalie threw a rock in the air and watched in delight as the enchanted mace zoomed through the sky to swat the stone into the forest behind the house. The rock ricocheted off a tree and vanished into the weeds, startling a pair of birds and a rabbit out into the open.

"Twenty points," she declared, then threw another rock in a different direction. The mace spiraled through the air and hit it hard enough that the rock broke in two. One piece bounced off the house while another passed through Naia's watery body and splashed into the fountain.

"Maybe it's time we tone it down a little." Naia held out her hand and the rock reappeared in her palm. She tossed the offending stone out of the fountain. "For so many reasons."

"Yeah, sorry." Eulalie whistled, and the mace flew down by her side. "We'll play later," she told it while wiping some dust off of its head.

It was late afternoon. Eulalie had left Murray's home shortly after the police had come by to perform a wellness check. She had hidden away from the windows as they circled the house, then put away everything she could before they entered. Lucky for her, she had been keeping the place clean and their cursory sweep was for Murray or his body, not for the magical portal she had hidden by pulling the couch against the wall as she backed through it.

Once the police were gone, she and the rats moved everything back into the Library. The mace had become restless indoors, so she had brought it over to the house to let it fly around the backyard. The sky was overcast with the potential for storms, so she figured that the mace was unlikely to be spotted.

The back door banged open and Suly came walking into the backyard with Cyrus in tow. "Company," he declared while leading the mage over to the fountain. Cyrus had a much nicer bag on his head, one that Zel had brought yesterday from her village.

"This is a surprise." Eulalie frowned at Sofia, who was soaking her feet in the fountain. "I didn't expect you until tonight."

Cyrus shrugged. "I found out that the local police stopped by your neighbor's house and came to see if I could be of any help."

"Ah." As helpful as Cyrus had been the last few days, it didn't surprise her. On the one hand, she wanted to be suspicious of his motives. On the other hand, maybe he really was just trying to help, do some good for others with his golden years. "We should have that sorted, but thank you."

"Not quite," Cyrus replied, then turned his head vaguely toward Suly.

"This one jus' spent the last hour scrubbin' yer prints out of yer rental." Suly winked at Eulalie. "Had me come with 'cause I be thinkin' he wants a trophy fer it."

Eulalie slapped her forehead. She hadn't even considered potential forensic investigations of Murray's home. If he never returned to his job, they would definitely do more than just drop by and knock. It wasn't like her actual prints were on file, but the last thing they needed was a police investigation right next door.

"I don't want a trophy," Cyrus declared from inside his hood. "However, I do think I've demonstrated that I am an ally and can be trusted."

Eulalie narrowed her eyes. "You want us to take the hood off, don't you?"

Cyrus nodded. "I've already seen plenty. To be honest, I've noticed that the only one I have to wear it around is you and I want to know why."

Eulalie looked at Naia, who just shrugged. Amymone was no help. She had her nose buried in a book.

Cyrus had proven himself several times over, but it was still a big gamble. Other then tossing a fireball at Sofia, he hadn't reacted poorly to any of the others. Maybe now that he knew everyone better, it would be okay.

Sofia looked dubious, but said nothing as Eulalie reached out to undo the drawstrings holding the bag shut at the bottom.

Deciding to just rip off the bandaid, she tensed her arm to yank the bag free, but was stopped at the last moment by Sofia. The cyclops had grabbed Eulalie's wrist with both of her hands, her purple iris ablaze with magic. Eulalie had questioned the cyclops at length about her unique precognitive ability, and was under the impression that seeing such a thing meant that personal injury was in Sofia's immediate future.

Eulalie arched an eyebrow and looked at Sofia.

Seriously? she mouthed.

Sofia nodded. Very bad idea, she mouthed back.

Eulalie made a mental note to ask Sofia later what she had seen. It was concerning to know that Cyrus, despite all his talk, would freak out bad enough to harm the others.

"Um, is everything okay?" Cyrus reached for the rim of his bag, but Eulalie deftly re-tied it before he could even touch the hem,

"I had a change of heart," she declared. "Queen's prerogative. I'm like an internet troll. Prefer to remain anonymous."

Cyrus groaned, then took a step back. "Can someone at least help me sit, then?" he asked. "My knees hurt from scrubbing rat prints off the baseboards."

Suly guided the mage over to the fountain where Naia helped him sit and then started massaging his shoulders. Cyrus let out a sigh, but sat like a scorned child.

"So what now?" he asked. "I'm already here, may as well stay. I'm happy to assist with keeping the police away for another couple of days, or maybe you need a night watchman?"

"Yer too eager," Suly said.

"I'll do whatever if it means I don't have to wear this hood," Cyrus replied.

"I can find other stuff to do so that the others can let you out to play," Eulalie offered. If nothing else, she could look at some of the research in the Library and see if she could learn more about the magical mace she had found. Or maybe even try to find more info on dimensional rifts. She already had dozens of books set aside for when the current crisis was over; the Library was an absolute treasure trove of information.

Naia froze in place, her hands squeezing Cyrus' shoulders. Her blue eyes flashed brightly as she turned her head toward the house. Amymone nearly dropped her book in a similar reaction, and Sofia gasped, her hand going to her belly.

"Is that him?" asked the cyclops.

Naia smiled and nodded.

Moments later, they heard the sound of a car shrieking to a halt out in front of the house. Eulalie desperately wanted to climb on the roof and see what was happening, but that was a great way to scare the shit out of anyone who might be looking.

"Hello?" Mike's voice carried over the house.

"We're back here!" Amymone tucked her book into a nook in her tree and stood, her hands clasped to her chest. "Do you feel that?" she asked her sister.

"I do." Naia frowned. "But there's something else."

Moments later, Mike appeared through the back door. His hair was wild and somehow noticeably longer than when he had left. Stubble had formed along his chin, and he tossed his bag on the ground as he ran across the yard and nearly knocked Cyrus into the water as he stepped into the fountain and threw himself into Naia's arms.

Naia squeezed him, tears filling her eyes. Eulalie noticed that one of Mike's arms was in a splint, his fingers discolored like they had been bruised.

"Oh, Mike, I'm so sorry," she said as she squeezed him.

"What's happening?" asked Cyrus, turning his head uselessly. "Is it him? The caretaker guy?"

"Cyrus?" Dana stood on the back porch, a look of disbelief on her face. "Is that you? Why are you wearing that bag on your head?"

"Dana!" Relief filled Cyrus' voice. "I honestly don't know!"

Dana looked at Eulalie, then back at Cyrus. Understanding crossed her features, and she stepped off of the porch as Yuki followed her.

"Damn, this is weird," Yuki said as she turned to look back at the house. "This is the one from the Underworld, isn't it?"

"We have so much to tell you," Sofia added, but Mike held up his good hand and just sobbed into Naia's shoulders for a minute longer.

Sheesh, what happened to this guy? Eulalie paced while Mike had his breakdown. Impatient, she pulled out a piece of webbing and twisted it around in her hands like a piece of string.

"Sorry, sorry everyone." Mike took a deep breath and surveyed the scene. "A lot has happened and there's still plenty to do. I've been in contact with the house and...who the fuck are you?" He was looking at Cyrus.

Mike's body language shifted dramatically, and Eulalie felt the wind shift around her. Naia put a calming hand on his shoulder, and the wind died down.

"That's Cyrus," Dana replied. "He's the guy Lily and I met when we were in Hawaii."

"Yes, pleasure to make your acquaintance." Cyrus stood and offered his right hand for Mike to shake. "I've been looking forward to this meeting for some time."

"Not to be rude, but I can't shake hands right now. I have an injury." Mike looked from the hood to Eulalie, then nodded knowingly. "Are you aware of our situation?"

"That the house behind us isn't your actual house and members of your family are trapped there, including Lily? Yes, I am." Cyrus lowered his hand. "I came to investigate and kind of fell in with this crowd."

"Then we're glad to have you." Mike pulled away from Naia. "There's a lot we have to discuss, but there's something that can't wait." He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "Eulalie, I...um..."

When he spoke, the words became so much buzzing in her ears as he handed over her father's dog tags. Each word was like a drop of rain on hot steel, sizzling loudly before evaporating into the air to be forgotten. The world dropped out from beneath Eulalie, and she stood in silence for several moments, contemplating the cold metal in her hands.

Without a word, she turned from the group and fled into the house.

🏠🏠🏠

Mike watched Eulalie as she disappeared, then let out a sigh. He had spent the last several hours trying to figure out what to say, how to break the news to someone that a loved one had died.

In the end, he stumbled over his words, eventually spitting out that Velvet was gone. He wasn't even entirely sure what all he had said as his brain had rushed to fill the silence with words that had garnered no reaction. It could have gone way better, and he hoped that Eulalie wouldn't hate him for it. As bad as he felt about Velvet's death, it paled in comparison to what she must be feeling.

Both Sofia and Dana went into the house together, presumably to find Eulalie.

"I'm sorry, someone died?" Cyrus shifted back and forth on the fountain as if uncomfortable. "I would excuse myself, but..."

"One of our own crossed over." Suly put a hand on Mike's shoulder. "I'm not as sensitive as this lot, but I can feel yer grief. Ye have me condolences."

"Thank you." Mike sighed again. "I wish I had time for condolences, but we simply don't."

He spent several minutes explaining what had happened to the house, only to be interrupted by the surprise arrival of Asterion carrying Ratu. The naga greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and declared that she had sensed his arrival and wanted him to tell her everything. He helped her sit on the edge of the fountain as he started over from the beginning. He told them about the horsemen, the angel, and then Nesferisfet.

When he finished, he looked over at Ratu. "So I need to know what we can do to find the house and take out this priestess and the angel. And potentially the horsemen, if that's even possible."

The naga laughed. "To think I've spent the last few days lounging when the end times have been upon us. I would have worn something prettier." She waved her hand and summoned a silver goblet. "The answer to your question is that we've been busy here, trying to account for all possibilities. Our guest here has been a big help."

"Even with this damned bag on my head," Cyrus grumbled. "Your rat queen has insisted I wear it to protect sensitive information, but I know she's just doing it to hide her identity."

"Sorry." Mike looked at Naia, who gave him a nod. He reached over and undid the straps and removed the hood.

The old man beneath had a scarred face, his mouth falling open upon seeing Mike.

"Better?" Mike asked.

Cyrus looked like a fish out of water, his mouth opening and closing rapidly. He cleared his throat and sat up straight.

"I apologize for asking, but...you are a human, right?"

Mike nodded. "I'm supposed to be, but it's very complicated."

"What happened to your arm? That looks bad."

"Got into a fight with the Jersey Devil." Mike frowned. Dana claimed Cyrus was okay, but he wasn't about to go into more detail about Oregon with a stranger.

"Leeds, huh?" Cyrus shook his head. "That one is a real bastard. Hope you gave him hell, he's slippery. We've been trying to pin that one down for a bit, but he's been far too quiet lately, so fell to the bottom of our list."

Mike set his jaw. "Chances are good you'll never hear from him again. Ratu says you can help us?"

Cyrus waggled his hand. "I'm afraid I am of limited use in what you need to accomplish. I determined some time ago that your home was taken by stretching a dimensional gateway over it." He turned and pointed at the back gate. "Wherever that goes is where you will find your house and your people."

"That's easy enough. Naia? Gonna need that key in a minute." He turned his attention back to Ratu. "That's one problem down. What else do you have for me?"

The naga grinned. "I've got a magic sword that will cut through almost anything. That will be of some use."

Mike held up his broken arm. "I'm right handed," he said. "Afraid someone else will have to use it."

"Oh." The smile on Ratu's face faded. "I'm sure someone else can use it."

"Probably. Speaking of, I need to know who's going with me. If this fails..." Mike sighed. It wasn't just about the house anymore. The whole world was at stake, and all because some crusty bitch in a sarcophagus tattled on Death.

"We also have this." Ratu pointed to the spot near where Eulalie had been sitting. A large mace lifted off the ground and came to hover in front of them.

"Wait, I recognize this." Mike moved closer and held out his hand to touch it. The mace moved away from his fingers. "This was in the tower, right?"

"It was. The story about how and why it's here doesn't matter, but it is sentient and, I think, wishes to help." She tried to touch it, but it dodged away from her fingertips. "Hey, look, I'm sorry I didn't set you free last year. I didn't know."

"Ah, shit, that's right. I'm sorry, too." Mike held his palm out as if waiting for a dog to sniff it. "Do you wanna come with me and smash up some bad guys? Maybe save the world, rescue the princess? Princesses?" He just hoped there would be somebody to save once they got there.

The mace tilted forward and pressed its head into his hands, like a cat rubbing against its owner. He liked how the metal felt in his hands, and he gave it a squeeze.

"I think it likes you," Suly said. "I'm with ye, by the by. Can't have me favorite girl wonderin' why ye've come alone."

"I wish to come as well." Asterion's rumbling voice surprised Mike. Despite the minotaur's imposing size, it was easy to forget that he was there.

"I would assist as well, but am far from mobile." Ratu shook her head. "And if you are all passing through the Underworld, small and fast will be better. Those demons are likely to still be hanging around."

"Excuse me, demons? Underworld?" Cyrus looked gobsmacked. "What the hell have you gotten yourselves into?"

"You coming?" Mike asked. "Sounds like you know some things. You could be the Merlin to my Arthur."

Cyrus shook his head vehemently. "I lack the proper preparations to simply tag along where you plan to go. And if you must travel some distance, my stamina is not what it used to be and I may become a burden."

"Oh." Mike shrugged. "No big deal. It's just the end of the world is all."

"If I could do anything to help, I would," Cyrus protested. "But a large-scale battle against an angel is beyond me."

"How about dealing with a stolen car?" Mike pulled some keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Cyrus. "Won't bore you with the details, but our shortcut ran out of juice about twenty miles from here. Nobody plants the right trees in this neighborhood."

"Trees?" Cyrus looked confused, but Yuki stood behind him now, her hand on his shoulder.

"It would be immensely helpful if you could drop that car off somewhere else," she told him as she walked him toward the back door. "You do know how to drive, right?"

"I do," he replied. "But I'm sure that--"

"Oh, and you know how to remove fingerprints," Amymone added. "That means you can remove the evidence!"

"Yes, but--"

"Cyrus." Mike stared at the man. "Do this for me and I'll be happy to sit down with you sometime and we can just talk. I'm sure you have questions, and maybe I have answers to give."

Cyrus paused, conflict in his eyes. Finally, he nodded and held up the keys.

"It's a deal," he said. He turned to Yuki and gave her a small bow. "I know my way out, thank you."

With that, he disappeared into the house. Mike waited until he heard the car being started before letting out a sigh of relief. He half expected screams of fright followed by lightning or fire. Even in grieving, Eulalie had made sure to hide herself away.

"Didn't want him around?" asked Ratu. "He seems friendly enough."

"He's not family." Mike looked at the others. "He's an ally, but he's not one of us. I know it sounds strange to say it like that, but I feel it in my gut."

His feelings about Cyrus were severely mixed, as if his own senses were ambivalent on what he should do. The last thing he needed right now was another complication, so had erred on the side of caution.

They spoke at length, comparing notes on what they knew. Naia seemed to think that Mike would be able to use his connection with the house to open the gate to the Underworld. Sofia eventually returned, then sat and listened as Mike detailed what they would be facing if they could get back to the house.

"Apophis, really?" Sofia shook her head in disgust at the mention of the priestess. "Doomsday cults are a dime a dozen, but this one was backed by an actual deity."

Ratu nodded. "The Great Serpent was infamous among my people, for obvious reasons. His fights with Ra were the stuff of legend, but his followers were the absolute worst. Their desire for chaos was largely what led to their own demise as a religion. Pretty much self-destructed right after Apophis was killed, but it sounds like one of them actually had long term plans."

"And a magic cock, apparently." Mike shifted his arm and winced. It was throbbing now.