Chapter 27: Harem’s Battle

Note: Thanks to WRC 264 for beta reading this!

Kora Falk

I couldn’t flee. I had to stand my ground and fight. But ... the slime surging at me gave me hope. It could see. It glimpsed the ruby I clutched in my hand. It knew its creator’s soul quivered in my grip, and it wanted it.

So, I needed to give it what it wanted. “Rithi, bless my sexual juices and let them paint new beauty in the world.”

“No, Kora, run!” Ealaín shouted as my pussy clenched about my fingers probing into my depths.

My pussy juices would be my paint. I ripped my hand free, fingers spread wide. Ealaín had taught me so much about illusions. She showed me that I could fool even faeries. I could definitely trick this monstrosity.

At the same moment I wrapped myself up in an illusion of invisibility, blending myself in with the surrounding terrain, I sent a doppelganger of myself darting to the right, racing around the formless ooze towards the door, my hand squeezing tight about the amulet.

“Track it,” I muttered beneath my breath. “Rithi, please.”

I couldn’t quite describe how I knew the thing followed my illusion. It didn’t have a head or eyes. It didn’t turn its bulbous body to follow my illusions sprint. But somehow I could tell it shifted its awareness. I stopped the illusion to its left, I puppeteered it, painting its actions as my fingers wiggled.

My illusion shook the amulet.

“Come on, go for it,” I muttered, the magic of my spell flowing out of me. “Leave yourself open.”

The appendages drew back into its body for a moment then erupted from the other side. Ealaín was clear to attack it as the thick, goopy limbs surged at my illusion. I jolted my form into action to dodge away from the attack.

But not fast enough.

As Ealaín slammed her ax as hard as she could into the monster, its limb smacked my illusion. It broke apart into a scintillating web of rainbowed light, its appendage passing through it harmlessly. The amulet twinged in my left hand as my right wiggled my fingers, trying to maintain the spell.

It vanished, disrupted too much by its touch.

Ealaín’s ax embedded into the monster’s body. It was a good blow, the best she’d landed, and her ax hardly penetrated. At the same moment, it rippled, drawing in the limbs that struck my illusion. A great gurgle burst out of it, almost sounding like bubbles rising out of tar.

“TRICK!” it burbled. “TRICK! TRICK!”

“Las’s putrid cum!” snarled Ealaín. “I can’t hurt it at all!”

“AMULET!” the thing called in its disgusting voice. Its entire body writhed.

Beyond, fires exploded from Nathalie. The girl shrieked in panic as something writhing leapt burning out of her flames. I wanted to help her, too. I didn’t know what to do. It didn’t matter if I could distract the thing with illusions if Ealaín couldn’t harm it.

What do to? Nathalie and Greta were in trouble. Sven darted out of the temple leading Prince Meinard. A horde of buzzing insects chased Zanyia. This was all a mess. I needed to think, to form a plan and—

“Master!” a new voice shouted.

Carsina charged past me, her red streaming behind her. She held Ava’s diamond hammer in her hand, raising it to attack. She rushed right at the formless ooze as it contorted and gurgled. Light glinted off her hammer, reflecting the fires burning around Nathalie.

The ooze’s body bulged, about to slam its appendages at the unarmored Carsina.

“No!” I shouted.

Zanyia

The buzzing insects surged down at me. My ears twitched. Master had a good plan. I couldn’t keep dodging the thing in the temple’s grand hall. I had to escape. I had to get outside and away from the buzzing swarm before it engulfed me.

“Morsel, don’t flee!” the swarm hummed, speaking as one.

My skin crawled.

I leaped, not making a sound, my leather straps absorbing everything. They were amazing, the perfect thing for a hunter to wear and utterly useless against the insects chasing after me. The straps didn’t even cover my flesh. Most of me was exposed. If that thing got to me...

I didn’t want to be stung to death by a horde of flies.

I burst out the ruined doors into the screaming outside. Citizens fled, some lying hacked and dying. Prince Meinard crashed into a wagon as I landed. I didn’t have time to worry about him. Master could handle him. I had to survive.

I couldn’t serve my Master, my husband, if I were dead.

With a mighty leap, I soared across the street. The air hissed past me. I almost felt like a hawk soaring through the sky. My arc carried me up over the top of a three story building, landing upon its peaked roof. I hit the slate tiles and landed with a soundless impact. I darted for the chimney, pressing my body behind it.

A moment later, I heard the buzz of the insects burst out of the temple. I held myself still. I didn’t have to worry about noise. I just had to stay still and think. What could I do to deal with an entire horde of insects. What was good about that.

The sound of the buzzing swarm grew diffused. Not quiet like it moved away, but more that the noise spread out in every direction as ... as it split apart. I let out a silent groan, the noise swallowed by my armor.

It didn’t have to stay together.

I wanted to peak out. To see what it was doing, but I couldn’t. I needed to stay here and think. What did insects hate? The rain. They didn’t fly when it was raining. How could I make it rain? I didn’t control the weather. I needed to channel water.

Greta’s armor? Could I—

A fly buzzed before my face. It hovered there for a moment and I heard a tiny, humming laugh coming from it.

I hissed and swatted it with the side of my katar. Its broken body slammed into the slate tiles at my feet.

Behind me, a mighty buzz grew volume. In anger.

“Las putrid cum!” I screamed and not a sound came from my mouth.

I leaped from my hiding spot as the swarm rose behind.

Princess Ava

I ran so fast, blurring down the street. The crowd of fleeing people suddenly thinned before me. Aingeal didn’t need to clear us a route any longer. Before the Temple of Krab, Sven and my father fought while Zanyia leaped down from the roof, a growing swarm of insects hurtling in her wake. The swarm became a dense cloud, almost solid.

It buzzed with hunger for her. The droning sound vibrating the air. The lamia raced on all fours down the street, moving on silent steps. Her tail swished behind her as the insects boiled after her, the dark cloud of death coming closer.