/monster/ - The Last Bastion of Romance

Carol led the Knight to a mansion with an ornate arching iron gate. In the middle of the connecting fence were blooming twists of iron, painted over in white and red like rose buds. Passing through the gate and down a small path lined with pink hydrangeas, the two came up to a large double door of dark mahogany. Carol used the lion mouth door knock and waited for a response. From behind the door came the clacking of footsteps before the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a butler in a black suit, an older man with grey hair, a beard, and a monocle. He looked at Carol with surprise.

‘Miss DeMer, where have you been?’ the butler asked.

‘My apologies to both you Manfred and Miss Raynara,’ Carol said with a curtsey. ‘Finding Stacylene took an unexpected amount of time and the trials involving such didn’t get resolved till two days ago.’

‘If you are coming back to ask about the hotel rooms, I’m afraid they have been cancelled due to your absence,’ Manfred replied.

‘That is not the reason for our visit. We have found friends of ours who have set up a place of rest. We will be staying with them so we are of no longer a burden to the young mistress.’

‘Then why are you here?’ Manfred then looked at the Knight, ‘And who is this gentleman?’

‘He is the man that has helped us rescue Stacylene, as well as an old friend we were separated from,’ Carol explained. ‘We have dire circumstances we must speak with the young mistress with. Providing her parents are not here to interrupt.’

‘While Master Godwin and Mistress Ophelia are not here, I pray having the young mistress meet you again after so long may cause a fainting spell.’

‘Please Manfred, we must speak with her. If naught else but to let her know we’re fine.’

Manfred sighed, ‘I really shouldn’t, but she has been rather down as well due to yours and the others’ disappearance. Not being able to tell her parents has taken a bit out of her.’ He then opened the both doors wider to allow Carol and the Knight inside. ‘Fine. I’ll take you to her.’

Carol smiled in glee as she walked inside. The Knight followed in, nodding to the butler as he passed by him. The foyer of the mansion was immaculately clean and evenly furnished. The black marble floor tiles reflective the sheen of sunlight from the large windows. The pristine white vases held lush growing exotic plants and paintings were strung about the walls neatly. The foyer also led to a large staircase that went up and back on itself into to two as it climbed to the next floor. The stylings of the mansion were much different than that of Chavichad’s. Whereas in Chavichad they preferred homely rustic furnishings compared to Capingale’s clean and clear-cut pristine decorating. The Knight followed Carol and the butler down a hall to the right and before a door that led to a room. The butler knocked on the door before a woman inside told him to come in.

‘My lady, you have guests,’ Manfred said.

‘Really? And you let them in?’ the woman asked.

‘Yes, my lady,’ Manfred replied. ‘One of which is Miss DeMer.’

An audible gasp came from the woman, ‘Let them in.’

The butler left the room and motioned for the Knight and Carol to go inside. The inside of the room was a sunbathed lounge with large windows. The walls painted in a relaxing light red with the walls lined with filled bookcases, paintings, and hung ornaments. A few couches, some made for normal people and some made for larger bodied monstergirls. One was very long and deeper set to allow a centaur to lay on it while the other was a much deeper set couch that could sit an Arachne. As Carol took her seat in the large boxy couch, the Knight took his seat on the couch next to it. Sitting before them on the opposite sofa was a woman with long flowing white hair and a frilly dress of teal with a large skirt. She was a catgirl, her eyes shining ruby and a face that was eerily familiar to the Knight. The woman placed a hand on her chest as her breaths became forced and deliberate. Her heart overexerting itself from excitement.

‘I feared the worst when you didn’t show up the next morning with Abbey and the young Stacylene,’ she said. ‘To see that you’re fine is a great relief to me. Abbey and Stacylene are safe as well?’

Carol nodded, ‘We found the young girl in the end. I apologise for the long absence, matters got fairly out of hand. This entire situation could not have been good for your heart.’

‘To be honest Miss DeMer, my mood was more affected than my heart. I feared I have failed the one thing asked of me. To keep you three safe. But to know you three are fine is a great relief.’ She then looked to the Knight. ‘But I must ask, who is this?’

‘Miss Raynara, this is the Captain of the Guardian Knights of Chavichad,’ Carol replied. ‘He and a group of friends and adventurers saved us from the forest.’

‘Does he not have a name?’

Carol nervously chuckled, ‘I recall his last name but not his first. He was known as Sir Ozwald.’ She then looked at the Knight, ‘Deeply sorry. Whenever you were talked about or came up in writing, you were almost always called Sir Ozwald as you preferred to go by your last name. If you wish we can just refer to you by your last name.’

The Knight shook his head. Funnily enough, over his travels, he’s grown used to just being referred to as Sir Knight. Using his name again can be saved when he’s back home.

‘As you wish Captain,’ Carol replied. ‘Odd decision, but if you so desire.’

The catgirl then giggled, ‘Such a strange knight. I am Anatolia Elizabeth Raynara, and I thank you for your selfless endeavour.’ She said with a small nod of her head. ‘While fortunate it is a friend of Miss DeMer who’s helped her, I would not think it would be the Captain of the monarchy’s very protectors. My condolences to recent events regarding your kingdom, for it to be broken from the inside by a rogue military is a shame.’

The Knight then gave Carol an odd look. That was not how Chavichad fell at all and he would be sure to stop a measly military upstart.

Carol cleared her throat, ‘Miss Raynara, with all due respect, as Abbey and I explained before, that is not how Chavichad fell.’

‘Then how else could it have fallen?’ Raynara asked. ‘Mother and father told me it was due to a mad general and that is the same everyone else around here says. You call my mother and father liars?’

‘N-No! Not at all Miss Raynara, only that the news is misinformed. Both the Captain and I were there for the fall. It wasn’t some upstart military takeover, it was something else entirely.’

‘What? You only say that it is not as I hear but never elaborate on what the cause is. You say it is a nightmare with black soldiers, but that just means to me it was a military coup.’

‘I apologise Miss Raynara, but it is hard to explain, but it does lead to what I am here for today.’

Raynara’s cat ears twitched, ‘What would that be Miss DeMer?’

Carol took a deep breath. ‘We need an audience with the king of Capingale.’

Raynara’s eyes widened, ‘You seek an audience with King Francois? But why?’

‘I tried to explain what’s happened so nebulously, but that’s out of consideration of your own heart.’ Carol took another long and deep breath, preparing herself. ‘Chavichad fell because our Queen called down powers of something otherworldly. In black rain came creatures that looked like black knights that struck down anyone who fought back and captured the scared. It took Chavichad in a day and has since taken town after town. This isn’t some military coup, this is something more horrific.’

Raynara looked at Carol with a cocked head, ‘You jest. What you say sounds like nothing but a bad fairy tale.’

Carol’s eyes became sterner, ‘I’m sorry Miss Raynara, but what I’ve seen that day was a reality. Both myself, Abbey, and the others can attest to it.’

‘Yet not the Captain here?’

‘He was gravely injured at the start of the fall. I’m afraid he was unconscious during it.’

Raynara gave a small frown, ‘Miss DeMer, with all due respect I find it hard to believe this.’

‘You’re doubting me? I was there, I saw everything, I-’

‘You could be delusional. You’ve been gone for so long, you must still be tired of whatever you got involved with. I’m sure it is nowhere as near as bad as you say. Taking town after town, granted I was told they have taken a few outlying villages but you make it sound like it is a consuming force.’

‘That’s because it is Miss Raynara, it won’t stop until it is pushed back.’

‘Miss DeMer, while I am glad you’re fine I’m afraid you still require some rest. You’re asking me to believe quite a bit.’

‘Miss Raynara, I must stress again, I was there from start to end. I ran from it all by the rooftops. The black rain pattered against the brown chitin of my spidery body. The sounds of chaos in the streets. It’s not something I can just imagine up, it was terror. How can you doubt the accounts of a person who was there over what was told to you by those who haven’t witnessed it?’

‘So, you are calling my parents liars!’

‘Miss Raynara, please! I mean none of the sort!’

‘That what else are you insinuating? I see no reason to believe a word you’re saying over my parents!’

‘Miss Raynara be reasonable! The land is in crisis but yet you say the nobles know nothing of actual events outside of inaccurate rumour! Now is the time more than any to tell them the truth before the Ebonmarch comes and floods Capingale!’

‘Liar! Nothing can take over Capingale’s walls! Why should I believe a word you say!?’

‘Enough!’ another voice yelled. Both Carol and Raynara looked to the Knight who too was looking at the sword at his hip. The Knight knew full well what was going to happen, so he unbuckled the scabbard from his hip and held it out. In swirls of gold dust Excalibur took form again, proudly holding her sword while giving Raynara a scornful glare. ‘To deny reality now is to put the very fate of the realm in jeopardy. To call a very witness to Chavichad’s fall a liar is beyond arrogant and foolhardy.’

Raynara put both her hands to her chest as she stared at the glowing woman. Her breaths became shallow and frequent as her head became light and fuzzy. She fell back into her couch, eyes closed. Excalibur put a hand on her hip and sighed before she walked over to the fainted noble. She placed her hand on Raynara’s cheek while looking directly at her eyes. Raynara soon awoke to her eyes meeting the ice blue of Excalibur’s. She jumped in her seat as Excalibur pulled back her hand.

‘An apology first for causing you to faint,’ Excalibur said, ‘I know seeing me is a great shock.’

‘W-Who are you?’ Raynara stuttered. ‘Manfred only let in two.’

‘Technically three. I am the sword that resides on Sir Knight’s hip. You did just see me appear.’ Excalibur then cleared her throat. ‘At any rate, it is an honour to meet you Anatolia of house Raynara. I am Excalibur, the Sword of Kingdoms. All that Miss Carol has told you is true, as both I and Sir Knight were in the very chamber of rule when the black scourge began its reign. A queen who kills a king as sacrifice to call forth an ungodly being from a place dark and maddening. We tell you nothing but truth, this is nothing man-made. This is magic from another realm that seeks to claim all before it, and it is coming to this kingdom as another step in its infernal march.’ Excalibur gave a deep exhale through her nose as she shook her head. ‘If you do not heed my words, one who has witnessed the very cause of this plague, then whose words will you heed?’

The Knight laid a hand on Excalibur’s shoulder, wanting her to step aside for a moment. The Knight then stood before Raynara, looking down at the confused girl. Her face bore obvious distress, not knowing how to handle what she’s learned. The Knight felt a bit of pity. She was, in the end, a girl in a sheltered and pampered life. Having the assuring words of mother and father broken by strangers most peculiar with tidings of ruin crushed any sense of security. The weight that now rested on Raynara’s shoulders were that of fear, urgency, and panic. Unable to refute what’s ahead of her, tears began to well in her eyes. That was when the Knight paid attention to the details of her face. The somewhat long eyes, small sleek nose, and the overall shape of her face. Too familiar and his hand acted. He rested his hand on the top of Raynara’s head and rubbed her hair.

Carol gasped, ‘Captain, are you sure that’s appropriate?’

The Knight nodded. It was just a girl that doesn’t know how to handle what she’s learned. Raynara then grabbed forward, hugging the Knight’s waist as he gently held her head. She sniffled and choked while she hid her face.

Carol uncomfortably fidgeted in her seat, ‘Miss Raynara, I…’

The Knight held up a hand. The girl needed to let herself collect her thoughts and emotions. A few minutes passed as she still choked on tears and holding onto the Knight. It wasn’t until a bit later that she was able to pull herself up, her eyes now puffy and inflamed with cheeks stained with tears. As she hiccupped and wiped her eyes on her white-furred hands, the Knight and Excalibur took seats on both sides of her on the couch.

Carol looked at the young mistress with care, ‘Miss Raynara?’

‘How?’ Raynara asked with a wavering voice.

‘Excuse me?’

‘How do you put up with that? This doesn’t feel nice. To know that’s out there and there is nothing you can do.’

‘That is where you are wrong, Lady Raynara,’ Excalibur said. ‘There is something we can do. The Ebonmarch has always taken towns and cities by surprise, appearing moments before attacking. But we have had luck. We know that it will attack Capingale soon, but because of that, we can prepare. We can drive it back.’ Excalibur gave a soft smile. ‘This isn’t an unwinnable fight, but we need all the help we can get.’

‘So, you wish to speak with King Francois about it? For help?’ Raynara asked.

‘Exactly.’ Carol said with a nod. ‘Right now, we only have a small band of adventurers and knights. To fight back something like the Ebonmarch we need an army. If we can get King Francois to ready his forces before the Ebonmarch arrives, we can fend it off Capingale. Then from that, we can see about pressing forward. Take the fight to them!’

‘But I am just one of the daughters of the house, I can’t do something like getting you an audience with the king,’ Raynara explained. ‘I don’t even know explaining all this is a good idea to mother and father, never mind explaining why I help Miss DeMer in the first place.’

‘Who said a direct confrontation was needed?’ Excalibur said. ‘Is there anything where the king may be present?’

Raynara took a moment to think. Her eyes then lit up, ‘Maybe. Mother and father spoke of an event that many of us are going to in a week. The royal family is meant to be there as well.’

‘That’s all we need,’ Carol said. ‘Is there any way we can get a few of us inside to make our case?’

‘Other than being a noble, we are allowed to invite friends. But as I said if you’re not a noble you’ll be turned away. You also need to be with family or with a date as a prerequisite.’

Carol then looked to the Knight, ‘If you and the Captain go, would that do?’

‘W-What?! N-No! My parents would not allow for me to go with someone they don’t know.’ Raynara explained.

‘Then we need another noble to go,’ Carol said with a sigh. ‘I don’t suppose you know anyone, Captain?’

The Knight tapped a finger against his metal head and thought. No one he’s with currently he could take. While Carol was close to the Queen, her status, while wealthier than most, wasn’t nobility. He thought hard about who he knew could fit the part. Then it donned on him. He did know a certain woman who is of nobility. While she may not exactly be breathing, she’s of an affluent family with a castle. The Knight then nodded at Carol when he remembered the undead noble of Traigan. Carol’s eyes widened when he gave the assured nod.

‘You actually do, Captain? Was it someone you met on your travels?’

The Knight nodded.

‘Well, that’s lucky. Can you get to them in time for the event?’

The Knight fervently nodded again.

‘Just to let you know, it is a ball,’ Raynara said. ‘so, you do know how to dance?’

The Knight pointed at himself with his thumb. Dancing from ballroom to tavern floor is something he’s very well versed in doing, and he took pride in that.

‘Then we have a plan,’ Excalibur said with a smile. ‘Lady Raynara, please do what you must to allow Sir Knight and his friend to attend the ball. Sir Knight, we set off to your friend at once.’

Raynara nodded with a smile, ‘Of course. I’m inviting a few other friends as well, so adding on “Captain Ozwald and party” should not be a problem.’ Her smile then lessened a bit. ‘But are you all sure that this is the best way to protect Capingale? Do you even know when the attack might happen?’

‘In about a month’s time,’ Carol replied. ‘We have time to get everything ready. I’m sure the Captain and Excalibur will do all in their power to prevent Capingale from falling.’

Excalibur chuffed, ‘By my power and his will, Capingale will be our stand against the Spire Queen. From this, we stage our advance back to Chavichad and banish the dark.’ She then looked at Raynara with a serious stare, ‘By our honour, Capingale will not fall.’

Raynara looked at Excalibur with star-struck eyes. Excalibur spoke with powered confidence that befitted her bright appearance, easily raising the spirits of any who see and hear her. While the cloud of uncertainty and fear still hung above her, a glimmer of hope made it bearable to cope. With a plan set, Carol was to come back the following day to help organise for the ball. Excalibur returned to her blade and the Knight and Carol took their leave for the day. With Manfred leading them out of the mansion, Raynara pulled a piece of paper out from her bra. One it read a short message and signed at the bottom in very fine handwriting.

“Dear Sister,

Hello. It has been some time, hasn’t it? Sorry to disappear, but I could not go through with mother and father’s wishes for me to wed. They would not listen to me, as you know, so I took it upon myself to seek freedom. But as of right now, a lot of things have happened. You might hear rumours now of Chavichad and a lot of refugees coming through. A few people dear to me will be among them, but first of them will be a human girl, an Arachne, and a Centaur. Stacylene, Carol, and Abbey respectively. Please do this one thing for me, and see that they are well taken care of. Don’t get mother or father involved, just see that they are kept in one of the nice hotels in the better parts of Capingale or something until my friends come for them. I’ll be coming home soon to take part in something important, but my friends must be okay. Thank you, and we’ll meet again soon.

Sincerely your sister,

Dardanelle Victoria Raynara”

Anatolia held the letter close to her chest as she looked out the window.

‘Dearest sister, what have you gotten involved with?’

Yay, it's back! You don't know how much I missed you.

‘Bravado has nothing to do with it, Spymaster,’ the Queen replied. ‘I thought I made that assertion clear the last time we met?’

‘The last time we met, you didn’t become an abomination.’

‘Ha! Me, an abomination? Then what do you call the girl you forcibly changed into a Demwym? That act is far more abominable then what I’ve become.’

‘We did that because of how unstable and unclear you've become. We can’t have a leader that would uproot everything we’ve worked for. Besides, why do you care if we turn one girl into a Demwym?’

The Queen’s nails scratched and cracked the crystal armrests of her throne, ‘Do not put that act on me, vermin. She ill-deserved to be a piece in the machinations of the Society. Even when I was a child I had no right to be involved.’

The Spymaster crossed his arms, ‘Is that all? Is this all just some sort of tantrum because you lamented being the crux of the Society? You played your position well, extremely well, and your father himself had Liliara under his thumb. Not only have you undone everything your father has worked for, but everything we’ve worked for! If not for loyalty to the Society, what of your family?’

The Queen shot up, her eyes beaming venom at the man, ‘That man was no father! As I said before, this world is rotten to the core with corruption for the lust of power. That is of no small thanks to the Society, no, people betray of their own machinations. It’s a never-ending cycle of death and sadness that has repeated ad nauseam for centuries. If this is a world where family means nothing and children are used as pawns for some sort of collective good for power-hungry vermin, then I shall remake this world into one that only knows peace and quiet!’

‘Utter madness!’ the Spymaster yelled. ‘You’ve toppled the army of Liliara, killing thousands! You call that peace?!’

‘I only put down those who defy peace! Citizens and the like are never harmed and are free to sleep dreams of quiet bliss! Try as you might to reason it, but I am no monster in this!’

‘You say that yet you are the one who took the power of The First Teacher for yourself to become a tyrant.’

‘I took it for myself? Me, a tyrant? How presumptuous of you. I am no tyrant or queen, anything called of me are titles that are merely thrust upon. All that I am is The First Teacher’s chosen, and he has lost the need of the Society.’

The Spymaster snapped his fingers, and the others let their hooded robes drop to the floor. They showed themselves as assassin mages. Cloaked in black gambesons and leathers with large daggers and durable combat wands holstered to their hips. The Queen gave a single chuckle when she eyed over the large number of assassins.

‘So, they had you come directly to deal with me? Let me guess, it was the elders of the other families? Are they upset we took away their little oasis in Liliara?’

The Spymaster grimaced, ‘The ones that escaped, yes. You claim to bring peace yet you had them killed as well.’

‘I will remove those who deny peace. Those deeply involved with the Society will not be welcome in that peace, I promise that simple fact.’

The Spymaster shook his head and sighed, ‘We truly have taught you too well Samantha. To hold this deep-seated insanity for so long and so meticulously planned under a pretence of benefiting the Society, you could have been our best leader yet. All that promise squandered. But we will rebuild after this mess, and see that such a thing can never happen again. Perhaps make the forming of the Eye of The First Teacher forbidden. Or even better, take our lessons and cut ourselves away from his influence and burn any record of his involvement.’

‘Such grand arrogance,’ the Queen said as she opened her arms with a regal and commanding flair, letting her dress and hair wave in a strong gust of wind. ‘Defying the wishes of your teacher, our teacher. Then again, I expected no less. You and the others are idols in that little parade of gluttony, it only makes sense you act with such qualities accordingly.’

‘You forget that you yourself were the head of that parade.’

‘And who else more fitting to destroy it?’

The Spymaster snapped his fingers again, and the assassins made their move. In shattering mirages four appeared above the Queen, falling towards her with daggers poised. The Queen’s eyes glowed brightly with power as she swiped one of her arms upward. In an instant, tendrils appeared around her and spiralled upwards around her. The intercepted the assassins, swatting them away. With their wands, the assassins then cast fireballs as they were flung away. Torrents of fire then engulphed the writing tower of tentacles. The fire burned for a few moments before abruptly dissipating as the tentacles disappeared, revealing the Queen standing with crossed arms. She began to walk down from her throne as jagged crystals moved to make steps downward. The four tossed assassins landed and ran towards the Queen, blinking in and out of sight in broken mirages. As they were ready to strike again, tentacles sprouted from the floor and speared towards the assassins. The four evaded, but one was speared through the chest and his body violently thrown towards the Spymaster. Contrary to his old look, the Spymaster dodged the flung body by bending back and aside in an instant. He held out his hand and ordered all assassins to kill.

An assassin still flying at the Queen tried to stab her, but the dagger was met by an ethereal metal clang. The Queen held a wicked conjured sword that blocked the dagger, appearing in her hand in a blink of an eye. She then batted the assassin away before another assassin tried to strike as well. With a quick swish of the ghastly sword, the would-be attacker fell dead with a spray of blood. The last assassin that tried to jump at her was then slammed by the tentacle he avoided, crushed against the floor. The high heels of the Queen clacked against the moving crystals as she eventually reached the floor of the room. With a quick throw, she sent the conjured sword flying towards the assassin she batted away, quickly impaling him. The sword vanished once it cleanly embedded itself and reappeared in the Queen’s hand. She then pointed the sword at the Spymaster.

‘You were foolish to think this would be enough to best me.’

The Spymaster grimaced. ‘I had a feeling it wouldn’t, but I still have a trump card.’ The man then pulled an object from his robe. It was a small idol, made of stone cubes. ‘If the skill of man is not enough, then let the brute force of magic itself do so.’ He then stabbed the stone idol with a ceremonial dagger and threw it forward.

When the idol hit the floor, a splash of black liquid came from it. The puddle of black grew and grew as the idol sank into it. Then with tremors, a massive body began to pull itself from the black. With a body made of innumerable black cubes with the occasional dark pit of yellow light, a massive headless Golem that dripped black liquid stood hunched before the Queen. It was a construct tainted with the magics of the nether, and bound to the Spymaster’s will.

‘This should prove more than enough,’ the Spymaster said with a smirk. ‘Goodbye, Samantha.’ The Spymaster raised his arm, and so did the Golem. Then as he lowered his arm, the Golem slammed its massive fist forward.

In a massive quake, dust and stone of the floor flew everywhere. The assassins and the Spymaster looked on to see the outcome. But as the massive plume of dust began to thin, terror hit everyone’s hearts. A ghastly apparition of a giant arm clad in hellish armour holding a jagged sword appeared beside the Queen. Her eyes shined bright red as her hair and dress waved eerily as it floated without cause. The Queen then held a hand out at the giant. The Golem began to fidget and seizure as the yellow lights that dotted its body bled to red. With a wave of her other hand, the giant ghostly arm pushed off the Golem’s arm before cutting it off in a heavy and loud cleave. The sound of metal slicing stone clamoured through the air before the mighty thud and crumble of the Golem’s arm hitting the floor. The Golem recoiled as its body still spasmed before all the lights on its body became red.

The ghastly arm by the Queen disappeared as she looked straight at the Golem. With a cold stare, she simply said, ‘Kill them all, then destroy yourself.’

With a low and thunderous groan, the Golem began to rampage. While swinging and swiping its only arm at the other assassins, the Queen walked forward, passing by the Golem as its massive feet shuffled about. The Queen approached the Spymaster, who now looked at her with not malice but fear. The instinct that ran through his mind was no longer to fight but to run. Scampering, he ran back to the opened door of the chamber to the hall outside. As he ran down the hall and turned the corner, he found himself face to face with the Queen. Then from behind, a tentacle wrapped around his neck and lifted him off the ground. He grabbed at the tentacle pulling at it to resist in any way he could. The Queen then walked closer as a large explosion came from the throne room. Her red eyes coldly stared at the old man’s.

‘You traitorous whore,’ the Spymaster choked, ‘centuries of work and sacrifice, ruined!’

‘Work of the corruptive and the sacrifice of innocents,’ the Queen replied. ‘A legacy I am more than happy to see wiped away.’

‘And you see this a better alternative?!’ the Spymaster cried. ‘To have all comatose and kept in a fake reality like animals in a pen? All the while letting The First Teacher help itself to our realm?’

‘A fake reality where all is pleasant is better than this one,’ the Queen replied. ‘Peace will reign forever more and I will be the herald.’

The Spymaster coughed, ‘You see yourself a sort of saviour? Hilarious.’

‘In the future, history will determine my role. But that future is one you will never see.’

‘Curse you to the deepest circles of hell, Samantha Blumenkranz. May your soul forever burn.’

‘My soul is already claimed to the dark of the nether realm, and so will yours. Hell would be too good for you. Goodbye Charles.’

More tentacles appeared from the floor and encased the Spymaster in a sarcophagus of writhing limbs. The Queen held up a hand before clenching a fist. In a sickening crunch, the tentacular coffin squeezed itself. The movements calmed as streaks of blood escaped between tentacles. Then in a flash of purple flames, the tentacles burned away completely, not even leaving a body behind. The Queen sighed as she readjusted her glasses and walked back towards the throne room. As she stepped back inside, the room was just as it were before the unwanted guests arrived. While a small film of dust laid the ground, the Golem was gone and so were the assassins and the bodies. The Queen walked back to her throne, walking up the appearing steps of crystal before sitting on her throne again. Silence finally sat in the room once again as the Queen sat with her eyes gently closed. The words of Yog Soros flooded her mind again as it told her all that’s transpiring in its land of influence. But the name of Tarkhathoth kept appearing over and over in cautious tones. The clouds were on their way towards the threat. But despite this, a thought passed her mind again. A common thought that has haunted her since Yog Soros’ arrival. If the Spymaster was so brazen to stand before her, then so might others in time. But the thought also homed in on one outlying factor. The Sword of Kingdoms, and the knight who held it.

This is really one of the best stories made on this board, keep it up man

All mighty writefag, I summon thy! Bless us with your magnificent scripture!

The Knight looked at the sword and nodded. He knew exactly what sorts of magic were at play here because he helped them before. At the back of the tavern was a small area left for performers to play, and standing there was a dark and brooding looking man with long straight black hair in a long coat. Beside him was a smaller girl with even longer black hair and an arm covered in sharp black metal and red membrane. She wore a short skirt and a red jacket torn apart by the right sleeve to make room for the girl’s monstrous arm. The dark clawed hand of the girl held a jagged and demonic black shovel as she held the handle in front of her face. A small blue sigil spun in the gap of the handle as well on the body of the violin. The volume of their voices and the violin seemed much louder than they would be normally. The man played the violin as he and the girl sang their manic song. Everyone’s attention was firmly grasped by the violent and passionate performance of the man and girl. The Knight knew these two edgy figures well as the gravedigger Troy and his cursed weapon Holly.

The two soon finished their loud performance with Holly ending the last lyric with a banshee-like scream that still matched the tone of the song. With a final violin solo, the song was finished and the two bowed. All in the tavern applauded and yelled in cheer of the duet, to which caught the four by surprise. The patrons of the tavern went back to mingling and talking to each other with drinks in hand as Troy and Holly took a seat at a private table to relax after the stressful act. The Knight took the lead and walked through the tavern, weaving between people and tables as the others followed. But as they did, eyes fell on Mona from many around. Then a loud voice came from the bar.

‘Hey! Aren’t you that rabbit from a month or so back?!’

Mona’s ears twitched as she turned her head at the person who asked. She gave a shy smile and nodded her head. ‘Y-Yeah. Hello.’

‘Hey everyone! One of our heroes has returned!’

The people of the tavern then looked at the madly blushing Mona before a loud round of cheers erupted. Abbey gave a laugh before nudging Mona’s arm.

‘Safe to assume this is the place with the zombies you talked about?’

Mona gave a shy chuckle as she nodded her head, ‘Was quite a while ago. Just helped fend off zombies attacking the church with Delilah. Hell of a fight though.’

The barkeep raised a flagon she was cleaning, ‘To the return of a hero! Hey! A free drink for everyone!’

A loud and clamorous cheer rumbled through the tavern. People got up from their seats to greet Mona, cutting her and Abbey off from the Knight as he continued to the private table. Holly looked on to all the excitement with curiosity as Troy sack back with closed eyes. As the Knight approached the table, Holly’s eyes fell on the Knight.

‘Can master help you with something?’ she asked.

The Knight waved his hand hello before placing a hand on his chest. Holly gave the Knight an odd luck before she stared right into his eye slits. After a moment, her crimson eyes went wide and a bright smile spread across her face. She grew giddy in her seat as she shook Troy’s arm.

‘Master master! Look!’

Troy lazily opened his eyes as he looked at the Knight. ‘Can I help you?’ he asked in his blunt gravelly voice.

‘Master it’s him! Don’t you remember?’ Holly said excitedly.

Troy raised a brow, ‘You gonna say hello?’

The Knight pointed to his throat before shaking his head. Troy’s brows then raised in surprise as he sat forward in his chair, ‘Holy shit. It’s that knight, isn’t it?’

The Knight nodded as he extended a hand.

Troy smiled as he met his hand in kind, ‘Can’t believe you're back. Been a while.’ He gave a sly laugh, ‘As you can see, the town has got a few more residents.’

‘Werewolves, more zombies, ghosts, Will-o-the-Wisps, and even more back up in the castle,’ Holly added. ‘With princess taking charge of the castle, Traigan has become a small haven for the undead and other Demwym of the night. You won’t believe how quick the village changed its tune when they proved to be of aid to the repair of the town.’

‘The zombies felt responsible for the mess of the town and graveyard,’ Troy said with a grin. ‘A bit slow the lot of them, but they have good hearts, even if it’s still. Oh, how do you like Holly’s new clothes? Better than running around naked, right? Plus, the torn jacket looks brutal despite being cute.’

Holly blushed and held her free hand to her cheek, ‘Master called me cute! Hehehe!’

‘Although getting her to call me by my name fell short,’ Troy said with a sigh. ‘Oh well, you get used to it. Anyway, you doing well? I heard a few rumours about what’s going on elsewhere in the region. Doesn’t sound too good.’

The Knight looked to the ground and rubbed the back of his metal head. He had words to describe but alas couldn’t say them. Instead, at long last, his friends managed to get to his side. Both Mona and Abbey held flagons of ale, with Luli carrying a small shot glass of ale. Troy and Holly gave the new arrivals a wave hello as the others of the tavern kept their eyes on their hero.

‘Are you all knighty’s friends?’ Holly asked.

Luli landed on the table and put down the shot glass, ‘Yup! We’re here to find a noble friend of Sir Knight!’

‘Oh shit is that a fairy?’ Troy asked as he pointed at Luli. ‘Can it even drink booze?’

Luli puffed up her chest with a pout before she picked up the shot glass and downed the ale inside. They all looked at the fairy in shock as she drank all the ale with no break for breath. After a victorious belch and a wipe of her mouth, she stood proudly with a wide stance and hands on her hips. She then pointed at Troy with a smug look on her face. ‘I can drink like any of you!’

Abbey shook her head as she took a swig from her flagon, ‘She’s gonna regret that right quick. Lass, have you even had ale before?’

Luli hiccupped, ‘No. Why?’

Abbey sighed, ‘Gods’ sake lass. You better not start coughing up your insides.’

Troy chuckled, ‘First time seeing a fairy and it chugs ale right in front of me. Not gonna lie, this has been a pretty good night.’

‘Very much so master!’ Holly added with a merry chirp. ‘I even got the notes down like you taught!’

Troy then patted Holly’s head, ‘That you did. Very well too.’

Holly gave muffled laughs and cheery moans as she received praise from Troy, blushing with closed eyes.

Troy then looked to Mona, ‘So you were the rabbit that saved those people. Good to meet you at last. I’m Troy and this is Holly.’

‘Nice to meet you,’ Mona said with a nod, ‘I’m Mona. The fairy is Luli and the Centaur is Abbey, we’re all friends of Sir Knight.’

‘So, what brings you to our small village of the damned?’ Troy asked. ‘The fairy said something about a “noble friend”?’

Mona nodded, ‘Sir Knight knew someone here who was nobility. We need to seek an audience with them as soon as we can.’

‘Although that can wait till tomorrow, I am tired,’ Abbey added.

‘So knighty wants to meet the princess? I’m sure she would love to see him again,’ Holly said.

‘Yeah, she would be stoked,’ Troy said. ‘A lot of the girls here need to go back to the castle soon, so Holly and I can join you on the walk back.’

Abbey’s face sank with a hollow defeated smile, ‘Please tell me it’s not long a walk.’

‘It’s about thirty or so minutes up the proper path,’ Troy replied.

Abbey gave a beaten chuckle, ‘Dammit. I don’t want to pull that bloody cart uphill.’

‘We can get a few of the Werewolves to push it for you,’ Holly said with a smile. ‘They’re super strong at night so it shouldn’t be a problem.’

Abbey shrugged, ‘It’s something I suppose. Thanks for that.’

Holly smiled and gave a thumbs up at Abbey. Mona nudged the Knight and handed him an extra flagon.

‘One for you as well. Hey Abbey, let’s finish these things quickly and get moving.’

Abbey and the Knight nodded. Clinking their metal flagons in cheers, the three quickly drank down their ale. The Knight slightly lifted up his visor to allow himself to drink without exposing his face and quickly gulped down the flagon in one go. To his surprise, Mona and Abbey did the exact same and the three of them slammed their flagons on the table in playful triumph. The onlookers of their impressive chugging cheered in high spirits as they in kind did their best to emulate. Troy gave a laugh as he laid back into his seat.

‘Think you guys might have spurred them on. Might have to wait a bit longer before the place is forced to close.’

Abbey sighed, ‘I’ll just let my legs rest over here. Mona, can you help and grab a few chairs? I need to take the weight off my legs.’

Mona nodded as she and Abbey walked by towards an empty space behind Troy’s table. The Knight pulled up a chair and sat back, ready to wait out until closing time. While he preferred to go ahead and go, he can’t convince the tavern patrons to not celebrate with Mona’s return. Instead, he’ll watch how the ghoulish girls act with the townsfolk. But as he did so, Holly’s eyes fixated on the pristine and decorated scabbard on his hip.

Women in skimpy maid outfits, while otherwise would be pleasing to the eye to the Knight, opened the doors to great the zombies and other Werewolves. But these weren’t normal maids, from the back of their hips sprouted small leathery wings and trailing behind them were spade-tipped tails. Horns sprouted from the sides of their head and their ears were elongated like an elf’s. The Knight’s blood ran cold when he laid eyes on the Succubi. He froze in place as his gaze locked on the maids, all the while Mona looked at him with a confused look.

‘Sir Knight? You okay?’ she asked.

Holly laughed as she walked by the Knight and pointed at the Succubi at the door, ‘Take a look at that and see. Guess knighty can’t handle maids dressed like that.’

Abbey, Mona, and Luli looked to what Holly was pointed at, and all gasped. The Succubi who were at the door waved at Holly before the last person went inside and they closed the door. The three girls looked to each other in worry before looking at the Knight, who was still frozen in place. Troy sighed as he walked up beside the Knight and slapped him on the back.

‘C’mon, they’re not that bad,’ he said. ‘As one guy to another, do not get stuck in a room with one alone. They get real weird.’

Mona looked at Troy, ‘So that was what we think it is? A Succubus? Or, well, Succubi’

‘Told you we had even more up here,’ Holly cheerily said. ‘At first, the castle was a haven for the undead, but slowly our little princess began to make friends from other places. Now we have a few varieties of demons walking the halls. So odd.’

‘This farce ends now,’ Excalibur said with a fed up voice. The Knight flinched as Excalibur formed herself and unbuckled her scabbard from the Knight’s hip. She then stared at Holly with unamused eyes. ‘How has such a place become so drenched in the magics of hell?’

Troy looked at Excalibur in awe, ‘Woah, you got one as well?’

Holly's eyes became crazed as a wicked smile spread on her face, ‘So you were the one I could smell! I knew there was something more to that sword! I could practically taste the holy stench on you!’

‘As I can taste the infernal stench on you,’ Excalibur snapped back. ‘Who are you, cursed one?’

Holly cackled as she walked before Excalibur, ‘I am the Blade of Witch Bane, the weapon of Grave Lord Siegman that stirs terror into the hearts of all magi, Black Mute.’ She then held her shovel directly at Excalibur. ‘And you, blessed one?’

‘I am the blade that rulers just and true brandish to lead the people with nobility and order,’ Excalibur said as she walked towards Holly, slowly drawing her blade. She then pointed her blade directly at her. ‘I am the Sword of Kingdoms, the blessed sword Excalibur. I would recommend lowering your weapon.’

Holly’s smile grew wild with her eyes locking with the defiance in Excalibur’s. As she stared down Excalibur, Troy grabbed her by the shoulder and gave her a hard shake.

‘Hey, what do you think you’re doing?’

Holly merely gave a cutesy giggle, ‘Sorry master, it’s just a little hard to contain myself right now. Heaven and hell have always been rivals, and for me to now come face to face with a blessed weapon of such prestigious acclaim, well, I’m a little excited to have a taste of her! What do you say, oh so powerful and legendary Excalibur? Care to give me this pleasure? Care to dance with a sin-drenched soul like mine?’ Her eyes shot crazed daggers at Excalibur. ‘Please do, my heart is throbbing at the thought!’

Troy looked at her and simply said one word. ‘Brutal.’

Excalibur began to take slow proud steps forward, ‘Rivalry that spans between the realms? How simply put for a blood-crazed animal like yourself. But if you dare to call me for a duel, I will oblige, gladly. I will not concede to an infernal being.’

The three girls and the Knight looked at Excalibur before the Knight placed both hands on her shoulders and looked at her. He gave a firm shake of his head, sternly forbidding Excalibur from doing a foolish duel. He was also wary that if they did fight, how would their innate powers act in clashing? But in response, Excalibur gave an annoyed groan as she stayed her blade and sheathed it.

‘But, while I would be more than willing to put something as yourself in your place, I must obey the wishes of my master. We cannot fight.’

Troy then walked in front of Holly and pushed her shovel down and held her by the cheeks of her face. ‘I forbid you as well. Why fight someone who is a friend of our friend? Granted the fight would look cool as hell, but we’re in Rosaline’s place. You don’t want to trash this place after it got cleaned, do you?’

Holly blushed as her eyes evaded Troy’s, ‘N-No…’

‘Then simmer down and try to get along. Heavenly or not, she’s still a friend of the knight. I know that’s the weapon of hell part of you talking, but I need Holly here, okay?’

Holly nodded, ‘Yes master. I’m sorry…’

Troy then rubbed her cheek and patted her head, ‘Good girl.’ He then turned around and looked at Excalibur. ‘So, you’re that fairy tale? The knight found you in that cursed forest?’

‘Correct. A pleasure to meet you Sir Troy,’ Excalibur replied.

Troy scratched the back of his head, ‘Uh, likewise. You don’t need to call me sir, I’m just a gravedigger.’

Excalibur nodded, ‘As you wish.’ She then shivered, ‘But I can’t help but feel somewhat uneased by this place. If this is a taste of the company at this castle, then who is this castle’s owner?’

‘That’ll be Rosaline DeMont. Friend of ours and has been helping these monstergirls have a home in the castle and get used to life in the village.’

‘So, this is the noble friend Sir Knight is seeking.’

Holly shrugged, ‘As noble as an undead with a massive castle can be.’

Excalibur gave Holly an odd look, ‘Excuse me? Undead?’

Troy waved a hand. ‘You’ll figure it out when you see her. Here, this way.’ He then turned around, and once taking Holly by the arm he walked towards the main doors to the castle.

The three girls looked to each other worryingly before the Knight walked forward to follow, tapping Excalibur on the shoulder as he did so. As the Knight and Excalibur walked on, the three friends quickly followed closely behind into the dark castle.

Castle Traigan has seen much-needed love and care since the Knight’s last visit. The dusty halls were properly cleaned with even the ancient rugs looking as if recently washed. The candles that light the halls stood on polished candle stands and provided light to the inside of the castle. However, even with candles, the castle’s interior was still dark. But it wasn’t the disgusting and malignant darkness like before with stagnant air, the atmosphere felt normal. The air had a tinge of flowery perfume, like the inside of a maiden’s changing room. As the group walked through the halls, Luli grew restless as she eventually flew from Mona’s shoulder to her normal perch on the Knight’s.

‘If there are others living here, where are they?’

Holly snickered, ‘Castle is pretty big, plus they are probably staying clear of the halo-wearing freak.’

Excalibur’s eye twanged in annoyance, ‘Cute insult from the one whose will is horribly swayed by instinct.’

Holly laughed. ‘Oh, that is scathing. So, you’re saying you're not? You were more than happy to give into instinct as a heavenly being to come at me.’

‘I have personal reasons as to why I am more than willing to clash blades with you,’ Excalibur said. ‘I don’t need my instincts as a blessed weapon to compel me to do so.’

‘I appreciate how you are trying to look like the bigger girl in this. Face it, you are just as thirsty as I am for that fight.’

‘How dare you even insinuate I’m on the same level of as you are.

‘Oooo, big talk from a shiny butter knife.’

‘Why you insolent garden trowel!’

Abbey then loudly stomped a hoof, ‘Can you lasses not go for each other’s throats for five bloody minutes? I actually want to see more of the girls living here.’

Holly shrugged, ‘As I said, they won’t come out with her near. While the common ones like ghosts, zombies, and Werewolves aren’t that attuned to aethereal presence, the Succubi and other more powerful ones are, and will tell the others to stay clear.’

Excalibur scoffed, ‘You make it sound like they think I will do something.’

‘Well, weren’t you?’ Holly asked.

Excalibur sighed, ‘Due to recent events, I know a bit better to stay my blade in such a situation. I was more annoyed of the heavy infernal presence and wanted an answer, to which I assume this Lady Rosaline is the cause. Is it not?’

‘Hmph.’ Holly gave a casual flick of her hair as she gave Excalibur an uncaring expression. ‘You are correct.’

Excalibur then smugly smiled, ‘With all that said, if it weren’t for my master’s order I would have gladly duelled you. No one raises a blade to me with such prideful impudence without being humbled.’

Holly gave a maddening grin, ‘Your high and mighty air makes me so fucking ready to take you down a few.’

Everyone gave a collective sigh as the two girls bickered and snapped at each other. This continued as they went up a few flights of stone stairs to the upper floors of the castle. The ornaments of the halls became more exquisite with larger and grander paintings. The heights of the castle were closest to the bedchambers and more heavily decorated meeting rooms, hidden behind aged redwood doors. As the group walked the halls, and as Holly and Excalibur bickered, they soon were confronted by other residents of the castle. Trapping them from behind and the front were two women in black leather coats, fur collared, hooded, and their mouths hidden behind black cloth masks. In the darkness of their hoods, only the colour of their eyes peered through the darkness. The first ochre, the other amber. Both held out their left fists at the group, showing they wielded gauntlet crossbows while they in their other hands held basket-hilted swords.

‘You’re all causing a disturbance in the halls,’ the woman in front said. Her gaze then fell on Excalibur. ‘State why you’re here.’

Troy stepped forward with a sigh, ‘Can you two lay off? We’re here to speak with Rosaline.’

The woman from the back scoffed, ‘Troy? Why are you here?’ She pointed her crossbow at Excalibur. ‘While seeing something not entirely hellish, undead, or in-between is nice for a change, she is putting everyone on edge. Not even the ghosts are peering at us.’

Excalibur shrugged, ‘I apologise for the disruption that my presence brings, but we must speak with the lady of this castle.’

Holly shot her an annoyed look, ‘So you apologise to them but not me?’

‘They are just acting out of security and mindfulness for the residents of this castle. You are just a brute.’

‘Sharp tongued little-’

Mona let out a nervous laugh to defuse the tension in the air, ‘Yeah, we’re just here to meet with this Rosaline. Sir Knight here is a friend of hers and Troy, just need to speak to her about something.’

The two shady guardians passed glances at each other before the one ahead spoke.

‘What is your business here then?’

Troy then looked back at the Knight. Luli then fluttered out in front of the woman with a smile.

‘We’re here to offer an invitation to a ball.’

The two guardians looked at each other again before shaking their heads. They pulled back their hoods and pulled down their masks while sheathing their swords. Both looked like they were in the prime of their youth, one with short strawberry blonde hair and the other with heavily braided red hair.

The blonde girl in front gave Troy a confused look, ‘Is she real?’

‘She speaks the truth,’ Excalibur said, ‘we are here to extend an invitation to Lady Rosaline. But we must also discuss other matters pertaining to the realm as well.’

Troy shrugged, ‘Truth is truth. Can we see Rosaline now?’

The red-headed girl disarmed her crossbow and placed the bolt into a pouch on her belt. ‘This is stupid. I can’t believe we got this worked up for just some party invitation.’

‘But the maids said there was yelling in the halls,’ the blonde one replied.

Abbey shook her head, ‘That’s because these two here can’t help but yell at each other. If you want to tell them to shut it, feel free. You’ll be doing us all a favour, lass.’

Everyone snickered at Holly’s and Excalibur’s expense as the two women felt deflated by the quickly disappearing tension in the hallway. The blonde woman then disarmed her crossbow as well. With a hand on her hip, the blonde woman took a deep breath, ‘Okay, so going forward then, the invitation. Lady DeMont is currently in a meeting right now, so if you can be so kind to wai-’

Holly immediately brushed past her with a shake of her head, ‘Yeah no. We’re going to see the princess.’

Troy shrugged as he followed, shortly joined by the Knight and the others. The two women stood still with confused looks before snapping out of their trance and run back to the front of the group. The two women walked beside Holly with worried expressions.

‘Please Holly, it’s something really important and we can’t have you guys bursting in on it,’ the blonde one pleaded.

‘Seriously, we’ll get in major trouble for this!’ the redhead cried. ‘We’re begging here, please!’

Mona looked at Abbey, ‘Why are the guards pleading?’

Abbey shrugged as Troy spoke, ‘Because two Dhampirs aren’t as strong as one Holly. Kinda sucks for them, Holly usually ignores them.’

‘Then why don't you pull her back?’ Excalibur asked.

‘Because it’s funny and it will get you guys to Rosaline faster,’ he replied. ‘Seriously, watch this.’

As they continued down the hall as the two Dhampirs begged and pleaded for Holly to stop, they eventually came across a large double door. The two women were petrified with fright as Holly stood before the door. Then, with a kick forward, burst the doors open. She then walked inside with a big grin on her face.

‘I’ve come for the princess of the castle and I demand a feast and a bed!’

Inside the finely furnished lounge room were six women sitting on couches, all dressed exquisitely except for two. One was a Demon with blue skin glowing blue on black eyes, wearing a revealing dress of leathers and satin with smooth black wings on her back. Another was a scarred tanned skin and brown-haired werewolf wearing nothing but bandages and tattered linen. The third was a Phantom, wearing a fine masquerade mask over her eyes and held an engraved ivory cane. The forth was a woman wearing black lace and silks with glossy brown hair held into a long ponytail, but as she drank a glass a wine her long canine teeth were bare, showing herself to be a Vampire. The fifth was the all too familiar Wight of the castle with pink glowing eyes and pale blonde hair, Rosaline. But the last woman was a surprise to both Luli and the Knight. The last woman was a Lich in a humble grey robe. Her skin pale violet and her hair black as night with eyes of glowing yellow. The Knight and Luli knew this Lich as the seer, Aisa.

All the women looked at the open doors, all with confused surprise except for Aisa. Rosaline got up from her seat with a hand placed on her chest in shock.

‘H-Holly? Troy?’

Holly smiled as she ran into the room before hugging Rosaline, both twirling in place with girly giggles.

‘You should have told me in advance you were coming, I would have probably met your demands,’ Rosaline said with a smile. She then looked at the group at the door and at the front were Troy and the Knight. ‘Troy, a pleasure to see you. Is that man next to you who I think it is?’

Troy nodded, ‘No one else wears armour and says nothing.’

She smiled wide at the two before looking back to her guests, ‘I am terribly sorry. But when the ones who laid the foundations for this haven arrive, I can’t help but greet them.’

The Werewolf began to laugh, ‘I remember you telling me of the spirited cursed weapon. Nice to see this Holly at long last.’

The Vampire’s eyes lazily fell on the group, ‘Quite. Tell me, where are Lyn and Sarah?’ The two Dhampirs hid behind the walls of the door frame and slowly peeked in. The Vampire sighed as she took another sip of wine. ‘You’re both lucky I’m in a good mood. We’ll talk later.’

The two Dhampirs stepped into the doorway with dejected expressions as Luli and the Knight walked forward. Aisa smiled as the two neared.

‘Luli, Sir Knight, it’s great to see you two again.’

Luli’s face lit up in delight as she zipped to the Lich and hugged her arm, ‘Wise lady Aisa! What are you doing here so far from the forest?’

Mona, Abbey, and Excalibur follow the Knight as Troy went to Rosaline. Meanwhile the Demon and Phantom giggled at the scene.

‘Hold on, you know Luli and Sir Knight?’ Mona asked.

Aisa nodded, ‘We met only shortly before he managed to find the Sword of Kingdoms from the depths of Crown Rest. With the young Rosaline now establishing a sanctuary for all Demwyms undead, demonic, or gather under night, I saw fit to take a small excursion to discuss how things will progress. And I see great things that can grow from this.’

‘You met shortly before master found me?’ Excalibur asked.

Aisa looked at Excalibur in surprise, ‘Oh? The sword was a Demwym in kind? I could feel your holy presence but my you are beautiful. Nona will be jealous of your looks.’

Excalibur blushed as she cleared her throat, ‘Thank you, Lady Aisa. I was told that my presence would be easily felt by some. You would be among them?’

Aisa smiled, ‘All of us here except Cornelia, the Werewolf.’ She then looked to the Vampire, Demon, and Phantom, ‘We all felt something but didn’t know what. Pleasant surprise to say the least.’

The Phantom gave a merry cackle, ‘Much so much so! I feared some stray zealot paladin walked in here.’

The Demon laughed, ‘Oh please if one paladin came in here there would be no way he would walk out a holy man.’

Rosaline cleared her throat to gain everyone’s attention. ‘If everyone would be so kind to take a seat so we can talk a bit more orderly.’ She then looked to Abbey, ‘I’m sorry Miss, I’m afraid I don’t have a seat to accommodate for you.’

Abbey took off her hat with a defeated chuckle, ‘If you have a few pillows spare I can make do.’

Rosaline nodded as she looked at the Phantom. Extra cushions on the couch lifted into the air and laid themselves down on the floor. As Abbey took her makeshift seat, the others went to theirs. With Troy and Holly on the same couch as Rosaline, and the Knight and Mona on the same with Aisa. Excalibur sat awkwardly between the Demon and Vampire, her spine crawling at the heavy presence they exude.

‘With all of us now orderly, what brings you all to Castle Traigan this late at night?’ Rosaline asked.

‘An invitation!’ Luli said as she sat in Aisa’s lap.

Rosaline looked at the happy fairy in surprise, ‘An invitation? To what?’

Mona chuckled, ‘We have a bit more than a simple invitation to talk about, Luli. Remember?’

Excalibur nervously fidgeted as she began to talk, ‘Y-Yes. We have much to talk about. The b-ball and such and then, uh-’

Holly gave Excalibur a smug grin, ‘You okay? You seem awfully nervous for a legendary sword.’

Excalibur’s face was bright red as she looked back at Holly, ‘I-I’m fine! I’m just not used to being this close to, uh…’ Excalibur began to shrink into her seat as her once confident eyes dropped to the floor. The Knight, meanwhile, was laughing hysterically on the inside. To see the usually proud and poised Excalibur to show some form of gross embarrassment was a breath of fresh air. The Vampire and Demon gave curious glances at the hiding girl.

‘You look like you’ve never seen a high-ranking Demon before,’ the Demon said with a seductive smile. She then lowered her head so she was talking right into Excalibur’s ear with a hushed whisper. ‘Is being so close to me that bewitching?’

The Vampire took another sip as she then placed an arm around Excalibur and hold her wine glass by Excalibur’s lips. The Vampire leaned close with her cool yet stern eyes, ‘Or is it I who makes you uneased? For someone so powerful and holy as yourself, you’re being awfully docile. Has the fervour of heaven lost its touch in you?’

Excalibur’s face glowed red as small squeals of discomfort escaped her closed mouth. As everyone snickered at the sight, the Knight then waved a hand to get the two to stop bullying the poor girl. The Vampire and Demon laughed as they then gave Excalibur back her personal space. Excalibur buried her face into her hand as Holly laughed at her.

‘Oh so you’re big and tough to me but to those two you shut up?’

Excalibur stared daggers at her, ‘I’m trying to be polite and not do anything to upset anyone!’ She then looked away, ‘This isn’t like the ones from the nether who come from a realm besides, this is opposite. How can I not feel anxious? I had no idea Sir Knight had allies in such places!’ She then buried her head in her arms and groaned. Then with muffled words, she said, ‘But he promised that being that the Demwym of the nether must be treated as equal. So, for sake of consistency, he must to you. If that is his wish, I must also obey.’

A loud “aww” came from the powerful monstergirls in the room. Excalibur bent over her waist, hiding her face from everyone’s gazes, especially Holly’s. The Knight felt a bit bad for the poor girl, but it was nice to see she was serious about following his word. As everyone in the room calmed down and Excalibur wished to disappear from sight, Mona spoke.

‘An embarrassed sword aside, we need to talk about what’s been going on in the province. I’m sure you all have heard of the fall of Chavichad by now?’

The merry atmosphere soon steeled to something more serious as the powerful women in the room looked to Mona.

‘I have heard rumours of its fall,’ the Werewolf said. ‘Something about rain and a legion of black.’

Excalibur groaned, despite her humiliation she felt she was best to explain. ‘It’s a force from the nether realm. A powerful being that is using a vessel to take over the lands with a legion of black-clad soldiers.’ Her eyes then peeked up from her arms, ‘Due to recent events it will soon be coming upon the kingdom of Capingale.’

An air of severity then laid in the room. The women knew that was only a few days travel away, so the village was a potential target. But despite this news, Aisa still gave a soft smile as she looked at Excalibur, ‘So what is your plan to turn back this threat? This must be the pressing reason why you’re here.’

Excalibur took a deep breath as she sat upright again, even if her face still glowed red. ‘It won’t be arriving until a few weeks’ time. We seek to convince the king of Capingale to rally his army to prepare. The Ebonmarch always appears and destroys due to the element of surprise, but we have the chance to fortify before it appears. But we seek an audience with the king, and we have only one chance to confront him. A ball.’

‘Oh, so you want Rosaline to be a guest so you guys can get in?’ Troy asked.

‘Not quite, lad,’ Abbey said. ‘Sir Knight is on the list to come in, but the ball requires to either come with a date or family. Sir Knight needs someone noble to go with so he can get the chance to speak with the king. Or, well, Excalibur will since he can’t talk.’

Rosaline closed her eyes as she thought on the idea, ‘A ball with the royal court…’

Holly then looked at Excalibur with calm eyes, ‘Hey. You said that it’s a magic force that makes an army right? And it’s coming soon?’

Excalibur nodded, ‘Very. It’s an army of black creatures that mimic that of knights in black armour. They appear from puddles of ink rain and attack any who defy their master’s wishes.’

Holly’s eyes lit up with excitement, ‘Oh you have just peaked my interest. Ever since the night of the dead, I’ve been dying for a good fight. These things sound like they can hit the spot.’

Troy gave a weird look to Holly, ‘They’re trying to make an army to go to war. War isn’t like what we’ve been through. It’s filled with a lot more death, violence, and suffering for everyone involved.’

Holly gave Troy a crazed grin, ‘Sounds brutal.’

‘Well, yeah…it is.’ Troy then looked to Excalibur, ‘So who is leading all this then?’

‘Well, that would be my master, Sir Knight,’ Excalibur replied. ‘The plan is that once the Ebonmarch is repelled from Capingale, an offensive can begin to march back to Chavichad and usurp the Queen that’s the root of all this. We don’t seek to just fend it off, we seek to remove the blight from this land.’

‘That’s a grand goal,’ the Vampire said. ‘So this is from the nether. I heard stories of it, but you said “Demwym of the nether”. Monstergirls exist from such a plane?’

The Phantom cackled, ‘And you’ve met them at that! Tell me, my imagination is just swimming with possibilities! What do they look like? Were they big? Small? Make you go crazy if you just look at them?’

‘Actually, a few looked like catgirls with extra arms and tentacles, and others were winged,’ Abbey explained. ‘Really gotta see them to understand.’

The Phantom let out a high-pitched squeal of excitement before Holly spoke up.

‘Hold on, you said that this thing started in Chavichad. Knighty’s home, right?’

Excalibur nodded, ‘We were then when the fall happened. Sir Knight was gravely injured and we all barely managed to escape. Chavichad is the seat of power for the Ebonmarch, and where the Spire Queen is seated.’

Holly gave a disgruntled look as she gave a “hmph” and crossed her arms.

Excalibur looked back to Rosaline, ‘So with this, we ask of you. May you come to the ball with Sir Knight?’

The other monstergirl guests looked to Rosaline, eager for her response. To which, Rosaline looked back with a cheery face and dazzling eyes. She held her cheeks with her hands as her phantasmal pink claws covered her forearms. ‘I was already sold to go just at the invitation! It’s been so long since I’ve done anything like a social dance! Oh how I loved the atmosphere!’ She then reeled back her excitement with a giggled. ‘Sorry about that. To go with a friend is of no problem. Not to mention the stakes on the line to do so. I will be happy to go.’

Abbey and Mona looked relieved as Luli cheered. The other women in the room either smiled or pleasingly laughed at her decision. A sigh of relief escaped the Knight as he looked at Rosaline.

‘So, when is this ball?’ Rosaline asked.

‘In half a week’s time,’ Mona replied. ‘If possible, we would prefer to have you on your way in a day or so.’

‘Oh my that’s sudden,’ Rosaline said. ‘But given the circumstances, time isn’t a luxury. But still, I need to find a dress to wear for the occasion. Plus, I don’t even have a personal carriage anymore.’

‘The carriage to the venue will be taken care of by a mate back in Capingale,’ Abbey said. ‘Just so you can get back to Capingale quickly we can hire a carriage from here to get you back to the kingdom.’

‘Then it is decided on the course of action,’ Rosaline said. She then got up from her seat and bowed. ‘I’m deeply sorry. As guests of the mansion, I beg of you to stay until my return. While we must speak more about letting our fellow sisters of the fires and night to integrate into life in the dawn, I hope you understand that protecting this land is paramount for that.’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ the Werewolf said with a wave of her hand. ‘I’m sure I can speak for everyone when I say that a much more important and paramount issue needs solving. Besides, can’t let this Ebonmarch take land we hope to live in properly. Especially for our friends from the fires down below.’

The Demon laughed, ‘Very right.’ She then looked at the Knight, ‘If what the little sword said was true, you promise to help the girls of the nether be treated fairly, correct?’

The Knight nodded.

‘Then it stands to reason we can count on you to support our cause for our sisters to be treated with due fairness as well,’ the Demon said with a smirk.

The Knight made that promise to Tarkhathoth because he thought of Rosaline and Holly in the first place. To turn around on that would be the faggot’s way out, even if his faith is for the Lord of Light. The echoes of cries of heresy and heathen rang in the Knight’s head, but it was a path he himself walked upon and one he would have to bare. He met eyes with the Demon and nodded. The Demon gave a seductive smile as she then looked at Excalibur.

‘You hear that? Your master is willing to help us.’

Excalibur tried to steel herself, but her voice still cracked as she spoke. ‘I know why he is. As uncomfortable as I am, he is doing it for the sake of the realm. If the Demwym of the nether are free to live, and those of wonderland have been for ages, it is only right for those of heaven and hell to do so as well. Despite our aeons long differences. My only stipulation is that you treat this realm with the respect it deserves.’

The Demon raised a brow, ‘Oh? But heaven has cornered the monopoly on worship for so long, what do you mean by “respect”?’

‘You know well,’ Excalibur replied. ‘While it is true that the Faith of Light has been dominant even before my time, I only ask that those from the fires below respect people’s desires to not stray from the light if they do not wish to.’

The Demon’s eyes became stern with severity, ‘You were very close to phrasing that to be less than respectful, I can tell in your eyes. Just to let you know, it was only six or so centuries ago when those who belonged to a forefather of the Faith of Light began a crusade against some of the more unrulily of our ilk. It was a horrible war that blighted the lands with magics centuries afterwards. Where would you be during that?’

‘Sealed away at the bottom of a lake,’ Excalibur replied. ‘I have been out of history for so long. I’m afraid the war you speak of must be after I was sealed.’

‘Then let me tell you a bit more of what happened afterwards. The holy order of the priest-king was usurped and broken and eventually became the faith as you see it today. While still teaching some the way of the crusader or paladin, the violent zealots of the Inquisition have been a bloody memory to all. Yet the stigma of our origin calls for grounds of excising where ever we or our associates are found. We are bound as creatures to the night and nightmares, never to walk in the light of day.’ The Demon sighed. ‘While I do not deny the extremes some of our own have caused, our interest in the mortal realm is not malignant as you may think.’

As Excalibur looked at her, a memory of long ago sprang to mind. She remembers the stories of how the inquisitors of old conducted their work. Razing whole towns on suspicion and interrogated suspects with torture. The Demon was honest and true, not denying the wrongs those of her kind caused, and so Excalibur paid her respects.

‘Then I too can’t deny the wrongs the faith have caused, even during my time,’ Excalibur replied. A glimmer of her natural pride returned as her eyes regained their composer and her complexion evened out. ‘If the point you are trying to make is that it is not your intention for mass conversion to the fires, then it was my mistake. But I am not so careless to let slip the women of hell who are without understanding of the realm. Unlike the circles of hell, this realm does not exist for the hedonism of the inhabitants, much like it is not for the dedicated venerating of the Lord of Light. Those here only seek to live and carve out their lot in life on this world. Those of wonderland understand this, and even those of the nether only seek the same. The direct and deliberate influence of the heavens has long since passed, well before my time. Now only those of this realm shape their futures. That is what I ask for you to respect, that they shape their future.’

The Demon met Excalibur’s confident gaze with respect and nodded with a smile. ‘Well said. That drive to protect the realm’s ability to dictate its own future is also the reason why you fight, no?’

Excalibur nodded, ‘I have many reasons to fight, but that is a big reason why.’

The Demon looked at the other women in the room, who all gave nods as she looked at them. She then crossed her legs and looked at Excalibur with warmth. ‘So be it. Out of respect for you and the realm, I will be sure those who come here understand their place.’ She then giggled, ‘To think I would be speaking so cordially to someone holy. The Lord of Fires would be ecstatic to see his daughters walk the earth.’

Excalibur gave a sigh of relief as she smiled, ‘Maybe one day as well the daughters of the Lord of Light can do the same. But starts are being made everywhere, but we must protect that future.’

Rosaline applauded, ‘Well said! Pardon me, but I fear I never quite caught your name.’

‘It’s Excalibur,’ she replied.

‘Excalibur?’ Rosaline asked. ‘Do you not have a proper name?’

The Knight and Holly caught a glimpse of a forlorn loss in Excalibur’s eyes. Excalibur shook her head, ‘Excalibur is what I am. That name is fine.’

Rosaline gave a slow nod, ‘As you wish, Excalibur.’ She then looked at the others in the room. ‘With all this discussed and the urgency of things to come, let us retire for the night. I’m sure our recent guests would appreciate some rest.’

Rosaline clapped her hands and a handful of maids entered the room. Some were Succubi, other zombies, and the last were ghosts.

‘Please show our respected guests to their rooms. And form my friends please prepare beds for them,’ She then looked to the Knight. ‘I hope you don’t mind if some rooms are shared? With short notice, it would be faster to prepare nearby rooms with multiple beds than the many individual ones. Is that okay?’

‘I’ll be happy to just have a pile of pillows and a blanket to be fair,’ Abbey said with a sigh of relief.

Rosaline clapped her hands again and the maids began to show the monstergirl leaders to their rooms. All except Aisa who stayed for the moment.

‘Something amiss, Aisa?’ Rosaline asked.

Aisa smiled, ‘Nothing at all. I would rather wait when everyone has a room.’ She then looked at Excalibur who now sat alone on her couch. ‘I am impressed. Diplomacy in the face of your opposite despite the thorough ribbing you got earlier.’

Excalibur then dropped her façade and sank into her seat again. The Knight has never seen her so spent with no fight left in her. She let out a deep breath, ‘The stakes are too high for me to be too prideful. As much as I disliked doing so, it must be done. If Sir Knight can reason through it, so can I. I must.’

Aisa chuckled as her eyes fell on Holly for a split moment. The look on her face wasn’t common for her, it was contemplative with a bemused brow. Something was churning in her head, and it obviously conflicted with her feelings to make such a look. Aisa chuckled again as she stroked Luli’s hair, ‘Such an interesting turn of events. Never would we have foreseen this.’ She then looked at the Knight, ‘You truly are an interesting actor.’

While they ran towards the breaking sound, a swath of unnatural flat land made a break in the forest. All by themselves, Holly and Excalibur stood opposite from each other at distance. Excalibur held her neutral yet judging face while Holly met her in kind.

‘Are you still sure you wish to do this?’ Excalibur asked.

Holly smirked, ‘Having second thoughts?’

Excalibur shook her head as she unsheathed her sword and clipped the scabbard to her hip. ‘You challenged me to a dual. For what reason now I don’t know, but the look in your eyes wasn’t the craving as I saw before. I just wondered if this is truly what you want.’

Holly nodded earnestly, ‘If knighty is in charge of this whole thing, that means by extension you’re near the top as well. To tell you the truth, I just want in for the fight you guys are planning on having. I’m sure I can convince master to come with, but there is a problem. All this means is that I’m under you. Even if master agrees to follow, I won’t respect you or your calls until you prove to me I should.’

‘So this goes beyond a lust for violence, you want to know your faith is placed in capable hands?’ Excalibur closed her eyes with a deep breath. She then opened them and held her sword towards Holly. ‘Very well. I shall teach you why I am legend.’

Holly gave her maddening grin as she held her shovel’s blade towards Excalibur, ‘And I shall show you why I am feared. Don’t disappoint me.’

Excalibur nodded as she then readied her sword and charged forward. Holly laughed as she then met her charge in kind, running savagely. Excalibur readied for a slash downwards as Holly prepared for a sidewise slam with her shovel’s blade. A heavy reverberant clang exploded out as the black and white steel collided. Dust blew away from the two girls in a ring as the clatter of metal struggled. Excalibur’s stoic face met with the crazed eyes of the smiling Holly. The two girls then pushed off each other, gaining distance between. Holly then sank the blade of her shovel into the earth as yellow sigils circled on the ground. With a hard fling upwards, a snaking wall of earth rolled in a thin wave towards Excalibur. As Excalibur’s feet touched the ground, she jumped to the side again to avoid the fast approaching rush of stone and dirt. As she did, the wave of earth u-turned and rushed towards her back. The wall slammed into her back, flinging her forward with a yell.

Holly took the moment to jump towards her, preparing to slam her back down to the ground. As Excalibur tumbled, she glimpsed at Holly approaching. With her best effort, Excalibur brought up her sword and held it close to her. As Holly brought her shovel down to spike Excalibur to the dirt, the shovel once again clashed against the sword, but the momentum stayed. With a fast fall, Excalibur’s back slammed against the earth, flinging dust and stones away. She gasped as the slam winded her, but saw Holly falling atop her. She rolled out of the way and scrambled back to her feet as Holly landed with predatory poise, her crimson eyes gleaming at Excalibur. She kept up her unrelenting charge, ready to send Excalibur flying again with a bash of her shovel. Excalibur quickly recovered and blocked. To level the battlefield again, she placed all her strength into a powerful kick forward. Her armour-clad foot collided with Holly’s stomach, sending her flying and reeling. Once she caught her footing, she coughed as spittle dripped from the corners of her mouth.

‘And I was starting to think you were letting me get away with what I want,’ Holly said as she coughed and laughed. She then wiped her mouth with her sleeve, ‘You got one hell of a kick.’

‘And your offensive magic and strength is nothing to take lightly as well,’ Excalibur said as she panted. Her back cracked as she stretched it, causing her to grimace with pain, ‘Not often I’m so heavily pushed.’ She readied her blade, ‘Shall we continue?’

Holly grinned ear to ear and then flung herself forward. As she did so, the Knight and Troy finally came upon their battleground. The two girls were well underway their next volley of attacks, steel slamming into each other and deafening the night. Troy looked on with unease as he stood with the Knight.

‘Damn, we’re late,’ he said as he looked at the mess already made on the field, ‘they must be really into this. Don’t think they will hear me in all this noise.’ He then scratched his head as he looked to the Knight, ‘Looks like we may have to wait this out. Fuck man, I don’t want them to hurt themselves so stupidly.’

The Knight nodded. The two girls fought with as much strength as they can. For what end he did not know, but he too worried about their wellbeing. Each clash of metal clamoured out, and each spell Holly used created more rubble that flew about, tearing up the makeshift field. Troy constantly yelled to gain their attention, commanding Holly to stop. But his cries were lost to the cacophony of the duel. The fight would continue till one or the other gives in, but given the attitudes of the two girls, that would take a long time to achieve. But during the constant fight, the Knight noticed a rustle from the trees above. He looked up to see a bird, a magpie to be exact. The magpie flew from the trees and over the battlefield. But as it did so, Holly cast a spell that brought forth stones she hurled at Excalibur. But Excalibur herself became more serious. The edge of her blade began to glimmer with light, and as she ran towards Holly she diced through the stones that were launched at her. As she left a trail of broken rock in her wake, Excalibur clashed with Holly once again.

The force sent pebbles flying everywhere in every direction. But by accident, a stone flew into the air and struck the bird. As Excalibur and Holly pushed off each other again the bird fell between them, but neither noticed the magpie’s descent. They readied to charge each other again, but as they did so, the Knight drew his claymore and ran forward for the bird. Troy reached out to him, calling him back. But the Knight did not listen. This needed to end.

Excalibur and Holly charged each other once again, poised to clash their weapons head to head. But as they drew close, the Knight grabbed the blade of his claymore and slid between the two, kneeling above the bird. The two girls only had a moment to notice his intrusion, but their swings were already in motion. Excalibur’s blade and Holly’s shovel came down on the Knight’s claymore. A grunt of pain escaped the Knight as his arms buckled slightly under the combined force of the two. His knee sank into the dirt and the last loud clang yelled into the night. The two girls looked at the Knight in shock as they pulled back their weapons. A small trickle of blood escaped the palm of the Knight’s hand that held the blade. He dropped his sword forward, his arms shocked from the impact.

Holly recoiled in surprise, ‘Knighty?!’

Excalibur’s eyes filled with fright as she sheathed her sword and caught the Knight as he began to slump forward. ‘Oh gods, Sir Knight. Why did you do that?’

The Knight then weakly pointed at the magpie on the ground. The bird was still breathing, but its wing was injured and sat petrified.

Excalibur looked at the bird as conflicted tears of worry escaped her eyes. ‘For a bird? But why…?’

Troy came running to the Knight, ‘You fucking idiots! We told you not to fight!’

Holly slowly walked forward to the Knight and then to Troy, ‘W-We…I-I…’

Troy looked at the Knight, ‘He’s gonna be okay, right?’

Excalibur nodded, ‘H-He will. His arms just went limp from the shock but he’s fine.’ She then took the Knight’s bleeding hand and looked at its palm. A bleeding gash ran over it, dripping blood. Excalibur focused and a golden glow covered his hand. The wound sealed cleanly and she wiped away the blood with her naked hand. She looked away from the Knight with closed eyes. ‘To have injured my master like this…I’ve never…’ her voiced wavered on the verge of tears. But the Knight’s healed hand laid on Excalibur’s armoured chest. With his other hand, he held up the injured magpie. Excalibur opened her eyes and looked at the terrified creature. She placed her hand on the bird and gold light encompassed it. Once the light faded, the magpie moved its wing before flying off out of the Knight’s hand. The Knight gave a muted chuckle.

The Knight then got back to his feet, a pop escaping his knee as he stretched his arms. They ached like mad, but they felt none the worse. He picked up his claymore and stowed it before helping Excalibur back to her feet. The girl looked ashamed, unable to look at the Knight directly. He then looked to Holly, whose face was drenched with remorse.

‘Seriously, why did you two do this?’ Troy asked.

Holly closed her eyes, ‘To prove if she’s worth following.’

Troy looked at her with a confused look, ‘The hell does that mean?’

Holly looked at Troy with pleading eyes, ‘Master! Please, can we go with knighty and his friends?’

Troy looked at her blankly as the question went over his head. ‘What?’

‘I want to help them fight that ebon-whatever,’ she replied.

Troy sighed, ‘I get what you mean, but we still have a graveyard to take care of. Plus that's a war you want to get into.’

‘But when we last saw him, you said he can call on us for help. Master, we can’t go back on our word.’

Troy looked at the puppy eyes Holly was giving him. While the cute expression softened him, she was still right. He said he would be there for the Knight to call on. While he was still upset that Holly disobeyed him, he had to concede. ‘I guess I can ask some of those zombies to help cover while we’re gone.’

Holly’s face lit up with glee. Excalibur looked at her confused, ‘Wait, so that means…?’

Holly nodded with an innocent cute smile, ‘You have my respect. We may not have had a decisive winner, but you proved yourself powerful enough to keep up with me. I can deal with you being in charge of this.’

Excalibur looked at her surprised before her expression softened to a smile.

Holly giggled back, ‘By the way, why do you not use any offensive magic? Geomancy and cryomancy are very handy you know.’

Excalibur chuckled, ‘My speciality is mostly defence and healing. I’m rather specialised in what I do, so magics like yours I won’t be able to make use of.’ She then looked at the Knight, ‘I’m sorry master. For going against your commands and harming you.’ She closed her eyes and held her head low. ‘My pride has gotten the better of me. I pray you forgive me.’

As she finished speaking, the Knight’s head met with the top of her head and he ruffled her golden locks. The Knight wasn’t entirely angry, as he understood her reason to fight. After all, a knight wouldn’t back down from a duel or else he would be called a faggot. Even afterwards when both he and Troy forbade it, Holly pressed again on a technicality. But despite all that’s happened, no one was seriously hurt and an innocent bird was given wings once again. The Knight pointed back to the shadow of the castle and began to walk forward, pulling Excalibur along by the shoulder. The four went on their way back, tired, but a with a newfound sense of comradery formed between the weapons of heaven and hell.

>>355570

Did you just get home from a Saturday night bender? I can sense the alcohol behind this.

>>355578

Sorry about that. Oh man I'm plumbing new depths over here. Not only did I do this but I am still getting calls from concerned people. Including an ex from high school who I haven't talked to in years and lives on a different continent now. I don't even know how I got her number.

Yeah I think I'm going to abstain from now. I wonder how I remembered to sage while blacked out though, that's something I struggle with while sober

>>355636

>I wonder how I remembered to sage while blacked out though, that's something I struggle with while sober.

While I do admire the dedication to keep up with board etiquette while drunk, I pray you keep off the sauce for a good long while. This sounded like a weird ass story one of my mates would tell me on a fucked weekend.

>>355683

bump

>>355683

Yeah I'm not touching anything fermented for a long time. I got a package from Amazon that week, apparently I bought like 5 transport engineering textbooks on stuff like railway engineering and interchange design. I'm a computer engineer so I have no idea why I bought any of those or were they bought by a mate to fuck with my head (likely because someone turned off text message updates. Then again i am a fairly devious bastard when I get really evil). I'm keeping those to teach myself a lesson.

Still, nobody died or got crippled or ended up in the clink (I think) so wasn't as bad.

>>357889

Please don't do that, the thread won't die on page 6 or 7. Wait until it hits page 17-18 at least.

>>357897

just doing a mod bump, since codemonkey fucked up and users who havent cleaned their cache and are being redirected to goldwater.

>>357901

Oh. In that case I apologize.

JIM

I know you don't like blog posting, but could we get an update on what's causing the delay? Waiting for this story is killing me and knowing if you dealing with irl shit will ease my worries.

>>358845

Stop being an autist and accept that shit happens.

Biting my nails waiting for an update

Page 13 and on its way to death. This was an amazing story even if it ended abruptly. Thank you writefag for your time. You wrote a great story.

Fair warning lads, I'm going to be bumping this in the next week or so. I love this story too much to let it die like this.

Bump

>>402038

Nigger

>>402038

Why are you such a fucking fag?