Two Hundred

Two Hundred

After a relaxing night at the mansion, which was excellent for destressing, and made a mockery of the fact we were fighting a war, although once we finally started penetrating deeper into Myconid Territory we would likely have to camp out in enemy lands, we moved through the Seelie Court to the border a couple of miles further along, and started our attack and sample collection once more.

Initially the fungal forest responded just as previously, giant aggressive plants and other beasts responding to our intrusion, the numbers rapidly escalating until the forest seethed with them, but after just a few hours we started seeing Myconid Scouts.

“They would have to respond more quickly to our attack this time unless they are idiots.” I told Shaeula as I launched another stone sniper shell through the trees, exploding the Scout I had spotted. Meanwhile, Shaeula swung her one pinwheel (the other left back at the Fae Stones, securing another test-subject for Hyacinth) and the whining wire, shimmering with green and yellow energies, sliced through another Myconid effortlessly, the smell of charred mushroom filling the air along with its spores. At their deaths the surrounding woodlands erupted into rage.

“Die-die, you treacherous scum.” Shaeula smirked, finding immense satisfaction in slaying the Myconid and its monstrous troops. Even so she was not done, and trees fell around us as she swept a clearing free of enemies, ether scattering around us.

“Careful, don’t get too excited, you nearly chopped me up too!” I joked, but I had ducked under her swings in plenty of time.

“Such an attack can not-not phase you now.” She grinned. “Look, more company!”

“Yeah, I see them!” Flames roared free, and this time I decided to use Foehn. Corrupted trees spotted with mushrooms, toadstools, fungus and worse erupted into flames, the liquid blaze spreading into the onrushing hordes, turning them into living torches, where they bumped into others, spreading tongues of greedy fire. Soon a large stretch of forest several-hundred metres across was an ocean of blazing destruction. “Sweet, there’s that level-up I knew was coming. Fifty-Three now.”

“We should-should retreat!” Shaeula declared. “The heat here is unbearable!”

“Yeah, Foehn in a forest is devastating. Still, I won’t use it often.” Too much chance of it destroying any Etherites that might be lurking around. I’m greedy. “Also, notice how the fires seem constrained? Everything is giving off spores as they burn, and they seem to be slowly choking the area the Foehn is spreading too...”

As we retreated, we crossed paths with Grulgor once more. He raised his dripping mace in a salute, before heading off to find further prey to destroy. “Well, it’s too soon to retreat yet.” I observed, watching him go with a surprising fondness for the insane brute. He’s been with me almost as long as Shaeula has, and while we haven’t spent much time together, I guess I see him as one of my own now. I just hope when we finally meet Duke Formor we can work things out.

“Indeed, we should cause more destruction, wear-wear them down!” Shaeula approved. Massive truck-sized wooden hedgehogs, with narrow, spear-like fungal towers instead of spines, were shuffling towards us through the treeline, and behind them I could see more Myconids, including one with a red-and-white spotted head, carrying a long, gnarled staff.

“That one’s new.” I observed. Myconid Shepherd [Dark Fae] was its description in my Eye. “Oh well, the more we take out now, the less we have to fight later.”

It was then that arrows made from living mushrooms were fired as us from two directions, and I realised that the wily Myconids had ambushed us. Shaeula called on her Emerald Wind Prison, surrounding us with a whirling dome before the arrows could pierce us, and they exploded, filling the area with a blanket of spores so dense and toxic they were actually visible, through the wind quickly swept them away.

Myconid Ranger [Dark Fae] was the title of our attackers, and I could see as many as a dozen surrounding us, smaller, wiry mushroom-people with giant limbs resembling tree roots, pulling back on strangely shaped bows, the arrows sprouting from their very bodies. As the remains of her barrier died down, Shaeula slapped me on the back, signalling her intent.

“All right, I’ll take the Rangers, you stop the hedgehogs!” I called to her, and she responded, just as the wooden hogs began to launch the mushrooms from their backs like artillery, explosions around us intense, acidic slime splattering everywhere. I called on wind and rock walls, fending off the worst, and rushed the first batch of Rangers, channelling a little fire into one of the pistols Ixitt made for me. The first ranger released its dying spores, then a second. I was clipped by an arrow, but the chainmail held, protecting the rubber suit underneath.

“Burn, vile Unseelie pawns!” Shaeula yelled, feeding flame energy into her wind-weasels until they glowed like the sun and grew to a giant size, as thick as her own torso. I see Shaeula is growing stronger too. Nice. Showered by debris from the artillery she stood her ground, and then the flaming weasel-headed serpents of wind and fire surged forwards. The first hedgehog burst apart, the second bored clean through. The third was beheaded, and the strands of flaming air split apart then, her control exquisite, forming a cage that quickly surrounded the Shepherd, slicing and crushing it to death.

“I have to keep up...” I channelled Aether, expanding my vision, like I had done a few times in the past. I felt quite the headache, but compared to before my enhanced thought-processes could handle it. Seeing the position of the enemies, I exploded the ground beneath them, and the air was thick with the stench of their deaths. Two Rangers and a Scout were fleeing, but with bullets of wind and stone they did not make the safety of the trees. A couple of the Scouts did make it out though, and over there... Myconid Observer [Dark Fae] was watching us from a fair distance away. This one was mottled blue and white, with a single black orb set in the fungal-cap that was its head.

It's a bit of a long shot, but... forming another rock sniper, I unleashed it. the Myconid was moving as soon as it saw me preparing an attack, and it almost dodged, though it managed to survive, only an arm and a leg being ripped apart by the force of impact. It didn’t escape the second shot though.

“I think we should retreat!” Shaeula cried, the spores driving the surrounding forest mad. Even some of the fungus-infested trees were starting to attack us, roots breaking from the mould-crusted soil beneath us and trying to snare us, reminding me a little of Hyacinth.

“Yeah, we’ll regroup. How are your elemental reserves?” I asked, busily hoovering up the spoils of our battle, converting around a quarter to aether to keep me topped up, the rest going to my Territory.

“I can continue for longer!” Shaeula insisted, backing up her words by whipping her pinwheel back and forth, severing roots. As one tree collapsed, ripping up the dead earth, I caught a glimpse of a glitter of green. “Damn, a green Etherite! Jackpot!” Trusting Shaeula to cover me, I leapt for it, channelling aether to pull it to my hand.

“So greedy!” Shaeula snorted, wind drills blasting a path back through the thick mass of enemies.

“You know it! I have big plans. Right, let’s split.”

********

“Yes, I can move them back into the glass ball! I knooow because when Ixitt turns the knobs I can see them! But... Hyacinth breaks masters’ property, her control is bad! I’m sooorry!” She started sniffling again.

“There, there, it’s all right! You cleared the next stage! Tomorrow, you’ll try the third part of my plan.”

“I am curious as to how-how we will deal with the endless numbers.” Shaeula asked. I hadn’t really explained Hyacinths’ role to her, but now it was time. “Sooner or later we will be overwhelmed, unless you have a cunning-cunning plan indeed.”

“Well, it’s not so much cunning as cruel as hell, and totally against the Geneva Protocol. I guess I’m moving up from killer to war criminal.” At the strange term they all looked puzzled. “Let’s just say, tomorrow... Hyacinth, I want you to make spores!” The poor Degraded Kobolds are in for a terrible time indeed...

“Make them? How does that help-help us?” Shaeula cocked her head, eyeing me quizzically. I was about to answer when Ixitt barked a laugh, a sound I was still getting used to, since his hacking, bloody cough was healed.

“I get it. Ingenious. Frightening. Dreadful!” he chortled. “Truly, it is no wonder the Fae were driven from the mortal realms, with minds like yours there.” He grinned, bearing his teeth. “It isn’t that he wants to make spores to kill us, he wants Hyacinth to change them so they kill them! It’s blasphemous, vile, but somehow so very pragmatic.” He shivered them, tail lashing. “I simply must be part of this. Unseelie nature arts from Hyacinth, mortal knowledge and science, and devices I have helped create! I thought these masks and suits were the pinnacle of Mortal Engineering, but how foolishly naïve I was! Princess, your consort is someone I can truly respect. Just for you, he will wipe out an entire race of Unseelie!”

“Hyacinth must do what nooow?” she asked, but I waved her to silence. Shaeula was looking at me, her expression solemn, and I needed to give her my attention now.

“That is quite-quite the plan.” Shaeula said slowly. She stepped in to me and grasped my hand. “Does that not-not hurt your conscience, Akio? I know you are quite-quite kind and prefer your enemies to become your friends. Would this dreadful art not-not wound you? I do not-not wish for that.”

Pulling her into a hug, I held her close, taking a deep breath, smelling the scent of her. “Yeah, it doesn’t feel good, but... look at it. Their very existence spreads death. I don’t think we can come to a peaceful solution. I have other plans too, some of which we might have to use, but... if they surrender and abandon the Spring, I won’t pursue them. Depending on what happens when the Boundary merges with the Astral and our world is imperilled by invaders, I may have to do worse to defend us. So I’ll learn now and desensitise myself. Just... I need you and Eri, and Hinata now too, I guess, to make sure I don’t go too far, and start doing cruelty without reason, becoming that which we are fighting against.”

“Do not-not worry. I shall never allow that. Nor will Eri, or Akio, or your family and friends. I grieve that I am burdening you with this-this. But...” her eyes grew soft, and she kissed me, Hyacinth looking on enviously. As we parted, our saliva still moist on each other’s lips, she sighed. “... it is necessary, you are right. I have never been in a true-true war with the Unseelie, or the Wild Hunt, but I know you must be ruthless, lest you lose all you love.” She perked up then. “Tonight, in bed I shall spoil you greatly, so your mind and heart are at-at ease!”

“Hyacinth toooooo!” she whined, and I thought Shaeula would shoot her down as usual, but she surprised me.

“You have not-not earned it yet. Do what Akio needs and... well, good servants get rewards, do they not-not?”

“Mistress is kind!” Hyacinth was taken aback, used to Shaeula treating her harshly. At my stunned gaze, Shaeula shrugged.

“What does-does it matter if you give her a reward? I am not-not asking you to marry her. Even Eri could not-not complain about some harmless love shown to a servant who works dark miracles for you. It is not-not as though Hyacinth will steal any of her time, is it?”

“I think you’d be surprised at how badly Eri would complain, but...” Actually, Eri has been taking things better than I thought she would recently. She surprised me with Hinata. Even so, I’m not going to give in just because Shaeula is pushing me. Not this time. I do learn from my mistakes, albeit slowly. So if I don’t want to do it, I won’t! I considered Hyacinth carefully. She had shed her chainmail, but was still wearing the rubber suit. It clung to her ample curves and slender legs, and her beautiful face with her strange eyes and hair was like a work of art. She’s certainly beautiful. She reminds me of Shiro a little, though even Hyacinth doesn’t reach her heights. So the question was, would I want to sleep with Hyacinth, not just to reward her, but because I wanted to have sex with her as well? If I didn’t want to, then I wouldn’t, that was my new-found resolve.

Under my long regard Hyacinth blushed, shifting awkwardly, her arms hugging her amble breasts shyly. “Master, sooo lewd.” She grinned. “But a brownie needs to warm the bed and relieve him ooof his cares!”

“Eri has to agree. I’m not going behind her back any more, even if it is just a casual thing.” I said finally. I can’t deny it. I’m a healthy man, and of course I wonder what making love to a beauty like Hyacinth is like. Every otaku dreams of having a maid service him, and Hyacinth is the hottest maid there is. Still, it isn’t like I’m a beast, I could resist the temptation easily enough. Eri and Shaeula satisfy me plenty, and in the future Hinata will join them. “I feel pretty lousy right now, having to admit my own selfishness, that I would even consider another woman for pleasure when I already have you and Eri. I like to think... I like to think if I had held fast to just Eri, I’d never consider cheating on her. But... now I’ve had you, Shaeula, and in time Hinata, I guess... fuck, I don’t know what I mean. I could easily justify it to myself by saying I need to do this for a reward, so it isn’t cheating, just like I did with Hinata, getting pushed into it. But no. I’ll own this, and I’ll do whatever Eri wants to make it up to her, assuming she even allows me in the first place. I need to make it clear to her, this isn’t something she needs to agree to, it's entirely up to her conscience and mine. I like Hyacinth, and she’s attractive, and it’s nice to be desired, it makes me feel good, but I’m more than happy to find another way to reward her.” I paused, my jumbled thoughts a mess. “Though I admit, I definitely do want to reward Hyacinth for the horrible task I’m making her do. Even so, I could hardly blame her if Eri went and cheated on me in return. I’ve not exactly kept my promises to her. Even suggesting this to her will hurt her. In fact, maybe it’s a bad idea after all, I should forget it...”

“You think too-too much. But I believe it is progress. You are at last being honest. As for Eri, she will never seek another male. After all, you have kept your oath to her, to make her happy. And that happiness will last forever, and is too precious to keep all-all to ourselves.” Shaeula patted my head gently, her small hand stroking my hair, just as I often did to her when she was sad or stressed. “Now, shall we return? I must keep-keep my word and heal your weary body and soul!”

At that I could only smile. War criminal. Murderer. Cheater. Damn, I thought I was the hero of this story, but maybe I’m actually the villain?

********

After quite the night in bed with Shaeula, where she was more seductive and energetic than usual, I did feel better. The maids in the mansion were still a pain as always, but we headed out for the border as planned. This time, Hyacinth and Ixitt set up outside the Fae Stones, as there was no way we’d be conducting these potentially fatal experiments that could cause widespread contamination inside.

“It is very hard to dooo, master!” Hyacinth panted, once more in full gear. Her efforts had just left the grassy field looking like a warzone, decaying vines fading back into nothingness piled everywhere amidst the torn ground.

“Don’t worry about it.” I reassured her. “We are still in the early stages. Keep at it.” Turning to Ixitt, I advised him to continue sucking in the air around her attempts, and when she finally managed to create some spores, they could be tested on one of the poor kobolds, to see if the spores were as virulent as the ones the Myconids use. “All right then.” I said to Shaeula. “Shall we go into battle again? This time I want to go a little deeper, scout harder. Obviously we need to gather resources, but the aim should be to kill as many Myconids as possible. We need to thin out their numbers if we are to win this guerrilla war. I also have some hypothesis to test that may help us later.”

As we raced into enemy Territory we immediately came under attack. Grulgor had gone before us and was likely riling them up, but as I attacked with blasts of my freshly replenished wind and flame, turning plant-beasts into so much chopped and burned wreckage, it took my mind off what a bastard I was being, even thinking about Hyacinth in that way. Seriously, father would be so disappointed in me. Still, I’ve not done anything yet, although, the minute I seriously considered having Hyacinth, no matter the reason, I crossed the line. Fuck, screw it, I’m going to transfer all my rage and self-loathing to the Myconids...Điscover new chapters at novelhall.com