“Lightning has killed every monster thus far, why would this be any different? Open the gates, Rhendal and Soren, shield my men.” Said Liam.
Both magi nodded and began channeling dark energy to encircle the militia. Shadow magi were capable of constructing shadow fields, a protective barrier that concealed and protected. One of Rhendal’s innovations to the field. Though it occasionally felt like a cheap perversion of a holy ward.
Opposite affinities that have similar effects, odd. Maybe Rhendal was right about affinities being nonsense, or rather, half truths.
“Ack. Ah, ahem.” Coughed Jenkins, “Lord Liam, the good captain is right, I brought a friend. Well, I’m pretty sure she is a friend, at least, she hasn’t tried to stick her dick in me thus far. Oh, there was that one time she got her finger in, damn painful that was.” Gasped Jenkins, wheezing as he was running out of air.
A sharp hum exploded across the silent morning, silencing all the men in an instant, fading as suddenly as it had arrived.
Sounds like a rattlesnake? Then a medusa is with him! How does that make any sense? Jenkins called it a her and said it was friendly! What is going on? Of all the lucky breaks we got, ambushing those medusai was probably the biggest one. Will my lightning work on them? It didn’t really work on the giant scorpion, and medusai have similar scales… If they aren’t entirely resistant to magic for some other reason...
“Watch Captain Jenkins, come forward so I may see you clearly.” Shouted Liam.
Jenkins took a few limping steps forward, falling to his knees and crawling a few paces more. Liam wrinkled his nose at the mess that was his friend, noting the pant leg slick with blood and his thin frame with a concerned eye.
“Dare I ask what the cat dragged in? Oh, pardon the expression Nyota.” Said Liam, offering an apology as he blundered his way through the expression.
“Sorry Lord Liam, a hellhound got me good a few days back, and Phaedra tried to help me, honest sir, but she aint a healer.” Gasped Jenkins.
“I’m going down there, Rhendal, fog is water in the air, if you can warm the area it will clear, can you manage that?” Asked Liam.
“Sure, why not. What’ll be next? The philosopher’s stone or is turning lead to gold too mundane for you?” Said Rhendal, waving his hand in an arc he sent a shockwave of heat across the road.
Instantly dispelling the mist and revealing the enormous form of a medusa. Her torso was covered in a lacy blue dress that made Liam snort in surprise. As if Stalin was prancing about in a tutu. Phaedra –as Jenkins had called her– carried a bow in hand. Yet the most terrifying aspect was her gaze, which aimed directly at Liam. He ducked for cover, as did the Petran militia, knowing that seeing the creature meant being turned to stone.
“I came for my daughterss.” It hissed.
“Bows! We’ll stick it with arrows unt-” Began Eldred.
“No! Do not move! No one moves. Jenkins, Crawl to the gate and we will let you in.” Shouted Liam.
“Liam! Shoot it now, or I will!” Hissed Nyota, aiming a finger gun.
“I said no! If there is any chance we can reason with it then I am going out there to talk to it.”
“Your insane!” Growled Arlet.
“I am Lord here! Do not forget your place.” Snapped Liam, his voice booming with the power of thunder.
“You are not my master!” Shouted Nyota as she aimed a finger gun towards the snake woman.
Liam grabbed her wrist, wrenching it into the air as she unleashed a lightning bolt into the sky. Narrowly missing the Sintran watch tower.
“She has come for her children, of all people I expected you to sympathize with her.” Snapped Liam.
Nyota’s ears laid flat against her skull as she hissed at Liam, bearing all of her incisors at him. Shocked by her fury, he let her go, watching her dash into the command post on all fours.
“Wait, that’s… -feck.” Muttered Liam, knowing he had gone too far as soon as the words left his mouth.
“My lord, my cocks not in fighting order sir.” Coughed Jenkins.
“Then we shall allow Phaedra to bring you to the gates, and withdraw.” Answered Liam, scanning the faces nearest him.
Scowling militia met his eyes, mistrusting the creature with all their hearts.
“Don’t go, it has to be a trap!” Hissed Eldred.
“Silence! Obey my commands. I have never led you astray, trust me now as you have in the past.” Shouted Liam.
“Phaedra, bring my captain to the gate and prove you mean us no harm.” He added.
There was a pause of silence, followed by a soft “Very well…”
Placid sounds could be heard on the other side of the gate, mostly the grunts and moans of a wounded Jenkins but there were other softer sounds that accompanied him. The swish of fabric and soft buzz of a rattle. A knock on the gate signaled their arrival and more soft swishes whispered up to them, signaling the medusan woman’s retreat. Liam peeked over the battlements, watching the woman slither away.
When she reached the woods, he sprinted for the gates, sliding to a halt behind them as they opened. Arlet wisely pulled him away from them, raising his shield and standing in front of his lord as the gates cracked open.
“Didn’t realize you cared so much Lord.” Chuckled Jenkins.
Strong arms quickly retrieved the captain and dragged him within the city walls, stripping off his clothes in a search for hidden weapons. Liam tried to run to his aid, but Arlet’s strong arms held him fast. Preventing him from healing Jenkins.
“I don’t mind if they cop a feel Lord Liam.” Chuckled Jenkins, submitting to the search with limp acceptance.
A knight pulled his pants entirely off and a militiaman lifted his shirt over his head. Emaciated ribs protruded at regular intervals, and Jenkins color was a pallid white. Yellow puss and foul green ichor dripped from the holes in his leg, a clear sign of a gangrenous infection.
“Clear.” Said the knight, and Arlet relaxed his grip, allowing Liam to aid the watch captain.
Liam rushed to Jenkins’ side, activating his [abbreviated cast] skill to skip the incantation of healing. He held his hands over the infected wound on his leg, repeating the spell three more times before he stopped to check Jenkins’ pulse.
“Oi, stop trying to get me to suck your dick. All you had to do was ask nicely, not strip me naked and drag me through the streets.” Grumbled Jenkins, regaining some color as the healing settled in.
“Jenkins, how did you survive? Did that- uh, did Phaedra do this to you?” Asked Liam.
“No sir, I owe her my life a dozen times over, I struggle to believe it… but she just wants to protect her family, and… she calls herself a human… sir.” Said Jenkins.
How much can I trust a delirious Jenkins? He wouldn’t lie to me intentionally, but how do I know he is in his right mind? Eldred said he was lost in a raid over a week ago, and this infection looks nasty. I’ll have to keep healing him, crap, if only we had a priest, my healing specializes in closing wounds and regrowing flesh, but a priest could purify the infection easily. Nyota may have more success, but I would genuinely kill for some penicillin right now.
“Portals!” Shouted Rhendal.
At his warning cry all souls present leapt into action, Liam sprinted back up the stairs, thankful for the morning runs that had conditioned his elderly body. Now he was only gasping for air when he reached the top of the palisades, instead of limping up them with a cane.
A portal materialized close to the wall, near enough to see through it, into a city of ancient stone and red dawns.
“Wait! Do not ssshoot them!” Shrieked Phaedra, slithering forward and placing herself between the five portals.
Rhendal glanced to Liam, who shook his head, making the decision right then and there to give peace a chance. Phaedra had brought Jenkins home, he could at least hear her out.
“Hold men! Do not fire unless you are fired upon.” Ordered Liam.
“Bloody Heaven! Are you sure my lord?” Asked Soren, his gesticulating hands pausing around a bolt of dark mana.
“Phaedra! Who is coming through the portals?” Shouted Liam.
“Sssshield your eyessss! My daughtersss cannot control their gorgon eyessss!” Hissed the medusa.
“A cunning ploy if they mean to take the city.” Whispered Eldred.
“Enough!” Snapped Liam.
Despite Baron Green’s ruthless life, Liam wished for peace, to end bloodshed whenever possible. Peace with the medusai could be a first step on that path… Or the end of his army.
Not wanting to choose, Liam focused his newly acquired dark affinity into small orbs, dark purple plates of energy coalesced into a crude visor with a prong sticking out of it at each end, crude sunglasses that seated themselves on the soldier’s faces.
“Truly excellent control of mana my lord, but it may not be enough to stop their curse.” Opined Rhendal, his tone one of curiosity instead of concern.
Of course the old man doesn’t care if he gets rock hard… Dammit Jenkins, you are back for five minutes and I'm thinking in dick jokes. This isn’t the time!
“Do not fire at them unless they attack first!” Repeated Liam.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Liam raised both finger guns, holding them at the ready. Five purple orbs flattened into portals and five gorgons slithered into his world. Scintillating scales greeted Liam’s eyes, highlighting the daughters in a prismatic spray of dawn. Phaedra stood head and shoulders above her brighter daughters, but this did nothing to calm his fear of the deadly rainbow. One of the daughters was an electric shade of green and her red eyes shone malevolently in the dawn, like red jewels of blood.
He swallowed, giving his fingers and toes an experimental wiggle. Air whooshed from his lungs when he found them in working order. And Liam shivered, finding his relief immiscible with terror.
I should have been more careful. If I die, so do the wounded… No, Nyota has always been able to heal more than I can. She’ll keep the people alive when I am gone.
Brilliant electric yellow burst into vision, dazzling his eyes with her impossible shine. The managlasses did little to suppress her color and Liam found himself blinking as the final daughter emerged from the portal completely.
Three rattlesnakes like Phaedra and then the greenest tree viper I’ve ever seen, followed by a mirror polished banana viper. Bright colors usually indicate toxicity in snakes, so all we are missing is a sea snake venomous enough to kill the entire city in a single strike. Ah, that’s terrifying.
Loud hissing noises reached the guards, accompanied by the buzzing of rattles and the sound of armored scales rubbing across similarly armored scales. Several daughters glanced towards the battlements, eliciting sharp hisses from Phaedra. All five closed their human eyes, while their hair tensed, snakelocks raising to view the world.
… Can they see through their hair?! That’s… How is that even possible? Does the optical nerve run the length of their hair? What? Liam felt a headache coming on, and realized now wasn’t the time for anatomical curiosities.
Phaedra seems to be rounding them up. I wonder if she is larger than them because she is older or because of something else. The two arboreal viper girls are almost as tall, but only half as thicc.
“Lord Liam, have you ever seen so many portals in such a small space?” Questioned Rhendal.
“No… Those gorgons have to step on, or uh… slither across each other just to clear their own portals. I thought one might get stuck halfway through.” Added Arlet, a bit too hopeful sounding for Liam’s tastes.
“Cover your eyes and open the gate, if they can manipulate portals then this plague is over.” Said Liam, heading for the stairs.
A moment later he had an orb of darkness covering his head and was approaching the six gorgons. Phaedra saw him first and hissed at the others who slithered behind her, hiding their eyes from Liam.
“Are these the sisters you came for?” Asked Liam, voice muffled slightly from his sphere of mana.
“Sssome, not all. Do you come to sslay uss?” Asked Phaedra.
Her use of the human tongue made the daughters face her, giving her strange looks as they failed to understand her words.
So the medusai aren’t beasts or monsters. They are capable of reason and thought… And we turned them into jerky… Oh what the fuck… Thought Liam, immediately feeling queasy. But he had a mission, one his stomach could not overcome.
“I have never seen portals open so close to one another, nor have I felt the currents of their mana ebb and flow with such precision. What did you do? Are you the source of these portals?” Demanded Liam.
Phaedra’s snake hair shifted, looking at something on the battlements before returning to Liam.
“Jenkinsss lookss well.” She said.
“I am a healer, as is my wife.” Said Liam, in way of explanation.
“You are Lord Liam then?” She asked, sounding strangely mundane.
Liam was fascinated by her face and jaw, clearly humanoid, but instead of incisors there was a row of fangs, no doubt venomous. While her tongue seemed human, yet thinner. I would love a closer look, but this is NOT the time for anatomical curiosity!
“Indeed I am, however, I require an answer.” Warned Liam.
“Jenkinsss ssspoke highly of you… The anssswer is complex… Yesss, we manipulated the portalsss, but not me. I have no magic, Jenkinsss sswore you were an honessst man. Ssso I will trusst you. My ssisster, Calypssso, gave me a cryssstal to sssend our daughtersss home. But it takess a mage to usse.” Hissed Phaedra, unable to hide her accent any longer.
Calypso can control portal spawns and open portals to send them home? We could open a portal in front of other portals or we could force all the portals to spawn inside an ambush! AND we don’t have to fight the medusai anymore?! SIGN ME UP BABY!
“Ahem, that crystal can send your daughters home… Name the price, no, you said you needed a mage to use it. I can provide several such magi.” Offered Liam, extending a hand towards Phaedra.
She reared back, jerking her torso away from the outstretched hand.
“Do not touch me fool!” She hissed.
“Oh, uhm my apologies lady Phaedra. I meant no offense.”
“You missstake the meaning. Our hair hass a mind of itss own and reflexesss too. ” Said Phaedra, roughly brushing several of her hair snakes out of her face.
One hissed at her and struck, fangs met diminutive scales, spraying venom across her knuckles. The deadly liquid glistened in the morning sunlight as she extended the hand towards Liam.
“Are you alright?” Asked Liam numbly, thanking Taloc for the shadowshield that hid his wide eyed expression.
“Yess, do not touch usss without thought.” She said.
Liam swallowed, considering killing all the gorgons then and there, striking them down to save his own family. He weighed their six lives against the lives of Rhendal, Jenkins, Arlet, and finally Nyota, including her life last since he understood his own heart and knew she would unbalance the problem. The equation skewed impossibly to one side, if Phaedra would not give him this power he would have to take it by force. But he’d slain her sisters or daughters with little provocation. After all, hadn’t he struck first against the medusas?
“That crystal your sister gave you could save my people, is it possible for us to work together on this matter? It would take a great deal of effort on your part to avoid… any accidents...” Said Liam slowly.
Phaedra saw his body tense and felt his mana begin to flow, coursing through his body as it prepared to answer his command.
“You are a mage, I am not. We will sssubmit to you in payment for magic. I asssk that you clothe and feed my daughtersss, let them hunt for matesss.”
What did she just ask? Thought Liam.
“Uhm, that sounds highly agreeable, we have plenty of clothing to spare, but feeding you is… a challenge. I will give you all that I can of course, but my own people linger on the brink of starvation. The portals appeared at our most exposed and we are unable to harvest food without armed guards. Well, assuming you don’t eat humans, like the legend of medusa and her two sisters suggested.” Offered Liam.
Phaedra made a strange hissing noise, one that was even in tone and pronunciation but interspersed with even intakes of breath. Is she laughing? Ick. I feel like a rattlesnake crawled into my ear and is about to tear me limb from limb then poison what is left!
“We are not canniblesss. We do not eat other humansss.” Said Phaedra, turning to her daughters and speaking in their strange tongue.
Oh dear God! I thought Jenkins was tripping balls! They actually think of themselves as humans! What? How in the world? Wait, the legend of Medusa said she was once human, but was cursed to become a gorgon… Oh, that’s… terrifying. Does that mean this is Jenkin’s new girlfriend?
Liam clapped his hands against his cheeks, attempting to slap the thought from his mind. Phaedra did not hear him, or ignored the odd gesture. Instead spending several moments in discussion with the gorgons she called her daughters. An unusual amount of discourse passed between the two brightly colored daughters and Phaedra with subtle glances from the hair snakes aimed at Liam.
“We accept your offers. Clothe usss, feed uss, and let usss pick our matesss. In exchange we will erradicate your enemiesss from off the face of thisss world.” Swore Phaedra.
“Oh uhm… You were serious about the mates! I- uh… I didn’t realize you liked human men- it’s just that you look so different…” Blathered Liam, his speech crippled at the prospect of gorgons romancing his soldiers.
Phaedra made no move, remaining as silent as a statue.
“You are… uh, free to date my subjects… but I must warn you of the culture here, each man and woman in my domain is free to select their romantic partners! I cannot decide that for them. If you find any who are… uhm… willing… then I will not stand in your way…” Added Liam.
Phaedra shrugged, communicating his conditions to her daughters. A few of them made the hissing noise he recognized as laughter but all seemed to agree.
An hour Later and approximately an eternity of arguments later, Jenkins led the newest Sintran company into town, guiding them through one of the smaller side gates after he had procured strips of cloth to conceal their gorgon eyes. The yellow and green daughters had to be led by the hand, something about them being too young to use the eyes of their hair snakes. Although Liam wondered if they were just trying to make the first move on his men.
What did I agree too!?! Thought Liam.
Jenkins had initially baulked at the order, vehemently resisting until Liam demanded he repay his life debt to Phaedra. A task that became palatable when Rhendal and Soren eagerly joined the gorgons, falling victim to their magely curiosity. Rapidly irking Phaedra by bombarding her with every question imaginable. An inconvenience that turned to delight as she realized they were both mages. Answering their questions and teaching them her language, in exchange for charging the crystal. Now Liam stood in the command tower, sitting on the small bed he shared with Nyota.
“Hey babe, want to talk about what happened?” Said Liam Softly.
Nyota’s ears twitched, facing away from where he was sitting.
Did she just give me a cold ear? I can’t really blame her, I shouldn’t have said what I did.
“I got caught up in the chaos of the moment, I didn’t want anyone to die, but I shouldn’t have snapped at you, you aren’t one of my soldiers or knights.”
“Go away!”
“Do you really want me to leave you alone?”
“No…”
“Nyota…”
Several quiet moments passed, neither of them wanting to speak or wanting to leave.
“Not mad.” mumbled Nyota.
Liam gently ran his fingers through her fluffy tail.
“Do you remember what I said after I learned what happened to the Eclipsiarchs?” Asked Liam.
“Stupid. You’re so stupid.”
“Yes I am stupid. Stupidly in love with you.” Said Liam, knowing he had broken her funk.
“Nya! I am mad because you helped a snakey snack find her family first!” Shouted Nyota, covering her mouth in shock.
Liam’s mouth opened in surprise.
“Oh, uhm… Snakey snack? Ha ha. I am not sure which is more terrifying, you calling a gorgon a snack, or them hearing you.” Laughed Liam, mouth agape.
At the sight of his reaction Nyota hid her face beneath the pillows, blushing bright red with embarrassment. Liam pursued her with a smile, playfully trying to dig through the pillow fort. She resisted him, extending her claws and clinging to the pillows, but she put no real strength behind her bluff.
Grabbing her by the wrists, he shifted his weight on top of hers, forcing her hands above her head. With her hands restrained, Liam bit the pillow, easily removing the loose object from her face and casting it aside. Nyota’s face flushed a brighter red as her cover vanished.
“I’m sorry babe. I took care of Phaedra’s family before I could find yours. Let’s go to Blackwood Castle and bring your children home.” Whispered Liam.
“No! He’ll kill me! And you too. Don’t go…” Said Nyota, voice fading as she spoke.
“Just like the king will kill me if I go to the capital?” Asked Liam.
“That’s not fair!” Cried Nyota.
“Ha, Blackwood is in the king’s dungeon. You have nothing to fear from him any longer. I’ll never forget the hell he put you through. But… killing him won’t make it right, saving your daughters is something we should have done ourselves. Leaving it up to a letter doesn’t honor my promise to you! I’m sorry, will you forgive me for not taking care of your heart?” Liam asked.
As he spoke she went limp in his arms, gazing intently into his eyes.
“No one has ever asked for my forgiveness…” Whispered Nyota.
Liam let go of Nyota’s wrists, and slid one of the loose pillows under her head.
“I failed you. It’s only right to apologize and seek forgiveness before I try again.”
“I never thought you would actually try and find them… How could you? Only Blackwood knows where they are or… What he did to them.” Whispered Nyota, tears filling her eyes as she spoke.
“Didn’t you hear King Aldric? All of Blackwood’s slaves are ours, you already own their freedom. Let’s make sure they’re safe.”
“Nya, you actually care about them. About my children. Even though you’ve never met them.” Nyota whispered, tears falling freely as she spoke.
“How could I not? They are your family! Just like you are my family.” Whispered Liam, wiping away her tears.
Her face felt soft beneath his fingers. Nyota wiggled beneath him, engulfing him in the tightest hug of his life. His shoulders relaxed, and he met her embrace with his own. Wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in. Soon her tears turned into kisses, and it was not long until they were in the throes of passion.
For the first time since the lightning strike had brought him to this world, Liam’s shriveled old soldier performed as he should. Doing his duty to mutual satisfaction.