"We have recovered the three bodies from the holding cells. One had lost his hands and all three are pretty messed up." said a four-armed man in a modified lab coat.

"Feed the handless to the ghouls. Send the other two to undead integration. The hatred in them will be useful," said the second man with a tattoo of four vertical lines on both sides of his face. He buttoned up a black dress shirt and donned a jacket. The strides he took when walking showed control and confidence. The door closed behind him and the night air entered his lungs, not caring that he was on borrowed time he lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

"HS has failed in the underground holding cells. Suggestion to not use them as they are substandard. Three bodies were retrieved, two possibly salvageable. Records indicate that they have some negative dealings with Arthur. I've sent them to integration." He texted his master.

"Good job. Gather the ritualists. We are opening a closed labyrinth and begin another staging ground."

The man looked at the received message. One more ritual, one more million credits, and one more mark on his face. He knew when he reached ten, his body would be used up as a conduit for necrotic energy. He would have died already if he hadn't taken this risky assignment.

"Get ready, directions to follow," he called a contact who was another ritualist and tasked with calling the rest.

Later that evening, ten-robed figures stood around an archway of a labyrinth. There were twenty more guards in combat fatigues and sporting assault rifles and handguns.

"There used to be a pedestal by the archway, did we remove it? or did it get stolen?"

The leading ritualist stared at the missing pedestal walking over to a limousine and tapping on the tinted windows. "We have a variation. The pedestal is missing. Should we proceed?"

The window opened just a crack and a woman's voice answered an affirmative.

The leading ritualist looked at the faces of the other robed figure and patted the shoulder of the one with nine marks on her face. "We proceed."

They formed a circle in front of the archway and began to chant while performing a synchronized rune drawing on the ground. The pattern slowly grew as the drawing became more intricate and connected with the other runes to form a magical circle.

The area grew darker as the energies from the circle seemed to absorb light. The dark tendrils of energy reached out to connect to the archway at various points. Everyone could feel the surge of energy from the circle as the tendrils thickened and appeared more like giant tentacles.

The woman with the nine marks moved to the center of the circle and released her robe, letting her naked body feel the night air. No one would be able to see her since the very center of the magical circle was devoid of light. The energies enveloped her and ran through her as she had done for the last nine times. This was her last and she knew that her body would be used up as part of the process. She had no regrets, her family would get the credits she earned and she had prolonged her life long enough to handle her loose ends. The energy surged stronger and she grit her teeth, not allowing herself to even yell as she felt her body start to disintegrate.

The energy pulsed once and abruptly ended. The dark tentacles dispersed. The ritualists murmured amongst each other, admiring their comrade who hadn't made any sound through her last ritual.

"Where's the gate? Why didn't it open?"

The leading ritualist looked at the archway in confusion. The ritual was done, the sacrifice was given, and the gate should have been open. He started to walk towards the limousine and saw it pull away.

A guard walked up and said, "Get yourself, Seven and Eight in a car. You are dismissed for the night." The leading ritualist nodded and walked over to quietly extricate the other two and they drove away. He glanced at the rearview mirror and saw the sparks that indicated gunfire. The rest of the ritualists were being purged.

"This is the second labyrinth we have failed at. The other one was the one used during the mission. What's going on?" asked Eight.

"Need to know and we don't know. Just go about your usual life until you are called again," said the leading ritualist who drove another hour before dropping the two off at a parking lot that had their cars.

----------------------------------------

The little faerie Telaga stared at a plate in front of her. She sniffed the air at the food offered to her. "What is it?"

"French fries," said Arthur as he put a couple into his mouth.

"Does it have mana?" she asked crinkling her nose. "Faeries only eat and drink things that contain mana." She said stiffly.

"This is your first time out of the labyrinth, right?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I will eat anything put in front of me."

"You haven't even tried it. There are a lot more things to eat on this side of the labyrinth. I'm just starting you off with something simple that most people eat."

Telaga watched as Valkyrie and Danistrae ate their burgers and fries. She was already upset that Scorpion's name was Danistrae. She was more upset that other than Arthur, the two women had alternate names.

"I rather have something with mana in it."

Arthur rubbed his temples, "You made a promise, heed and obey remember? If you do that, I might try to look for something with mana for you to consume."

The four-inch-tall faery unfolded her arms and picked up a small chunk of a french fry that had been cut by the elf. The golden yellow fry chunk was about half the size of her head. She made a face again before attempting to bite a corner. She was forced to eat human food. She hated the thought of it. She hated the smell of it. She... she... devoured the chunk like the tooth fairy in that movie with the shorn horn red devil guy.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Arthur smirked and continued to eat as he watched the little faerie begin to devour more on the plate.

The two women giggled at the cute site.

Telaga ate three chunks before she looked at her hands coated with an oily substance. She looked around and flew over to Arthur's shoulder and wiped her hands and face clean on his white shirt.

"Hey, we use napkins or paper towels for that!" said the annoyed young man.

"Not my fault you didn't tell me how you HUMANS do things," she flew in front of his face stuck her tongue out, and darted onto Scor... Danistrae's shoulder and sat there rubbing her stomach.

"Let me know if you get hungry or feel sick. We just want to know if you can eat human food and how it affects you," whispered the elf to the faery.

"Why would I feel sick? We faeries are made of sterner stuff. We have lived longer than humans after all," proudly said Telaga with her chest puffed out. It only made her more cute in the eyes of the three.

"How long does your invisibility last? Does it drain you the longer you keep it up?"

"Any use of magical spell or ability drains mana. You should know this already being someone who could cast spells. And for your information, my invisibility can last as long as I am awake. I have a big reservoir of mana in my body," she bragged.

Arthur ate the last bit of his burger and sipped his soda. The fizzle of the carbonated drink caught Telaga's attention. Arthur noticed.

"Want to try this?" he asked but reached for a teaspoon knowing that she was interested. He spooned a little bit and brought it closer to the little faery.

"It smells sweet," she said as she hovered in the air and took a sip at the edge of the teaspoon. "It's very sweet. And it tickles my throat." She sipped more and began to hiccup. She lost her concentration on flying and started to fall but Valkyrie caught her in her palm.

The human consort of Arthur used her pinky to lightly tap her back until she burped a loud exhalation. The hiccup disappeared and she stared at the teaspoon with a mix of delight and disgust.

"Maybe it's an acquired taste for faeries." Arthur put the spoon on the plate. "I don't see any mana crystals on you, are you able to use mana from crystals?"

"Of course but I never needed mana outside of myself."

"Have you ever tried invisibility for the whole day?"

She opened her mouth to answer but stopped and tilted her head to look left then right, "Ummm I don't think I've ever tried that."

"Well, this would be a good test. Let's go shopping at a mall and see how long Telaga can last before she gets mana-depleted. Dani, can you wear a shirt with front pockets just in case she needs to hide quickly."

"Sure my king," smiled Dani as she got up to change. Telaga kept looking around at the vast house of the Vanderbilts.

"Was it a good idea bringing her to Earth?" asked his girlfriend as she slid closer and snuggled close.

"It wasn't my idea. It was Queen Titania's idea to give her some exposure and experience. I'm just trying to accommodate even if she is a little annoying at times."

"She is cute though. Maybe we can find her some doll outfits so that she has other clothes?"

"Do you think she would like shopping?"

"She's a girl. She'll love it," she grinned.

The trip to the mall was uneventful but the little faerie sat on top of the rearview mirror to stare out the front. She would ask what the blinking lights were for that Arthur kept stopping at. She was fascinated by how humans had different looks and styles in clothing. She remarked on how cruel it was to leash a dog and limit their freedom.

Turning into a parking spot, Arthur shut the car off. "Tela, once we leave the car I would like you to stay invisible. You can become visible when we have determined no one is watching and we are alone. Our buildings have electronic surveillance devices that can record our activities."

"Tela? Tela? That's not my name!" She turned around in the rearview mirror and glared at Arthur.

"It's like me shortening Danistrae to Dani. It's a nickname. A shortened version of your name that denotes familiarity between the two people. The closer they are the more they do that."

"You don't do it with Valkyrie!"

"That's because her name is Amy and when I use it, it is already short. We also have terms of endearment that I use with my two ladies."

Telaga's face turned bright red, "Are.... are... you saying you like me like that???"

The three laughed and had to explain it all over again with more platonic overtones.

They exited the car and Telaga went invisible. She kept close to Dani's ear so she could whisper when she had questions.

The crowd mesmerized the little faerie. Amy and Dani decided to split off and look at more girly stuff. Arthur pointed at two stores indicating that they could find him at the bookstore or the electronics store.

Arthur walked into the bookstore and checked the sci-fi and fantasy titles. He hadn't looked at books in a few months. He picked up a new sourcebook about the undead and decided he would get it. He went down the bookshelf to the end and walked around to go down another aisle.

A guy with a clipboard walked up and started to chat him up about signing the petition to help save marine life. Arthur had time to waste and listened for a little bit when the guy stabbed him with the pen and injected something into his arm.

The injected substance was quick-acting and he was already feeling lightheaded. He attempted to yell but a second person came behind him to muffle his mouth and prevent him from falling. The two of them quickly carried him out of the store. When the store clerks asked if they needed to call a medical emergency, they said they were taking him to the hospital.

The two goons got Arthur into the parking lot and quickly made their way to their white van. One fumbled with the keys and opened the back and they tossed the unconscious man into the back. The one who injected the drug jumped in to zip-tie his limbs and duct-tape his mouth.

"Let's go. This is going to be a sweet and quick ten million dollars," said the man when he turned around to see his friend on the ground. A woman wearing a baggy oversized hoodie and sweats stood over the body.

He reached for the gun tucked behind his pants but before he could take it out, the woman already jumped into the van and kneed him in the jewels. He was forced to kneel in pain as he stared up and saw the knee coming at his face.

Arthur slowly woke up. He blinked a few times and noticed that he was still dizzy. He was lying on something soft and turned his head to look into the almond-shaped eyes of a red-haired Asian woman. Before he could say anything, the woman bent down and kissed him deeply.

"You saved me once when we were little. I promised that I would return the favor," she whispered with her accented voice that sent shivers down his spine. "I am bound to you Arthur, ever since I tasted your blood. I have returned to be with you."

He looked at her in confusion, "Could you have mistaken me for someone else? Where am I? I was in a bookstore."

"We are under a tree in the same parking lot. You were drugged and abducted by two men. I have taken care of them," she said as she stroked the hair on his head, sending more shivers and a feeling of comfort. "I wouldn't mistake you for anyone. I still remember your scent and the taste of your blood. I remember how you stood up against the boys who tried to harm me. They beat you up bad."

He slowly sat up and felt the dizziness and remained where he was on her lap. "Are you saying you were that two-tailed fox that I saw? What's your name?"

"Ema Hayashi. Yes I was that fox and you gave me my second tail when I tasted your blood," she smiled.

"Thank you for helping me. I still don't understand a lot but we do have a lot to discuss," he muttered as he felt like he was going to slip into unconsciousness again.

He reached for his phone and saw several missed calls and texts. He didn't bother to read and placed a call. "Amy, I'm outside the mall by a tree in the parking lot. I'm not feeling well and someone helped me. Her name is Ema..." he closed his eyes into unconsciousness.

"Hello... hello Arthur... answer me..." came the voice from the phone.

Ema picked it up, "My name is Ema, Arthur is unconscious."