Chronicles of Eden_Act XI Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Artwork

  Copyright

  Chronicles of Eden

  Author:

  Alexander Gordon

  Illustrations:

  Nuciferyne

  Copyright © 2018

  All rights are reserved to the author. No part of this ebook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  www.agordonpublishing.com

  Chapter 1

  Dangerous Decision

  In the world of Eden every action had a consequence. For every choice made there would be an outcome that was either favored or lamented. Sometimes the end result could easily be seen beforehand, other times it was unexpected or not quite what was sought out. It was always important to consider the possibilities of one’s own actions before moving forward with them, both for themselves and for those who could be affected by their decision. Even if it seemed like the right choice to make or there was no other options to take that didn’t mean it was the right path to follow.

  Of course this didn’t always stop those from following that path.

  *****

  Under the night sky all was quiet in what was once the centaur kingdom, Ruhelia. An ominous scar stretched across the land where the centaur homeland used to be, no lingering traces of the monsters who lived there remaining after disaster had befallen them. The only ones that were still among the living were a group of travelers who had made camp atop a knoll at the outskirts of the now barren landscape.

  “This is not what I expected to find,” Daniel lamented, standing on the hilltop next to a few of his mates who were also gazing upon the depressing sight.

  “How the fuck did monsters do that?” Clover asked waving ahead at the large crevice that was dug through Eden. “Even with those bomb things the ant girls were using they couldn’t have done all this.”

  “It’s all gone,” Luna sadly said with drooping wings. “Everything. Kroanette’s going to be heartbroken when she sees this.”

  “She should be here soon,” Falla guessed looking up at sky. “I’m willing to bet even if she doesn’t come from the path behind us we’ll know she got here by her screaming. I’m sure we’ll hear it loud and clear from here.”

  “I don’t understand how it got this bad,” Cindy said tilting her head in confusion. In her arms Snapper was quietly sleeping while remaining still as stone, the youngling being gently rocked in Cindy’s arms as the wraith looked over the scarred landscape with a troubled grimace.

  “There were at least buildings standing when you were here last, yes?” Specca asked.

  “Yeah, there were. Now there’s nothing. Where did everything go?”

  Daniel looked around at the bleak sight then up as something caught his eye. The girls also took notice of Kitten and Alyssa flying down towards them, the demon flapping her wings to slow her decent while Alyssa rode on her staff alongside her.

  “Did you find anything?” Daniel asked.

  “Nothing,” Alyssa answered shaking her head in disbelief. “There isn’t anyone or anything out there. It’s just… gone. Everything is gone.”

  “There is something,” Kitten remarked glancing back to the crevice. “I can see a large disruption in the magical ether over that scar. Whatever did this was caused by a tremendous force of power.”

  “Magic did that?” Clover said pointing ahead.

  “Something with a great deal of magical power,” Kitten replied. “I can see the ethereal trails of the magical currents that flow through this world very clearly, and right over there is a big distortion of energy.”

  “How big?” Daniel worried.

  “I couldn’t even cause that much of a ripple in the ether if I tried,” Kitten told him. “Master, whatever did that, the amount of power it exuded… nothing could have survived it. Not even me.”

  “What the hell did that then?” Clover asked shaking her head.

  “Whatever it was it’s gone now,” Alyssa answered with a shrug. “We flew all over, couldn’t find a single survivor or even a remnant of the kingdom that once stood here. Ruhelia was completely wiped off the face of Eden.”

  “Can you see where that energy source went?” Daniel asked Kitten.

  “No,” she said looking down in thought. “Aside from the big surge of ether lingering about out there I couldn’t make out any noticeable trails of monster energy traveling away from it. Whatever caused this is able to move around without standing out.”

  “So whatever did this is still out there?” Falla worried. “It could even be around here still?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Alyssa replied. “Though I don’t think it’s around here. Kitten and I couldn’t find anything near here that looked suspicious. Whatever did this is likely long gone now.”

  “But Kroanette’s out there somewhere,” Luna feared. “Oh no, what if she runs right into whatever did this? Or those monsters that attacked her home? Or other monsters that didn’t do this and didn’t attack her home but aren’t nice either? Or what if-”

  “Stop, Luna,” Falla ordered grabbing hold of her sister. “Stop talking about stuff like that, it’s making me more worried about her.”

  “Pip’s with her though, right?” Clover reasoned. “Kroanette’s got a fairy by her side, if anything were to try to mess with her Pip would blast it to dust without a sweat.”

  “I’m not sure Pip would be much protection against whatever did that,” Kitten said pointing to the massive crevice carved into the land. “She’s strong for a fairy, but not that strong. This thing would probably use her as a toothpick before snapping her like one.”

  “No,” Cindy whined with a frown. “I don’t want Pip being broken. I like her.”

  “You’re not helping here,” Clover barked at Kitten.

  “Kitten,” Specca scolded. “We don’t need to be thinking about something so grim at a time like this.”

  “I’m just telling the truth,” Kitten defended holding her hands up. “Though Kroanette does have her refraction bracelets on, right? She can’t be harmed by magical attacks. That’s something positive to think about.”

  “That’s right,” Alyssa agreed with a smile. “If anything tries to attack her with magic they won’t be able to hurt her.”

  “Unless of course the magic annihilated the entire land around her,” Kitten mused looking back to the crevice. “The spell itself wouldn’t touch her, but everything around her blowing up and being turned into a fiery hellstorm could easily kill her all the same.”

  Luna cried out and clung to Falla while sobbing, with Cindy watching them worriedly before she started whimpering and coddling Snapper closer to her. Daniel and the others watched them with concern then turned to Kitten with dull stares as she was smiling nervously at Daniel now.

  “You suck at comforting others, you know that?” Clover dryl
y asked.

  “You could have left it at she was safe with her bracelets on,” Specca scoffed. “At least for our peace of mind.”

  “Um… sorry?” Kitten slowly said with a shrug.

  “Are you?” Alyssa derided with a raised eyebrow.

  Daniel shook his head at the cambion then looked around at the ruined landscape while growing more concerned over what caused such a distressing sight.

  “She has her refraction bracelets, she’s very fast, and she has Pip with her. She should be safe until she reaches us.”

  “Um, Master?” Kitten said pointing behind him. The group turned to see a blue streak of light zigzagging around the approaching valley and several trees, a small wail being heard from it as it drew closer before it finally raced over and shot down into Kitten’s shirt.

  “Boobies!” Pip cheered as her legs kicked about above the girl’s bosom.

  “Pip?” Daniel wondered.

  “Wait, what’s she doing here alone?” Specca nervously asked as she quickly searched for any sign of a centaur that had yet to arrive. Kitten reached into her chest and pulled the fairy out, the little monster gasping for air before smiling brightly at her.

  “Hello! I found your boobies!”

  “What are you doing here?” Kitten asked. “My master told you to find Kroanette and stay with her, didn’t he?”

  “I couldn’t find her,” Pip said shaking her head.

  “What?” Daniel worried.

  “I couldn’t find her,” Pip repeated as Kitten let her flutter up into the air. “I went this way and that way and every way around the trail that led here, but I couldn’t find her. I don’t know where she is.”

  “You’re kidding me,” Alyssa feared grabbing her hat. “Again? Kroanette got lost again? And at a time like this?”

  “She really has no sense of direction, does she?” Clover flatly asked.

  “But this was her home!” Specca cried out. “Surely she had to have known how to get here of all places, wouldn’t she?”

  The group looked to each other then down in silence as they all realized that Kroanette getting lost even when heading towards her homeland was a very believable scenario.

  “We need to pin a map to her belt,” Falla suggested.

  “She can’t be lost now though,” Luna fretted. “There are bad monsters around here. She’s in danger being all alone.”

  “We need to find her,” Alyssa said looking down in frustration. “And she could literally be anywhere out there. She could have even gotten turned around and ran straight back to Trixton Pass where those monsters hunters live.”

  “I’m sorry,” Pip frowned. “I tried to find her. I really did.”

  “It’s okay,” Cindy reassured her. “You tried. And you’re not broken, that’s a good thing.”

  “Kroanette,” Specca feared. “Oh dear, where could she have gone?”

  “Should we go looking for her?” Clover asked.

  “Any idea where to start?” Kitten dryly replied. “She could have run off in any direction. She has no sense of navigation at all, and that can’t be any better during the night. She might have even charged right off a cliff by now.”

  “Kitten!” Specca shouted at her. “Stop saying such things about her! You’re not helping at all!”

  “Sorry,” Kitten said with a weak smile.

  “I really doubt you are,” Alyssa flatly retorted.

  “Daniel?” Luna whimpered looking over to him. “What should we do? Kroanette’s lost and she’s in danger out there.”

  Daniel thought for a while on what to do, knowing his centaur could be running blindly into trouble at any moment while also being anywhere out in The Outerlands at this point. After thinking carefully on what to do he turned to the girls as they waited for his answer.

  “Kitten, I want you to go back out there with Pip. Check further down the path and see if Kroanette is just a little behind with getting here. This is her home, I’m going to have faith she knows how to get back here, she could just be a little lost at the moment. Find her and guide her back.”

  “We’ll try,” Kitten said with an uncertain look towards the valley. “Though knowing her she’s likely more than ‘a little lost’.”

  “We’ll find her and her boobies this time,” Pip promised with a salute.

  The cambion flapped her wings and took off into the air with Pip zipping alongside her, the two flying off into the distance together before vanishing from sight. Daniel watched them leave with eyes that conveyed his own doubt of finding the wayward centaur before turning to the girls who had troubled looks on their faces still.

  “Nobody else is to leave the campsite,” he ordered. “I want all of you staying close until the others return. This isn’t friendly territory anymore, we need to watch our backs out here.”

  “I don’t really feel like flying around here anyway,” Falla mentioned as she and Luna were sticking close to each other.

  “Daniel,” Specca said quickly moving closer to him. “What if Kitten and Pip can’t find her? What-”

  “Right now all we can do is believe they can,” Daniel reasoned while taking her into his arms. “Maybe Kroanette is almost here, maybe Kitten and Pip will find her near the path, that’s all we can hope for right now. We know Kroanette is racing to get here, this is the best place we can be to find her. We’ll wait until she arrives, we know she’s coming here.”

  Specca nodded while snuggling closer to him in his arms, the nixie and all the other girls trying to hold onto hope that Kroanette would be there soon. Daniel gently rubbed the girl’s back while her tail wrapped around his leg then glanced over to the carriage nearby.

  “You girls go on inside. Doku and the others should have dinner just about ready. I’m going to wait out here a little longer. Go on ahead and try to keep calm about this, I’m sure Kroanette is fine and will be here any minute now.”

  The girls nodded before Specca gave Daniel a quick kiss, the nixie and the others then making their way towards their home while Clover remained behind. The girls stopped at the carriage door and looked back to see the elf watching Daniel with her twintails swaying in the breeze.

  “I’ll stay too,” Clover offered. “I’m not leaving my man out here alone in a place like this.”

  “I’ll be fine, Clover,” Daniel reassured. “I’m not going anywhere, I’m staying right here next to our home.”

  “And so am I,” Clover stated crossing her arms.

  “Clover-”

  “I’m not taking my eyes off you!” Clover shouted, catching everyone by surprise. “This is clearly not a safe place to be and like fucking hell I’m leaving you alone! I don’t care if you’re three feet from the fucking door, I’m not leaving your side when there could be who knows what watching you from the shadows.”

  Daniel smiled a little and shook his head then walked up to the elf, gently running his fingers around the girl’s bangs before nodding at her.

  “Alright, if you’re so insistent.”

  “I am,” Clover agreed taking hold of his hand. “I just got you. I’m not taking any chances with losing you.”

  “You’re not going to lose me, Clover.”

  “I’m not taking any chances,” she firmly repeated, then looked down with worried eyes while tightly holding is hand. “I’m not letting anything take you away from me. I already lost someone I loved before because I walked away when I shouldn’t have. I’m not going to let that happen again. Never…”

  Daniel watched the elf falling silent while closing her eyes, her hand gripping his firmly while taking hold of it with the other. He smirked and then saw the other girls watching with slight smiles on their faces.

  “She really is opening up more with us,” Specca marveled.

  “She’s definitely changed a lot since we first met her,” Luna mentioned.

  “Daniel really can bring out the best of anyone he meets,” Falla agreed with a warm smile.

  “I really like him,” Cindy g
iggled before looking down to Snapper while coddling her.

  “I think we should stay out here with Daniel too,” Alyssa reasoned with a nod. “We’ll all keep watch for Kroanette together and-”

  “I can watch over Dan just fine on my own!” Clover shouted at them. “He told you girls to get the fuck inside and stay safe so do it! What are you waiting for? Get going! Can’t you see we’re having a fucking moment over here? Goddammit!”

  Cindy stared at Clover in surprise while everyone else watched the elf with blank expressions, seeing the girl growling with frustration before quickly stepping closer to Daniel’s side and holding onto his arm.

  “Then again,” Falla dryly commented. “She hasn’t changed that much since we first met her.”

  Alyssa held in her scoff then looked to Daniel, the boy shaking his head a little with a weak smile at them before Clover tugged his arm to pull him closer.

  “Why don’t you girls go inside and see how dinner is coming?” Daniel suggested. “We’ll keep watch for Kroanette a little longer then join you.”

  “You heard our man,” Clover snapped. “Get going. We’ve got this.”

  “I can already think of one dinner conversation we’re going to have tonight,” Alyssa flatly mentioned before heading towards the ride.

  “Clover, honestly,” Specca sighed before following the witch.

  “Why was she being so loud?” Cindy asked as Falla and Luna guided her away.

  “That’s just how she is,” Falla answered with a shrug.

  “At least she didn’t wake Snapper,” Luna said as she watched the swarm sleeping peacefully with a small twitch of her antennae.

  Daniel watched the girls enter their home then turned to Clover as she was glancing up to him with a small blush and a nervous smile.

  “You didn’t need to yell at them like that,” he said shaking his head.

  “I’m sorry. I just wanted a little time with just you and me. Is that so wrong?”

  Daniel smirked slightly then gave her a kiss, the elf clutching his arm closer as she eagerly kissed back. Breaking from the gesture Daniel then looked around at the ruined countryside before them with a quiet sigh.