Chronicles of Eden - Act V (42 page)

Complica was watching with amazement as Triska stood over her, sword dripping with blood and held tightly in both hands, eyes fixed into a stern glare as they watched the swarm backing away with loud screeches, clothing ripped and torn with small cuts on her shirt and pants, hair gently flowing behind her as a current of wind began to form around them, and teeth bared as she stood ready to continue with standing her ground in the way she was accustomed to. Slowly Complica looked around and saw bodies of swarm lying in the street near Triska while streaking around them now was a flying blur of blue light.

“She’s alive!” Kroanette cheered.

“Impossible,” Clover said quietly while shaking her head.

Triska kept breathing steadily as she remained on guard, the adrenaline in her veins flowing while she was still focused on fighting more than anything else. In her mind she only had one goal, to survive and see Daniel at all costs. She had lost count how many swarm she had killed, her only thoughts being to kill anything that would keep her from seeing the one she loved again. Suddenly she took notice of the blue light flying around her and also hearing a familiar and tiny voice coming from it.

“I found you!” Pip cheered as she circled around the girls wildly in a blur.

“Pip? Is that you?”

“I’ve come to bring you back, my boobies!”

Triska glanced around at seeing the swarm hissing as they slowly started to close in around them again while Complica scrambled up and clung to the girl’s leg.

“Get us back to Daniel and the others and you can do whatever you want to my boobs, Pip,” Triska promised.

“Yay!”

Complica continued to stare at Triska while being rendered speechless as the human knelt down and picked the girl up to hold close to her. Triska watched the swarm starting to get closer from all sides, the monsters no longer fearing the strange light, then looked over towards the building where the other girls were.

“Get over here you two! We’re getting out of here!” she called out while waving her sword in the air.

“Is she crazy?” Clover scoffed. “We’re not going out there.”

“Yes we are! I’m not leaving them!” Kroanette shouted before she charged out through the broken wall and galloped towards the light. Swarm in front of her turned and hissed at the girls while quickly flying at them, with Kroanette snapping her whip wildly in front of her to fend them off as she kept running to reach Triska.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Clover yelled out as she held onto the centaur and watched with surprise as the swarm started to fly around then after them while screeching loudly.

“Triska!” Kroanette cried out as she ran over and stood beside the teen, with all the girls then watching the swarm buzzing and hissing as they rapidly circled the girls and drew closer.

“Why did you bring us out here to die?” Clover demanded.

“Hurry up and do something!” Kroanette pleaded.

Complica screamed and buried her face in Triska’s shoulder, the human holding her close as she watched Pip circling around them in a blur. The swarm raced towards them before a large casting ring flared up below the girls, the brightly glowing blue and golden lights shining up while the unique markers of the fairy’s magic appeared in several intertwining rings within the circle. Again the swarm backed off as they appeared to be confused about the sudden radiance yet they continued to click and hiss while circling the girls.

“Wait a minute, what is doing that?” Clover said pointing to the moving trail of light around them.

“Get us out of here, Pip!” Kroanette anxiously whined while hopping up and down on her feet.

“Kroanette, your bracelets!” Triska warned. Kroanette looked to her with a jump as the teen sheathed her sword then pointed to the centaur’s arm bracelets. “They’ll deflect the spell around you just like last time; you’ll be left behind with those things!”

Kroanette screamed then frantically yanked one of her bracelets off before throwing it at the swarm that were cautiously approaching the girls despite the strange glowing lights. Their hissing and buzzing began to grow louder as Kroanette quickly pulled off the other bracelet and threw it away.

“WAAAH! Get us out of here!” Kroanette screamed as the monsters around them screeched and flew towards their prey.

“Here we go!” Pip cheered before she flew down in a blur onto the casting ring. A bright flash of light erupted within the village of Rackleholm, the hissing and clicking sounds of the swarm that were flying wildly about within the settlement echoing out still while the monsters lost sight of their prey that had vanished in a mere moment. The swarm continued to scour the village for anything to eat or have sex with while many hopped and crawled about the streets aimlessly, all of them unaware that the ones they had found earlier were now far, far away from the town.

*****

Daniel was sitting on the seat of the caravan, eyes gazing up at the stars while he felt confused about what had happened to him. Standing behind him in the doorway Specca and Alyssa were watching him with worried eyes while Squeak was curled up on the bed, hiding her face while she remained silent just as the other two girls had been. Daniel watched as the stars above twinkled in the night sky, his mind replaying the events of when he had drawn upon the auras of all the girls with his channeling spell, including two which he apparently had feelings for.

“I just wanted to save them from the gemini,” Daniel said looking down with a hand held over his eyes. “I wanted to protect them, yes, but… that doesn’t mean…”

“Then say you don’t love them,” Specca softly replied. “Maybe… maybe the spell does work only one way, maybe them loving you was enough for it to work.”

“Maybe,” Alyssa quietly added while watching Daniel with concern.

“I don’t love them,” Daniel said, then turned to the girls as if seeking their validation from that. “I just wanted to protect them. That doesn’t mean I love them, right?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Specca said shaking her head with a small smile. She knelt down and gently held Daniel from behind while her tail wrapped around his hand. “You’re a very chivalrous and caring person, Daniel. You wanting to save them from those monsters was a noble gesture, it shows you are protective of those around you. That doesn’t mean you love them like you do with us.”

Alyssa sighed then hopped over and sat down next to Daniel, holding onto his arm while showing a small smile as well.

“She’s right, maybe we’re just reading too much into this,” she agreed before giggling and tugging on Daniel’s arm. “We should be happy that you managed to cast your first spell. And once Triska gets back we’re going to celebrate. All of us, together.”

Daniel and Specca nodded with smiles to that before they all looked up at the sky together.

“Sounds like fun,” Specca softly said before nuzzling against Daniel’s shoulder.

“She’s probably killed all the swarm and is on her way back right now,” Daniel remarked with a small laugh, trying to hope his words were indeed true.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Alyssa agreed while holding onto his arm and resting against it.

Daniel nodded to that before they saw Falla and Luna slowly walking towards the caravan from in front of them. The two sisters were looking down while holding hands, their wings dropping slightly while Daniel and his girls exchanged glances before watching them approach the ride.

“Falla. Luna,” Daniel said as Alyssa and Specca let go of him and showed sympathetic smiles to the sisters.

“Listen, about earlier,” Specca gently said before Falla held her hand up to silence her.

“Daniel, we’re sorry,” Falla started with a remorseful frown. Luna nodded while watching him with a similar face as Falla held her hands to her head and looked down with a sigh. “But… we talked it over, and…”

“We think it’s best if we leave,” Luna finished.

“Leave?” Daniel asked worriedly.

Falla nodded then opened her mouth to speak before a bright flash erupted behind them, with everyone shielding their eyes as the sisters screamed in surprise. Inside the cabin Squeak jumped up with a squeak and saw the bright light shining in from the entryway along with hearing the sisters screaming.

“What is that?” Specca called out while holding onto Daniel fearfully.

Suddenly clicking and buzzing sounds were heard before a swarm flew over and tackled Daniel back onto the floor inside the cabin, the monster screeching with wide eyes as it tried to rip his shirts off.

“Swarm!” Alyssa cried out before another flew over and pounced on Specca, taking her to the ground with a shriek as it tried to bite her. Luna and Falla watched with surprise then looked behind to seeing Triska holding Complica, Clover sitting atop Kroanette, and two more swarm flying right at the sisters along with another shooting up into the air.

“
AHHH
!” Luna cried out before she was taken to the ground by one along with Falla.

“What the hell is going on?” Falla screamed as she and her sister held the ravenous monsters back by the shoulders just enough to avoid having their faces chewed off.

“Daniel!” Alyssa cried out as the swarm inside the cabin ripped his shirts then tried to grab his pants, with him frantically struggling to push her off and having no luck. The monster screeched at him with a wide smile before a pickaxe swung over and struck through its head, yanking the monster off of Daniel with a heavy swing before Squeak spun around with it then slammed the monster down into the floor with a loud squeak. Daniel scrambled to his feet while outside Specca was screaming as the swarm atop her was ripping her shirt off and trying to maul her.

“HELP!” Specca cried out with fright.

“Hold on!” Triska yelled as she quickly set down Complica and ran over to the sisters while drawing her sword. Complica dropped to her knees and watched with wide eyes as the human swung her blade and slashed through the swarm atop Luna while Clover quickly fired an arrow into the spine of the one atop Falla. The sisters scrambled away from the downed monsters screaming in fear while Alyssa held out her hand to the swarm holding Specca down before swinging it to the side sharply. The swarm was yanked off of Specca and thrown into the air before it quickly started buzzing its wings and flying around wildly next to the other one who was hissing loudly at the group below. Specca remained on the ground shaking with fear while she stared up at the monsters that flew around above them, her clothing in tatters while her glasses weren’t aligned with her eyes.

“What the hell are those things doing here?” Alyssa yelled out before the swarm flew about and dived at them, with one taking Alyssa down onto the seat with a screech while the other swooped by and snatched Falla up in its arms.

“HELP ME!” Falla cried out as she tried to use her wings to fly away, the two spiraling around wildly as they grappled and flew against each other in the air.

“SISTER!” Luna shrieked with fright as she watched Falla struggling to keep the swarm from biting into her face while the two were flying around erratically together.

“Get it off me!” Alyssa screamed as the swarm kept trying to maul her, the witch slapping its face and kicking it wildly before Squeak rushed out through the cabin and tackled the swarm off of her. The two dropped down onto the grass as Alyssa scooted back on the seat and Daniel ran out next to her. Squeak grabbed the monster’s head with both hands and squeaked loudly as the swarm thrashed around and tried to claw her, its nails scratching her arms and face before a loud crack was heard from Squeak crushing the skull with her bare hands.

“Falla!” Specca cried out as she pointed up, with everyone looking to seeing the swarm holding the butterfly flying about wildly in circles with Falla screaming for her life.

“Somebody help her!” Luna yelled out while grabbing her hair.

Daniel watched Falla spiraling around in her hold with the swarm, her scream and frightened expression causing his heart to skip a beat.

“Shoot it!” Kroanette called back to Clover as the elf held another arrow in her bow and aimed at the swarm.

“I will if you wouldn’t mind the arrow piercing that girl as well,” Clover warned while she kept a sharp eye on the two girls flying around close together.

“Falla!” Triska called up at the butterfly as she watched the swarm hissing loudly before it snapped into Falla’s shoulder. The girl shrieked as her wings stopped fluttering, with the swarm then grabbing her tightly and veering around to fly off again. As it did Daniel watched them coming around in front of the driver’s seat, then without pause leapt off of it and grabbed hold of the swarm from behind in midair.

“Leave her alone!” he yelled as the monster spiraled down onto the ground away from everyone with him holding onto its back.

“What are you doing?” Alyssa cried out as the three rolled to a stop in the grass, with Falla being pinned down on the ground, the swarm screeching at her with blood dripping from its mouth, and Daniel holding the monster with one arm around its neck and another around its chest. He tried to pull the swarm off of Falla as the fiend held onto the girl’s arms tightly, its mouth inching closer back to the bleeding wound it had chewed into while Falla was staring at the monster with wide eyes.

“Daniel!” she screamed as the swarm grabbed her face with one of its hands and leaned closer with a wide open mouth.

“Get away from it!” Clover yelled as she kept her arrow aimed at them.

“We’re coming!” Triska called out as she and Squeak ran towards them.

“Sister!” Luna cried out as her legs gave out and she dropped to her knees.

Daniel shouted out with all his might as he felt the monster getting closer to biting into Falla’s neck with its razor sharp teeth. His heart ached at the thought of her dying like this before him, his muscles straining to pull the ravenous monster away as it held onto Falla with an iron grip. Everything faded around him as he could only focus on saving her from being killed by the swarm. His desire to protect her pushed him past his limits as he suddenly felt a burst of light and warmth igniting within him.

‘I love you, Daniel.’