“Master of the World: a colossal struggle to earn our freedom!”
Chandra woke up peacefully, lying naked in the short grass next to three of the most beautiful women she had known. One of them was Valti Brignor, her curly brunette hair waving in the soft wind, her six arms splayed out like a windmill, her bare chest rising and falling with each soft breath; the other two were the twins, Kayleigh and Teleah, their single fused body faintly tanned from the hours spent sunning, their heads leaning in towards each other, almost close enough to touch. Chandra couldn’t understand how people could call these women monsters or freaks: they were both so gorgeous to her, and surprisingly sexual, judging from the way they behaved the night before.
And the night before that. But her thoughts wandered. She drew her new friends closer to her, feeling strong electric pulses go through her skin, muscles, blood, and bones, into her brain to saturate the whole body. She had been made for sex, sex with women only, but it was not a curse or a burden or a destiny to be detested: she loved her work and was thankful every day for the twisted designs of the man (or the woman!) who had given her this passion. She would have laid there for days on end, just staring at her lovers, anticipating the moment when they woke up and resumed their threesome, if not for the noise that was rising over the distance.
“”Yes, I see your point, dear, you’d make an excellent instructor, I’m just not convinced of your sanity, after all, you have started plenty of fires, right, you’re a menace to society, however, I consider you a friend, because you really are a genius, and I was hoping, erm, to benefit from that mind of yours, Kyrie dear, I’ve been looking to invest in technology, can’t have the Demises hog it all, right, well, I say, look at what we have here, the lovebirds have finally gone asleep!”
“Hello, Vimmy,” Chandra sighed. She perked up as she saw Kyrie approaching, and cute little Sharyn was not too far off. “Hello, my hot little flame champion! Did you have a good sleep?” She made a face and shivered.
“It’s cold out here.”
“That’s not a problem for you, Pyrosians can make a fire out of anything, I swear she was breathing it a moment ago, Chandra, so have you three finished with your romp, I’m glad you found time to make love while the rest of us worked so hard, you should really be more considerate, we got a lot done, and what have you lazy people been up to, eh, I’ll warrant it’s nothing constructive, why, my dear friend Sharyn has actually cleared her debt to me recently, she’s at least as good as Mink in a pinch, gods how I miss her!” She sighed, and that seemed to be the end of her tirade. Ah, Vimmy--always so concerned about everybody’s welfare, and how she could turn that into a profit.
“What’s all the commotion?” Valti groaned as she slowly sat up, rubbing her face. “Can’t a sin against nature get some beauty sleep? I was having quite a dream. Oh, you’re back!” She stretched her limbs and slowly stood up, perfectly naked and probably better off for it: she just
didn’t ooze the same kind of charm in a lab coat. “Vimmy, I think I heard everything you said, or got the gist of it at least, so shut your mouth and make yourself useful. God, I’m starving!”
“How selfish, and rude, and…and inconsiderate, yes, because if you’ve really been listening to what I say, you’d know--”
“Shut up!” Kyrie and Valti barked. Vimmy shrunk back and did as she was told; the two former lovers grinned at each other.
“You’d better give us the report, Kyrie,” Valti pointed as she hunted for her clothes. “You’re the best that we have right now. Sharyn will just flower hers up, and letting Vimmy do it would be a waste. We could sit here for days and never learn anything.”
“I heard that!” Vimmy exclaimed, adding a few complaints that nobody cared to hear. Kyrie took a deep breath and sat down, worn-out from her search.
“Well, let me see. Where should I begin? Aside from the grove and the river we found the other day, there also seems to be some kind of temple. It was too far for us to reach last night, and we had to deal with wild animals. I gotta hand it to Sharyn: she’s one hell of a warrior. Anyway, we were thinking that if you’re all up to it, we could visit this temple and see if any of our friends are there.”
“What kind of place is it?” Valti asked, now almost completely dressed. Kyrie shrugged.
“No idea. We just spotted it from a distance. There shouldn’t be anything stopping us from getting there, except Vimmy’s whining. Hey Chandra, feel like hiking a few kilos today?”
“Must I?” she sighed dejectedly. Kyrie smiled sadly.
“Afraid so, unless you wanna stay here forever.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad,” she giggled, running her hand over the Acherons’ bare chest. This stirred them, and they were greeted with kisses. Tee wanted to sneak off and finish what they had started, but Kay, admittedly the more responsible one (and the one least likely to get laid), wanted to go look for the temple. The vote was 3-2 in favor of leaving, and once Sharyn and Vimmy got back, it became a landslide.
The green-skinned knight errant brought back news, water, and enough food to last the group three days if they rationed it carefully. The path to the temple was clear, she said, but she had a bad feeling about that ancient place. From what she could tell, spying at it from so far away that it looked like a blur, it was more like a pile of rubble than a building, and no living creature, not even a bird, dared to go near it.
“Cool!!” Kyrie squealed. “That means we get to be explorers! We’ll be the first ones there and make history!!”
“First we gotta get there,” Valti reminded her. The six women divided the supplies between them (poor Chandra and Vimmy, being forced to carry luggage like a pack mule!) and headed off, putting out the dying fire and erasing any sign that they had been camping there.
……
The first day they spent in this inhospitable environment had been rough, needless to say. One would think that large numbers would be easier for survival--there’d be more people to assign tasks to, and the company would keep one sane until rescue arrived--but such fantasies were best left for the stories. Chandra predictably whined and moaned half the time, being accustomed to a life of relative luxury (the rest of the time, she spent seducing and making love to her fellow castaways), and Vimmy was even worse, cursing and ranting for hours at a time, until at last, despite her lengthy protests, she was put to work. The others, thankfully, were up to the challenge, especially Kyrie and Sharyn, who were both looking for a chance to prove themselves. They teamed up several times to go looking for food and water, and even though they could barely tolerate one another’s strange quirks, they somehow managed to become friends.
Valti was a geneticist, not an architect, yet she and the Acheron sisters coordinated and built a shelter fairly quickly. Chandra was finally put to use as she started to weave crude blankets and tarps together (sewing was, believe it or not, a skill she possessed); Vimmy was reduced to being a gofer. Thanks to this stilted teamwork, the crew was able to survive two days in moderate comfort, but now that their scouts had picked up signs of civilization, they were ready to move, and hopefully, find their friends.
The distance really was not that bad: six or seven kilometers, easily crossed in about an hour with breaks added in (Vimmy usually perched on Valti’s shoulders). Before long, everyone could see the temple in the distance, appearing first as a mirage. A few steps later, and the blurs became solid, then well-defined, then sharply realistic. The thing sported a shadow, something no mirage could hold, and finally became three-dimensional, a fairly large monument to some primordial power that had visited this world thousands (or tens of thousands) of years earlier. Its ruination was nearly complete; the building was scarcely more than a large pile of rubble, overgrown with lichen, moss, ivy, and fungus as tough as leather. Sharyn’s description had not been completely accurate, for a few flies, ants, butterflies, and bees crawled around the temple, the last and bravest remnants of its population. The entrance was completely covered by pillars that had fallen over, thanks to age or an earthquake, and there was no other way inside.
“Helloooooo!!” Valti shouted. “Is there anybody around here? Amy, Lyara? Mink, Eve, Fuuka? Kate, Lil…anybody?”
“Don’t tell me we came out here for nothing,” Tee muttered.
“Although it would be a nice rallying point,” Kay thought.
“There’s no point in that if nobody else is around.”
“Then we’d just have to keep looking for them. I’m saying this could be our base.”
“Oh yes, a few curtains and lamps, and this place will be just like home!”
“Don’t get so discouraged! I swear, you’re always the first to go negative.”
“It’s called realism, sister.”
“Hush, both of ye!” Sharyn hissed, raising her hand up. “Lest mine eyes are deceptive, there is more to this sanctuary than ruins. I doth spot an altar.” She gestured for everybody to follow her, quietly, and snuck around the building to its rear, where a grassy stone pathway led away from the temple, towards a large, lengthy staircase that rose about fifty meters into the air. This construction was in much better shape: although it was still covered with growth, the stairs seemed solid, and not a single pebble was out of place. Runes were carved along each inclination, and at the very top, a magnificent archway opened up a pathway to the sun itself. But the most alarming thing about this altar was not what it looked like, or its amazing survival, but what was chained at the very top, still and silent.
Rachel.
“Oh my god,” Valti murmured, “we found her. I can’t believe we found the little troublemaker. If I hadn’t enjoyed myself so much, I’d throttle her.”
“Is she asleep?” Tee wailed. “Has she been here this entire time? Don’t tell me that we’d have to bring that bookworm with us to wake her up!”
“Shut your mouth and open your eyes,” her sister snapped, momentarily breaking out of her peaceful character. “Don’t you see? Rachel’s chained to that archway. It’s like she’s a sacrificial maiden or something.”
“Would that we knew the when and wherefore,” Sharyn whispered. “I would charge in and rescue this lady were it not for the sinking feeling in my gut.”
“Ah yes, I’ve got a bad feeling as well,” Vimmy whined, “but we shouldn’t let that stop us, gracious no, why, if we just walk up there and slap some sense into her, we’ll be out of here, yes, we need to wake her up so we can get out, who cares how she got there, we just need to--”
“All right, we get the point!” Kyrie snarled. She sighed wearily, just as eager to leave all this behind as anybody else, and since she was now Sharyn’s friend, she followed her as the warrior drew her blade, creeping up one step at a time. Valti started waving her arms once they got about halfway.
“Rachel!” The genie didn’t stir. The seven women took two more steps and called out to her again, but before they could take a third, the ground trembled, throwing them off balance. Kyrie fell down the stairs but flapped her wings before she crashed into anything, and floated to safety; she even caught Chandra. Valti balanced herself with her arms, Sharyn her sword, and the twins showed incredible reflexes as they clung to the stairs like a spider. It was not an earthquake causing this sudden shift--more like a monster coming to life. At that moment, Rachel woke up, and had about half a second to warn her friends.
“Hey guys, long time no see!”
What a waste. A long appendage swept over the stairs, knocking back everyone, and the monster revealed itself in all its colossal glory. The animal had a head shaped like a horseshoe, with three eyes on both sides, horns at the top, and two more underneath. It had a cavernous mouth with two rows of sharp teeth, much like a shark’s, and it crawled around on six powerful legs that ripped the earth apart with frightening claws. Two long, slender, piercing tails danced in the air as the monster searched for its prey; spines on its back shifted noisily, warning any competitors and stunning its prey. This was the master of the world, the being that the ancients constructed their temples and ziggurats for, a creature Valti identified as a Tyranohex, wielder of six tyrannical dooms.
“SHIT!!” Kyrie roared. “Where in the FUCK did that thing come from?!”
“It’s been here all this time, guarding Rachel. We just didn’t see it because it was camouflaged so well.”
“Nice analysis, professor!! Now tell us what the hell this thing is and how we can kill it!” The beast was livid with rage; it chased after the six small creatures with savage lust, thrusting its tails around like spears, bowing its head to catch unwary prey on its horns, its teeth grinding with an everlasting hunger. Rachel was awake but useless: for some reason, she just couldn’t get away from her prison. Valti tried her best to explain it, but she had to run and hide at full speed, while trying to remember the Tyranohex’s weakness.
In summary, these very rare beasts were semi-intelligent predators that normally roamed the land in search of prey. They did not hunt so much as find animals by chance, but the chase was never very long: beasts were usually impaled by its sharp tails, or gored on its horns, and thrust into its mouth where everything was devoured, bones and all. They had no natural enemies and had been revered as terrifying gods by the primeval inhabitants of this world. But they only ate flesh as a last resort: their true diet consisted of magical energy, slowly drained from a living creature until every last drop had been stolen (this had been difficult for the scientific community to prove, so a handful of brave elves had volunteered to demonstrate on a few small pups). When the Dauntless flew over his world, the Tyranohex sensed Rachel’s presence and caused her to go berserk,
drawing her into his clutches. It was then a matter of finding her and binding her, summoning arcane skills from untold epochs ago, long before the genies themselves came into existence. This was why Rachel had lost control of her powers, and why she had been unable to help anybody.
But all that was meaningless for the moment: there was still a deadly predator to fight, and if the women wanted off that planet, they would have to kill the Tyranohex first--certainly not an easy task. He had an excellent defense, plus power and speed on his side, but the Tyranohex did have one weakness, and luckily, Valti had studied them for awhile during her days at university. She just couldn’t remember what it was yet…
“Valti!” Kyrie screamed. “Any time now!”
“Hold on a minute, I’m thinking! It’s been a long time since I studied these things!”
“Think harder! Eep!” Kyrie’s upper arm was slashed as she rolled away from the piercing tails; Vimmy and Chandra were taking refuge with Rachel, which was actually the safest place to be. There was no way the Tyranohex would attack them and risk harming his delicious banquet. Sharyn had drawn her sword and was using it well, striking back at the tails as they lashed out, and even attacked the head, though the thrashing horns made things more difficult. The Acheron twins hung back--not because they were helpless, but to study their foe and discern any patterns or weak spots. They thought they saw something odd when the monster turned around, exposing the back of its neck, and called out for Valti.
“Hey, what about the creature’s neck? We thought we saw something!”
“That’s it!” Valti roared. “Sharyn, plunge your sword into its nape! That’s the only part of the Tyranohex we can harm!”
“Aye!” She ran off, her voice undulating in a battle-cry, her sword glimmering in the sun. But even with Sharyn’s powerful Lesser Armor, she would not last long unless the monster had somebody distracting it.
“You two, up there!” Kay shouted to Vimmy and Chandra. “Start throwing things at it! Rocks, sticks, doesn’t matter! Kyrie, can you get a fire going?”
“Way ahead of you!” she cried. The Pyrosian found an isolated spot, and quick as a wink, she got a blaze going (Reds can start fires just about anywhere, from anything, at anytime, if they are pressed to). “Now what!?”
“We’ll need torches! Valti, we need you to help us burn the tails off.”
“I copy that. Kyrie, see if you can’t make a wall of fire so the Tyranohex doesn’t run too far away! Make it as hot as you can!”
“AS HOT AS I CAN?!” she screeched, overwhelmed with joy. “Valti, if we hadn’t broken up, I’d kiss you right now! AWRIGHT, sucker!! It’s time you learned to fear the BURNING PASSION of Kyrie Lastgear!! Don’t say I didn’t warn you all!” While Kyrie was allowing herself to be possessed, Sharyn finally made it to the rampaging Tyranohex. She jumped as high as she could, grabbed its coarse, thick fur, and started to climb up to its back. The monster felt her pulling against him, and slapped his body with his tails, sometimes missing her, sometimes not. The appendages bounced off her thick body armor, but it didn’t offer total protection: Sharyn was still stunned, and even lost her grip once or twice. As she crawled up to its back, taking refuge amidst its plated spines, Valti and the Acheron sisters approached from the sides, wary of the trampling legs. Chandra and Vimmy were throwing everything they could get their hands on, even clumps of moss, and with such a large monster, it was hard to miss. Several sticks and stones struck the Tyranohex in its eyes, and one even got caught in its mouth, freezing it just long enough for Valti and the twins to act.
“Up ya go!” Valti helped boost the twins up, and with six arms aiding her, easily managed to shimmy onto the monster’s large back. The women immediately painted the piercing tails with their torches, setting them ablaze just in time for Sharyn to strike.
“AVALON!” she cried as she took a running start and rammed her sword deep into the beast’s neck. The Tyranohex roared and thrashed in pain, but only fought harder, desperate to stay alive. Kyrie’s wall of fire was starting to really grow, and every time the monster summoned the courage to approach it, the intense heat drove him back. Kyrie herself burst through the flames like the demon she was, wielding a large branch smothered with flames.
“Sharyn, hit it again!” she shouted. The emerald knight was happy to oblige; she plunged her blade even deeper than before, all the way up to its hilt, and had to utilize all her strength just to pull it back out. As the Tyranohex reared back in agony, Kyrie threw her fire into its mouth, cackling wickedly.
“Smile, you son of a bitch!” The beast’s tails broke off as it grumbled and whined, slamming the ground with its paws and horns, and Valti and the twins grabbed the pointed tips, which were easily bigger than a no-dachi. Together they charged in with Sharyn, thrusting their weapons into its weak spot for the last time. The beast let out a final anguished howl, and collapsed on the ground, utterly defeated. Rachel was freed the instant the Tyranohex breathed its last, and they all rested from their exhausting trial.
……
And so, the days spent on that distant, primitive world came to a close. Rachel easily honed in on Aseria’s light signal, and picked up a relieved Sindar and a very happy gunslinger. She flew over Alala and Yenae’s camp, pausing briefly to stare as they snuggled together, and coughed to woke them up, suppressing a few giggles. Riene, Rebecca, and Lyara seemed cold and distant as
Rachel swooped down to save them, but despite their somber moods, they were all very grateful. Fuuka and Kate laughed as they waved for Rachel; Lillianne and Naja sighed, glad that the ordeal was over.
“Maybe now I can finally make it to Saigrim,” the Elshyrin pouted.
“First we have to find the others,” Lil reminded her. “The Dauntless just isn’t the same unless everybody’s on there, although we could’ve done without the bitch meat.
“Amen!” Fuuka and Athena showered each other with kisses as they were reunited, and Eve, Mink, Herut, and Shana were greeted with cheers and hugs as they joined the rest of their friends. Finally, it was time for master and servant to come together, and as Amy Miracle observed her friend descending from the sky, she snuck away for a moment to bid Ferrara farewell.
“Even though my friends might never see you the same way that I have, I hope you and I can meet again later.”
“It’s possible,” the harpy smiled. She bent down to kiss Amy’s cheek--she had wanted a more intimate kiss, but didn’t see the point since there was no way they could be together. Amy returned the gesture softly, and turned away to rejoin her friends. With Rachel’s assistance, the Dauntless was brought out of a dead orbit and onto the surface, where everyone gained a new appreciation of their “home” as they boarded. Ferrara watched the vessel leave forlornly; Changera, approaching the ruined temple and the remains of the Tyranohex, had a colder glint in her eye. Needless to say, this was not the last time the crew would run into their rivals!
Four days after losing its crew on the nameless planet, the Dauntless took off to the stars, ready for its next adventure.
Preview of next chapter
Vimmy: Gracious, we’re barely inside our rooms and Chandra gets right down to business, I suppose a drive like that is admirable, but doesn’t she have any other hobbies, a lady can’t live on love alone, she must expand her mind for other pursuits, don’t you think so?
Kyrie: I was actually hoping I’d get lucky, but whatever! The next chapter FINALLY brings us to Saigrim, where Naja finds an artifact that she believes can save her from being forced to get married! You go, Naja! Fight the powers that be!
Sharyn: Yet I hath a negative sentiment concerning this adventure. Perhaps I should venture with Ladies Miracle and Elapidae and offer my guidance and protection.
Kyrie: Don’t tell me YOU have a crush on Amy as well!
Sharyn: WHA?! How didst thou…ack! N-ne’er ye mind! T-tis’ merely my duty which compels me, and naught else.
Vimmy: Ahuh, rightly so, but denial’s a rather frail state of mind, I think, though I don’t know what’s so attractive about Dr. Miracle, I mean, she’s not rich or anything, if all she has to offer is 10,000 G, but it doesn’t matter, the next chapter shows us the importance of taking the long way around, yes?
Kyrie: Is that what that is? Stay tuned for “The Nail of Saigrim: a grave situation?”
Sharyn: Perhaps now is not the best time to proclaim my love for Fuji-san, either…
Kyrie and Vimmy: (She’s as bad as Riene!)
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