Of Ice, Death & Monsters

“Lead us to where the Harbinger of Destruction lies now. I have been given a quest to destroy her, to remove her from this world. And I was told that you were the one to go to for it.”

A grin came across Marian’s face, catching Masha’s eyes. She knew the woman in front of her was insane, and glancing at those around her, she could tell they were only with her because of Contract Magick. Well, all except the lizard-souled one. Although he was quite grumpy and only seemed to be in on it for himself.

All in all, such an interesting gang of people together. But it was fairly obvious why the Caretaker chose this wolf to be the one to lead the charge against the Harbinger. There was something in her that hungered, that wanted more. Masha could see the metaphorical blond on her hands, dripping ever so slightly.

“That’s easy enough for one such as myself to do. In fact, I already know where she is right now and can take you there myself. Although I wouldn’t be joining any of you.”

“Why is that?” Rook’s eyes narrowed like a lizard's. “Where is she?”

“In the Nawia, or as you would all call it. The Underworld.”

Henry nearly fell over as Mollie sat down, taking a deep breath as she realized the implications. Derek and Topher both nodded to each other as if that was the coolest thing they had ever heard of. And Rook, well, he stared over the horizon, contemplating the idea.

He, out of everyone aside from Marian, was not so surprised by it. There were other cultures with their own afterlife, and many records have been pulled to prove that they exist for it. But, for one such as here, it does explain a lot about the experience he had when he died.

“So, when we all died, was that where we ended up?” Henry asked as he patted down his body as if he were self-conscious.

“Was that fox a guardian of the afterlife?” Mollie remembered that little furry friend being really cute. Was that supposed to ease people who had just died?

“Oh, her?" A small smile curled upon Masha's lips. "No, she’s something else entirely. But yes, when you all died, that’s where you all will end up if you aren’t stubborn and resist the pull.”

Derek then asked the real question. “Why is Jane in the Underworld then?”

“Yeah, doesn’t that mean she’s dead?” Topher added.

“No. Nawia is used as a way to quickly travel across the land. She entered it to complete a quest. If she does it successfully, then she will grow even more powerful than you could imagine.” Masha intentionally turned towards Marian as she spoke, enjoying the face of hatred blossoming on her.

“Then we act now. As much as we can. We cannot afford to have someone like her gain more power.”

Masha raised her hand, a little giggle flowing from her mouth. This was the first time in ages she had any fun with mortals. The other ones that came before this group, well, they were all pathetic and only served to fill her stomach. But ah, she can enjoy the ones right in front of her.

“I have an alternative solution. That being, if you can simply sign a Contract that transfers your title to me, then I’ll help you all right now head back over to where you all came from.”

Immediately, silence took over the party as the air of unease came to fruition. Rook was the one to act. “No strings attached? We don’t bring you along?”

Masha shook her head and smiled innocently. “Nada~ I’ll be out here unless you folks want to give me some company~” She winked at both Derek and Topher, who both looked at each other as if they were seriously considering it.

“No.” Marian looked up at Masha; the anger in her eyes was not even quenched, not for a moment.

Rook waved his hand and stepped in between his companion and the Fae before turning towards the former. “Marian… Think about this. If we head back to Epithet right now, we can warn them, prepare them. We can do our best to ward off Jane and defeat her-”

Marian brushed him off with her tail. “You don’t understand, Jameson. That whore’s power will only grow. It will consume even Phorash no matter what they do.”

Rook scoffed at such a statement. “That’s insane. You don’t know that for sure.”

“I do, it was revealed to me in my dream.”

“Your dream does not dictate the power we wield together. We can even get the other nations to help if it’s so serious.”

“Or, we can act now, finish what we needed to do, and end her.”

Rook took a deep breath, walking away as he gestured for Marian to follow him as he headed inside of the ship, opening the glass doors as a few Fae who were currently in a drinking competition in the back began to move out to give them space.

“We need to talk about your obsessive desire for revenge. It’s going to kill us all-“

“It’s not a desire for revenge, it’s a desire for justice! They’re terrorists who would want to see us all burned to cinders! I’m doing the world a favor by ridding them before they become a problem.”

Rook sighed and rolled his eyes. He never could understand women, nor did he ever want to. But this was a matter of life and death.

“Jameson, I understand that you’re afraid-“

“Afraid that you are going to kill us all, yes. We’ve been given a chance, and I saw we can use it to escape. I can’t do it alone; I need at least another Magus by my side, and at least some of the Watchtower. So come, don’t be so rash.”

“I’m not rash at all, in fact, this is the most clear of mind I’ve ever been. If we do return to Epithet, what then? What do we tell them? That we failed? That this mission was simply throwing money against the wall? That now we prepare for war against Jane?”

“Yes! Or perhaps have a division to know when she is coming, or simply hire those from other nations. And so much work, for a possibility that might not even come to fruition!”

Rook pointed towards Masha outside. “She’s trying to inflame you! She’s playing on your hatred! Do not fall for it!”

“And you are merely scared. You are frightened beyond belief and are at your wits’ end! You only care about your own well-being in all of this!”

A sneer crossed Rook’s face. “Of course I do! It’s what any rational person would think of. But I can’t do it alone. We need to think this through…”

He took a deep breath and took a gamble. “It’s not what Adrian would have-“ Before he could even finish, Marian raised her finger to his chin, a single claw growing out as it nicked his face and drew blood.

“Adrian… Cannot want anymore, he cannot even think anymore, thanks to them.” She gritted her teeth as fangs began to show on her face.

“It’s because of them he’s nothing more than a gibbering husk. I have thought this through, Jameson, and we need to stop them before they hurt others, before they ruin more lives than they already have! You can be alone with these Fae, but I intend to deliver her to justice!”

Rook was petrified, completely still. His gambit failed; not even using her vegetarized husband was enough to snap her out of it… Or, well, perhaps it simply forced her to dig deeper. What could he do now? What can he do now?

If he stayed here with the Fae, there’s no telling what they would do with him. He couldn’t keep up with their antics forever; eventually, they would catch him slipping, and he would be on the menu.

He could always try to leave, go back to Galfania, and wait it out… No, that was stupid. He didn’t even have to think about it for more than a second.

Then there would be sailing away with the boat, heading back into Phorash and telling them of what they encountered… If he could even make it that far, that is. Most likely, he’ll end up stranded somewhere in the middle of the ocean. And then what? Would he wait for someone to come pass by and offer a helping hand? Can he really count on that? Should he count on that? No, he can’t, only a blessing like Marian’s would truly save him.

That only left him with heading into the actual underworld and fighting with someone with the potential to someday destroy Epithet itself… Of course, that would scare him, but all of these other options. They scared him even more.

If only he had stayed home. If he had never wanted that promotion. If only he knew that it wasn’t worth it for this. He thought it would have been easy, just another trip to another land, with the worst that could happen being getting sick from the local food.

Was this really it? The years of study, of trying to get up in the world, of doing everything he could to get ahead in life, all to end here? From just one mistake? The thought of that shook him to his core.

“Tch, fine. I’ll deliver her to justice, or whatever have you. We do it as quickly as we can, get in, and kill her.”

Marian grinned like a wolf, finally getting Rook to side with her. “Good. Now then, the others are waiting for us. The longer we rabble on, the more time that whore would be given.”

She walked ahead, giving little time for Rook to collect himself as he simply sighed once more, rubbing his face in pure weariness. There was nothing left to do, and nothing left to turn to.

“Well… Here we go.”

A few minutes ago

Masha patted the heads of both the boys by her side. She always adored mortals. From their taste to their personalities, their demeanor. It was so easy to play with them, to eat them, to get them to worship you.

She missed this so much. After the fall of Balthalem and the Eternal Storm, everything fell apart. Monsters ruled the land, and while some gained the intellectual soul to be able to properly understand the world, it wasn’t the same as before.

The only other humans were the Keepers, who were blessed by the Caretaker, and the Descendents, who were crazed followers of the Harbinger. They weren’t as fun as the villagers she used to rule over.

They were so caught up in their own little war of ideals that their Spirits influenced them over that they had no time for fun, no time for enjoying life. It was so annoying.

There was always the Gornyedi and the remnants of the humans in this land, but they were under the protection of Mokosh, so she definitely wasn’t going to play with them.

And so she will adore these semblances of crude humanity. What were their Names? Topher and Derek? She will make good use of them, especially.

“Now then boys~ it’s such wonderful timing you have here, especially since you’re going on a mission for me.” She sat on both of their laps and leaned in, fluttering her eyes as she gave a little wink, revealing a little bit of her cleavage to them.

She brought them closer together as she whispered softly into both of their ears. “Because I need an extra favor from you both~ if you do well, I’ll see to it that I personally reward the two of you.”

Masha’s hands traced down their backs, headed to their waist and inner thighs as she gave a coy smile to their liking.

Derek laughed a little, cheeks flushed red as he grinned. “What do you need from us, beautiful?”

“Anything, you can ask us to move the sky for you, and we’d tie a rope around the clouds.” Topher added as he got a good look at her chest.

Aww, that was so adorable. She wanted to open her mouth and devour them whole right then and there. But alas, that would have to wait. Biding time was the best thing to do here.

Masha gripped their thighs with her hands, grinning ear to ear as they both felt a shiver travel up their spines. Suddenly, their body glowed blue as their right hands were raised into the air and on their palms a tattoo of a fox’s tail appeared.

Both of them felt so invigorated, unstoppable, their bodies filled with something akin to adrenaline as they started to see, hear, taste, smell, and even touch better. Something in them changed, and they were enjoying it well.

“When you enter the underworld, there will be a massive river that surrounds the place; you cannot fail to see it. Once you’re there, place your hands with the mark into its waters. If you come back, then I shall ensure your reward is at hand. Be careful of the guardian, though; there’s a reason such a task is so dangerous. But, I’m sure you boys can handle it right~”

They gave a full salute, grinning ear to ear. “You can count on us, Lady Masha. We’ll get it done, as right as rain for you!”

She smiled, remembering those loyal followers she had so long ago. Perhaps this was a sign, perhaps finally things will change for the better. She can finally have her way again as a proper ruler.

Hopefully, whatever those Grand Spirits have in store for them should be fun.