If not for last night, this would have been the last straw. Granberia and Sara had arrived in Happiness Village about an hour ago. This was the first example on their journey of a place where Luka's presence had had a profound effect. He had literally saved the village, possibly two villages. The war had brought the villages even closer together, so that now they were two separate villages in name only, Happiness Village and Harpy Village. The air of cheerfulness and positivity would have made Granberia ill just yesterday, but seeing how Luka had changed people's lives moved her. She had never stopped for a moment to truly take in how much things had changed without grumbling about the lack of action. Here in Happiness Village, not just monsters and humans, but even angels, puttered along in their daily tasks as if their backwards little village was a small piece of paradise. Which, perhaps it was. Sara was enraptured by the curious children, especially the harpy children, which seemed to outnumber everyone else in the village. Granberia had to admit they were adorable as they flapped their wings, trying to get off the ground but not quite succeeding. Instead, they mostly settled for using their wings to add a tailwind as they ran. Granberia had always wondered how she would handle a new world where a battle wasn't around every corner. At first, she had decided that Luka would fill that void, and he had done so admirably. So admirably that it had been all she could do to not just teleport Sara home and then herself back to the Monster Lord's Castle. But seeing this tranquility, it brought a peace to the dragonkin warrior that she had never felt before. She decided to stop being grumpy and feel joy for these people, the monsters, the humans, even the angels. Luka was truly a remarkable person. Of course, Granberia also had her own role in this to be proud of. Perhaps it was time to reap the dividends of the glorious battles she had waged to bring this world about.
One of those dividends was happiness honey. While Granberia was not a big eater, or into sweets, happiness honey was an exception. If any food was the equivalent of sex, happiness honey was that food. Best of all, it was low calorie compared to traditional honey, and thus one could enjoy large, sinful amounts of it without having to worry about gaining weight. The humans especially benefitted from its antipathogenic properties. Monsters rarely got sick, but for humans, the threat of sickness and disease was constant. The people of Happiness Village had long enjoyed a resistance to disease that rivaled that of Yamatai Village's famously robust humans. Most credited the honey.
Granberia and Sara were sitting on the grass in a small park enjoying jars of happiness honey. Sara was thrilled. One of the things that had gotten between her and the subject of her infatuation had been the differing motives for going on this journey. For Sara, it was all about spending time with Granberia and learning to be a warrior worthy of her. For Granberia, it was about adventure after spending most of her time cooped up in the castle. The lack of adventure had made Granberia very grumpy. The walls finally seemed to be crumbling a bit. The Knight seemed genuinely content.
"You seem happy," Sara noted, since content Granberia wasn't any more talkative than grumpy Granberia.
"I am," Granberia agreed. "To see this…. This is what we fought for, almost died for. I always thought that to die in battle would be the most glorious end, but being able to see the results of what I fought for is the best feeling. Do you agree?"
"I wouldn't know," Sara said glumly. "I didn't get to fight. My father wouldn't let me out of the castle. He said the people needed their princess alive, or else it would destroy the morale of the kingdom."
Granberia felt genuine sorrow for Sara. To be denied a chance to fight in the greatest war since the Great Monster Wars! Her own injuries on the first day of that war had been so severe she'd feared she would be unable to lend aid before the forces of heaven had defeated her allies. That night, she'd had nightmares of angels surrounding her bed and plunging flaming swords into her chest as she lay there helpless. When she awakened the next morning, she'd decided she was getting into the fight no matter what, going so far as to lie to everyone about her condition. She had also exaggerated her role in the events of that second day of the war, not to give herself unearned glory, but to make it seem as if she was absolutely fine. The truth was, she had been completely unready for the challenges of that second day of the war and by all rights should have been killed. But due to her youth, her dragonkin physiology, and her incredible conditioning, by the third day she was back to one hundred percent. She had basically "walked off" nearly fatal injuries. But Sara! The only action she had gotten was a catfight with a vampire in her room! A battle Granberia had cut short.
"I understand why your father held you back from the fight," Granberia said soothingly. "I'm sure you do as well. Know that your role was as important as any. You stayed alive as a beacon to your people."
"I know," she said, looking away. "In my head I know what the proper role of a princess is. But in my heart I wanted to be out there, in the trenches, with my people."
"Even your father did not fight in the trenches, although I know for certain he wanted to. He knew what the role of a king was in that situation."
"My father is a great man," Sara agreed. "It's a lot to live up to. He has complete confidence in me. He's been so supportive. I just wish I could tell him that I don't want a man in my life. That's the one thing I don't think he'd be able to accept."
"It seems to me that if you are meant to rule the kingdom in practice, that you should also have the honor of being recognized as the ruler, rather than a husband being a figurehead king. Noah has a queen."
"Noah isn't Sabasa," Sara replied. "But I think when I get back I'm going to have that talk with my father. It is a new world, after all. It's a time of great change. My father has always been open to change. He's never been a close-minded fool, bound to tradition. But he does respect tradition. That means I have to prepare my arguments very carefully."
An unexpected guest arrived, gliding down and alighting on the ground with incredible grace. Granberia didn't even have to look up to recognize the queen Harpy. Most harpies fluttered clumsily, although they still got where they were going pretty efficiently. But the queen's flight was a thing of beauty, almost effortless.
"It is good to see you so happy, Knight," the queen said. "The rumors about you were that you were a ball of silent rage. It is good to see that there is more to you than that."
Granberia and Sara stood up to greet the queen. "The rumors are mostly true, I'm afraid," Granberia said. "But this village… seeing how the hero Luka changed it for the better…. It gladdens my heart. It would dishonor his great deeds to show a hard exterior in the face of all this."
An explosion occurred to the west, just outside the village. Granberia and Sara jumped, Granberia reaching for her sword.
"Do not be alarmed," the queen said. "It is merely a chimera beast. From time to time, a solitary beast will wander too close to the village seeking prey. It is nothing my harpies can't take care of. I came here to see that you did not run off to join the battle. While I know a chimera beast is no challenge for you, my soldiers need the practice. The maneuver that resulted in that spectacular outcome requires precise timing. Not to mention, it would have been unfortunate had you gotten in the way when they executed it."
A chimera beast? Granberia had heard there were still some roaming the countryside, although more on Sentora than Eden continent. While such a beast was indeed no challenge for her, she remembered that the better heroes had been able to take them one-on-one, and in mass battles they had proved nearly useless due to their lack of intelligence. They had to be directly controlled by angels, and most of the angels hadn't been any better at tactics. This had caused the forces of heaven to seek to upgrade to more autonomus roids, but the roids had required a power source and Erubetie and Luka quickly took care of that. But once the forces of heaven had been defeated, there were still hundreds of these beasts roaming around without direction, now a part of the wild. Even more of an annoyance was that some were capable of reproduction, so that when they raped travelers it often resulted in more beasts. It seemed like a problem that might never completely go away. Since a human hero could conceivably fight one of these beasts on equal terms, it seemed a solid goal for Sara to aspire to. The chances of encountering one of these at some point seemed high.
"The prowess of the harpies is known throughout the monster world," Granberia replied. "Have you suffered any casualties?"
"Not one," the queen said proudly. "our scouting is second to none and our battle tactics are renowned for a reason. No beast ever gets close enough to harm any of our people."
"That explains why the two villages are basically one now," Sara noted.
"A good observation for a princess," the queen said. "Relations between us were tense at first, but have grown warmer. The presence of angels has made that process even easier, ironically. It gives both the monsters and human women someone else to resent."
"Human nature," Sara replied. "There must always be an 'other'."
"Sadly, yes," the queen said. "But we are a small, peaceful village, and the dislike of the angel residents is mild. They have been superb workers and love to play with the children. And my harpies could stand some competition for the men, so that they can relate to what the human women have had to put up with."
"Are angels really better than monsters at sex?" Granberia asked.
"It's been said," the queen replied. "Being a woman, and thus immune to monster and angel sexual magic alike, I cannot be certain. The men who have had both find it hard to explain the differences. I can only guess that due to the nature of their particular magics, they are not physically different so much as spiritually. Monster magic ignites the lust of men, causes them to give into their sinful impulses. Angel magic fulfills the men in ways monster magic cannot, giving them peace and serenity. One particular man who had developed an unhealthy obsession for alcohol was cured when an angel gently showed him the error of his ways."
"You almost sound like an angel yourself, calling men's urges 'sinful'," Granberia noted.
"I have wings, do I not? I dress in white, do I not? Perhaps I am more angel than harpy!"
Granberia and Sara laughed. Granberia began to think that maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
I was in a cave again. This one looked different. I was lucid again, so I could think clearly. I was hyperfocused on possible dangers. As in all of my dreams of this nature, I had Angel Halo with me. I felt for my power. It was there as well. I wasn't sure if anything could hurt me in a dream, but I'd watched Nightmare on Elm Street, so if the apparition haunting me came back, I had to be ready to deal with it as if it was a real threat. I also made a mental note that I had to remember as much as I could so that I could relay the details to Alice. I still held out hope that this was just a dream, but I'd had that foolish hope when Ilias was invading my head. I wasn't about to be so naïve this time.
Sounds of evil laughter came from the shadows. Multiple sounds. The sounds were strange, however. Were those children? It sure sounded like children playacting as evil. Now I remembered which cave I was in. I'd almost forgotten about this one. This was the cave where I encountered the little bandits. Maybe this dream was a harmless one. I'd never dreamed about the bandits before.
As I advanced into the cave, the laughter continued. It was much creepier than the laughter the bandits had actually made, and in real life I'd only ever heard their voices one at a time at this point. Dreams are never perfect replays of one's life, so I accepted it for what it was.
Unlike my real experience, however, I never encountered them. I reached the end of the cave, expecting to at least find the dragon pup waiting for me, but there was no sign of her. The creepy youthful laughter continued, now becoming annoying.
"Come out! Show yourselves!" I shouted into the darkness.
What came out were not bandits. It was Minagi again, and she had a companion. A lamia with huge wings. This must be Saja. I was glad I'd been so interested in history, so as not to be completely ignorant of what was going on. Saja, like Minagi, was incredibly beautiful. I know I say that about a lot of women in this world, but it's not my fault that I keep on meeting so many new ones. These are the Six Ancestors, after all! I started to wonder what the Dark God herself must look like.
"It is the human again, the one I told you about," the succubus explained to the lamia. "For some reason he has drawn us into his dreams."
"Explain yourself, human," the one I assumed to be Saja ordered. "I will know why you have revived us and brought us here. And what is that infernal laughter? Do you seek to intimidate us?"
"I've done nothing!" I protested. "I didn't invite you into my dreams, nor would I seek to intimidate you. I am not your enemy. I don't regard anyone as enemies unless they have shown themselves to be my enemies. As for that laughter, that's just…. Dream stuff. This setting is a place I adventured some time ago."
"A hero?" Minagi asked. "I suspected as much. I knew you to be a liar. A Monster Lord would never marry a human, much less a hero."
"I'm not a hero, at least not the kind you know," I responded. "I've never been baptized. I just went on an adventure with the Monster Lord. We fell in love. We saved the world. We fought Ilias, and won. Ilias is no more."
"You speak in fairytales, human," Saja said accusingly. "The Goddess cannot be destroyed. That is why the Dark God ordered us to seal ourselves. To end a war that was unwinnable."
"A lot of time has passed since then," I said. "One thousand years, in fact. Much has changed. It was possible to destroy Ilias because she summoned me from another world. I possessed a strange power that was beyond even her. That power was capable of destroying her."
"YOU slayed the goddess?" Minagi scoffed. "If we were not already stuck in your head, we would walk out of here at once. If this was not a dream, we would eat you."
"Enough of this absurdity!" Saja raged, and her eyes flashed. This time I wasn't even zapped. I guess that didn't work at all in dreams. Saja cursed.
"I didn't slay Ilias myself," I said. "The Monster Lord helped in the actual act, combining her dark magic with my own power, as well as the power of the elements, since the spirits were with me."
"The spirits contracted with a human?!" Saja scoffed again. "you just keep on compounding the lies, tall tale after tall tale. When we emerge into the real world your death shall be most unpleasant."
"If you emerge into the real world as enemies, you'll end up the same way Ilias did," I said sternly. "it doesn't have to be that way. We've worked hard to build a better, more peaceful world, where humans and monsters get along. We won't tolerate you six coming back and throwing your weight around. I've heard that you aren't evil. I hope that when you revive, we can be friends."
Saja seemed to soften for a moment. Minagi's expression was unreadable. Saja seemed about to say something when my alarm went off.
"Good morning, darling!" Alice greeted me enthusiastically, holding me tight. Being held tight by a lamia is on another level from being held tight by a human. When she hugs, it's with both her arms and her tail. "I'm glad to see you slept well last night! I get so worried about you! How come you never had nightmares when we were traveling?"
"I guess it's different when you're in the middle of it," I said. "When you have time to reflect, that's when you start to remember how scary it all was."
"Oh, darling," she said sympathetically. "I really do hope it gets better. You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'll protect you."
"Alice," I said. "I dreamed about them."
"Them?! Who this time?"
"Minagi again, but Saja was with her," I said. "I didn't get scared because we just talked. They weren't friendly."
Alice definitely looked worried. "Tell me everything that was said. Leave nothing out!"
After I relayed everything I remembered to her, she seemed to have made a decision. "I'm going to bring Tamamo into this, even though she probably hasn't noticed anything. I still say it's probably nothing, just you reading too much history about that period. But she'd be really mad at me if I didn't share what's happening to you. Anyway, today is mostly training, so enjoy! Try not to think too much about the dreams."
"Good! That's excellent! You are a fine student!"
When I'd first met Gabriella, I'd expected her to be a harsh critic. She had seemed cold at first. The only other echidna I'd ever met had also been cold to me at first, and she had never stopped being a harsh critic. Gabriella was different. If I did well, she praised me liberally.
Since we were starting with conjuration, she had asked me to generate basic substances with my hands. Things like sand, glass, rock, iron, silver, wood, etc. I wasn't quite sure what those books were supposed to tell me about how to do this correctly. The way my power seemed to work was that if I imagined it, I could do it. I had to let her know that her praise of me might not quite be deserved, given that my power was doing all the work.
"I was aware that the nature of your power could be different from what is normal on this world," she stated. "Still, you must try to learn as much as you can about theory. As wonderful as the power of imagination is, many of the most powerful uses of magic are incredibly abstract. You must understand the math, the chemistry, the physics, of what you do in order to do it correctly. One cannot just go bibbity-bobbedy-boo and expect good results. Not even you."
Bibbity-bobbedy-boo? Obviously Gabriella had been enjoying the TV set in her room. I had yet to meet a monster who didn't get immediately enraptured by it.
"Could you give me an example of powerful magic I can't use without just willing it?" I asked.
"Certainly," she said. "If you've noticed, every use of your power has an immediate effect. You've never created anything lasting. Look at this castle. There are permanent spells of great power all over this place. This room, for example, is nearly indestructible by magic means, which is what makes it so useful for training powerful magic students like yourself or a young Monster Lord. As you are now, you could never create anything like that. Nothing you do lasts longer than you can concentrate on it. See, even the substances you create disappear as soon as your attention is drawn from them. That is the limit of imagination. Whereas if you understand, truly understand, the substances you create, you can make them last longer. Of course, creating matter violates the laws of physics, at least temporarily. So no substance made of matter can ever last long. But pure magical energy can be created and destroyed, which is why seals can be eternal, as well as many protective spells like those you know of around the castle."
"That does sound pretty useful," I said. "Thank you for explaining all that. If I can create spells that last a long time, then that might make up for the fact my power is low in quantity and gets used up quickly."
"If you learn how your power works well enough, you can cast spells that would make that power regenerate instantly," she said. "There are virtually no limits to how powerful you can become. Because your magic is not of this world, it can violate the laws of this world more readily than our own native magics. There is danger in that, however. The laws of nature are flexible, yet sturdy, and yet not unbreakable. If you used that imagination of yours to do something that broke such a natural law, it could have vast consequences."
"Wow, I didn't know that," I said. "Maybe I should just try never to use it."
"That power of yours saved the world," she said. "It's only natural that power capable of saving a world can also destroy it. My job is to make the latter less likely. One thing I can assure you of, those simple blasts you do, no matter how powerful, are not dangerous to anything except what they are directed against. Although no one in this world wields that much power, there is no theoretical limit on how much can be expended that way. So if you ever face a being like Ilias again who requires that much power to vanquish, do not hesitate."
"So you're talking more about things like bringing the dead back to life," I said, remembering a fantasy book I'd once read where that had had dire consequences.
"If you're referring to necromancy, that is a forbidden art which I will not be teaching you," she said coldly.
"No, I mean really bringing the dead back to life, as in fully alive as if they were never dead."
"Hmmm…" she thought for a moment. "I don't know if that would violate any physical laws, but it's not the worst example. Using power that way could have unforeseen consequences. For that reason, you should never use it unless the world was at stake. In theory, you would probably be able to do it. As a general rule, you should always ask someone experienced such as myself, the Monster Lord, or Tamamo before attempting something that you've never tried before. Anyway, that's enough for today. Your lessons in physical violence start soon. Go and get your beating."
"And you go enjoy some Disney movies," I replied.
"I'm sure I do not know what you are talking about."
Once again I arrived last, although not late. Salamander began the class.
"First, as promised, it's time to teach our best student the limits of her technique," Salamander began. "In order to be a great warrior, one must learn how to lose. A warrior learns a lot more from losing than she does from winning. Tell me, Cindy, what have you learned in all your fights?"
"I've learned that people go down and stay down when you lean on them a little," Cindy replied.
"You're an aquatic monster!" Salamander pointed out. "I'm sure you've had to fight underwater, where your mass is less of an advantage."
"I've only ever had to fight other crab girls underwater," Cindy replied. "We usually just fight by grabbing each other's pincers and pushing. It's a test of strength. I always win."
"Strongest of the crab girls, eh?" Salamander said, looking at me pointedly. That actually made me feel a little better. A crab girl was not supposed to be a very high level monster. Alice had insisted I should have beaten her before I even learned any real skills. My physical gifts alone should have been enough. Knowing that she was in the top tier of crab girls made me less upset about losing to her.
"I sure am," Cindy said proudly. "I've never lost a fight in my life!"
"Do you know where you are?" Salamander asked rhetorically. "This is the Monster Lord's castle! This is the big time! The vast majority of monsters staying in this castle right now could wipe the floor with you! Do you think you can beat the Four Heavenly Knights?"
"Well… no," she said sheepishly. "That's why I'm here. To train. I want to be a Heavenly Knight. For real."
Nanabi scoffed. "Is something funny, Nanabi?" Salamander said.
"That girl, a Heavenly Knight? Take it from someone who is the aide to a Heavenly Knight. You're no Heavenly Knight. You'll never be a Heavenly Knight."
"I beat you!" Cindy protested. "Someday I'll beat your boss, too!"
"Perhaps," Salamander said. "Nanabi, let me ask you something. Why do you think Granberia is a Heavenly Knight? Has a dragonkin ever been strong enough to compete for the position of Monster Lord? As I recall, she lasted longer in that battle than Tamamo."
"That's because Granberia is the greatest warrior in the world!" Nanabi protested. "You would know, you trained her!"
"Is it normal for dragonkin to be that strong?" Salamander asked. "Dragons, sure. Dragons have competed for the position from time to time. But a dragonkin is not by nature a particularly powerful monster. Granberia had fewer advantages by birth than any of the other Knights. Her affinity for magic is limited. The physical strength of her species is only slightly above average. Dragonkins are closer to human than dragon. A dragonkin competing for the position of Monster Lord is unheard of! Yet she did it. That's the power of determination combined with training."
"Dragonkins aren't a particularly impressive species, no," Nanabi conceded. "But a crab girl?"
"That just means she'll have to work harder," Salamander countered. "Harder even than Granberia. Do you understand how high the mountain you have to climb is, Cindy?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Cindy said brightly. "I won't let you down!"
"Then first, you have to learn what your weaknesses are, and they are many. For your first lesson, try to take me down. If you succeed, you can wash me."
"But you're all flamy!" Cindy protested. "I can't wash you! I can't even touch you!"
"In real combat, you have to adjust to your enemy," Salamander admonished. "But for this exercise, I'll douse my flames."
Salamander did so. I wish she hadn't, because it exposed her naked body. Her flames were basically her clothes. I guess it shouldn't have mattered. Cindy and Nanabi refused to wear a shred of clothing themselves, but Nanabi had fur covering her genitals and Cindy's were somewhere on her body that I hadn't yet identified, nor was I trying. Their breasts, however, were always just out there for the world to see. Now Salamander's humanoid form was entirely nude. I would never get used to that.
Cindy eagerly charged at Salamander, who was simply not there when she reached the place where Salamander had stood. It sure looked easy when Salamander did it. I'd dodged her initial charge twice myself, but only with some difficulty.
Salamander now stood to Cindy's left. Cindy could swivel as quickly as she could charge, so the second charge came very fast. Salamander simply returned to the position she'd begun in. Cindy swiveled again, charged again. Salamander returned to position number two. Give Cindy credit, she picked up on things faster than I did, swiveling once again and feinting before heading towards where she expected Salamander to be. Except Salamander was behind her and delivered a swift kick to the back of her shell, a kick so hard that it caused her back legs to leave the ground. Salamander wasted no time taking advantage, catching her legs before they returned to the ground, and doing the best judo type move I'd ever seen, which caused Cindy to flip over onto her back. She began to flail uselessly. Apparently righting herself on land was not easy for a crab girl.
"Luka knows a little bit about leverage," Salamander said, now standing on top of Cindy as her legs and arms flailed around. "Not that you could have pulled that move off, Luka. You don't quite have a powerful enough kick. But I'll teach you, don't worry. And you, Cindy, you will learn not just how to avoid getting upended like that, but how to get up from this position unassisted. For now, I'll let you try to get up yourself."
Salamander walked back over to Nanabi and me as Cindy grunted and tried to right herself, with little obvious progress. I didn't fail to notice the smirk on Nanabi's face. I wasn't quite sure why these two were so hostile to each other. They weren't competing for anything. They just seemed to rub each other the wrong way.
"That smirk would normally invite a similar chastising by your instructor," Salamander said to Nanabi. "But overconfidence about your abilities is not among your weaknesses, so I'll let you enjoy this one. Now! As much as I want to be able to teach a proper class, the three of you all have vastly different anatomy and skill sets. So Luka, I want you to grab a training sword and do 200 reps of Demon Decapitation, followed by 100 of Demon Skull Beheading. Your use of those techniques is still sloppy and your conditioning has become poor. Granberia can use either of those moves at any time, as many times as she needs to. You've only ever been able to use them once or twice in a fight. Nanabi, I'm going to teach you some tail exercises so that you can work on getting them to move independently or in coordination as needed. How many tails do you think you can effectively use at once?"
"I think four, sometimes five," she replied.
"You know what that makes you?" Salamander asked.
"Um… what does that make me?"
"A four tailed kitsune!"
I don't think Nanabi had ever looked so insulted. Fox girls' power was judged by how many tails they possessed. Salamander had a point, however. If you can only use four at a time reliably, then you are in practice only a four tailed kitsune. Of course, those tails also tended to indicate magic potential and Nanabi's abilities with magic were formidable. But physically, she needed work and knew it.
As Nanabi listened carefully to Salamander's instruction and Cindy began to bounce around, still unable to right herself, I began working on my own exercises. As I did so, I watched Cindy continue to struggle. At first she'd been very mature about it, accepting that she'd been bested and working hard at getting situated without assistance, but I could see that she was getting tired, frustrated, and was on the verge of crying. I stopped my exercises and grabbed one of her many hands while using my other to help turn over her shell. Together, we got her righted with only some difficulty. Salamander watched us, but didn't say anything. I'd expected her to order me to leave Cindy be, but she seemed pleased. Although I was an amateur in many ways, I was also a veteran of many battles. If Salamander was going to talk about real battles, in real fights your allies helped you out when you couldn't help yourself. The look Cindy gave me was far more emotional. She wrapped me up in all eight arms and gave me a big hug.