The fourth wagon opened, and the Spark Gremlin emerged. It was roughly the size of a cat, but its body was made of electricity, and it had orange eyes with a large grin and sharp teeth. Its movements were lightning-fast, and soon enough, we were in an intense battle. I took some hits and managed to block some others, but the Gremlin seemed determined to take me down. Yet, this time, I used a different approach. Instead of attacking, I focused on dodging and remaining mobile, trying to tire it out until I could finally grab it. The Gremlin tried to break out of my grip several times, but eventually, it fell asleep in my arms.
Lachlan looked at me once again and nodded his head. "Very impressive," he said before turning around and motioning for the four men to pick up the Spark Gremlin. He then turned back to me with a smirk. "You have passed the test, monster, and I will consider training you, but you have left yourself defenseless."
Without warning and almost faster than I could see, Lord Lachlan produced two daggers from his sleeves and threw them at me. I had no chance to stop them, and they plunged into my stomach and shoulder. The force was so great that I was knocked off my feet. I hit the ground with a groan in pain and was filled with anger, but I was too weak to do anything about it.
Lachlan walked over and squatted down beside me. "Such an abnormality. You don't ever scream or cry out, even though you look pathetic. This might kill a normal Allgora that I have seen, but not you, it seems. I am sure I could fill you full of blades, and you still wouldn't die. That makes things complicated," Lachlan said as he looked at me. "Pull the blades out yourself, and learn to use your head. This is training for the wild. If you pass out or become too weak, you will become food, and then we will see how well you can regenerate and for how long. Think of this as the first real lesson I will teach you. If you would like to learn in a more peaceful manner, learn not to make stupid mistakes."
And with that, Lachlan got up and left the men who had finished locking up the wagons. I turned my head and walked them through the portcullis, closing the double doors behind them.
I let out a sigh and then frowned. Lachlan had a point.
I was clearly in pain, but for some reason, that wasn't such a bad thing. My wounds had healed around the knives, but there was something peaceful about just lying here. It was only noon, according to the almost high sun, but I felt like this had taken the entire day.
"My King!" I heard and then turned to see Fiona running over to me in her cute maid's dress, but this time she looked... bluer? On top of the skin tone change, she also now had a thin blue tail with a spade shape at the end of it. I had to say that she looked much better now, even if her mouth was full of razor teeth. Something about her looking more monstrous and deadly was a bit of a turn-on.
"I am fine," I said, putting up a hand as she came over to me.
"Do you want me to pull them out?!" Fiona asked, but I shook my head with a smile.
"Just a hand up would be nice," I said, and she grabbed my hand, pulling me up. As she did, both daggers fell out, cutting me again, but the holes they had been in just filled in and healed up like nothing had happened.
"Wow, your healing is something that I have never seen before. I mean, I have seen other monsters heal, but your body is on another level," Fiona said as she dusted me off. "Let's get you inside and clean up so that you can join the Queen for lunch. She had been watching you fight and was eager to speak with you," she explained, and I gave her a look.
"So we are not going to talk about the crazy lord that seems more like he wants to kill me than train me?" I asked, but Fiona just shook her head.
"No, we are not. That is not my place to discuss, but I am sure that the Queen will explain everything to you," she said with a smile, but then her look became more severe. "Just remember that there is something that she can not answer yet. These things are important. Melodious cares for you deeply, and one could say that she has been waiting for you her entire life. You need to trust her. If she tells you that she can't tell you something, do not push her. This is all part of a much greater plan, and when this plan bears fruit, you will be thanking us dearly."
"I understand," I said, nodding my head. "I trust her. I don't know why I do, but I have faith in her. Whatever this is all about, I will believe that it is for my own good," I said, trying to think about the daggers on the ground that had just been planted in me.
Fiona smiled and gave me an encouraging pat on the back before she led me inside to get cleaned up for lunch with the Queen. As we walked, I took notice of the great fortress around me and smiled. Whatever this was all about may have seemed confusing now, but once it all unfolded, something good had to come out of it. I just knew it. Plus, I had to look at the bright side of things. I was a king in name, at least. I had a stunningly gorgeous Queen, a cute maid, and a castle to top it all off.
Life could be better, but it could also be much, much worse.