And then… - Original story by MISTER BIG T

The end is drawing nigh

Chapter 19: Lust

Renee gave a painful sigh as she moved down the road. Out into the wilderness she walked, hoping to put her heritage away.

“Sister… You are a fool… And you’re going to die a fool’s death…” she thought to herself.

Just then Renee saw group of people standing before her. They were dressed in armors and had their faces covered.

“You there little girl! Come with us peacefully,” one of them said.

Renee gave a sigh,“ I ask you to reconsider. I do not know what you’d want me for, but you will only get into trouble for meddling with an outlaw.”

The men laughed. Suddenly, one of them raised their hand and blew some dust from it. Renee gave a cough and she felt the world spin and her legs become weary as she fell on the ground.

And then…Came darkness…

Renee finally woke up. She was shocked to notice that she was stripped naked and lined on a stage next to several other completely naked people. People were eyeing on them like merchandise. She tried to cover herself, only to realize that she was completely restrained.

“Alright people! Take a look at this beauty!” an obese man, yelled as he walked near Renee. He had worn out clothes that had stains on them. “Young, pure and innocent. By no doubt a virgin and quite a charmer. A must for anyone who prefers him or her as innocent. Starting bid is ten cows.”

These people… Want to buy me? To do what? To apetize their lust? Or to follow their commands?

“Look, I don’t know who you people are but there’s been a mistake and…” Renee began to explain, when suddenly the man punched her in the side.

“Pipe down you worthless sack of maggots or I’ll punch your teeth in,” he mumbled from behind his breath.

“Twelve cows,” a woman said as she raised her hand. She was dressed in a red dress and she wore a mask that completely covered her upper part of face. Renee noticed how she was glaring at her hungrily and licking her upper lip.

“Twenty cows and a pig,” one old man yelled. He was dressed in a fancy looking suit and he had a mask that covered his head starting from the nose level. He had three women in skimpy outfit around him, with a leash leading to collars around their necks.

“Anyone else? Twenty going once… Going twice… Sold to Mr.Kibari for Twenty cows and a pig! Next meat to the block…” the obese man grunted.

Before Renee knew what was going on, the old man approached her. He slapped a collar around her neck.

“You now belong to me slave. You shall do as I say and you will be treated well. Disobey and you shall be punished,” he explained.

Renee didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded slowly.

“Good girl. Now come with me, I live near here.” Kibari said as he reached for her arm.

She grabbed his hand and followed his lead. He led her to his house. It was quite big and it was obvious to Renee that he must have been formidably wealthy and had token amount of people guarding the house.

Upon entering the house, Renee was suprised to see beautiful sculptures and paintings. There were also other people just like her.

“The meal is ready master,” one girl said while bowing.

The man gave a nod and walked with Renee to the dining room. There, Renee was even more surprised to see plenty of meat and good fishes. Excellent wine and even foreign fruits.

“You must be hungry. Go ahead and take whatever you wish they’re all for you,” Kibari told her.

“Thank you….. Master…” Renee silently said as she walked over to a seat. “Master? May I beg

to learn what’s that you do being able to afford all this?” Renee asked as she put some of the meat into her mouth.

“I am a wizard who teaches magic. I specialize in confusion magic and polymorphing. Do you happen to know any magic yourself?” he explained, while cocking his eyebrow slightly up at the final part of the sentence.

“I do know several healing spells. I do not believe in violence, so I have never studied any other magic. My sister hated me for that. When she learnt that I had potential with magic, she wanted me to get on her side and aid her in future combats….” Renee spoke.

“But that didn’t happen?” Kibari questioned her.

“No. Instead, we ended up hating each other. I hated her because she always resolved around violence and she me because I’d not hurt even a fly. She cast me as an outlaw and made my kind abandon me. She’s a disgrace to our family’s name,” Renee replied as she gave a painful sigh.

Why did I tell him all this?… Am I so vulnerable after being abandoned that I’ll accept anyone’s attention?

As the night came, Renee was instructed into her chambers where she would need to rest for the night. Even though she hated being owned by someone…At the same time it also gave her comfort for knowing someone cared of her…

“Mr Kibari… He’s a nice man…” she thought to herself before falling asleep.

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Chapter 20: Hate

THIRTY YEARS AGO…

“Kalasashka! What is the meaning of this??” the necromancer exclaimed at his daughter.

Kalasashka was dressed in a complete dark cloak. Everything in her was covered.

“Do not *refer* me as Kalasashka anymore father. From now on, I have no name. From now on, you are no longer my father…” she spoke.

The man walked closer and slapped the girl hard.

“Listen to yourself!! What are you talking about?? You act as if you’d be high from the wine, what kind of a demon has made you loose your mind?” he yelled at her.

Kalasashka moved her hand to rub the spot her father had slapped at.

“For this one time I forgive you for raising your hand at me because you were once my father. But I warn you old man…. Never…. Never raise your hand at me again.” she spoke to him in a cold way.

She gazed him directly into eyes with a stare that stabbed him like thousand darts.

“You have gone too far. I heard a rumor that you have began doing some kind of rituals to get revenge but this is worse than I thought…. “ he said as he began to move his hands around his sides. “The madness clouds your head. I must stop you before you get yourself killed or worse.”

A smile formed on to face of Kalasashka. “Father, you old fool. You think I’d want to fight against the world’s strongest necromancer? Already before this conversation, I had poisoned your wine. It makes all your strength fade away. I saw you already sweat, and have difficulty breathing earlier. And your slap… I could hardly feel.”

The man gurgled and held his throat. Never could he suspect his daughter to be so traitorous and cowardly. As he reached his hands towards her, she quickly pulled a knife and stabbed him directly into his heart.

And then…Came death…

Jenny opened her eyes and gazed long out from her window.

“The day of reckoning shall come for all those who oppose me,“ she thought as she held Iki Turso firmly on her grip, “I shall soon be fully prepared to go against the gods and slay each and everyone of them.”

Jenny turned to face her servant. He was a man with a scar going along his left eye. He was a hunchback with a completely black cloak covering him. He had two sword sheaths on his belt.

“Begin preparations for the purification ceremony,” she instructed him which he responded with a nod and leaving her alone.

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Chapter 21: Sadness

Renee suddenly gasped as she felt someone feel down her inner thigh.

“Sssh, keep quiet and nothing’s going to happen.” a male voice spoke to her.

There was smell of alcohol in the air. Even from the darkness, Renee could recognize him Mr. Kibari.

“Please, don’t do this…” she begged him.

He responded by slapping her. She groaned in pain and began to whimper as he began to slide her undeargments down.

“God please don’t….” she sobbed as she tried to stop him only to be hit again this time even harder. Some blood ran down her mouth.

“I told you… If you disobey, I’ll punish you….” he spoke while feeling around her privates.

Renee saw him undressing himself. She knew what he’d do to her.

“Come on you pitiful slave. You’ll like it,” he laughed as he pointed to his member.

Renee not knowing what to do reached desperately for something to use as a weapon. She grabbed one of the candles and tossed it at the male’s groin.

He gave a huge scream and fell on his knees. Miwako observed in horror as he held the member in pure agony while biting his teeth together. By giving a painful whimper, the man fell on his back, struggling for a while before becoming completely silent.

“I…. I did that…?” she slowly said taken surprise by how easily she had robbed the man from his life.

Just then there came a knock from the door “Master? I heard a racket are you alright?”

Renee gasped. She knew she couldn’t stay, she just killed a person. She reached to open a window and jumped off. She landed on her knees and hurt her right foot, crippling it. She thought of casting a healing magic but realized she’d have to get away from their sight first. Limping, she began to stumble forwards trying hard to think where she could go.

Just then she ran into the last person she had thought she’d ran into. Miwako. Melisa and several army men accompanied her.

“Renee? What are you doing here?” she questioned her little sister.

“M…Miwako…. I…. I…I killed a human….. He tried to….. I didn’t want to but….. But…” Renee sobbed as she tried to find correct words.

Miwako grabbed Renee strongly from her shoulders and slapped her so hard; the girl’s ears began to ring.

“Stop being so hysterical!! How did you find us???! Why did you disobey me?!” she yelled at her.

“I didn’t! I was escaping from the house I was bought at….. I swear, I did not try to find any of you!!” Renee sobbed.

Miwako gave a painful sigh. She looked at her side. Melisa was smiling watching the two.

“Fine, I believe you. I refuse to believe it is a coincidence that you are in the very same city, that Derek claims Jenny lives at though,” Miwako spoke up.

“Jenny? And how can Derek know that?” Renee asked as she gave blinked her eyes.

“Derek was killed by Jenny’s magical fire and restored as some sort of a spirit. Bent on revenge, he was able to track Jenny… Somehow. I believe this would be more of an area you’d know about, so maybe I should be the one asking the questions. As for what Jenny is, she’s an insane sorceress who has caused much misery for our families before we had even been born…..” Miwako explained. She paused for a short moment and then opened her battle armor a bit revealing the scar on her chest. “I witnessed the newfound powers of Jenny several days ago. I saw some of my greatest men fall like flies and she threw me around like a kid. For the first time in my life, I felt absolutely weak and worthless. However Melisa and me have realized something. Jenny was bluffing. If she’d truly be as strong as she says… None of us would be alive, not even with the aid of mightiest clerics in the world. No doubt she’s strong. But like a raging forest fire, she can burn out that power which fuels her. We decided to push her to her limits before she’ll get too strong to defeat.”

Renee gazed long at the scar of her sister and then while looking into her eyes felt around it “Does it hurt?”

“Not anymore….. Renee my little sister… I know you probably loathe me….. But I now ask if you want to join us in our last quest, as for the first time ever both Lichen and Lorean armies join up against an enemy of them both…. This is what I believe our father would have wanted if he’d be here,” Miwako replied.

Renee fell silent for what felt like ages but finally she said, “I will join but only because that’d be what father would want us to do. Work together; not have our childish arguments. But now rises one big question; where exactly Jenny is?”

Miwako gave a smug grin and she replied, “She lives in one of the biggest mansions in here.”

“Excuse me? The people know of her presence then?” Renee questioned.

“Yes indeed. It is not the matter of who knows where she lives because even though they deny it, everyone in this city knows where she lives. It is of the matter who wants to face her wrath. The people in this city have sort of a fear respect relationship with her. She has not done much harm to anyone in here who’ve not went against her and they may be unaware of what she plans to do……” Miwako answered as she gave a sigh.

A small silent moment passed between the people.

“But then… What does she plan to do? What is so important that you are all willing to die for? It can’t be just the revenge….. I was willing to accept that from you sister but neither from these men nor miss Melisa,” Renee finally said.

Melisa looked at Miwako then Renee as she responded, “You are right. For before learning about her whereabouts one of my godtalkers spoke to me. He told me that he had felt disturbance in the powers of the gods, dictating that there was going to be a war between them. He believes that some strong deity is using Jenny as a pawn to kill some of its opponents before the fight. He believes that Jenny is going to go against God of all gods, the mightiest of the gods. If this deity would get weakened enough for the evil god to gain advantage…. The ending result of the struggle of who would become the superior god would not only be enough to destroy our very earth…. It may very well destroy the entire reality and change even time and space as the gods would all use their powers against each other.”

Renee gasped but then went silent “But if Jenny is so big threat, why don’t the gods stop her? If she’s so mighty, why don’t the gods attack her now that she’s still too weak to control herself?”

Just as Melisa was about to respond, Miwako began to speak “It is because the very same deity protects Jenny somehow and hides her powers. No god talker could tell us how this was able to happen under the eyes of every single god. But whatever the reason is, we know the ending result is the same. We mere mortals are the one thing that can stop this catastrophe from happening.”

Renee was lost at words. All she could do was nod and hope that what she had just heard was just crazy talk…. For if it would not be, they’d all be in a great danger…

Just then Marouk, Derek, and small army of peasants and soldiers arrived near them.

“These are all we could convince to join our cause,” Marouk stated as he pointed towards the scared men.

“It is better than nothing. I don’t blame the ones who were too affraid. For if we are to fail, we shall surely suffer a fate worse than a death,” Miwako thought in her mind. Out loud she said. “Excellent. We shall leave immediately. Derek, have you learnt to control your flames yet?”

“Yess mistress…. I am no longer the servant, I’m now the master of the fiery death…” Derek spoke with words which only Miwako and Melisa fully understood.

Miwako climbed back on top of her horse and felt around its back hair. She gave a gesture and the people began to follow her. Renee stayed a bit behind as she was muttering herself a healing spell to heal her foot.

“I don’t remember becoming your servant war princess,” Melisa mumbled to herself.

As they walked towards the mansion, its doors suddenly opened by themselves.

I can almost smell the bad magic surrounding this place… This is not a place for a follower of the light…

Just then the servant of Jenny who was a hunchback blocked their path.

“I don’t know who you are, but you are in our way. Step aside and we assure you’ll be spared,” Melisa said.

The man gave a grin and reached for both of his swords. Each of the heroes and their army men reached for their weapons as well.

Just as one of the soldiers got closer to the man, he suddenly screamed from pain and fell on his back with a gaping open stomach. Just then everyone noticed the man’s back had become slightly different looking.

“What the hell??” Miwako exclaimed.

Just then the man tossed his cloak off and it was revealed he was neither hunchback nor a man at all. He was half scorpion with six legs and a huge poisonous stinger. He was big and if he would have stood on his rear legs, he’d be almost three and half meters high. He gave a hiss and the people could see his snakelike tongue.

And then…Came despair…

Several of the men gave a scream and tried to escape. But the scorpionman jumped on the doorframe with his legs burrowing into the wall. With his two swords he decapitated all those who just tried to run. Without any feeling of mercy he leapt down crushing several soldiers under his horrible weight.

“Burnnnn! Burnnnn!!!” Derek screamed as he tossed a fire at the man who blocked the fireball with his two swords.

“Marouk! Melisa! Aim at his hind legs!!!” Miwako screamed.

The heroes nodded and Marouk dived bellow the man and tore off one of his legs with his brute strength. Melisa leapt high into air and cut off another. But just then the man responded to this by stomping with one of his healthy legs on Marouk’s stomach that coughed blood. Without even a pause, he slapped Melisa with the tail part making her fly on her back gasping for air. Renee immediately went to her as fast as she could and casted a minor healing spell. From the corner of her eye she could see Miwako tightening her grip on her sword.

Suddenly Miwako gave a war yell as she ran towards the being and began to slash with her sword. The scorpionman blocked all these blows with his two swords. Each time he blocked a blow, he tried to slash with the other sword, which Miwako managed to dodge. As the two fought longer, they seemed equally matched in skill and strength

Just then, Marouk pushed the leg of Scorpionman off his stomach making him loose his balance. Immediattly, Miwako dodged under him and swung her sword cutting off two legs in an instant. Scorpionman gave a scream as he had only two legs and they alone seemingly couldn’t hold his weight. There came a cracking sound as his rear body was twisted from the middle and he fell on his side. He began to wiggle all his joints, still trying hard to hit someone with his swords.

Immediattly Melisa lunged her sword at the rib cage of the scorpionman and cut it open all the way to his belly. Scorpionman gave a huge scream as Melisa reached into the bloody wound and tore his still beating heart out. She squeezed the heart making it ooze purple and red blood out from it that smelt horrible. Scorpionman stopped wiggling and he became lifeless. He had been defeated but not without loss of some of their men.

“Jenny is not going to be as easy to defeat,” Melisa sighed as she rubbed the blood of the creature off her face.

“This creature was born from her dark magic alone… Her powers are increasing,” Miwako mumbled in a shock.

The final fight is about to begin…Will the heroes win? And even if they will, what will be left of them?