Chronicles of Eden - Act V (2 page)

“So I don’t need a focuser, I just need to have the willpower, right?”

“That’s right,” Alyssa agreed. “You don’t need this crystal, but having it right now with me might help you get a feel for this. I wish I knew how to better explain it, you just have to… feel it.”

Daniel nodded as he tried with all his might to ‘feel’ what Alyssa was talking about. He did physically feel a strange pulse every now and then from the focuser crystal, however nothing else was poking into his mind. No matter how hard he tried, each and every time they stopped to do this, he couldn’t feel what Alyssa was talking about.

‘I have to do this, I have to be able to protect them. I’ve been completely helpless with them the entire time we’ve been out here, I can’t be like that anymore. Triska, Alyssa, Squeak, and Specca, they’re more than my friends now, they’re my mates, my lovers. I have to be able to protect them myself!’

Daniel showed a strained expression as he desperately tried to grasp the magical ether with what he thought to be his mind and willpower. Nothing felt different to him, nothing seemed to call or whisper to him, nothing happened with each passing moment as he struggled to learn anything that could help him.

“Daniel,” Alyssa said quietly, seeing him trying to no avail once again.

After a while of silence Alyssa glanced over to the other girls then unfastened her necklace, using both hands to place the crystal focuser in Daniel’s hand before she stood up in front of him.

“I’ll be right back, Daniel,” she said with a smile at him. “You keep on practicing, take all the time you need. I’m going to let the others know how you’re doing.”

“But I haven’t accomplished anything yet.”

“True, but you’re still going strong. I’m just going to let the others know you’re doing okay. Did you want something to eat or drink while I’m over there?”

“No, thank you,” Daniel said before staring at the focuser in his hand, his fingers holding onto the relic securely while he concentrated with all his might.

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Alyssa said before leaning over and kissing his forehead, the boy smiling briefly from the gesture before the witch started walking back towards the others. As she did Daniel glanced over to her, seeing the witch’s hips swaying a bit with each step while her skirt fluttered in the breeze. Shaking his head a little Daniel set his sights back on the crystal, trying to remain focused on his task and not the little monster his mind started to wander in thought about.

Alyssa walked over towards the group while looking back to seeing Daniel remaining still on the grass as he stared at her focuser, a small frown coming across her face briefly before she approached the girls.

“So?” Triska asked. “How’s he doing this time?”

“Well, he’s trying,” Alyssa replied with a shrug.

“Still no go, huh?” Specca asked worriedly.

“Surprise surprise,” Falla dryly commented.

“This isn’t something he can learn in a day,” Kroanette reasoned.

“How long do you think it could take him?” Triska asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Alyssa said looking back to Daniel. “He has the motivation and willpower to learn, but a human doesn’t naturally use magic. He could learn how to tap into the ether by tomorrow… or he may never be able to do it.”

“Bottom line, we’re wasting our time,” Falla summed up.

“Shut up, Falla,” Triska snapped at her.

“What? It’s true. You just said so yourself, all this practicing isn’t doing him any good. He would have a better chance at fighting like a human does, with a sword or something.”

“He just needs to work out,” Luna said with a hopeful smile. “He can take off his shirts and lift heavy things again and again to get stronger. Oh, what about Triska’s duffel bag? That thing weighs as much as like Eden itself.”

“What are you talking about?” Triska asked while Falla snickered to that. “My bag doesn’t weigh- oh never mind. Look, this was Daniel’s decision, okay? He feels that studying and learning to use magic would be more natural for him rather than training to be a fighter like I am. This is what he wants, and personally I believe he can do it.”

“She’s right,” Specca agreed. “I have faith Daniel can do this. His mind and willpower are the strongest weapons he has. Surely learning to control the forces of magic would come more naturally to him rather than fighting like a barbarian.”

“Excuse me?” Triska replied with a raised eyebrow at her. “
Barbarian
?”

Squeak set her hands at her hips and huffed with discontent while Kroanette crossed her arms with a dull expression on her face. Specca looked around at them then jumped with a squeak and quickly shook her hands in front of her.

“No no,” she quickly pleaded. “I didn’t mean it like that. I only meant that… what I was trying to say was…”

“I’m going to remember that later tonight,” Triska said with a stern smile. Specca glanced to her then to Squeak, seeing the ant girl having the same accusing grin on her face, then gulped and looked down while blushing.

“Please be gentle with me,” she quietly begged before glancing away.

“Anyway,” Alyssa spoke up to get their attention again. “He wants to do this for us, to protect us as his mates. His mind is made up, I don’t think we could stop him even if we tried.”

“Well we can’t keep stopping like this,” Falla groaned. “Seriously, you wanted me to take you to my home so I’m doing just that. Quit dragging this on.”

“I don’t mind Daniel wanting to learn to use magic,” Luna said with a shrug. “But we need to get to our home so he can speak to our sisters about being good monsters.”

“Not to mention isn’t that alpha witch from Rystone expecting progress from Daniel?” Falla reminded them. “She’s not going to help unless you get a lot more support for your case, and you’re sure not going to get that sitting out here.”

“She does have a point,” Kroanette admitted with a shrug at the girls. “I’m all in favor of Daniel learning to use magic in the interest of protecting those he holds dear, but I do wish to take him to my mother as I promised him, and this is certainly pushing that promise back further and further by the day. Perhaps we should lighten up the number of practice sessions so we may make more progress with our journey.”

The girls all looked to each other then back out to Daniel with worried eyes as he continued to focus with his new goal.

“I suppose that is true,” Specca softly admitted. “We are certainly running more behind with our travels with all these practice stops.”

“We’ve got two promising leads for monster races to join us,” Triska reasoned. “Not to mention if we get enough support then Charlotte will stand with us too. We shouldn’t slow down with our quest when it’s starting to look up for us.”

Squeak nodded and squeaked something while scratching her head with a curious expression.

“Stopping in peaceful places such as this would be ideal for him,” Alyssa said before sighing and shaking her head. “But I suppose I can try to teach him while we’re on the move, it shouldn’t pose a problem.”

“Good,” Falla mentioned. “Then maybe we can also ease up on all the sex breaks you keep taking as well?”

The girls looked to her for a moment before laughing amusedly together.

“Let’s not get carried away,” Alyssa replied shaking her head.

“That’s not going to happen,” Triska said with a small laugh.

“Sorry, but we do have needs that cannot be ignored now,” Specca softly giggled.

Squeak nodded and squeaked while twitching her eyebrow and having a sultry smile on her face.

“I didn’t think they would be up for that option,” Kroanette mused with a smirk.

Daniel kept focusing with all his might, hoping that something would happen or feel different in any way. However nothing did, try as he might he wasn’t able to get a feel for anything like the magical ether that supposedly was flowing by in the unseen right now.

‘This isn’t working. There’s no telling how long before I can feel the magical ether like Alyssa said I would, or if I would even recognize it. I have four lovers to protect and care for, and I can’t even use a normal sword right let alone summon any magical power to aid me.’

“I’m just the worst…” he sighed with despair.

“The worst what?” a tiny female voice asked.

Daniel jumped then looked around quickly, seeing nobody nearby while his girls were still gathered off to the side of the meadow together near a large tree.

“Who… who said that?” he carefully asked.

“I did.”

“Where are you?”

“Right here.”

“Here where?”

“Where else but here?” the voice giggled softly.

Daniel looked all around then up at the sky, not seeing anything or anyone.

“I don’t see you, where are you?”

“In your lap, silly,” the voice giggled again.

Daniel blinked then looked down, his eyes widening as he saw a tiny girl sitting on one of his legs. She was about six inches tall, wearing tiny brown boots and having a long skirt made of rose petals. Covering her chest were two spiraling green stems which went around her shoulders and down her back to her skirt. Behind her were blue transparent insect wings, the light from above making them sparkle slightly as they fluttered faster than Daniel’s eye could make out. Around each wrist she wore bright yellow ribbons which were wrapped around her lower arms and dangled down loosely below her hands. Her long crimson hair was draped over her shoulders while a lock of hair covered her left eye. The eye that Daniel saw looking up at him was sparkly blue and green, a look of wonder in the tiny monster as she watched him with her mouth opened slightly.

“Wow, you’re big,” she said before smiling at him.

Daniel just froze as he stared at the tiny monster sitting on his lap. He didn’t feel afraid, mostly since she was so small, however he wasn’t sure what to say or for that matter what kind of monster this was.

“You’re really big, are all humans as big as you?” she asked with a playful smile.

“Um…”

“What’s your name?”

“Um…”

“Oh. Well, Um, nice to meet you. What were you saying about you being the worst? The worst what?”

Daniel blinked then slowly shook his head and smiled weakly at the tiny monster.

“Uh, actually, my name is-”

“Daniel?” Triska’s voice asked from behind. Daniel looked back to seeing all the girls walking towards him, with Triska leading the way and watching him with a worried smile.

“Hey, so any luck so far?” she asked with a shrug.

“Triska. Um, no, not yet. But… uh…” Daniel said glancing back down to his lap.

“Who’s Daniel?” the tiny monster asked.

The other girls paused for a moment before looking at Daniel carefully.

“Daniel, who was that?” Triska asked as she slowly reached back for her sword.

“I thought you said your name was Um?” the tiny monster said curiously.

Daniel slowly held a hand out towards the girls to stop them from getting riled up then carefully motioned them forward, with all the girls slowly walking around and noticing with surprise the tiny monster sitting in Daniel’s lap.

“What is that?” Triska asked.

“A fairy,” Specca breathed out in wonder.

“I thought they were all dead,” Alyssa said looking to Specca with amazement, the nixie returning the look before they both stared at the fairy with wide eyes. “They were rumored to have died off ages ago. Where did she come from?”

“She… just appeared here,” Daniel said with a shrug.

“Wow,” the fairy said looking around at the group. “You’re all so big. Like really,
really
big.”

“Aw, she’s so cute,” Luna said sweetly while holding her hands to her cheeks.

“She’s so
tiny
,” Falla added peering at the fairy.

Triska slowly knelt down next to Daniel and looked at the fairy with wonder, the tiny monster just staring back at her with equal awe.

“Hello,” Triska greeted with a small smile.

“Wow,” the fairy said with wide eyes of wonder. “Your boobs are so
big
.”

Triska blushed deeply and looked down to her chest before smiling weakly at the monster and shrugging a little.

“Um… thanks?”

“How much milk can you store in those?”

“Okay,” Triska nervously replied. “Not sure I like where this conversation is going.”

“What’s your name?” Daniel asked.

“Pip,” the fairy answered with a smile.

“Pip, that’s a nice name,” Daniel complimented.

“Thank you. Say, Daniel was it?”

“Yes, that’s my name.”

“Can you do me a
big
favor?” the fairy begged while holding her hands together.

“What is it?” Daniel asked as the girls all watched the fairy closely.

“Can you give me some of your seed?” Pip asked innocently. All the girls then stared at the fairy with dull expressions as she looked to her hands curiously. “Not a whole lot though. I can only carry so much.”

Daniel just stared at Pip with bewilderment as the fairy looked over her hands with a tiny frown on her face, the monster then looking up to him with a shrug.

“Just a few drops will do. Pretty please?”

“Uh…” was his only reply as he glanced around at the others in question.

“I guess we shouldn’t be surprised,” Triska commented with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t mean to ask an obvious question, but…” Kroanette asked before she pointed to Pip. “How in Eden could she possibly copulate with a human to get his seed anyway?”

“Specca?” Daniel asked with a weak smile. “What exactly are we dealing with here?”

“She’s a little horny,” Falla said dryly.

“She’s little and she’s horny,” Luna said nodding before clapping her hands together and looking to her sister with a bright smile. “Oh, I get it! That’s funny!”

Specca knelt down near Daniel and examined Pip carefully, the little fairy watching her with curious eyes while holding a finger to her lips.

“Well,” Specca hesitantly replied. “There’s not much written about them. Let’s see. Monster Class: Fairy. Honestly, Daniel, there isn’t much to go by with them. They were supposed to have died off long before you were even born, what was written about them hasn’t been proven or can even be proven. They’re considered myths and just stories amongst humans.”