In search of Eternity Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Although it was early morning, There were a surprising amount of Monsters out and about. Thankfully, I was able to avoid most of them, the ‘buzz’ of their Dark Energy allowing me to rely on things other than sight and sound to detect and work around the obstacles. I managed to make good time in my trek, the early morning light just beginning to crest over the horizon illuminating my destination.

Unlike how easily it was found in the game, the Cave that held the Pirate Queen’s treasure was not obvious. There was only one mountain range it could reside in, there being no others to the West of Illiasport, but the interference was unknown and unmarked on any maps. I had a plan for that, but first I would need to enter the mountain range.

Something that was made rather awkward by the being that had approached me like a missile, unerring in its aim. Licking my finger, I held it in the air, confirming that I remained downwind from the source of Dark Energy. That means that there is some way this particular Monster was tracking me that was unknown to me.

Deciding to face it rather than risk it taking me by surprise while I was dealing with something else, I paused and waited for the creature to come into view. As it did, I sighed, seeing the one thing I wanted to avoid on the way to the cave.

“I was right! A lone male!” The Roper Girl called out, licking her lips, “Such a tasty morsel as well! Be a good boy and be melted by my acid, okay?”

I didn’t even bother giving her an ultimatum, knowing well how these Monsters personalities were. Most man eating monsters were apathetic or even sorrowful to having to eat humans, but Ropers relished in the act. They took sadistic pleasure in melting down and eating the men they caught, although they weren’t picky and would do the exact same to women, albeit with less enthusiasm.

Quickly making a plan, I started to back away from the Roper, my hand going to the item held behind my back on my belt.

The Monster Girl grinned, “Yes, run! That only makes it more fun!”

She stretched her tentacles out, attempting to hem me in and wrap around me to drag into her embrace. I watched the limbs advance warily, waiting for the perfect moment. Seizing my moment, I paused briefly, causing the Roper to grin sadistically and snap the tentacles to ensnare me, which I dodged by infusing my legs with Dark energy and jumping to the side. Taking advantage from her surprise at my speed, I rushed the Monster Girl, her tentacles off centre and slow to react as I rushed into her guard.

“What the…” was as far as she got, before her words were cut off as the guard of my dagger slammed into her jaw and snapped her mouth closed, the blade sinking into the soft skin underneath her mouth and causing a shock to run up my arm from the impact.

Her eyes widened with shock, terror just starting to enter them before with a twist I tore the dagger out of her lower skull. A shower of purplish blood erupted from the jagged wound as the monster Girl collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Looking into her eyes, staring up at me accusingly as she breathed her last breaths, I took in a deep lungful of air. Holding it, I closed my eyes and reminded myself that this was a murderer, a remorseless one at that. Turning away from the dead Roper, I looked down at the dagger. Already, just from its brief contact with her skin, the metal on the guard was pitted and tarnished from the acid. The blade was also swiftly becoming a mess. Sighing, I dropped the weapon and glanced down at the blood covering my hand.

Hopefully I could find a mountain stream or something to wash this off.

---XXX---

I did find a stream, it turned out, but the primitive camping soap that I had in my pack was not enough to completely remove the stain on my skin. Hopefully it was not enough to interfere with the meeting I was attempting to have in these mountains. Of course, to have said meeting I would need to find the other participants.

I had managed to trek into the mountain range, about halfway up the initial slope of one of the towering rocks. Thankfully, the collection of peaks only numbered around 6 or so, but with Monster Girls prowling around even that expanse of ground was difficult to properly map out. I didn’t have to map out every part, I just had to find a specific foxy needle in this haystack.

Yay me.

Fortune was on my side however, as I had a trick up my sleeve. Focusing on the Dark Energy around me, I started to draw the buzz up my body and into my nose. The sensation was strange, just on the edge of becoming ticklish, but not quite there. But it wasn’t like an itch either. It was decidedly uncomfortable.

However, as uncomfortable as it was, it was necessary for finding Tamamo. In the game, Luka and Alice had to find Poseidon’s Bell to travel through the storm that was being caused by one of Alice’s Four Heavenly Knights, Alma Elma. It was hidden in a stash of a renowned pirate Queen that was rumoured to be in this mountain range. The cave was full of deadly monsters that had been drawn in by the powerful magic of the artifacts within the stash.

But the powerful monsters were cleared out by a third party before they got there, another of the Heavenly Knights, Tamamo herself. It was her I was attempting to find, as well as the reason why I decided to travel with Alice and Luka in the first place. Thanks to that, I knew that now was the right time to find the Nine Tailed Kitsune within this area.

What does that have to do with my nose? Well, Alice had sniffed out that Kitsune were involved long before they reached the cave. How did she do this? The smell of Thin-Fried Tofu. That was the scent I was looking for as I took in a deep breath of air through my nose. The enhanced sense of smell overwhelmed me briefly, the stench of blood from my hand causing bile to rile in the back of my throat.

Taking a few cleansing breaths in through my mouth, I steadied myself and tried again. Focusing beyond the smells in my immediate vicinity, I was met with the scent of clear water and forest, different animals and what I could only assume as various Monster girls that had passed through the area.

Not finding what I was looking for was not a surprise, yet still disappointing. Resolving myself, I started my long hike through the mountains, occasionally having to stop and focus to take another exploratory sniff. It made me feel kind of like a dog, sniffing to find a scent of something that I was hunting, but I put the feeling out of my mind to focus on my task.

As it turned out, I didn’t end up finding the foxes that I was searching for. Instead, they found me.

---XXX---

For all my focus on my sense of smell being what would lead me to my quarry, it was instead my sense of touch that experienced them first. As I stopped to take another sniff of the air around me, I was suddenly weighed down by the feeling of a small girl sitting on my shoulders. The scent of Tofu suffused the area before I stopped the flow of Dark Energy to my nose, my attention taken up instead by the blade that had appeared at my throat.

I stilled completely. How has she snuck up on me? I was constantly aware of my surroundings thanks to my Dark Energy sensing. Was there some way of masking the signature? Even Alice hadn’t been able to do that when she hid from the Monsters we encountered. I suppose if anyone knew such a technique, it would be Tamamo.

“Lucky.” Came a calm voice, almost void of emotions. I could, however, feel something soft moving back and forth on my back, “I thought this place was deserted, but here I find myself a potential husband.”

My mind whirled. I knew how Kitsune chose their husbands, by making a male orgasm 3 times in a row. If she wanted to do that, She would have to get off my shoulders. That would give me a chance to fight her if I had to, but beating up one of Tamamo’s subordinates would set a very awkward tone for our talk.

So instead, I spoke to the Kitsune above me, “I will make you a deal.”

“Oh? You think you are in a position to make deals?” She asked, her tail on my back stilling.

“Wouldn’t you rather have a willing husband than one who resents you?” I asked, causing a noise of interest to sound from her.

“Oh? Someone from this continent would agree to be a Monster’s husband? I thought I would have had to tease the resistance out of you.” The lust dripping from her voice made me wince.

I rallied quickly, however, “Indeed. I will make you a bet. I have a message for your Mistress, Tamamo. Let me speak a single sentence to her and if she doesn’t want to hear what I have to say, I will agree to be your husband.”

It was a risk, but to be honest not much of one. If Tamamo didn’t listen to my warning, I was dead anyway. Gambling everything to stop the rise of Black Alice was my goal ever since I had arrived into this world.

“You think Lady Tamamo would listen to something a Human has to say?” Came the disbelieving voice of the Kitsune, amusement lingering under her derisive tone, “Are you delusional?”

“Would you prefer to fight me and risk us killing each other instead?” I asked, preparing to throw the Kitsune from her perch at her answer, “I guarantee that what I have to tell Tamamo is important enough for me to risk my life like this.”

“Hmm.” She hummed, “If it really is important, she might get angry at me for not letting you through… Fine.”

She hopped off my back, quickly appearing in my sight, her petite form covered by a tasteful red kimono, her two brown furred tails waving behind her.

Flicking her ears, she moved one of her brown bags out of her face, “Follow me.”

Not waiting for my response, she wrapped one of her tails around my wrist and dragged me behind her, moving with purpose. She led me through the mountain, a surety in her step that I admit that I envied. No Monster appeared to impede us, something I found odd but decided not to comment on.

Eventually, we arrived at a clearing with a cut out opening into the rock face of one of the pillars of rock, with a variety of Kitsune running around.

“Kamuro?” Came a voice, a golden furred example spoke out, prodding forward as she eyed me up appreciatively, “Did you catch a husband out there?”

This particular Kitsune was not like the rest. Instead of being a human with vulpine features, she instead was something I could only call a foxtaur. She had the lower body of a fox, with the torso of a buxom woman protruding from where the fox’s neck would be. I recalled that her name was Nanabi in the games, and indeed waving behind her were seven fluffy tails.

“Not yet. We have a deal, he wants to speak to Lady Tamamo and if she doesn’t want to hear what he has to say then he agreed to be my husband.” At my guide’s explanation the appreciative look turned sour.

“Our Lady is busy, Kamuro. You know that. We shouldn’t bother her with frivolous things like thi…” Her tirade was interrupted by a snapping sound, a small figure walking out of the mouth of the cave.

“Now now.” The golden haired Kitsune spoke, her presence instantly suffusing the area, “If one of my cute little foxes needs me, I could hardly decline.”

Tamamo unfurled her fan, looking at me over the intricate design, “Now, Kamuro. Come over here and tell me what deal you made.”

The brown haired Monster Girl went to the Heavenly knight, where they discussed something in hushed voices. After their short conversation, Tamamo turned to me and dropped her fan, closing it as she revealed her wide smile.

“So, you believe I will be interested in your message from a single sentence? Colour me intrigued. Very well, speak your part.” Her amusement at the wager was clear.

Thankfully, I had a lot of time to think up how to convey the fact that I had knowledge that I should definitely not possess. I could just give an allusion to the Six Great Ancestor Seal, but that was supposed to be a deathly secret. Putting her in the position where she had to explain what that was to her subordinates was not something that would endear her to me. So instead, I decided to be a bit more discreet.

“Minagi,” The first word caused her smile to immediately disappear, not helped by the next few, “Hiruko, Kanade, Kanon and Saja. I know the sixth name.”

Tamamo had turned serious immediately, all traces of joviality fleeing from her expression. Her Kitsune servants looked at me, confusion clear on their faces. They had no idea what the names I just sprouted meant, but they didn’t need to. The name of the Six Ancestors had been lost to time. The only people who knew they were Illias, her angels… And the sixth, Tamamo no Mae.

“Kamuro.” Tamamo spoke, “I apologise. It appears you will not be finding your husband today.”