Chapter 24

As you stuffed your belongings into a suitcase, you wondered to yourself if this was really the same world that you had read about in the encyclopedia. This whole world, dimension, reality, whatever the hell it was seemed to me much more troublesome than it had been made out to be. The second Magnara had explained what the world was like you figured that you would be cuddling up to the love of your life in a matter of days. Yet here you are, months later, bereft of waifu and sorely lacking the conveniences of twenty-first century Earth living.

There was a knock at your door. “Anon, it’s time.”

Shutting the last of your clothing away, you took a deep breath. The future certainly seemed grim. As it stood, you were about to be forced into slavery by the vampire that you had publicly humiliated. You were unsure if she knew about your allergy to demonic energy, or if she even cared. It would be a shock to no one if you spent the rest of your life (or unlife) shackled to her basement wall being drained of semen and blood on a daily basis. No, she would let you out eventually. Still, it wasn’t the kind of thing you wanted to look back and laugh about.

Opening the door, an entire contingent of guards pressed against the walls to allow you to pass through.
What none of the guards or undead knew was that your “carry on” was filled to the brim with potions courtesy of Ergine. Stamina enhancers, magic boosters, herbal supplements… you had it all. You may be as good as raped, but you’d be damned if the world didn’t know that you were not a fan of this decision.

The procession hurried down the stairs to the ground floor. A few undead in full armor joined your entourage without a word. Clearly Tomb Haven had a bigger budget for armor and weapons than Admaz.

As you exited the college into the streets, the guards closed in around you. Muscular shoulders jostled you about as you clung to your secret weapon.

Mamono from the town gathered to watch you pass. The guards shouted down any who dared approach you for a better look. Two Tomb Haven guards slipped their arms under yours and began to drag you forwards. You struggled to keep pace with them as they ushered you towards the main gate.

Looking out over the wall of Admaz, it became clear that Oroba was not underestimating Tomb Haven. A sea of undead soldiers sprawled out in the area around the gate. They formed a path to a caravan of carts and wagons, which you assumed would be your transportation. You didn’t know enough about monster politics to determine if the army was a display of force, or if they really felt the need to send hundreds of monsters to secure you.

As your decent down the hill neared its conclusion, you began to work one of the focus rings on your hands loose. Kneading and twisting, the band loosened as you approached the gate.

“What are you doing?” asked one of the guards carrying you. She flipped up her visor to get a better view of your hand wringing. A ghoul, as far as you could tell.

“Nothing, I’m just nervous.” You said.

“I know those rings are enchanted; we all read the report on you. I don’t know what you expect to do by fiddling with it like that, but I don’t like it. Just stay quiet and don’t touch it until you’re in the carriage, got it?” she growled.

Fuck. She was sharper than you thought.

The guards shouted at the monsters blocking the gate. The crowd parted as you passed through and you passed outside of Admaz for what may be the last time. Looking over your shoulder, you saw the makings of a mob pressing against the town guard. They looked as unhappy with your eviction as you were.

“Eye’s forward.” Said the ghoul.

A wall of zombies stretched forwards on either side of you. Now or never.

Ripping your right arm free of the other Tomb Haven guard dragging you, you threw her aside with a blast of magic.

“NO!” shouted the ghoul in a terrifying mix of frustration and rage.

Using telekenisis to pull the focus ring off your right hand, you blasted her away with a more powerful blast from your ring-less right hand. Slamming the ground, you sent a shockwave through the earth to stun the other guards. They dropped to the ground in a cacophony of clanking metal and panicked shouts. Dropping your bag to the ground, you threw open the clasps and began downing brews with reckless abandon.

~~~~~~~

“Ufufu… There’s my prize now, Goeth.” Said Emaballandae. She licked her lips as she watched Anon being dragged out of the city, stumbling and staggering in the arms of her guards. “Not so smug now, you fucking ingrate.”

“He’s not here yet, milady.” Said Goeth.

Emaballandae huffed and lowered her telescope. “You really know how to kill the mood, you know that? The daughter of your master is about to triumph over her foe and condemn him to a life of servitude and suffering, as is fit for a worm of his stature, and you can’t even smile for me.”

“I’m sorry milady, I didn’t mean to belittle the significance of the event. I’m simply implying that until he is secured in the carriage that something may happen.” Said Goeth.

“You worry too much. Anon is a commoner, plain and simple. And, like all other lower-class peasants, will happily submit to a noble who can rule over them and raise them out of barbarity. He’ll be licking my boots clean in a few days, mark my words.” Said Emballandae. “But I hope he doesn’t crack TOO soon. I’d like to break him first, you know? It’d be kind of a let down if he just gave up and started worshiping me. He should be as humiliated as I was when he rejected me. At least. Preferably more. Say Goeth, do you know where mamma keeps all the torture equipment?”

“Mmhmm.” hummed Goeth softly. Her eyes were fixed on the squad of guards around Anon.

“Hey! Are you listening?” said Emballandae. “I’m talking to you! What are you looking at that could possibly be more important tha-“
Emaballandae’s admonishment fell short as a boom echoed across the field.

“What the-“

Raising her telescope, she focused on the platoon escorting her fiancé. She focused just in time to see Anon blast away the second guard holding him. With another blast, he forced away the other guards.

“What the hell is he thinking?! Is he blind? He’s completely surrounded! There’s no way he can escape.” Muttered Emballandae.

“I’ll go stop him.” Said Goeth.

“No! I want to see the hope drain from his eyes as he realizes it’s hopeless.” Said the vampire. “This will also be a good demonstration of how strong he is; I can’t risk weak seed perverting my ancient and powerful bloodline.”

“Milady…” said Goeth.

“Enough! Just sit here with me and watch this unfold. I don’t want you leaving my side unless I say so.”

Goeth sighed and slumped back against her chair. Emballandae had insisted on bringing luxurious chairs to ‘make an impression’ on Anon. At least it was comfy. Goeth leaned back into the chair and tried to tune out Emballandae as she started to narrate the battle.

~~~~~

It only took a few seconds for the zombies to shake off their stupor and close in on you. Thankfully, they were zombies. The army seemed much less intimidating now that you knew their ‘soldiers’ took a whole minute to stand back up if they so much as tripped. Mages from the back lines began to move forwards with soldiers that could move faster than a trot. Shoving away the zombies, you wade through the morass to meet them halfway. It was a delicate operation; you didn’t really want to hurt any of the zombies, but they were in your way. And it wasn’t as if they felt pain or anything.

Blocking a bolt of energy, you felt a tingle surge through your body. You hadn’t realized it with all the commotion, but you were sporting an impressive stiffy as you continued your rampage. The air was getting hot and heavy. Opening the front of your shirt for more airflow was the only sane thing to do in this situation. As you tore open the buttons, you realized that the zombie standing next to you was actually pretty cute. With those big sad eyes, those soft kissable lips, that wispy dry hair…

Wait, no.

Shit… maybe you should have read the dosage instructions on those bottles. Your stomach churned and a cramp seized your sides. You coughed into your elbow and saw the telltale flecks of black goo: mana poisoning. Something you had taken was either tainted or not safe for you to drink. Time was running out faster than you had anticipated.

Surging forwards, you lay into the wall of wards the mages erected.

~~~~~~

“Woah… Woah! Oh shit, did you see that Goeth?! He just threw like twenty zombies with that one.” Said Emballandae.

“I can see it, milady.” Said Goeth.

“He’s really kicking ass out there. Hey, I can see his dick!”

Goeth watched as the telescope drooped a few inches.

“Nice…”

“Mildady, do you really think this is a good idea? We were advised by the unicorn to prevent things like this from happening. He’s going to deplete his mana reserves and get sick.” Said Goeth.

“He’ll be fine. Look at him go!” said Emballandae.

Anon tore open his shirt. Emballandae bit her lip and refocused her telescope. Suddenly the collar of her dress felt a little tight.

“He’s heading this way…”

“For fuck’s sake Goeth, he’s one human. A human! There’s no chance of him escaping.” Said Emballandea. We’ve got a whole contingent of mages out there. Once he runs into them he’ll wear himself out and we’ll scoop him up.” She said, giving the wight a condescending smirk.

There was a loud boom as Anon clashed with the mages. The casters formed a wall in front of him to prevent him from advancing.

“Yes, yes! Let me see that look of despair as you lose hope~” said Emballandea.

With a thunderous shout, Anon pressed through the left flank of the ward wall and tossed the weakest caster aside. The rest of the mages failed reposition themselves and prevent him from charging past them.

“Damnit! What the fuck are they feeding him?! I don’t even know where this dumbass is heading at this point…” muttered Emballandae.

“The same place he’s always been heading: to us.” Said Goeth unseating herself from the chair.

“Us? Why would he come here? We’re the ones trying to capture him.”

“I suppose he thinks that if he can defeat you, the army will leave.”

“Me?! What? Why me?” said the vampire.

“You’re technically the highest ranking monster here. It’s easy to see who’s in charge when they’re sitting in luxury chairs while the army fights.” Said Goeth.

Emballandae squirmed in her chair.

“…And I’m also guessing that he’s ROYALLY pissed off that you’ve come to rip him away from the friends and life that he’s made here in Admaz.”

“No way. He’s probably trying to slow the army down by doing some fancy maneuvering or something.”

A dullahan with a crossbow managed to sink a shot into Anon’s shoulder. Emballandae leaned forward in her chair to see his face. He looked up across the battlefield at her position.

“CHIROPTAAAAAA!!!”

The scream was enough to make Emballandae flinch. Anon blasted away the circling soldiers and made a beeline towards her carriage.

“VICCY’S TITS! GOETH, DO SOMETHING!!” shrieked Emballandae as the flashes of blue light grew closer.

Goeth ignored her and leapt down from the carriage. This show had already gone on long enough. Anon was making the army of Tomb Haven look bad. Granted that it wasn’t the finest the city had to offer, but the fiasco would still reflect poorly on her leadership as Marshall of the force.

Wrapping her arms in spectral claws, she sallied forth to confront Anon.

~~~~~

How many of these corpses were there damnit! It felt like you had been doing this for hours.

Throwing aside another squad of knights you trudged onwards. The erection in your pants refused to abate, and the bravado you had at the beginning of the fight was slipping away. Every muscle in your body burned. The women around you were becoming more beautiful by the second, and your vision was starting to get hazy. Why were you doing this again?

A hand seized your shoulder and you pulled away from it. One of the silver bolts in your shoulder sent a chill through your body.

It would be so much easier to stop, but there was something in that carriage that you needed to get to. What was it? A person? It must be someone you loved; that’s why you felt this way.

Hands were grabbing your arms as you pushed through the mob. Throwing away the people in your path you closed in on the carriage. No one would stop you from reaching it!

“Stand aside! Let me handle this!”

The wall of weapons parted, and you staggered forwards.

“Oh Anon… What have you done to yourself?”

The words were faint and garbled. You dimly registered that the person standing in front of you was talking to you, but you shuffled past her.

As you passed, you felt a tendril of magic wrap around you. With a roar of frustration you broke free of the bind. You were so close! Why wouldn’t they leave you alone?! Reaching back you attempted to punch the offender.

“Calm down!”

There was a flash of light and your head snapped to the side. The impact made your ears ring and your vision spotty. You raised your left arm and gave a feeble retort to the blow. The blurry figure in front of you redirected the blast to the side and shoved you back. You let out a grunt as you landed on your back. The blue sky stretched out in front of you. Clouds stared down at you from overhead. Where were you again? What was happening? You didn’t feel so good…

A shadow blocked out the light as you watched the day pass.

“Is that all? Are you done yet?”

Fuck off, stop blocking my sun…

The fact that someone would try to bother you when you weren’t feeling well made you angrier than you had any right to be. Your vision greyed and the world swam as you felt the last of your energy slide into your right palm.

Before you could teach the offender a lesson, a glowing hand reached down and pressed into your chest.

“Yeah. You’re done.”

A breeze blew away the words being spoken around you as you nestled into the warm grass.

~~~~~~~

“Is he dead?” asked Emballandae from behind a zombie.

“No, but he doesn’t look good…” mused Goeth.

Emballandae crept over to the human and nudged his hand with her boot. Goeth slapped the back of her head.

“Ow! You dare…!”

“Don’t poke him like that! He’s in no condition to be prodded, look at him!”

Sure enough, he looked a bit less hale than when Emballandae had last seen him. He was spattered with mud and black goo, which was oozing from his mouth. Veins near the surface of his skin had taken on a squalid grey color. His bloodshot, glassy eyes stared into space as the army milled around him.

“Are you sure he isn’t dead?” said Emballandae.

“Yes.” Said Goeth. She picked up the unconscious human and rested his head on her shoulder. Supporting his waist with one arm and his torso with the other, she made sure not to put any undue pressure on his organs as she carried him to the carriage.

“Wait! I wanna carry him!” whined Emballandae.

“What? Ma’am, with all due respect, I don’t think you ca-“

“I want to! Mama said he’s mine so I get to carry him! You don’t get a say in this.” Said the vampire.

Goeth noticed her blushing and decided that Anon would just have to endure whatever happened next. It would be better in the long run if Emballandae’s raging jealousy didn’t enter the equation.

As gently as she could, Goeth gently deposited the sleeping man into her arms.

“Ergmf! Ah…” Emballandae struggled to find a good place to grip. Not only was she weaker than Goeth, but she was considerably smaller than the person that she was trying to carry. As she tried to grab the back of his open shirt, Anon's arms slipped out of the sleeves and he collapsed into the dirt.

“AAGH! Fuck!” shouted Emballandae. She lifted his head up and attempted to hoist him over her shoulder. Slowly feeding more and more of Anon over her shoulder with little shimmies, his body slid behind her as his center of gravity dragged her back. With a yelp, the small vampire fell back onto him. “Eww, why is he erect? Humans are so gross…” whined Emballandae.

Goeth began to wonder if this constituted enough of a threat to Anon to overrule Emballandae's orders.

At last Emballandae managed to grab hold of Anon’s waist band and chest. With his legs and head hanging to either side of her, she waddled towards the carriage as sweat poured off her brow. Her face contorted into a determined grimace as she huffed wheezed. It took more than ten minutes and a break to get the body all the way to the carriage door.

Goeth opened the door and helped Emballandae stuff Anon into one of the benches. He slumped to the side, his head resting at a painful angle against the wall. The Marshal propped him up and draped his shirt over him.

Emballandae plopped down next to the wight and covered her face with an arm while she caught her breath.

“Go… go tell Lussazan that we have… Anon.” she said.

Goeth offered her one of the monogrammed handkerchiefs from a compartment bellow the seat. Climbing out of the carriage, she signaled for the troops to begin moving out. Giving a wisp a signal, the glowing mamono began to use her flames to relay a message to the lich and her husband.

A few minutes later, the wagons began to roll forwards with the army in tow.

“See, that wasn’t so bad.” Said Emballandae.

Goeth ignored her and watched the world begin to move outside the carriage.

~~~~~~

“The human is in our possession, ma’am.” Said a doppleganger to the lich.

Lussazan covered her eyes to block the rays of light entering her private car. Dismounting her husband, she used her magic to clean herself of semen before donning her cloak.

“I shall return soon, dear.” Said the Lussazan. “I must ensure that the subject has not harmed himself.”

Her husband nodded. “I understand. His safety is our top priority. I’ll be alright if you’re gone for a while; don’t neglect him because you want to spend time with me, okay?”

Lussazan fidgeted in the carriage door and nodded.

“I will be brief.”

“Don’t be brief, be thorough.” Chided her husband.

“I will do both.”

They smiled at each other and Lussazan floated out of the car. The army had stopped for the night and were setting up camp as the sun fell below the horizon.

The soldier led her to the tent at the center of the camp where Lussazan’s field laboratory was housed.

Goeth and Emballandae were already inside with Anon resting on a cot in the center of the tent. Assistants scurried around the edge of the shelter tending to beakers and taking notes on the congruent experiments that Lussazan was running.

Emballandae perked up as Lussazan entered. “It’s about time! Where were you?” demanded the vampire.

“Busy.” Replied Lussazan.

“Busy?! Look at this guy, he’s practically dead!”

“The report Marshal Goeth sent indicated that he was not in any grave danger.” Said Lussazan setting herself down next to Anon’s cot.
“Incredible…” she whispered.

She tentatively reached out to run her hands down Anon’s arm. “To think I would ever see the day…”

“Are you going to fix him or not?” said Emballandae.

Lussazan glared at her. “You have no idea what his very presence means. He is the culmination of DECADES of work. My whole life has led to this moment. He will be healed in time, but for now be silent and let me work.”

Emballandae made the prudent choice not to exacerbate the fight and sat back in her chair with a huff as Lussazan began to inspect his body.

Pages of Hicera’s notes swirled around the lich as she crosschecked them and made adjustments as needed. She grunted in annoyance as she traced one of his grey veins.

“I thought I made it clear during the briefing that he was not to be exposed to any excess mamono mana during the acquisition.” Said Lussazan.

“He did that to himself!” protested Emballandae.

“Yes, I heard about the potions that he had hidden. What I’m wondering is how he had them in the first place and why he was not stopped IMMEDIATELY after he consumed them.”

“We can only assume that he received them from an ally in the college. The guards were too pressed for time to do an inspection of his bag and forewent screening in favor of avoiding a mob.” Said Goeth.

“And the rampage? I know that you are capable of subduing this man singlehandedly, Marshal.” Said Lussazan.

Goeth looked over at Emballandae. The vampire glanced from the lich to the wight before turning back to Goeth with a look of betrayal.
“It was… a… tactical decision to lower his mana reserves and make him easier to subdue without causing him excess physical harm.” Said Emballandae.

Lussazan looked from her to the dirt-caked, bruised, and scraped body on the cot.

“The genius of the Chiropta family shines again…” she sighed.

“Oh, shut up. You said it yourself he’s fine.” Said Emballandae.

“I said he wasn’t in grave danger. He certainly isn’t healthy…” said Lussazan. She took out a small scalpel and made a small incision on his arm. Using tiny test tubes, she collected samples and handed them to her assistants to process. Emballandae watched wide eyed as they passed around the blood.

“Hey, let me have some.” She said.

“No.”

“What? Come on, just a little taste.”

“No.”

“He’s MY property! You answer to MY mother, and she said I could have him! You overstep your bounds, lich. You don’t have a say in this matter.” Said Emballandae rising to her feet.

Lussazan levitated away and conjured two spectral fireballs in her hands. “If you so much as touch him without my permission I will take ANY steps necessary to protect him.”

Emballandae took a step back. “Mamma said I-“

“Your mother’s orders will forever and always be less important than his life.” Boomed the lich.

“Milady, please! He’s too weak! Just be patient.” Pleaded Goeth.

Emballandae gulped and sat back down. “Fine! I suppose I can wait if you’re really that upset.” She said.

Lussazan dissipated the fire and set herself back down.

“I agreed that you would have claim over him. In time, when he is strong enough, you will. For now, let me work.”

Emballandae didn’t say another word as Lussazan began to prepare medicines from Hicera’s notes.

~~~~~~~

You awoke to the sound of a rolling carriage and the bumps of the road. You started when you realized that you were in an unfamiliar location.

“Oh!”

You twisted to see Emballandae and the wight from before on the bench opposite you.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to get up.” Said the vampire. “I thought that it would be sooner considering how many tonics that Lussazan dumped into you.”

You tried to use your magic, but a searing pain in your wrists halted your attempt.

“Don’t bother. The first thing Lussazan did after making sure you were healthy was slap those irons on you.”

Rolling back your sleeves, you found two iron shackles covering your wrists.

“Ufufu… Looks like you’re finally understanding the position you’re in. I’ll have to punish you for your insurrection back there though~ Hmm, perhaps I’ll-“

You cut off the blood-sucker mid-sentence with a lunge. Her bodyguard was faster, pinning you against the wall before you could lay a hand on Emballandae.

“What the fuck! Why are you so ornery all the time?!” said Emballandea.

“Fuck you, you glorified leech!” you gasped.

The wight slammed you against the wall again.

“Anon, it’s time to give up. The whole ‘resistance of the inevitable’ was cute at first, but my patience has run out. So behave or I’ll just drain you until we reach Tomb Haven.” Said Goeth.

She let go of your throat and you slumped back down onto the seat.

“Honestly. The best thing you could do for yourself right now is to be respectful and just do whatever Lady Petropa asks of you.” Chided the wight.

“Who?” you croaked.

“Lady Petropa von Chiropta. The closest thing Tomb Haven has to a queen.” Said Goeth.

“You hear that, human? My mother has enough sway to march an army over here at the drop of a hat. If you work hard to please me I may just forgive you.” Said Emballandae.

“What the hell does she even want from me?” you asked Goeth.

“I can’t say. All that I know is that you were part of a VERY expensive experiment, and promised to Emballandae.” Said Goeth.
“An experiment?”

“Yes, I’m not sure what the details are. The whole thing was kept secret. I can tell you one thing: the cost was astronomical. From what I’ve heard, it began more than sixty years ago.”

“Sixty?”

“Indeed. I’m not certain what your purpose is, or what role you were cast to play in all of this, but there are powerful forces at work, Anon.” said Goeth.

“Really? They must be somewhere else; all I see is her.” You said waving to Emballandae.

“Keep talking, Anon. Every quip is another torture I’ll inflict on you!” threatened the vampire.

You began to argue while Goeth tried to keep the peace. The carriage trundled on towards the dark horizon and your destination: Tomb Haven.

~~~~~~~