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Luka's Story-Paradox	By : Ditmag Category: +M through R > Monster Girl Quest Views: 2709 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Monster Girl Quest Paradox is the intellectual property of Tortorro Restistance. I make no money from this.

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
“Wow,” Sonya said as we entered the old mansion. “This looks exactly as I’d imagined a haunted house would look.”
“Obviously, the fact that it looks creepy is why people think there are ghosts here,” Promestein noted. “But as any reasonable person knows, ghosts aren’t real.”
“How can you believe in magic, but not ghosts?” I asked Promestein.
“Magic is science. For every magical effect, I can tell you why it happens. Yours excepted, of course. That doesn’t mean your magic isn’t part of the natural order. It’s just not part of this world’s natural order. Ghosts make no sense. I’m an angel, I know how souls work. When a soul dies, it passes on into the afterlife unless Ilias decides to keep it for herself. Souls don’t spontaneously turn into ghosts.”
“Let’s see how long you hold to that belief,” I said.
“Well, let’s investigate this place and find out what happened to the church soldiers,” Sonya said, actually seeming eager. Of all the people I’d asked to come with me, Sonya had been the only one enthusiastic about the idea. Most of the monsters wanted no part of the mansion, although most of them would have come had I asked them to do it as a favor. Many of them ahd become fiercely loyal to me. Still, I felt it was better if I brought along two people who wouldn't freak out.
“Do you think the three of us are enough?” Promestein asked. “You seem to know what’s going on here, presumably because you’ve been here before.”
“I believe I do, but as always, this is a different world, which means things could possibly be different. I just can’t imagine who else would be messing around in this house. You alone should be more than a match for her, Promestein. Wait, are you not carrying your sword?”
“If necessary I’ll just use my holy power,” Promestein shrugged. “I also have a variety of devices in my duffel that may or may not be effective depending on the enemies we face. Unfortunately, I have nothing for actual ghosts, seeing as how they don't exist.”
We moved into the large foyer. The place was in serious disrepair. Chrome was either very poor at housekeeping or she intentionally made the place look as scary as possible to deter intruders. Apparently on this world, it had not helped. She’d drawn a whole squad of heroes, although she must have easily defeated them. What concerned me was that she may have killed or altered them. Chrome was a lot like Promestein. Capable of being a good person, but at this point in her life, basically amoral.
Sonya was staring off to my left. I looked in the direction she was staring, to see a ghost girl silently beckoning us to follow, a sly glint in her undead eyes. I got Promestein’s attention and pointed at the ghost girl. Promestein rolled her eyes.
“That’s not a ghost!” she said. “That’s a ghost girl!”
“I know it's a ghost girl, but could you PLEASE explain the difference to me? The name 'ghost girl' implies that it's a ghost, does it not?” I asked.
“A ghost girl is created when a sufficient number of humans have died in an area that has been in fused with dark magic It's completely different from a ghost.”
“So… she’s human?”
“She’s made of dark magic, so technically she’s a monster,” Promestein explained patiently.
“Hey!” the ghost girl yelled. “I’m trying to get your attention here!”
“Oh, sorry, that was rude of us,” I replied. “We’re paying attention now.”
“Foollooowwww meeeeee,” she said in a ghostly voice, and disappeared into the wall.
“Is it really necessary for her to talk that way?” Sonya asked, as she walked over to the wall and felt around.
“Looking for a secret door?” I asked.
“All haunted houses have them,” Sonya explained. “At least in the scary books I’ve read. Ah, right here.”
The wall slid open, revealing a room. It was nice for a change to have companions in a situation like this who weren’t terrified. All three of us confidently stepped into the room as if we were in a totally normal situation.
“Very unusual,” Promestein observed.
“What was unusual about that?” I asked.
“Ghost girls usually attack men on sight. They need semen to maintain their forms. Otherwise they dissipate. If she didn’t attack, that means she’s working for someone. I guess you already knew that.”
“Actually, I seem to recall that the ghost girl wasn’t here because of Chrome. She just liked the house.”
“Chrome?” Sonya asked. “That’s the name of the person behind all this? Monster or human?”
“Monster, although I never did find out what kind. I’ve never seen anyone like her.”
“Interesting,” Promestein said. “Now I’m curious.”
“Um, guys?” Sonya asked. “Why is there a cake just sitting there on the table?”
Indeed, there was a cake on the table. I was really glad I didn’t bring Alice. If there was one sure way to trap Alice, it was with food.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything interesting in this room,” Promestein noted.
“Eat the cake!” an unseen voice said.
“Did you hear that?” I asked.
“Yes,” Promestein confirmed. “Clearly someone wants us to eat the cake.”
“We’re not going to eat a cake that's just laying on the middle of a table in a haunted house!” Sonya yelled back at the voice.
“Eat the damn cake!” the voice reiterated.
“Luka, let’s go!” Sonya demanded, pulling me out of the room, as if I was going to eat any of that cake. Promestein followed, bemused.
“Okay, so where to now?” I asked.
“Let’s head up those stairs,” Sonya suggested, so we began climbing the stairs to the indoor balcony. A different ghost girl blocked our path a few steps ahead of us.
“Goooo that wayyyyy…..” she said in a haunting voice, pointing towards the far wall.
“Is there another secret door there?” Sonya asked.
“That wayyyyyy…..” the ghost girl repeated, continuing to point.
“Should we really be doing what the undead monsters tell us?” Promestein asked.
“Maybe she can find rest if we resolve a situation for her that in life she couldn’t resolve herself,” Sonya suggested. “I read about a situation like that in a book once.” Then Sonya gasped. “Maybe evidence of who murdered her is being kept in a secret room!”
Shrugging, and wishing to avoid a confrontation with the local denizens if at all possible, I beckoned Sonya to lead the way, since she had demonstrated herself to be quite good at finding secret doors. Perhaps I should have read more supernatural mysteries when I was a kid. Or at least watched more Scooby-Doo.
Walking back across the foyer, Sonya began feeling around the wall again. With a grunt of satisfaction, she found another switch and the wall peeled back to reveal another room.
“Hopefully they are at least creative enough to vary the traps,” Promestein muttered. “The cake was entirely too obvious.”
The room we entered looked like some kind of living room, with a sofa, and a coffee table dominating the center. At the far end of the room was a small, cute, but creepy doll sitting between two chests, one large and one small. The doll’s head swiveled to face us.
“Let’s play a game!” the doll said brightly. “On either side of me are two chests. You may open one of them and receive the gift that’s inside!”
“What happens if we don’t choose at all?” I asked.
“Then you’d be no fun!” the doll whined.
“Ooh! Can I choose, Luka?” Sonya asked.
“By all means,” I said. “You do realize the risks, right?”
“Of course! But not all undead creatures are hostile in the books I read. Maybe we’re being guided to the clues to solve a great mystery of some sort! I have to know!”
Promestein sighed, but watched with interest as Sonya walked up to the chests and tried to decide which to open. The doll watched with interest as well. Finally, after giving it some thought, Sonya chose the smaller chest, which was really just the size of a box of chocolates. Opening it, Sonya frowned. She pulled out a small object and showed it to Promestein and me.
“That’s…. a gold coin,” I said.
“You have chosen wisely,” the doll intoned. “Most people are greedy and choose the big chest. Choosing the little chest shows what kind of person you re. Enjoy your well earned reward. And I wouldn’t be mad if you bought me something with it. I’ve been wearing this same outfit for as long as I can remember!”
Giggling, the doll ran into the fireplace and up the chute. Sonya shrugged and placed the gold coin in her pocket. She had clearly been expecting something more.
“Should we open the other chest too?” Sonya asked.
“Yes,” the chest answered.
“Wha?!” Sonya yelped. “That chest just spoke!”
I sighed. A mimic. And not a very smart one. “You can come out, mimic,” I said.
The mimic burst out of her chest, making a scary face and loud noises. No one even flinched.
“Aw man, you guys suck!” the mimic groused, then sullenly went back into her chest.
“This is the worst haunted house I’ve ever been in,” Sonya said with disappointment.
“Boo!!!!” the mimic yelled, bursting out of her chest again. No one had even been startled. “Really? Nothing? Fine. Boy, can I have some semen?”
“So you can make me weak, then pull me into your chest and eat me?” I asked skeptically.
The mimic paused for a few moments, trying to think of how to respond to my scurrilous accusation. Finally, she decided to just say, “Yes!”
“I must agree with you Sonya,” Promestein said. “If this haunted house were a tourist attraction, it would receive very poor reviews. Still, I’ve never encountered a mimic before. May I have a sample?”
“A sample of what?” the mimic asked.
“Your tissue, your blood, perhaps a biopsy of your organs,” Promestein replied.
“What?! No!”
“C’mon guys, let’s go find Chrome,” I said.
“You guys suck!” the mimic shouted at our backs.
This time we weren’t stopped as we ascended the stairs. We explored several rooms, finding little of note. At one point, we noticed a zombie downstairs. Seeing us, she began slowly climbing the stairs, presumably to attack us. Since it would be awhile, we simply ignored her and continued on. If she was in our way when we came back, I imagined that my sword would make short work of her.
“She could have at least groaned and said ‘bra-a-ins’,” Sonya complained.
“She did groan,” Promestein said. “just very quietly. But why would she say ‘brains’? Zombies don’t eat brains. They eat semen like every other monster. I would be more likely to ask you for brains, so that I can study them.”
“I’m not letting you take samples of my brain!” Sonya yelled.
“Your brain is probably unremarkable anyway.”
Sonya chose to cut off her comeback, as we reached a door to what I assumed had to be the master bedroom. Sonya opened it and we stepped inside. Unlike the other rooms, this one had someone in it: Chrome. Chrome reacted with surprise at our presence.
“Who are you!?” she yelled, and ran off, hitting a button on the east wall, which opened up another secret door.
“Chrome! Get back here!” I yelled after her.
“That was a succubus,” Promestein said helpfully.
“What? Chrome?” I asked.
“Yes. She’s a succubus. I understand why you might not have noticed. She isn’t dressed typically for her race, and she’s part of a very rare subspecies of succubus. She looks like a child, but she’s probably over one hundred years old. Her subspecies of succubus lives up to one thousand years.”
“Huh. You learn something new every day,” I thought. Succubi were generally one of the shorter-lived monster races, usually living to between 150-200 years.
We followed Chrome into the secret room, which looked like a crypt. Fitting for a necromancer, I guessed. Unless there were more secret doors, she had led us into a room that she couldn’t escape from. Did she mean to make a stand here?
“Give it up, Chrome,” I said, more with exhaustion than anger. “You know the Monster Lord doesn’t approve of necromancy.”
“You were sent by the Monster Lord?!” Chrome asked in surprise. “That can’t be true! You’re two humans and an angel! You must work for Ilias!”
“I work for her too,” I said.
“Actually, she works for you,” Promestein corrected. “You are the leader, if I’m not mistaken.”
“The important thing is that you’ve cornered yourself,” I said. “We’re not here to harm you or your creations. Just quit doing necromancy, tell me where I can find the men who were investigating this castle, and we can be on our way.”
“Oh, you think I’m cornered?” Chrome said slyly. Hoo boy, I thought. Is she actually going to resist? I am too old for this shit. And so is she, for that matter. “Hahahaha! Stupid human! I wasn’t running away. I was merely going to show you the results of my forbidden craft!”
“Let’s focus on that word, forbidden, shall we?” I asked.
“Quiet, you! Now, my servants! Awaken!”
Two zombies emerged from coffins. They appeared much more lively than the zombie girls I was used to encountering, sprinting to Chrome’s side with alacrity, rather than the slow, unsteady shambling I had seen out of typical zombies.
“Impressive,” I said. “They move quickly.”
“I’m certain there was a tradeoff somewhere,” Promestein noted.
“Remove the trespassers!” Chrome ordered.
The zombies each grabbed Chrome by one arm. “Hey!” Chrome protested. “What are you doing!?”
Lifting Chrome’s little body off the ground, they carried her out of the room. I had to step out of their way. The two zombies unceremoniously dumped Chrome into the hallway, then reentered the room and returned to their coffins.
“And…. That was the tradeoff,” Promestein observed. “Even less intelligent than normal zombies.”
“I suppose we should get after her,” I said.
“You seem very…. Exhausted by all this,” Sonya said. “I think I’m beginning to see why.”
“Chrome actually seemed a lot more competent where I came from,” I said.
“Maybe we’re just catching her on a bad day?” Sonya said hopefully. “I was at least hoping for one good scream out of this experience.”
“I don’t know that you’ll get to scream today, but you might be appalled,” I said. “There’s a reason Alice forbade necromancy, and if you’re unlucky, you’ll find out why.”
We checked the hallway, but Chrome was no longer there. Promestein checked over the balcony railing to see if Chrome had gone down the stairs, but caught no sight of her. We continued to explore, until we found Chrome hiding rather poorly in between two bookcases.
“Chrome….” I said, my exasperation clear.
“Hah! I’ve led you into my devious trap!” Chrome said triumphantly. “Trapdoor, activate!”
Chrome cried out in surprise as a trapdoor opened right under her. Just like that, she was gone. We heard a thud. Sonya appeared so disappointed.
“I meant to do that!” Chrome yelled from the basement.
“Basement?” Promestein asked.
“Yes, basement,” I said.
“I came because I worried that you might be in danger,” Promestein said. “It appears I overestimated the threat.”
“Don’t underestimate her,” I cautioned. “She’ll have more creations down there, probably her best work. She is actually dangerous. And we still have to find those men. As absurd as she seems, she can be pretty horrible. She’s the kind of person who would perform cruel experiments on those men.”
We headed downstairs, back into the foyer. We would have to find a way to get into the basement, preferably without having to go through the trap door. When we reached the center of the foyer, suddenly the lights went out. Huh? I didn’t recall any lights to begin with!
“Luka, why are you touching my breast!?” Sonya asked.
“That’s not me!” I protested.
“This is so stupid,” Promestein muttered, and all of a sudden it was bright in the room as if the house had stadium lighting. We found ourselves surrounded by zombies, one of them groping Sonya.
“AAAAHHHHH!!!!” Sonya screamed, pushing the zombie away and knocking its head clean off with one blow of her club. “Oh my goddess! I killed her!”
“Don’t worry,” Promestein assured her calmly, punching a zombie in the face with her bare fist. “Zombie girls don’t need their heads. She’ll find it and sew it back on later.”
I drew my sword and sealed four more zombies, thus ending the brief battle. Sure enough, the one that Sonya had struck was fumbling around searching for her head. I helpfully handed it to her, the head looking at me lewdly and licking its lips as I held it in my hands. The zombie girl said nothing, simply accepting the head and turning away, the head still facing me, blowing me kisses as the zombie wandered off.
“I feel myself getting dumber every minute we’re here, Luka,” Promestein said. “Let’s finish this.”
“First we need to find out how to get to the basement,” I said.
“I’d surmise that the secret passage is the best way.”
“Secret passage? You found one?”
“Yes,” Promestein said, pointing to where a bookcase used to be on the north wall. “The trap door must not have gone to the basement, but to the ground floor. Chrome then escaped to the basement, failing to close the secret door behind her.”
It was great having my very own Velma along on this caper. Sonya wasn’t bad either, a cross between Daphne and Velma herself. Alice would have been Scooby and Shaggy all in one. Did that make me Fred?
We entered the secret passage, which led to a huge staircase leading WAY down. Fitting for a necromancer, I thought. As soon as we reached the bottom of the staircase, we learned where the men were. All of them were locked in a cage.
“Oh, thank the goddess!” one of the men said. “We’re saved! The church sent a rescue expedition, guys!”
“Are any of you hurt?” I asked. “Did Chrome do anything to you?”
“We suffered some minor cuts and bruises fighting the zombies,” another of the men said. “Nothing too serious. It was the ghosts who did us in, though. None of our weapons were effective against them. We were holding our own until they showed up.”
“So you haven’t been experimented on or anything?”
“Not unless you count what the zombies and ghosts did to us," the first man answered. “I fear no one will marry me after the things they did to me.”
“Okay, wait right here!” I instructed. The man raised his arms and gestured around him. Oh. I’m an idiot sometimes.
“I think I can get you out, but first I need to take care of Chrome, okay?”
“We’ll still be here,” the man replied.
We headed down another flight of stairs. Man, this place went deep! That’s when Chrome apparently decided to quit running and start fighting. Four ghosts floated up the stairs to meet us. Sonya yelled a battle cry and swung her club. The blow went right through the ghost girl.
“Dammit!” Sonya cursed. “How am I supposed to beat these ghosts up if I can’t touch them?!”
“You can’t,” Promestein said, pointing her finger at one ghost and dissipating her with a thin beam of holy magic. “You need a magical weapon.”
“Then why am I here?!” Sonya asked.
“Because you’re the brains of this outfit,” I said, quickly dispatching two ghosts with two quick swings of my sword. I knew that they would rematerialize later, so I wasn’t too worried.
“I’m insulted,” Promestein said, taking out the last one with another beam of holy power.
“Sorry, Promestein,” I said reassuringly. “No one’s smarter than you.”
“We might want to focus on the problem at hand,” was Promestein’s reply.
A horde of zombies came clambering up the stairs. I counted at least twenty. It had become a real fight.
“Yes!” Sonya cheered. “Opponents I can hit!”
Sonya waded into the zombies, swinging her club. Heads, arms, and legs began to fly around, a hand hitting Promestein in the face, much to her annoyance.
“Luka, would you please help her finish this?” Promestein asked. “I need a shower now.”
I nodded and joined Sonya, sealing zombies left and right. Zombies hadn’t been much of a challenge my first time through. Chrome, on the other hand, I worried about, despite her seeming incompetence. Necromancy is difficult magic. There is no Necromancy for Dummies book.
Before too long, all the zombies lay around us in pieces. We moved on to the basement proper, which was far larger than I’d expected. I saw Chrome standing at the far end of the basement next to a huge monster. I remembered her. Frederica. That got my anger back up. Chrome had used Frederica, a dead human soul, to power a Frankenstein-style zombie. I’d freed Frederica by destroying her body. I’d found out later than Frederica hadn’t passed on, but had instead returned to San Ilia to take care of unfinished business. She then returned to Chrome after San Ilia was attacked to help fight in the war. Chrome had upgraded her even further, turning her into the equivalent of a tank. After the war, Frederica stayed with Chrome, who continued to improve her. The last time I’d seen the two of them, Frederica could pass for human. She had been lovely by then, especially if you liked tall women, given that she stood over seven feet.
“Chrome, why are you making this so difficult?” I yelled across the room.
“You’re trying to make me stop my studies!” she yelled back. “You’re anti-science! Necromancy is a legitimate field of knowledge!”
“She has a point,” Promestein said.
“See? Even the angel agrees with me!”
“Science is only legitimate if you aren’t harming people in the process!” I argued.
“I disagree,” Promestein said.
“We’ll debate that later,” I countered. “Bet on that.”
“I guess we’ll have to settle this the monster way!” Chrome shouted. “If you can beat me up, I’ll have to do what you say! And if you lose, you’ll be my experimental subject! I’ve always wanted to make an angel zombie!”
“Fine,” I said, gesturing Sonya and Promestein to stay back while I advanced. “No, ladies. Back me up, but let me take the lead here. I know this opponent.”
Turns out I didn’t know her as well as I thought. Before I reached her, a zombie stepped in front of me, wielding a sword.
“You’re doomed now, hero!” Chrome chortled. “Those two zombies I created were works in progress! Ellie, however, is perfection. She was one of the foremost swordswomen on the planet before she died! Now she’s still one of the greatest, and she’s smart, too!”
Ellie moaned in confirmation.
“Chrome, did you kill this woman and zombify her?!” I demanded to know.
“No, of course not!” Chrome protested. “She was already dead! I don’t murder people! I just dig them up and give them new life! I’m a good monster!”
Ellie moaned her disagreement.
“What, you’d rather be dead?!” Chrome asked.
Ellie moaned a third time.
“Well subdue this hero and I’ll grant you your eternal release!” Chrome promised.
Ellie’s movements up to that point had led me to believe that Chrome was overestimating her usefulness, but once Ellie made the decision to attack, she did so with surprising speed and grace, thrusting and spinning, attacking me from unpredictable angles. Nothing wielding a sword terrifies me, so I joined the battle with enthusiasm, parrying and countering her attacks with all the skills I’d learned in my centuries of life. I hadn’t practiced my swordsmanship as much as I should have, but I loved it too much to ever let my skills rot. I wasn’t about to be beaten by a swordswoman who wasn’t even alive!
Our battle consisted of about two minutes of inconclusive swordfighting, but once I hit her it was all but over. My first blow caused her sword arm to become almost unresponsive. Angel Halo wouldn’t spread body parts all over the room like Sonya’s club did, because it didn’t technically cut anything. But since Ellie was powered by magic, Angel Halo’s effect on her was profound. Any part I hit became useless. With her sword arm disabled, four more quick cuts dropped her to her knees.
Ellie looked up at me, pleading. Would sealing her body release her soul? I seemed to recall that it had worked for Frederica. Promestein, however, had a better idea. She approached Ellie and addressed her.
“Ellie, do you want to ascend to heaven?” Promestein asked.
Ellie nodded. “Sonya, please come here. I’m going to teach you something.”
Sonya joined us. “Sonya, place your hands on Ellie’s shoulders and say these words. ‘Be free, innocent soul, and go to your eternal reward.’”
“How do we know her soul is innocent?” Sonya asked. “I don’t want to send her to a bad place.”
“Believe me, I know,” Promestein said. “We angels can see these things. Ellie lived a righteous life. At least in Ilias’ eyes. Whether that’s righteous objectively is up for debate.”
“Okay,” Sonya said uncertainly, placing her hands on Ellie’s shoulders. “Be free, innocent soul, and go to your eternal reward.”
“Thank…. You….” Ellie moaned, her body turning into dust in Sonya’s hands. Now Sonya was angry.
“Chrome!” Sonya yelled. “I didn’t take you seriously before, but now I see what kind of person you are! Surrender now! Or don’t! I’ll enjoy kicking your ass if you’d prefer that!”
“What’s wrong with you people!?” Chrome yelled back. “Who are you and why are you trespassing in my laboratory?!”
“I’m not sure why I have to keep explaining this,” I responded. “We’re here to stop you. Necromancy is an immoral science. The Monster Lord forbids it. Humans don’t like it much, either. I’m only going to ask you one more time, Chrome! Promise to stop doing necromancy or I’ll have to use force!”
“You three?” Chrome laughed. “A lowly angel and two humans? Granted, you defeated my simpler creations pretty easily, and those two other zombies are still a work in progress. And you're obviously skilled with a sword. But Frederica here, she’s my ultimate masterpiece! The three of you will never defeat her! Frederica! We have three new volunteers for my experiments! Take them!”
Frederica came shambling forward. I’d had a very tough fight against her once before, when I couldn’t touch my power. It had been a traumatizing experience, her trying to rape me and being violated herself even more intimately, forced to do Chrome’s bidding. The woman must have been a saint to have returned to Chrome after that.
“Frederica!” I commanded. “Stay where you are! You want to serve your master? Fine! Serve her by disobeying that order. You’ll never reach me before I blast Chrome into atoms!”
I extended my hand, making it glow. Frederica hesitated. I knew that she wouldn’t need much of an excuse, given that she didn’t want any of this to begin with. I was not about to put myself or Frederica through an ugly hand to hand fight again. Whatever happened next, Chrome had brought it on herself. Chrome reacted in surprise to my glowing hand, but decided to call what she thought was a bluff.
“A parlor trick!” Chrome chortled. “Frederica, please deal with them! I can smell from here how strong his semen is. He’ll make me superb zombies!”
Frederica resumed her advance. She was about twenty feet away. My hand remained pointed at Chrome, as Sonya brandished her club threateningly at Frederica. Promestein looked bored. If she’d had her tablet at this point in her life, she would have been absorbed in that.
“I’ll do it, Chrome!” I warned. “Your crimes are serious enough to justify this! Using the dead as your playthings! Tormenting their souls, disturbing their rest!”
Okay, so before you get mad at me, Chrome fans, I wasn’t actually going to kill her. At least, I didn’t want to. The problem was that Chrome was a tough monster to gauge. On one hand, she was pretty powerful, but on the other, she had a very small, frail looking body. But I wasn’t bluffing, not entirely. I was ready to let her have it and hoped not to hurt her too badly. Like I said, I wasn’t putting Frederica through what happened the first time.
What Chrome did next surprised me. I’d expected her to threaten to respond with her dark magic. Or even some other trick. What I hadn’t expected was for her to pull a gun on me.
“Put your hands up!” Chrome yelled. “All of you!”
Sonya dropped her club and raised her hands in the air. Promestein looked slightly interested. I only made my hand glow brighter. I don’t know how bulletproof monsters are, but I’m just a man. Now it wasn’t just about avoiding a fight with Frederica. Now it was a clear case of self defense.
“Where did you get access to makina technology?” Promestein asked.
“One of the men was carrying this little toy when my lab was invaded last week!” Chrome answered. “I can’t believe I never thought to make anything like this before! The design is so simple, yet so elegant and lethal! And I’m betting I can put you down before you can put me down, human! And don’t think death will be a release for you! You’ll continue to serve me!”
“Chrome, I’m warning you!” I shouted.
“Put you’re fucking hands up!” Chrome shouted back.
“Everyone calm down!” Sonya added helpfully, her own hands still up.
“Chrome, I’m going to kill you if you don’t put down that gun!” I yelled.
“I’ll pull this trigger!” Chrome warned.
“May I make a suggestion?” Promestein asked calmly.
“What?!” Chrome asked impatiently.
“Luka, put your hand down,” Promestein ordered. “Trust me.”
Trust Promestein? That was never a good bet, even when she was on her best behavior. Still, that moment of calm the angel projected made me realize how seriously things had escalated. This was not what I envisioned when I imagined reliving this encounter. I thought that having foreknowledge of the situation would enable me to handle it better than I did the first time. I was beginning to see why so many entities were so concerned about how history was changing, and why my knowledge of it was dangerous.
“Chrome, now you,” Promestein said. “Put the makina down. I have a proposition for you. No one needs to die here today.”
Chrome reluctantly lowered her weapon. I sighed in relief. I knew that Chrome wasn’t irredeemably evil so much as clueless about the pain she caused others. Like many monsters, she understood the pain of her own kind. But humans’ welfare never even crossed her mind. They were just things for her to experiment on. Still, she had changed over the years. I’d disagreed with Alice’s lenient punishment at the time, but Chrome had gotten the message and reformed. Mostly.
“You said if we beat you up, you have to do what we say, right?” Promestein asked.
“That’s our way,” Chrome confirmed.
“Then I offer you a fair challenge. My holy magic against your dark magic. A simple test of strength. No tricks, no fancy spells, just your power against my power. If I win, you have to do what we say and stop doing necromancy. I personally don’t see why it’s a big deal, but I have to admit it’s causing a lot of problems with the superstitious locals.”
“Thank you!” Chrome said. “And if I win, I get to use the humans as raw material for my experiments, and you’ll be my lab assistant! For as long as I live!”
“Excuse me?” Promestein said in disbelief. “Your lab assistant?”
“Wait, it’s the lab assistant part you have problems with?!” Sonya exclaimed.
I had an additional problem with it. I knew Promestein well enough to understand that if Chrome made a deal like that, her life could be measured in days to weeks. Promestein would end their agreement by murdering her as soon as Promestein became bored with Chrome’s line of research.
“That’s the deal!” Chrome said with finality. “Unless you’d rather become an experimental subject as well if you lose!”
“I’ll take the lab assistant position, then,” Promestein replied.
“This contest has really uneven stakes,” Sonya observed.
“Shall we, then? Promestein asked.
“I’m ready when you are!” Chrome responded. “I am a master of dark magic, angel! No one short of an archangel can take me on!”
I’d been hit by Chrome’s dark magic. Unless she had been holding back in our first battle, she was nowhere near that strong. Alice’s dark magic was ten times more powerful. That didn't mean Promestein was a sure bet. She was a young angel, nowhere near what she would become.
Nevertheless, Promestein raised her hands and unleashed a wide beam of holy magic at Chrome. Chrome responded immediately with a beam of dark magic. The two beams met about four feet from Chrome. The two forms of magic repelled each other, sending tendrils of light and dark magic spreading around the room. Promestein really should have warned us about that. Sonya and I dove for cover. Frederica slowly looked around for a place to shelter.
“Hey! I wasn’t ready yet!” Chrome protested, struggling to keep Promestein’s holy magic at bay.
“You literally said, ‘ready when you are!” Promestein countered, trying to press her advantage. The beam inched closer and closer to Chrome as Promestein bore down.
With a grunt, Chrome put more effort into her attack, advancing forward as she did so. Promestein retreated slowly, trying to maintain her advantage by giving up some physical distance, while keeping the beam closer to Chrome than to herself.
Beakers were beginning to shatter all over the lab. An empty coffin exploded as a stray tendril of holy energy impacted with it. The two combatants began circling. Peeking over an overturned table with Sonya next to me, I could see that Chrome had evened things up, the center of the beam now an equal distance between the two. Promestein was beginning to show strain. Chrome was sweating herself, but had a confident smile on her lips, probably anticipating her new acquisitions.
“You’re very strong, Chrome!” Promestein said. “You are indeed a powerful necromancer, and I’m just a young, inexperienced angel! I should have used my full power from the start!”
“Full power?” Chrome asked, looking concerned. Chrome was clearly giving it everything she had.
Promestein’s wings exploded from her robe and her halo became visible. She began to glow brightly, so brightly that Chrome had to avert her eyes, being used to the dark. Promestein’s beam of energy seemed to double in power, as Chrome’s magical output faltered, to the point where Promestein’s beam of holy energy was only inches from Chrome’s face.
“I… won’t… lose!” Chrome gasped, her eyes turning pitch black as she found new reserves of her own. With a bestial howl of rage that I could not believe her small body capable of, she flung back Promestein’s holy magic. The feedback caused Promestein to scream and fall onto her side, her glow disappearing. Chrome was spent as well, falling to her knees.
“I… I won!” Chrome exulted. “You’re all mine!”
“Nonsense,” Promestein gasped, trying to rise. “Your magic never touched me. It was a stalemate.”
“Give it up, angel!” Chrome raged. “I have more left!”
“You believe I don’t?” Promestein asked, her wings beginning to spread out again and her halo brightening.
“Are you two idiots done yet?” I heard Alice say. Alice?! I turned to see Alice and Ilias standing in the middle of the laboratory.
“Who are you?!” Chrome asked, perturbed at the interruption, but probably grateful for the respite.
“I am the Monster Lord,” Alice proclaimed grandly, although it never did sound quite right coming from that little body. Chrome seemed to agree.
“Monster Lord?” Chrome chortled. “Sure, and I’m Heinrich! What are you trying to pull? You’re just a cute little lamia!”
“I thank you for acknowledging my cuteness,” Alice said gracefully. “And I won’t blame you for not recognizing me in this form. Luka, if you would?”
“Oh, sorry,” I said. I should have anticipated that. I came out from my hiding place and used my power to restore Alice temporarily to her full size. Chrome gasped.
“Y-Your Majesty!” she stammered. “I’m sorry. I really didn’t recognize you. What happened to you?”
“Alice, how did you get here?” I asked.
“Ilias was kind enough to bring me to the entrance of the mansion,” Alice answered. “It would seem that she has grown strong enough to teleport once again, thanks to Micaela.”
“I couldn’t ignore the rumors,” Ilias added. “My heroes were taken prisoner here. They’ve been set free, by the way. I won’t forgive the things you did to them, Chrome!”
“Ilias, I thank you for your assistance, but this is Monster Lord business,” Alice said imperiously.
“But-!”
“Hush,” Alice commanded.
“You dar-!”
“Shhhh….”
“Fuc-!”
“Shut it!”
“I’ll-“
Alice silenced Ilias with a final gesture. Ilias sullenly muttered to herself. Alice turned to Chrome.
“Now, Chrome what is the meaning of all this? You know you’re not supposed to be practicing necromancy!”
“I…. I…” Chrome gave up and sighed. “I know…It’s just that that rule was made like, years ago, and no one’s said anything since, so I thought…”
“You thought?” Alice asked contemptuously. “I know what you thought. You thought that with all of the turmoil surrounding the position of Monster Lord, that no one would notice or care what you were doing here. Well let me assure you, despite the issue between my mother and I at the moment, we see eye to eye on necromancy. Unless you’ve sided with Black Alice?”
“Black Alice?! No, of course not, your majesty! I did this all on my own!”
“If you promise to stop, and let the dead rest again, I’ll pardon you.”
“But… my family name! If I can’t honor my family name by doing necromancy, that just leaves dollmaking!”
“Dollmaking is fine,” Alice replied. “it’s an honorable magical art.”
“Fine,” Chrome sagged. “I’ll only make dolls from now on. Can I at least keep Frederica? I’m so proud of her!”
“Want… stay….” Frederica moaned.
“Did that thing….?” Alice asked.
“Frederica wanted to continue working with Chrome on my world as well,” I informed Alice.
“In that case, I guess I can’t object. But you’re not creating anymore, understand?”
“Yes, your majesty,” Chrome replied sullenly. Then she brightened. “If I can’t be Chrome the great Necromancer, I’ll be Chrome the Puppetmaster! Yes! I like the sound of that! I will be the most feared puppetmaster in all the world! Bwahahahaha!!!”
“You all make my head hurt,” Alice said, facepalming. “Can we go now?”
Since everything seemed to be in order now, I returned us all to the castle with a thought. I was getting good. We didn’t even have to join hands anymore. I didn’t have much time to bask in the glow of accomplishment, however. Alice gruffly bade Sonya, Ilias, and Promestein good day and dragged me down the hallway by my elbow like a wayward child.
“What the hell were you thinking!?” Alice raged at me. “That was a routine mission that you didn’t need me for?!”
“Alice, I was just trying to protect you!” I explained. “You don’t like ghosts. It was supposed to be easy. It just didn’t go down the way I expected!”
“The only thing down there were ghost girls and zombies! How did I let you talk me into thinking there were actual ghosts in that mansion?!”
“There were last time!” I argued.
“You must have been hallucinating,” Alice retorted. “There is no such thing as ghosts!”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” a ghostly voice said from behind Alice.
“We don’t exist?” Another voice laughed. “Who knew? Does this mean we have to stop existing?”
“No way! This castle looks fun to haunt!” the other said. “I mean, that mansion was cool and all, but it’s too obvious! This place is nice! We’ll be able to scare people even better because they won’t be expecting us!”
Alice was staring at me intently. “Luka…. What is behind me right now?”
What was behind Alice were two beings who were familiar to me. Spi and Rit, Chrome’s pet ghosts. Harmless, which is probably why they chose not to make an appearance during the battle, but full of mischief.
“I’m afraid there are two gh-“
“Don’t say it!” Alice yelled. “Don’t you dare say that word!”
“Spectral beings?” I tried.
“I’m going to turn around now, and there is going to be no one behind me. Is that understood?”
I was pretty sure that hearing voices behind you and turning to find nothing was a whole lot creepier than seeing actual ghosts. Spi and Rit said nothing, however, barely containing their giggling. Alice slowly turned her head. Spi and Rit simply floated there, right behind her easily visible. When Alice turned to face them, they made funny faces at her. To her credit, Alice did not faint as I expected. Instead, she took a deep breath and turned back to me.
“Luka,” she said carefully. “Those…. Spectral beings…. I want them gone. Take them back to Chrome’s place right now. And… when you get back…. You’re sleeping with me tonight. And probably every night… for the rest of my life. Otherwise… I may never sleep again. Do you understand?”
I nodded. Alice composed herself as best she could and slowly moved down the corridor back towards her room.
“Okay, Spi, Rit, you’ve had your fun,” I said. “Let’s go back to the mansion.”
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Luka's Story-Paradox