Chapter 15: Chapter 15 – What’s lurking over there

CHAPTER 15

Before I stepped through, I glimpsed something in the chamber's corner. I held up my hand, stopping my two companions in their tracks.

“What is it, Chad?” Koshiro asked.

“I see something in the corner.”

“A monster we missed?” Joel asked, then pulled his hood from his head.

Koshiro squinted in the direction that I pointed to.  “I don’t see… oh yeah, there is something.”

I equipped my weapons and stomped toward the movement that intrigued me.  As I grew closer, I saw that there was a humanoid figure cowering in the corner.  The creature appeared to be terrified of me. 

I unequipped my weapons and held up my hands in cautioned surrender. I’ve run dozens of dungeons since arriving on Solaire and never have I found a creature that didn’t attack me without impunity. This was an unfamiliar experience entirely. “Hello?”

“Please don’t hurt me,” a female voice spoke from the dark corner.

I wasn’t expecting an intelligent creature to respond.  I prepared myself for a growl or screech from the cowering monster. “I won’t. Who are you?”

The monster slowly stood and moved into the light.  My mouth dropped to the floor.  This wasn’t a monster at all.  It was a gorgeous humanoid female with red skin and horns. She had long white hair that seemed to go on forever.  The contrast between her hair and skin color was striking. She wore a skimpy, shiny black leather outfit that left little to the imagination.  The top was nothing more than a bikini top and the bottom was an ultra short skirt that didn’t even drop to the middle of her thigh. The red woman wore no shoes at all. She was insanely beautiful.  This was some sort of demon girl or succubus.

The woman cleared her throat. “My name is Cinder.”

“Hi Cinder, my name is Chad and these are my friends—Koshiro and Joel.”

Cinder nodded at them and crossed her arms under her ample chest.

“What the hell is going on?  Are you an adventurer?” Koshiro asked.

“Adventurer?  I’m not sure what that is exactly,” Cinder replied with confused eyes.

“Did you come into the dungeon to fight the monsters?” I asked with a raised brow.

“No, I was summoned here by the Jester god.”

Joel broke his silence. “Jester god?  I know nothing about a Jester god.”

“Neither do I,” Koshiro added.  “I think she’s trying to confuse you so she can move in for an attack.  Let’s kill her and leave.”

Cinder shook her head and backed into the wall.  “Please no, you said you wouldn’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt me.”

I waved off Koshiro and smiled at the demon girl. “We will not hurt you.  Don’t mind my wife here.  She’s just being cautious. We know nothing about the Jester god.  Can you expand upon that? Where are you from?”

Cinder swallowed and nodded.  “I’m from the underworld of Solaire.  I’m not sure if I’m still there right now.  I don’t know where I am.”

I shook my head.  “This isn’t the underworld.  You’re in the Stonerock Dungeon near the town of Summerstar.”

“The Jester god summons people from my realm to fight for him.  This is the first time I’ve been summoned.”

“Yes!” Joel shouted, startling us all.  Cinder backed up into the corner once more.  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.  The god you speak of must be one of the Nine. I’m not sure that he’s called Jester, though.”

“He must be the one in charge of dungeons… maybe?” Koshiro inquired.

“Wow, so one of the Nine actually summons monsters from parts of Solaire?  I thought they were just creations solely for the dungeons?” I asked.

Joel scratched his chin and stared pensively at Cinder. “She says she was summoned to fight.  So that appears to be the case.  However, I’ve yet to encounter a monster that refused to attack.”

“Why do you keep calling me a monster? I’m a demon from the Underworld. The Jester god instructs us that if we do not fight, we will be destroyed.  We have no choice.”

Koshiro stepped forward. “If that’s the case, why didn’t you attack?”

“I don’t know.  I saw the dragon, and I saw Chad destroy him on his own.  I was terrified.” Cinder shook her head and looked away. “I don’t want to fight. I refuse to fight.”

“Hey, that sounds good to me. I don’t want to fight either,” I replied with a smile and a shrug.

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Koshiro cleared her throat. “So what now?”

“I guess the Jester god will execute me now. I was doomed to die in the dungeon or by the hands of the god. I will just spend whatever time I have left thinking of my family.”

I turned to the portal and back to the demoness. “Why don’t you come with us? If you’re not here, he can’t kill you, right? “

“Huh? You don’t even know this girl and you’re going to take her with us?” Koshiro growled. 

“If she stays here, she’ll die. I will bet that the dungeon reset by the god will be what kills her, not him personally. If she isn’t here, she won’t die… right?” I looked back and forth between Koshiro and Cinder, waiting for them to agree.

Joel broke his silence. “There is also a chance that leaving the dungeon will kill her. I don’t know for sure, but it’s a possibility. She may be permanently attached to the dungeon. However, she will definitely die if she doesn’t try it.”

“He’s right. Cinder, do you want to come with us?” I asked. 

“I don’t have a choice, I suppose.”

Koshiro chuckled. “You are so lucky that Chad was one of the adventurers. Otherwise you’d be dead for sure. This guy’s heart is bigger than he is.”

I extended my hand. Cinder was hesitant at first, but she took it after a short deliberation. “Let’s go.”

******

After exiting the portal, I still felt the woman’s hand in mine. I turned my head to see her all in one piece.

“Oh look, she’s fine,” Koshiro said sarcastically.

Cinder looked down at her body and back at me with a smile. “I’m alive. Thank you so much.”

“No problem. I wasn’t so sure you would be.  However, it was a choice of definite death or possible death.”

Koshiro grabbed my arm and exhaled.  “Well, good luck to you, demon girl.  We need to get back to Summerstar.”

“Whoa, we can’t just leave her here,” I replied.

“Of course we can.”

I shook my head and gave a half smile to Cinder. “Please come back with us.”

Koshiro’s eyes widened and mouth dropped.  “What?  You are going to take her home like some kind of stray puppy.  This is ridiculous.”

“I don’t want to impose,” Cinder interjected.

“You’re not imposing.  I’m not going to just leave you on the street.  Please come with us.  You can spend the night in one of the rooms over the top of the restaurant. Okay?  Don’t mind the kitsune. She’s fine with it.”

“I am not fine with it, Chad.  I find it appalling you would just let this stranger from the underworld just move right on in the restaurant after just meeting her.”

I tilted my head and raised a brow.  “This coming from the girl that invited me to stay at her apartment the first night after I arrived from a different world. You knew nothing about me.  This is pretty much the same situation.”

“It isn’t the same situation at all!”

“Okay, well, what is the difference exactly?”

“For starters, umm… well, you know,” Koshiro stammered as she racked her brain to find an answer.

I kissed the kitsune on the forehead and rubbed her back.  “No difference at all.”

Koshiro wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms under her breasts.  “I will think of a difference, eventually.  You need to give me a few minutes.”

We said our goodbyes to the little mage, Joel, and made our way out of the dungeon camp toward Summerstar. I was ready to get home and some sleep.

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