Chapter 18: The Early Years – Chapter 17

Succubus Homeland, Special Mining Area

1 week since the last chapter

 

Rex was standing in front of 4 dwarves and a gnome, a group of 50 succubi was behind him. Kira had insisted Rex take a vacation and they were going to go camping in the swamp, just the two of them. Rex wanted to introduce TNT before he left, it would be a waste if they only used pickaxes to mine. The succubi hearing of a new weapon being introduced, all came as well, it was the comfiest flight he ever had.

 

Standing before the dwarves with a wooden box under one arm and a torch in the other, he prayed desperately he wouldn't trip.

 

“Yer gonna show us ta mine?” He was looking down on Rex.

 

This made sense since he was taller than the 9-year-old boy.

 

Rex decided to show not tell, walking over to a pit in the ground he set the box down. Setting the torch down, he began to struggle with the lid of the box. The issue was dwarves couldn't be out in direct sunlight, so they were doing this in the dark. Finally getting the lid off, he managed to find a waxy paper tube. It was as thick as his wrist and as long as his forearm. The larded wicked they made looked comically small on the giant stick.

 

Kira... Just how much did you put into these...

 

This had gone beyond a mining tool and looked like she had a grudge against the ground. Explosives used for mining were only as thick as an adult's middle finger, and only a little bit longer. It's where the term “giving it to the ground” comes from. The reason they are small is that you are only using them to clear obstructions. Rex didn't feel too comfortable with this but began blindly reaching for his torch. He could hear the dwarves laughing at him.

 

I'll give you something to laugh about!

 

Finally finding the torch he put on a mocking grin. He was anxious to get this done, as he kept bumping his knee against the explosives box. He was tired of being crouched over bumbling in the dark. The succubi were also trying not to chuckle, as they could also see in the dark.

 

Shhhh!

 

The fuse began to crackle as he finally got it lit, dropping it in the hole and trying to stand up. This process started okay until his knee pushed against the box. Since he was near the edge the dirt was fairly loose, and the whole box fell into the hole.

 

Rex's brain had to pause here, as he realized how much danger he was in. Quickly standing to his feet and turning to run, he began to stumble around as he couldn't see. He had left the torch to run faster, but now he was forced to run slowly over the uneven ground.

 

“Why the fuc-” Rex began.

 

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

 

Rex was picked up and thrown as the air was forced out of his lungs. He felt like a leaf in the wind as he banged into something soft and landed on top of it. All he could hear was ringing in his ears, and his vision was dark. His whole body felt battered and he couldn't breathe. He was desperately trying to get his breath.

 

His vision started to clear and he saw a child's face.

 

Hold on!

 

Looking closely he realized it just looked like a child, and the reason he couldn't breathe was that their mouths had been pressed together.

 

Violently pushing himself off the gnome he immediately began cleaning his face.

 

“You son of a bitch!” Rex yelled at the gnome.

 

“Taking Kira away from me wasn't enough? You need to take my first kiss too?!” The gnome looked at him with furious tears in his eyes.

 

“This is all your fault, why couldn't you get out of the way!” Rex screamed.

 

He wasn't yelling on purpose, he just couldn't hear anything with all the ringing. All of a sudden he felt something trying to desperately pull him away.

 

Looking back he saw Kira, with tears in her eyes. She was forcefully trying to pull him further away from the gnome.

 

“What are you doing?” Rex couldn't help but yell.

 

“You are going to leave Kira! I need to get you away from him, he is a bad man!” Kira was continuing to pull Rex into the forest.

 

The gnome began crying, as he crawled towards Kira.

 

“Wait! It wasn't my fault, it was all him!” The gnome screamed out as he felt wronged.

 

Rex watched all of this as the dirt continued to rain from the sky, all of the succubi were excitedly discussing the new weapon. 3 of the dwarves were watching the dirt raining from the sky with shock, the 4^th though was watching Rex with caution, he seemed to be the leader of the group.

 

Kira was dragging him towards the tree he used to stay at. They were going to camp there tonight, then move to the swamp over the next week.

 

Who takes their date to a swamp?

 

He looked at Kira in question, as this was her idea.

 

-

 

Some people will only remember the best qualities of something they like when they were young. They called these rose-colored glasses.

 

“The ground under that tree was just as uncomfortable as I remember it.” Rex muttered as he tried to get the kink out of his back.

 

The marsh was really what it sounded like. The entire northern part of the island was a marsh. It looked like the ocean had gotten trapped on the land, and then over time was turned into a swamp. The hundreds of years of sewage also made the entire area rich in methane. Rex did not doubt that it would be incredibly rich in nitrates.

 

He had also seen where the succubi were collecting the oil. It was a naturally forming tar pit. This was something shocking as it meant the island was probably quite large underwater. Tar pits usually formed above faults in the crust. The easiest way to think of it is to imagine your hands as the plates. When you push them together and your fingers bend, it creates a pocket as they are lifted. This pocket fills with oil, and spreads to the surface from the cracks in the 2 plates, forming a tar pit above the oil pocket.

 

Rex didn't go near this pit though, as he knew how dangerous they were. Tar pits are mostly formed from asphalt, which forms from decaying oil. They are usually loaded with fossils because it is almost impossible to get out once you fall in. It would be like getting stuck in syrup, but tar is stickier and heavier.

 

Right now the two were exploring towards the center of the marsh. The smell was getting worse and worse. They were also seeing dying trees, the plants had also begun wilting as well. Looking around carefully Rex decided to pause, this was too eerie of a sign.

 

Walking over to a tree he pulled out a hatchet that had become popular on the island. He was carving out a section of the wood to look at the tree rings. If you know what you are looking at, a tree ring can tell you everything about an area. The amount of water and nutrients will determine the size of the ring.

 

The wood looked almost burnt thought, so did all of the plants. The closer they got to the center the more burnt everything looked.

 

“Kira nothing lives here right?” Rex asked for the third time.

 

“Outside of some snakes and frogs, I don't see anything.” Kira confirmed.

 

Succubi could see the life force in a target, they could even see it through the ground or water. They had come here for hundreds of years, and never seen anything. There wasn't even fish in the water, even Rex had to question his feeling.

 

It looked like acid had been sprayed everywhere, a dilute form of it. The problem with this was, where did that acid go? The environment wasn't acidic at all, or if it was, it was very light. It wasn't enough to cause damage like this.

 

“Kira, can you fly around the area and tell me if everything is burned like this. Take careful note of the formation of it.” Rex said as he stopped and found a clear place.

 

Kira extended her wings from her back and hopped into the sky. She had noticed Rex's concerned look. The main reason that Rex was so skeptical, was that to get to the center he would need to wade through part of the bog. The water was about waist deep, and he couldn't see the bottom of it.

 

Why am I doing any of this? What's the point?

 

Since he and Kira had a long talk, these are the thoughts he was constantly stuck with. In high school, he had to decide what he would be as an adult. Whenever he was alone, he would get hit with these intrusive thoughts.

 

It's all pointless, you are alone anyway.

 

This is why he always wanted to stay working, he hated these feelings the most. Seeing the clay figurines of his family had helped, but it also made the loneliness worse. He often thought if he could forget his past life, everything would be easier. But without all that knowledge he has no doubt he would have died already.

 

Who will grieve for the only human?

 

“Rex?” Kira asked.

 

She had come back and found Rex shaking, as he just stared into nothing. He was pale and had cold sweat coating his skin. Every once in a while she would find him like this, usually in the mornings if he didn't get out of bed. He'd just stare at the ceiling blankly as if he was trapped in something. Kira didn't know when she started crying, but she felt she had to do something.

 

Walking up shakily she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Rex jerked in shock as if he didn't know she was there.

 

“Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts.” Rex said trying to brush it off. “What did you find?”

 

“It looks like a big circle getting more burned towards the center.” Kira said softly, she still refused to let Rex go.

 

“What's at the center?” This is what he wanted to know.

 

“It's just water.” She said confused, she hadn't seen anything.

 

Rex was even more confused than she was. Logically that would mean there was something wrong with the water, but that didn't make any sense. This same water was throughout the marsh. Looking towards the center of the marsh he was trapped in a dilemma. His curiosity wanted to know, but he was afraid.

 

Why am I afraid? What do I have to lose?

 

The fear he was feeling was quickly swept into numbness. When you don't care about your life, fear becomes something meaningless.

 

“I want you to stay in the air above me, let me know if you see anything change at all.” Rex explained calmly. “If something happens to me you need to go get help. Get the mamas and the sisters.”

 

Setting the backpack on the ground he was carrying he began to dig through it and pulling out vines. Looking around he began to collect more and more of them, he began to tie them into a rope. Kira was looking at him worriedly, she had brought a bag as well as her weapon. She couldn't charm people, so she usually always took it with her.

 

“Rex, I really don't like this! Let's go back!” Kira began pleading with him.

 

“I'll be fine, I made the great weapon of the succubi after all. That was much more dangerous.” Rex replied calmly as he tied the vines around his waist. He had to readjust the gun he carried, but it would work fine if wet.

 

“I want to go with you!” She said.

 

“No, that would be pointless. Your eyes are more useful in the air.” Rex explained.

 

Kira looked torn but finally nodded. She looked concerned, Rex wasn't sure why.

 

Standing up and stretching out his limbs, he took off his burlap shoes. Walking over to the water he took his first step in.

 

The substrate was a thick sludge, and his whole foot sunk in, he could even feel it gushing between his toes. The water wasn't as cold as he was expecting though, he hesitated for a moment but then started walking. The water soon reached his knees and then his waist as he continued to walk.

 

Strange, there is so little undergrowth...

 

His thoughts paused as he felt a thick root under his foot. It didn't feel like a tree root and he felt around it slightly but it felt smooth. Kira noticed his pause as she was flying tightly over him.

 

“Do you see anything under me?” Rex asked.

 

“No.” Kira said confused.

 

Feeling the direction it only had 2 ways to go. Looking back the shore was close, this could belong to a tree, or it is some underwater plant he hadn't seen before.

 

What is going on here?

 

Rex decided to follow the root with his foot. He noticed these weird studs occasionally, but he was positive this was a plant. He began to notice more and more of these roots, then he felt something sharp and stopped. He had pricked his toe on a thorn.

 

“Kira, do you see anything?” Rex asked slowly.

 

“No, why?” Kira asked.

 

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“What happens when you look at trees? Do you see anything?” Rex asked.

 

He started feeling movement under his feet, which was why he asked.

 

“I don't see anything from trees.” She replied.

 

Ah, I probably should have asked about that sooner...

 

Unfortunately, it was entirely too late for that.

 

The water began to writhe as it is was boiling and Rex was right inside of it. Rex tried to back step but a thick vine shot out of the water like a snake and wrapped around his waist. It began to drag him towards the center where the water seemed to be churning violently, but nothing was coming out of the water.

 

“Argh! Fuck!” Rex yelled out, as sharp thorns buried into his skin as it constricted around him.

 

“Rex!” Kira screamed out and immediately tucked in her wings dive-bombing at him.

 

“Kira! No! Get away!” He yelled out, but she refused to listen.

 

Vines exploded out of the water and reached for her like a forest. Kira put on a determined look as she was forced to stop her flight. Drawing her ax she began to adjust the way she flapped her wings. This seemed odd until Rex began to watch her start attacking with the battle-ax.

 

She would make a big sweeping swing, then she would use the shaft to rotate the ax around. The reason she had done such a weird flapping of her wings was so she didn't hit them. She was slowly making her way to him, but he was being dragged too fast. Rex was watching all of this calmly, but this was a much different calm than before.

 

When he was making the great weapon of the succubi, he had run into a similar situation. The feeling that went through his head was that he didn't want to destroy the succubi's home. He didn't want to be responsible for killing all of the prisoners either. This time, it was because he realized that Kira wasn't going to give up on him. If he couldn't convince her to leave, then she would be joining him.

 

“Kira! Get out of here!” Rex yelled.

 

She didn't respond, she was also realizing she wasn't going to make it in time. He was seeing the same madness starting to bloom in her eyes. The same madness that he saw in his own, every single day.

 

I'm responsible for this...

 

Rex noticed that the closer she got the more vines that appeared they seemed to be trying to attack her from everywhere. Watching the tears that were rolling down her face he felt a unique sensation. It was like time was slowing down around him.

 

Probably Adrenaline from all the blood loss... I don't have any special powers aft-

 

Rex immediately looked down at his waist. For the first time, he wasn't admiring his crotch.

 

Why is it only my waist?

 

Looking up, Kira was being swarmed by vines. It was treating him like a mosquito's meat in comparison.

 

It's after the gun.

 

Rex reached back and began fighting with the vines, he had to hurry. The wax made it harder as it was sticking to his skin. He kept pulling and tearing against the pressure, he could feel his skin being rubbed off but he didn't care.

 

I can't let her die here!

 

He finally managed to free it, and the vines began to cut him more as they crawled after it. Finally, he managed to toss it away.

 

Plop!

 

The vine almost immediately released him like trash, causing Rex to fall back and be submerged for a second. Desperately pushing to the surface, he began backtracking as fast as possible. Breaking the surface he yelled out.

 

“Kira, I'm free! Get away from it!”

 

Kira looked down with relief to see him swimming backward. She quickly began retreating and was soon out of its reach.

 

All of the vines sank back into the water silently, and the entire pool was still again.

 

Rex used the vine he tied off to make it back to the surface and crawled on the surface breathing heavily. He was incredibly tired, and his body felt heavy. The water had stunk badly, and he was covered in it. Various wounds littered his body, and he was bleeding from tons of small cuts.

 

“Rex! You are hurt so badly!” Kira was panicking.

 

Looking at the little girl, he was relieved she was safe. Playing everything back in his head, he couldn't believe what he had done. It felt like he was seeing clearly for the first time and going over the things he had done.

 

I was desperate...

 

For some reason he was trying so hard to jump ahead, he was trying to go straight into the modern world, without the proper foundation. It was like he wanted to bring it into this world with his own two hands alone. He hadn't trusted anyone, he even treated Kira like some little girl.

 

What is wrong with me?!

 

Anger is what was left, now that the melancholy was gone.

 

“Kira, I'm sorry. I made you worry.” Rex said as he painfully sat up.

 

His mind was currently racing. Kira was hugging and shaking him slightly, but he didn't have time for this right now. Rex placed his hands on Kira's shoulders to steady her.

 

“Kira, I need to get to my lab immediately. I am probably going to get sick soon. I need to take antibiotics now, while I still can.” Rex said to her.

 

Kira looked at him surprised, Rex had a very grim expression. He was pale and still bleeding from the wounds, and the fetid water left a horrible smell. Kira nodded and unfurled her wings, she flew up in the air and stopped to take a quick look at the area. She then quickly flew away towards the mountain.

 

Rex was glad she had left, he didn't need to act strong anymore. He quickly fell over and grimaced deeply. The vine had squeezed him so tightly, and he doubted he could walk. Lifting his shirt he was bruising heavily, and the cuts on his body burned.

 

This isn't good...

 

-

Meanwhile...

Elven City Tristyll, Wyndyllynn's home

 

Wyndy was watching in resignation as her beloved granddaughter was punching a pole wrapped in rope. She was toughening up her knuckles, occasionally she would also throw kicks at it.

 

Wyndy had already gone to Welch's parent's grave and begged their forgiveness for her poor parenting.

 

An elvish attendant rushed forward with a panicked look on his face.

 

“Lord Wyndyllynn, King Dryfys is here to see you.” The elf reported.

 

Wyndy immediately frowned deeply. He had been contacting her daily for the last week. It was on the level of being very rude. Some elves needed a few months to make a decision after all. Realizing it was impossible to turn him down, she stood slowly and checked her dress. Taking one last look at her granddaughter, she made her way back into the main house.

 

Walking through the ornate hallways and large halls, she eventually made her way to a reception room. Using thrones and showery between other lords was disrespectful. This was a simple reception room, with a large oak table, and nice gold-trimmed chairs.

 

Dryfys was soon lead into the room and strode in confidently. Wyndy had never liked Dryfys, even his birth was strange. His mother was the previous elven queen of the settlement, but only she and her brother stayed in the location. 2 years later she died, and Dryfys was left with the brother.

 

Everyone knew what the siblings had been up to, and it wasn't too long after Dryfys was a teen that the brother killed himself. He had never been the same after his sibling's death and seemed deeply haunted in his last days. Dryfys was very gifted with magic and was able to become a King at 50 years old. He was nowhere near Ivangor's record of 19 years old though.

 

“I will get straight to the point, Amyllyr will die soon.” Dryfys said flatly. “I will be the next High King.”

 

Wyndy was shocked at the disrespect he was showing, his statement was even harder to process.

 

“Dryfys, you should watch your tone.” Wyndy warned him carefully.

 

Dryfys gave her a mocking look, as he chuckled softly.

 

“You are mistaken about something, there is already nothing you can do.” Dryfys smiled at her as he slowly stood up. Walking over he began to approach her slowly.

 

“Dryfys, what are you doing!” She called out as she started to stand.

 

Dryfys just smiled at her menacingly, as he continued to walk towards her.

 

Wyndy began to circulate her mana, however, the moment she did her eyes began to blur.

 

“What..?” She said weakly as she began to fall to the floor.

 

It felt like all her energy was leaving her, and she felt death swiftly approaching.

 

“What.. have you done...?” She asked weakly.

 

Dryfys just smiled at her.

 

“Don't worry no one betrayed you, currently Ivangor, Illisayd, and Ashanda should be tearing down the Divine Tree.” He reported calmly.

 

The shock was all over her face as new questions quickly formed.

 

“I never ate the fruit, I saw it as infection in our race. Do you know why the elves have stayed in this forest this whole time? It was all that damn tree. This forest is too small for us, and it is time we move on.” Dryfys explained to her. “Unfortunately, some fossils will need to be removed.”

 

Wyndy didn't have the energy to speak anymore, she had so many questions she wanted to ask him. Her mind was churning through various emotions, it finally settled on one.

 

Welch... Run...

 

-

 

Welch was training in the courtyard, her knuckles were bloodied. She didn't want to do this, but she had another problem. She wasn't able to read the spell books, they became too fuzzy when she tried to focus on them. No elves she knew seemed to have this problem, but it was only when she tried to read. Ivangor had this same issue, so she was using him as an inspiration.

 

The harder and harder she trained though, the more disappointed she got. She realized she just wasn't cut out for this.

 

“How amusing, I am reminded of Ivangor.” A male elf's voice spoke.

 

Turning around she saw a tall blonde elf with a beautiful appearance and a dainty crown. His hair was short and he had a very slender appearance. His eyes seemed surprisingly calm as if a great burden was lifted from him.

 

“I am training to be just like him.” She said proudly.

 

“Oh, I know Ivangor quite well. I am even familiar with how he trains.” The elf said.

 

Welch was a bit surprised, she was wondering where her grandma was.

 

“Ah, excuse me. I am King Dryfys, I talked with your grandmother, and she thinks it best if I am the one to train you.” Dryfys said with a warm smile. “I know everything that Ivangor has done, after all, we are practically brothers.”

 

Welch began to feel fear as the elf began to approach her.

 

“Where is my grandma.” Welch began she was backing away but she was in a barrier.

 

“Most likely dead by now, or very close to dying.” The elf said with no change in his expression as he continued to approach her. “What's wrong? Let's go make you just like my brother.”

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