Chapter 56:

Hysminai

The Children of Eris


The sun was low by the time David’s party arrived at the Goddess’s Eye Lake.

Across the crystal blue water, they could see a vast snowy mountain range on the other side of the lake, just piercing through the clouds.

I didn’t expect the tomb to be super obvious, but I hope it’s not nearly impossible to find, David thought.

“Scylla, Charybdis, how large are your monster forms?”

“Master, it’s rude to ask a lady such a thing,” Scylla answered bashfully.

Charybdis, however, kept her normal sweet smile and answered. “We are about sixty metres long, Master.”

The more I learn, the more scared I become. Also, what was with Scylla’s response?!

“I see. Perhaps it might be best to explore other options then. If lots of people saw you in your monster form, that could complicate matters.”

Not unless there’s a story about a massive sea snake living in the lake.

“Jorōgumo, could we use your webs to construct a bridge and cross to the other side?”

“If the lake was smaller than this, I would be able to easily.”

“In that case, one of the twins will have to ferry us across. Which of you-?”

“I will!” Scylla eagerly volunteered, raising her hand.

Her sister giggled. “While it would have been an honour to do it myself, I think it’s only fair that Scylla does it. Master, I would recommend that you throw Scylla as far as possible into the lake before she transforms.”

“So that she’s deep enough in the water to swim?” Charybdis nodded. “Very well. Scylla.”

“Yes!” Scylla skipped over to David with a dagger in hand. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Please throw me whenever you are ready, Master!”

How the hell am I meant to respond to that?

He picked her up with one arm and threw her with all of his might over the lake.

As she flew through the air, Scylla took a deep breath, then plunged the dagger into her heart.

Instantly, her face contorted in agony as the poison spread throughout her body.

It attacked her like a roaring fire.

She bit down hard on her lip, but couldn’t stop herself from screaming.

After a few more seconds, her body shook and a green pulse burst out from her body.

It spread for a mile through the water and scared thousands of fish away from her.

Back on the shore of the lake, David, Charybdis and Jorōgumo watched and waited.

“How shallow is the water near the shore?” David wondered, peeking into the water.

“It shouldn’t matter, Master. We should all have the physical strength to leap from the shore onto my sister’s back,” Charybdis said, albeit with a slightly sad tone in her voice.

“Is something wrong, Charybdis?”

“Forgive me for not telling you sooner, Master, but there is a terrible burden placed upon us whenever we transform.”

“A burden?”

Charybdis nodded solemnly. “The poison we use to transform is very potent and painful. It courses through our bodies and causes a pain greater than any other in this world. And.” She looked over the surface of the water as it began to stir. “It is a pain that lingers and grows inside us when we transform.”

Several long, emerald coloured snake heads burst through the surface of the lake, stretching ten metres high and groaning. They flashed their dagger like teeth as the beast began to slowly swim towards the shore, getting as close as it could.

Scylla was able to get within a hundred metres before it couldn’t get any closer. She then lowered her body back into the water in case she could be seen by someone nearby.

“…I see.”

She volunteered even though it’d hurt her that much? That’s an amazing level of dedication, but I wonder how long the twins would be able to endure that agony. I wonder if Eris gave them that drawback to make me feel more conflicted about using them.

“Master?” Jorōgumo asked.

David shook his head, then opened a portal behind him. “Raven, return to the Keep and tell them that we’re going across the lake. If anyone needs me, have them me through Jorōgumo’s brood.”

“At once, your majesty.”

The Raven took the carriage back to the Dread Keep and David closed the portal.

“Charybdis, Jorōgumo, let’s go.”

The three of them leapt from the shoreline and landed on Scylla’s back. Once they were on, Scylla turned around and swam towards the other side of the lake.

With Scylla’s size combined with her swimming speed, it only took them two minutes to cross the forty-mile-wide lake.

Once at the shore line, David, Charybdis and Jorōgumo leapt off of Scylla’s back before she transformed in the water to her human form. Jorōgumo shot some threads towards Scylla’s, who grabbed onto them tightly, and pulled her out of the water.

“Excellent work, Scylla,” David said, patting her on the head. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, master,” Scylla said with a big smile. “All that pain goes away once I transform back to this form.”

“You aren’t lying to me so that I don’t worry about you, are you?”

A deadly serious expression overcame her face and she dropped onto one knee. “I wouldn’t dare lie to you, Master. My sister and I will not make the same mistakes as our predecessors and will tell you the truth whenever you desire us to.”

“It is as my sister says, Master.” Charybdis knelt beside her sister. “It is true that we experience great pain when transformed and when we transform, but that pain evaporates the moment we change back into this form.”

David smiled a little beneath his helmet. That’s a relief.

“Then, why did you not tell me about the pain before Scylla volunteered?”

“It is because we didn’t want to worry you, Master,” Charybdis responded. “No matter what you ask of us, as your chosen generals, we should endeavour to perform your orders to the best of our abilities, regardless of whatever suffering we must endure.”

“Even then, Charybdis, Scylla, I want you to tell me everything upfront from now on. Is that understood?”

“Yes, my liege!” they answered.

David turned back to the mountains and scanned for any signs or indications where Karak-Harth’s tomb was but, unfortunately, there weren’t any clear signs.

“The stories don’t say where Karak-Harth’s tomb is buried, do they?”

“That is what Mímir said, Master.”

I thought someone as infamous as him would’ve been buried in a big scary place like the Shadow Tombs. David crossed his arms and sighed. We’ll be here for ages if they just buried him in a random plot of land.

“I guess they wouldn’t give the man who betrayed Themis a big, extravagant tomb, would they? Scylla, Charybdis; follow the base of the mountains and head to the left. Jorōgumo and I will do the same and go right.”

“Master, if one of us does find the tomb, how are we meant to let the other group know?” Jorōgumo asked.

“I and all of my generals are capable of teleporting to places we have already visited, aren’t we?”

“Yes, Master,” Charybdis replied. “Master, to make the search easier, should we summon our Hysminai now?”

On their journey to the Goddess’s Eye, Charybdis had informed David that she and her sister were capable of summoning demons from portals like Abaddon was. However, where Abaddon could summon Machai from his, the twins could summon demons called Hysminai from theirs.

There’s no reason not to summon them, and it gives me a chance to see what these new soldiers are capable of.

“Summon them.”

“At once, my liege,” the twins answered.

The two girls stood opposite each other and conjured bright yellow portals behind them.

Then, from each portal, stepped out a tall, fully armoured female warrior.

The demons stepped to one side and ten more of their kind stepped through each portal. Once they were all through, they moved in sync with one another into formation, and stood at attention.

“Master, allow me to introduce the Hysminai!” Scylla proudly declared.

The Hysminai stood two metres tall and wore plate armour that looked like it had been made out of a blackened, twisted tree; their eyes glowed a soft yellow like a cat’s a night. Each demon was quite muscular, but not as much as the Machai.

Each individual Hysmine carried a spear and tower shield in their hands, and had a long sword strapped to their side. Just like their armour, parts of their weaponry looked like they’d been forged out of a twisted, tree looking metal.

Their sword’s hilts and the shafts of their spears looked like they’d been made from a blackened tree.

“What do you think of them, Master?” Scylla asked, puffing out her chest a little.

“Are they to your satisfaction, Master?” Charybdis inquired.

Satisfaction? They look strong as hell!

“We guarantee you their strength, Master.”

David let out a low chuckle. “They do look the part. I hope to see that strength in person soon enough. How many of them would you be able to summon in a month?”

“Between the pair of us, perhaps five hundred,” Charybdis said.

So, roughly the same number of Machai that Abaddon can summon? David held in his frustrations. I know it’s probably Eris’s fault that they can only summon so many a month, but it’s still annoying nonetheless. At the very least, I’m now certain that Eris isn’t going to let me rely on a summoned army to forge my empire.

However. David frowned. Even if I know that, I don’t have any other leads on potential allies I could make. Sylvan’s network is all but gone, Jorōgumo’s spiders are numerous and we have the giants on our side, but that’s not enough. We don’t have the numbers and our strength might be very lacking, for all I know.

It might be worth having Hilda or Jessica’s team fight the spiders and the giants to gage their strength.

“Master?” Scylla asked softly with a hint of fear in her voice. “Is everything okay?”

David turned to face her again and nodded. “Yes. Sorry, I was just thinking about something else. Five hundred extra soldiers a month is a great boon.”

The twins smiled happily in relief.

Let’s not think about that right now.

“Servants, go forth and find the Tomb of Karak-Harth!”