The Hero's Legacy

Past the faceless brutes guarding each semi-circular hall was a series of suites with closed doors. The outer ring was the free amenities divided like ganger turf. On the inner ring were the many great suites and rooms of the Companions.

Gougou lay in the canopy feather bed of Betsy; feet firmly on the floor, hands clutching at his ears. Betsy prowled the bed. She was surrounded by her past weapons and artifacts that they both once thought were from darker times.

“Gururu! What in the Maker has happened to you all! Sex strikes? Murder? We would have died for each other. Yessi almost did. I almost did. Three times!”

“Love is cruel, Gougou.”

Betsy’s quarters were almost frozen in time. Crossbows with poison darts on the wall, old guild tomes and power guides, candles, relics from conflict, vials with medications holding down old adventuring maps. Betsy was a curator for her own reputation.

“Since when! Shouldn't it be happy? We were all happy before. Yessi was quiet, but honest. Midori was sweet in her own way. Neko-chan was playful, and so were you! Why couldn't I have come back to that?”

“Because, Gougou, these things were bubbling under the surface. Yessi was always a snake in the grass.”

Gougou sat up slightly on his elbows. The heavy perfumes of the room still wreaked havoc on his nose. He ignored the spinning in his head to watch as Betsy's face turned crimson hot.

“‘I live for nothing but to serve my lord! Pah. Always the doe-eyed hostage. But when I told her I wanted to confess to Takeshi? I see her slither into Takeshi's tent, and never come out.”

“Is that why you attacked her?”

“She gave me some bullshit about ‘preparing him for The Succubus’ charms.’ I trusted her with my secret, and now -”

“I don't understand, Betsy. Don't you have a child with Takeshi?”

“Yes, that is what I have. No cabin, no family. I got my turn.”

Betsy scoffed in disgust before sitting on the bed herself.

“Never mind, forget I said anything - any luck with the investigation?”

“None, those poisons and the seawater have strong scents. Masks everything. The only thing I could pick up was near the door. But that was just you, the victim, and Yessi. The killer must have had another way in.”

“Gougou, listen, you're sweet, but I think you are letting your nostalgia cloud your judgment.”

“You think so?”

Betsy didn't notice him watching from the corner of his eye.

“We never should have let that snake join our party. Once a villain always a villain. She's wrapped Takeshi and this whole palace around her. No one can get to her here. Certainly not any of the wives. But you. Perhaps you can save Takeshi this way.”

It took a moment for Gougou to wrangle the words to speak.

“You want me to frame Yessi?”

“Is it really a frame if she did it? Think about Mariko.”

“I don’t know…”

“You just admitted--”

“That's not enough proof! I'm not making wild accusations, especially since there is a family now!”

“Family?! You think having children exonerates her?”

Betsy got up from the bed, circling the still-seated Gougou.

“What about Lorelei, huh? She was pregnant. Did that stop Yessi from wrapping Clove Oil on her gills? Does her family not count?”

Gougou perked up at this.

“How do you know that?”

“Everyone knew Lorelei was pregnant! Takeshi threw a whole damn ball to celebrate it! All so they could slink off again and-”

"That's not what I asked."

Betsy turned crimson while Gougou lost his breath. He wanted to vomit, wanted to lay back down on the bed and wake up. Betsy put her hands on Gougou's trembling shoulders.

“You are the last friend I have here, little brother. P L E A S E Find the courage to help me one more time. We save Takeshi like this.”

CRACK

Gougou caught a whiff of sulfur coming from his chest. He clutched at his pendant; it was hot to the touch. With his claw-like nails he picked up the chain to look at the smoldering crystal.

“You tried to use “Suggestion” on me!” he barked. Betsy froze.

“I'm sorry, I thought I had no choice. Please! I meant every word I said! Don't get up!”

Gougou ran to the door as though the room was about to flood, only turning around as he reached the handle. His whiskers picked up Betsy moving closer, and he drew his sword.

“Don't come any closer! Murderer!”

“Where are you going?”

“To court.”

“You choose that snake over me?”

Gougou was silent, opening the door. Betsy stood at the threshold as he marched out into the multicolored pillars and tapestries of past heroics now soured.

Betsy called back out to him.

“Don't you dare judge me! While you have been out with your sweet little family, you have no idea what I've been through! You don't know what it takes to survive here.”

“I'm beginning to get an idea,” Gougou called back as he marched out.

“You walk the paths of great heroes before you, but your purpose now is greater still. Do you pledge your loyalty, your body, and your soul to Takeshi and his quest to save the world?”

Yessi spoke her ceremonial question at the foot of the Futon Throne. The fox-girl and spider-girl dressed in green robes bowed and nodded.

“We pledge it.”

Takeshi looked past the glowing square to look at the two Acolytes pledging to be his wives. He called Yessi over for a moment.

“From the Ball, my lord. Do they please you?”

“Yessi, How do I? You know?”

“Don't worry about that, my dear. Just focus on their faces and Midori's magic should take care of the rest.”

Gougou opened the door without ceremony and fell behind a throng of young women in black of different species. Each prospective acolyte with their wife sponsor was eager to be presented to Takeshi, and reacted harshly to Gougou's attempt to move past them. The herald saw him, and at Yessi's approval announced:

“Presenting Lord Gougou, Original Companion to Takeshi.”

The words sent waves of snickers and whispers among the women in attendance. The previously confident poise of the feminine dryad dancer slumped as she looked at him, while hope dawned on the tomboyish goblinette.

“There was a time,” Gougou spoke. “When ‘Companion’ meant friend.”

The room stopped its mirth-making and fell into an uncomfortable silence. Yessi spoke to assert control of the room.

“Welcome Gougou. Do you bring any news or progress, perhaps some that should be discussed privately with us?”

The offer was rebuffed.

“I am here to announce that I have concluded my investigation.”

Takeshi looked away towards his old friend for a moment.

“What did you find? Was it really a suicide?” he asked.

Takeshi was supposed to look imposing. Instead his friend saw only the large comfortable green futon, and the man in the silk tracksuit disappearing inside it.

Among the wives walked Betsy. Somehow accessing a door unannounced, she moved between the wives like a spider. Demeanors shifted as she walked. When Betsy looked at Gougou, she did so with all the eyes of the harem.

“Let's just call it a suicide, Bossman. Her wastebin reeked of narcotics and liquors. She was without friends, and out of her element. If someone was going to kill her, it might as well have been herself.”

Takeshi looked disappointed, and Yessi looked suspicious. The wives hissed.

Gougou shrugged, before speaking again, voice solemn.

“With your permission, I will go back home, and let you manage your own affairs. You know your house best, and how to manage it, my Lady.”

“Like Hell she does!” Betsy cried out as the crowd parted for her.

“What are you doing, Betsy? I--”

“You think you were doing me a favor! You think I want this? Pretend everyone's fine here? No, someone's head needs rolling today. Hers or Mine, so get out of the way!”

“Betsy? Why?” Takeshi's voice was closer to a whimper than a condemnation.

Whatever fire was lacking in Takeshi, Yessi was ablaze.

“She trusted you!”

“She trusted us both. I guess she was just a bad judge of character.”

“You dare, murderer! After all I did for her.”

Betsy convulsed in laughter. Gougou shivered as Betsy threw her whole body into her laugh. A shiver crept over Gougou as he watched his old friend expelled from the woman standing beside him.

“You, Yessi, gave her nothing. You took our dignity and our lives, you locked us into this gilded cage. For what?”

“For the future!”

“What Future?! World Conquest by bedroom?”

“You saw Takeshi's power. Same as I. What would you do with a man of Takeshi's vision and power? Shack up with you in a cabin while the world burns?”

“I remember the boy who stole trinkets from nobles, stole glances and touches from women. Where is that Takeshi? Gone now! Instead you schedule him to ship between women's legs. A Buck passed between your Parliament of Whores!!”

Betsy drew her crossbow amid the now bickering, snickering crowd. Yessi screamed for the guards to take her children out of the room.

“No one is leaving! H O L D  P E R S O N!” Betsy cried out, her voice hoarse and crossbow armed. The eldest lamia stared down the crossbow trapped, her body frozen. She tried to look at her mother from the corner of her eye, but her head was frozen. Yuzuki whimpered, Takeshi tried to soothe his daughter, while scrolling for a spell.

“V O R T E X  W A R P!” Gougou cried.

Betsy fired the crossbow as Yessi screamed. The bolt flew towards Yuzuki and landed in a wall behind her own spot. Betsy turned with a scowl to see Yuzuki still frozen, but now behind a defiant Gougou, sword now fully drawn.

“I see you have chosen your side, old friend.”

Gougou scowled.

“A Child is not a pawn in this game, Elizabeth.”

Betsy scoffed.

“How wrong you are, cur! She's the only piece that matters.”

She turned to a now furious Takeshi standing up from his chair. Yessi mentally excused herself from the fight, racing towards her still frozen daughter.

“Finally noticed me?” Betsy said with a laugh. “You must hate me now. Good! I’m the traitor! I’m the villain, Hero! ACT! Exile me! Enslave me! Make Midori transform me into one of your brutes. But do it with your own hand!”

If Yessi was cold as stone, Takeshi was cold as glass.

“KILL ME YOURSELF, YOU STUPID IDIOT!” she screamed while advancing forward, her hair lifting up in small strands.

T E M P E S T U O  S H I R A D O

Takeshi’s recorded voice cried out from the walls.

Takeshi screamed her name, but it was too late. Betsy saw the cascade of electricity around her, she dropped her crossbow though it was too late. The bolts of lightning consumed Betsy’s weapon. Then wrapping around knees it came for her hands. Betsy fell to the floor, her voice a sorrowful wail. The wail changed to a high-pitched scream as lightning devoured her from the torso up. The scream went higher until Gougou and the beastfolk were the last to hear it leave.

There was nothing. A pile of ash and the thick smell of ozone were all that remained of the great adventurer. The children freed from the spell ran to a still frozen Takeshi.

“What the Hell did you do?” Gougou roared.

“Nothing” Yessi spoke behind him, Yuzuki in her arms.

“Nothing!”

“It was automatic, it's not Takeshi’s fault. She held a weapon.”

“With your power levels that was nothing against either of you!”

“She was a murderer, Gougou! She threatened my Takeshi. By her own admission -”
“She was your COMPANION! She was with child! YOUR CHILD.”

Gougou rushed to the throne. The crowd gasped. The guards steeled themselves. Gougou swatted the phone from Takeshi's hand. He stood beside the throne holding a sword towards Takeshi's heart: The blade in Gougou's hands, the hilt an offering.

“Bossman! This is killing you. Please! Come with me! We can take care of you! Just for a little while. Anything you want, but you have to get out of here!”

Tears were streaming down the dog man's face, Yessi lowered her blades. The palace held its breath as they watched. Takeshi, whose eyes tried to look past, away from, and finally through Gougou. His trembling hands reached up to the blade hilt and pushed it away.

“I... I can't. I have to lead! Have to build!”

Gougou exhaled and let the sword clatter to the ground.

“Guards!” Yessi screamed.

“M I S T Y  S T E P!” Gougou called out.

T E M P E S T U O S H I R A D O

The wall of lightning came down around the mist where Gougou stood, lifting the air around Takeshi and Yessi. Everyone near the throne's hair stood up from the electricity. The palace reeked of ozone.

Gougou stood at an open window. Everyone else in the palace was invisible to him. He looked at his former companions. Yessi met his gaze as she dropped her swords. Takeshi dropped off his throne, scampering for his phone.

“Too much to do! Too much to do!” Takeshi whimpered.

Gougou turned from the parting crowd and exited as those in the palace began their murmurs and mutters.

“Thank you for saving me from my cage, Takeshi. I wish you the best in yours.”