A Lover's Tale

I was a Tough Lady Killer Mobster, But Now I am a Klutzy Maid Girl, That will take Down a Demon Lord!

Chapter 15 – A Lover’s Tale

The sight disheartened the young maid girl. Her trio had just discovered the way the curse had been befalling the town. To see in the very cups of those that remained behind at camp caused panic in Azulle’s eyes.

“Well, it looks like you three were able to find food…” Gil is interrupted by his sister dashing forward and smacking the cup of tea from his hands. “Hey, I was drinking that!”

“Tell me you didn’t drink any of it yet!” Azulle shouted.

“Of course, I did. This is my second cup! Eve is quite good at…” For the second time, Gil is interrupted by his sister.

“The water of this town is cursed!” The moment of her shouting it Eve drops her own cup to the ground while Kawa spits out their drink. “Those that drink the water of this town are cursed by night to turn into monsters!”

The former cheeriness that Gil had towards a pending breakfast dropped at the threat of him now possibly being cursed and the worse fact hitting his gut that knowing the group missing a proper healer means the chances of the curse being removed is close to none. Despair hits his body sending him dropping to the ground but he is caught by his sister’s shoulder as she goes to comfort him.

“I don’t feel cursed!” Kawa states in defiance of the warning.

“And there is still townsfolk, so If we can get those that drank the water away from the moonlight they should be fine.” Cabbage states dropping the food he was carrying down with the remains Alabaster had on him.

“But we have to journey to face the Demon Lord’s forces.” Eve denotes. “We can’t just stop so soon can we.”

“We won’t.” Gil states.

“Brother …”

“No, we can’t let this stop us.” Gil tries to show his determination and be strong.

“Fine! Then we don’t. But you three will stay inside away from the moonlight till we find a way to have a cure.” Cabbage states. “I don’t want to leave you all… but knowing what the townsfolk and Alabaster have told us, it would be better to leave you all behind while we seek out the general Lust.”

“You said you thought she could cure you Alabaster. What made you say that?” Azulle asks.

“She said she could. When I first ran into her. For some reason, she was infatuated by me, and she stated that if I could seduce another woman to love me without the curse coming into play, she would free the town from the curse.”

Hearing the words Alabaster makes Azulle feel used. To be the target of the wolfman’s affection only to break the curse. But still, the slightly used feeling fades knowing that Alabaster wasn’t as focused on his own cure but that of the town. Clearly her own confusion with her blossoming womanhood being targeted by two men just as she had left the safety of her home. And now with the curse affecting the others, she knew she had no choice but to work with the two men as a team. She just wished she had a second person to help her… then she sees. Ori still sleeping, from her wounds and the slimes moving about. “Did you give Ori anything to drink?”

“No, we were waiting to mix something together for her to eat as well!” Eve notes.

Azulle sees Cabbage going to say something and she glares at the swordsman in a way to make him fall silent. “Alabaster, do you think you can find a place for my teammates to stay indoors away from the moonlight.” She recalls that Alabaster’s own home wasn’t fitting for protection normally from the elements, but she hoped the wolfman knew of a place to protect those cursed. “I will work on getting Ori back on her feet. Cabbage …”

“Hey, last I checked it's day Zel!” Kawa Shouts. “Till night we aren’t useless. So, I will do what I do best and scout out the mountains.” Kawa stares at Gil who nods in agreement.

“I guess I will get to work on some food and try to avoid the water in it so we aren’t working on empty stomachs and I can help lady Darkholt with Ori.” Eve states.

“Good then everyone has something to do…”Gil states as Cabbage coughs and Kawa glares at Gil. “Fine, what can I do to help?” Her brother offering to aid her surprises Azulle.

“If you and Coat Rack will go and gather Herbs and fruit. They will help with medicine and alternates to water. And any alcohol you have can help too.” Azulle responds with Eve nodding at the choice and the four groups disperse with the limited time and Azulle quickly turns her attention to Ori. She removes the bandages she had put on the bardic goddess the wounds had mostly closed from the healing magic and the sight of Ori still sleeping started to puzzle the girl. Having been trained by her medically inclined mother Azulle was puzzled at what kept the goddess asleep. The blood loss wasn’t as bad as she thought it could be, and she had no sign of a fever, so why? And then she saw Ori twitch and go rollover. And the thought ran through her head of what she knew of the Goddess and she did the only thing she thought of. She slapped the goddess awake. “Seriously you had me worried and you're just sleeping in!”

“Hi-ho Ms. Darkholt.”

“Why did you make me worry so much?” Azulle responded with tears in her eyes to which Ori looked puzzled.

“Huh, I couldn’t decide if waking up with the rest of you was a good thing or bad. Since the water was cursed.” Ori responds.

“You knew and you didn’t tell anyone!” Azulle shouted

“I overheard you talking with the others.” Azulle grabs the goddess and brings her close to whisper in her ear.

“So do you have a way to remove the curse?”

“I can try but I need to have to test it on something and we need to remove the cursed water completely from a victim.”

“You mean we have to dehydrate people to save them?” Azulle questions.

“It only has to be one victim. But they have to be feeling the full effects of the curse. Look I understand you may have feelings for everyone, but you have to keep focused on your task here. If that means using one of your friends to save a town then you must be willing to make that sacrifice.” Azulle’s face turns a deep shade of white. The last thing she is willing to do is to make any of the team a test subject.

“What if we could find another test subject.” Azulle states and the plan is put underway. That by the evening as the sun begins to set. The trio is put inside an abandoned home, that Alabaster claimed once belonged to a former girlfriend that got turned by the curse. Noir decided to stay behind and watch over Gil for whom over the years he bonded with more than Azulle who could actually understand him.

“Zel, from the look of things the path to the mountains has several camps of goblins like the night before, but they seemed to avoid one spot of mossy ground along the ridgeline. If you are looking for the best way to get deeper in their lines then that is the spot to go.”

“Listen we will stay here despite me hating the idea Azu. But you watch yourselves out there.” Gil states to his sister. As in turn, she hands him a small collection of medicines she made throughout the day.

“We will. Just play it safe yourselves okay. We will find a cure and return as soon as we can.” Gil takes his sister's hand and pulls her in to whisper in her ear.

“Make sure you stay safe from your team as well as the monsters. I don’t want to go back to Dad as an uncle to a bunch of puppies, okay!” Azulle turns red and goes to hit her brother but he grabs her attack and pushes her back smiling.

“Yeah, I can say the same to you.” She glares at her brother and Eve who is shyly hiding in the darkest corner with Noir. The words cause Gil to shrink a bit in his own defense. “Just stay away from the windows okay. And we will see you soon.”

The team leaves and gets to just outside town before they have to stop again. This time only briefly as the night hits and the tearing and cracking of bones begins. Cabbage and the two women push away leaving Alabaster to finish his changing into his wolf form. And while Cabbage worked hard to keep the group from looking on, the odd noises did entice Azulle to look back as the pale silver-haired man turned into the giant black beast from the night before. Drool escaping the growing mussel and teeth. Cabbage at one point yanks Azulle to turn away. But not before Francois catches things. “Someone likes the tall dark beastly men huh?”

“Uh, I do not shut up!”

“You know, now that I know you can understand that one, I can’t help but wonder what you two are saying about me.” Cabbage states with a little smile.

“Nothing Cartwheel!” Azulle again turns blushing to only come face to mussel of Alabaster smiling with a crazed look in his eyes. Soon he quickly grabs the maid girl's arm and yanks it hard. Cabbage quickly grabs his blade and slashes at the wolf. Yet the wolf is quicker taking his beloved prey and dashing ahead of the party towards the mountain range. “Alabaster let me down!” But the wolf doesn’t respond to the maid girl, she begins to worry the more she sees the wolf’s crazed look. “Alabaster!” She twisted her body to try and free herself enough but the constant movements of the wolf and the speed found her trapped. “Alabaster you keep this up and I … I will … I will hate you!”

The words finally hit the wolf and he slows to a stop and lowers the maid girl. Wiping his eyes, he sighed. “I … I am sorry. When I first change, I find the beast take over, and then I heard the wind on the mountain.”

A gasping for air Cabbage still holding his sword. “A likely story. Step away from him Lady Darkholt! He can’t be trusted.” Ori behind him nods in agreement.

“No! And before you say it Fran it's not because I have a thing for him! Alabaster is a good soul and from what we have been told, that there is something magical going on in the mountains. After all, every cursed person ends up going that way!”

“She has a point!” Ori adds. “There is a strange-sounding element about the wind coming off the mountain.”

“You’re hearing this as well Ms. Ori?” Asks a puzzled Cabbage looking at Azulle to who shakes her head in reply that she doesn’t hear things ether.

“Do you remember what the wind told you, Alabaster?” Azulle looks at the large black creature.

“Not really but it did say something about bringing a young maiden to them… or something like that.” Alabaster rubbed his head and tried to listen again. “But now its… different. I hear it calling me but in a different tone.”

Azulle pulls out her broom and throws the wired microphone they picked up to Ori. “Here since that bard guy used it, I think it might help you out so here.” Ori looks at the strange out-of-place tool and swings it about and it moves smoothly with no real effort in her hands. As Ori catches it Alabaster begins to sniff the air.

“Strange. There are three odd smells in the air. Two I feel oddly I remember.”

Azulle goes to grasp her bag to make sure Francois is secure in her place in the fear of an impending threat but finds her bag oddly light and empty. “Fran?”

“One smell is close I think… but it's all mixed… Yet I remember something from it...”

Azulle starts to look around for her missing friend. “Fran! Where are you?”

“What is the matter Ms. Darkholt?”

“Francois is missing! She was with me before Alabaster changed!” Azulle looks worried about the fact her good friend went missing.

“We have to worry more about this scent I smell!” Alabaster says. “One is really close but it's such a mixture of smells its hard to tell where?”

“And the others?” Cabbage says holding his blade turning to face the opposing direction of Alabaster.

“The other two are nearer to town. Sadly, one is very easy to tell its direction it reeks of rotting flesh, but also of Gundairies. I remember a girl I once dated smelling that way.

“Wait back in town! Has monsters other than goblins ever attacked at night before?” Cabbage asks.

“I fear fate is lining up that the others are to face that threat.” Ori states and panic hits the team excluding Azulle who is already freaking out looking about for Francois.

“It's just a slime, she should be…” Cabbage starts to state but Azulle interrupts the swordsman.

“She is not just a slime. She is my friend!”

Ori tries to calm things down. “That slime is the soul of her former childhood friend. While Ms. Darkholt is close to Kawa and Gil none of them is as close as Francois is.”

Cabbage looks down and sighs going to move close to help Azulle but trips and flips in an odd way as the ground below him begins to move about. The group looks about as the ground moves up and starts to claim the young swordsman and appears to work on gripping Ori as well. But not before Ori lets out a scream. Alabaster turns his gaze downward and shock hits his eyes as the ground lifts up trying to strike at him. Taking a quick leap, he tears at the moving ground knocking a chunk of earth out from the earthen tendrils reaching to attack him. The creature reaches out to pull Cabbage and Ori inside itself but a quick sect section of slashes from the swordsman freed him from going into the creature’s unusual body. Ori however wasn’t as lucky to be dragged into the earth. All before Azulle could even make a move to help her teammates.

“No don’t come near it, maid girl!” Alabaster howls. “Why, why do I recognize this smell.” He debates as the creature continues to try and lash out concurrently at the three nearby adventures. Azulle puzzled at the creature quickly to out her tablet and used its camera in hopes to identify it.

“Target identified, Target is an earth elemental creature called a shambling mound. Such creatures hide with their natural camouflage to attack prey willing to step into its domain.” States the phone monotony.

“How do you fight such a creature. It's not like it has a brain or heart or anything like a normal creature?” Azulle shouts.

Cabbage continues to slash the creature fighting the building tendrils trying to drag him under in an effort to grab Ori from within. One movement a slosh of the creature showed the goddess arm briefly.

“It's like a slime, but made of pure earth instead of liquids. If we don’t get the girl out soon it will crush her!” Alabaster shouts leaping in but the strange creature makes a great effort to avoid Alabaster from going into the creature’s form. Still, he is able to move quickly and slash about the ground revealing enough of Ori for her to gasp for air coughing up some blood along with that the monster soon takes into itself. “It’s avoiding me? But I feel I know it…”

“I am not going to sit by and not help!” Azulle shouts preparing to do her devils rush but suddenly tripping at the beginning to what she would later claim to be the creature but in reality, was her own curse coming into play. Alabaster however moved quick himself to strike at the creature and was able to score a large chunk out of the thing.

“We need magic or some water at least against this thing. Something to weaken the ground.” Cabbage states hacking away at the tendrils trying to pull him and the goddess back under.

Azulle thinks back to her missing friend and at the fact that Francois's natural abilities with soap and water would be perfect against this creature. But she isn’t here. Frustration and worry hit the maid girl. This world has been one oddity after another and now all she was able to do was sit back and watch her friends get lost to one big stupid pile of dirt. This was never the kind of problem she had to deal with on earth. No back then a simple job of beating up some guys. Removing limbs that stayed off, or even the occasional killing where the target that you killed stayed dead. This world was something new at every corner and every turn.

Yet she was letting it beat her. Her the one that used to be feared to the point they called the Smiling Devil. The one so tough she was willing to kick a god’s ass to make him pay for slighting him. No here she had been a sniveling little girl. Sure, she had some skill and her master trained her well in fighting people and even those of the other races. But nothing like this. No Hideo Eito was truly gone and now before this monstrous mound of dirt, the once greatly feared mobster was nothing but a weak scared girl. No longer a man but a ….

Then it hit her. She wasn’t a man. But she was trained to fight such a creature. Even long before her first master. No, Lady Marril taught her how to fight this creature. And to fight dirt you need, a maid! Sadness turned to rage and Azulle gripped her broom tightly, and then after so long ago she made a grin. No not like the grins she made before in most fights. No this was the same grin she wore as a man, the same grin she showed the former queen. The grin of a true devil! She takes one step and bursts at such a speed that the very ground under her feet blasted back. Pushing her broom forth she burst through the center of the creature blowing apart its form.

“It’s time to clean up this mess!” The girl bursting of some strange dark aura declares. The words cause the two separate segments of the creature to tremble. The speed at which the girl moved was beyond that of even Alabaster who stood in dog-faced awe. Cabbage grabs quickly to Ori as Azulle leaps in blasting apart another chunk of the shambling mound.

“This is Ms. Darkholt? She is like she isn’t human! She is almost ….”

“Devil-like.” Ori finishes Cabbage’s sentence for him as she too smiles. “Such is the force of Hideo Eito. The force that dwells inside her.”

Alabaster just keeps seeming in a dumbfounded look as the creature starts to flee from Azulle and head his way. But again the creature turns completely avoiding the werewolf. And that is when the smell finally hit the back of Alabaster’s memories once a small glint of metal sloshes up from the fleeing monster. Azulle suddenly crashes after blasting another distant piece of the creature, but the crash isn’t halting the maid girl as she redirects to charge after the piece nearest to Alabaster. She blasts forth but in a quick movement, Alabaster places himself in the path of the maid and the remaining part of the earthen creature. The blast knocks the two crashing into each other. “Out of my way Alabaster! I don’t want to hurt you!” Azulle shouts but the Werewolf’s grip only squeezes the maid tightly.

“He has lost it again!” Cabbage shouts charging with his blade towards the massive wolf. Ori reaches to try and stop the swordsman but her current injuries cause her to not be quick enough.

“Let me go!” Shouts Azulle! Yet the werewolf doesn’t respond again like before. Instead, it grips tighter on the maid girl and moves its huge gaping jaws towards her head. Then suddenly there is a sharp and jagged cut to Azulle’s side but even deeper into Alabasters hulking form from the swordsman's blade striking deep.

“Release Ms. Darkholt, beast!” Cabbage shouts as well but neither his strike nor words halt the beastly form of Alabaster from his desired task. To lick Azulle’s face.

The sudden odd action causes Azulle to drop her fury and look at the werewolf in the eyes. It wasn’t like before as they thought. Back then his eyes had a crazy look. But this time they were replaced by a sad one. Seeing the maid calming down the werewolf releases his strong grip on the girl and pushes her into the arms of the swordsman. He didn’t even make an effort to remove the sword from his gut. Instead, the wolf turned to the mound's remains and looked down. “It’s you, Keel. I thought I lost your scent back then. But you have been here. Waiting for me, haven’t you?” The mound trying to stay away from the group began to shape a womanly face as best it could with what remained of it a small iron locket forming about the base of the face.

Alabaster’s thoughts go back to the girl he knew years ago. A simple orchard girl that had a cute smile and beautiful green eyes. They fade to the months of the two flirting back and forth. And of one night where they confirmed their love under the trees of her orchard. Of him giving her a simple iron locket as a promise to commit to their feelings.

“He knows the creature?” Cabbage says.

“The curse. It took his love from him. She turned into a monster and fled to the mountains.”

“There are others. The one of rot I smelled in town was another girl I fell for after I thought I lost Keel. They didn’t leave fully.”

“Ms. Darkholt!” Ori states and Azulle nods without words the two knew that they had a likely choice for them to find a cure. If they could convince the now monstrous Keel to help them.

“Alabaster can we get your friend to help us figure out the curse on the town.” The creature looks at the wolf and back at the very girl that almost completely destroyed it moments ago.

“I am sorry my dear lovely maid. While I love the idea of you beating me and treating me like a dog. I can’t let you hurt her. I can’t let you hurt my Keel.” The wolf leans down almost protective of the now merely partially humanoid form of creature.

Azulle holds out her tablet again to look at the creature. “I promise we won’t hurt her anymore. As long as she won’t hurt us, we will be happy to figure out a cure for her if she will let us. And if she can talk in some way, I may even be able to understand her.” Alabaster looks back on the creature that was his first love. A small point of moisture appears from her face and she nods back at the group bringing a small sigh of relief from the group. “Well, P-phone you think you can translate for this girl for me?”

“This unit has a multitude of over 576,891,037 set languages including many Terrian dialects that creatures like this have spoken. But alas this creature’s damage is too severe to speak at this time.”

“Okay, so Ori and I will heal her.”

“Error, normal healing magic such as you and the pop idol identified as Ori is not suitable to heal this creature.” The phone replies.

“You mean she is dying.” Alabaster says sorrowfully.

“Yes, It is this unit's understanding that the creature…”

“Shut Up!” Alabaster shouts “Her name is Keel!” Fury and frustration hit the werewolf’s face as he turns to look at Azulle. “You did this. Your attacks hurt her!” The wolf snarls. “All I ever wanted to do was to protect her and to take on anyone that threatened her! But you …”

“She did what she had to. My and Ori’s lives were at risk! Even you were lashing out at her before you finally knew who she was. You yourself are to blame!” Cabbage moves in even without his sword to defend Azulle. And it struck a hard nerve on Alabaster who leaps at the swordsman and brings out his claws up to strike and tear out the swordsman’s throat. And in a swift movement the claws strike down upon the ground splitting it and the grip the wolf had on Cabbage loosens as the swordsman rips his blade free of the beast. “You know I am right, Alabaster.”

Alabaster leaps off the ground freeing Cabbage to move and he looks back at the group and then down at the dying altered form of the woman he loved. “Of course, I know that. Which is why I hate myself the most out of this.” Tears being to pour out the wolf's form as the mound of the earth reaches out a makeshift hand trying to wipe them but crumbling from their touch.

“Maybe if I take her back to Lust she will heal her for me.”

“Lust is our enemy Alabaster. She likely is the one behind this curse.” Azulle says.

“Yeah, I figured as much as well. But it doesn’t matter maid girl. I have to try. I know you doubt the feelings you may have towards me. And yeah, it may just be infatuation. I don’t even know if you have ever felt love in your past life. But in this life, I do love. I love this town, I love you guys, I love Lust, but all of those pales in my love for Keel. She was the first, the one I wanted to seek a way to free this curse. So, if there is even a chance Lust can heal her. Then I have to go. I will leave the town's curse to you three to solve I am sorry. And I will leave what I can as a trail for you to follow. Then when you face Lust, I will do what I can to help you all.”

The wolf takes his claws and places them on the ground and picks up the mound of earth that is the remains of his dying love. He grabs the falling locket from the breaking pieces and tosses it to Azulle who catches it. “Consider that my gift of love for you my maid girl. Should I fail her after I have time to mourn, I will come to reclaim that from you and I will teach you what it means to love someone. But if she survives…”

“Then I will proudly return it to you both when we break the curse.” Azulle smiles and the trio watch as the first friend on their journey runs off towards the mountains.

“And one last thing maid girl! The two smells one smells of soap and also is headed into town but for some reason, it doesn’t smell like your slime. Till we meet again friends.” The werewolf and his beloved run off towards the mountain in the hope of a happier reunion.

But back in town in the abandoned home. The trio of heroes faced a far darker threat and it was one that brought the added threat of altering the heroes to creatures like itself. As a wispy skeletal figure draped in raggedy clothing starts hacking away with an ax at the door housing the heroes. Gil readied his crossbow. Kawa their daggers, and Eve asleep. Ready to face the dark wrath laying siege on their small ray of hope.

Chapter End