The Mesmerizing Duchess of the High North.
Word told of a woman with pale blue skin and hawkish eyes with a face so beautiful, so radiant, even the moon could not compare. Some said she had fangs, others said blades for claws. Her hair was said to be long and dark, with an otherworldly and deep purple sheen to it. It would be a shade befitting royalty’s robes. Word had it, her body surpassed that of the human gods. Her beauty was incomparable, and her curves were so enticing that men would kill for one night alone with her. Breasts that could be mistaken for mountains, legs that could run across the land without rest, hips a man would want to hold onto and never release.
She also wielded dangerous magic.
That was the woman I sought—The Duchess. She had come out of nowhere and had taken control of a group of bandits operating out of a small village in the mountains. Using those thralls, she launched raids on a nearby monastery and was building up quite the reputation for kidnapping the women, purifying their bodies and souls.
The bandits beneath her heel also became more effective in their operations and were doing a better job of robbing convoys passing through.
To most, the Duchess was a genius who just happened by a resource she could take advantage of. But to me, she was a succubus who was my ticket to jumping over to the next Dungeon Moon.
***
“Welcome!” I declared.
The Duchess looked at me like I was mad and froze in place at the door frame.
I beckoned her. “Come in, come in, and get away from the cold.”
Her eyes darted all around the room. She looked at me, took a step in, and closed the door behind her.
I glanced at the shaking man behind me. “Friend of great ears, pour her a Blood Orange’s Medley.” My eyes went back to her, standing there in her black fur coat. “Come take a seat. I brought offerings.”
She, without taking her piercing eyes off me, sat next to me as the barkeep poured out a drink. She glared at him and he said “I’m sorry,” with his eyes.
“Now, now,” I said, pulling out my special little bag. “No need to be so tense…”
I pulled out a green, luminescent stone the size of an apple and put it down in front of her.
Her eyes widened. She picked it up, looked at it, and then looked at me. “This is…”
“A Life Stone. One of the rare stones you can find deep beneath the Human Country’s ground. It’s for you. Consider it a token of thanks for sitting with me.”
She took it in hand and brought it close to her painted lips. One inhale was all it took for a cloud of green to float from the stone and graze those thin black lips.
“Hmm… The quality isn’t so good.”
“Afford me some slack, miss. Even the stones of lesser quality are worth an arm and a leg.”
She placed the stone down. “Very well,” she said, still serious. The stone was still lit with the life force within it. Given how she kept a hand on it… Yeah, she must have been happy enough with it.
“Your reputation precedes you, Wandering Bard.”
My smiled widened. “I know. That’s why I spread it.”
“You certainly do carry interesting effects.”
“I am a collector, after all.”
“Why did you do this to my men?”
“Because I said your name, and they jumped me.” I looked at her and flashed a toothy grin. “Mesmerei, the mesmerizing. You live up to the moniker.”
“Oh,” she said, a surprised tone to her and her brows arched. “And what is your name? Or perhaps you have a title? I’ve only heard of you as the bard wandering around asking for my little village. A man of delicate features and silver hair, who would sooner sing you a song or spin a tale than fall to some trick or ploy.”
“Melio. The Bard of Nordeen.”
She had the reaction I expected and almost fell out of her seat in wide-eyes terror.
“Me-Melio? The Bard of Nordeen? That’s you!? You’re the wandering bard?”
“That’s what I said.”
“The Dragon Slayer? The man that slayed a dragon with a single chord?”
I bobbed my head. “Essentially. But I was selective in my target. I picked a dragon that was frail and weak.”
I pulled out a majestic harp made from ancient oak from my inexplicably tiny bag. (Don’t worry, it’s just magic.)
“Its heartstring produces the most beautiful sound,” I said, plucking the string.
“Why are you here? Why did you call for me?”
I pointed upward nonchalantly. “Because I want to leave Human Country and go to the Dungeon Moons.”
“The Homeworlds? Do you not have the favor of a Human God? Why do you need me?”
“Because me and Nordeen aren’t really like that. She doesn’t really favor me.” I looked at the booze therapist. “Tell her.”
He nodded at Mesmerei but said nothing more.
“Gee thanks, Booze Therapist.”
She stood back up and took a step away from me. “So, how can I help you? Don’t tell me you think any Foreigner can just send you up to the countries in the sky.”
“Well. Actually…”
“Dear god…” she groaned. “Just because I’m a Foreigner—”
“No, you can! You really can! I just need to watch you.”
She winced and pulled back. “Watch me?”
“Yes, and record information about you. Chronicle who you are and what you are. Maybe even weave a tale about you with only some minor embellishment. Maybe a song would be good too.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “And doing that will help you leave?”
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“That it will.”
“Huh.”
I grinned. “I have one more offering.”
She raised a brow and smirked. “Well , show it to me then.”
***
Outside, in the biting cold—
“You left the offering out here?”
“Well, I left it in one of the sheds.”
We had walked out of the messy tavern and into the cold winter night. I led Mesmerei a little ways away to the shed I stashed my offering in. Of course, we made light conversation along the way.
“Interesting little town you run here. A town of bandits, but one with women and children. And they all make a living by robbing people… You don’t have any cannibals making stew out of unsuspecting travelers, do you?”
“Hmm. That’s a little too much for my tastes… The only one eating any part of humans here is me.” Mesmerei stopped and touched her lips. “Why did I say that?”
“People feel comfortable around me. It’s all the Charisma.” I replied. “Anyway, this feels like the kind of place some heroic adventurer would burn down.”
Mesmerei snorted and chuckled. “Good thing no one has a reason to come out here… The people of this settlement are also hunters and elk is abundant in these parts.”
“So that’s why there are no cannibals.” The wind was biting. My lips had already gone numb. “Still, I wonder—why stay?”
“Some people prefer to stay where they were born,” Mesmerei replied.
I glanced back at her. “But not you? Are you a black sheep among the succubus?”
She shrugged. “Depends on who you ask. I just wanted to have a buffet at my fingertips.”
“Hmm. Interesting. Well, here we are.” I kicked open the shoddy shed’s door and walked in. “I appreciate you didn’t stab me in the back while we walked.”
She chuckled. “The night is still young.” She winked at me, a devious smile spreading across her painted face.
I walked her over to a large sack against the shed wall and opened it up.
She walked up next to me and gasped in amazement.
“This is…”
“That’s right. A human male. And a virgin, I’m pretty sure.”
The handsome young man’s blond head was sticking out of the sack. While Mesmerei did her best to keep herself from drooling, I cut open the sack so that she could get a good look at him.
“What the—“ she cocked her head and looked at me. “His arm and leg. Why are they missing?”
I looked down at the guy, then at her and shrugged. “Business.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And… Nordeen approves of this?”
“Nordeen’s technically a neutral god, not prescribing to the general concept of good or evil. And THIS guy—well he’s a serial killer that murdered eight librarians and dismembered them for some art pieces he was working. Oh, and he’s an artist.” Mesmerei started nodding. “Anyway, he was on Nordeen’s black list. Nothing of value is lost in handing him to you.”
“A male virgin is so rare... and he’s so supple,” she muttered. Her eyes darted toward me. “And you left him in the cold?” she spat.
“I had him swallow a heat stone. He’s fine.” I gestured to the sorry soul. “Feel free to sample.”
We shared a moment of silence as she stared at me. Finally, she lowered herself and lifted the young man’s chin. “He’s a bit listless.”
“Yeah, well, I shoved a heat stone down his throat. I had to drug him before I could do that. He’ll be conscious later. Bard’s Promise,” I said, crossing my heart.
Mesmerei, with her eyes on me, brought her lips closer to his and breathed in. The young man’s body tensed a little and his veins pulsed. Yellow trails of smoke left his lips and passed over Mesmerei’s own as she breathed it in. I made many mental notes as it did.
Slowly, her lips turned upward, and she pulled away with a gleeful sound escaping her throat.
“Delicious! It’s so hard to find such a refined, rich flavor in these parts!”
“Yeah. Kid was a nobleman’s son. He’s healthier than the boys you’d find here.”
“And you’re fine with handing him over?” she asked, sincerely excited.
“Only if you let me shadow you.” I grinned. “Otherwise, I’m relieving his body of his soul here and now.”
She shrugged and smirked. “Whatever then. Come, carry him to my abode.”
“Right.” I pulled a flute from one of my coat’s compartments while Mesmerei eyed me down.
“What is that for?”
“For calling up my helpers.”
I blew into the flute and played a gentle melody. Balls of light started to rise from the ground around my feet and then came together. The first pudgy body with a round head on top formed, and then came the stubby arms and cute feet. Within moments, all my little helpers came into being.
“Help me ferry this waste of space, boys,” I said.
They, all thirty of my gnomes, saluted me and lifted the guy.
“Lead the way, Mesmerei,” I said with a smug smile.