Caretaker Chapter 1: The Death of Thomas Waldo

“Hey what’s your name?”

“You do have a name don’t you?”

“Scared?...I’ll start then.”

“My name’s Thomas.”

“Yourrrr FIRREEED!” Thomas wiped off a bit of his boss’ spittle that hit him in his right eye as the southern franchise owner did his best Vince McMahon impersonation. After two months of loyal service at Jumbo’s Burgers and Wings he’d been terminated, ending his longest ever term of gainful employment. Unfortunate.

As the rancid, beer battered breath of the Tennessee native washed over him accompanied by an alcohol fueled verbal dress down, Thomas had to wonder what he’d done wrong. He managed the two week probationary period with an uncharacteristic lack of foul ups and he was just now starting to find his place with the rest of the staff and adjust to the workflow. It was a menial, and grinding job, waiting tables, taking orders, cleaning after hours, and rotating stock. He was technically a “floor attendant” but his job seemed to encompass all grunt work more senior employees didn’t feel like doing at the time. He worked long hours and wasn’t paid enough, but it was a job and one he was trying his best to keep. So why was he fired?

As the flames raged behind him and singed the hairs on the back of his neck he knew “why”, but he didn’t know the justification. He hadn’t started the grease fire. In fact as his fingers awkwardly fondled the cold metal of a fire extinguisher, he could say he was actively trying to prevent it, at least before Houston Ford walked in and decided that enduring a public beratement was a better use of his time then preventing a restaurant from catching fire and potentially burning them all alive. He felt the extinguisher leave his weak grip as Bernadette claimed it to battle the budding inferno. The forty year old single mother was the hostess and always had a handle on things. She gave him a thumbs up as she subdued the fire to mere embers in an instant. Good old Bernie.

“Don’t you look away from me boy!” Houston took his face in his meaty palm and wrenched it back toward his attention. Houston was a large man in every way. Tall and overweight, but the arms of his tight button up bulged with more than just the fat from a sedentary lifestyle. “He used to play football” as he never shut up about, often rambling about his exploits in a drunken haze at closing time. He even displayed his old trophies in a glass case out front. Thomas could feel the rough texture of his superbowl ring indent his right cheek.

“I’ve had it just about up to here with your shit!” Houston bellowed. He raised his other hand above Thomas’ head.  “That’s what’s wrong with your generation! No respect!”

“I didn’t-”

“Don’t you sass me son!” Houston released his face causing Thomas’ head to jerk backward. “You always show up late and can barely do your damn job right! And now I find you destroying company property!”

“But-” Thomas started before being cut off again as Houston continued his rant. He was innocent. Him and Bernie had walked in on the old stove already smoking. It was decades past its prime and caked in a layer of blackened grease that no amount of dawn would be able to remove. It’s wiring was bad and Bernie had been petitioning for months to have it replaced to no avail, but Houston was in one of his moods. He needed blood and Thomas was on the chopping block.

“And don’t think I haven’t noticed how short inventory’s been lately! That’s coming out of your check!”

A flatout lie now. Thomas could name at least three other people more guilty of skimming than him, including Houston himself who often compt his own meals as an “owners perk” and then there was Richie who often munched on fries fresh out the oil, but that didn’t matter. He was getting fired anyway, why not make him a scapegoat for that as well. That way insurance might cover the missing stock.

“Get the hell out of my sight!” Houston roared letting a final drop of saliva splash against the bottom of Thomas’ chin. Thomas walked away defeated and unemployed once more.

“I’ll talk to him hon.” Bernie said as she cupped his head in her palms. “That old blowhard’s just angry. I give him a week before he realizes you’re the only one willing to clean the kitchen and stalls. He’ll be begging to have you back.”

Thomas looked down at the shorter woman with just a hint of grey at her temples She’d been like a second mother to him. A real mother. He’d met her while she was volunteering at a local food box. He’d fallen on hard times out on his own for the first time and she’d taken pity on him.

“Head home and cool off.” Bernie advised, breaking the hug. “I’ll have one of the boys bring you over some leftover meatloaf.”

“Thanks.” Thomas said. He scratched at few lingering wisps of hair on his chin. “But I think I’m sunk. Houston never liked me and I’ve seen him chatting up the new girl. No amount of clean stalls can beat a perky chest and a tight ass in his eyes.”

“When he finds out she has a boyfriend he’ll change his toon.” Bernie assured. “I haven’t met a college girl yet who was interested in a fifty year old man with a gut. A woman my age is barely interested.”

“But you are interested?” Thomas grinned.

“Enough.” She slapped him lightly on the cheek. “Get home, mister!”

“Yeah, yeah.” he whined as he took off his uniform vest. He walked out the kitchen and headed out into the streets of San Francisco.

Thomas had lived in San Francisco for almost two years now. He’d moved there from Oakland fresh out of college following a job opportunity at his classmates new tec business.  He’d majored in graphic design and was ready to start his career creating the hottest new logos and UI for the modern climate of portable technology. At his peak he was nearly done with his second pass on a cute dog mascot for a phone app. Then him and most of the staff were fired after a month when the company was bought out by Google for the proprietary rights to a completely different software. Something that had to do with more accurately tracking search results and tailoring advertisements to them. It was a completely different project in a completely different department but Google bought it all to hide their true acquisition. At the end of the day he was out of a job and his classmate was millions of dollars richer. Since then he’d been working odd job after odd job just to make ends meet. He was close to heading home with his tail between his legs when he met Bernie. She helped him find a cheaper apartment in the same complex as her and even a new job. Until now.

The one thing that Thomas had learned in these last two years was that life wasn’t easy. It wouldn’t do you any favors no matter how prepared you thought you were. Floating from job to job and paycheck to paycheck had woken him from his idealistic dreams of success. Now he was just happy to live in a place that had running power. He meandered the streets of San Fran until he made his apartments; Kingston Isles.

He opened his front door and found the meatloaf sitting in a tuple ware container on the stove. One of Bernie’s son’s must have brought it over. He put the meatloaf in a pan and placed it in the oven for later. He would split it with Jenna tonight. At least that was one thing to be happy about. He still had a girlfriend. His first real girlfriend. It had been going on two months now and they’d even started fooling around a little. He wasn’t a virgin, but shy and inexperienced and so was she. They were finally starting to feel comfortable around each other. She was the sweetest, nicest girl he’d ever met. Taller than him with dark skin. She liked anime and cosplay. They attended cons together and she even made her own costumes. He remembered when they first met. He’d been chatting with her for over an hour while she wore a full body stormtrooper outfit. They’d exchanged numbers and emails before she took off her helmet and revealed she was a girl. Imagine his surprise when he realized while of geeking out with a fellow nerd he was flirting with a cute girl too. Maybe he’d take her out tonight instead. It would help him feel better and he might even get laid. He headed towards his bedroom to freshen up. That’s when he noticed the lights in his room where on. Had Jenna stopped by?

He heard a muffled sound coming from inside and a creaking noise. Was she moving something? He opened the door and to his horror he saw Jenna naked from the waist down. She was pinned under a much larger man with her face shoved into a pillow by a caramel colored palm as she screamed. He recognized the larger man as Markus, Bernadette's oldest son. He grunted as he pushed into her, his pelvis colliding with Jenna’s bare ass and making her plump cheeks jiggle.  Without thinking Thomas leapt at him.

“Get off her!” He shouted as he collided with Markus. He wouldn’t just stand by while his girlfriend got raped! They tumbled over the side of the bed and onto the  floor. Thomas was on top and used his advantage to knee Markus in the gut.

“Run!” He ordered Jenna as he went to punch Markus in the face. His fist was caught in Markus’ larger, stronger, hand. Thomas knew he couldn’t win in a fight. Markus had almost a foot on him and military training and conditioning, but he could distract him long enough for Jenna to escape. She’d call the cops and...poor Bernie. What would she do when she found out her son was a rapist? Thomas found his arm taken and yanked roughly behind his back in a simple arm lock. Markus had of course quickly turned the tables, but Jenna should at least be out the front door by now. He struggled to wrench himself free when Markus hefted him up and he saw Jenna still on the bed in complete shock. He held a pillow to herself to cover her modesty.

“Run!” Thomas said. He turned toward Markus to try and do something to get the larger man off balance again but found his head pressed roughly into the mattress.

“Tell him!” Markus bellowed.

Thomas locked eyes with Jenna. She must be completely terrified. He saw the tears stream down her face. He would try his best to protect her.

“Run..please.” he begged, but she didn’t.

“Please!” he cried, but she stayed and he recognized her expression. It wasn’t terror in being assaulted. It was terror in being caught.

“...Please.” Thomas weezed as he felt tears forming in his own eyes.

“Baby...it’s complicated.” Jenna rasped.

He felt the pressure release off his head and his arm. He turned around and collided face first into Markus’ defined pecs. He looked down on him with that same face of pity and shame that he saw on Jenna. “Sorry.” he said.

Thomas ran and the last thing he heard was Jenna crying. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way!”

He shouldn’t have moved to San Francisco. That’s when his life had went into such a tailspin. He was supposed to have a cool new job, but instead he was unemployed and leaning on the kindness of others. His first girlfriend had cheated on him after just two months, and chances were he’d be on the streets in a few weeks time if Houston didn’t give him his job back. Why did life have to be so hard? He leaned his back against the bark of a tree. He didn’t know where he was. He’d just ran until he was lost and now he felt foolish. What kind of coward flees his own apartment? He should’ve kicked them out! Even more pathetic was part of him hoped they’d come and look for him. Yeah right/ They probably just went back to fucking. He wanted to be hit by a bus. Maybe if he died that would teach them a lesson.

“Tough day?”

Thomas looked up to see an older woman in an off white jacket turned grey from one too many days without washing. It was tattered and two sizes too big. She had white hair, not grey and a red squashed face full of wrinkles, but her eyes seemed forty years younger than the rest of her. A warm green with an aura of familiarity. For some reason he felt like he’d seen this woman before. She sat down next to him and he noticed a rope she was clutching. It travelled to the neck of a bloodhound that looked older than she was. It sat down across her lap and stared at him. She then produced a square of cardboard that read “Fallen on hard times. Anything will help.” on it in blue marker.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Thomas said.

“Why?” She smiled.

“I just, ummm…”

“Relax, darlin.” She said. “You’re not the first person to be frightened by the homeless.”

“I know. I just-” he sniffled and wiped his nose on the sleeve of his jacket.

“You okay dear?” the woman asked. “You look like someone just stepped on your birthday cake.”

“Heh, no.” Thomas chuckled. “My life’s just falling apart.”

“Same happened to me.” the woman said. “Came back from the war a different woman. Found out husband’ed been screwing his secretary while I was overseas and my kids wanted nothing to do with me. Tried to put me in a home, but I walked off. Now it’s just me and Jasper.”

“Which war?” Thomas asked.

“The big one. The only one that matters.” She replied. “It’s still going on now,”

“Really?” Thomas nodded. He wasn’t aware they were currently in a war. He didn’t watch the news much but he at least thought he wouldn’t miss something like that. Of course there was a good chance this old homeless woman wasn’t all there.

“You don’t believe me but it’s fine.” She patted the scruff of Jasper’s neck and the old hound kicked its leg. “You’ll find out soon enough I wager. S’part of getting older. You see the world different.”

“I wish I could get there now.” Thomas said. “Instead of just screwing up.”

“So what happened that’s got ya so glum anyways?”

“I got fired.” Thomas said. “....and caught my girlfriend screwing….well not her secretary but I imagine it’s the same.”

“Shame…..what else?”

“That’s it.”

“Oh hon, that’s a bad day sure, but it’s nothing to be wailing in the park next to a dirty old lady about.”

“You don’t understand. This wasn’t just one bad day. It feels like everyday’s been like this since I was born.”

“Like you don’t fit in. Like you’re not living the life you’re suppose to.”

“Yeah.”

“You know how to fix that?” The old woman asked.

“No.”

“Toughen up!” She cackled. “I once had to kill my own sister. Imagine how that messes with your head.”

“Rough.” Thomas said a little shaken. Was he sitting next to a crazy woman or a murderer? Both?

“I didn’t let it get me down.” She continued. She looked almost wistful as she stared into the horizon. The sun was setting and as the light cast her face in golden red for just a brief moment she seemed younger. Her wrinkles had vanished and her skin was smooth and gold as honey. “That’s all you can do.”

Jasper barked and the illusion vanished and she was back to being the old crone she always was.

“I think I should go.” Thomas said as he stood up.

“Probably for the best.” she said.

Thomas fished out his wallet. He only had forty bucks on him but it was better off in her hands. He handed it over to her and she smiled revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth. “Thank you, boy.”

“Good luck.” he said and gave Jasper a quick scratch on the head. The dog yawned and wagged its tail in appreciation.

“Good luck to you too Thomas!” The lady shouted as he walked away.

It was dark now and Thomas was still wandering the streets. He had a vague idea of where he was but pretended to be more lost than he was as an excuse not to go home. Jenna was probably gone by now, but Markus lived with Bernadette just a floor below him. He’d inevitably have to face him before the night was over and he just couldn’t do it yet. What do you even say to the guy who fucked your girlfriend. He didn’t even know Markus that well except that he was only three years younger than him and had just come back from his first tour of duty less than a week ago. He’d only met the kid a handful of times in the last year. He’d initially seemed all right and they’d even gamed together once or twice.  It was embarrassing that he’d lost out to a guy younger than him, even worse that Jenna had fallen into bed with him so quickly. He had to wonder what Markus had that he didn’t.

He checked his reflection in the window of a convenience store he was walking by. Size for one thing. At 5,9 and 130 lbs Markus had him beat in both height and weight. Even Jenna had a good two inches on him. Markus had been a powerhouse and Thomas felt emasculated by how easily the younger man had handled him. He probably had him beat in certain other aspects as well. Thomas cringed as the sensation of Markus’ still erect manhood had pressed into the back of his leg when he’d been pinned. Was that what Jenna had wanted? A man’s man.

He adjusted his hair trying to wipe the bangs from out of his face. He looked at his pale skin and big blue eyes. He had a girl’s face like his sister, a small nose that was always red in hue even when it wasn’t cold out. He’d seen old baby pictures of him and his sister in matching dresses. Part of some funny joke parent’s played at the child’s expense. He sighed and rubbed his chin. He couldn’t even grow a decent beard. Two weeks without shaving resulted in nothing more than a bit of peach fuzz. No wonder he’d been cucked so hard. He slumped against the brick wall of the store as he felt himself ready to cry again...then he stopped himself. That old woman was right! He had to toughen up! He’d walked right up to Markus and slug him in the face. In front of his own mama if it came down to it. His phone buzzed. It was Jenna. He ignored it. Normally he’d pick up after the first ring, but she could stew for awhile. He didn’t want to hear any excuse she might have for him. Not when he finally had his courage up. He’d break if he even heard her voice.

He marched and that was the word. A walk wouldn’t be enough to contain how he was feeling. He marched down the street toward home, resolute in his decision. He didn’t even care if Markus beat the stuffing out of him. He had be slighted and satisfaction was to be demanded! He came to the crosswalk a block from Kingston. The light was red and a bus was coming. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the old woman from the park. She was arguing with a man while struggling to hold back Jasper who was barking wildly. The dog yanked hard and the old woman fell backwards into the street and on top of the hound.

“Goddammit, Chuck!” She shouted as she floundered on the ground. “You spooked Jasper!” She struggled to her feet and the dog bolted when the pressure was off. Unfortunately in the beast’s panic it’s makeshift leash got tangled in the woman’s legs and she fell backward on the ground once more. The loud horn of the bus roared as it approached ever closer. It didn’t seem like it would stop.

“Hey!” Thomas shouted to the woman. “Move!”

The woman didn’t seem to hear his voice over the blare of the horn. She did see him and gave him a wave and a smile.

“Run!” Thomas said. She went back to trying to untangle herself from her hound without giving him a second thought.

“Dammit.” Thomas cursed. Against his better judgement he rushed out into the middle of the street. The bus seemed to be gaining speed as it rampaged down the roadway, Thomas could hear the loud screeching of the brakes at it tried to stop, but it was too little too late. Thomas leaped at the old woman and pushed his hands out in front of him forcing her out the path of the big angry machine. He felt the impact.

His spine lurched sideways in midair, and he could feel the bones and cartilage rupture inside of him. He landed on his back ten feet away and he felt something sharp inside his chest. He wheezed and blood flowed from his nose and clogged his throat. He heard footsteps coming up to him and he turned his head sideways to see a pair of worn black boots with scuff marks and the heel coming off.  He felt something warm and wet on the side of his cheek.

“Wow. You’re still alive.” The old woman laughed. “That’s a shame. I didn’t want this to hurt.” She put the heel of her boot against his neck and pressed down hard. Thomas gagged on his own blood and saliva as the old woman cut off his air supply. Jasper continued to lick his cheek as he slowly choked to death. He could swear he saw the old woman’s face change to one much younger before he blacked out.

Caretaker Chapter 2: Life After

“Why she chose a human I’ll never know.”

“Such sniveling, weak, pathetic things.”

“....But I guess I could never teach her anything.”

“She’s stubborn.”

Thomas opened his eyes then immediately closed them. There was a bright light shining in his face.

“Name.” he heard.

“Wh-”

“Name!” He felt a sharp pain in his side like a cold needle.

“Tho-mas! Thomas Waldo.” he choked. His mouth was dry and his throat felt like he’d just drank a glass of rubbing alcohol.

“Age.”

“Twenty-four.” he said immediately.

“Twenty-four…...that’s wrong. You’re twenty-three and eleven months and eight days.”

“How do you know?”

No response. He blinked to let his eyes adjust to the light. He was laying in a bed, in a white room with one window in the corner. The fluorescent lights buzzed up above with power, He looked out the window. It was dark. To dark to see. What time was it? He couldn’t remember.

“Where am I?”

Still no response. He heard what sounded like tapping. The telling click of someone typing on a keyboard.

“Where am I?” He repeated.

They typing paused. He heard a huff. Then the typing continued.

He turned toward the source. As his eyes adjusted to the harsh light he started to make the details of the room. It seemed clean, sterile, clinical. White tile floors and tan walls. A small desk with a lamp on it. A large easy chair across from him. Someone was sitting in it. A woman. She was typing away on..something? A laptop maybe.

“I’m in a hospital?”

“Obviously.” the blurred figure of a woman said. There was something off about her, but Thomas couldn’t guess with his eyes still fighting him.

“Thomas Waldo, age twenty-three…..Where are you, where are you?....Here! At the bottom. Heh. Human….Unfortunate.”

“Of course I’m human.” Thomas said. “So are you.”

“Don’t insult me, insect!”

Thomas felt another painful sting to his side. Had the woman done that? How? She was across the room. He rubbed his eyes to try and wake them up. They were still lethargic in their duties, almost like his brain was having trouble processing the information his eyes were sending him.

“Why couldn’t Jasper just….” he heard the woman grumble as the typing continued.

“I’m sorry is there something wrong with being human?” Thomas was starting to get a little offended at this woman’s attitude. He didn’t know where he was or why and she wasn’t helping. It would be nice to know what hospital he was in, or what happened to him, He couldn’t remember anything from…

He remembered a pain is his side, feeling his back literally snap, a dog barking, a bus horn!

“I was hit by a bus!” he snapped. “I’m in the hospital because I got hit by a bus! Wow.” he chuckled. “I’m lucky to be alive.”

“I….suppose you’re not wrong.” the woman said. “Technically.”

“So what? You some kind of insurance agent or something? Here to make sure I don’t sue the public transit for running me over.”

“Hah!” The typing continued. “You wish you were that lucky!’

“Look. I’m not gonna sue or anything okay. Can you just call a nurse or doctor please. I think I might have suffered some sort of head trauma. I’m having trouble seeing right now.”

“Oh….that’s just the poison.”

“Oh, okay…..POISON!” Thomas blurted. “What poison?!”

“The one I’ve injected you with TWICE now.” The woman said. “Like this.”

Thomas felt that same sharp needle in his side.

“I’ll give you some credit. You have a pretty solid constitution. You should’ve been out by now. I’ll have to make a note of that.” He heard more typing at an increased pace.

Thomas jumped in his bed. He scrambled to move but his legs weren’t working!”

“Doctor! Police! Anybody!”

“Calm down human, it’s just a little neurotoxin. It won’t kill you.”

“You’re crazy!” Thomas screamed. He used his arms to pull himself out of bed. He landed on his elbows and yelped from the pain. “Somebody help me!” he dragged himself towards the door in the corner of the room.

“Oh here we go!” The woman said. Thomas heard the clacking of heels on tile. He crawled toward the door like his life depended on it. The clacking became louder. He reached toward the edge of the door and pulled it open. If he could get to the hallway then maybe a nurse would see him and get him away from this crazy lady!

“Help!” he shouted out. He saw another figure. A man’s. A nurse or doctor maybe?!

“Having some trouble here?” Thomas heard. He looked up, but his vision was still blurry. There was something different about this man. Did he have…..no.

“Just got a fresh one.” the woman said. “Human.”

“Makes sense.” the man said. The man squatted down and looked Thomas in the eyes. From up close his eyes could make out his featured. Thomas couldn’t believe what he saw. The man had red skin with orange lines cracked throughout his skin like flowing magma. Thomas could even feel the heat coming off them. He also had three pupiless eyes of the same color. He smiled.

“Hello, Human. Welcome to the Outer Layer!” he laughed and so did the woman behind him.

“Oh Vinny, you’re so bad!” she chortled.

She was a spider. That was the way she had described herself so his “limited” human brain could comprehend. He couldn’t argue with her. She’d injected him with the antidote as he saw her clear as day. Vivian the spider. She wasn’t actually a spider as far as he could tell. She had the look and proportions of a woman, but with extra arms, and eyes, and pink skin, Not the pinkish skin, he often got from staying in the sun too long. Pink, like the heart of a valentine. Bright, consistent, and full body. She was also exceptionally tall. Taller than him, or any human he’d ever met. Tall and spindly, thin and lithe. He found that he barely came to her waist, when she’d roughly hoisted him off the floor and dropped him back in bed. Vivian the spider…..she was also his “manager”. Whatever that meant.

“So congratulations on dying.” Vivian spoke never once looking up from her apparatus. She was typing with both pairs of arms on what seemed like a floating piece of glass. “You weren’t doing much with your life anyway.”

“I’m dead.” Thomas sighed. He gripped his forehead hard with his fingers. He clenched his teeth to prevent himself from crying. “Of course.” He imagined not many people would survive being hit by a bus.

“I guess.” Vivian stated. “More like you’re not on Earth and won’t ever be able to go back, but dying is just terminology for your benefit. What’s really happened would blow your limited human consciousness.”

“What really happened then?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss.” Vivian informed in an instant, almost as if she’d been trained to say it. “Also I don’t know. Way above my paygrade. Just know that you’re lucky to have me. I’m doing you a favor! A favor for a friend! And the shit ton of paperwork it comes with!”

“You think we’re friends?” Thomas hoped.

“Gross, No!” Vivian shot down. “Ew, I would literally die! Being friends with a human! Someone else obviously. Someone too good for you!” She finished typing and literally folded the glass in front of her in on itself until it was a small rectangle. She typed on it like it was a phone and held it to her or well...she didn’t have ears so Thomas really had no idea what was there.

“Jasper. Yeah we’re done here. I don’t know why you couldn’t do this yourself! I swear you old hound, I’ll get you back for lying to me! You did not mention a human when I volunteered for this! Yeah sure, he’s processed. Sure...fine….” She hung up and placed her glass device in her breast pocket.

“Come on, worm.” She ordered stepping out the door.

Thomas laid in his bed stunned. Vivian was right. His limited human brain couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Most of which involved not only dying, but being talked down to by a giant, pink, spider-woman in a sharp, purple business suit.

“You coming?!” Vivian shouted from the frame of the door. “I don’t have all day, human!”

They locked eyes.

“Eclipse us all!” Vivian seethed. She raised her palm at him and a slit in the middle opened up. Out flew a rope of white fiber. It wrapped around his neck and torso while still connected to her hand. Spider silk? She tugged and Thomas was yanked from his bed and onto the floor. She started walking and he was towed along behind her.

“I have better things to do then babysit you all day. Keep up or I’m done with you,and you can find her on your own.”

“Find her?” Thomas wasn’t sure what that meant. “Your friend?” There was a name on the tip of his tongue. Something, someone he felt he should remember.

“You don’t remember her?” Vivian paused. She jerked him up by the cuff of his shirt. He was wearing little more than a basic white top and bottoms. Her eyes were hard, she squinted and bared two wicked fangs. “Of course you wouldn’t. Leave it to a human not to remember the most important person in their pathetic life. Useless.” she dropped him to the ground.

“Who?!” Thomas groaned.

“You’re not worthy of even knowing her name. For a heathen such as yourself to even speak it would be sacrilege.”

“Who?” Thomas parroted. He knew it was critical he remember, but who was the most important person in his life. A woman…”Jenna?”

“He didn’t have time to regret his words before he felt the slap. His neck jerked back from the force of it. He felt a warm stream of liquid run down his nose. Blood, but...it was dark blue?

“You would mistake Luna; Daughter of Winrey, the immortal, Moon that eclipses us all….My dearest friend...for a common whore you met at stupid anime convention! This is why humans are so disgusting!”

“What’s happening?!” Thomas whined. “What have you done to me?!”

“Nothing you didn’t ask for, Thomas Waldo.” Vivian sneered. They were at a doorway to another room. Vivian opened it then threw Thomas inside.

“Clean yourself up and find something to wear. You have ten minutes.”

Vivian took out her glass object and pressed at it a few times before closing the door and locking Thomas inside.

“Luna, Luna. LunaLunaLunaLuna. Who(na)?” Thomas repeated the name over and over to himself aloud and in his mind. “Luna. Daughter of Winrey, the immortal something? Who was Winrey?” That didn’t matter. The name Luna stuck out. He was sure he’d heard it before, but where? He didn’t think that mattered either. What did matter was, where he was at, why he was there, and why he was bleeding blue blood! He died?! Thomas wasn’t particularly religious, but he was raised Catholic. Whatever afterlife this was seemed to directly contradict the Christian beliefs he’d been taught. There was nothing in the bible about ten foot tall, pink, spider-women or some hellspawn lava man. Was he in hell? Was this what hell was? He looked around this new room. It was a walk in closet. No fire. No brimstone. If this was the devil’s due then Thomas had suffered worse. Maybe living was the true hell afterall. One thing he was sure of, he was walking, breathing, still alive blue blood aside. He would get home.

It surprised him how quickly he’d made that decision. He would find a way home, he still had unfinished business. He had a mother, a father, a sister, and Jenna...MARKUS! He owed him a punch in the face at the very least. Whoever “Luna: Daughter of whoever.” was, was not important, but even as he thought that he felt an emptiness in his gut. A sudden chill and guilt. That name had meant something to him...maybe. He would at least find out more about her first. Vivian at least had a pretty high opinion of her. If you valued the opinion of a creepy spider thing.

He went to a mirror in the corner of the room. Vivian had clocked him pretty good and he wanted to make sure nothing was broken. Honestly he’d couldn’t remember ever being hit that hard in his life. Her arms were rail thin, yet they held surprising power. He made a note not to cross her again. She clearly disliked him and his species. She might kill him….again. He gave himself a once over. Everything was intact less a few glaringly obvious exceptions. His hair and eyes. They were both bone white. Only the dark of his pupils contrasted the milky iris. Now he was truly pale. Even his permanently pink nose had cooled to an off blue, most likely from his morphed blood. Maybe he was dead. Yet, he was breathing, he could feel his heartbeat, slow but strong. Another of a what was a growing pile of questions, but one he could ignore. He at least still passed for human. If he got back to his world a bottle of hair dye would solve this problem.

“What is happening?” He said to himself.

“Hurry up in there!” he heard Vivian command. It made him jump. He scurried around the closet to find something he could wear. He settled on a new shirt that was red with a strange symbol on it and a blue hooded poncho with golden trim. It had an image of the moon on its back. He also found a pair of matching sneakers. Actual sneakers and just his size! What were the odds of that? He looked at himself again. He felt like an anime character. He’d prefer something more contemporary, but everything else was too big and even more fantastical. Metal gauntlets, brass bikinis, cloaks, and robes. Where had Vivian gotten her dress suit from? Then he realized Vivian in fact had an extra set of arms and two “stingers?” on her back and understood even that outfit was more unusual then he’d be accustomed to.

Vivian barged in a moment later and gave him her own up and down.

“Well at least you know her colors.” She squinted at him and pinched his back. “And you chose her heraldry. Painting a target on your back. Bold.”

“What are you talking about?”  

“It’s passable.” VIvian said. “Not that it will matter much. You’ll probably die before you make it out the front gate. For reals this time.”  She pressed her top set of hands together and more of that silk came out. She started spinning it in her lower hands into a shape. Then she hunched down and started biting at it with two short talons on either side of her mouth. She cursed to herself a few times as a bag started to take form. When she was finished she threw it at him.

“Not my best work but it will do.”

“What is this for?”

“Holding things!” Vivian snapped. “Wake up, human!”

She marched out the room clearly expecting him to follow. He complied not wanting to be on the receiving end of another of her slaps.

“Where are we going?”  Thomas tried.

No response. He followed obediently as Vivian led him down hall after hall. It was hard to keep up with her strides. It seemed like her legs were eighty percent of her body. As they travelled it became clear they weren’t in a hospital but some kind of office maybe. They passed rooms and cubicles with all sorts of otherworldly entities with vaguely human proportions. Vivian bumped into a woman the same size he was and they chatted for a bit. It was innocuous cooler talk you’d hear in any average workplace except the woman had fur and deer antlers.

“This Thomas Waldo?” she asked finally looking at him. Her stare brought a blush to Thoma’s face. Deer girl was cute.

“Unfortunately.”

“Haven’t seen a human in a while. Think he’ll find Luna?”

“Hah!” Vivian cackled. “No! He doesn’t even remember her! Complete waste of time. Luna was a lot of things and sadly a naive romantic was one of them! I hope he dies fast. That way we can start this thing for real.”

“I don’t think a manager should say that about their charges, Viv.”

“Shit, you right!” Vivian cheesed. “Too bad I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned this is just a intermission. A quick show before we start the real work in another decade.”

“Viv! Luna wanted this. She wanted Thomas Waldo!’

“Bleh!’ Vivian gagged. “She also wanted a rainbow unicorn! She wasn’t all there, Buns”

“Well you should at least try.” Buns insisted. “Jasper will have your abdomen if you half ass this.”

“Yeah yeah.” Vivian griped. She looked down at Thomas. “Maybe don’t die huh, It’d be nice not to have to do this again.”

“I have no idea what your talking about.” Thomas grimaced. “I don’t know who this “Luna” is or how I’m supposed to find her or whatever but maybe you can start telling me some things instead of being a vague asshole!’

Buns snickered at the human’s attitude.

“Yeah, fine.” Vivian relented. “Don’t have to get all snippy!”

“So what do you want to know?” Vivian asked as they walked the isles of the armory. Whatever office they were in apparently had an armory. Vivian was busy grabbing different items off the shelves and tossing them into Thomas’ silk bag.

“Who is Luna?”

“Finish it!” Vivian said.

“Huh?”

“For a no brain monkey like you to address her as “Luna” is blasphemy! At least have the courtesy to use her full title or don’t say her name at all!”

“Who is Luna: Daughter of Winnie, the immoral, who has the moon that enshadows everyone?!”

“Wow…..You butchered that entire sentence didn’t you?”

“What?!”

“Winrey, is the goddess of war. The terror of the five realms of man and at least a thousand other realms. Her mere name causes the hardest of orcs and largest of ogres to piss their pants like newborns. She’s not a yellow, diabetic, fucking bear who loves honey!”

“How do you know who Winnie the Pooh is?”

“Because I’m not a fucking idiot like you!”

“Sorry!”

“And that was just one of like five different mistakes you made. I swear it’s like you’re trying to invite a curse on us!”

“Sorry!”

“Say it again!”

“Luna: Daughter of “Winrey”, the imm-

“Immortal.”

“Immortal, the moon that enrapt-”

“Eclipses!”

“Eclipses!...us all.”

“Again from the top, meat!”

“Luna….Daughter of Winrey, the immortal, Moon that Eclipses us all!” Thomas let out a breath. “Who is she?!”

“I’d say you know now, meat boy!” Vivian shot.

“Ah!”

“She’s a goddess duh!” Vivian said. “Try to pay attention human! This is basic stuff.”

“Earth doesn’t have goddesses, or gods even, or giant spider bitches!”

“That you know of!” Vivian spat. She dropped a glass bottle full of red liquid into the pouch. “She’s dead……..Luna is.” Vivian got quite for a moment and seemed to stare off at nothing.

“Oh!.....I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. The day I need the pity of a human is the day I squash myself!” She snapped back to reality. “Besides, gods don’t actually “die” like a squishy mortal meat boy who got offed by a drunk bus driver. They’re immortal. She’s sought out the cycle of rebirth. Which is where you come in. Out of an infinite number of possible candidates she chose you to find her. So as you can imagine she’s pretty fucked.”

“Why me. I’m just a loser from Oakland.”

“For once we agree on something.” Vivian shrugged. “Who knows. She was pretty high for like the last century she was alive. Had a lot of radical ideas. Worst of which was trusting her life to a disgusting Earth born!”

“So then if this is all on me. What do I even need you for?” Viv popped him in the head for that one.

“Be grateful, bitch! You are fortunate enough to have the service of Vivian Brighteyes: 2,343rd Daughter of Maxine the Spider Queen, and the best damn junior manager at Holse and Ranthor’s After Life Resources. So count your fucking blessings!”

“That means literally nothing to me.” Thomas informed.

“Obviously! You pig brained, soft skins have such a narcissistic perspective. Your god’s an old bearded man. Idiots!”

“You know what?!” Thomas snapped. “I don’t need this! I’m out!”

“What?!”

“I’m out!” he repeated. “I died apparently! The last thing I need after dying the same day I was fired, and my girlfriend cheated on me is to be yelled at by someone who clearly despises me….AGAIN! I’m DONE! See you in hell or wherever this place is!”

“Shit!” Vivian cursed. She raised her hand and webbed Thomas to her. He’d forgotten she could do that. “Look I’ll level with you here. I don’t think you can do this.”

“Obviously!” Thomas seethed trying his best to mirror Vivian’s tone.

“Yeah, but you might as well try right?”

“Oh! Great pep talk! That makes up for everything!” Thomas snarked.

“Sorry! Okay!.....Sorry. This is all just...it’s really important to me and you may be...dammit. You may be our only option.”

“What happened to trying again in ten years?!’

“That’s being optimistic. Look gods, goddesses, immortals, they don’t die often. People are going to be looking for her. She’s vulnerable, her power, it’s up for grabs.”

“Up for grabs?”

“It’s complicated. Just….look it’s like losing a lottery ticket. If people know you lost it they’ll look for it themselves. Try to cash it in! That’s what’s happening.”

“So why don’t you look for her?”

“Because I don’t know where she is!” Vivian blurted. “The Outer Layer is huge! Twice the size of your Earth! Plus finding a goddess isn’t easy to begin with. That’s the only edge we have. But as time goes on someone will eventually find her. We need to be first. YOU need to be first!”

“Woah.”

“Look I know this is a lot to take in. Believe me if anyone else was an option I...but she chose you. Luna chose you! You may not remember her, but she remembered YOU. Thomas, Waldo. So...I’ll be helping you. Okay.”

“I don’t think I can do this.” Thomas shook his head. “Finding a  goddess in a land I know nothing about! I’m a waiter! I-I draw logos on a computer!”

“I’ll get you home.” Vivian said. “You find Luna….and I’ll get you back to Earth. Alive.”

“Really?”

“You can fuck, your whore girlfriend all you want. I promise. Just.”

“I’m in.” Thomas said.

“.......”

“I’m in.” he repeated.

Caretaker Chapter 3: Remnant

Osburg’s Guide to Surviving the Outer Layer

Rule #1: Don’t trust anyone

Rule #2: Bring money

“So where to first?” Thomas asked up to the spider-woman busy fiddling with her piece of glass.

“That’s kind of why you’re here, human.” Vivian opened up her device into a wider slate of glass and went to typing. “But if you’re wondering “what” we’re supposed to do I don’t really know either. Luna died pretty suddenly. She didn’t leave instructions.”

“How did she die?”

“Saving all of us.” Vivian pressed her finger to her magical glass thing. That’s the only way Thomas could describe it. An image of a ring appeared out of it inside it was a sphere. Thomas ran his hand through the image and it distorted like a bad cable connection. Vivian rubbed her forehead.

“Humans.” She muttered. “She snapped her fingers at him with two of her hands. “Meat boy! Focus!” She put two hands on the slate and spread them out wide. The image enlarged relative to her arm span.

“This is Out World. The realm between realms. Division of the holy plains. This is the Outer Layer.” She pointed toward the ring that orbited the sphere in the middle. “And this is where we are. The Bloomstor Metropolis….anything sticking out to you?”

“Wait, wait, wait!...Out World? Division of what? Outer Layer?! I have no idea what any of that means.”

“Eclipse us all! I don’t have time for this!” Vivian seethed. “I’m NOT giving you an orientation! I worked too hard to go back to that grunt work. You humans have a word for it…..dammit! What is it?!”

“Heaven?...Hell?” Thomas suggested.

“Pfft!...Sure, flesh sack. We’ll go with that.” She waved her hand and the image rotated around. “It’s simple, meat. You’re in a magical land of spells and fairies. “ She wiggled her fingers and waved her hands. “Real mystical right? Like one of your anime cartoons! Just read a book sometime! Anyways just, I don’t know pick a spot. You’re the one who’s supposed to find her.”

“One spot from the entire...planet?” Thomas guessed. “I don’t think that will help.”

“It’s better than nothing, speck.” VIvian seethed. “She crashed down in the Outer Layer. We searched there. Nothing. Her homeland? We searched there. Your precious Earth? Searched there. Nothing! “Heaven?” “Hell?” Searched both. Nothing! But apparently YOU have the mojo! So pick a clipsing spot!”  

“Fine. How about here.”

“Where?”

“Here. Bloomstor. Right here.”

“Ugh!” Vivian groaned. “Are you not paying attention?! We searched the Outer Layer!”

“But I haven’t.” Thomas said. “And I’m apparently the gamechanger. I know nothing about this world. The Outer Layer, Out World. I thinks it’s best for me if I start here. Simple. Easy.”

“Dumb, boring.” Vivian added. “Fine.” She grabbed him by the arm and towed him out the armory. “Damn humans.” She folded her glass thingy back down and dialed on it. “Buns. We got any spare T-omes around. Any old one will do. Good.”

They walked, well Vivian walked, Thomas felt like he was more dragged past the cubicle area of the building.

“Buns. Hit me!” Vivian shouted and something flew through the air. She caught if with a free hand. “Here.” She said tossing it to Thomas. He wasn’t prepared and it smacked him in the face.

“Nice catch.” Viv taunted.

Thomas inspected the device. A “T-ome” apparently. It was rectangular and made of plastic. At least Thomas assumed it was plastic. It could actually be anything. It was rectangular with an assortment of unmarked buttons all over it. “What the hell is this?”

“A T-ome. You’d call it a phone, but it’s better. Like mine!” Vivian grinned and displayed her magical glass.

“This…”thing”,  is not that!” Thomas observed. What Vivian had seemed like pure magic. Some device he couldn’t even comprehend. What he held looked like an old calculator.

“No shit!” Vivian said. “Mine’s the latest T-Glass Ver. 10.1. It cost over half my last check! What you have is a shitty, knock off Colco 100 from over a century ago. I still guarantee it’s better than anything you’ve ever owned in your entire pathetic life….Well except for the Nintendo Switch. That thing is actual magic.”

“How do you know what a-”

“Shut up.” Vivian commanded. “Let’s get this field trip over with so we can actually start looking for Luna.”

Thomas sat on the edge of the steps of Vivian’s office building while she tapped at his Colco 100. From the outside Holse and Ranthor’s After Life Resources looked like any other office building on Earth. What blew Thomas away was everything else. He really was in another world. The sky was dark and he could see stars and nebulas in it, but there was so much more. Awe inspiring floating creatures that seemed too massive to be airborne. One looked like a large silver serpent off the cover of a novel he once read. Another he could only describe as a whale with wings. There were also floating platforms with structures on them.

“This really isn’t Earth.” Thomas gasped.

“Yeah it’s amazing.” Vivian droned. “Try not to act like such a tourist!” She tossed him his Colco. “I’ve linked our T-omes. I’m the only one linked to you right now so press that side button to calmm me.”

“It’s incredible!” Thomas explained. “Have you ever just, read a book or seen a show and known it was a gateway to something more, that there was more to life than what you see, that magic fantasy existed?”

“Gross. “ Vivian barfed. “You’re a nerd, aren’t you?”

She started walking down the steps. Thomas knew he was expected to follow.

“Sorry if I’m not some jaded spider-person.” Thomas sniped. “I can’t be blown away by this?” he gestured toward everything. “Do you know how many people would kill to see this place. There’s more than just Earth! We’re not alone in the universe!”

“Do you realize how human you sound right now?” Vivian asked. “This is why I got out of orientations. Everyday, waking up humans. “Good morning human! Welcome to the real world!” Bleh. Having to stare at their stupid faces when they find out they’re not so special.” Vivian put on a fake smile. “How would you like to spend your afterlife? Over and over and over!”

“Is that your job?” Thomas inferred. “You help people who’ve died transition into...what? Living in the Outer Layer?”

“Gee? It’s almost like I already told you that. Junior manager, hello?”  Vivian stopped at the bottom of the stairs right before a metal gateway. She actually a head taller than it. “I just realized I don’t know where we’re going. So step up superstar!”

“Okay, okay. Ummmm. What do you have around here?”

“Oh for-!!!” Vivian took a deep breath. “Spend two-hundred years working your way up just to go back…..clipsing..tourist...bullshit…” she fiddled with her T-Glass and the image of Out World appeared again. She used her hands to zoom in on an area and the resolution and topography changed to more detail. Blocks rose and shifted into buildings as she zoomed in even more. Then little sprites appeared.  They dashed around the corners of buildings. She zoomed in even more to two sprites standing next to a gate. One was significantly taller than the other. Thomas waved his hand and the smaller sprite moved in unison with it. It was him.

“We’re in Bloomstor.” Vivian informed. “One of like...I don’t know thousands of major metropolitan cities in the Outer Layer. It’s mostly a tourist spot, lot’s of entertainment and shopping type stuff here. Most of the commerce is in tourism and trading. That’s all I really know I just work here.”

“Any libraries or museums?”

“Museu-......WHY?!”

“So I can learn abou-”

“I said stop acting like a tourist!” Vivian yelled. “This is pointless! We should be out scouring the wilds! Kicking down doors of her closest know associates! Killing people! Not visiting a museum!”

“This is my mission!” Thomas snapped. “I want to find out more about this place!”

“You have a T-ome, human!” Vivian snapped back. “Everything you’d ever want to know is in there! Although a shitty Colco like that probably-” she paused.

Vivian grabbed Thomas by the arm.

“I know where we’re going first.” she said.

They travelled down the streets of Bloomstor away from Holse and Ranthor. Thomas looked around the place. It really seemed a lot like Earth except off. For instance they had roads and street lights, except the roads were made of hexagonal stone plates some of which occasionally floated a few inches off the ground, and the streetlights seemed normal enough until you realized they didn’t have bulbs. Instead it was just floating balls of light.

They past people or more like creatures of all shapes and sizes. Some looked more humanoid but with animal features like Vivian or Buns. A furry’s wet dream, but others were things he couldn’t even recognize. Moving balls of slime with no conceivable form oozing down the streets like it was nothing, tiny, squat legged, stone creatures with mossy beards. Thomas had mistaken one for a statue and leaned against it. It had kicked him in the shin and cursed at him in a language he had no hope of understanding. There were also humans. People like him. Lots of them. They walked the streets as casually and calmly as anyone on Earth, except most were dressed like cosplayers. It almost felt like it was Halloween and everyone was wearing an elaborate costume to go trick or treating. Thomas inspected his own attire. Suddenly he didn’t feel so out of place.

They stopped next to a square metal machine installed into the sidewalk.

“Put your T-ome up to the panel and press the middle button.” Vivian instructed.

Thomas obeyed.

Nothing happened.

“Give it a minute.” Vivian said before him. “These old Colco’s take a bit to sync up with the user.”

“Thomas Waldo: Emissary of Luna Delecastierre, Daughter of Winrey of a thousand bladed nightmares, Immortal, Moon who eclipses us all. Registered. Welcome to Bloomstor. Now downloading 1 of 3,334,219 standard updates. Map complete. Archive complete, Shadow speak complete, E-banking complete, web browser complete, twitter-”

Vivian pressed a button on his device. “Okay, we can just shut that up. There you go blue boy! All set. Any nerdy question you could possibly have about Bloomstor is now archived.”

“Really?” Thomas raised an eyebrow. Was it really that easy. “What did it mean I “emissary”?”

“I can’t believe it either. She gave you a title. You must be the luckiest bastard this side of the Emerald Wide.”

“I really don’t understand.”

“Just ask it a question, human.” Vivian sighed. “We’re wasting moonlight!”  

“Okay, ummm. Bloomstor shopping.” He said into his device.

“Bloomstor has forty-two separate shopping districts in your vicinity. Do you wish to make a purchase?”

“Just give me directions to the closest one.”

“That would be the Crab Mouth Bazaar. GPS update not yet installed.”

“Shopping? Really?! You don’t even have any money!” Vivian said.

Thomas gave her a look.

She sighed. “I know where it is.”

It was called the Crab Mouth Bazaar because it was located in the mouth of a giant crab. It was an ancient creature called a Dynastodon. That wasn’t all, apparently it was still alive, just in the midst of a thousand year hibernation.

“Why would people do business in the mouth of a giant crab?” Thomas questioned.

“Tch. I don’t know, human! Why not!? What the hell are we doing here?!”

“I used to work at a mall.” Thomas said. “Luna’s death.”

“Ahem.”

“Really?.....Luna; Daughter of Winrey, Immortal, Moon that eclipses us all’s death was a big deal right?”

“The biggest deal.”

“So people must be talking about it. People always gossip while they’re shopping. I heard so much when I worked there. I figure it works the same no matter where you are. We put are noses to the ground. We’ll find something. Someone knows something.”

“This isn’t an RPG, soft skin.” Vivian griped. “You can’t just get a quest by talking to a random NPC. You think we haven’t investigated, that we’re not still investigating. Actual gods are on this. Telepaths are breaking the minds of anyone who so much as glanced at her once. You don’t honestly think eavesdropping on inane “mall” chatter will help?’

“It’s worth a shot.” Thomas said.

“Fine, but only because I have shopping to do myself.” Vivian agreed. “And just so we’re clear. I’m being very generous with you today. When this goes nowhere we’re doing things my way!”

“Yeah, okay.” Thomas nodded. He knew it was a longshot, but he had a feeling. A tightness in his shoes that only relaxed when they’d gotten to the bazaar. He felt like there was something here that would lead him to Luna.

Vivian followed him for a change as they walked from stall to stall. All manner of uncanny creatures shouted over each other to get the attention of patrons. The place was rather busy. Thomas had never been to a market like this. It felt very street level. It wasn’t the multileveled buildings with countless outlets and retailers. It  seemed like every stall had its own individual owner.

“Produce!”he heard in an earthy tone. Thomas looked up to see an absolute giant of a man. A human man by the looks but he was easily fifteen feet tall. Taller than Vivian who up to that point was the largest humanoid he’d seen. “Fresh produce!” He addressed him. “Blood Oranges, blood grapes, or maybe test your courage with dragon vine. Show your woman you’re a real man. Increases vitality and endurance, I guarantee you a fun night with your lass.”

“Ew, no.” Vivian said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a gold coin. She flicked it at him. “Two muddle beetles.”

The man reached under his desk and retrieved two absolutely grotesque bugs. They were round with glowing green warts and pustules all over their body. They drooled some kind of brown foul smelling mucus from their mandibles. Vivian took them and handed one to Thomas.

“Don’t say I never did anything nice for you.”

“What is this thing.”

“Produce.” Vivian said. She plucked off one of the warts and tossed it in her mouth. She actually smiled as she swallowed another one. “These are fresh too!”

Thomas decided it was best not to fight it. Vivian could poison him herself far easier. He plucked one of the pustules off the beetle and bit it. The flavor explosion that followed was nearly orgasmic. It tasted like the juiciest sweetest, plum he’d ever had. He bit another one, cherry, then lime, and a cavalcade of sweet flavors he couldn’t recognize.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“You’re a cheap date aren’t you.” Vivian sniped. She’d picked off all the pustules and was sucking the drool off the mandibles. She licked her lips and in one quick motion bit off the beetle’s head. Thomas actually heard the poor creature scream. She devoured the whole thing alive in a gruesome display. She belched and smiled. “That one was pregnant! Real top quality.”

She eyed his beetle. He’d eaten all the pustules and warts as well.

“You gonna finish that?”

“I’ve lost my appetite.”

“Your loss.” Vivian snatched his beetle and bit its head off much like the first one. He watched in awe as Vivian’s face pincers tore into the helpless creature. For the first time he saw a mouth full of razor sharp teeth crush the shell and flesh beneath it with every bite. Vivian glared at him with a full mouth.

She swallowed. “You got some kind of vore fetish, pervert?’

“It’s just uhh.”

“Don’t give me that look. I know for a fact you humans eat meat. Don’t judge me for following my predatory instincts, monkey!”

“Let’s just move on.” Thomas said, dropping the topic. Still it was a good reminder that Vivian herself was pretty dangerous. An actual giant spider. He’d make sure never to forget that.

They continued walking the market for at least an hour. Thomas wasn’t sure where he was going but his feet seemed to move on their own sometimes. It felt like he was being pulled in a certain direction at times. Vivian was mostly quiet during this, either messing with her T-ome or stopping to buy something and dropping it in Thomas’ silk bag. When interrogated she would say they needed supplies for later and that was it. Thomas could guess she had plans to leave Bloomstor. Somewhere outside the city entirely. Searching here wasn’t satisfying or exciting enough for her. He couldn’t exactly blame her. She was clearly frustrated not just with him but the search for Luna in general. How long had she been searching for her lost friend? Who else was involved? And why did she think it they only had ten years? It seemed exceptionally farfetched that he would be able to succeed where she had failed. Especially with her experience and apparent resources.

“You give up yet?” she yawned. “Cause I booked us tickets to the reefs. We can search the crater where she crashed for clues, some residual energy lying around, maybe you can catch her scent or something. You humans do that right?”

“No we don’t.” Thomas infomed. “Just give me a few more hours. I know I’ll find something.” Thomas didn’t know where this confidence was coming from. He’d never trusted his gut before but this just felt…...right.

They reached the back of the throat nearest to a dark passageway that must have lead the dynastodon’s gut. He came up to a stall manned by a green skinned humanoid with long pointed ears and nose. “Jewelry.” it beckoned. It seemed female. “Trinkets and treasures from the upper realms! Lost artifacts of the gods!”

Thomas inspected her wares and honestly they seemed like worthless knick-knacks he could find back home. Wooden totem carvings, shelled bracelets and necklaces, a bag of marbled spheres and other different incidentals. He was going to turn but his legs didn’t seem to want to move. They felt heavy, slow. He lingered near the stall and gave them a once over again. This irritated Vivian.

“There can’t honestly be anything here worth buying.” She bent down and loomed over the stall and the green skinned woman.

“Sapphires from the gate of Garosh!” Said the woman. Vivian glanced at a frog shaped bowl with blue stones inside.

“These are rocks painted with luminous jelly.” Vivian said biting into one. It crumbled in her mouth. “Spoiled luminous jelly.”

‘Away from my stall!” The woman screeched. “Both of you!” She shooed at them with her hands. Vivian froze. In a flash she seized the green skinned woman by the arm and held her up five feet from the ground.

“Where did you get these?!” She sneered.

“Vivian!”

She grabbed the woman’s left hand and pressed a claw into a string of bright blue beads on her wrist.

“They’re not for sale!” She shrieked.

“You would dare!” Vivian raised one of her stingers to the woman’s face.

“Talk now!”

“The sewers!” The woman cried. “I fished them out from the sewers!”

“Liar!”

“Vivian calm down!” Thomas grabbed at her leg but she swatted him away easily. He flew backward into someone else’s stall of cast iron dishware.

Vivian gave him a worried glance and in that moment intense pain ran through her hand. She dropped the woman who scurried away.

“Clipsing bitch!” Vivian cursed holding her hand. She’d been stabbed.

“What the hell was that, Viv!?” Thomas bellowed.

“Those beads she’s wearing!” Vivian barked. “They’re Luna’s!”

Suddenly Thomas’ shoes felt two sizes too small. Before he’d even thought of it he took off in a sprint. He was planning on running after the green woman, but his feet had been step ahead. Vivian was taken aback by this sudden reaction. Maybe the human wasn’t entirely worthless. She vomited up some special silk from her mouth. It was more viscous than the silk she made from her hands. She smeared it on her injured hand and took off in pursuit.

Thomas had lost sight of the woman but kept running anyway. He turned a corner and was now at the opening of the passage into the crab monster’s gut. The woman couldn’t have actually went in there could she? Apparently he thought so because he was sprinting a lot faster than he thought possible. Another shock was that he wasn’t tired. Had dying increased his stamina? There were too many questions to ask about just his body and the transformation of the dying process. He heard a sound from a passageway to the side and went in that direction. He could see a shadow cast across the light of the tunnel. There were torches. Someone was living in here.

Soon enough Vivian had joined him in the chase.

“You’re pretty fast for a human.” She said. “Which way did that thieving gutter rat go?!”

“Not sure.” Thomas huffed. “But this feels like the right way.” he hit a wall of hard carapace. There was nowhere else to go. The only way lead back behind them. It was a dead end.

“Nice job, human!” Vivian spat. “The only good lead in half a century and it’s gone because of you!”

“How is this my fault?”
“You got in my way at the bazaar. Some misguided sense of morality!”

“You threatened to kill her!”

“So what?!” Vivian snarled. “What we’re doing is way more important than one life. She’s a worthless thief holding the relic of a god! Do you know what that means?! The power she-”

The floor opened up and they both fell downward into the darkness.

They landed in something wet and foul smelling. They were in the dark.

“Great. We’ve been swallowed.” Vivian grumbled. “That’s just what I needed today.”

“Help!” Thomas heard.

“Please help me!”

Vivian pulled out her T-Glass and a light emitted from it. She cut the dark with the searchlight and shined it on the corner of the chamber they were in. The green woman was there. She ran away but fell face first into the muk.

“Stay away!” She said. “I’m warning you.” She brandished a dagger.

“Please.” Vivian said. She spit up a wad of webbing into her hand and beamed the woman right in the gut with it. The momentum blew her back into the wall of the dynastodon and adhered her to it. Vivian encroached on her baring her fangs and stingers.

“You know what I like?” She asked the terrified woman. “Flesh. I’m not allowed to eat raw meat in town, but...I don’t think it’s a problem here.”

“No please!”

“You’re a kobaln right?” Vivian grinned showing her maw of razor sharp whites. “I haven’t eaten one of you before. What do you think you’ll taste like? I’m betting fish.”  She licked her lips.

“Stay away from me!” She cried out in terror.

“Do you know how spiderkin like to eat?” Vivian asked. “We like to stun our pray with neurotoxin.” She stuck the kobaln woman with her left stinger. “It won’t kill you, just paralyze you or knock you out if I’m feeling generous.”

“Human!” the kobaln tried. “Help me please! She’s gonna kill me!”

“Vivian stop!”

“Stay back, human!” She hissed and Thomas jumped backward in instinctive terror. “She deserves this!” Vivian turned back to the frightened woman. “How long have you had that bracelet? You know what it is don’t you? Who it belongs to, don’t you?!”

“I’m sorry I-”

Vivian smacked her across the face. Thomas had first hand experience with Vivian’s slaps. He knew how painful they were.

“Spiderkin like to toy around with their prey. Make them suffer.” She cackled. “Then we inject you.” She opened up her mouth and her fangs gleamed. “A venom that dissolves your organs piece by piece. I’ve heard it’s agony. Can you imagine? Melting from the inside out! Hehehe.”

Thomas couldn’t believe it. She was enjoying this! His relationship with Vivian was tenuous at best. He wasn’t sure it it was wise to interfere, but he couldn’t just sit back and watch a woman get murdered. Eaten alive!

The woman started muttering something it sounded like a chant. “ECLIPSE US ALL!” she shouted. The beads glowed blue, then flashed and shined in a dazzling blue light.

Vivian recoiled from the painful rays. The room illuminated in the ethereal beams. The ground shook and rumbled.

“It’s waking up!” Vivian screamed.

Water started flooding into the room, but Thomas couldn’t react. For him time was frozen. The light, that wonderful, glorious blue light. It shined brighter until his world was one of pure whiteness.

“Thomas…..Thomas.”

“Do you remember me, Thomas?”

“I knew you’d find me.”

“It’s good to see you again.”

“My friend.”

Thomas sucked in a mouthful of water and coughed. He opened his eyes. He was underwater. The chamber of the dynastodon! He was floating inside the chamber of the dynastodon. It was filled with the blue light from the kobaln’s bracelet.  He tried to breathe in but couldn’t he was underwater! He was drowning! He choked and coughed. Was this how he would die? He continued to gag on salt water as he floundered in the wake only..he hadn’t lost consciousness. That’s right! He was already dead! That apparently meant he didn’t need to actually breath even though his lungs burned from the salt water and lack of oxygen. He forced himself to cough releasing water and remaining air bubbles. He saw two woman floating limply in the water. Vivian and the kobaln! He swam up to Vivian hoping she wasn’t dead. He wouldn’t know what to do without her! Suddenly he felt a current drag him down. A hole had opened up in the bottom of whatever organ they were in and it created a vortex. Thomas, Vivian, and the motionless kobaln were sucked in.

In the darkness Thomas twisted and turned with the flow of the water. He tried to focus his sights on the glowing light of the beads still on the kobaln’s wrist. Was she still alive? Was Vivian? As time passed his worry grew. He was some kind of undead, but he didn’t know if the same applied to Vivian or others. The water stabilized as he was thrown into the surf. He saw the light of the bracelet above him. He swam with all his might with Vivian in tow. He breached the surface and took in a breath of air and vomited out more seawater. He was outside! Outside the dynastodon! He looked behind him to see the massive red shell of the creature lurch forward. It’s legs created waves as it dragged itself deeper onto the shore. There was a panic at the beach where it was stationed. People ran in terror of the lethargic movements off the titanic beast. A wave came up behind them and washed the trio ashore. Vivian and the kobaln still weren’t moving. He rushed to Vivian’s side. Thomas had once worked a summer as a lifeguard in high school. He knew CPR. Maybe it wasn’t too late for Vivian. He pressed his palms against her abdomen and pushed.

“One, two, three, four.” He went to put his lips to her mouth and blow in air when her eyes popped open.

“What the hell are you doing, filth?!” Vivian shrieked in horror. She pushed him off her with one of her long stilt like legs and he went flying.

“I thought you were dead?!” Thomas cried.

“You wish!” Vivian hissed. “You were passed out in that crab for hours! I took a nap while I let nature run its course.” [

“You can breath underwater.”

“I have an extra set of bladders that can hold pockets of air for up to twenty-four hours.” Vivian said matter of factly.

“Wow. You’re incredible!”

“And the last horse crossed the finish line.”

“Do kobaln’s have extra lungs too?”

“No.” Vivian turned to the motionless green woman. “She’s dead. Serves her right. Too bad though. I would’ve enjoyed some fresh meat.”

“You weren’t really going to eat her were you.”

“Oh I was. I swear on Susbron I was!” Vivian stood up and retrieved the glowing beads from the corpse of the kobaln woman. She then kicked it once in the side sending it skidding across the beach sand. “Bitch.”

She turned to face Thomas. She had a venomous expression.”And don’t you dare try to interfere like that. I had things under control back at the market worm! You have no idea how things work around here! She could’ve killed us all with these beads!”  She picked him up and held him to her face. “When things get dangerous I’m in charge understand! I can’t afford to lose you!”

Thomas was frozen in fear.

“Understand!?”

“I understand!” Thomas peeped. “I understand.”

“Okay.” Vivian expression lightened. “You did good, Th-.....human. You did good.”

“I did?” Thomas gasped at the sudden praise.

“You did.” Vivian assured putting him down. “This is the first real lead and it was sitting right in my own backyard. I can’t believe it.”

:What are those? Some kind of goddess weapon?” Thomas asked.

‘No they’re just beads.” Vivian infomed. “Made from actual sapphires. I gave them to Luna as a birthday present. Tied them together with my own silk.”

“Then why all the fuss? Why were they glowing.”

“Don’t you feel it, human?” Vivian smiled brightly. “Her stink is all over it. She never took them off! These beads hold a fragment of her essence. That kobaln scum was probably trying to absorb it into herself. A process that can take years for a mortal.”

“That’s bad I guess?”

“She would’ve become a demigod. It’s a good thing we cornered her. She got so desperate she had to blow any power she’d absorbed just to escape! Hah!”

“So what now?” Thomas asked. He was excited that his hunch had been right. Although he knew it wasn’t a hunch. He was lead to these beads, like they were calling to him.

“We get these to Jasper!” Vivian said putting the beads around her wrist. “That old hound has a nose like well….a bloodhound. He’ll be able to track Luna!”

“What about that?” Thomas said pointing to the grumpy dynastodon rampaging through Bloomstor’s market district. “That’s kind of on us.”

“That’s. Someone else’s problem.” Vivian said. She walked off in the opposite direction as the dynastodon knocked over a building with its sharp, cruel claw. Thomas could hear the screaming. “Keep up human! This has only just started!”

Thomas took off after her. If this was just the beginning he shuddered at what would happen next.

Caretaker Chapter 4: The Ones Above us All

“People always say Winrey’s cruel, callous, violent, and sadistic.”

“You can’t really blame them. She is a god of war. Probably more than any other.”

“You pray to her when you want the person in front of you dead. Along with their family, friends, pets, and...well you get the picture.”

“But I’ve served under her long enough to see her other side.”

“For one. She cares too much.”

Thomas stared out the window of the monorail. They were headed to this “Jasper” Vivian mentioned. The one with the nose of a bloodhound. Apparently he could help them find Luna. He was just a quick train ride away. Bloomstor was surprisingly modern in the oddest ways He felt a pit in his stomach he watched the smoke billow on the horizon. The carnage that angry dynastodon was wreaking on the city at that very moment. A building crumbled and fell in the overgrown crustacean’s wrath. It was his fault.

If he hadn’t chased after that kobaln? If he hadn’t stopped Vivian at the market in the first place? That creature might not have woken up and it wouldn’t be terrorizing the market district of Bloomstor.

“Are we really not going to do anything about that?” Thomas asked Vivian. She was sitting cross legged in the seat across from him, face in her T-Glass which seemed to be her favorite thing to do.

“Not a thing.” Vivian said nonchalantly.

“But people are dying!”

“So?” Vivian dismissed.

“It’s not right! We’re responsible. Shouldn’t we like call the cops or something?!”

“Cops.” Vivian snickered. “Sure. Human. Do yourself a favor and abandon this primitive and narrow minded sense of responsibility. It doesn’t matter. You’re involved in something more important than any of them. The creatures down there.” She tapped her clawed finger to the glass fo the train. “They owe their lives to Luna. Bringing her back is worth a few dozen people getting crushed by a giant crab THEY chose to build a market in.”

“How can you say that?” Thomas was aghast by Vivian’s lack of empathy. It was like she didn’t have a soul.

“Don’t you judge me, human.” Vivian sneered. “I’ve been alive longer than two of your lifetimes. I’ve experienced first hand the human capacity for cruelty. You are no better. None of them are either. Everyone is selfish and out for themselves. Even the gods.”

“Even Luna?” Thomas shot.

Vivian snarled showing her pointed teeth.

“The moon that eclipses us all.” Thomas finished staring back “That’s all you get this time.”

“I’m getting just a little tired of your attitude.” Vivian warned. “You’d be wise to listen to me if you want to get back to Earth and living out the rest of your meaningless life.”

“You haven’t clarified that either!” Thomas snapped. “How do you even plan on getting me back to Earth? How are you going to make me alive again? Do you even know what’s happened to me?”

Vivian was silent.

“You don’t do you?”

“You were just dropped in my lap, human!” Vivian growled. “I don’t know what happened to you! I’m not a doctor! Jasper just gave me your file and told me to run with it! I didn’t even think it would be a human!”

“So you lied to me then!”

“How dare you!” Vivian snapped. “I’m a lot of things but a liar isn’t one of them. Although I don’t exactly remember promising you anything. I can get you back to Earth!”

“How?!” Thomas wanted a proper answer. “And it better be a real or I’m out again and you can take those beads to this Jasper guy without me!”

“Clipsing, jackass.” Vivian seethed. “I told you there was a team on this right. It’s not just me and you. There’s Jasper and his mistress. She’s very powerful…..she’s…….dammit…..She’s Luna’s mother. A goddess of war. Winrey of the thousand bladed nightmares. If anyone can get you back to Earth she can. She’s the one who started all of this in the first place. She just wants her daughter back.”

“Is that really her name?” Thomas asked.

“That’s what you took from all that?!” Vivian gasped. “Yes that’s her name! Gods have titles that chronicle their many exploits.”

“A thousand bladed nightmares, though?” Thomas giggled. “That sounds like the name of some middle schooler “SUPER COOL” new anime character. That’s ridiculous.”

“Don’t say that to her face. She got that title shoving over a thousand blades into the body of a titan the size of a mountain. It was gruesome. Everyone who witnessed it has nightmares about it to this very day!”

“That’s not true!”

“Don’t believe me? You can ask her yourself. You’ll be meeting her soon.” Vivian informed.

Thomas was silent.

“She is Jasper’s mistress. As in he works for her! He manages things in her household. He lives with her! We’re going to meet Jasper so obviously she’ll be there.”

Thomas wasn’t sure he was ready to meet an actual goddess. A heavenly being or this world’s equivalent of such. He couldn’t even imagine what one was like. Were there religions based around them? Did they have churches and followers? Vivian didn’t seem like the type to believe in a higher power. In fact she seemed dangerously real and practical in her beliefs. Only when speaking of Luna was there any hint to the contrary.

“Will she be able to fix the crab problem?” Thomas asked.

“If you want it dead.” Vivian said. “Although something like that is way below her radar. Why are you obsessing over that so much? It will sort itself out.”

“How are you so calm about it?!” Thomas blurted. Vivian’s apathy was infuriating. It made his blue blood boil!

The spiderkin folded out her T-Glass into a larger panel the size of the window. She pressed a spot on the back of it and an image came to live. A deer person much like Buns but with different horns was dressed in a suit and tie in front of an anchors desk.

“Breaking news on the dynastodon incident.” He said. “It appears the slumbering titan that served as the location for local tourist hub and farmers market Crab Mouth Bazaar has been identified as Princess Coral’s long lost Mr. Krabbles.”

The world shook and the train screeched to a halt.

Thomas heard a gasp as all the passengers moved to his side to look out the windows. Something soft pressed into his back and pushed his face into the window. He looked out at the wreckage off the coast where the titular “Mr. Krabbles” was lumbering around. A huge tidal wave was headed right for it! On the horizon a gargantuan figure loomed.

“We all remember the heartbreaking story when Princess Coral lost her precious pet over a century ago!” The anchor said. The image on Vivian’s device cut to footage of a small girl with green hair and teal skin crying her eyes out.

“And-and!” She sniffled. “If anyone finds him...pl-please let me know!” She started wailing before the video cut back to the anchor deer-person.

“MR. KRABBLES!” Thomas felt. He couldn’t say he heard it because that wasn’t enough. That sound had reverated through his bones. Many of the passengers covered their ears in response. The behemoth came in close to the shore and if Thomas wasn’t already dead he was sure he would’ve died from the shock. It was the girl from the video. Princess Coral. Only she was larger than a skyscraper!

“Holy shit!” Thomas exclaimed.

“I can’t believe they stopped the train for this.” Vivian sneered.

“This just in.” Said the new anchor. “It seems Princess Coral has decided to come retrieve her lost pet dynastodon!”

The dynastodon itself was easily the size of a five story building, but Princess Coral was inhumanely big. It was inconceivable to Thomas. She picked up her “Mr. Krabbles” With both hands. The mere action caused a wave of ocean water to flood that section of the city.

“I’VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!”  she said hugging the leviathan beast to her bare chest. Thomas was nervous to even be looking at her because she still had the appearance of a young child despite her impossible size.

“We all know that for the last century Princess Coral had been grief stricken over the loss of her most beloved companion.” The anchor continued. “As a result travel through the Emeraldine Ocean has been hindered considerably for most vessels, caused by storms and whirlpools created from her tantrums. Thanks to this recent development the Bloomstor chamber of commerce is eager to reopen trade with the Coral Islands and beyond! I must say it is good to hear a heartwarming story now and then!” the anchor laughed as the footage cut to a street level shot of Princess Coral kissing her pet. She held one of its pincers in her fingers and made a waving motion at the people below.

“THANK YOU VERY MUCH!” she said and then put the dynastodon to her ear. “MR. KRABBLES SAY THANK YOU TOO!”

“What is she?” Thomas whispered to himself.

“A god.” Vivian replied.

With that said, Princess Coral retreated into the depths from which she came, leaving the beach Thomas and Vivian had walked on less than an hour ago covered in water as well as the surrounding city blocks. The last of her Thomas saw was the flip of her fish like, silver scaled lower half.

“Impossible.”

The monorail restarted and the rest of the ride had been uneventful. Vivian was not in the mood to talk so Thomas spent most of his time researching things on his T-ome. It wasn’t anywhere near close to downloading all the current updates the process of which happened automatically through something called the uninet. It was the first thing he’d looked up, just how these mysterious devices worked. Outworld as it turned out had its own internet implemented around the same time as the Earth equivalent. It was unreal, and entirely different world with its own cultures, own races, own history. Not only that but Outworld specifically was a gateway dimension. That’s why they had such a dense and varied collection of species. Some were actually from different worlds, other planets like his Earth. Thomas wanted to research it further and find out just how deep the rabbit hole went, but most of that information hadn’t downloaded yet. He only got so far searching the net and Vivian would just shrug or growl at him when grilled.

For her part she seemed even more irritable than usual, if that was possible. She was typing away on her superior T-ome with clear frustration. Thomas had guessed she was in communication with someone and the conversation wasn’t going well judging by her mumbled swearing. It was all “Clipsing” this and “Clipsing” that! Thomas did find her use of Luna’s title as a damnation cute even though he wouldn’t dare tell her that.

“When we get to Winrey’s castle, just keep your head down.” She said out of nowhere.

“Why?” Thomas asked even though he hadn’t planned on making a scene. From what he saw of Princess Coral, gods seemed absolutely terrifying. Unreal in size and capable of unparalleled destruction with the most innocent of motions or slightest of whims. He wouldn’t dare crass one.

“Don’t question me okay!” She snapped. “Just keep a low profile. Will get what we need from Jasper and get out of there.”  

“Fine.” Thomas said. “I’ll just confirm that Winrey’ll return me to Earth when this is over and-
“NO!” Vivian barked. “We talk to Jasper, we leave. We can’t afford to waste time.”

“I’m not doing anymore until I get assurances.” Thomas said firm.

“Can’t you just trust me!?” Vivian cried and Thomas saw the hint of a tear. He didn’t think she was capable. Whatever that conversation was about had clearly shaken her.

“Okay.” Thomas relented. He felt Vivian didn’t really deserve any pity from him, but he couldn’t fight his natural empathy. For now he would do as she said. The cowardly part of him was even a little happy to do so, he wasn’t quite ready to talk to a  living goddess anyway.

The rest of the trip went without consequence. Thomas’ search for information had led him to researching the different species he’d encountered. He’d earned a sideways glance from Vivian when he’d gotten to spiderkin as she called it. His Colco being comparitively ancient technology meant it didn’t have a fancy holographic display like Vivian’s. Instead it had a crease that pulled out into a view screen so he had to look at it like a handheld game. So engrossed was he that Vivian had to thwick webbing in his face to get his attention.

“We’re here.” was all she said.

Thomas looked out the window. They were in what he assumed was the country. There was nothing but open field outside. Was this still considered Bloomstor? He wasn’t sure. He looked around to notice only Vivian and him were remaining on the train. At some point the rest of the passengers had left. He was so engrossed in his T-ome he hadn’t even noticed.

“Where are we?”

“The plains of Averan.” Vivian responded. They walked into the field about a football field away from the train stop. She took out her T-ome and dialed. “Jasper we’re here.” She folded out her T-Glass and actually pulled it apart into three separate glass slates. With all four arms she pressed each slate multiple times causing them to light in different flashing intervals of colors.

“Before you ask I’m sending out a signal so Jasper can pick us up.” Vivian said. “Should be any moment now.” The slates of glass hovered in the air suspended by nothing. Vivian crossed her arms as the moments became minutes. She sighed and pressed a button to her slate.

“Jasper, hurry the fuck up!” She shouted.

“Jasper’s busy.” came a feminine voice, VIvian froze. “But I can get you.”

Vivian didn’t say a word. Thomas felt the wind around him chill. He could see the pebbles in the ground rise around him, there was an energy in the air. Her heard a loud bang, like a gunshot and suddenly he was surrounded in a white flash of light. He closed his eyes from the burn of the light. When he opened them they weren’t in a field anymore, but in front of a castle. Thomas instinctively stepped back in awe, never seeing a real castle before in his life. That’s when he lost his footing and fell backward into nothing. He just kept falling.  He flailed his arms and spun around to see clouds in the blue sky. What?! He was free falling in the air! He fell straight through a cloud. The cold vapors moistened his face and outfit. He broke the cloud barrier and saw the ground coming up fast! He didn’t have a parachute! Part of him wasn’t sure he would actually die from his collision with the earth below. He hadn’t drowned despite his body’s insistence on breathing, but that did nothing to fight back the absolute terror he felt in coming to terms with his own mortality.

“Hehe. What are you doing?”

Thomas heard the girlish giggle. He turned his head but saw nothing but open sky.  

“You were always so silly, Thomas.”

“That’s why I like you.”

He stopped. He felt a force pull his back and he hung in midair a mile from the ground. Was he flying? Did he have the power to fly in the Out World? That was amazing! For once he was actually thankful that he’d died if he got to live out this childhood fantasy. He pushed his arms out in front of him in his best imitation of Superman. He hoped that would propel him forward but he didn’t move.

“What are you doing, human?” he heard.

Thomas looked over his shoulder to see Vivian there. He wasn’t flying, she had caught him with a web by the back of his poncho. Her other hand was held up above her with a silken string ascending up toward a patch of floating landmass up above.

“You have a death wish or something?!” She hissed. “You won’t get out of this by killing yourself! I still need you!” She lifted him up with her two free arms. Thomas was almost jealous at the convenience they offered. It must be great having two extra appendages.

“Hold on.” She ordered and Thomas was confused before he realized she meant for him to grab onto her. He complied wrapping his arms around her shoulders and neck. With him secured she started climbing up the silk line much like a spider up a web.

Jasper was waiting for them. A man could be seen waiting by a small wooden door in comparison to the much larger gateway it was adjacent to. Thomas didn’t know what he’d expected but Jasper was surprisingly mundane. He was just a man. Rather tall at over six feet, but nothing Thomas hadn’t seen before, nothing inhuman. He seemed older with greying hair slicked back and neat, he had a bushy mustache goatee combo, and a nose polite people would describe as prominent. He was dressed in a tight black and white monkey suit with gloves and cufflinks. He really fit the stereotypical “butler” motiff. This was the man that could track down Luna?

“Do you have them?” he asked.

“Right here.” Vivian said. She took off her jacket to reveal a tight fitting black tank top underneath as well as the beads wrapped around her lower left wrist. This was the first time Thomas had gotten a good look at her without her suit coat. She was surprisingly human. Fit, trim, athletic, with modest, very human bumps on her chest.

“What did a spider need those for?” he wondered.

She’d caught him staring and growled.

“Don’t flatter yourself.” He snipped. He was actually surprised he had that vinegar in him especially since she might have just saved his life.

“Ingrate.” She spat.

“It’s nice to see you’ve made a friend.” Jasper deadpanned. Vivian sneered at him too. He ignored it and extended a hand. “Master Waldo. It is good to see you again.”

“Have we met?” Thomas raised an eyebrow. Jasper was human, but he had a distinctive look. He’d remember if he’d ever met that face. He shook his hand.

“Indeed.” Jasper said, pumping his hand. “Come along. The Mistress wishes to speak with you.”

“No!” Vivian denied. “We’ll wait out here. Just sniff the beads or whatever you do and point us in the right direction.”

“It is not wise to defy the will of a goddess.” Jasper informed.

“Clipse her will!” Vivian seethed. “We’re trying to find HER daughter. TIme is a factor!”

“What’s the problem?” Thomas glanced at Vivian. She wasn’t frowning or sneering like he’d grown accustomed to. In fact she looked almost frightened. Was she shaking?!

“Mistress Rayna is sleeping, Vivian. We can make this quick, but I’m afraid I must insist.” Jasper insisted.

“Rayna?”

“Mistress Winrey’s first daughter. The sun that always rises. Her light warms us in the dark and leads us to glory. Luna’s older sister.” Jasper informed.

Vivian grimaced at the full title.

“Then I’ll stay out here.” She said.

“NO!” Everyone heard in a voice that seemed to have no origin. They were surrounded by it. “I WISH TO SPEAK WITH YOU AS WELL DAUGHTER OF SPIDERS!”

“If you would.” Jasper opened the door to the castle and beckoned them both inside.

“Dammit.” Vivian cursed.

The hall’s a Winrey’s castle seemed ripped straight out of a Castlevania game in Thomas’ opinion. Dark cobblestone hallways, black stone walls with pillars and chains connected to nothing, numerous weapons of immense scale adorned the walls on display. A spear with a serrated blade head the size of Vivian’s body. There was a two handed sword with gold and silver inlays that was a long as a tour bus, and the skulls. Winrey must have hunted in her free time because the skulls and skeletons of different creatures seemed to be her favorite decoration. One was what Thomas could only assume was a mammoth’s head.

Thomas was suddenly very nervous.

“So what is Winrey like?” He dared to ask.

“She is a very fair woman, Master Waldo.” Jasper informed. “She will return you to Earth when your job is done.”

Vivian flinched at Jasper’s mention of their deal. If he knew there was no chance Winrey didn’t .

They went down another hallway and Jasper stopped them at a door. A normal sized door. Based on the previous proportions of the castle and weapons Thomas assumed Winrey was a giant, maybe not on the scale of Princess Coral but that sword alone looked capable of cutting an orca in half like a sausage. The person who wielded it wouldn’t be behind a door this size, and there was no adjacent door to a grander scale.

Jasper knocked once, then again, then a third time.

“Come in!” They all heard, It sounded like the same voice that had assaulted his very soul at the front door but far less powerful. They entered and Thomas’s nostrils were immediately teased with the smell of cinnamon. Not just cinnamon either, but butter, and honey, and sweets. Someone was baking. They rounded a corner and to Thomas’ astonishment they were in a fairly common looking living room next to an open kitchen. A small woman in a yellow dress and apron was humming and dancing to a pleasant melody of orchestra music.

“Sit down!” she ordered in a harsh tone that betrayed an attitude in stark contrast to what she was doing. Both Vivian and Thomas complied, but Jasper stood by the door resolute.

*Ding* the oven beeped. The woman opened it and the aroma of cinnamon became that much stronger.

“Brighteye.” The woman said.

Vivian shot straight up and walked stiffly to her. She stood at attention while the much shorter women opened the oven and pulled out a tray of fresh cinnamon rolls. She took one and popped it in Vivian’s maw.

“I know they need icing.” She mused. “But sometimes you can’t beat right out the oven warm.”

There was a pause as she regarded the spider-woman with a mouthful of baked treat.

“Well?”

Vivian was silent.

“HOW’S IT TASTE YOU WORTHLESS HALF BREED!?” The woman’s voice echoed throughout the castle and possibly the world.

“Delicious!” Vivian said gobbling it down.

“Thank, you.” Said the woman. “Sorry for calling you a worthless. I’ve been trying to work on my temper. It’s not been easy.”

“Oh, not at all!” Vivian insisted. “You did nothing wrong, Winrey of the thousand blade-”

“DON”T!” Winrey said. “Winrey’s fine. I hate that name. You realize peasants gave me that name? Peasants! And it stuck! Don’t apologize for me either!”

Vivian nodded.

“Beads.” Winrey said. Vivian presented her arm and Winrey snatched them up. She inspected them. She tossed them through the air to Jasper.

“Take care of that, dog.” she said.

“At once.” Jasper bowed and exited the room.

Winrey regarded Vivian once more. “Never deem to speak for me again. You haven’t earned that right yet, young lady.” she said. She took Vivian by the cheek. “Clear?”

“C-crystal ma’am.” Vivian stuttered.

“Good.” Winrey gave Vivian a peck on the cheek. “You know what you did wrong. Now leave us.”

“Can’t I just-”

“LEA-.......” Winrey took a deep breath. “Leave us, child. That’s an order.”

Vivian was stilted as she slowly crept away from the woman. She leaned into Thomas’ ear and whispered. “Please don’t die.”  Then she left in the same direction as Jasper.

Thomas was left sitting alone while the woman went about her business in the kitchen.

“Help yourself to some lemonade dear. she said.

Thomas looked around the room. There were cozy couches, a  rocking chair, and even lace doilies and knitted coasters on the wooden table. It reminded him of his grandma’s old home in Cleveland. He found the lemonade sitting on a dresser in a  glass picture next to some glasses. He poured himself a glass and noticed a framed picture. He inspected it and saw..himself?! Himself as a child, sitting in his mother’s lap. They were on a towel in the field. He remembered this day. They were tailgating a Raiders’ game. His dad had gotten drunk and punched out a Chargers’ fan. What he didn’t recognize where the two others in the picture. A woman cuddling what must have been her daughter. The woman had dark hair, and brown honey colored skin. Her daughter was surprisingly pale, almost white, like the moon. Thomas’ brain hurt. He felt he’d seen both of them before. The face of the older woman flashed in his mind. She was looking down on him, dressed in rags and a dirty coat. He remembered a hot tongue lapping against his opened skull, and foul breath. He was choking, but who was that other?

“Luna.” he said to himself.

“She really liked that picture.” Winrey said. “You found her once, when she was lost. That’s why she thinks you can do it again. Foolish really.”

Thomas jumped nearly dropping his lemonade. He turned around to be eye to forehead with  a surprisingly short woman. She had that same dark hair and brown, honey skin. The same face, the same sharpened eyes, he remembered the bus crash, the boot to his throat. He was staring at the woman who killed him.

“Cinnamon bun?” She offered holding a tray of fresh treats with delicious cream cheese icing.

Thomas sat as stone across from the woman who murdered him. The goddess Winrey, the goddess of war. A goddess of war he remembered Vivian stating. Did that mean there were more? She’d killed him! With a dirty, grim coated boot pressed against his neck. That’s where he’d heard the name Jasper before! He was the bloodhound!

“Putting it together Thomas?” Winrey asked rhetorically as she poured her own glass of lemonade. “I had intended for the bus to kill you, but you were a bit tougher than I’d expected. Fortunately I’m accustomed to getting my hands dirty. Don’t hold it against me.”

Thomas was still motionless. His tongue felt caught in his mouth, stuck to the top. Where did he even begin?

“Have some more lemonade.” Winrey refilled his glass. “It will calm your nerves. You’re holding up pretty well I’d say. For a dead man that is.”

“How do you know my mom?” Thomas choked.

“That’s not the first question I expected.” Winrey giggled. “We have a yoga class together.”

“That’s it?”

“She doesn’t know I’m the goddess of war.” She said with air quotes. “If that’s what you’re really asking, but we’ve been friends for years. She’s mentioned me to you by name over five times Thomas. You do not pay attention to that poor woman.”

Thomas was speechless.

“How are the rolls?” Winrey asked.

“A tad dry.” Thomas answered.

“Finally an honest response!” The goddess gasped. “Do you know people tend to tell me what I want to hear instead of being honest? Happens with the whole goddess thing. It gets annoying sometimes. I’ve been trying to replicate a Cinnabon, but I can’t! What secret ingredient are those people hiding to make their buns so fluffy and moist?”

“I-I don’t know.” Thomas shrugged. His brain was taking the day off.

“Relax, Tommy!” Winrey said. “I’m not as scary as my reputation implies. I don’t kill people unless I have to.”

Thomas gulped. “Why don’t I remember you...or Luna?”

“Life.” was Winrey’s dismissive answer. “Let’s just get to business.” The goddess placed her hand on the table and a light sparked from underneath her palm.

“Vivian made you a deal.” she lifted her palm and a form came into being. Thomas’ form, a perfect doll sized likeness of his body. “I don’t normally dabble in the powers of creation, but making you a new body is trivial.”

“So I am actually dead?” Thomas spoke.

“Of course.” She informed. “Out World is the plain between two holy realms. You can’t come here unless you’ve shed your mortal form unless you were born here. Vivian should have told you all of this….but she didn’t did she?” Winrey sighed. “Don’t worry about it TomTom. I can get you back home. ALIVE! Just so that you’re sure.”

Thomas looked at the little doll that represented his body. The key to living his life again, and seeing his loved ones. He didn’t know if it was a wise decision to want to go back, but he had unfinished business on Earth. People he had to say goodbye to, people he loved. Jenna…….she’d hurt him on his final day, but she didn’t deserve to think he was dead. To have to live with that guilt.

“I can make some improvements to if you want.” Winrey took the doll in her hands and started manipulating it with her fingers like clay. “Wanna be a little taller, shorter, better...equipped?” She smirked as she presented a new doll to him. It looked the same except a tad more muscular, just a hint of a longer, wider mass, a squared masculine cut to his jaw, and to Thomas’ embarrassment a significantly larger penis.

“Nothing too crazy of course. You still have to look like you, just a better you. Jenna won’t give Markus a second glance with that lady killer between your legs!” Winrey teased. “Unless you do want to be a completely different person. Why not try a life as a woman, or a dog, or a pole dancing porcupine?!” The doll switched between many different forms and shapes and it was clear Winrey was having a bit of fun with him.

“Just me..normal me, is fine.” Thomas said.

“Fair enough.” Winrey shrugged. “But let me make this clear, Thomas Waldo. Payment will not be made unless you successfully find my daughter.” She shattered the doll of him in her hand. “I would not even be offering this if that spider hadn’t opened her big mouth. I have no desire to return you back to that cesspool. Your place his here, by my daughter’s side. Not floundering in mediocrity.”

“I have to go back.”
“Yes, yes. I’m aware of your very human attachment to lingering regrets.” Winrey retorted. “I’ll send you back, happy and healthy. Most people won’t even know you left. But only if you can find my daughter and bring her back safely. If not.”

Winrey paused and took a sip “I’ll shatter your soul into a million celestial fragments and you can wander the same purgatory my daughter has been imprisoned in! Then you’ll find her!” she beamed and took a bite of cinnamon roll..

Thomas could feel whatever sliver of life he had left in him drain from Winrey’s nonchalant threat to his existence.

“Oh dear.” she gasped. She stood up and took him in an embrace. “I didn’t mean to scare you Tommy boy! Luna would never forgive me!. I just want you to know I’m serious.” She looked up to him while not breaking the hug. “I’m asking now. Please find her.” She looked hurt, scared, remorseful. “Please.”

“I will.” He said firmly. He hugged the small goddess tighter to him and was surprised to hear her squeak. “I promise.”

“That Jenna girl is out of her mind.”  Thomas heard her whisper.

“You know about Jenna….I shouldn’t even be surprised.” Thomas broke the hug.

“We’ve all read your file dear.” Winrey mused. “Although it doesn’t surprise me at all. You have the aura of a baby lamb. You’re almost asking to be preyed upon.”

“No I don’t!” Thomas said indignantly.

Winrey laughed out loud. “I remember once, Luna pushed you down in the sandbox during a game. You scraped your knee and were crying like a newborn!”

Thomas did remember that. If was the first time he’d even been injured that he could remember. He was maybe three at the time. He thought a boy had done that to him! Most of his childhood memories were fuzzy. He hadn’t truly come into his own until middle school. Then again most people didn’t remember their early years except for a few standout moments.

“Well then.” Winrey clapped. “Let’s get to the real business. Jasper should be able to find more remnants of Luna’s essence and in the meantime your little stunt with Mr. Krabbles caused a very interesting-”

An ear splitting scream could be heard from the hallway.

“Great.” Winrey sighed. She took a deep breath. “Thomas, be a peach and go check on your little spider friend.”

“That was Vivian.?!”

“She must have run into Rayna.” Winrey stated. “I have to clean up. I’ll be out in a moment.”

Thomas was already gone, out the door and down the hallway.

Winrey smiled. Jenna was a fool, you don’t pass up on someone like Thomas. Now if only his mother would hurry up and die. Jordan. That woman smoked at least two packs a day and still hadn’t kicked the bucket! Life was dreadfully boring without her. Plus she actually knew how to bake. Winrey took another bite of her “dry’ cinnamon roll.

When Thomas got to the main hall he collided with a mass of warm flesh. He found it to be an ankle. A giant one belonging to a woman much larger than him by many times. She had bright golden hair and bronze skin that radiated with a reddish glow. She was wearing a long silken robe that was red with golden trim. There was a slit in the side that revealed her bare leg all the way up to her hip. It implied she was wearing nothing underneath.

Thomas heard a squeal and looked to see she had Vivian held firmly in her left hand. The irate spider was stabbing it relentlessly with her two stingers.

Then their eyes met. Golden, shimmering, burning.

“Thomas Waldo. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Don’t-Arrrgh!” Vivian cried out in pain as this goddess increased the pressure on her body.

“Ms. Rayna!” Jasper barked. “This is highly unbecoming of a goddess!”

“Silence, mongrel!” The goddess bellowed. “Before I have your balls cut off.”

Jasper seemed to growl at that remark but immediately regained his composure.

“Spoiled, false god!” Vivian spat. She continued to stab futilely at Rayna’s hand.

“You of all should know that doesn’t work, insect.” Rayna smiled. “You seem to have a serious respect issue.” She squeezed again, causing Vivian to shriek.

“Stop it!” Thomas bellowed.

Rayna turned her attention back toward him. He flinched as she lowered herself down to one knee. From this new angle Thomas could see the deep valley formed from her  exposed cleavage. It further enforced the strong possibility she was nude under her robe.

“Very, brave aren’t you.” Rayna smiled. “Or very stupid to raise your voice at a goddess.”

“S-sorry.” Thomas said, He’d spoken out of  reaction but he had instantly regretted it.

“Don’t apologize.” Rayna cooed. “It’s a noble trait I adore in humans, but I’m afraid it’s wasted on this pathetic thing.” She squeezed Vivian again. This time the spiderkin only gasped and wheezed in agony. “She is incapable of such emotions.”

“Pr-pretender!” Vivian insulted. “You killed her didn’t you!”

“Please.” Thomas spoke up to keep Rayna’s attention and spare Vivian more punishment. “Don’t you think squashing a bug is a task not worth your time? I’m obviously new to all this but surely a goddess as it were has far grander pursuits worthy of her attention.”

Rayna smiled. “I know what you’re doing human...and I don’t dislike it. How about this?” She leaned in closer to Thomas until her face was only a arms width away. He could feel the heat coming off her body. She was quite the alluring woman. She almost radiated both beauty and sexuality. She breathed and it felt like the warm rays of summer after a long winter indoors. To his shame, he felt his arousal stirring.

“Join me.” Rayna said in a breathy voice. The sultriness of it, the subtle moan she’d emitted almost had Thomas at full mast. “We can find my beloved sister together.”

“Don’t listen to her!” Vivian screeched. “She’s a jealous cow titted, whore! She would lead you astray! She murdered Luna!”

“Enough!” Rayna snapped. “It seems you need to learn your place, bug!” Rayna rose to her full height and towered over them all. “I’ve learned in my lifetime that there is no greater teacher...than pain.”

“Learn your lesson well, speck.” Rayna whispered to Vivian. She grabbed Vivian’s arm between her thumb and index finger. The lower left one she’d been wearing Luna’s bracelet on.

“Don’t do-” Thomas went to-.

*SNAP* The arm broke like a twig.

Vivian wailed out in pain.

Time slowed as Thomas watched Vivian drop to the ground along with her limb that had been completely severed. A fountain of orange blood dripped from her lost appendage.

“Thomas Waldo!” Rayna addressed snapping him out of the trace of witnessing Vivian’s suffering. “Pay no mind to the mewling of my sister’s precious pet. Give strong consideration to my offer. There is no better ally you could have than a godd-”

“Enough child.”

Rayna turned to see another woman behind her. Thomas recognized her as Winrey, but she was no longer the tiny woman, trying and failing at cinnamon rolls. She was tall, taller than Rayna, and adorned form the neck down in deep black armor.

“Mother!” Rayna bowed. “I thought you were busy.”

“Someone has called upon me.” Winrey stated. “I can’t very well show up to a battlefield in a frilly dress and apron….Although?.......” She shook her head. “Maybe another time. I do wish you would refrain from breaking your sister’s things in her absence. She won’t appreciate it. That would be unwise for you.”

“I’m not afraid of her mother!” Rayna boasted. “My power has only grown in her death. I pray for the day she comes back so that she too may bask in the sun’s radiance! I will-”

“Begone.” Winrey sighed and Rayna vanished within a flash of light. “Children.” Winrey went to the wall and inspected each of the giant weapons that adorned it.

“Jasper where am I going?”

“Cor Draghnar, mistress.” he infomed.

“Ugh. Dragons!” She sighed. “I guess I’ll need a sword then.” She hefted the large two handed blade from the wall. “I appreciate your restraint in that matter, but don’t feel hindered by my orders. Rayna could use a bite to the ass every now and then.”

“I will take it under advisement.”

“She didn’t kill, Luna.” Winrey spoke down to a stunned Thomas. “She loves her sister too much. Besides that, Rayna is not skilled at shadow games, she doesn’t have the intelligence to murder Luna without leaving a mess.”

“I uhh..It must be difficult being a parent.”

“Hmph.” Winrey smirked. “Rayna’s grown arrogant in Luna’s absence. Without the moon her power grows unchecked.  Be wary. Just because she didn’t kill her sister doesn’t mean she wants her back.” A helmet appeared out of thin air. A wicked black headpiece with the skull of a great lizard imbedded into the iron.

“FIND MY DAUGHTER AND…….TEND TO THE SPIDER.” Winrey used the tip of her blade to point to the pool of orange blood. Vivian was gone and so was her arm, a bloody trail led down a hallway. “SHE IS MY DAUGHTERS BEST FRIEND IT WOULD BE A SHAME TO LOSE HER.”

With that Winrey vanished into a puff of smoke.

Vivian held her severed limb in her lower right hand as she carefully applied her webbing. It was a careful mixture of her thinner silk for weaving with her more viscous silk that was technically mucus. She could reattach her arm, but if would be careful and precise work. Her hand trembled and the arm fell on the ground.

“”Dammit!” she cursed. She could feel her tears stream down her face. “Clipse that glorified lightbulb!” She had to be the one that killed Luna! She remembered the day. She remembered seeing Luna fall into the ocean, leaving a crater in the reefs. A simple comet shouldn’t be enough to kill a god! Something foul reeked of the whole situation and Vivian knew that the goddess that shined brightl was involved. She had the most to gain. She picked up her arm again. It was crucial to line it up correctly so the ligaments would reconnect when she healed but her nerves were getting the better of her. She should have kept her fool mouth shut! She was just a bug afterall! She had no business mouthing off to a goddess. She was just an insignificant wall crawler. She’d only even gotten her job because Luna had put in a good word for her. She didn’t deserve anything she had. She didn’t deserve Luna.

“You okay?”

Vivian looked down from her place next to Luna’s bedside. She had he own special pillow there.

“Go away.” She whimpered.

“Can you send down a line or something?” Thomas yelled up to her. “I can’t climb that high!”

Vivian ignored him.

“Jasper gave me news on Luna!” He added.

Vivian knew it was bait, but she shot down a thread anyway just for the chance to hear anything about her mistress. When she felt a tug she yanked him up.

“You were right.” He said as she pulled him up. “Jasper said that there’s an energy surge at the Reefs. We’re going to the Emeraldine Islands.”

Vivian went back to her task of trying to reattach her arm. She dropped it again.

“Clipse it all!” She broke down into a bawling mess.

“Easy now.” Thomas put his hands up to approach her.

“Go away!” Vivian croaked. “You can find Luna on your own! I’m sure Winrey promised you what you wanted. You don’t need me now! No one does!”

“Luna does right?” Thomas tried. “You’re her best friend.”

“I’m her pet, human!” Vivian bellowed. “ The bug you find in your lawn and keep in a glass jar! She won’t want me if I’m broken!”

Vivian picked up her arm for a third time and tried again, but she was shaking so much her arm fell out of her palm and rolled towards Thomas’ feet. He picked it up.

“Let me help you.” he said.

“Why?!” Vivian hissed. “You don’t like me! I’ve treated you like trash since you got here!”

“Not true.” Thomas countered. “That muddle beetle was pretty good.”

Vivian turned her head. She’d forgotten all about that.

“Here.” Thomas took Vivian’s severed arm by the joint and pressed it into the broken socket where it had been crushed. “Tell me what to do.”

“Twist it.” Vivian whispered. He complied twisting it slowly until it sunk deeper into Vivian’s open wound. A few more twists and in slid in, in one push quicker than Thomas had intended. Vivian winced and whined as it cracked open her damaged exoskeleton.

“Sorry!” Thomas hastily apologized jumping back.

“No.” Vivian said. “You lined it up right.” She held her arm in its place and tried to move the fingers of her severed limb. It was numb but they just barely wiggled. The nerves were connected.

“Have you done this before?”

“Once when I was a child.” Vivian explained. “I fell out a tree. My mother helped me back then. Of course it was a lot easier back then to. Could you…” she paused. “Could you please hold it steady for me?”

Thomas took her arm in his hands and held it firmly in place. With it secure, Vivian bent down and spit up more silk from her mouth and mixed it with the stuff from her hands. Slowly she weaved a makeshift  cast for her arm. When she was done she gave it a few test rotations.

“I won’t be able to move it for a while, but I think I’ll be okay.” ….”Thank you.” She added.

“So...Rayna...there’s some history there I take it?” He tried.

“Can we not talk about her.” Vivian requested.

“Is this Luna’s room?” Thomas asked. He looked about the massive bedroom with constellations painted on the walls, star shaped pillows, and a rug shaped like the moon. “She has a theme.”

‘She hasn’t lived here in decades.” Vivian said. “This is more like a rest stop for her.”

“Shame.” Thomas shook his head. “I was hoping to figure her out a little bit. Try to remember her.”

“You will.” Vivian said. “Luna believes in you and so should I.”

“You’ll be needing these then.” he said tossing her Luna’s beaded bracelet. Vivian clutched them possessively to her. She looked to Thomas. He smiled. Luna had chosen him for a reason and she was starting to see why. He was nice. It was as simple as that. She put them on the wrist of her injured arm.

“Thank you…...Thomas.” she said. “Let’s go find Luna.”

“Sooooo?” he smirked. “I guess you’re Luna’s Mr. Krabbles huh?”

“Even with a broken arm I can kill you very easily, human.” Vivian smiled baring fangs.

“You are aren’t you?!” he teased. “You have a cute nickname too?!:

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

“Is is spiderkins? Webby? Silkypoo? Mrs. Web?”

“I’m only cutting you slack because I’m injured!” Vivian warned. “It would be so easy! I could end you without a second thought.”

The two moved on off the dresser and toward their next goal, one step closer to Luna. The moon who eclipses us all.

Caretaker Chapter 5: Back on Earth

“Humans are always seen as week and selfish.”

“Very fitting description considering…….”

“They are imitations of gods.”

                It had been two days since Thomas had went missing. Jenna woke up alone in his bed. She had to say something to him, explain herself, but he hadn’t returned her calls. After walking in on her with Markus he’d just vanished. She decided she wouldn’t leave until he returned, but she was starting to get worried. It wasn’t like him to just disappear. She remembered the look on his face as Markus had held him down. Eyes watered, face red, strained in both pain and shock; it was the look of anguish and heartbreak. She hoped that wouldn’t be the last time she ever saw him. ]

                She got out of bed and started getting dressed for the day. She’d brought some clothing and a few essentials from her apartment in an overnight bag. It was enough for at least a week. Thomas had to come back by then right. As she finished dressing she heard a knock at the door. She jumped up and ran for it.

                “Thomas!” She exclaimed as she yanked open the door fast enough to create a gust of wind. She sighed.

                “Not happy to see me?” Markus cheesed awkwardly.

                “Go away!” Jenna barked. She was tired of his little check in’s over the last two days. He claimed he was just seeing if Thomas had showed up, but Jenna suspected he also wanted to repeat what they had done. Not a chance! Not until she at least cleared the air with Thomas.

                “You need to leave!” She heard in a woman’s voice.

                Jenna pushed Markus aside to see a shorter, older woman behind him. She had womanly curves and the marks of experience on her face. The typical mom look that most young men fantasized about, with her low cut pink blouse and tight yoga pants. Markus’ mom, Bernadette Carter.  

                “You shouldn’t be here!” She chastised. “Thomas won’t want to see either of you when he comes back!”

                “You don’t know that.” Jenna said resolute.

                “You drove him away!” Bernie accused. “And now you have the audacity to keep fucking in his house while he’s gone!”

                “Mom!” Markus turned in shock at his mother’s words.

                “We haven’t-.” Jenna’s face was red.

                “It’s your fault this happened!” Bernie cut off. “You hurt that sweet boy and now he’s god knows where! He could be dead!”

                “We don’t know that mom!” Markus went to embrace her but she slapped him instead.

                “You both should be ashamed of yourselves!” She bellowed. “Be out by the end of the day or I’m calling the cops!” She stormed off down the stairs in a huff.

                Markus rubbed the red mark on his cheek. Bernie had not taken it well when Thomas wasn’t home when she’d gotten off work. She’d apparently convinced his boss to hire him back only for Thomas to be absent for the good news. It was…..awkward explaining what had happened that day.

                “We need to find Thomas.” Markus said.

                “I know.” Jenna said coldly as Markus’ obvious statement.

                “You try calling his mom?”

                “Of course I did!” Jenna snapped! “She hasn’t spoken to him in six months. He’s not there.”

                “Fuck.” Markus cursed. “If he doesn’t show up soon my mom’s gonna kick me out!”

                “Is that all you care about?!” Jenna seethed. “You’re not even worried about Thomas are you!?”

                “He’s a grown ass man!” Markus shot. “He can do what he wants. I don’t see why either of you are so worried about him. He’s just a beta who’s gone off to cry for a bit.”

                “What is wrong with you?!” Jenna gasped. “It’s your fault he’s missing! You could at least act like a human being and show some concern!”

                “My fault!” Markus roared. “You weren’t complaining when it happened!”

                “That’s because you came on to me!” Jenna yelled back in equal intensity. “I got caught up in the moment and you took advantage!”

                “Bullshit I did!” Markus grabbed Jenna by the shoulders and pulled her in close to his face. His eyes were intense. They were dark brown, alluring, alive with passion, she remembered those days, under the hot Afghani sun. Those same eyes. He pressed her lips against hers. Their tongues intertwined in a desperate embrace. She felt his hand on the small of her back, another on her breast. So good! They were meant to be together……NO!

                “Get off me!” She pressed her arms against his hard pectorals and shoved him against the guard rail.

                “Admit it Blossom!” Markus smirked. “You still have feelings for me!”

                “No I don’t.” Jenna rasped. “Whatever we had is over.”

                “Liar.” Markus said.

                “Thomas is a better man than you. Better for me.” Jenna stated.

                “No he’s not!” Markus seethed. He gritted his teeth and Jenna could see the rage. “He’s a nice guy sure, but he’s not right for you.”

                “Like you would know what’s right for me.” Jenna hissed.

                “But I do!” Markus stepped back into her space and looked her square in the eye. “I know exactly what’s right for you. I know who you are, the real you. You’re too much woman for little Tom.”

                “You’re wrong.”

                “I know what you’ve done Jenna. I know what you’re really capable of. You don’t need someone like Thomas. You’d hurt him. You already have.”

                “Stop!” Jenna cried.

                Markus leaned in and grabbed her again, rougher than before.

                “You need a real man!” He breathed into her. “Someone on your level.” He gripped her ass tightly and let his fingers dig into its softness.

                “Stop.” Jenna whined. She tried to break free from his grasp, but he was a built man. Jenna was tall, strong, but still a woman. She couldn’t match a man with four inches on her and almost thirty more pounds of muscle alone.

                “Someone who can control you.” He pressed his groin into her and rubbed his engorged member against her crotch over her jeans. “Someone who won’t burn in your fire.”

                A spark was lit. That cheesy line. He’d used it before. Back in the bunker. Their first time. He lean to kiss her again and…….she bit. Jenna dug her teeth into Markus’ shoulder past the fabric of his cotton shirt. She tasted blood. Delicious! He screamed and tried to jump back, but she held him. She kneed him in the junk, striking right between his balls. He buckled against the frame of the door. He was down on one knee. He struggled, but stood back up.

                Jenna felt the heat of his blood dribble down from her lips. She smiled at him. A sinister toothy grin. She cracked her knuckles and then decked him across the face. Markus fell backward out onto the concrete walkway.

                “Maybe you’re right about me.” Jenna snickered. Then she shut the door in his face.

                He watched as the larger man picked himself up and stumbled away defeated. He’d seen it all from his vantage point across the street. He took a puff of his cigar and nodded to himself.

                “So that’s Jenna Broasoni, huh?” He puffed out a ring of smoke that formed around the door of Thomas’ apartment. He looked through the ring, through the door, down the hall, and through the door of the bathroom. Jenna was wiping some of the blood off her face and shirt. She then disrobed and started the shower.

                He whistled taking in the pleasant view of her nude form. Humans were always nice to look at. So close to divinity in shape and design. They were true masterpieces, when they got off their asses and actually respected the temple they’d been blessed with. She saw a lingering bit of blood on her neck. She wiped it off with her index finger and put it in her mouth. He could hear her let out a small moan.

                “She’ll do.” He said.

Caretaker Chapter 6: Emeralds last Forever

“There was a kingdom here once with a beautiful princess.”

“They fled some time after the moon fell.”

“I met her in person. Don’t remember much about her except for one thing.”

“She called me “dear”....like a LOT!”

Thomas’ arms were getting sore. He really had to workout more. Perhaps he was working out now? Rowing was good exercise. Except exercise was generally enjoyable yet Thomas only felt irritation. Perhaps it was at the corpse of a what looked like a small child floating by. He couldn’t recognize what race it was but it had horns. It eyes were closed and it almost appeared peaceful and resting, the grieving wails of its father betrayed the truth of a rest it would never rise from. It could also be the complete indifference his partner showed at the tragedy around them! Vivian paid no attention towards the aftermath of Mr. Krabbles wrath. She fiddled about with her T-glass as per her default even as they floated past the yells of relief workers and crying citizens. He watched the father swim out the the child and pull him ashore. He pressed his hands against the the small things chest and breathed into his mouth. Suddenly the child erupted with life as they coughed out some water. Thomas smiled.

“Aw!” Vivian cooed. “Does the fact that boy is still clinging to life bring you joy, Thomas?” She grinned. “The gods must shine upon him.”

“Do you have to be so cold?” Thomas glared at her. “This is horrifying. A disaster we caused.”

“Only tangentially at best.” Vivian dismissed. “In a week this will be all but forgotten and Bloomstor will have new waterfront property.”

Thomas sighed. He realized there was no point trying to change her. “You could at least help me row.”

“I have a broken arm.” Vivian said. Vivian waved her casted appendage that Rayna had snapped off.

“You have three more!” Thomas snapped. “Plus whatever those things are.” He pointed out her stingers.

“They’re arms...well I guess technically legs. I don’t actually have arms.”

“Those aren’t arms?”

“I’m a spider, moron.” Vivian hissed. “Stop trying to define me with your human limitations and row like a good monkey.”

Thomas sighed.

Thomas didn’t believe in fate, but he also couldn’t argue with it. Remnants of Luna where supposedly lingering near the Emeraldine Isles and for the first time in centuries the passageway to them had not been blocked by tidal waves, whirlpools the size of continents and an everlasting storm so violent lightning struck anything that dared venture its path. All because the goddess of the Emeraldine ocean had stopped throwing her tantrum and been reunited with her beloved pet. A pet reawoken because of him and Vivian. He’d only wished it hadn’t cost so many lives.

He peered over the edge of the personal cruiser Vivian had strong armed off the Bloomstor travel Authority. The water was green. It started as a tealish, seafoam tint but the closer they got to their destination the more it turned into a deep emerald, there were sparkles in the water that glimmered and snapped like tiny fireworks.

“It’s Coral.” Vivian said. “She knows and sees everything that happens in her ocean. Don’t think for a second she isn’t aware of us.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Thomas nearly shouted over the sound of crashing waves against the cruiser.

“I don’t know!” Vivian spat. “God’s are fickle. The key is to be aware while trying not to think about it. At any time a number of gods could be observing you. You really think Winrey doesn’t have her eye on us?”

Thomas gulped at that thought.

“Just relax, Tom.” Vivian assured. “We still have a long way to go.”

Night came. Vivian anchored the cruiser so they could rest in its modest cabin. It was comparable to a small yacht. It had a table, a few chairs, a stove and twin sized bed. There was even a small lavatory.

“Should’ve pressed him for the deluxe model.” Vivian griped. “I’ve been in closets bigger than this cabin.”

“You think he was holding out on you?” Thomas questioned.

“Probably.” Vivian whined in remembrance of the beard faced man they’d “bartered” with. “I should have threatened to eat his nads and not his face.”

“I can’t really blame him considering you stole this.” Thomas said before biting into a yellow apple that tasted better than any apple he’d ever eaten. It was part of some provisions and supplies provided by Jasper before they left.

“Hmmph.” Vivian snorted swallowing two apples whole. “I didn’t hear you complaining at the time.”

Thomas paused.

“Hah!” Vivian snickered. “You have nothing to say do you!? Quick to chastise the cold hearted spider but content to reap her rewards!”

“It’s just…..it’s.” Thomas was caught. Vivian had a point.

“Just what? Just that you’d be stuck wondering the streets of Bloomstor? Probably taken advantage of without kind, beautiful Vivi to protect you?”

“Thank you.” Thomas said begrudgingly.

“Clipse.” Vivian sighed. “You’re such a pushover. My siblings would’ve eaten you the moment you were born. One little tease and you cave. You need to fix that.”

“You have siblings?”

“Hundreds, thousands by now probably.” Vivian gazed off for a moment. “But I don’t want to talk about that. Especially with you sitting there as dead weight.”

“I’m not dead weight!”

“You are.” Vivian hissed. “We have no idea how long this journey is and I’m not carrying you the entire way while also listening to you bitch about my methods.”

“Isn’t that you’re job!” Thomas argued.

“Semantics.” Vivian said. “I don’t plan on babysitting you Tom. Time to nut up a little big man. Tell me you at least know how to defend yourself!”

“I….uh….I did archery once at summer camp.”

“Summer what?”

“It’s like uh, you know?” Thomas struggled to find a way of describing it to someone who had no concept of it. “It’s like your parents send you away to a camp for a few months to learn different skills.”

“So it’s like survival training! That’s great!”

“It’s actually more like a vacation.” Thomas blushed.

Vivian narrowed her eyes.

“But I did learn how to forage a little, but….I kind of doubt that knowledge applies here. And I know how to make a fire, and purify water, and archery, and knot tying!”

“Knot tying?”

Thomas shook his head.

“They teach you to fire a gun at this little camp?”

“No!” Thomas gasped. “I was like ten years old!”

“Clipsing….fuck!” Vivian went to the corner of the cabin and hefted up a large duffel bag and tossed it onto the table. She opened it up and began searching for something.

“Yes!” She exclaimed pulling out a black metal tube. “Take this, meat.” she tossed it to him.

“What the hell is this?”

“A taser is a close enough description.”

Thomas inspected the device and found a small silver button on its side. He pressed it with his thumb and it slid up. In an instant the tube shot out to a rounded tip right into his throat. It beeped and a white spark flew into his eye before and intense pain shot through out is hody. It spasmed beyond his control as his eyes rolled in their sockets. All the while Vivian was laughing uproariously at his plight.

“I told you it was a taser, dumbass!”

Forced to drop the device, Thomas gasped in relief from the stun. Drool had run down the side of his mouth and onto the color of his poncho.

Vivian picked up the still sparking, shock rod and turned it off. “Keep this on you. It probably won’t stop anything big but it could might kill a human child, or a dog or something.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’m serious here, Thomas.” Vivian continued. “You need to learn to defend yourself. I might be able to make you a bow, but that’s not enough. Don’t let your guard down just because you’re some kind of zombie man. There’s plenty of things out there skilled in killing the dead. Level up!”

Thomas nodded as Vivian went toward the cabin door.

“Where are you going?”
“Fuck this hippie shit.” Vivian said pointing toward the apple he was eating. “I need meat!”

Thomas stared at the cabin ceiling for hours. He couldn’t sleep. In fact he actually seemed more energized than he had throughout the day. When he concentrated he felt like he could see the stars from beyond the cabins frame. Colorful nebulas and constellations that shined brighter in the sky than anything he’d seen on Earth. Was earth out there somewhere? And the moon! It was mesmerizing. Even cracked in half it looked divine. He could almost imagine Luna’s face. Pale, delicate, with long hair.

“She won’t let you see me, Thomas. Not yet.”

He heard a splash! Then a familiar cackle...and then.

“Let me go you bitch!”

“What?!” Thomas gasped. He jumped up off the cot and dashed out to the commotions. He turned the corner of the bow to see Vivian, but not just her. Something else, something incredible. Suspended in the air by an intricate net of webbing, struggling to no avail, screaming and gasping and scratching at the air was a creature of pure imagination. She had long, beautiful green hair, shiny skin the color of a starfish speckled with gold and silver scales that ran down the line of her belly button to her bare nakedness forming a fishes tail where her legs and everything else should be. A mermaid.

“Catch of the day!” Vivian smiled wickedly.

“Vivian what are you doing?!” Thomas shrieked.

“Don’t worry I’ll share.” Vivian chuckled. “Plenty of good meat here. I hear mermaid tails grant immortality. Won’t that be fun?”

“You can’t!” The mermaid screeched in panic.

“Law of the ocean says whatever you catch is yours!” Vivian taunted. “Don’t worry I won’t eat all of you! You can live with just your top half right!?” She leaned in closer with her fangs bare. The mermaid got a glimpse of her razor sharp maw! A row of needle like teeth ready to crush and sever her tender meat.”

“Vivian, enough!” Thomas shouted.

“Back off, Tom!” Vivian hissed. “I’m not passing up the first good bite I’ve had all night! If you’re too squeamish I’ll eat your half!”

“I said enough!” Thomas repeated brandishing his taser rod.”

Vivian’s eyes widened. Her  mouth opened wide in a terrifying grin as she stood to her full ten feet of height. Thomas had forgotten she was that tall.Over twice what he was. She started laughing. “I told you to grow a pair and you did! I’m so proud! Now back off before I cut one of your legs off!”

“Viv!” Thomas stepped forward. “D-don’t make me hurt you!”

“Really, Tom!?” Vivian hissed. “You’re risking your life over a glorified goldfish! This is the hill you wanna die on?! Give it your best shot, monkey boy!”

Thomas charged. He pressed the business end of the taser right into Vivian’s lower abdomen. She visibly flinched but not much else. She laughed and swatted his face with her lower arm then used it to clutch his wrist. He dropped the baton almost instantly and she kicked up to her remaining free arm.

“Good effort!” She beamed before pressing the taser into his right cheek. “I hope you learn from this, Tommy boy!”

Thomas gripped the rod with both hands and yelped as more volts of electricity ran throughout his body. His veins felt like hot magma was running through him and he couldn’t stop the shaking. “V-v-v-v-v-v-v-viv-viv-vian! P-p-p-p-p-p.”

“P-p-puh, what?!” She mocked.

“P-pl-pleease d-d-d-don-on’t ea-ea-e-e-eat  he-he-her!”

“Goddess.” Vivian sighed. She looked at Thomas; truly a pathetic, human mess. She looked at the mermaid. He skin turning from orange to pale as she weeped. This wasn’t even fun anymore. She cut the line. The mermaid dove into the water faster the a virgin rabbunn on matting day. She turned off the taser and Thomas collapsed in a heap. She caught him before his face could hit the floor. She stood him up and ruffled his hair a bit. “You’re making me soft, human.”

Thomas was now responsible for catching Vivian some morally less sentient food at least by his pathetic human standards. This left him alone fishing or more like waiting next to another line Vivian had webbed up. He wasn’t allowed back into the cabin until he had an offering. He didn’t mind. Better than letting some innocent mermaid die. Plus the night air was pleasant and cool and he could stare at the moon which put him at peace.

“You saved me.” he heard. He looked over the edge toward the source of the noise. It was the mermaid from before. Thomas averted his eyes as she rose from the water completely bare chested.

“Don’t be shy.” She said in a voice angelic. “I just wanted to thank you.”

“No problem.” Thomas smiled. “Anyone would do it.”

“Not anyone.” the mermaid said. “You’re brave to stand up to that monster.”

“She’s not a monster.” Thomas defended. “She’s actually kind of nice once you get to know her.”

“She is!” The mermaid insisted. “She would’ve eaten me! But you stopped her. You’re a hero in my opinion, Thomas.”

Thomas couldn’t hide his smile. There was something very alluring about this beautiful creature. She held tight to the sensual myths of the maidens of the sea. Thomas couldn’t believe it. No one back home would.

“My name’s Emerald.” She said.

“That’s a nice name.”

“It’s very common for seafolk around here.” She smiled. “You deserve a reward.”

“No need.” Thomas said bashfully.

“I insist!” She pressed. “It’ll be simple.” She climbed up the side of the cruiser until her face was inches from his. He saw his eyes reflected in her own silver ones.

“A kiss from a mermaid protects those who travel the ocean.” She whispered. “You’re a very nice man, Thomas. I understand why she likes you.” Emerald pressed her lips into his. Thomas felt her salty tongue slither into his mouth and entangle with his own. He was breathless as they liplocked and her arms racked through his hair. He let his hand slide up her slick belly and grab lightly at her soft chest. She moaned slightly and whimpered. They broke.

“Wow!” he exclaimed.

“Delicious.” She smiled. “Mmmaybe one more.” Emerald went at him again. This time grabbing him a bit more forcefully. She pulled him into her and Thomas noticed she was quite a bit stronger than he was, and a bit larger too. He wasn’t a big man but Emerald seemed larger than a normal human girl. She tugged him so hard he lost his footing on the boat and fell into the water with her.

“Ooops!” Emerald chuckled. “I guess I got a little excited!”

“It’s okay.” Thomas said. “I’ll just call Vivian and.”

Emerald cut him off with another kiss. “Not yet!” She cooed. “Let’s have a little fun first.” That’s when he felt her hand on his crotch!

“Oh wow!” he squealed. “Uh isn’t this a little fast. I mean I don’t even know how this would work.”

“I’m capable.” She grinned dragging him in closer. “Just relax and enjoy for a bit.”

Something felt wrong. Thomas suddenly noticed they were moving away from the boat.

“Wait a minute.” Thomas whispered as Emerald continued to pepper him with kisses. “What are you?” The boat was further away now. So far he doubted he could swim for it. “Vivian!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.

“I’m sorry Thomas.” Emerald said. “You are a very kind man. I thank you for saving me...but my mistress’ will is absolute.”

“Vivian!!!”

“What?!” The spider shouted. “I swear if you’re whining about not catching anything I’ll eat one of your eyes for dinner!” She jumped when she noticed Thomas out at sea with that scaled fish.

“You clipsing, moron!” Vivian dove into the water.

Thomas was dragged underneath, deep. So far down any light from the starry sky had vanished. Emerald held onto him pressing her mouth forcefully into his face. He could feel the air in his lungs get sucked out and that painful burning began to return. She released him and a torrent of seawater filled his mouth then lungs. He started openly coughing and gagging as his lungs filled to capacity. He knew he wouldn’t die but the fear of death still held him. He opened his eyes and saw only blackness. The pressure of the deep only grew and was matched by the tightness of Emerald’s embrace on him. Then he felt a tug and she was gone and he was alone in the blackness. Left to drift at the mercy of the Emeraldine sea.

Thomas felt a sting at his neck.

“He’s still alive...I think.”

“Oh dear, should we help him?”

“Be careful princess, who knows what kind of diseases he could be carrying! Scurvy, plague, ocean madness!”

“There’s no such thing as ocean madness! Besides look he’s human.”

“We don’t trust humans!”

“I’m human, Posie!”

“No! You were EATEN by a human! Huge difference!”

Thomas erupted to life. He fell over backward and hurled out a torrent of ocean water that fell back onto his face. He keeled over and grabbed his aching stomach. He would never get used to drowning.

“He’s a moon worshipper! Kill him!”

“Calm, down!”

“Don’t kill me!” Thomas begged. He shook the water out of his ears and let his eyes adjust to the misty air of the earliest of mornings. “Where, where am I?”

“Far from home, I’m guessing.” said a woman with a voice that sounded like a singing mouse.

He stood up and was face to arm with caramel colored skin. He nearly collapsed as his legs threatened to give out beneath him.

“Careful, dear.” he heard from another voice that sounded like a solitary bell ringing in the wind with a hint of accent he couldn’t place. Before him where to women! One significantly smaller than the other. She was smaller than him even. She had wings and pointed ears and hair tied up in an elaborate bun. The other looked human but with the same pointed ears. She was taller than him. Possibly even a little taller than Jordan. She looked strong but dainty at the same time. Almost a living contradiction. Somehow pulling off elegant while having some of the thickest legs he’d ever seen.

“Who are you!?” he choked out.

“Show some respect!” The smaller woman said. “You are addressing royalty!”

She didn’t look much like royalty, wearing sneakers with a tight white t-shirt and overalls with….was that a Levi’s logo on the pocket!? She was from Earth!

“Former, princess.” She corrected. “Can’t very much rule over a ruined kingdom can I?” She giggled. She extended a hand toward him. “My name’s Elixs-no I suppose that’s wrong now…..you can call me…….Delilah. Yes! I would very much enjoy that! A pleasure to meet you, dear.”

Caretaker Chapter 7: She has two sides.

“What?!”

“Were you expecting some deep and insightful quote about Coral?”

“Well too bad, she sucks!”

-Danis White: Emeraldine Scribe. Last words before being devoured by Mr. Krabbles

“Where’s Thomas?” Vivian asked after swallowing. Mermaid flesh was surprisingly succulent. The fat was just the right hint of tender while also chewy.

“You monster!” Emerald cried from her positions suspended upside down, hanging from the frame of the cruiser cabin by an intricate netting of webs. A large chunk of her dorsal fin was now missing. She’d just watched in horror as it was consumed raw by a giant spider, her own blood still trickling from it only matched by the the color that stained her captors lips.

“You have  two more...for now.” Vivian said evenly. “Although I am still hungry.” She moved her clawed appendage towards her captive meal. “I don’t know if I can control myself much longer. If only Thomas were here to stop me...too bad.” Vivian struck deep into the already damaged fin and tore off another small chunk causing Emerald to shriek in pain. This mermaid was weak! She’d torn off an even smaller chunk than before!

“Talk!” Vivian barked before tossing another piece into her mouth. “Needs more salt.”

“I need to go!” Thomas exclaimed. “I-I need to find Vivian! I need to- Oh god! Emerald!” She’d tricked him! She’d-how had he even gotten to-where the hell was he?! Thomas’ brain was firing off faster than he could process. He was lost, stranded with two strangers, no way of getting back to Vivian, finding Luna! Was his journey over already?! Why had Emerald done this to him and left him alone! Was she behind Luna’s disappearance?! There were to many questions now and he was just a loser from Earth!

The two strangers just watched in mild curiosity.

“Ocean madness.” The small woman said.

“Hush.” Said the larger one. “Delilah” he remembered. “You need to calm down, dear. First tell us who you are.”

His brain rebooted. “Tom-Thomas.” He stuttered. “From Earth.”

“Nice to meet you Tom-Thomas!” Delilah giggled. “I’m afraid Earth is a ways away from here, but we’ll be stopping there soon enough.”

“Princess, hold your tongue! As your advisor I cannot condone further interactions with this human. He’s a potential threat!” Posie fumed. She fluttered between the empty space between the two of them and pushed her hands against her mistresses bussum. “I suggest we move along now.”

“Nonsense!” Delilah dismissed. “He looks harmless enough, besides it’s only neighborly to help a fellow earthling.”

“We aren’t earthlings!” Posie spat. “That’s why we’re here!”

“Ignore her.” Delilah said. “The transition has not been easy. Some of my more….stubborn subjects have been feeling homesick. Don’t care much for the human realm. Come along.” She said and started walking off. She stopped and looked back at him. They held eyes. “Well? Come, Tom-Thomas. We’re losing daylight!” He was expected to follow.

They travelled through a forest, through a swamp, and over a prairie. They walked for hours without slowing down. For so long Thomas’ feet began to hurt. All the while Delilah did not seem to tire, in fact she seemed in high spirits and enjoyed vividly recounting her own adventures as a princess and then as a ghost, and now a human. It was quite the remarkable story, so much so he wouldn’t believe it if his former narrow view of the universe hadn’t severely widened in scope by adventures of his own. She was an immigrant to Earth, fleeing a dying kingdom when their source of power had vanished. Being consumed in a fit of jealousy and fear. Taking over a human girl from the inside. Thomas worried this princess was perhaps not as kind as she appeared. Something to be feared.

“This girl, Delilah? The real one....You killed her?” Thomas spoke. His first words since they’d started this trek to parts unknown.

“How dare you!?” Posie started. “My princess was eaten by a barbarian that-”

Delilah cupped the fairy in her hands to silence her. A flash of anger was shown and just a spark of something dark seemed to flow off her. She took a deep breath and smiled anew.

“I don’t know?” Delilah said. “We don’t talk much these days. I think she’s frightened by me, or as much of her that’s left.”

Thomas gave her a questioning look.

“I’ve taken her body, her name, her life.” Delilah continued. “I know not if she wants them back.”

“That’s terrible.” Thomas said.

“Indeed.” Delilah nodded. “But I can’t afford the luxury of doubt. My people still need me.” She released Posie. “I hope one day she will surface again so we might share this world anew.”

“You are too hard on yourself, mistress.” Posie comforted. ‘You owe that human nothing.”

Delilah ignored her servant and continued on her way.

Soon enough the terrain began to change The fields of the prairie gave way to small roads of cobblestone. Thomas even saw buildings. Incredibly small buildings most of which he slightly taller than. Being the shortest of the group that wasn’t an actual fairy meant that Delilah towered over them. They were more scaled to Posie’s size then theirs and Thomas guessed he was about as tall as a modest two story home, which gave Delilah at least a story on him.

“Welcome to the Evercrest kingdom.” Delilah said with a hint of melancholy. “Long may it last.”

There was a job to do. Repair and relocation. The citizens of Evercrest needed homes. The human realm wasn’t catered toward the lives of the esshanti. Delilah had taken upon herself the task of repairing and returning as many homes to Earth as she could without her citizens knowledge. It was the least she could do for them. Thomas was an extra hand. He didn’t know much about repair work, assuredly not on houses so small and delicate but he could lift and carry as well as any mule, as Posie had put it. In exchange for his help Delilah would bring him along when they crossed over to Earth. Thomas didn’t believe it was that easy, that was if he wasn’t staring a portal right in the face. Not just that but he had already crossed over three times in fact. Carrying pieces of house and other structures between Outworld and Delilah’s basement assumedly somewhere on Earth.

“You’ve done enough, Tom-Thomas. It would be my honor to have you as my guest tonight. We can find you passage home in the morning.” Delilah offered as Thomas sat at her kitchen table. He’d had a shower, a shave, and a bowl of Frosted Flakes. He was on Earth. Detroit, Michigan, to be exact. Quite far from his home in California, but Delilah assured him that travelling funds were no issue. He could be home by tomorrow.

“I’m not going home.” Thomas was surprised to hear himself say.

“Really, dear?” Delilah smiled almost expectedly.

“Yes, really.” Thomas affirmed. “I have something very important I must do. I-I can’t stay here. I have…..friends looking for me.”

“Of course you do.” Delilah said. “I take it you’re looking for our moon then?”

“Psssh!” Posie scoffed. “The moon is dead! Cracked in half by a falling star! That’s why we’re stuck in this polluted slum! A wild gelse chase if ever there was one!”

“I knew you were special, Tom-Thomas!” Delilah exclaimed. “I could feel it!”

She stood up and hugged him. “I would be honored to help you on this noblest of quests!”

“Excuse, me!?” Posie blurted. “I can’t approve this, your highness. You barely know this mouth breather! The moon has failed us. Your loyalty to the old one is wasted!”

“Well then I guess it’s a good thing I’m the princess and you’re a glorified maid isn’t it?” Delilah spoke hugging Thomas tighter. “You don’t have to come!”

“What in the hell is this?!” They both heard in a deep roar of a voice. An incredibly tall black man with a shaved head and arms as thick as tree trunks. “Delilah! I know you ain’t in here bring no boys in MY house!” he yelled.

“Daddy, it’s not what you-”

“It’s bad enough you be bringing in this witchcraft and afronting the lord without you having no boys in my home! I ain’t raising no more babies!”

“Joseph!” Came a woman’s voice. “What the hell are you yelling about now?!”

“YOUR daughter has brought some strange motherfucker up in MY house!”

A broad chested woman walked in shortly after the taller man. Delilah’s mom by all assumptions. “Dammit Joe, you making us look like ignorant ghetto trash! Don’t be embarrassing your daughter in front of her boyfriend!”

“Boyfriend?!” Thomas shrieked. “No-no you’ve gotten it wrong.”

“No need to be embarrassed.” Her mother assured. “You two have fun, but not too much fun!” She winked at him. “Oh my baby’s growing up!”

“Damn, right not too much fun!” Joseph bellowed. “I hope you gotta job cause  I ain’t paying for no babies!”

“Get your dumb ass outta here Joe!” the mother roared pushing her husband out the room.

When both parents had exited Thomas finally looked toward his gracious host.

“I’m so sorry about that!” Delilah said as her skin completely blanched.

Thomas had made a decision, but there was still business to be had on Earth. Delilah had allowed him to make a long distance phone call to home. He couldn’t let his friends and family worry about him. He started with his mother. She hadn’t answered. He wasn’t sure what time it was in California due to the time zones. She could be busy doing a number of things. He hadn’t called her in months. Was she even worried about him. Still he left a long message explaining that he had taken some money he’d saved up and was travelling after a breakup with Jordan. It didn’t sound very believable to him, but his mother knew he didn’t take rejection well so she might buy it.

Next was Jordan. She hadn’t answered either. Not her cellphone, her home phone, he even tried his home number in hopes she was staying there. Nothing. That was strange. He was sure she’d wanted to talk to him at least to break up. He did it for her. His message was short. They were done. He woudn’t be coming back for awhile.

Finally was Bernie. She was probably worried sick. Truthfully he looked forward to talking to her and relaying what had happened to him. What had really happened even if she wouldn’t believe him. She was probably the only one who really cared about him. There was an answer, but not from who he expected.

“Who this?” He heard in a gruff voice.

“Markus?’ he whispered.

“Thomas!” Markus gasped. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Where’s Bernie?” He asked as calm as he could manage. “I need to talk to her.”

“She’s at work, bro.” Markus said with more than a hint of disdain. “Working herself to death to pay YOUR rent!”

“What?!” Thomas asked.
“Yeah! She’s been worried sick. About you, she took extra hours so the landlord won’t evict your ass next month!”

“Just let the apartment go! Tell Jordan she can have my stuff.” Thomas requested.

“Jordan’s gone!” Markus snapped. “I figured she found you and you both split town!”

“YOU don’t know where she is?!” Thomas snapped back. “I thought you two were together now! Wasn’t that what she wanted to say to me?!”

“She wanted to apologize, asshole. She still wants your scrawny ass over me! We’ll see how long that lasts. There’s stuff you don’t know about her. Stuff a civilian wouldn’t understand!”

Thomas hung up the phone.

“I’m running out of patience.” Vivian said. “And you’re running out of fin.” She snapped her jaws around a crispy piece of mermaid fin, she’d baked and salted in the ship’s cabin. The mermaid Emerald was being a huge baby about it too! It was common knowledge mermaid’s grew back there fins...eventually. She couldn’t be bothered to care even if they didn’t. This formerly finned fish fatale had done something to Thomas. Right now he could be struggling at the bottom of the sea in a forever drowning purgatory at best. At worst he could’ve been eaten! What could she do then?! This fish deserved to die!

“I don’t know!” Emerald repeated at infinium for the length of this living nightmare. “I was just following orders! I was told to drag him down and place a blessing on him. The sea would do the rest!”

“I don’t have time for this.” Vivian hissed. She would have to ask Winrey for help which would look like a failure! “I’ll make this quick.” She readied one of her stingers. A high dose injected in her neck would put her to a permanent rest.

“No please!”

Vivian stabbed!

Delilah was truly a genius. Not the Delilah he knew but the girl who had discovered a portal to another world. He wasn’t quite sure that girl was as gone as the princess believed. Why else choose to go by that name or live with her family? She was also prone to sudden changes in mood and speech. The princess often said “dear” while for uncertain reasons she would drop that term for long periods of time and seem all together more somber for it. Avoiding eye contact with him yet glancing at him when she thought he wouldn’t notice.

“Where do we start, Tom.” She said.

“Huh?”

“I said where do we start?” She repeated.

“Tom.”

“That’s your name right?” She said with a hint of irritation.

“Not Tom-Thomas?”

“Why would I call you that?” She shrugged.

“No reason.” Thomas said.

“This is pointless, Delilah.” Posie said, dropping her mistresses honorific title. “This unwashed reprobate knows not of the universe. He is ignorant to the leylines of of our world. He does not grasp the connections of nature and magic. Finding the moon, IF it even still exists is beyond him. We should cut our losses!”

Delilah growled. “I really hate listening to you.”

“And I hate talking to you!” Posie hissed. “I swear sometimes you are the most stubborn and pig headed princess in both realms!”

“I’m not sure where we should go?” Thomas said hoping to redirect. “I was on a boat with my friend in the middle of the ocean. The Emeraldine ocean. Vivian. I need to find her first.”

“The spider lady?” Delilah asked. “That sounds unpleasant.”

“Trust me she’s not that bad.” Thomas said. He’d recounted briefly some of his own story back on Earth. Just the broad strokes. It felt like nothing compared to what she’d been through but Delilah took the news with understanding and sincere interest.

“We don’t have a boat.” Posie said. “Even if we bought one on Earth I doubt it would be practical to try and drag it here.”

“We might not need a boat.” Delilah said. “I think we were meant to meet, Tom.” She said. “It is very fortunate indeed for you to stumble upon a master of void.”

Thomas didn’t respond. Most casual conversation was beyond him in this world. “Master of void?” Sure! It made about as much sense as mermaids, spider people, goddesses, and giant crabs. Why the eff not!?

“NO!” Posie screamed. “I will not allow you to put your very life on the line for this human nobody!”

“Posie, dear?” Delilah addressed her flying servant. “Do shut up.” She looked toward him.  “You will need to be a guide, Tom-Thomas. Be ready.”

Thomas gulped.

Delilah’s eyes went alight. Shining bright as her hands glowed.

“When the strings of two worlds align only I can open the door!” She spoke softly. Her eyes and her palms sparked with electricity. “I am the key to the door of possibility and I demand it opens!”

A portal in the fabric of reality opened.

Emerald opened her eyes. She was surrounded by water and the glimmering lights of emeraldine jellies. They swayed around her jovially as the lit the depths with there iridescent green illumination. She was home.

“How?” She whispered to herself. I should be dead.

“Come, now.” She heard in a familiar voice. The voice of her goddess, her mother, her queen. The voice of Coral. “I would never allow one of my children to come to harm in my sea. Never.”

“I-I’m so sorry, mother!” Emerald cried. She swam towards the voice and found herself embraced in massive hands. She looked up at the face of her creator. Not the face of a child but of a woman beautiful and regal. Hair flowing long in shining colors that matched her own. “I held out as be I could, but-”

“Shhhhhh.” Coral comforted. “I know Webby scared you, she just misses her owner that is all. It has been fixed. You did well.”

“She-she...she ate me!” Emerald lost control and broke down in tear that flowed out in salty bubbles. Her mother held her close. The girl most knew as princess Coral farther from her reality. Her mother was truly the only source of comfort in this harshest of worlds.

“You need rest dear.” Coral said. “I’ll have a nurse sent for you. There will be little lasting damage. Rest well knowing Webby has been duly punished.”

“Good!” Emerald seethed. “I hope she rots!”

Coral chuckled at her daughters spite. She gave her a few moments of comfort as she much deserved before sending her on her way. She would need to make proper time later, but there were much more pressing matters such as attending to her guest. Her most esteemed one, but first she must abandon this form she dreaded so. Being old, being responsible was such a cumbersome burden. She so wished her children would be more accepting of her preferred form. Life was so much simpler as a child, but it did not bring with it the reassurance Emerald needed. The respect one such as herself often warranted. Still. She took in a breath and let out the essence of Queen Coralessence of the Emeraldine Sea and became spoiled Princess Coral once more.

“She didn’t mean that did she?” asked the soft voice of a girl who had witnessed her interaction from behind the veil of deep sea kelp. Hidden from most like the dark side of the moon that was her banner. She had the palest of skin and dark blue hair. “That she wanted Webby to rot?” The girl held a small spider in her hands. It was pink and had a cuteness that contrasted with her carnivorous nature and callous behavior.

“No, she was just being a baby.” Coral assured. “She’s fine!”

“I told Webby not to scare people but she never listens.” The girl said.

“You just need to train her better, like I do with Krabbles!”

Princess Coral fetched her beloved pet dynastodan who had been making a meal of said kelp. She held him in the palm of her hand at this size he was a shadow of the titan that had devastated Bloomstor. Size alone meant nothing to her though. Regardless of the beasts truly titanic stature he would fit in her hand as long as she willed it for all things born of the sea were hers to control and it was much more fun to pet him like this. Of course if he ever ran away again well..that would be someone else’s problem.

“Your daughters a little bitch!” Webby spat truly venomously. “I barely made a snack of her and I refuse to be cowed by a seasalt sucking witch like you, so you can throw any notion of training out the window!”

“Webby!” the girl chastised. “What have I told you about language!?”

The spider flinched. “Mistress. We need to leave this place!”

“Nonsense!” Coral said. “We’ve been having fun right, Luna?”

“Yes!” The girl beamed with a smile as bright as a full moon. “And since you found Webby we can have even more fun!”

“Yes!” Coral grinned. “Who do you think is faster, Webby or Krabbles?”

“Webby!” Luna boasted. “She’s really fast when she shoots her webs.”

“Ah, but we’re underwater.” Coral said. “Mr. Krabbles is a great swimmer!”

“Don’t let her distract you!” Webby shouted. “He’s looking for you, for us!”

“Who is?” Luna asked.

“Thom-” Webby found her mouth shut. Water pressure used with godlike precision to choke the words from her mouth. She could do nothing Coral did not wish in her domain.

“Who?” Luna asked again.

“You know who!” Webby insisted. “You have to remember!”

“Do you know who she’s talking about?” Luna asked Princess Coral, her bestest friend.

“Just some human boy.” She said. “No one important.”