My (Monster?) Hero Life

The monster army made very little noise as they marched through the desert. Wallowing their defeat. Nobody liked to lose, and this was especially true for monsters. Kace sighed helplessly as he glanced around at the dejected expressions that surrounded him. 'Hm, hopefully, a warm meal can cheer them up.'

As Kace reached the pinnacle of the sand dune they were marching over, his eyes went wide with surprise first and then glee as the oasis city came into view! For anchored next to the city was a familiar sight, one that he could not be happier to see right now! The Freedom's ghostly sails billowed in the wind as a group of natives nervously pointed their weapons towards it.

As his closest companions came to join him, they almost could not believe what their eyes were telling them! It did not take long for them to start running towards the ethereal ship. When the natives saw the army returning, they suddenly felt emboldened when they realised that they suddenly had reinforcements!

A loud shout went up from the oasis in joy. However, that only lasted for a moment before they realised the army's leaders all looked happy to see the ship! The guard captain looked anxious at this sight. He had made several demands towards the Freedom, but all of them had been met with silence. 

Actually, he had not even seen a single crew member. He had even begun to suspect that it was some kind of abandoned, enchanted vessel. However, a few moments after they had yelled, an indescribable pressure had suddenly emanated from the ship. 

"Back up!" The guard captain quickly shouted to his group as a nervous sweat flowed freely on his body. The pressure that was pressing down on him made him feel nauseous. As if only death awaited him if he hung around here for too long.

As the natives scurried to leave more room between themselves and the mysterious vessel, ghostly sailors began to pour out of its hull. Watching this happen made Kace laugh as he registered the fear on the faces of the natives. 'They probably didn't realise what they were up against!' Kace chuckled as his gaze fixed on the latest figure to emerge from the hull.

Josh emerged with a calm expression on his face as he stared towards Kace and the army behind him. At the same time, the pair of them broke into wide grins. As they reached each other, they grasped their arms in greeting and laughed.

"Never thought I'd see you here!" Josh chuckled as he gestured at the city behind him.

"You're one to talk! I thought you disappeared to do your own thing? Did you miss us that much?" Kace teased in response.

"It's just a coincidence!" Josh scratched at his chin before turning his eyes towards the Freedom. "In fact, I have someone here that insisted on visiting this place. However, he's been silent ever since we arrived. Something about not being able to sense a woman called Rysa anymore."

"Lady Rysa? What business does he have with her?" Kace cocked an eyebrow at his old friend inquisitively.

"Who knows. Perhaps you should talk to him." Josh smiled smugly back at him. "Since you seem to know something about the woman he's chasing."

Kace seemed to pause for a moment before voicing his answer. "Alright. Lead the way then."

"Brenden! Get the men settled. We could be here for a while." Josh called out to his lieutenant before waving his hand and making a hole appear in the ship.

"It seems like you've improved quite a bit since I last saw you." Kace nodded as he followed Josh inside.

"You think so? I can hardly tell." Josh shook his head helplessly. "Every time one of my crew mentions that I've gotten stronger, I don't realise it. It's like it was always my strength, so it never really feels like I'm improving."

Kace recognised a hint of sourness in the wraith's voice. 'Seems like he has his own issues to deal with.'

After that, the pair of them ascended through the hull's different floors until they reached the top deck. Josh halted in front of the door to the captain's cabin. Which brought back some nostalgic memories for Kace.

"Kace, I should warn you. This guy is a hero." Josh suddenly said with a severe expression. "However, he seems to be on our side. Still, you should exercise caution around him. As far as I can tell, he's extremely powerful."

"What's his name?" Kace asked as he cocked an eyebrow. Josh's words made him quite intrigued about this potential ally.

"Terrell Pierce. I found him locked away in what was supposed to be a burial ground. But there was nobody else there." Josh sighed helplessly. "I promised my crew new bodies, but it turned out to be a diversion. It seems like the real Necropolis is somewhere else."

"Terrell Pierce?" Kace gasped lightly. "His name was on a book I came across in Lady Rysa's library. I was considering taking a look for myself, but you seem to have saved me the trouble."

"Is that so?" Josh glanced at him curiously. "Well, we're in no rush right now, so we might stick around for a while."

"Well, if you need something to occupy your crew, you should go see Sophia. She can fill you in on what's been going on. To be honest, we could really use your help." Kace's tone was full of helplessness as he gazed at the cabin's door. 'We could use yours as well.'

"I'll think about it. Remember, don't piss him off on my ship. I don't want to have to clean up the mess." Josh chuckled before walking away.

Kace took note of the warning before knocking on the door. He waited for a few moments in silence before banging his fist on the door again when there was no response.

"I said I wanted to be left alone, Josh…" The man who opened the door paused when his eyes settled on his visitor. "You're not Josh. Who are you?"

Kace sized this hero up for a moment before responding. "I'm the Chimera, Kace."

Terrell looked taken aback by Kace's introduction as he stared at him with a blank look. Suddenly he swung the door wide open before stepping out onto the deck. He circled Kace with a curious look in his eyes as if he were analysing him.

"Not bad, but you've still got a long way to go. Oh! What's this!" Terrell sounded excited as his eyes darted at the air surrounding Kace. "This magic in your aura reeks of Sonja! Where is she?"

It was Kace's turn to be taken aback now as he slowly backed off from this strange hero. "She's not here, but her daughter…"

Terrell threw up a hand to silence Kace when he mentioned Sophia. "Not here. Let's talk inside."

Terrell ushered Kace inside before casting some sort of magic on the room. Kace had no idea what it was for, but he could guess that it was likely to prevent eavesdropping. Terrell gestured to one of the seats before taking one himself. As he sat down, he took a deep breath as he stared into Kace's eyes.

"Forgive me. I've been imprisoned for so long that I got over-excited at the first sign of one of my old friends." Terrell's expression became somewhat embarrassed. "What I meant to ask is whether or not you've found her yet? I already know about the tragedy that struck her city."

"Don't worry about it." Kace smiled gently to try and keep himself calm. "There's been no sign of Her Majesty so far. We're unsure of what fate befell her, but someday we'll return to that world and search again."

Terrell nodded at these words as if he had expected them. "Sonja won't have fallen that easily. She's bound to be out there somewhere. Since there's nothing you can tell me about her, let me ask you. Do you know anything about a woman called Rysa? This used to be her home. It's the whole reason that I came here."

"Lady Rysa and her child's remains are currently secure in a palace below ground," Kace replied after some hesitation. 

"Her remains? That's bullshit! If there's even a fragment of her body left behind, she can resurrect." Terrell's gaze turned fierce at that moment. Kace could see the doubt in this man's eyes as his aura suddenly spiked.

"It seems to be the result of some kind of curse she cast. We've captured the hero that seems to be connected to the incident some time ago." Kace replied with a steady tone. "I plan to have him shipped here sometime soon. However, I have no idea of what the curse actually is or how to break it."

Terrell's fury froze as he listened to Kace's explanation. Kace even recognised the look of understanding in Terrell's eyes which meant that he definitely had some idea of what they were dealing with! 

"Tell me… Everything…" Terrell's gaze became as sharp as steel as he glared at Kace.