Hi all! Annabelle Hawthorne here, and I'm back with the next exciting installment of "Monstergirls hitting people really hard."
New reader? Just go for it. Don't let the fact that this is chapter 114 or the fact that I typically average around 12k words per chapter deter you. I'm sure you'll figure it out. But if you're a completionist, you should at least go back to the beginning and read Ch. 001. It's all about how Mike (the main character) takes a bath.
Returning reader? It's so good to see you! Did you know this chapter will be the 150th post I've made on Lit? It's so hard to believe I've put that much content here, I still remember when I just had a few chapters and was so excited to see how many people were enjoying the story. This mad journey wouldn't have been possible without all your support, thank you so much for all the comments, stars, and (nice) emails.
This chapter promises to have some thrills, some spills, and the long-awaited return of GETTING LAID!!! It's been a bit of a dry spell, so I whipped up something special for you all. I super hope you like it!
As always, don't forget to check my bio for release schedules, I'm busy managing deadlines these days and don't want you all to be uninformed. I truly believe that the readers on this site are simply the best, and will keep working hard to give you the best content I can as long as you shamelessly keep encouraging me to do so. In that regard, it's almost like we've got some genuine
Family Bonds
The forest was little more than a blur, finally giving way to a large slab of rocks that extended nearly a hundred feet in the air. When Mike Radley stepped through the damaged hangar doors, it was to the sight of Bigfoot, Yuki, and Dana huddled up behind a concrete pillar that was now supported by an ice wall nearly ten feet thick. Dead mercenaries littered the area, and the remainder had holed up toward the back of the room in what looked like a control center. When Dana poked her head around the corner, a rifle cracked and she barely dodged it. Along the back wall, a cluster of shadows had captured Mace, the magical weapon motionless beneath the dark tendrils.
He frowned. There was no way this last group of men should be capable of holding off Yuki, let alone the three of them. Still unseen, he took a moment to scan the room to see what the actual problem was. He spotted it when he saw that Yuki's ice seemed to truncate in a straight line that crossed the hangar bay. With no effort at all, he examined the magic in the room and saw the truth.
Crimson runes blazed defiantly in his vision, combined into a giant, magical circuit that created a disruptive field. The runes weren't just inscribed into the surface of the walls, but ran deep beneath the ground. If Ratu were here, she could probably disable them by manipulating earth and stone.
The fairies circled up on him to hide inside his collar, and he felt a surge of ice pass through his skull. He raised the Grimoire up in front of his face to catch the bullet that came his way, then moved to crouch behind a pile of rubble. His heart raced as gunfire shattered the concrete around him, but he swallowed his fear and examined the book.
The Grimoire was indestructible, and the round had flattened itself along the cover. Mike peeled it off with the tip of his finger and then studied the tome. He thought back to all he knew about his own magic and what Beth had told him. While running to the secret facility, he had felt the magic of the land at his back. Something was happening inside of him, some deep epiphany that was about to rise to the forefront. By opening this book, there was a chance he was about to throw away something precious.
If he wanted, he could scorch the earth and leave nothing but ruin in his wake. But that was a path he didn't dare tread. What sort of spell should he ask the Grimoire for?
"I need the power to protect," he whispered, and the book obeyed. The pages flipped open to reveal several variations of spells that would protect him from harm. He studied these for a moment, then looked across the room. Shaking his head, he looked at the book again.
"To protect others." The pages flipped some more, and then his precognition pulled his attention to a small projectile that bounced off the stack and landed a couple of feet away. He scowled at the grenade and his magic shoved it into the air with a burst of light and static. The grenade burst halfway back toward its sender, peppering the area with shrapnel and causing Mike's ears to ring.
The Grimoire's spells swam before his vision, each one calling to him. He didn't like how some of them whispered seductively in his ears, promising him their power without revealing the cost. The book actually trembled in his fingers, causing him to pause.
A shadow creature bubbled up from the ground in front of him, forming a pair of bladed limbs. Mike glanced up at it in anger as the manifestation raised its arms and took a step toward him.
"
NO
," he said, and motes of light leapt from his body, punching holes in the dark spectre. Turning his attention back to the book, he felt his anger growing. He didn't feel like fucking around with the Grimoire any longer. Why hadn't Beth mentioned the whispering to him? Surely she would have brought it up.
Or maybe she couldn't. She had warned him that the power was addictive, a free ride to greatness. Perhaps she hadn't heard the whispers, or the promises the book made. Was it the book itself, or the spells within that threatened to trap him?
"I see," he muttered, understanding the trap that had been laid. The Grimoire of Morgan Le Fey was a compendium of power without judgment. He knew very little about the ancient sorceress, but understood she would have no reason to omit spells because of the danger they posed. Ultimately, it was the burden of the person using it.
Another grenade came. This time, a lightning spider jumped off his shoulder and grabbed onto the projectile, carrying it back the way it had come. Mike winced at the loud boom, then turned more pages.
It took some digging, but at last he found a spell that didn't promise power, didn't whisper to him like some insidious Shadow Man. It was a spell powered by his own magic and desire to protect the ones he loved. Rising from his hiding spot, he stepped to the left to dodge a quick burst of rifle fire and curled the fingers of his left hand upward.
His magic fled into the floor, raising a wall of silver and gold light that stretched to the ceiling. A squadron of shadows by the wall exploded into nothingness at the appearance of the wall, and fired rounds fell harmlessly on the other side. The others stepped away from the concrete pillar, looking at Mike in relief. He rose from his hiding spot, his whole body feeling strangely hollow. Though his intent was noble, he had stepped outside of his magical boundaries, and the price for doing so had left him drained.
"Thanks," said Yuki, then made a fist and created a large icicle which she pounded into the wall. The crimson circuits flickered in response, then sent out an arc of magic that tried to push her away. Dana ran to Mace's aid, cutting away the shadows to free the magical weapon. Bigfoot stood, his fur matted with blood. The cryptid moved toward the hangar door.
"The kids already escaped," he said, stumbling for the exit. "We need to catch up to them."
"Shit." Mike looked back at the opening. "Should we all go?"
"No." Yuki slammed a chunk of ice into the wall again, and the circuits faltered once more. "They'll only pursue us and make things worse. Once I break these runes, we'll make sure they can't."
Dana crossed the room to Mike's side. Her hair had turned gray, and there was a dangerous hunger in her eyes. "Tick Tock is chasing some of them through the other levels," she said. "Death and Cyrus are outside with the kids, but Elizabeth went after them."
