Chain the Infamous Chainmaid 5

The Emerald Sea. The region north of the Stormroot Mountains so named for the fields of three meter tall grass that grew on the plains that spilled out amongst the bluffs and fissures of the land resembling crashing giant waves of emerald hue against the mountains. High above it countless airships filled the sky resembling zeppelins entangled in gondola cars, rigging, and catwalks. They all flew the emerald and gold standard of Bright Rift, a nation built upon the cliffs of the Emerald Sea where none of the great beasts that roamed it could reach it. The cities built upon these cliffs held views unmatched of bottomless fissures from which motes of light drifted up without end and homed people refined by life in this strange land. Miners, cliff and cave farmers, engineers, bridge makers, stone masons and carvers, and most notably the ‘fishermen’, brave men and women who leapt with spears in hand from the decks of airships to slay the giant beasts of the Emerald Sea for their fat and meat. No fisherman or tradesman however compared in grandeur to the city of A Thousand Fathoms, Aperture.

Carved into the cliffs of the Trench of Nightyr the city of Aperture was said to descend a thousand fathoms deep where the most robust of mining operations took place. Above the heavy machinery of the depths of the city countless bridges connected layer after layer of the city that was carved into the cliff sides with a swarm of airships constantly filtering through it all. Steam carriages of all kinds filled the streets carrying all manner of goods, people, and services throughout the bustling metropolis which was littered with smokestacks and radio antennae upon nearly every rooftop. Daylight was sustained in the city by means of a tremendously impressive and complex mirror array which earned the city the nickname of the City of Dancing Light. For all of the city’s splendor however, the most distinct feature that caught the eyes of visitors was that there was no sign of a Remnant of Automina, the empire that fell from the heavens and brought an end to the Age of Ash. The lack of any sign of the ancient and technologically advanced empire meant little to the man who walked through the corridors of some hidden facility in the depths of Aperture however for he desired to forge a modern day empire to surpass Automina.

Professor Plume Beaks was a man of many a visual contradiction. He was tall, frail, and gaunt appearing but was rather beautiful and carried himself with tremendous strength. He had heavy, greasy hair that stood up in wild spikes and narrow eyes possessed of a silver color. Those eyes took in the world from behind the lenses of a pair of glasses adorned with further adjustable lenses and devices and set the tone for the rest of his attire which mixed practical with gaudy. Black pants and boots along with a black button-up shirt with upturned collar and undone cuffs showed a practical man but a coat that was worn like a cape and held in place with decorative gold chains and resembled an unholy union of lab coat and dress military coat with epaulette adorned padded shoulders told a different story. He was a flashy and colorful man to be sure but that afternoon he held a stern expression as he walked through a pair of solid double doors.

“Eh, he, he, he, he. You look unpleased professor. Does that mean you don’t like the variable that has finally appeared in my grand design? Oh do please tell me what it is that has happened. Though I’m sure I already know. Eh, he, he, he, he.”

As he strode into what could only be called a plush and seductive bedchamber Beaks was greeted both by an assault of perfumes and the giggling of a beautiful maid with a face like a porcelain doll. Dressed in naught but a black silk negligee the maid with raven black hair and a tiny mouth with red painted lips lounged upon a king size bed adorned in the finest of red silk sheets, pillows, and curtains. Lying beside her and twitching as the maid stroked her face and waved an open bottle of a perfume-like aphrodisiac was the harpy Melody. Her eyes near watered from the sensations she felt coursing through her body from the effects of the aphrodisiac and her shuddering in resistance to those feelings caused the chains that bound her to make a twisted in its pleasantness jingling sound. The sight did little to interest Beaks who was there solely on business.

“Do you now Princess Corvina. I would have been delighted if you had told me of such a possibility so that such a series of events could have been better planned for.”

“You…! What… what… did you do to Link…?”

Melody reacted to Beaks’ voice with gritted teeth and strained against her bindings to glare at him. Her face was flush and her breathing heavy but there was no doubt about the rage and hostility she held towards the professor. Melody’s reaction drew a giggle from Corvina Stormflock, crown princess of Highroot and daughter of King Peregrine Stormflock VI.

“Isn’t she just amazing? She’s a harpy and practically poisoned with the amount of aphrodisiacs I have coursing through her right now and yet even the presence of a man was not enough to get her to give in. I’m starting to think she might be broken, but that just makes her more delicious.”

Grabbing Melody by the hair Corvina locked lips with the harpy maid who was both surprised and repulsed. Despite her struggles however the harpy could not break free as her strength had been long since stolen from her and something in Corvina’s lipstick stole whatever was left. Her eyes brimming over with tears Melody’s body grew limp causing Corvina to lose interest and release the harpy. Licking her lips she donned a mischievous smile as she looked with a scheming light in her black eyes at Beaks.

“She may not be broken though. You’ve heard how harpies mate and only lay one egg but give birth to two harpies haven’t you professor.”

“I don’t see how that matters right now Princess Corvina, but yes, I am fully aware of a harpy’s curse. Any man who would mate with one becomes a harpy themselves typically losing their sanity in the transformation. There is no known way to reverse the process and all research points to it being unlikely that the mate of the harpy can even have their sanity, no less original personality, restored.”

“Well you see, that’s what I’m wondering about. Harpies can only lay one egg in their life but if they mate multiple times they can still make many more harpies. From what I understand this harpy is still just a girl but looking at her I would think that she’s ready to breed. What I’m thinking professor is that harpies might be monogamous and that the maid from the south is her partner. I would love nothing more than to test that and see if a harpy’s curse extends to maids as well as men but I would need the southern maid brought here and her chainmail removed.”

The thoughts that Corvina’s train of thought led to left the maid giggling again. Beaks was not amused however as he had not come to discuss Corvina’s twisted interests.

“You know that is impossible Princess Corvina. Even as we speak the Chainmaid is to be offered up as tribute to the Bandit King and it is most likely that he will kill her either in retribution or defense. The possibility of the Chainmaid attempting to kill the Bandit King to use his head as a means to retrieve her harpy companion is very likely.”

“No… Link… is… smarter… than… that…”

Melody could barely speak coherently and earned a smile from Corvina who gently caressed the harpy’s face.

“Don’t worry my precious little harpy, my wild pawn has yet to disappoint in her ability to make us Heroes fail. First the usurper and the Rattama Hero who could not kill the eastern Hero or the Rattama Song Smith in his care. Then the eastern Hero who could not vanquish the usurper. Even I failed to kill all of you thanks to her. My failure was of course followed up by those of that silly fisherman and the child pretender from the mountains. That of course means that it’s time for the professor to fail next. Eh, he, he, he, he.”

“I will be delighted to prove you wrong Princess Corvina.”

“I could delight you more if you’d like. But no, that look tells me you don’t want to play, though it would be funny to see my precious little harpy defeat you with a silly curse.”

Corvina pouted in response to Beaks harsh expression but still managed to entertain herself at his expense. Even so, the princess of Highroot seemed to finally find a more business like demeanor as she finally sat up her expression growing soured.

“I suppose though the time for fun and games is over and that I shall have to play my part in my grand design. So, tell me professor, what variable presented itself that would make you come here?”

“There were two actually, though by matter of technicality it could be counted as three.”

“Well that sounds like I have much more work than I should have to deal with.”

“It may be beyond your means Princess Corvina.”

Beaks words hit a sour note with the princess and her eyes narrowed revealing a darkness in their black depths that light could not touch. The sight of Corvina’s displeasure drew a smile to Beaks’ lips and the professor pulled a green apple from his coat. Cleaning the fruit off Beaks relished the princess’ look of displeasure before finally taking a bite out of the fruit and explaining what he meant.

“How delightful princess, even you can be bothered. But you should be. Misthead has freed the dragon god of the Stormroots and they have made for the south. For Highroot to be precise.”

Corvina’s eyes darkened as a quiet rage built up behind her doll-like features.

“Then those are two of the three variables that you believe beyond me professor?”

“That they are. Had the dragon gone anywhere else it would have been insignificant and naught more than a problem to deal with after the Bandit King. Not surprisingly however Misthead is in pursuit of the dragon and intends to meet up with our main force en route to Highroot.”

“Is the child pretender now a problem I can’t deal with professor? I did once before lead her to you like so many of your other test subjects so manipulating her should be of little difficulty.”

“Except that there are storm clouds gathering to the south of the Stormroots. As you cannot hear the Builders’ Song like myself however let me explain the significance of that simple event; the verse I forced the Builders to sing of for Misthead is now occurring in reality. What was once a simple ruse may yet become the truth. Depending on what happens in Highroot Misthead may become a Hero in more than my influence. If that should occur…”

“Then we kill the child professor. It is that simple. We kill her before she can be a threat to us. As I recall we have a Hero who can be distastefully and simply blackmailed into killing her for us.”

“It would be impossible for him to intercept her from here.”

“Then he can kill her on her return. And if it is instead the Bandit King that comes than he can kill him or the other way around. If things don’t work out and the Bandit King arrives here I can always use the fisherman.”

“If you free him he will surely try to kill you.”

“I have an entire city worth of people to sift through to find an army to use against him if need be. Besides that I have the foolish adventurers at my beck and call, or have you forgotten that I have ingratiated myself as the leader of the Soarmont Adventurer Company House here in Aperture.”

“I believe that is one of your puppets and not yourself Princess Corvina.”

“The adventurers are still mine to control however professor. And if you still desire to have a place in the empire you intend to forge I bid you to continue letting me control you as well. Now, deploy our precious little hero and have them cut off the heads of all of our remaining problems.”

Corvina suddenly paused and a smile passed over her face. Running a finger over her lips an air of mischievousness returned to the princess.

“And while we’re at it, why not motivate him to do the impossible by telling him to save the southern maid and bring her here. Eh, he, he, he, he.”

Copyright © 2018 Joshua D Tarwater