Chain Melody 2

“Wake up my precious little harpy, the fun is just beginning.”

The voice of a maid who was very twisted called the harpy’s consciousness back from her slumber. The harpy was not particularly normal and resembled a human maid far more than the monsterkin that she shared a species with. Her smooth fair skin was without blemish and highlighted her long red hair which was held in a ponytail by a blue scarf and held a large blue bead on either side of her cute face. If not for her large white feathered wings and tail, and stilt-like feet that were as long as her shins and ended in a four toed talon she almost could have passed as a human girl who was perhaps an acrobat due to her attire which consisted only of a custom white leotard. She was not an acrobat or human however, though as she opened her blue eyes she did not consider the maid before her human either as her senses were assaulted by the Builders’ Song.

♪~ Actor garbed in obscurity~♪
♪~ Behind the stage and clear of sight ~♪
♪~ With fingers cold and tied in string ~♪
♪~ Motionless and silent both ~♪
♪~ The victim not the twisted shadow ~♪
♪~ With finger twitch they dance and fall ~♪
♪~ Life and death are but their stage ~♪
♪~ Never the prisoner the Puppeteer ~♪

The song clearly omitted the black bustle dress wearing, porcelain doll-like maid’s description but there was no doubt that she was the Hero the Builders sung of. The harpy’s large blue eyes took in the smile of the Hero’s petite red painted lips and she shuddered. The maid giggled at the sign and caressed the harpy’s face.

“You’re so entertaining my precious little harpy, but I woke you for a different reason. Look around you and tell me if you don’t know where you are.”

The harpy did not want to do as the maid said but she was also aware that knowing her surroundings was an utmost necessity. Gritting her teeth in a weak show of defiance as she could do little more due to the aphrodisiacs that coursed through her body like a crippling drug cocktail she carefully scanned her surroundings. To her surprise she did indeed recognize them as countless books filled the walls of a library carved into a cave within the side of a tremendous chasm.

The walls of the chasm were not possessed of merely the singular library occupied by the harpy and maid Hero with raven black hair but held an entire city. Descending well over a kilometer into the chasm from which motes of light rose the city was the capital of Bright Rift, a kingdom situated on the broken grass lands that resembled a raging sear known as the emerald Sea. Its cities were built on the faces of the cliffs of the bluffs that gave the land its distinctive look as well as the walls of chasms as the three to five meter tall grass that grew in the grasslands were home to massive beasts that made building traditional cities impossible. That did not stop the people of Bright Rift however with the capital city being the shining jewel of the innovations. Cave and cliff side farms provided plenty of food for the people and airships of a design built around a central zeppelin carried so called fishermen who hunted the beasts of the Emerald Sea for meat and fat which was used to make the oil that was the life blood of the nation’s trade. Their cliff side lives had turned the people of Bright Rift into master stone masons, bridge and airship engineers, and hardy miners. All of this was reflected in their capital as bridges of tremendous size and able to carry entire neighborhoods joined the cliffs of the chasm the city was built in and countless airships of varying purpose threaded the space between the bridges. Hidden within the chasm daylight was brought in by an impressive mirror array that was a marvel of technological ingenuity that put even the airships and plethora of steam vehicles that lined the city streets to shame. When there was no daylight to bring down into the city however it was still well lit by streetlights and the glow of the lights that adorned the countless radio antennae that stood on nearly every rooftop. One such rooftop was where the library the harpy and maid Hero occupied was though it had no windows to behold the breathtaking city beyond.

“This… is Aperture... We’re in… the Soarmont… Adventurer… Company House…But… why?”

“Eh, he, he, he, he. Why indeed my precious little harpy? It’s because of all of the troublesome people that I’ve had to deal with and to fulfill my plans to wipe out the Stormroot Kingdoms. There was no better place to begin my grand design from. The political protection you adventurers enjoy and the swarms of easily controlled people that make up the masses here force everyone into a stalemate that I control. With so precarious a balance even the slightest shift will bring a war between the adventurers and Bright Rift that will spell the doom of Bright Rift. It’s such a shame I didn’t think about it back when I first returned after fleeing Highroot because of the Bandit King as I could have removed a number of troublesome obstacles back then. Perhaps I’ll blame the professor for seducing me. If I had met you first though I’m sure I never would have fallen to his wiles when you’re so much more attractive.”

The harpy had been listening for the most part but had mostly spent her time trying to further take in her surroundings. While it was true that she recognized the library it had been five springs since last she had been in it and she wanted to make sure it was still how she remembered it. From where she lay on a large book and map strewn table it primarily looked the same though she could not be sure as her senses were jumbled due to the aphrodisiacs. The effects of the aphrodisiacs and the last words out of the maid Hero’s mouth brought forth a sense of irritation in the harpy.

“I don’t know… what you’re… talking about… I’m still… a minor… and have never… once… felt a harpy’s… breeding instinct…”

The harpy noticed as she spoke that her strength was returning to her and that the crippling effects of the aphrodisiacs were starting to wane. The maid Hero was unconcerned however and took her elbows in hand and she gazed on the harpy with a smile.

“It looks like my aphrodisiacs are finally starting to wear off. A shame since I’d rather play with you longer but I need you to recover soon. While there hasn’t been any sign of the southern maid since she was offered up to the usurper in tribute I have to believe that she’s still on her way. But it’s four days here by airship from Highroot and it’s only been a three-day so I shouldn’t get impatient. Unfortunately, for my plan to work I need you to recover and go back to being Melody, student of Swallow Martin and partner to the Chainmaid. So I don’t give in to temptation I’ll leave you here to recover for now. When you’re ready come and find me, or maybe you should see why you’ll want to first. Eh, he, he, he, he.”

Giggling away the maid Hero took her leave of the library and the harpy, Melody, watching her go. Feeling powerless as her strength had not yet returned she lay on the table waiting and attempted to center herself as she did. Clearing her mind she took a deep breath and began to sing softly.

“♪~ The Builders sing of gentle breeze ~♪
♪~ What comes after rain and clears the air ~♪
♪~ Brhea’s breath so purifies ~♪”

With the words of song filling the air a gentle breeze blew through the library and Melody clearing away the lingering effects of the aphrodisiacs. Feeling her strength return and her head finally fully clear Melody stood up on the table and checked herself over. Satisfied with what she saw she hopped off of the table and made for the library’s main entrance.

“Finally, Link. I don’t know what’s going on or what that crazy, depraved princess is planning but I think she might be letting me go. That just means that I need to figure out where you are and get out of here. But if she’s letting me go what about Varen and the others. She had threatened them if I didn’t stay her prisoner so are they dead or…”

Melody suddenly gave her head a fierce shake to stop herself from thinking. Taking a deep breath she resumed talking to herself and a melodic tune found its way into her speech pattern.

“What am I going on about?~♪ She already invited me to see her and I at least once beat her~♪ Of course she wasn’t there personally and it was just someone she was controlling but it was still a win!~♪ She is being awfully confident though so I probably should see just what type of mess she’s really put together~♪ Once I’ve figured that out I can just simplify everything and do it like Link~♪ Of course I don’t normally do it as well as Link but this depraved princess will serve everyone better if I can kill her~♪ I hope you don’t regret it Princess Corvina of Highroot, but you’re the one who let me go and I’ve got quite a few days of animosity to take out on you! ~♪”

Smiling broadly Melody opened the door to the library and stepped out to see what she would have to face.

Copyright © 2018 Joshua D Tarwater