A Most Unlikely Hero, Vol 5, page 8
“D-don’t think I’ll let you…”
Michelle grinned as she bit down on Ariel’s earlobe. The startled gasp her actions produced pleased her, and the way her sister’s crotch became damp gave her a lot of satisfaction.
“You won’t let me what?” she asked, feeling smug.
Ariel gritted her teeth. “I’m not gonna let you win!”
Michelle yelped when, springing like a pouncing kitten, Ariel pushed her onto her back. Now the one being straddled, Michelle couldn’t keep a gasp from escaping her parted lips as Ariel fingered her pinions. Her sister traced the edge of her wings with a single finger, then punched a small section.
“Hyk!”
Her legs spasmed, her thighs quivered, and her breasts jiggled within the confines of her shirt. Ariel mercilessly teased her. The feeling of her sister’s index finger gently gliding up and down her wing, the most sensitive part of her wings in fact, caused jolts of unfathomable pleasure to cloud her mind.
W-when did she…
When had Ariel learned of her weakness? Michelle supposed it didn’t matter. She needed to do something soon, otherwise she was going to lose.
With the last of her flagging strength, she reached up and grabbed Ariel’s wings. Her sister yelped. The finger stopped stroking her, which allowed her to regain her strength and try to push Ariel off of her.
Her sister was physically stronger than she was, but all that strength meant nothing when Michelle was yanking on her wings like this. Even so, Ariel wasn’t going down without a fight. They rolled along the ground, pulling at each other’s hair, biting the other person, and ripping at their clothes.
This was the scene that Abel and Kane arrived to see.
“We finally found you—eh?”
Ariel and Michelle stopped fighting. They sat up and looked at Kane and Abel, who were gawking at them. The two soldiers’ faces were slowly getting redder, and for a moment, they wondered why.
Then they looked down.
Ariel’s shirt was torn, exposing her flat chest. Meanwhile, Michelle’s bra was undone, and her nipples were poking against her shirt.
“Perverts!” they shouted at the same time, swiping their fingers across the space before them.
Space distorted. Two tears, rips within the fabrics holding this dimension together, appeared like swirling vortices, and from within, creatures emerged.
Tall and long, its form towered over Kane and Abel, a goliath among plants as it stood there. Thick, rigid bark covered its trunk. Higher up, tree branches extended in every direction. They were long and seemed to move of their own accord. Unlike a normal tree, this one had a face.
“Grryyyaaaa!” it shrieked.
In the face of such a terrifying creature, Kane and Abel did the only thing they could think of.
They turned and ran away.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t a very good idea since, standing in the direction they turned, was another creature that looked just as vicious.
Thick fur covered its massive yet lithe body. It was dark gray, almost black, but white streaks moved through it like flowing cumulus clouds. Vivid yellows eyes were set on a snarling muzzle filled with a rictus of teeth. It was a massive wolf. Fenrir. One of Ariel’s favorite pets, which her mother had gotten her six months ago for her 15th birthday.
Fenrir roared. The tree behind them stalked over on large leg-like roots, shrieking all the while. Kane and Abel’s screams soon followed.
9
Alice and Jasmine were walking home from school. Jasmine had been complaining about not getting to see Alex as much thanks to her job and Alex being under a technical house arrest—not that being under house arrest stopped him from leaving. He still walked her to school every day. Anyway, she’d invited Jasmine over to spend the night. It was troublesome, but she figured it would be more troublesome to listen to her friend’s complaints.
Jasmine had readily accepted.
“Oh ho ho ho ho!” Jasmine’s smile was quite haughty as they strolled down the sidewalk. “It will be good to see Alexander once more. It has been so long since I’ve been able to truly hold a conversation with him.”
“I’m happy for you,” Alice said, sounding bored.
“Thank you, Alice. I am sure that Alexander has also missed me a great deal. It is only fair that I, the Queen of Benevolence, grace him with my presence and shower him with my l-love. Oh ho ho ho ho!”
Alice would’ve sighed, but that would have been too troublesome. Her friend also would have sounded a lot more convincing if she hadn’t stuttered when she said love. It seemed that, despite the confidence she tried to display, Jasmine was still an innocent girl at heart.
“Alice,” Jasmine’s voice had picked up a strange, hesitant quality.
“Yeah?”
“Is my sight deceiving me, or is there really a giant wolf and tree attacking two individuals down by the canal?”
Alice looked at where Jasmine was pointing. Again, if it hadn’t been troublesome, she would have rubbed her eyes.
Down below the grassy slope that led to the canal were two creatures: A giant wolf and a giant… tree. They were attacking two people with white wings.
What. The. Heck?
Alice did not know what was going on, but she understood one thing. This was too troublesome for her to deal with. She and Jasmine needed to leave right away.
She turned to her friend, prepared to tell Jasmine that they were leaving.
“Kya!” Jasmine shrieked as a long vine-like branch wrapped around her left leg and lifted her off the ground.
“Oh, crap! Jasmine!”
While Alice didn’t like troublesome things, Jasmine was still her friend. She tried to grab the girl’s hand, but it was already too late. Jasmine screamed as the giant tree swung her around like a pair of panties that had been successfully stolen by a panty thief.
“Dang it! Hold on, Jasmine! I’ll—o-oi!”
Several branches latched onto her. She tried to fight them off, but this tree was a lot stronger than she was. One of the branches slid under her shirt. Alice gasped and tried to pull out. She would never get the chance, however, because a second later, she was also lifted off the ground.
“Kyyyyaaaaa!!”
Their screams became mixed with those of Kane and Abel.
10
Alex and Nyx arrived on the scene to find Alice and Jasmine being swung around by a giant tree, of all things. For a moment, Alex couldn’t believe his eyes. However, even after rubbing his eyes, pinching himself, and pulling on his cheeks, the scene did not change.
“The heck is that?!” Alex shouted.
“It’s a nephiron,” Nyx answered. “It’s a sentient tree found on the planet Sephirot, which is one of the deadliest jungle planets in the entire world.”
“A sentient tree, huh? Now I’ve seen everything. And what kind of wolf is that?”
Nyx looked at where Kane and Abel were getting their asses handed to them by a massive furred creature with lots of teeth. “That is a dire wolf. They are found on the planes of Asgard.”
Alex nodded and made a decision. “If you don’t mind, could you cut the branches that are grabbing Alice and Jasmine?”
“What about those two?” Nyx pointed at Kane and Abel, who were beginning to look like mincemeat.
“They’ll be fine,” Alex said dismissively.
“Understood.”
Massive black wings like a crow’s sprouted from Nyx’s back as she transmuted her clothing. With a great flap, she launched herself into the air and flew at the nephiron.
Alex called upon his energy, the Aura of Creation engulfing him as he ran toward the nephiron as well, which he directed toward the bottom of his feet. He struggled a bit. However, he eventually began shooting timed bursts of energy to his soles, which propelled him forward far faster than if he had run.
“What’s going on? Is it a battle?”
Unfortunately, with the power flowing through him, the two voices also came back.
“I do not know if this could be called a battle. It looks more like a string of unfortunate situations often found in a comedy.”
Could you two please shut up and let me work?
“No.”
Tch! Figures.
Nyx had reached the nephiron before Alex did. She had already transmuted two armbands into a pair of swords, which she used to slice through the tree branch that had grabbed ahold of Jasmine. The girl fell to the ground with scream. Alex leapt into the air, catching her in his arms and then skidding across the ground after landing.
“Whoo, that was a close one,” he said.
Jasmine’s eyes, which had been closed, suddenly snapped open and locked onto him. “A-Alexander?”
“Hey, you okay?”
“Uh… I think so…”
“Can you stand?”
Alex had been expecting her to say something like, “Oh ho ho ho! Who do you think you’re talking to? I am Jasmine, the Queen of Standing! Oh ho ho ho!” What he did not expect was for Jasmine to wrap her arms around him and bury her face in the crook of his neck.
“I can’t walk. Please carry me, Alexander.”
He wanted to tell Jasmine that he still needed to rescue his sister. However, upon looking up, he found Nyx slicing through the tree branches that held Alice. The pretty assassin caught the screaming Alice in her arms and flew over to him.
“Alex!” Michelle shouted as she ran up to them just as Nyx landed.
“Michelle? Ariel?” He blinked as a piece of the puzzle suddenly clicked into place. “Is this your doing?”
While Ariel just huffed and turned her head, Michelle had the decency to look embarrassed. “Ah, yes. I’ll explain it on the way back to your house, if you’d like.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I can already guess as to the majority of what happened, but a thorough explanation would be nice.”
Michelle clapped her hands. “In that case, we should get going,” she said as Nyx set Alice on her feet.
The group moved off, getting back onto the road and traveling back to Alex’s house. They ignored the screams of Kane and Abel coming from behind them. As they walked, Jasmine unburied her face from his neck and stared at the two newcomers.
“Alexander, who are these two girls?”
Alex sighed. He just knew there was going to be a lot of explaining going on within the next few hours.
11
Gabrielle was waiting for everyone when they got back. The wall had also been repaired, which was a pleasant surprise.
A flabbergasted Jasmine and Alice had stared in shock at the enhancements made to the house. Alice was especially surprised since when she left, the house had been in shambles.
Alex had been forced to explain what Gabrielle had done to expand the house. Gabrielle, bless her soul, had chipped in and tried to explain the intricacies of dimensional theory and its applications in space expansion.
Neither Alice nor Jasmine had understood a word of it.
Everyone sat in the living room, though Alex didn’t know if living room was an apt description anymore. Like the rest of the house, the living room had been expanded. It was now three times its original size. Soft carpet covered the floor. The sofas had been replaced with a leather couch that possessed an organic appearance and curved around in the shape of a U. Replacing the holovid was a small floating orb called Mr. TV. Apparently, it not only picked up channels found in this solar system, it also picked up alien channels from the rest of the galaxy.
Alex could do nothing but shake his head.
Several explanations had taken place. Alex had introduced Ariel and Michelle to Jasmine, who seemed put out by their presence.
Jasmine, her drill-shaped blonde curls framing her aristocratic face, frowned at the two newcomers as if they had personally insulted her. She had crossed her arms. Despite being shorter, only coming up to about his chest, her breasts were large. When she crossed her arms, the action caused her breasts to squish together.
Michelle had also explained hers and her sister’s circumstances. Alex had already assumed that they had run away from home—they were Gabrielle’s sisters, after all. However, their circumstances did not seem as dire as Gabrielle’s.
“We got tired of doing nothing but studying, so we decided to visit Big Sis,” was what Ariel said.
Alex was sure there was more to it than that, but he let it go for now. After everything had been thoroughly explained, he decided what to do.
“I don’t mind allowing you two to stay here,” he said. Michelle looked joyful, and even Ariel seemed like she might cheer at any moment. However, none were happier than Gabrielle.
“Alex!” She lunged at him, hugging him like he was a stuffed animal as she rubbed their cheeks together. “Thank you for doing this! I love you so much!”
He flinched when she said that she loved him, but because he didn’t want her to worry, he didn’t pull away from her. Alex had already hurt Gabrielle enough.
“That said, since you’re both going to be living here, I’m gonna sign you two up for school,” he added.
It was like someone had dropped a particle bomb on them. Michelle and Ariel froze, their expressions beyond appalled.
“You can’t do that!” Ariel exploded.
Alex crossed his arms, which was actually hard to do with Gabrielle hugging him. “I can, and I will. Like I said, I don’t mind if you stay with us, but education is important. Besides, if you’re going to be living on Mars, then going to school is the best way to learn more about our culture. Also, if you go to school, you can make friends.”
While Ariel still stewed in anger, Michelle appeared to be contemplating what he told them. She eventually nodded. “That’s fine. I don’t mind going to school.”
“Sis?!” a dismayed Ariel shouted.
“What?” Michelle shrugged. “It’s a fair tradeoff for allowing us to live with him. Besides, I’ve never been to school before.”
Alex clapped his hands. “It’s settled then. Tomorrow, I’ll talk to Mrs. Caridna Tepes to see about getting you two enrolled in Atreyu Academy.”
Michelle seemed satisfied with this, though Ariel was definitely put out. On the other hand, Gabrielle had become silent and seemingly thoughtful. However, there was one among them who shook with rage, and she exploded as if unable to contain her thoughts for even another second.
“I will not allow it!” Jasmine shouted, leaping to her feet and pointing a quivering finger at Ariel and Michelle. “I shall not allow these two to live here! Absolutely not!”
“Jasmine?” Alex said questioningly.
“I knew this would happen.” Alice sighed. “So troublesome.”
Nyx didn’t even seem to be paying attention, though Alex was sure that she was aware of what was happening. She sat on the couch, once again munching on a bag of snacks, feet kicking back and forth. He noticed that she had bands around even her feet.
“I will not allow this! Alexander has already taken in one trollop into his home! There is no way he can take in two more!”
Gabrielle leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Alex, I forgot to ask, but what’s a trollop?”
“Uh, I’ll tell you later,” Alex assured.
“Mm… okay.”
“And you!” Jasmine pointed at Gabrielle next. “Why are you clinging to him like that?! Get off him this instant!”
“Eh? Why should I do that?” Gabrielle asked, sounding genuinely confused. “Is hugging him wrong?”
“Of course it is!” Jasmine snapped. “You can’t just hug Alexander like that without reason! Only people who are madly in l-love with each other can do stuff like that!”
“Then it’s no problem!” Gabrielle exclaimed, hugging Alex even more tightly. She never noticed his face turning blue from lack of oxygen. “Alex has already acknowledged my feelings for him and admitted that he likes me.”
There was a moment of silence. Alex would have sent Michelle an accusing glare, but he was currently suffocating. His vision was beginning to get fuzzy. Why were there spots appearing in his eyes?
“W-what?” Jasmine stumbled backwards. “It… cannot be. Surely, Alexander has not declared his undying love to you. He and I… we were supposed to…”
Alice palmed her face. “Here it comes.”
“Oh ho… oh ho ho ho… oh ho ho ho ho ho!” Jasmine’s laughter, while still containing that rich girl quality, somehow seemed more insane than usual. Tears had also sprung to her eyes. “I see how this is. You are trying to deceive me! Yes, yes. You think that you can trick me just because Alexander is letting you live with him. Well, it won’t work! I am on to you, Gabrielle, and know this, I’ll not let this insult on my pride stand! Oh ho ho ho ho!”
Jasmine ran out of the room, leaving an eerie silence behind. Nyx finally looked like she was paying more attention. It was likely because of Jasmine’s insane laughter.
Fortunately for Alex, Jasmine’s sudden bout of insanity had caused Gabrielle to slacken her grip on his neck. He could breathe again.
“Well,” Alex started, “that just—”
“Oh ho ho ho ho ho!” Jasmine’s head poked back in through the door. She laughed, and then retracted her head one more time. Everyone heard her footsteps recede down the hall.
Ariel turned to Alice. “Is that girl always like that?”
“Pretty much,” Alice said, burying her face in her hands.
12
It took nearly an hour to return after having been launched several dozen kilometers away by Kong’s punch. Azazel had been surprised by Ariel’s spontaneous maneuver. That was why he hadn’t been able to counter Kong’s mighty fist. However, that was all in the past, and he was back—back and ready to drag those two home.
Standing in front of the front door, Azazel knocked several times, and then waited. Running feet reached his ears. Then the door opened, revealing Alex to be the one on the other side.
