Home for Horny Monsters Ch. 060

"Everyone survived," Beth told him. "The house, not so much. I'm so sorry."

Mike bent over as if gasping for air, then stood to his full height and brushed his hair out of his face. It was a simple gesture that somehow looked sensual when he did it, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"The house can be rebuilt," he said. "The people in it, not so much."

"It...might take some time." Beth moved closer to Mike and realized that he smelled of peaches and cream, the scent luring her in. "There's water damage, and the Labyrinth needs rebuilding. Oh, and the roof needs to be replaced. The centaurs offered to let us stay with them in case it rains."

Mike chuckled, then rubbed his jaw. "I guess I'd better—"

Tink slammed into him hard enough that he tipped over, and she straddled his hips with her short legs.

"Husband make Tink worry! Now house broken and Tink too busy for proper welcome," she groused.

"I can see that." He patted the goblin on the head, then sat up and kissed her nose. "Well Cecilia, as much as I would love to just sit with you and relax for a bit, there's work to be done."

Maybe I can help.

The voice came from everywhere at once, and a golden archway appeared in the front yard. A tall figure adorned in radiant light stepped through, revealing the speaker to be none other than the faerie queen herself. Her wings unfolded behind her like a magnificent cape caught in the breeze, and her shining eyes looked over the scene with disapproval.

"Your Majesty." Mike bowed his head. "I appreciate your offer, but we have plenty of helpers here."

"I'm sure you do, Caretaker." She moved closer to him and then grinned. "Consider this a gift, freely given."

Behind her, the archway filled with something that looked like flower petals. The swirling foliage burst out of the arch and surrounded the house like a swarm of bees, and it wasn't until Beth got a close look at one that she realized that the petals were actually tiny fairies.

"This is a magical home, Caretaker. Your goblin may be able to fix it, but it will take her months to do so properly." The queen knelt down and stuck her hands in the dirt. "But many hands make light work. Let's see if I can't arrange for some of the heavy lifting to be done for you."

The ground beneath their feet trembled violently, and then dozens of large trees tore the soil, their branches reaching toward the sky. The swarm of fairies tore into them, showering the ground with sawdust as they toppled them to and fro, causing the centaurs to scatter. Before the branches and trunks could hit the ground, they were caught and cradled by a glowing mist that now swirled around the faerie queen.

The fairy swarm got to work. Beth watched in amazement as the tiny fae worked en masse to manufacture siding, lumber and boards for the roof. Thousands of tiny wings carried the replacement parts to where they needed to go, then hovered there, waiting.

"They can't use nails," the queen informed them. "You'll need to do that part."

Tink shrieked with joy and ran at the house wielding her hammer. Tools were quickly gathered up as the centaurs joined in as well, everyone helping to hammer the home back together. Up on the roof, Abella was using her thumb to shove nails into place, and Kisa ran along the edge with a small hammer of her own.

The porch was rebuilt in an hour, the roof in two. Where the home had sagged, it was now shored up, and except for the lack of a paint job, it looked as good as new once more. The queen had created a forge made out of clay, and tiny creatures that looked like motes of ash now churned out glass for the windows. The yard was being tilled by gnomes and creatures that looked like flowers, all of whom were being eagerly assisted by some very excited centaurs.

The sun was halfway down toward the horizon when the job was finished. The magical trees had been used up completely, and the hedge maze had been rebuilt.

Beth stared in awe at the scene before her, her face flushed from working so hard with all the others. The others went still in the front yard as Mike walked up the porch to finish the final task that had been left for him alone.

Just to the left of the front door was a porch swing that looked like it had been hand-carved from an ash tree. Intricately designed flowers adorned the swing, and when Mike knelt down to pick up the chain, the fae went quiet.

He lifted the chain of the swing and hooked it into place, then gave the seat a push to make sure it swung correctly. He nodded to himself, then turned around and looked at Cecilia, who was hovering over a rose bush.

"Welcome home," he told her.

Cecilia wiped tears from her eyes as she hovered to her swing and then sat on it. The swing shifted beneath her, and a broad smile broke across her face.

"'Tis good to be home," she whispered.

Beth looked away from the scene and toward the queen. She had so many questions about what had happened in the faerie realm and had wanted to ask more than once why the queen was suddenly feeling so charitable. Maybe it was something Mike could tell her later. Order had risen up from the chaos, and the world seemed to be just a little bit brighter.

"It is done," declared the faerie queen, and her denizens winked out in groups like tiny little lights. "Cecilia, my daughter. You are free to live in this house as you choose for as long as you wish."

"Thank you," replied Cecilia.

"Caretaker? I shall hold you to your new agreement."

"Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you for this generous gift."

"Sulyvahn?" The queen turned her head, and Beth felt her heart plummet through her stomach. It hadn't really occurred to her that Sulyvahn would most likely have to leave when Cecilia returned, but now that moment was suddenly thrust upon them.

"Yer Majesty?" The dullahan, who had been assisting with the garden, knelt before her.

The queen just shook her head. "Don't assume that I am unaware of what you've been doing here. I disapprove."

Sulyvahn snorted. "I imagine ye do, yer Majesty. I dinna be askin' fer forgiveness, ye know. It's been fun livin' as the mortals do, and to be making friends with them. It's the most fun meself has had in centuries, te be honest."

The queen sighed. "Do you want to stay, too?"

He chuckled, then looked over at Beth, then to Mike. "Only if ye'll be having me. I wouldn'a mind watchin' o'er the place, much like me sister."

"You may stay as long as you are welcome, then. Your new charge is to assist in the passing of the creatures of this home, and to protect its occupants until I say otherwise." The queen then threw a knowing look at Beth, which made her breath catch in her throat.

"Ah, now that be perfectly grand, yer Majesty." Sulyvahn rose and stepped back.

"Now where is Quetzalli?" The queen turned her head, scanning the yard.

"I am here." The dragon walked out of the front door, her hands demurely together in front of her stomach. "I was helping inside."

The queen pursed her lips, then let out a sigh. "I have had a change of heart regarding your punishment. When you are ready, I will change you back into your true form."

"That won't be necessary." Quetzalli smiled. "I have discovered that I will turn back eventually, and am quite enjoying my time here learning how to be human. I never thought there was so much to learn from them, and am grateful to continue enjoying this unforeseen opportunity."

"Indeed." A thin smile appeared on the queen's lips. "In that case, I think I've been gone from my realm long enough."

The golden archway formed behind the queen and she walked toward it, only pausing long enough to look back at Mike. Mike nodded as if responding to a question only he could hear, and the queen gave him a smile just as the archway collapsed with a rumble, then a pop.

"Looks like I'll be around fer a bit, lass." Sulyvahn tossed his head into the air with a whoop, and then caught it. "Lookin' forward to seein' what trouble we be getting into."

"I've had enough trouble for this year," she told him with a laugh.

He put his head back on and embraced her. She closed her eyes and smiled.

Dana had been waiting almost an hour in Zel's yurt. While the wait was an inconvenience, it had given her plenty of time to unroll the maps she had made of the region. She had almost twenty square miles around the village properly surveilled from the air and had spent quite some time putting them together into useable information for the centaurs to use.

She didn't pretend to understand the full value of what Zel hoped to accomplish, but even the location of the riverbed was useful information, she supposed. The plan was for the tribe to do some re-organizing in the area, and then eventually expand. It really didn't matter how far the centaurs moved from the greenhouse door anymore, not with the rats assisting with a portal-style shortcut to allow them to remain connected to the house.

And no matter where they went, Queztalli had assured Dana that another agreement could be made with the resident thunderbird. It was frustrating to realize all of this time that the fluctuating electrical fields inside of the greenhouse had been caused by a mythical being with territorial issues, but Quetzalli had smoothed things over between them. As long as a suitable offering was made by the centaurs, the thunderbird would give them a full day of clear skies to do their surveillance.

Dana plopped down on Tick Tock, who was currently a chair. The mimic shifted slightly, allowing her to recline a bit. Lying there in wait, she stared up at the ceiling of the yurt and let her thoughts drift to Quetzalli.

Ever since the night everything had gone crazy, Quetzalli had moved into Dana's room. The dragon had developed a fascination with sex, and was always eager to assist Dana after her feedings. For a bit, Dana had been concerned that Quetzalli had somehow fallen for her. Even if she wasn't still in love with Alex, the idea of an actual relationship just felt like it would be too much work. So many of the emotions that would make a relationship exciting simply weren't there anymore.

When the dragon insisted on asking questions about Mike's cock all the time, Dana realized that the current status of their relationship was more like friends with benefits. She got to get laid after feedings, and Quetzalli got to explore how her own body worked.

Dana pulled out her phone and turned on her Chinese language program. If she worked hard, she might have six languages done by the end of the year.

There was a rustling at the tent flaps, and Zel appeared.

"Sorry about the wait, it's always something when you're in charge." Zel gave Dana a head bow in greeting. "So what do you have for me?"

They spent the next forty minutes going over Dana's maps. Half of this time was spent listening to Zel mutter to herself and then draw lines and diagrams on the maps themselves. Finally, she tapped her pencil along the edges of one of the maps.

"This is wonderful, but I'm wondering if you could help us get some more info from over here. I've got a good feeling about the terrain, I would love to see some cave-type structures that we could use for storage as the temperature underground is fairly stable."

Dana looked at the map, then traced her fingers back to where the village was. "I think I can do that, but I'll need to find a good place to launch the drones. I would like somewhere with a good vantage point to make sure they actually go the right direction."

"Hmm. Okay, I think I know a good spot, but it'll take some time to get there. Come, let's move."

They gathered up the maps, and Tick Tock transformed into a hiking bag to help her transport them. When she opened the bag, she pushed the Grimoire out of the way to make room for the maps. Ratu firmly believed that the key to resurrection was written somewhere in its pages, but wasn't well enough to look yet. Dana had taken it upon herself to monitor the book, and had given Tick Tock firm instructions to swallow the cursed thing if anyone tried to take it from them.

She picked up the bag and followed Zel out of the yurt and then to the edge of the village. Once they were away from the others, Zel allowed Dana to mount her back and then ran into the jungle. The trails in this part had been recently cleared, but were only wide enough for a single centaur, and Dana held tight to Zel's waist as the two of them began the slow climb up a hill.

Once at the top, she realized that it was a rocky outcrop with good visibility of the horizon. She sat down and pulled out her own version of the map and tried to locate it.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back." Zel vanished into the underbrush behind some trees, and Dana focused on trying to find the trails they had taken to get there. It was easy enough to replay the ride in her head, and it was only a few moments before she spotted their location on the drone map.

The tangy scent of urine hit her nostrils, and she sniffed out of reflex, inhaling the acrid aroma. Deep within the recesses of the odor, she caught just a whiff of something that smelled like depleted ozone and rose petals. It was the scent of magic and not just any kind.

"Mike?"

She stood and looked around the jungle. As far as she knew, Mike was supposed to be at home, doing god knows what these days. The faerie queen had been nice enough to rebuild the outside, but her helpers hadn't been allowed entry, which meant that the bulk of redecorating had fallen on the denizens of the house. Not one to overlook the opportunity, Dana had snuck off to start work in the observatory. There was a rather large telescope there that needed rebuilding, and she couldn't wait to look through it when she was done.

The leaves rustled, and Zel stepped through them, a curious look on her face. "Did you say something to me?"

Dana looked at Zel, then out at the jungle. The scent of Mike's magic was gone, and if not for the fact that her memory was infallible, she would assume she had imagined it.

"No, I didn't. Thought I smelled something."

Zel shrugged, then pulled a snack from one of her bags. "Mind if I eat? I've been nauseous all morning, but it feels like I can finally keep something down now."

"Not at all." Dana turned her attention back to the map once more. She wasn't certain why she had sensed Mike's magic out in the middle of nowhere, but assumed it was nothing she needed to worry about. After marking the spot on her map, she found somewhere to relax while Zel ate her snack and sucked down a bunch of water. Hopefully, the centaur would be feeling well enough soon to make the long trek back, and Dana could get to work on one of her other projects.

But maybe she would look for Quetzalli first.

Mike stood outside of the master bedroom of the Underworld home. Inside, Emily was wailing in agony, a sound that raised goosebumps all along his arms.

However, his attention was on Yuki, who stood across from him drying her eyes for the fourth time in ten minutes. Cecilia hovered alongside them, her hands clasped together over the soul fragment that Sulyvahn had given her. If not for the dullahan's quick thinking, it would have been snatched up by the demons that now roamed around the Underworld in packs. After the tower had been taken down, the souls that had been trapped there by the shadow had essentially created a feeding ground for the demons. Apparently word had gotten out, and if not for Cerberus, the Underworld would be impossible for them to traverse.

"I'm sorry." Yuki apologized for what must have been the hundredth time. Her eyes were red from crying, and she kept wiping the tears away with the edges of her robe. "I'm trying really hard to hold it together."

"I know. We've got plenty of time." Though Mike wasn't sure what would happen when they went in there, Cecilia was fairly certain that Emily would completely cross over almost right away. He knew Yuki wanted to be present, but it had taken the kitsune almost a week to mentally prepare herself.

Yuki took several deep breaths, and her complexion smoothed itself out. She put both hands on her stomach and then let out the breath she had been holding. The hallway frosted over.

"Sorry. I'm ready."

Mike took her hand and pushed the door open. Emily stood against the far wall, her fingernails pressed into the wallpaper hard enough to tear it. Upon their entry, she became static and teleported about, then loomed in front of them, her body lifting off the ground as she opened her mouth and howled.

"That's enough of that." Cecilia held up her hands, and blinding light could be seen slipping through the gaps in her fingers. Emily paused, her head twitching as if stuck in a replay loop. When the banshee opened up her hands, the fluttering bit of light danced about before landing in the gaping hole in Emily's face.

Once whole, the static faded, and Emily sank to the ground. Dark clouds poured out of her body as her newly restored face glowed like a tiny star, the light chasing away the dark. There was a burst of light, and she now hovered in the middle of the room, her eyes closed as if asleep. She was in a white gown, and her hands were clasped over her chest.

"Yuki." When Emily spoke, Mike felt the warmth of her words in the middle of his chest, and her magic briefly touched his own, causing a surge inside of him.

"Emily." Yuki took a step toward her, releasing Mike's hand in the process.

Emily opened her eyes and smiled, then held her arms out.

"Let me know if you need me," Mike told Cecilia.

"It won't be long, a runsearc." Cecilia beamed at him. "When she's ready, I'll take her the rest of the way."

"I know you will." He touched her cheek, then walked out of the room. Yuki and Emily deserved privacy for their final moments, and he didn't want the kitsune to hold back on his account.

He made his way through the house and out into the backyard where Amymone waited, her back pressed against the fountain.

"Finally." She put the book she had been reading down. "This last batch wasn't the best, and you guys have been up there for almost an hour."

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I probably should have come to you first." He took the bag off his shoulders and set it down next to her. In fact, the plan had been to see the dryad right away, but Yuki had been unable to move past the stairs once they arrived. Whatever torments had been brought onto Emily's soul were about to finally come to an end, and he didn't feel like telling Yuki that Emily could wait five more minutes.

"Nah, it's okay." Amymone was already digging through the bag. "She's been awful all day. What did you do to calm her down?"

"Brought her the missing piece of her soul."

"Oh." Amymone pulled a book out but didn't open it. "I guess if she moves on, then that means I'm alone now."

"I guess so. But you won't have to listen to her wailing anymore."

"True." The dryad chuckled dryly. "I've gotten so used to her presence that now I fear the silence will be maddening. She's been my cellmate in this hellish place, and it sounds like she's getting out early for good behavior."

"I've got the centaurs looking everywhere." He didn't know how to tell Amymone that there had been zero leads. He and Zel had visited the spot where the Mandragora had been and searched everywhere. There was even talk about mounting an expedition to track its offspring through the jungle, but they hadn't even found tracks to follow. "And once Ratu gets better, she said she'll help."

"She still stuck as a...you know." Amymone twisted up her limbs and fell on her back.

"No, she's getting better." Ratu was still under the care of the centaurs. When they had found her, she had been little more than a mass of flesh, scales, and stone. Over time, the naga was slowly regaining her ability to shapeshift, and had managed to make fingerless hands just the night before. "Might be able to walk in another week."