Princess Hannah of the Jade Harem CH 66

“It looks like Frank,” Quinny said as she used her devil's sight to peer through the gloom. “But he looks more muscular.”

“Maybe it’s just a statue of a ghoul,” Breanne suggested. “Or one of the similar undead like a ghast.”

“I think it’s Frank,” Umtha said as she leaned over Breanne’s shoulder. “But why is he holding an axe?”

Hannah looked at Frank, who was at a loss for words to explain what they were looking at. They stood in the shadows of a tunnel on the edge of a vast room with icicles hanging from the ceiling. The floor was covered in scattered piles of coins and other treasures. In the center of the room was a twelve-foot-tall statue of gray stone that looked like a giant ghoul that strongly resembled Frank. The only true differences were in the accessories, which included armor plates and a massive axe that he swung one-handed. The statue was frozen in a pose as if he were bringing the axe down on a foe, the blade slicing down.

“We could always get closer to get a better look,” Quinny suggested.

Hannah and Frank shared a worried glance at that comment. They knew this chamber was guarded, even if they didn't readily see the threat. Somewhere was a hidden danger just waiting for one of them to dare that closer look. Webster had crawled ahead, using his power of invisibility to hide while his gentle steps didn't disturb a single coin. Hannah kept looking through his eyes, trying to spot the danger that remained hidden from sight, but thus far, they had failed.

“Is this where the map leads?” Breanne asked.

“It is,” Frank replied as he dared to lean into the light. “It marks the statue as the point of interest.”

“What is it with you two and statues?” Quinny asked.

“There used to be lots of statues of Hannah,” Umtha said.

“We should put some naked ones of her in the Lovewood,” Quinny suggested.

“Just what I needed to worry about,” Hannah quipped as she glared at her little monster.

“It was just a suggestion,” Quinny said with an innocent smile.

“Webster still hasn’t seen anything?” Frank asked to change the subject.

“No,” Hannah replied as she closed her eyes to focus on him. “He says the room looks empty.”

“It can't possibly be empty,” Breanne scoffed. “Every chamber or long tunnel between the surface and here was guarded. I refuse to believe a room with this much treasure is not.”

“Well, one of us has to go first,” Quinny said. “I will do it if you want.”

“I will go first,” Frank interjected. “Quinny, you follow a dozen steps behind me. Hannah, you come just behind her. Breanne and Umtha, you stay in the tunnel to cover our backs.”

The girls nodded as he stepped into the room, looking about as they waited for something to happen. When nothing horrible happened, he slowly approached the statue at the center. Quinny followed when he was halfway across the room, holding her sword and shield close. Hannah followed a few paces behind, her heart thumping as they waited for the danger to appear.

“Be careful,” Umtha urged, but what could Hannah possibly do to be careful? If there was a danger in the room, it would manifest regardless of what precautions she took. What was most disturbing was not knowing where it was or in what way it would manifest.

Quinny slipped on some coins, creating a slight clink that sounded like a gong in Hannah's ears. They froze, assuming the danger would suddenly appear to devour them, but nothing stirred.

“Just attack us already,” Hannah whispered under her breath as they resumed moving.

“Maybe the rooms unguarded,” Quinny whispered back.

“Nobody believes that,” Hannah countered. “And my luck on things like that is bad at the best of times.”

“Webster still doesn’t see anything?” Quinny asked as she looked back.

“Nothing,” Hannah replied. “He's on the other side of the room and says there is nothing here he can see.”

“Whatever is guarding this must be waiting for us to take the bait,” Quinny said.

“Why do I do this to myself?” Hannah grumbled. “I don’t need to adventure. I can level faster by working in the temple anyway.”

“This is more fun,” Quinny said with a smile.

“Being torn apart by some unseen horror is more fun than sex?” Hannah questioned, wondering how anyone could make that assessment.

Frank stepped into the ring of coins that sat near the base of the statue, causing another clatter as they shifted. He looked around, his clawed hands flexing as if unsure what to do next. Hannah turned to look at Breanne and Umtha for support, but the two women were waiting for something to happen.

“Webster,” Hannah focused over her thoughts. “You can see invisible things, right?”

He responded with a yes, which only made her more tense. If the danger wasn’t invisible, then it had to be right in front of them, staring them in the face. She looked up to meet the gaze of the towering statue, expecting it to come to life and attack them. She paused while the others proceeded ahead and looked at the floor.

“I wonder,” she said as she thought of something she had done a while back but never followed up on. She closed her eyes and accepted the darkness, then focused on the green gem that crowned her forehead. For a moment, she was blind, but then her eye opened, and she looked through it to see a very different world.

Frank was like a shadow in a cave of blue, his undead form appearing like an absence of life. Quinny glowed with a soft red that flickered like a fire, standing out from the magical backdrop. The cave was bathed in a faint blue with white specs on the walls. Hannah recognized it as magic but lacked the expertise to know more. She then looked down to see a magical pattern on the floor, creating a ring around the statue. Frank was already inside it, but Quinny stood at its border.

“What are you doing?” Quinny asked when she noticed the flare of green light from Hannah's forehead.

“Don't move,” Hannah cautioned with a raised hand. “You're one step away from crossing an invisible marker.”

“What?” Frank asked, raising his voice to be heard. “But I am closer.”

“You're inside it already,” Hannah said as she crept toward Quinny, watching as a strange interplay of magical lines and lights wove about the air, centering on the statue. For some reason, they didn't seem to mind Frank, bending around him like he was just a rock in a stream.

“How can you see it?” Quinny asked.

Hannah explained the magical sight offered by the crown and how the whole room was laced with it. She described the lines of light, twisting and weaving in a repeating pattern that centered on the statue. She reached the barrier where Quinny was and carefully inspected the ring on the floor.

“Sothorus, Innactium, divisos, necrota,” Hannah said as she read aloud words that appeared in the pattern like smoke.

“What does that mean?” Quinny asked.

“Something about remaining inactive,” Hannah replied as she wished she studied her books more. “It's dividing the dead from the living.”

“Maybe the undead can cross it safely?” Quinny suggested as she looked to Frank who had already stepped over the barrier.

“What are you doing?” Breanne called from the tunnel. “Why have you stopped?”

Heather abandoned the need to whisper and explained what she had found. Breanne and Umtha left the tunnel and joined them at the edge of the barrier, which to them was bare stone.

“You can see actual writing?” Breanne asked as she studied the glowing green gem on Hannah's forehead.

“I used this once before in the tunnels,” Hannah reminded. “But we never explored what it was for or how I could use it.”

“We fail to follow up on a lot of things related to you,” Breanne agreed.

“I can't help it,” Hannah sighed. My life is very busy, and there is only so much time in a day. If I am going to level on this crazy scale, then I have to spend time in the forest, but then I also need to be in the temple, studying my books, serving in the harem, and spending time with my loved ones.”

“Don’t forget singing to the city in the morning and night,” Quinny added.

“And you need to find time to spend in the goblin stronghold,” Umtha said.

“You should probably spend time with Gwen as well,” Frank suggested.

“Alright, we get the point,” Breanne cut them off. “She’s very busy, but we leave too many loose ends behind. Putting the harem to work to help do some research is helpful, but she’s still buried under demands on her time.”

“Let's focus on this demand right here,” Frank said as she stood inside the magical circle and looked down. “Should one of you try to cross it?”

“If it is meant for only the undead, then it will become active when one of us crosses,” Hannah pointed out.

“We’re not even sure that’s what the words mean,” Breanne said. “And let’s be honest. Nothing in this cave system has been a challenge so far. Why would we think that the final boss will be any more dangerous?”

“That's a good point,” Frank agreed. “Certainly, it will be harder than the stuff we have faced so far, but any one of us could have breezed through that.”

“Yeah, and there are six of us here if you count Webster,” Quinny agreed.

“Webster has already crossed the line,” Umtha reminded. “So maybe it’s not what we think it is?”

Hannah hadn't thought of that and smiled at her foolishness. Yes, there was a magical circle here, but there was no reason to think it was dangerous. She shook her head and stepped over the mark, planting her foot on the other side just as the cave shook.

“Or, maybe it is what we thought,” Frank said as dust and gravel fell from above. A series of blue symbols appeared in the air around the statue, then flew outward to strike the walls. Hannah could see the weaves of magic producing the effect and was almost in awe at the beauty of it. It was like being inside a holographic flower as it bloomed around her, petals and stems spreading out to reveal the secret within.

“It's beautiful,” Hannah said as she spun around, only to see dark shapes climbing from the walls. “And those are less so.”

“I see them,” Breanne growled as she leveled her bow. A dozen shadowy forms slipped from the stone like ghosts, forming a circle about the room. For a moment, they stood, watching with red lights in their empty faces, and then a skull appeared to become the head while the arms spread wide to begin shaping spells.

“Undead?” Quinny said in surprise.

“Specter magi,” Breanne replied. “Powerful combat casters. But I have never seen one that wasn’t summoned by a necromancer.”

“I can summon these?” Hannah asked just before the cave lit up like a camera flash had gone off. Balls of fire, shocks of lightning, glowing darts, and spikes of burning metal hurled their way as the undead wizards cut loose. Hannah reacted by instinct, crying out words she had heard Blackbast use once before.

“Master’s defense!”

The girls were suddenly encased in bubbles of magical protection that couldn't be penetrated so long as their master lived. They acted like a wall of protection, absorbing the barrage to protect Hannah and Frank.

“Oh, this is bad,” Hannah said as she ducked behind the barrier.

“We need to get to them,” Frank said. “Close the gap so they can’t keep shooting at us.”

“Use one of us,” Quinny said as she tapped on her bubble. “Like a shield.”

“Will that work?” Hannah asked as a bunch of orange streaks exploded on the bubble.

“One way to find out,” Frank said, reaching for the bubble before him. Thanks to his unnaturally long arms, he was able to wrap them around the sphere and lift it from the floor. He then charged at the ring of wizards, using Quinny's magical bubble like a battering ram.

“Yeah, plow into them!” Quinny urged as they made contact, slamming two of the ghostly undead. Frank spun, using a single arm to hurl Quinny like a bowling ball, plowing four more down as she laughed manically.

“You have to let us out to help,” Breanne said from her bubble.

“And then where do I hide?” Hannah asked as she ducked low to avoid spells exploding on the bubble. Despite Frank's mad advance, there were still attackers behind them. They were all around the room, and the air was full of magic, streaking, blasting, and exploding around them. Hannah was doing her best to hide between Breanne and Umtha, but she knew this was a losing position.

“Alright, I have a plan,” Hannah said as she gripped her scythe. Suddenly the air filled with golden pollen as she blanketed the center of the room to hide her girls. She vanished in a flash of green, appearing above the undead with a wicked smile as she cut downward and engaged them. In that same instant, the bubbles popped, and her girls were free, adding to the chaos.

Hannah cut one in a rapid swipe, the shadowy form of its body reacting to the blow, but she couldn't tell how seriously. Her left side exploded in pain as a hail of golden darts from one behind her connected. She spun and used her dash, closing on the attacker even as a ball of fire raced in. Suddenly, there was an explosion of flames that engulfed her and left her stunned, as she felt soothing warmth.

“Oh, right, I am immune to fire,” Hannah said while finishing her dash to slice at the specter. Its eyes glowed with a strange light as bony arms burst from the ground and clutched at Hannah. She was shocked to be under attack by the very spells she often employed but didn't let it slow her. With a green flash, she was behind the target in mid-swing. She used a power to produce a hail of slices, adding hellfire to every attack.

“Let’s see how immune you are!” Hannah shouted as she cut burning lines across the monster. A metal spike like a sharp spear came through her leg, causing a gush of blood followed by pain. It vanished into magical mist a second later, leaving behind a terrible wound. Hannah fell to one side but found she had no trouble standing on the leg, as it was just a wound. She was never going to get used to suffering injuries like that and not having them be crippling. Her body began to glow with golden light as Umtha focused on healing and keeping her family alive.

Quinny was a whirlwind of sword and shield attacks as she pressed two of them into a wall. Frank had killed one and turned on another, but he was being battered by spells from all sides. Breanne stood over Umtha in the center of the room, using the statue for partial cover. She used her bow to channel her shadow magic, returning fire with several specters. Still, her family was outnumbered three to one, and all of them were wounded.

“We need to even the odds,” Hannah said as another metal spike tore through her shoulder. She grit her teeth as she raises a hand and focuses on an unlikely power she has gotten at level sixty-seven.

“Call of the gardens!”

[Level 67 Flower Singer power: Call of the gardens] Summon a creature of the gardens equal to eighty percent of your level. You may select the type of creature or default to a garden creature that mimics your spirit. The beast lasts for 1 hour or until slain, dispelled, or dismissed.

Hannah didn't have time to pick a type, so she let it run wild, allowing the spell to mimic her spirit. A burst of green vines appeared to one side and quickly exploded, growing into a massive flower bulb.

“What the heck is that?” Quinny shouted from the side as she hid behind her shield.

Hannah had no idea, but the bulb kept getting bigger until it was larger than the statue, swelling as if about to burst. Then, it peeled open in a hail of flower petals, revealing the beast within.

“Ummm….” Hannah said as a creature akin to a dragon looked down at her. Its skin was composed of woody bark and vines, with dark thorns for claws and a crown of flowers on its head. It looked like a flowering tree had twisted into a dragon-like shape, and its eyes glowed with a dance of yellow spots.

Hannah was struck by a hail of streaking darts, and the beast roared loud enough to shake the cave. It lunged at the nearest foe, its claws glowing with magic as it ripped at the foe, slamming it to the ground.

“What is that thing?” Breanne cried as Hannah quickly regained her senses and blinked away to avoid a beam of searing light.

“I have no idea,” Hannah replied as she appeared before them and folded her arms, creating a wall of green leaves. “It's a new summons I got a few levels ago.”

“It’s a dragon made of plants,” Umhta said before putting a hand on Hannah. “Let me heal you.”

Hannah was grateful to feel her wounds melting away, but she needed to focus. She could feel Quinny's injuries through her connection to the collar. She was also a master, and as such, her girls could gain something useful from her.

“Hellish power!” Hannah cried and pointed a finger at Quinny. A halo of fire appeared over Quinny's head as she surged with a blessing of raw might. A single swipe of her sword now slammed the monster's back and left an arc of fire in its wake that lashed out a few extra feet. Hannah was pleased to see the results but needed more to ensure their victory. Her plant shield was taking a battering as holes began to appear. She urged Umtha to focus her healing on Frank as he held one of the specters by its skull, slamming the creature into the stone wall.

Hannah then threw up a hand and cried out in power.

“Bonded by lust!”

[Level 66 Lilim power: Bonded by lust] Created succubi draw 50% of their mana and passion from their master's power pools. Additionally, the master can channel any of her powers through a succubi, provided that succubi isn't more than one mile away.

Breanne, Umtha, and Quinny surged with renewed power as they began to pull from Hannah. Hannah, in turn, focused on converting essence into mana, ensuring her girls would never run out. Then, her focus went to Quinny as she took hold of the second half of the power. She could channel any of her abilities into Quinny, so she picked her Lilim war form.

Quinny suddenly grew a foot taller as two additional arms sprouted from her sides. Each new hand held a black sword born from hell, and Quinny quickly shouted with glee as she tore into the enemies.

“How long can you keep this up?” Umtha asked as she noticed Hannah straining.

“Until I die,” Hannah replied as her plant shield began to falter. She quickly let it drop and instantly replaced it with a wall of dense vines and thorns.

“I have never seen you use that before,” Breanne gasped.

“I have never seen her use any of these powers before,” Umtha added.

“I have leveled a lot since Frank decided I needed to,” Hannah panted, feeling power flowing from her to the others. It felt like she was being drained of her substance as Quinny began adding fire spells to her hail of melee attacks. Breanne went for powerful shadow attacks, creating pockets or writing black tentacles that lashed at the specters and broke their concentration. Frank was glowing with healing and buffs as Umtha focused on him, but the dragon was the most spectacular thing in the room.

The creature of plants tore the specters apart, snapping and tearing with claws while shrugging off spells. It was burning on one side and had several deep holes punched in a hind leg, but it didn't seem to care. It had killed four of the undead already then it unleashed a frightful attack. It reared up as they heard a deep inhale, then its mouth snapped open, and a blast of glowing green raced out, drenching three more of the specters. They wailed as their shadowy bodies were suddenly encased in vines and growth that constricted and crushed them. Skulls popped like glass balls, their forms vanishing leaving only three of the monsters to deal with. They lasted a few seconds under the combined onslaught of the family; then they stepped back to consider what had happened.

“You summoned this?” Frank said as Umtha applied heals to him directly.

“Yes,” Hannah replied while using her hands to beat out the fire on the creature's back. “Oh, why aren't you fireproof like me?”

“Why a dragon?” Quinny asked as she dared to approach it.

“Why a flower dragon?” Breanne agreed.

“I don’t know,” Hannah grumbled as she finally beat the flames out. “It picks something related to my spirit.”

“A dragon is related to your spirit?” Quinny pressed.

“Shouldn’t it have been a devil?” Frank asked.

“Look, I don’t make the spells,” Hannah countered. “I just got it a few levels ago, and I haven’t had a chance to use it until now. It says I can pick the form of the creature I summon, or I can let it shape to my spirit.”

“A dragon?” Breanne said again.

“Maybe it’s symbolic,” Umtha said. “You did help kill Kevin’s dragon.”

“Wouldn’t that make it something she wouldn’t summon then?” Quinny said while daring to reach up to touch the creature. “It’s really pretty though.”

“It’s gorgeous,” Breanne agreed. “But a flower dragon is the most unexpected thing I have ever conceived of.”

“Look, can we discuss this later?” Hannah pressed and gestured to the statue. “Isn’t a statue of our husband being here more pressing?”

“She’s right,” Breanne agreed as they turned to the statue. “That is worthy of some serious consideration.”

“Could it be a respawn point for Frank?” Quinny asked. “You know, how like Hannah’s statue is.”

“I never spawned here,” Frank said as he reached up to touch the likeness of himself. “And I have no memory of why I would have a statue.”

“The map said that something was hidden here,” Quinny reminded.

Frank nodded and checked the map before showing it to the girls. The room was marked by a small magical symbol and some text in goblin.

“The heart is the key?” Umtha read. “What does that mean?”

“Maybe it’s something to do with love?” Quinny suggested.

“Or the heart of the cave?” Breanne said.

“It's the statue,” Frank said, pointing a long claw at the chest. “The heart.”

The girls looked at the statue in contemplation, wondering if he was right. Could there be a heart hidden inside, and if so, what purpose did it serve?

“Smash it open then,” Quinny said.

“You can't just smash that,” Hannah interjected. “It's a relic from our past, and I happen to like it. It's nice to find something that isn't me for a change.”

“How else are you going to get the heart out?” Quinny pressed.

“Breanne,” Frank said as he turned to his tall wife. “Can you remove the collar and use your ghost form to reach inside.”

“Of course,” Breanne said with a smile, reaching up for her collar. With a snap, it came free, and instantly, her succubus form was gone. She was the tall, elvish beauty they had first fallen in love with, but it didn't last long. She handed the collar to Hannah as her skin withered and her face became gaunt. In seconds, she was an apparition of a haggard, angry woman with red lights in black eye sockets.

The banshee woman was a ghost, and as such, she could pass through solid objects. She reached into the chest and began to feel around, searching for the heart.

“I feel something,” Breanne said. “There is a cavity inside.”

“Is it a heart?” Quinny asked.

“I can't tell what it is,” Breanne remarked. “You have no idea how hard it is to be spectral and still try to manipulate things. Wait, I think I have it.” Slowly, she drew her hand back, pulling an object of gold from the statue. It was a band of gold with small red stones down the side and one prominent one in the center. Umtha gasped as she saw it and stumbled back, shaking her head.

“It’s a crown,” Quinny said as Breanne held it up.

“Put it back!” Umtha urged. “Put that terrible thing back.”

“Okay,” Hannah replied, looking to Frank, who was equally confused. I take it you have seen this before.”

“I have heard of it,” Umtha corrected as she shook her head. “The crown of ten dooms.”

Breanne dropped the thing and jumped back as if she had been burned.

“Impossible,” Breanne gasped. “I heard that was destroyed.”

“Umm, hello,” Hannah called, waving a hand. “Can you explain this for those of us who don't know what you're talking about?”

Breanne went to say something, then stopped and looked at Frank. “It must be you.”

“Okay, enough of the cryptic nonsense,” Hannah cut in. “What is that thing, and what does it have to do with Frank?”

“The crown of ten dooms,” Breanne said. “Artifact of the necromancers, given to the general that led their armies and fought Kevin’s far superior force to a standstill. He was considered the most dangerous man in the world while he wore that crown.”

“Alright,” Hannah said a she picked the crown up to inspect it closer. “And who was this dangerous man?”

“I never knew his name,” Breanne said. “Nobody did. He only went by his official title.”

“And that was?” Hannah pressed.

“The ghoul king of the black pyramid,” Breanne said as she took her elven form and reached for Frank. “The greatest threat this world has ever known.”