The dragon's harem

Chapter 1095: Blood and Fungus

”But…before that…Iʼm sure Iʼve seen more than one dwarvish woman before and they didnʼt have a beard.” Arad finally asked the question that bugged him the most.

Moraʼs wife stared at him for a second, ”Tis thʼ identical fur folk. Some wummin hae a mustache.”

Arad thought about her words for a moment. She was right, there were indeed many women with a faint mustache that he had seen, just one or two hairs on their lips. Dwarves are just more genetically susceptible to growing facial hair than humans.

Kali tapped Aradʼs shoulder, ”Letʼs go, if we donʼt hurry, somebody might die today.” Aradʼs eyes immediately stared at her and she dragged him by the arm. ”No time to waste.”

The two walked through Hatiʼs lush garden and went into the cellar from the outside latch. Inside the dark and damp underground hole they could see Merida and Kino looking at some mushrooms that grew from the walls, and Eris was sitting in the corner with blood magic rushing all around her body.

”Do you two have a moment?” Kali called and they looked at her, ”Werenʼt you supposed to be fighting Arad?”

”The fight already ended…and Iʼve lost.” Arad sighed in the back. He expected to lose against the destruction goddess, but not like that, getting overwhelmed like a cat in water. He then looked back at Kali, ”You said we donʼt have time.”

”But we canʼt do anything until she comes…and there she is…a bunny indeed.” Kali looked back and Lunara rushed into the cellar, ”You called me?”

As the goddess of all demons, Kali can call any of the demon lords to her presence at will. Itʼs neither a request nor an order, but a truth, and when her words are spoken, those demon lords will find themselves standing before her whether they like it or not.

”Of course, I did… one of your cults in the mortal world is holding a sacrifice beneath the full moon.” Kali lifted one of her hands and clinched a fist, ”Can you tell which cult Iʼm talking about?”

Lunara closed her eyes, ”I can see them…the sacrifice is a healthy man in his thirties, killed by a thousand small cuts and left to bleed to death.” She giggled, her body slowly burning with demonic magic, ”Theyʼd wish for me to grant them power. A great power to claim another manʼs life.”

Kali sat down and looked at the four girls. ”Sit around me, and grab my hands. Lunara will do her job, Merida and Kino will learn from her, and Eris will use a power of mine to uphold her portfolio.”

On the sacrificial altar, the man screamed as he cut himself with a sharp blade, groaning in agony. His blood spilled, painting the altar red and the moon above them pulsed. The head of the cultists gasped with a large smile on his face.

”She…is near…she heard us!” He spread his arms and a large slash cut through his face, blinding his left eye. He cried in pain, but slowly stood up, the slashed eye glowing like the moon.

The cultistʼs leader spoke in Lunaraʼs voice, ”Amongst you hides a creature of the night. If it dares walk the dangers of the city…utter the queenʼs name to the torchʼs man, your wish shall be delivered.”

The cultist leader fell on the ground, unconscious and the vampire among the cultists slowly looked up, eyes glowing red. He disappeared in a gust of red mist, quickly making his way to the city.

The sacrificed man, his wife was about to be burned at the stake, accused of witchcraft. She was innocent, not once in her life did she dabble in witchcraft…but she was in fact a demon worshipper of Lunara.

A massive crowd gathered in the middle of the twilight night and beneath the full moon, looking at the stage where the woman got dragged and tied to the long stake, gagged so she wouldnʼt utter a curse at the people.

A large man as round as a pig and as ugly as a toad stepped on the stage, carrying a burning torch in his hand. With a large smile from his fat lips, he spoke, ”Today we slay another witch, for by fire shall her soul be cleansed, and this world shall be rid of her.”

But at that moment, a man stepped forward, walking out of the crowd and getting a bit too close to the stage. The guards glared at him, pointing their spears forward and the torchʼs man growled, ”Who are you? Back off!”

”Iʼm not here to start trouble, just to deliver a message.” The man spoke, looking at the torchʼs man with glowing red eyes. ”Eris sends you her regards.”

”Eris? Who is that…” The torch man gasped with a confused face, but he immediately felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Erisʼs eyes glowed red and Arad looked at her with a confused face. Kali spoke, ”Murder is but the destruction of a body to induce death. You can grant it to vampires, your believers, but those of other gods and the forsaken can only be killed directly by your hands.”

Eris stood, her eyes burning with divine magic and she slowly lifted her hand, her palm blazing in golden fire.

A knifeʼs blade burst from the torchʼs manʼs chest and the vampire smiled. ”Youʼve killed many sinners, but even more innocent… The lady of murder doesnʼt approve of such soulless murder.”

Another dagger burst from his stomach, then one from his chest, his face, and then his neck, lifting his body up in front of the crowd, bleeding him dry.

Kali looked at Eris with a smile, ”All that someone needs to do for you to be able to affect them with your divine power is utter your name. No matter what world, what place, or what god they worship, if they are weaker enough, than you, and have uttered your name, your murder power shall reach them without fail. Unlike Katal before you, you wonʼt need cultists to do the murdering for you. That is the power I allow you, [Distant Damage]”

Eris opened her eyes and gasped for air, ”What was that?!” She looked around and Kali looked at her with a smile. ”Here is Arad, try to cut him. But without getting close.”

Arad extended his arm and Eris closed her eyes, soon a wound appeared on his forearm. He looked at the wound, ”So she can now remotely kill people?”

”Even a full-blown god shouldnʼt be able to kill believers of other gods like this. Only I and death have the power to destroy anyone or kill anyone that we want. And Iʼm granting a portion of my power to her.” Kali waved her hands, ”I hope you can use this power well.”

Kali turned toward Merida and Kino, ”But you two are demons, my kin, and people. I canʼt grant you more power for thatʼll be unfair to other demon lords…but…I challenge anyone to refute my rule.”

Kali stood and walked around Merida and Kino, ”Your fungus brings destruction, it kills the body and mind, turns anything it invades into a walking fungus zombie, demons and humans alike.” She put a hand on each of their heads, ”I shall not grant you power, but take it away.”

The two cried, feeling like a burning fire eating away at their souls. ”By my will, you can now create a lesser fungus, a weaker one that doesnʼt hold enough power to harm. But it shall still be able to do anything else.”

Merida gasped, ”Wait…you weakened half of my spores!” She glared at her and Kali nodded, ”Yes, those spores shall now be able to invade a humanʼs body, affect its mind, and alter its decisions without harming its body or soul.”

Merida can now infect people with her fungus and keep them alive. The fungus would stay dormant inside their bodies, not showing any symptoms but still affecting the victimʼs mind through the release of several hormones.

”When you infect someone with this weakened fungus theyʼll immediately start feeling a deep sense of admiration, love, and loyalty toward you. Theyʼll live their lives like nothing happened while secretly serving you. Youʼll be their salvation and theyʼll worship you.” Kali sat on Aradʼs lap, ”The more they serve the stronger youʼll be able to make their fungus, and that would grant them more power from you, more miracles to bring forth the might of the demonic fungus.”

Kali looked at Kino, ”And once they die, their souls would be reborn as demons in the abyss beneath the great fungus of your layer.”

”Can the fungus be detected?” Arad asked and Kali shook her head, ”No, unless someone is actively looking for it. Iʼd suggest she use this power carefully and try to be a bit more discreet.”

Kali looked at Merida and Kino, ”Itʼs not a secret that you two are aggressive. It will be more helpful to have a silent ability like this than just raw power, right?”

Lunara who was there looked at Kali, wishing that sheʼd grant her power as well. Her strength had stagnated for several centuries now and she could use a blessing from the demon goddess.