When it was time to move on to, we hoped, meet her friends, I certainly hadn’t seen enough of the temples and looked forward to coming back someday. Luckily, our destination wasn’t far at all. On the side of one of the mountains, we pulled over and hiked about thirty minutes until we came to a spot where I froze, hand to my mouth.

  “Are those…?”

  “Monkeys,” Ahlaksiz finished the thought and nodded.

  Several monkeys were hanging out in two hot spring pools. One noticed us, perking up, and stared with its beady, black eyes. Its face was red, its fur gray and white.

  “Tell me these are your friends,” Kinara said with a grin. “Otherwise I might end up eating them.”

  “Please don’t,” Milrae protested. “They’re so cute!”

  “The hare wasn’t?” I put my hands up, not having meant to blurt that out. “Which is fine, and all. Just saying, when did cuteness start playing a factor?”

  “Trust me, it doesn’t,” Kinara said.

  “There’ll be no eating monkeys,” Ahlaksiz said, settling the matter. “Not here, not today, at least. For one, these little guys are going to be our friends—they’ll lead us to my contacts, or them to us.”

  She led the way, advancing even as several of the monkeys exited the water and approached. Two of the monkeys picked up sticks and started waving them around, but Ahlaksiz didn’t balk. As she continued past them, they faced me instead.

  My heart pounded. Feeling fear facing these monkeys, considering what I’d gone up against, was humorous. But that didn’t stop me from feeling very unnerved.

  “Do monkeys have rabies?” I asked.

  “I just know they look delicious,” Kinara replied.

  “They’re like little hairy people,” I countered in disgust.

  She winked. “I know.”

  My gut clenched, and I wasn’t sure if she was serious or not.

  “No dawdling,” Ahlaksiz called back, already at the edge of one of the hot springs, where a large monkey stood staring at her.

  Only Jalee and Milrae had yet to pass me, and I wasn’t about to be the last one to go, so I strolled forward, right past the monkeys. But as soon as I was one step past them, they moved for me, sticks waving. I yelped, running to join Ahlaksiz, not liking the laughter that sounded one bit.

  “Hey,” I shouted, turning on the monkeys, realizing the laughter sound had come from them, “back off!”

  They screeched as monkeys do, waving their sticks again. I didn’t back off this time, balling my hands into fists.

  “What is this?” I asked. “A test of my willingness to stand up to mountain monkeys?”

  “Join me,” Ahlaksiz said.

  I was about to turn when Kinara came up behind one of the monkeys, looking about to strike.

  “No,” I told her.

  “But—”

  She held out her hands in protest as the monkey squeaked and ran to join the other.

  Turning to Ahlaksiz and doing my best to ignore the monkeys, I advanced again. When I stood next to her, she grinned and turned to the monkey in the water. “Now, my soon-to-be friend, we’ve come to see the Monkey Princess.”

  “Wait.” I blinked, wishing I could play that back again. “Did you say…?”

  “Monkey Princess,” Ahlaksiz repeated. “Yes. As in, one of the daughters of the Monkey King.”

  I frowned, wondering why a daughter of the Monkey King would be hanging out in Nikko. From what I knew, the Monkey King was a character from Chinese mythology. Then again, several notable Japanese stories had based their characters off of him, including the character Goku, so maybe there were some ties here?

  Either way, the monkey exited the water, leading us to the seemingly simple tree line nearby. He paused there, glaring at me, then turned to Ahlaksiz before moving a tall fern. As it moved, the view beyond shimmered, and we could hear sounds. Laughter and splashing.

  My mind was already racing with ideas for what we might find.

  16

  We followed the monkey, only to be stopped by a woman with a long wooden staff. No, not exactly a woman, or human one anyway. She had a winding tail, not unlike our guide.

  This was a monkey woman. While she wore extravagant armor of white and pink, with lines of blue, those behind her who bathed were nude. There were more hot springs, several of them along the mountain in pools like steps, and at the top, two figures were bathing another, a woman who seemed twice as large as the others. Not fat, but in actual size—like a giant.

  Below, the others played, splashed, even caressed each other. Not all were women, as one stood and pointed at us, and his dangling cock gave him away. It would have been hard to tell otherwise, considering how slender he was, body smooth, but with hair on his head and long forearms.

  “What is this?” he demanded.

  “Ask him,” the guard replied, and indicated the monkey who was leading us. The monkey shrieked at her, then moved along to swing his way up to the large one at the top—the one I now assumed was the Monkey Princess.

  “We have a problem here?” Kinara asked, craning her neck to see past us and the guard. “Because this looks like the type of fun I’d like to get in on.”

  I gave her a sideways, scolding glance.

  “Not sexually, of course,” she added with a frown. “The hot springs look relaxing is all.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You…” the guard said, eyeing Ahlaksiz. “I seem to remember you saying you’d never return this way.”

  “I had no intention of it,” Ahlaksiz admitted. “But times have changed.”

  “So we’ve heard.” She glanced over her shoulder at the man who still stood, looking furious, but all eyes were on the monkey, who was now speaking with the Princess. “If she refuses to see you, I’ll gladly show you the way out.”

  “Was I rude to you?”

  The guard scoffed. “If you don’t remember, I’d say that makes it worse.”

  “I apologize, then. That was a different time. A different me.”

  “I should hope so.” The guard’s eyes moved over me, then the others. “Isn’t this a motley crew you’ve brought to see the princess.”

  “For good reason,” Ahlaksiz said. “We seek a meeting with the one called Vaper.”

  “You found your way here because you know where to look, and who to ask for help from.” She glanced back up at the monkey; the princess had him on her shoulder, leaning forward to look at us. The guard bowed her head before turning back our way. “Even so, Vaper doesn’t come out of hiding. He doesn’t get involved.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “Why?” came another voice, and we all turned in a start. The Monkey Princess was no longer in the bath, but floating on a cloud with her staff of metal held in defense, that monkey still on her shoulder. “Speak quickly, because I don’t take kindly to unwanted guests these days.”

  “They’re trying to get to Amabie,” Ahlaksiz said.

  I did my best not to show my surprise. We were doing this for much more than anything related to those mercs and their obsession with Amabie. So why was she playing that card, and not telling the princess the full truth?

  The princess knelt on her cloud, not bashful in the slightest as her monstrous breasts hung, and she beckoned to me.

  I gulped, stepping forward. “Yes?”

  “You’re human, but I sense something about you. A connection…” She leaned forward slightly, then sniffed. “You summoned them?”

  “All but her,” I said with a nod to Ahlaksiz.

  The Monkey Princess nodded, her golden eyes moving to Ahlaksiz, then she stood as her cloud swept her back to her pool of steaming water. “Come, bathe with us and tell all.”

  “We…” Ahlaksiz seemed about to argue, but at a glance from the guard, and a subtle nod, she said, “Will be glad to join you.”

  I wanted to protest, but the water looked damn welcoming.

  “Promise me there are no… creatures… hiding under the surface,” I hissed to Milrae as we approached, and she gave me a confused look.

  “Oh, like Amabie was?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Fingers crossed—but you never know where those monkey tails might be.”

  She seemed to think that was funny, but not me. I was having a bit of PTSD, but as we started to climb the rocks that led to the pool of the princess, I glanced over to see the terror on Jalee’s face. It was easy to forget about her and water.

  “Oh, shit.” I put an arm around her. “What do we do?”

  “Maybe I… sit at the edge?”

  “We’ll cover for you. Don’t worry.”

  She leaned into me. I enjoyed it, but her vulnerability was disconcerting. Climbing up, I did my best to ignore the curious glances from the dozen or so nude monkey people, and attempted to not look at them in their nudity. More than once it was inevitable, and by the time we reached the top and Ahlaksiz and Kinara had started to strip, I was beyond the point of being aroused. Don’t judge me—it wasn’t like I was imagining anything happening with the monkey people. Maybe you can walk past a bunch of beautifully-shaped naked women, or men, and be completely unfazed, but not me. Throw me into a nudist colony for a year and I doubted I’d ever really get used to it. Plus, there was a huge difference that most nudist beaches and colonies had people of all shapes and sizes, while here pretty much every one of them was to my exact preference.

  Hesitating, I noticed that Milrae had stripped now, too, and Jalee was starting. What would be worse, I wondered—making up an excuse, or stripping while fully erect?

  “Shouldn’t we shower first?” I asked, glancing around, more as a stalling tactic than anything else. As I did, I tried to think of anything that would make my boner go away, but I couldn’t. My mind flashed with thoughts of my monster ladies, nude, then remembering the way Jalee had made Milrae and Kinara orgasm on the way over here, and I felt a tingle that caused me to shiver.

  “That might be the custom at most onsen,” Ahlaksiz said, “but they don’t exactly have showers here.”

  “I know, but…” An idea hit me. Turning and undoing my pants with one hand, my other reached up and touched Basty as I whispered, “Help me out. Don’t ask why or hesitate, just… fucking terrify me.”

  The response was instant. Instead of standing there on that mountainside surrounded by nude beauties, I was in a pile of blood, corpses dangling from trees in all manner of dismemberment, and a terrifying creature rose out of the blood. It slightly resembled Basty, but with the skin of its victims hanging over it like a coat, wearing the skull of that crocodile woman from Turkey.

  I buckled over, gut clenching and bile rising into my mouth, and caught myself there on the side of the hot springs. I was back; my boner was definitely gone, and it was all I could do to stop from vomiting right into the water.

  “What…?” Jalee asked, at my side and catching me with a spark that went through me, bringing me out of it. It worked like an Alka-Seltzer, and I sat back, breathing heavily. Everyone was looking at me.

  “Sorry, I felt… off, for a second.” I pushed myself up, nodded to Jalee that I’d be okay, and took off my clothes. Nothing to worry about, aside from being unable able to push that horrible thought of the blood and strange creatures from my head. I’d have to chat with Basty later, and let him know what was too much.

  For now, though, the others were glad to see me entering, and I found my spot next to Ahlaksiz, the large princess on the other side of her. Kinara took the spot next to me, Milrae opposite, and the two monkey women who had been bathing the princess were next. I looked up to see Jalee’s stunning body with speckles of shadow and sunlight. Her nervous eyes met mine, and I had an idea.

  “Come on, I’ll give you a foot massage,” I said, patting the stone next to me—but at the same time, making sure to dry my hand on my clothes there. I wasn’t sure how much water affected her. After all, she did drink water, right? My guess was she just couldn’t be submerged in it, but otherwise was fine.

  “Thank you,” she said, sitting there and letting me guide her so her calves were on my right shoulder, feet out in front. It wasn’t exactly natural but got the job done. Best of all, nobody looked offended or suspicious.

  “Now we’re all comfortable,” the Monkey Princess said, turning to look down at Ahlaksiz. She was huge—maybe one of her parents was a giant or something? Some legendary Japanese one, and that would explain her presence here?

  She seemed to be waiting for one of us to speak up, so I said, “Thank you for having us.”

  The Monkey Princess laughed. “As if it was a true invitation. Did your friend here,” she nodded to Ahlaksiz, “tell you that last time we spoke, she never planned on seeing me again?”

  “You seem to be doing well enough without me, after all,” Ahlaksiz said, gesturing at those gathered.

  “I’ve found like-minded friends.”

  “And I’ve found purpose again.” Ahlaksiz took a deep breath, before adding, “You know why we’re here?”

  “I have eyes and ears about, but they didn’t say who exactly it was who had entered my land. Only that there were intruders of a lower tier.”

  Ignoring that, Ahlaksiz leaned forward, eyes narrowed. “We need your help.”

  “To what, exactly? Help you find the lost island of Avalon? Sorry, the Protector seems to have already done so. Arthur returned, they defeated the—”

  “I’m well aware of what transpired between the Myths and Legends,” Ahlaksiz cut her off, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

  “You still don’t see that as your fight.”

  “I still don’t.”

  “What, then, do you want my help with?”

  Ahlaksiz glanced my way before saying, “We need to find Vaper. We need his help in training this man, Ferris.”

  “Vaper,” she said, then eyed me with curiosity. “And Ferris is somehow worthy? He’s one you think Vaper will break his oath for?”

  “Oath?” I asked.

  They all ignored me for a second, while the Monkey Princess waited for an answer to her question.

  “We don’t know,” Ahlaksiz replied, “but… we hope.”

  The Monkey Princess sighed. “I guard Japan, along with the others. We are aware, at times, of what happens here. But Vaper is a mystery. I cannot find him for you.”

  “You have a way.”

  “No.” Ahlaksiz stared at this Monkey Princess, then leaned in, lowering her voice. “The Eye of Ra.”

  “How… dare you?”

  In a spray of water, the Monkey Princess had stood and reached one of her massive monkey-paws out to grab Ahlaksiz by the face. A snarl followed, then Ahlaksiz was gone, transforming into her full cougar shape in the water. She came pouncing out to land on the woman before turning back to herself, but with ears and tail. Instead of attacking, as I expected, she had her arms around the woman’s neck and said, “I’ll take the risk! Let it be me.”

  Watching this, I was quite taken aback. It was a sight—the woman with her cougar tail swaying, pressed there with one knee in the other’s large breast to hold herself in place. The Monkey Princess had her paws on Ahlaksiz’s head as if she might try to squish it, but instead, suddenly pulled her in for a kiss. Was I supposed to be jealous or something here? One of my lovers was kissing another woman—a giant, fairytale spinoff of a woman, but still. Mostly, I was confused.

  A quick glance around showed the other monkey people were confused as well. Some of them had run up from below, including the guard in her armor, and two more guards had joined us, standing on tree branches and aiming blow darts our way.

  “Stand down,” the Monkey Princess said, not even looking their way, lips still an inch from Ahlaksiz’s. “We need to talk.” When none of them moved, she said, “ALONE!”

  All the monkey people scattered to the wind, vanishing into the trees, even the monkey guide who’d shown us the way. Only the guard woman from the entrance stayed, though she seemed to blush at a glance my way. Turning, she took up a guard stance at a distance that was close enough to be there if needed, but far enough to not be listening in.

  I glanced down and realized I had stood in the commotion, and while I wasn’t aroused, the hot water had certainly done me proud. No wonder the guard had blushed.

  Jalee was crouched nearby on the rocks, while Kinara and Milrae were both standing at the ready.

  “It’s okay,” Ahlaksiz said, motioning to all of us. She then told the princess, “They stay.”

  The Monkey Princess frowned, but nodded. Both of them relaxed into the water, separating, though Ahlaksiz moved toward the middle, giving her room.

  “I am with Ferris, now,” she said.

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes. And for good reason. He might not be here to save the world, or to protect fairy tales against humans… but he has power, and a means to open a way to the monsterverse.”

  “I don’t see how that’s my issue.”

  “It isn’t, but like I said, I’ll take the risk.”

  “Risk?” I asked.

  Ahlaksiz eyed me, clearly frustrated that I had asked, but explained, “She has the Eye of Ra. I know this, because I have my sources as well, and some of us… sense it. The Eye calls to us, looking for a new host, a new body it can corrupt, to bring Ra back. For him to be reborn.”

  A shudder ran through me. “You’re saying that somehow this eye can turn you, or anyone who succumbs to it, into the god Ra?”

  “It carries a shadow,” she replied. “A curse, if you prefer. But also a strength—using it, we could find Vaper. He has that special connection, as did Ra. Very few do, but if we train you right, so too will you.”

  “Meaning the Ra eye could be used to find me, too?” I certainly didn’t like the sound of that.

  “Yes,” she replied. “But at that point, you’d be powerful enough to not have to worry about it. And as long as the Eye of Ra is here, once we go into the monsterverse, it won’t be able to follow you or see you there.”

  “I’m not seeing the full picture here,” the Monkey Princess admitted. “How exactly would you be able to open a portal?”