I laughed. Of course, it had been Basty! He must’ve seen into my mind and figured it would be nice for me if he recreated the images there.

  “Very good,” I said, then knelt, petting him on the top of his head. “You speak?”

  He cocked his head, then said, “No good.”

  “Not good?” I grinned, holding out my hand for him to jump into, then lifted him back to my shoulder. “Not good, yet.”

  The little guy curled up and took the scarf form again, and I could have sworn I heard actual purring.

  I turned back to the ladies, Jalee now there with the other two, and wiped a tear that had formed at the corner of my eye.

  “This place means that much to you?” Jalee asked in utter bewilderment. “It’s from a movie, no?”

  In answer, I laughed. “Movies can be as meaningful as anything else. For me, it was sitting down to watch Star Wars when I first saw that my dad could have an emotional side. He showed me the first movie—episode four—when I was seven, and I still remember the way he would jump up and shout at the television in excitement, or the way he held me close and tried to explain how the force worked. No, there were no Midichlorians back then.”

  “Medi-whats?” Milrae asked.

  I pointed at her and winked. “Exactly.”

  “And he took you here?” Jalee asked next.

  “Boy, do I wish. He never cared for the prequels much, but since they were part of the franchise, he still watched them like ten times at least. If I could take him somewhere like this, I think he might explode with joy.”

  “We mustn’t do that then,” Ahlaksiz said, and I turned, not realizing she’d joined us. With a grin to show she knew it wasn’t literal, she gestured to the sky, eyes on the sliver of a moon barely visible behind thick clouds. “Let’s get to it. We have a summoning to attempt.”

  She kept checking the stars when they were visible between the clouds, leading us to a spot in the open desert where the movie set could no longer be seen, hidden from view by one of many sand dunes. Then, eyes closed, she waited. I frowned, eyeing the other ladies in confusion, and was relieved to see none seemed to know what was going on, either.

  With three deep breaths, Ahlaksiz finally opened her eyes, then nodded. “Take out the Iridant, hold it to your heart, and focus.”

  Doing so, I felt a chill in the desert night, but wondered if it was the air or a connection to that other world. With my eyes closed, the connection to Basty was strong, and through it, I could sense the four monster ladies around me. I could almost hear each of their breaths, feel their heartbeats.

  I tried relaxing myself, putting all of my energy into that Iridant, but so far nothing was happening.

  “Deep breaths in through the nose,” Ahlaksiz said, voice gentle, calming. “Let it bring in the positive energy, then breathe out and feel it move to your core, where you will harness it for the summoning.”

  “Not pushing out the negative?” I asked, allowing one eye to peek open. She was facing me but with her eyes still closed, so I closed mine again as well.

  “Waste no energy. Push it all into that core, an inner part of you that you have to learn to be in touch with. Channel it through the Alexandrite—it’ll help you.”

  Again I tried, and while the stone did seem to give me some sort of deeper connection to myself, it just wasn’t happening.

  Basty, can you help me out here? I asked, mentally. I don’t know. Clear my mind or something?

  Good, came the response.

  At first, I wasn’t sure what that meant, then my mind was overcome with a calming warmth, and I could see myself in every sense. I was looking through my body, watching the blood flow, seeing the energy and where it needed to go. There was that ichor from before, along with unused prana, and I pushed it into the glowing, gold ball of energy in my gut.

  I could see the prana there, feel it move in my body as I manipulated the green energy. Morphing it into strength, it was like it resisted slightly to make sure, but I pushed it and grinned as my muscles took on the extra power. That made sense to me, if I was going to be summoning a more powerful monster girl. The ones I already had could rip me apart, though they wouldn’t. This new one, though? I had no idea what to expect.

  Since I was already there, I moved to the red ichor energy next, and found that Basty was giving me images of the powers I could use and adapt to. Since I’d chosen to go the route of the druid, I decided to move the ichor in that direction, to what seemed an image of me reaching out to a tree. It responding by moving and lifting me into the air. Maybe it wasn’t the most powerful option, but one thing I knew about druids was their connection to nature, and I’d always believed in starting with a solid foundation. That’s why, when creating my stories, I always started with a sketch and an outline, and never moved past the first chapter until I had it exactly where I wanted it to be. Sometimes even the ending.

  That done, I took advantage of this ability to look into myself, and focused on drawing energy from the nature around me. I felt the wind respond, even the moisture in the air, but nothing happened. Despite the Iridant calling on the monster and my Alexandrite protecting me, it wasn’t working.

  “Try again,” Ahlaksiz said, and closed her eyes.

  As spent as I felt, all of this was riding on me. Shutting my eyes, I reached into myself again, focusing on breathing in and manipulating the energy within.

  If I couldn’t do this, maybe they were wrong about me? Maybe I was nothing more than a pervert who brought monster girls over from the other world, fucked them, and would be destined to watch others play the hero role?

  Who was I kidding? Me, Mr. Dorito-eating-visual-novel-writing-nobody, a hero? I wanted to laugh. Part of me wanted to cry.

  “Focus,” a voice said from within, and I realized it was me. My stronger side, this new me that was going to fight, to not give up. I took in another breath, and kept at it, this time very much aware of the doubts, using that energy and pushing it into my core. I would give it my all, and never give up.

  9

  Again and again, I attempted to use this Iridant to summon the creature that it would call upon from the other side. My free hand gripped the Alexandrite, ready to use it for my defense if needed. Each time I felt closer, and at one point even imagined I was at the base of a set of stairs, flowing mist all around me, a being at the top turning as if about to look my way.

  Only, before she could set her eyes on me, it was gone, and I was collapsing onto my knees in the sand.

  “He’s not ready,” Jalee said.

  “One more time.” I held up a hand to keep them from helping me, then pushed myself up. “I know it was close.”

  “She’s right, though,” Ahlaksiz countered. “Wanting it isn’t enough. Having the item, too, isn’t enough.”

  “I need to try again. If I can just—”

  Pain shot through my mind, eyes staring at me, bright light taking over my vision, and I shouted, “Basty!”

  In a flash, the light was gone and I was lying on the sand, staring up at the clouds and patches of the starry sky. Basty transformed, padding up to my chest, and stared at me with what looked like worry in those large eyes.

  “Good?” he asked.

  I reached up to pet him, muttering, “You did good. Thank you.”

  Kinara and Milrae knelt at my side, hands on me. The latter turned her focus to Ahlaksiz, frantic. “What was that?”

  “He might have been closer than we realized,” she replied.

  “But not in a good way,” Jalee added. “What sort of monster, exactly, do we think this Iridant will summon? Because from what I just saw, I’m not sure it’s worth it.”

  “We go against Tooth and those others guarding the mansion, we fail,” Ahlaksiz replied. “Without help, that is. What other options do you see?”

  Silence followed, during which I wanted to curl up into a ball, or simply disappear. This was my fault, because I wasn’t strong enough. I needed more power, more advancing in terms of this inner focus they spoke of. To be fair, though, I really hadn’t been at it very long. I tried to remind myself what the characters in my stories went through before completing their quests and finding that special item, winning over a loved one, or defeating the ultimate enemy. It always included training, learning from their failures, and striving to step up their game.

  If that was what it would take, I was determined to do so. Lying around in the Tunisian desert certainly wasn’t proving fruitful, so I pushed myself up and said, “What’s next?”

  “Are you okay?” Kinara asked, hand on my cheek and staring into my eyes.

  I nodded, taking her hand and guiding Basty back to my shoulder. “Not only am I okay, I’m seeing clearly that she’s right. This isn’t going to work, not without help.”

  “I’m glad you came to your senses,” a harsh voice said, deep and guttural.

  “You decided to show yourself,” Ahlaksiz replied.

  To my complete bewilderment, I turned to see a figure in black stepping out from what seemed a tear in the night, as if he emerged from the darkness then folded it back into place behind him.

  It was the man from the wedding, Momotaro.

  “To what do you owe the pleasure?” Ahlaksiz asked.

  “I came only to ensure that you made no mistakes. Clearly you wanted to, but were unable.” His eyes came to rest on me, then on Basty, who quickly curled up into a scarf to avoid the man’s gaze. If this guy could scare Basty, that said something.

  Deciding to stand my ground, and kind of annoyed that he’d made Basty react that way, I stood tall and faced him. “And what would you have done if we’d succeeded?”

  Momotaro’s face was like steel, not revealing a single flinch or emotion. “Depending on what you brought through, I was prepared to do whatever was necessary.”

  I hadn’t noticed his hand going to his sword, but it was there, gripping the sheath while his thumb slid the sword out slightly. The implication was clear, along with the threat.

  “And these monsters here?” I gestured to Kinara, Jalee, and Milrae. “If you have a problem with them, you have a problem with me.”

  I was about to be shaking in my shoes and could feel it. This man was a Myth, and a cold-hard killer at that. From what the ladies had told me, he had taken down way more than his fair share of Legends.

  “A problem… with you.” The man stepped forward but paused. Suddenly, he laughed.

  “That’s funny?” I asked.

  He eyed me, going serious, then laughed again.

  I turned to Ahlaksiz, and she was smiling wide.

  “It kind of is,” she said. “Funny, but also hot. You’re standing in front of a volcano and shouting threats at it as it spews forth lava. No offense, I mean—you’re badass. Momotaro could easily slaughter every one of us, and I doubt we’d give him a scratch.”

  “He steps at Ferris like that again, we’ll find out,” Kinara said through clenched teeth. Judging by her stance and the way she was glaring, she was putting her all into not lunging for the man.

  “You travel with simpletons,” Momotaro said to Ahlaksiz, laughter and smile gone. “Are they so eager to meet Death?”

  “They’re simply strong-willed,” she replied. “And we will summon this monster, unless you want to lend your sword to our cause?”

  “Not likely.”

  “As I thought.”

  He looked at me again, then slowly shook his head. “What makes you think he’s able? You saw just now the way he was almost conquered.”

  Ahlaksiz took a deep breath, sized me up, then said, “He’s not.”

  “Hey,” I protested, even though I knew she was right.

  “Not yet,” she added, with a finger my way. “But you will be.”

  “I will?”

  She nodded, then turned back to Momotaro. “Would you be so opposed if you knew he was properly trained? That he was ready to handle whatever came through because he’d been shown how to harness his inner core by a true master?”

  “I teach no one.”

  “Not you. The one who taught you—our mutual friend.”

  Momotaro went rigid. Clearly, this had touched a nerve. “He does not involve himself in such affairs.”

  “For me, he might.” She stepped over to my side. “For what I see in this man, in Ferris, I believe he will.”

  “You’ve heard there’s a new protector about? Even for him, it didn’t happen.” He turned to me. “You, boy, your name is Ferris?”

  I nodded.

  “Ferris, do you have any idea what you’re stepping into? What sort of commitment this is?”

  As much as I wanted to turn to Ahlaksiz for guidance, I faced forward. “No, but I’m willing to do it anyway.”

  He arched an eyebrow, then turned, his hand leaving his sword. “It is his place to decide, not mine. But even I don’t know where he is.”

  “Last I heard, he had taken residence in Sicily—”

  “No. That was long ago.” Momotaro turned to me, slowly. “You’re familiar with Ra?”

  “The Egyptian god?” I asked, caught off guard by the question. “I’m familiar. This man we’re going to meet is Ra?!”

  “No. But the eye of Ra is the key to finding him. Last I heard, it was known to have been taken to the Land of the Rising Sun. It doesn’t surprise me, really. My mentor always had an affinity for that place.”

  I turned to Ahlaksiz, hoping she would be able to fill me in when this was over. At least I knew he was referring to Japan, but what was the eye? Some expensive gem that held magical qualities?

  As it turned out, I didn’t have to wait long, because she asked, “Ra is dead?”

  “The Protector and his Myths destroyed Ra. His ichor lives on, entrusted only to our mutual friend, my mentor. The watcher of many names, though most recently he went on a journey through the Americas by the name of Dallas. Of course, recent is relative, isn’t it?”

  “I admit, I’ve lost track of it all,” Ahlaksiz said, hand to her chest. “This is news to me.”

  Momotaro nodded. “The balance of power has shifted, thanks to this Protector. A friend of his has infiltrated the Witches, and their journey will be interesting to follow. I watch, too, now. Should my mentor take you under his wing, perhaps I will also find a reason to ally myself with you in the future. But only if you prove yourself.”

  “I hope that day comes,” I said, uncertain what I was agreeing to but liking the idea of this man on my side.

  “And lastly, boy.” He didn’t turn this time but simply added, “Do try to kill some Legends while you’re at it. The world could do with less of them.”

  Then he had stepped into his dark tear, closing it behind him so only the night air remained unbroken. I stared at that empty spot, mind overflowing with confusion and excitement.

  10

  “To be clear,” I said, finally snapping out of my stupor, “we’re going to Japan to seek out some ancient mentor, a man who taught Momotaro, and somehow the eye of a now-dead Egyptian god is involved? Scratch that, I mean the main Egyptian god.”

  Ahlaksiz had a distant look in her eyes, clearly taken aback by this news as well.

  “Sicily will have to wait,” she said, blinking as she snapped out of it, meeting my gaze. “Yes, we’re going to Japan. You… you’re going to love it.”

  “What’s the problem, then?”

  “It throws everything for a loop. If we’d been able to simply summon the creature now, go about our business, that’s one thing. But this? Our journey just went from being a sprint to…”

  “A marathon?”

  “No. More like a series of sprints interrupted by slow soaks in the onsen—hot springs.”

  “Are we going to do that?”

  Everyone was staring at me, I realized. Not in their normal way, but as if they were wondering why I was acting all bubbly.

  “Most likely,” she replied. “Because here’s the thing—we don’t know how to find him. There is a certain someone we can ask for guidance, a regional guardian, in a sense. Most likely we’ll find him in or around the Nikko region, based on past experience.”

  “So you’ve been? You’ve been to Japan?”

  “Many times. I… I don’t want to get into it right now.”

  “Why’s he acting like a giddy schoolboy?” Jalee asked. “Is this Japan a house of candy?”

  “Or sex toys?” Kinara added.

  “It’s a country,” I replied, chuckling at their assumptions. “Just… somewhere I’ve wanted to go for a long time. You know those visual novels I’ve been working on?” As I said it and noticed how Kinara looked slightly aware, but the others not at all, I realized that no, I had been falling behind on those. Damn, I’d have to find time to get back there, somehow. How long could my new life continue without me making any sort of actual living? What would happen if all this monster stuff ended one day, and I was left to go back to my old life, without any source of income and no recently published products?

  “Anyway, my point was a lot of my influence has come from Japan. I think you’ll see what I mean.”

  “So, we’re going?” Milrae asked. “I mean, for sure?”

  “We want Ferris to reach his full potential,” Ahlaksiz replied, “and to do that, this is necessary.”

  “To be clear,” I said, starting to feel a bit dizzy at the prospect of what was actually about to happen, “we’re actually going to be able to see the place, too? Not just arrive, try some voodoo, then move on?”

  “I have my lead, but not much else. Unless the man we seek happens to be hanging out in the onsen, then yes, we’ll have no choice but to see some of the country as we search him out.”

  “And our previous idea of building up a small army?” Jalee looked confused, her eyes darting between us. “That’s abandoned for this?”

  “No…” Ahlaksiz frowned, clearly uncertain. “But I believe this takes precedence, first. And, second, I think we might have an opportunity to build up the army, at least a bit, while in Japan.”

  “So what the hell did we come to this desert for?” Milrae asked. “All this sand. Blah.”