Chapter#04

"Excuse me!" The man stepped onto Mike's property, but still maintained his distance. Though the ominous voice was gone, his body language was now aggressive. If not for the fact that he looked like a disgruntled professor who most likely battled heartburn on a full-time basis, Mike would have felt more intimidated. "Are you the new homeowner?"

"I am." Mike had learned long ago that the less he said, the faster conversations would end. It had been a survival skill for years, due to his social anxiety, but now he had better things to do than piss around with some lame-ass Mr. Rogers knockoff.

"My name is Murray, I live next door." Murray stuck his thumb out to the right, looking briefly like a hitchhiker. "I don't want to be that guy, but you and I have a problem."

"We do?" Still worried that a threat was imminent, Mike crossed his arms and begrudgingly gave Murray his full attention.

"Yes, we do, Mr...?"

"Radley. Mike Radley." Mike didn't bother offering his hand.

"Michael. While I appreciate all the work you've done to improve the grounds, I'm afraid I must insist on expressing my outrage over all of the noise you keep making." Murray's cheeks were now red, and his hands had balled into fists. It was clear he was working himself up.

"What noise?"

"Ever since you've moved in, I've had to call the cops multiple times because of the noise at your house. Like last night's party, for example."

"Um..." He thought back to when Tink had knocked holes in the walls, and when everyone had shrieked when the scarabs had flooded the upstairs hallway. The women of the house had reacted in different ways, which was why the third-floor hall had frosted over, and there was one broken window on the second floor where the fairy girls had started their own bug rodeo. Though the home had leaked noise on more than one occasion, it had only been during far greater battles than home extermination, and those had been outside.

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." Murray pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over. "I've spoken with my attorney. On his recommendation, I am letting you know that I intend to sue if you keep it up. I am losing valuable sleep and it is affecting my job performance. I also don't appreciate all the extra foot traffic you've brought to the neighborhood. This is supposed to be a nice place."

Mike took the paper. It looked like Murray had taken a picture of a computer screen displaying the local noise ordinance with his phone, then printed that image out with the remnants of a fossilized ink cartridge.

"Well?" Murray asked, looking quite satisfied with himself. "Do you agree now that we have a problem?"

Mike folded the paper and stuck it in his back pocket. He had once stabbed a demon in the head before collapsing a pocket universe on it. There was also the time he had fought witches in the front yard, or even the incident with Titania, queen of the fae. While Murray posed very little threat to him in pretty much every way, he definitely wanted the man off his lawn. The last thing he needed was a nosy neighbor. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll try to keep it down."

Murray, looking very satisfied with himself, straightened his sweater and left.

Mike watched him go, then pulled the paper out of his pocket. He would have Beth look at it later. While he didn't necessarily feel like dealing with a court battle, she would know exactly how to handle it.

And what of Murray's strange behavior? His King Theoden impression clearly wasn't an act, which warranted a proper investigation. Next time he spotted Lily, he would see if he could convince her to spy on him. If nothing else, the succubus could hop into Murray's dreams tonight and take a peek around to see if anything was amiss.

"It's always something," he muttered, then stuck the paper back into his pocket. Despite the incident with the scarabs, it really had been too quiet lately. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the gathering of people in his yard and crossed his fingers.

Hopefully it wouldn't get too crazy.

🏡🏡🏡

The Labyrinth beneath Mike's home had seen better days. Enough progress had been made with the repairs over the last six months that Beth was finally able to traverse it on her own without a sturdy pair of hiking shoes, but it was still treacherous to walk in some areas. The shadow, a nameless menace with magical powers, had used a magical text called the Grimoire to take a shortcut to the middle of the Labyrinth, where he had encountered the naga Ratu.

The battle had not ended well for the naga.

Upon arriving at the naga's lair, Beth saw Ratu sitting on a large, soft chaise lounge beneath a modified sunlamp. Though Ratu had survived the attack, her recovery had been agonizingly slow. Currently, her upper torso was that of a human, and her lower body was the long slender form of a cobra. Her snake skin was shedding, and she had apparently convinced the fairies to help her out by scraping it away with stones that looked like pumice.

"Ah, you're early." Ratu put down the magical text she had been reading. The book shimmered momentarily before the cover expanded and sealed it shut. "I wasn't expecting you until later."

Beth felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Originally, she had planned to arrive early and perhaps mess around a bit with the minotaur, Asterion. He was a couple hundred pounds of muscle wrapped around a gentle soul. He also had an enormous cock of which Beth had become quite fond.

Sneaking away to a hidden part of the Labyrinth for a quick fuck was definitely Beth's idea of a fun time, but no amount of lube or foreplay would be able to help her with an issue that had developed earlier in the week.

"I ended up with some extra time on my hands," she offered. "It's looking better down here."

"The rats have been a big help." Ratu let out a sigh. "Can I get you some tea or something?"