Judgement required, 2nd Praxis Contest public judging

[Boomerang]

Welcome people of TMM to the public judgement topic of the 2nd Praxis Contest. In the replies below you will find the submitted stories and art as people have sent them in. Read them through if you please would and select one you think is best.

Due to the varied natures of the entries we ask the public not to judge solely on length or art style, but also on emotional impact.
Judging will last a week, then the public winners will be announced here, on MGU and DA.

[Boomerang]

Hizumi's entry

Spoiler: show

The Lost City of White, Lorshore
By Hizumi

Lorshore, used to be a standing city even during the times before the Monster girls came. The city is said to have been a beautiful city. The houses were all of stone, while slowly would drift into wood as you reached the poorer districts. It had a massive port of which most it's trade went out to the other countries around them. It stood alone, watched over in a monarchy by the Silverflame family. They resided in a mighty Gothic castle, over looking the city in the far reaches of it. It's mighty walls extending around the entire city as if to hug it, sheltering it from harm of would be attackers. There time and rule was generally loved by the people, and even though the winters were long and harsh, the city seemed to be blessed with luxury, allowing it's people to continuously prosper.

Their main form of trade came in from the mountains which dotted their landscape to the south, and the road that once went threw them would bring you into the green plains and forestry that would be cultivated for the city slowly as well. The mines, would provide them iron, bronze, copper, gold and silver. While their ships would bring in the fish, whales and other forms. The mountains also provided defense, and would dissuade most foes from coming. The harsh winters blowing on them and more would often keep all but the mightiest of creatures at bay.

One day, on the eve of the birth of the House Silverflame's first born son. It's towns people brought to joy as there beloved rulers had once more bore a child to continue their dynasty, they sang and rang bells as the churches would cry out for the blessing of the gods. The streets were filled with people, even on the cloudy Autumn day. Yet, a darkness loomed over the land as the sounds of mighty wings filled the sky. The people screamed as the roar of a mighty dragon came to the mountains, passing it with no effort and landed on the massive castle. Drawn by the riches that seemed to gleam white by the walls, the dragon roared once more. It's vicious echo ripping apart windows as it began it's attack. The king ordered for the troops to arm themselves, and so the white army began it's war against the massive beast.

It's scales seemed to glow with a black hue even when the sun hit it's skin. It's silver eyes starred coldly into the souls of the men to die as it's massive wings showed lines of red down them. It was to say the least a massive beast, and with one blast of it's flame it slammed into the shield wall of white shields. The fire tearing into there metal. Her claws rending threw another wall as if it wasn't there as the king called forth his troops moral. Hoping to push the beast away from the wood districts. He took his horse men, charging from the wall as the Dragon seemed to enjoy it's game it followed. Chasing them without much effort taking off one by one till the silver armor and black and blue cape caught her eyes. The colors of house Silverflame. The man turned instantly for a moment as she came down, a massive spear was in his arms as he jumped off his horse lunging forward, slamming it into her lower thigh. The beast roared in pain as it easily knocked away the man, blowing flames that incinerated the horse. The King slammed into the heavy snow. His armor heavy, as he looked down to see the blood from his gaping wound he smiled. His cape picking up in the wind as he took his massive battle ax from the ground. Tossed from his back when he was knocked over while hiding it under his cape. He walked forward. The grey fur, the blue and black colors all seeming to drip with blood as he pulled his weapon back.

The sight of a women stood before him. A white cloak covering her body. “Do you wish to live?” She asked him. Her Red eyes watching him carefully. “Do you wish to see you wife, watch your son grow? Do you wish to die an old man?” It seemed as though time had stopped. Her voice alone like a melodic tune in his ears. Was this where he would die? He thought. Was this the end for his people? His family? Would they all burn.

“No...” He muttered to himself, “I wont allow them to die, I will protect them. It is my job, as it was my fathers, and will be my sons.”

The white cloaked women stood as her cloak blew in the wind. She chuckled sweetly, “Is that a no to life? But a yes to protection...or do you not know what your choice is..” The words still soft on his ears he looked to her once more. Meeting her red eyed gaze.

“It starts with me beating the dragon...and then i'll protect them..” he coughed, blood dripping out. Was this an illusion he thought to himself and began to move forward. The woman didn't seem to move either.

“Then I offer you this,” she began, “As I heard your words, I will bless your ax. But know, your protection will come at a cost. As all must be balanced.”

He looked to her, watching her carefully. “Will I be able to kill the dragon? Will I be able to protect my family? My People?” He demanded more then asked, his time was short, he knew he would die. He cared not for his life no...he cared for his people. It would be amazing for him to live..but he knew he was far from saving. He could feel his own temperature drop but he still held on. Whatever they were in, it gave him slow rest.

“In a way, no dragon will dare cross your kind again. You must take up the dragon as your banner though. You call yourselves Silverflame but all I see is blue and black...with grey fur. Take up the dragon and you will have what you wish.” The white cloaked woman spoke once more. Her kind voice barely allowing her to give off the demanding order. But he cared not. He'd gladly mount a sexual organ to his banner if it meant to protect all that he loved.

“Yes. I will do it, now help me win.” He commanded as the white cloaked lady seemed to begin to vanish in chuckles.

“Go Draegar the brave of house Silverflame. Defeat the beast you so desire.” The voice echoed once more as it vanished. The white cloaked woman having left made the wind smash into his face as his ax and body felt lighter. He looked to see the dragon on the ground pulling out the dragon spear that was stabbed into her lower thigh. And he didn't hold back. Charging forth to assault the dragon he roared out a roar that all the people heard. His massive ax meeting tooth and claw, his wounds healed as he swung the ax to the beast and soon enough it's blood would paint the battlefield. A dragon, killed by a man. A feat that not many could do....but what was the cost?

He walked back to his walls, destroyed slightly by the dragon as he dragged his ax behind him. He was greeted by the people, and knights alike. His soldiers who had seemingly left him to die. All cheered. He knew it wasn't there fault. In the end they lost many great men that day. He moved to Castle Lorshore. Pushing open it's gates as he dropped the heavy ax on the sight before him. His child dead on the ground, torn to shreds by a man who seemed to be killed. The nearby guard bleeding profusely as she tried to hold the baby close to herself. He ran towards her. Looking at her and the boy.

“What happened...why is my son..Wheres my wife!” Draegar demanded the dying woman who could only reply in tears as she pointed up. The ceiling dripped blood, as the hanging of his wife seemed to be the only image in his mind. Her corpse dangling. The guards quickly closed the building as he moved to the throne sitting down. His mind brooding. “No...no no...this can't be real...she said my family..my family would be safe....she lied...” His fist smashed into the throne arm crushing it. He hadn't wanted this, he would have died a million deaths if it was to protect his love, his child.

“My lord!” cried a nursing lady as she came running down the hall with a screaming baby in her arms and another with another round item in hers. “She had twins my lord...and we found this near the baby..it was all we could save but we left for a moment..and came back to see this egg beside him.” He watched the two. And took the boy into his arms with the egg.

“Take up the dragon...you whore...you knew..” He stated darkly. As he moved to look up to his wife once more. Tears dripping down his face, he pushed open the gates and showed to the world. His children.


The Silverflame house had gained a rather unique ability after this. Dragons, particular the species that attacked Lorshore and was slain by Draegar The Brave, or Draegar the dragon-slayer. Seemed to be “tamed.” The ultimate defeat, as he himself had thought. The white cloaked lady spoke of a cost, a curse. For every Silverflame born there will be one that dies. For every Silverflame born, there must be an egg. At the murder of his wife, and the blood of his first born of the twins. His family had grown and so began the next step in Lorshore history.

For the most part the city was now growing. Extending a gate to watch those who enter at the two points with a light house and watch tower. The Silverflame banner grew a dragon on it. A Navy Blue dragon for loyalty, with a black background showing the tragedy they had to pay, and the tragic curse of the family. Last but not least, the silver flame breath of the dragon, to match their namesake. The curse bound the dragons born to the Silverflame dragons to the Silverflame bloodline and the protection of the City. As they had to grow up with them, and learn about their masters, it wasn't uncommon for there to be 3 or more dragons active at once as they lived longer then their master did. No dragon was harmed, aside from their own pride of being powerful creatures. And would often be rode to battle of raids later on in life.

At the turning of the dragons they had to deal with rather vicious and for the most part horny females. Flying about and trying to mate. As such before they left they were locked in a cell. Until they calmed enough. Sending in the king of Lorshore at the time, he realized that the dragons they once knew changed fully into what seemed to be a mix of woman and dragon. There bodies seemed to have a rather interesting tattoo on it. Climbing up bother their sides in jagged like marks. A silver glow almost like a flame up to their lower jaw where it stopped. The youngest looked like young girls while the oldest were full grown women. Blinking at them. At this moment it was decided to figure out how to mate the dragons, now that they were human like. And the conclusion had come to do so with the blood of 2 people. In the terms of marriage only comes after you mated with your dragon. As so long as a little dragon was born so too could there be birth in the cursed bloodline.

Years would soon pass, as the Marvelous city continued to keep to its own personal life. Protecting its boarders from raging demons or helping out in lost raids. The city didn't hate on the new coming of monster girls. So long as they didn't disrupt the order of things. And help out with the land. There was however something odd happening. As trade began to dwindle and the people though wishing to stay had to leave. Still the Silverflame house stayed. Some of it's loyal citizens did as well. Along with monstergirls who helped out with no problem.

On a dark moon, the Last Silverflame, Carn and his dragon Rhanys were traveling the near by forests. There was no true sight to worry about as the dragon followed behind him gleefully. They had, for the most part already mated. And like most of the Silverflame family they were with one other mostly since birth. As the curse wouldn't allow anyone to continue life. He didn't wish to marry anyone, no female in his mind was really worth the time for after her second birth she would die. And why would he waste that if he could just stay with Rhanys. His life was rather lonely, as the city had long fell into ruin. Though the riches still remained. On his death bed the dragons still alive watched as Rhanys sat beside him. Holding his hand lightly, her silver eyes looking into his blue gaze as she smiled. He had grown old. As it was only natural, the last of the Silverflame pure human bloodline. She patted his head as he smiled at the younger dragons that were around. And with one final breath let out a happy sigh. For finally his families curse was over. No longer would the dragons have to be bound to this wretched place. Though the Rhanys wept the death of her beloved, she looked around for something to comfort her while never able to find it.

Lorshore has since been lost to mankind. It's location to most having become a mystery due to it's isolated location. The very mountains that brought them riches. To the icy sea of Tethya which filled into the gulf near Lorshore. It is said that only the monster girls who've been there. And have been allowed by the dragons of Silverflame to enter the town can even see the place. That Rhanys and the other dragons watch it to even this day. Even while its empty. Protecting the area and it's riches from any who dare take it. And most of all. Protecting the Crypt of their lovers, deep within the Castle Silverflame(Lorshore.).

[Boomerang]

Sierra-116's entry

Spoiler: show

First Contact

SIERRA-116

Twenty-five millennia ago, an event of supreme violence in the fabric of time and reality would send a great, luminous celestial body hurtling towards the surface of a world known as Praxis, a doomed final journey for this blazing object. Its effects would be almost cataclysmic, plunging the world into a frozen existence for generations, carving a great scar in the land. Twenty-five millennia forward, and little is remembered of this catastrophic event, the only evidence truly ancient legends, rumours of legendary texts, demonic and divine, that describe this occurrence, and of course, the great Sealed Sea, an ancient wound upon the land of Praxis, now a home to many aquatic mamonme, and the little metallic, ivory-like fragments coveted as trinkets, remnants of that doomed celestial body… the truth is never what it seems, especially when postulated by scholars as insular as those of Praxis… and time has a way of bringing events thousands of years distant to a close, of making new truths come to light… and one thing is forever certain in the endless narrative of time and space; first contacts are never what one expects…



Somewhere in deep space, where divinity and demons cannot tread…

“… you are sure you picked up a ping?...”

“… affirmative. It’s faint, garbled, but it is the Rivieara’s transponder code...”

“… but the Rivieara hasn’t been seen or heard from in near thirty SMY…”

“… yes sir, but I’ve run it through clean-up and de-encryption multiple times. Extrapolation and logic leaves us with only one conclusion…”

“… but I don’t get it. This ping’s over twenty thousand SMY… it can’t be that far, can it?...”

“… actually, supraluminal communication analysis puts it rather close, relatively speaking to our position… but yes, the ping is that old…”

“… you are saying the Rivieara is actually within FTL jump distance?...”

“… a week’s journey at the most. How do you wish to proceed, sir?... sir?...”

“… prep ship for jump.”


--------


Calavier Continent, Praxis. Sealed Sea Shoreline…

Anya turned the white, shiny shard of warped metal in her hands as she lay upon the sand, naked without shame as she bathed in the sun’s light. The metal glinted in the sun, much as her deep, forest green scales did, her serpentine lower half swaying lazily across the smooth sand. Anya was a lamia, a mamonme of Praxis. Long, brown hair draped over her shoulders and bare breasts, concealing her peach-pink areola. Her skin was tanned from many days spent like this, her emerald eyes glistening behind squinting eyelids. She sighed out wistfully at the twisted piece of ‘Sealed Sea Ivory’ in her hand, its shape almost indicative of violent forces imparted upon it in its past.
“And the mer-folk say it’s a sign of a prosperous relationship… haaaa…” she sighed out yet again, her tone mature and gentle, yet possessing an underlying hint of disappointment; as of late, Anya had no luck with men. The first interest was forced to leave with his family, his father a plucky merchant seeking to make his riches in the capital. The second tragically vanished in a storm that lashed the Sealed Sea with sudden, unexpected ferocity, as the young fisherman was out making a haul. And most recently, her third potential love interest was stolen by a haughty Impundulu before she even had the chance to make her move. The recent incident with the vampire harpy was still fresh in her mind, and it left her in a rather unpleasant mood. “If it wasn’t for her… ugh…” Her disgust was not simply her own; recently, a large number of Impundulu had migrated to the region, and many were swiftly snatching up men without any care as to who may have had interest in them first; if they were ostensibly single, and caught their fancy, they were little different from small game to a falcon.

Having one for a best friend didn’t help change her views of them much either.
“You could’ve warned me that bloodnut was out for him, Milt. But oh no, you just wanted to see what I’d do…”
“Hey, it’s not my fault you’re indecisive,” came a new voice, the tone rather mischievous. Anya only grunted in response, long since giving up on being startled by her friend’s sudden appearances. For an Impundulu, she was rather friendly, preferring to chat with people rather than strike lightning at them. Nevertheless, even the slightest provocation would send Milt into a vindictive retaliatory state, lashing out at her offender and leaving them as worse for wear as any individual attacked by an Impundulu.
“What do you want, Milt?” Anya responded without shifting her gaze.
“How cold,” the vampiric harpy quipped, planting herself down next to her serpentine friend. “Oh? Is that some of that ‘Sealed Sea Ivory’ the mermaids keep going on about?”
“Yes. Doesn’t look particularly special… looks more ominous than anything.” She sighed, and placed the twisted shard down beside her body, near her cotton shirt and leather pouch. The lamia laid there silent for several moments, until Milt grew agitated.
“Aaah,” she growled in frustration at her friend’s brooding. “There’s no use moping about on the beach, you know! You gotta get out there, really hunt for some nice guy. Don’t take no for an answer, seduce him, make him feel real good!” Milt sat up, thumping her fist to her generous chest, a positive, eager expression on her face. At that, Anya rolled onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow to face the Impundulu.
“You of all people know my luck with the opposite sex,” Anya muttered, her expression far from buoyed. “Besides, my breasts aren’t as big as most men prefer…” she trailed off, using her free arm to insecurely grope her own chest. Milt cast an incredulous glance at the lamia’s bust. Even after all the time they’d known each other, Milt could still not comprehend her friend’s insecurity about her generously endowed breasts, the secret envy of many a woman in the town she lived. Supple and perfectly rounded, they were sizable, but none oversized. Perky and springy, they attracted the gaze of most men who laid eyes upon her. To which she simply passed off as “standard male reactions to any sort of breasts.” How Anya interpreted perfect as substandard, Milt could not even begin to comprehend. Not to mention that she was concerned over her bust, and not her species. Some men indeed found a serpentine lower body… unusual. It didn’t help that she was naturally indecisive when it came to the opposite sex.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” Milt muttered, shaking her head in disapproval. She then grasped the wrist of Anya’s free hand, and suddenly hauled her to a ‘standing’ position. “Come on then, let’s get you hooked up!” Milt giggled. Anya shot her a lopsided look.
“What are you on about?” she responded.
“Come on, you need a mate, right? So, I’m gonna help you get one, teach you the ins and outs of flirting.” At that, the lamia pulled her hand from her friend’s grip.
“First off – and no offence – an Impundulu helping out another woman? When the demon lord herself pays me a visit. And secondly, I don’t need help. I just… you know, need to work things out,” she explained, somewhat uncertainly. The snake woman then turned around away from the water’s edge, slithering towards the grassy fields beyond the beach. “Anyways, see you later, Milt.”
As the Impundulu watched her friend slither back in the direction of town, she sighed.
“As stubborn as always, I see…” she muttered, before flapping her wings, and taking flight. It was time she got home… home to her darling Cyril.



Three leagues from Côteburgh, Milt’s nest…

“Ah, the spices are too bland,” a man muttered, sipping from a wooden ladle, a pot of boiling soup below on a wood fired stovetop. Tall, tanned, sandy haired and athletic in build for a man who spent a great deal of time in an Impundulu’s nest, the young male, nearly thirty, was busily working away at preparing that night’s meal. Much to his mate’s chagrin, he insisted upon doing the cooking most of the time, finding it to be his second biggest love in life. Behind him, a fluttering sound was heard, wing beats blowing air against the nape of his neck.
“I’m back, Cyril~” came Milt’s musical greeting. The youthful man, Cyril, smiled, and turned to greet his wife.
“Welcome back, dear,” he answered, leaning into Milt’s approaching stride to plant a kiss upon her lips. Normally such an action would devolve into a completely all-out battle to determine who the better kisser was. It wasn’t unusual for that to further descend into passionate intercourse. But with a pot of soup bubbling away on the stove, his priorities were elsewhere… not that he minded a bit of ‘fooling around’.
“I see you’ve already got dinner on, dear,” Milt observed, her musical tone now somewhat tinged with a hint of displeasure. Impundulu were by nature very hospitable to their mates – so long as the relationship didn’t sour into one where the Impundulu was a domineering mistress and the mate her servant – and as such, they found being the one served instead of the host rather awkward. Cyril loved that, the way Milt would fidget and overly preen her feathers as she watched him prepare their meal. It was growing late in the day, the sky – what he could see through the ‘windows’ of the thorny fortress that was their nest – turning orange as the sun dropped low. Nevertheless, their meal would still be rather early for teatime. It often was when he cooked; Milt liked to ‘punish’ him for ‘shaming’ her as a host. He hardly minded her dominant mate’s penchant for carnal activities. He freely admitted that he was a man, and thus revelled in any sort of sexual act that was thrust upon him.
“Of course, love,” he teased in return, chuckling as he turned his attention back to the simmering pot of soup, sprinkling in some extra coriander. Milt sauntered over, leaning above the pot to inhale a deep whiff of his fine cooking.
“Mmm… it smells wonderful,” she admitted. Despite finding it distasteful not being the host, Milt could hardly deny her mate’s talent for culinary masterpieces. She smiled, and brushed her feathers against him suggestively, traipsing over to the nearby table they had long ago bought from Côteburgh; a fine work of craftsmanship, hewn from driftwood, lacquered to preserve it and, most impressively, held together by bolts of Sealed Sea Ivory, the white metal contrasting even the sun-bleached grey of the driftwood. The intensity of flame needed to shape the metal was almost impossible to achieve without utilising a spell to aid in metalsmithing. Not only that, the quantity of Sealed Sea Ivory needed would’ve required time and a reasonable sum of coin to purchase, as its rarity, whilst not exceptional, still made it uncommon in large quantities; never was it found in seams or veins in the rock, and rarely were pieces larger than fists. It would’ve cost a pretty penny and the couple probably would never have afforded it, were Milt not able to exercise her womanly charm on the elderly craftsman. It wasn’t a total loss for the old man; it was a hobby project, and money was of little importance to him, only his work. Having a pretty young mamonme flirt with him was just a little persuasion to drop the price to a more reasonable level.
So lost in her admiration for the dominating piece of furniture, she was startled when Cyril passed by her with pot in hand, setting it down on a ceramic plate sitting in the middle of the table, placing small wooden bowels on either side, their seats little more than wicker stools. Milt herself sat a small distance from the table’s edge, so as to give her room to manoeuvre her wings. Her mate passed her a wooden spoon, and she took it with a smile, before turning her voracious appetite to Cyril’s soup without further preamble. Sure, it wasn’t as delicious to her as blood, but when prepared by her mate, it was a close second. Cyril would soon join her in the meal, albeit at a much slower pace. After a few minutes, the human spoke up.
“So, what was your day like?” he asked.
“Oh, the usual, seeing how Anya’s doing… stubborn girl, she’ll never get a mate at this rate,” Milt responded somewhat exasperated.
“Oh, the lamia… yeah, I heard she had bad luck with men.”
“Bad luck, maybe, but she’s so indecisive. I doubt she could even take a man by force, let alone seduce him. But oh no, it’s always, ‘I’m fine, I don’t need help, I can do it on my own, blah blah blah.’ It’s maddening how stubborn she can be,” she mimicked in a mock tone. Cyril tapped his spoon upon the side of his bowl in contemplation.
“Well, perhaps she just needs time… after all, even mamonme experience love in different ways… after all, I remember how flustered you were when you first snatched me~” he teased, causing Milt to immediately blush.
“I-I did not!” she stammered. “I was just… inexperience, that’s all.”
“Haha, it was cute though, seeing you fidget like tha—“
He was cut off by a ‘slap’ across his face with her feathers, making him snigger. “Alright, that was uncalled for. You were saying?” Milt eyed him narrowly, before sighing.
“If she doesn’t find a mate soon, I worry for her. After all… I know how much she really wants a child… if she doesn’t find a lover, I fear for her mind. I mean, some mamonme can go for decades before finding the right man, but she’s been around them so much and been so indecisive about it, not to mention her string of bad luck, that I’m concerned she may grow depressed… especially with the festival in a week’s time. If she doesn’t establish a relationship then, she might let her mind sink into dark thoughts,” Milt explained, before deflating a little upon her seat. “Ah… I don’t think she realises how much I care.”
“Well, you know how she is. You’re her best friend after all,” Cyril stated. “She’s very stubborn from what I’ve heard. Perhaps I could meet her, help her out with her issues with the opposite sex. I am one of them after all. I can provide a fresh perspective.” Milt eyed him dangerously.
“Don’t get any ideas,” she warned. Cyril threw his hands up in mock defence.
“Alright, alright. But, this festival. It only happens once every a hundred years, right? Celebrating the good fortune of the Sealed Sea? I heard it’s very romantic.” Cyril took a sip of his soup.
“Which is the problem… if she can’t get a man in that environment… she’ll suffer in the mind… ah, this topic’s getting me all agitated,” Milt muttered, getting to her feet and ruffling her feathers. She turned her red eyes upon her mate, and gestured to him. “I’m going to bed… don’t take long joining me~” And with that, she walked off, heading to their ‘nest’ bed. Cyril smiled, and quickened the pace of his sipping; he hardly wanted to let her wait…


--------

Week later, Heavens above Praxis…


“… this is the source of the signal?...”

“… undoubtedly. See the scans? There’s a massive crater in the planet’s crust. Appears to have formed an inland sea…”

“… but… if that’s where the Rivieara crashed, then…”

“… then there is nothing left to find. It was a ghost signal, we knew that much… but the evidence was clear, the violence of the impact…”

“… nevertheless, we cannot ascertain for certain, even with the systems on board… we need to go down there…”

“… land? But sir, mission parameters state…”

“… I’m well aware of protocol. But this isn’t some simple distress call… this is the Rivieara... something happened thirty years ago… or perhaps twenty five thousand years… we don’t know… we need to find out… that’s worth breaking observation directives…”

“… understood, sir, but what of local societies? Geo-Scans indicate cities down there…”

“… proceed as usual. Exercise EXCLUSIO Protocol. I want no incidents unless in self-defence, is that clear? We avoid interaction as much as possible. If noticed, we a myth, nothing more… understand?...”

“… affirmative. When do we make landfall?...”

“… Immediately…”


-----


Same day, Coteburgh…

The festival had been a disaster for the lamia. She had even gone and dressed up in a kimono from all the way in Zipangu, ready to strut her stuff… and she got cold feet the moment she closed in. Reduced to little more than a nervous, stammering child, the men at the festival, all in their fancy attire and youthful prime, saw her as cute rather than womanly. Now, coiled around a tree in one of the quieter open gardens, she grumbled angrily to herself, whilst also attempting to hold back tears.
“Damn it, Anya… they’re just human men. They’re supposed to be the one’s nervous around the beautiful monster, not the other way around!” she cursed herself, sniffling slightly. That made her even more agitated; she hated getting all emotional. It felt to her like a show of weakness, and the last thing she wanted was to be pitied. She hated help from others. She wanted to show that she was capable enough to do anything herself. Which was why she found Milt’s constant attempts at ‘hooking her up’; Anya knew she meant well, but she wanted a mate, and that entailed getting to know them, courtship… she didn’t want someone else to fast track a relationship for her. She sighed out again, muttering under her breath as she looked to the sky. No clouds marred to view of the starry vista, the moon in its midnight position. Sighing out wistfully, she pondered what it was like, out there in the Heavens among the gods and angels. It must be a beautiful world, beyond.
“I thought I’d find you here,” came another voice. Anya turned, and sighed when she locked eyes with the wife of the Mayor, a beautiful human woman, middle aged, with short red hair, gentle, modest curves, blue eyes and a kind smile, few wrinkles marring her beautiful visage. She wore a white, lacy dress, conservative and graceful.
“Hello Marie,” Anya responded dejectedly. The lamia had known Marie for only a few months, but they had formed a lasting friendship from their mutual affection for children. Anya would often help busy, stressed mothers care for their young ones, and would often still assist and be assisted by Marie, running a local ‘babysitter’ business. She enjoyed her job a great deal, but it also remained a constant reminder of a lack of her own child. It was growing frustrating.
“Mmm, chin up,” the human responded with a kind yet concerned smile. “You look better when you smile.” Anya simply grunted in response, and returned her attention to the sky above. Marie sighed, and leaned up against her lamia friend coiled around the tree, similarly gazing at the stars. “They’re beautiful tonight.”
“Yeah… it’s pretty awe inspiring… each little star… jewels of the gods. What a paradise it must be out there. Ah, to be a divine…” she trailed off dreamily. Marie chuckled, and Anya eyed her curiously. “What?”
“Oh, nothing, just your fantasy about the heavens,” Marie said. At Anya’s questioning glance, Marie giggled, bringing a gloved hand to her lips. “I’m observant you know… you often talk about a prince from Heaven coming down to make you his bride as your ideal fantasy… and then, you and your dashing divine prince would explore the cosmos, in everlasting happiness.”
“Well, uh… yeah,” Anya said, blushing in embarrassment, unsure of what to say now. It was true that she wished to be up there, among the stars… but it was something of a childish dream, really. And she didn’t like seeming childish in front of people. Marie patted her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell anyone. I know how you are,” Marie assured. Anya looked to the human with an unreadable expression, before returning to the sky.
“Mmm, but it would be nice… to be free among the stars,” Anya remarked. Then, she would notice a small streak of fire across the sky, a tiny lance against the inky, speckled blackness. “Hey… shooting star.”
“Best make a wish then, Anya~” Marie suggested playfully. Anya smirked, and closed her eyes.
“I wish for love… preferably from the heavens,” she thought, opening her eyes to watch the sliver of fire traverse the sky.
“What’d you wish for?” Marie asked.
“I’m not telling you. Otherwise it won’t come true,” the lamia retorted. Marie threw up her hands in mock defence and giggled.
“Ay, true, true,” she admitted, smiling warmly all the same. Anya loved her smile… it had power, she’d seen it before. A crying child with a skinned knee would be quieted by that calming visage. It was one of the things she loved about this place; the people were beautiful and genuine. She sighed, and returned her attention yet again to the sky… and noticed the shooting star had not disappeared. She found that odd. Most shooting stars lasted a good few seconds before evaporating into the night sky, but this fiery streak was still going strong. Eventually, half way down towards the mountains to the north along the coast, it dissipated, leaving the sky empty of motion yet again.
“Well, I guess it’s a good omen when it lasts that lo—“
Anya would be cut off as a loud bang, far off and without source, rang out through the sky. Marie would be startled, grasping at Anya’s upper arm for support as she stumbled. Dogs would start barking, but no further sounds were heard.
“What in the hell was that?” Marie cursed, something which took Anya by surprise. She rarely cursed, unless truly surprised or angry.
“I… don’t know,” the lamia responded. For a moment, everything seemed quiet, but when it became clear that no more booms would sound, the sounds of distant partying would once again return, though Anya still remained on edge. It was out of nowhere, and as far as she could tell, had no source whatsoever. It wasn’t earth-shatteringly loud, but it was certainly heard over the merry-making in the town’s centre. Whatever it was, it made no more rude interruptions.
“Well, I shall be returning home,” Marie said. “I do think I should be in bed… besides, that little… ‘surprise’, has left me a little anxious.” Turning around to the path between two buildings on which the garden was adjoined, Marie waved goodbye and sauntered off to her own home. Once again alone, Anya sighed. Asides from that startling bang, the night was rather dejecting, the lamia failing to find any man she was attracted to that she could actually approach. With a wistful exhalation, she uncoiled from around the tree, gazing once more to the heavens, remembering her wish.
“Just once, anyone, please make my wish come true.”
And with that, she slithered off to home.


Ten miles south of Coteburgh, Carrefour Hill…

“It’s a nice little town, isn’t it?” a female spoke, her tone and voice devious and almost… inhuman. And evil.
“For one thousand people, I’m not sure ‘little’ is the best term,” a man retorted, his voice raspy, but no less darkly corrupt. The two figures, gangly and ashen, looked upon the bright lights of the distant town of Coteburgh, their one hundred year festival a practical beacon against the darkened landscape, the shimmering light of the moon’s reflection upon the Sealed Sea rippling in the distance to the right of the town. The woman chuckled.
“No matter… it’ll burn all the same. And once we have control over the region, then our influence will finally start to grow… much trade goes through this town… and soon, it will go through us,” the woman assured. The man let out a raspy grunt.
“Do not forget yourself. Our numbers are limited. They outnumber us three to one. And we have next to no reserves to call upon,” the man advised.
“You worry so much over so little… what are mermaids and humans to us? They have only a handful of guards… the fools, so content with their peace, have neglected a garrison… that is their mistake.”
“So you say… if it is as you will, then I shall muster the troops. We can attack tonight.”
The woman waved her hand dismissively at that statement.
“No. Even if it is a festival, they are all out. In one place, yes, but they are much more easily defended. What’s more, they completely overwhelm the docks; they’ll escape quickly, for they are good swimmers and sailors.” The woman turned to the man. “And if you muster what forces we have for an attack tonight, then they shall outnumber us ten to one. No… we will secure our holdings first. Then… we make them afraid. They will trickle out slowly… and we will have the roads. The nearest refuge is to the south of here, Bastion. That place is renowned for its walls and its guard… I would not attack it with three thousand men, let alone three hundred. But this hill lies between here and there, and overlooks the crossroads… they will have to pass here… and they will not go further,” she explained, a wicked glee creeping into her voice.
“What if Bastion sends forces?” the man asked gruffly.
“They won’t. Bastion is known for its defence, but that’s all it’s known for; the nobility there are far too spineless to do little more than patrol the region several leagues beyond their walls. Coteburgh is far too distant from them to lift a finger. We will have free reign… and once we bleed them dry, then we strike.”
“I see… then, by your leave, mistress?” the man asked, bowing.
“Mmm… you may retire. So shall I.”
And with that, the two figures would melt into the shadows behind the hill, their scheme ready to be set in motion.


------


In the dawn light of the following morning, Escarpé Mountains…


“… so… these little fragments are all that’s left…”

“… yes sir. They’ve suffered tremendous violence from the impact. Remarkable they’ve been preserved so well…”

“… likely from the fusion of the molecules, no doubt. The heat would’ve been tremendous…”

“… indeed sir, but if preliminary theories are correct, this impact would’ve started an Ice Age…”

“… flame and fire, then ice and cold… such is nature’s fury, I suppose. What of the fireteams?...”

“… establishing perimeter patrol as we speak sir. Exercising EXCLUSIO Protocol. But the scientists are requesting clearance for landfall…

“… of course they would… well, give them clearance. Send up the dropship. This time, a less aggressive entry. I don’t want to telegraph our presence again…”

“… affirmative sir. Also, I’ve issued Fireteam Alpha 3-7 to deploy with the second dropship trip…

“… so that makes four fireteams now… that should cover our bases… still… to think all that remains are these little shards of battle plating…”

“… the scientists will likely try to find as many fragments as possible, find out all they can…”

“… then let them. Our mission is to find out just what happened. Their role is the finding out… our role is making sure nothing, nothing, interferes with that task… dismissed…”


------


Coteburgh, Anya’s residence…

The lamia stirred, groaning as the sun’s morning rays invaded her room. Her eyelids flittered open, feeling the sleep collected in the pits of her eyes. She sat up, letting the sheet slip off her frame, revealing her naked torso. She rarely, if ever, wore clothes; nude was a much more comfortable preference for the serpent woman. She made a chewing motion with her jaw as she slowly grew aware of her surroundings. With a yawn, she slithered out of bed, heading for the bathroom. Dipping her hands in the wash basin, she gave her face a gentle soak, rubbing the herb-infused water into her skin. Sighing softly, she would leave her bathroom, heading to her kitchen. Opening her pantry, she fished out some salted crackers, before retrieving some brine-preserved ham. Living in this town, one grew used to salted meats, both fish and mammal. Not that it bothered Anya. With small slices of shaved ham upon each cracker, the hastily put together meal would constitute her breakfast. After two dozen such combinations, Anya would wash it down with a glass of cold milk, cooled by being suspended in water overnight in a cold box. It was a usual routine for her, finding little need to cook herself anything fancy at the start of the day. It wasn’t that she was incapable; she just saw no need when she was tired and grumpy. Finally returning to her bedroom to slip on a cotton shirt and loincloth, the latter securely tied around her waist. With her morning ritual complete, all that was left was to head out to the beach to bathe… but upon opening her front door, she was surprisingly greeted by her Impundulu friend, Milt.
“Milt?” she questioned. “What are you doing here?” She eyed her friend over, and noticed her excited expression. “What is it?”
“Something really cool!” she exclaimed excitedly. Anya’s response to the vague statement was a deadpan expression.
“Can you be more specific?” Milt gave a sheepish look.
“Well… a merchant with a Harpy wife said she saw something ‘fall from the sky’ down near the mountains to the north!” the Impundulu explained. Anya’s look was incredulous.
“Something ‘fell from the sky’?” she asked sceptically. Milt nodded vigorously.
“He swears on the un-laid egg of his wife, she saw something fall from the sky in the mountains. She was on a long flight, exploring the region, and saw it, all shiny in the moonlight, disappear somewhere in the crags… we should go see!” Anya was taken aback.
“What?!” she blurted out.
“We should go there, and see what it is! It’ll be fun!” Milt insisted. Anya stared dumbfounded at her friend.
“But you know how far the Escarpé Mountains are from here?” Anya asked, bewildered. “It’d be dusk by the time we reached the foothills cross country! I can’t fly. And that’s without rests.” Milt shook her head dismissively.
“Not to worry, I have a boat already chartered. The man can take us to one of the inlets at the base of the mountains. If we leave now, we’d be there by noon,” Milt explained with optimism. The lamia shot her a lopsided look, before looking to the sun, steadily rising above the rooftops. This was all very sudden, even for Milt. A cross-country trip? To the mountains? Anya wasn’t sure how to respond. On one hand, the lamia was certainly not ready for such an ‘adventure’. On the other hand, Milt seemed pretty adamant on making the journey, and Anya knew the Impundulu would not be easily dissuaded to go without her. After a few moments of silent contemplation – and Milt’s piercing, expectant stare – Anya threw her arms up in exasperation.
“Alright, alright! But only because you’d nag me to death over it,” she growled. “Let me get a few things.” At Milt’s excited whoop, the lamia winced, before slithering back inside to grab some select items; her pouch (which still held the shard of Sealed Sea Ivory), a sheepskin flask for water, a knapsack and a cloak for when it got cold. Being a lamia, she was largely unaffected by prolonged exposure to the sun, thus she did not need to grab any other clothes or a hat. Residents knew well that with bounty came consequence, many who worked without hats under the blazing sun being somehow poisoned by the very thing that granted life… no one was sure how it worked, but once rampant, it ate away at them… nothing short of magic could heal them. Fortunately, most were aware of this, and knew to rub aloe vera extract upon their skin, wear clothes to cover their bodies, and hats to shield them from the suns poisonous rays. With that somewhat morbid thought, she packed some preserved meats, before joining her friend waiting outside. “I’m ready,” she said. Milt clapped her wings together.
“Splendid! We leave right away!” she stated excitedly. With a quiet, indignant groan, Anya would slither after her.
“The sun is barely up,” Anya remarked. “Why would a merchant be spreading stories this early? Only the fishermen wake to work. And why would you be awake to hear them?” Milt shrugged.
“Oh, I didn’t go to sleep at all last night. Cyril was asleep, so I was bored and still full of energy,” she said, smirking. “Poor Cyril. He gets so exhausted when we have sex~”
“Lovely.”
“What can I say, I’m a sultry woman~ He can’t resist me~”
“Not the point I was making.”
With a soft sigh, Anya resigned herself to the fact this would be a long day. At least she did enjoy Milt’s company, to an extent. Perhaps this trip would prove rather exciting.
Little did she know, this trip was going to prove far, far longer than she could ever have anticipated… and substantially more profound.


Inlet along the Sealed Sea Shoreline, base of the Escarpé Mountains…

As Milt waved goodbye to the generous bargeman who’d ferried them to the mountains, Anya looked up at the imposing mountains before her. It was mid Spring, so the barest caps of snow topped the rocky points, but she knew it’d be no less freezing up there. Fortunately, their destination lay far from their peaks, and the feet of the mountains were relatively easy to traverse, especially for a flier and a serpentine body.
“Alright, let’s get going!” Milt exclaimed giddily, a backpack filled with supplies slung over her back. They expected this trip to last no more than a single night, so they had packed little; Just enough for lunch, dinner and breakfast the following day. Milt had packed a flame stone to keep them warm at night, so bedding was little issue; they could sleep on the beach, the sand soft and fine enough to be comfortable… so long as they kept as high as possible, and out of the reach of the tides.
“Alright then,” Milt chirped, fluttering over to her friend. “Let’s get this show on the road!”
Anya looked at her overexcited friend, spying an arc of static playing across her feathers; the electric Impundulu were quite capable of shocking someone to temporary paralysis, or worse, with a bolt of electricity. Milt, however, when particularly excited, sexually or otherwise, would generate static that arced over her body without even thinking of it. Since she was the only Impundulu Anya knew intimately, she wasn’t sure if this was just a quirk of her friend’s, or a trait shared across the Impundulu race. Either way, caution was advised, because static shocks from Impundulu, even if passive, had bite; on more than one occasion had Anya ended up with a numb arm from her friend accidentally brushing her wings against the Lamia in her excitement.
“Hold up there. We have to take this slow, alright? I don’t want you leaving me behind,” Anya stated with a hint of annoyance. “You’re the one who dragged me along on this trip after all. You stick with me.”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’ll be right with you~” she said, almost in sing song. Anya gave Milt a sideways glance.
“Since when has she been so fascinated with heavenly objects?” the lamia thought. “I figured that was my obsession.”
With a shake of her head, she sighed and shook her torso to loosen up the muscles.
“Alright then, let’s get going. You lead the way though,” Anya said, since she had no idea where this place was. Milt winked and chuckled.
“You can leave it to me~” Milt chimed in, her excitement clearly evident. Flapping her wings, she took flight, moving on ahead until she was almost out of eyesight, whereupon she would perch upon a rock and wait for her friend, whom deftly slithered over the rough, rocky terrain. And so began their journey, traversing the stony, craggy ground at the base of the mountains. There was little to see, save for the Sealed Sea glittering not far below them, the sun high in the sky. A smile crept onto Anya’s face; she was actually starting to enjoy this, listening to the gentle lapping of the waves against the beach in the distance, alongside her friend’s constant, delighted chattering. After an hour of climbing over rocks and boulders, Anya decided to ask a question.
“So, what did this harpy say it looked like?” the lamia asked.
“She didn’t,” was the Impundulu’s response, hovering in the air in front of Anya.
“What do you mean, she didn’t?” Anya questioned critically.
“All she said was it looked shiny and metal. She got so excited, she flew back right away,” she answered.
“Did she at least see where it landed then?” Anya was giving her friend an annoyed stare.
“Not exactly,” Milt muttered. “But she did get the general area, so we should be fine. Something like that doesn’t just vanish… I wonder if it’ll make good jewellery… I could get rich~”
“Yeah, I bet you would’ve thought that,” Anya murmured.

They would travel yet another hour, before finding themselves traversing parallel to the edge of a cliff, which dropped down into a ravine with a river that ran inland at the bottom, flowing in from a nearby inlet. Anya was cautious to stay clear of the edge; it looked far from stable, and she didn’t want her life to end so soon. Suddenly, Milt dropped down from the sky, shaking excitedly.
“I saw it, I saw a glint!” she exclaimed. Anya turned to her friend with a raised eyebrow.
“You did? Where?” she asked.
“Just over this ridge… oh, I can smell the fortune now…” the Impundulu trailed off dreamily. “Me and Cyril… king and queen of a merchant empire…”
“You fantasise more than I do,” Anya quipped. Milt blushed and gave her friend a sheepish look. They eventually came upon the ridge, a little close to the cliff’s edge. That was when Anya suddenly stopped.
“What is it?” Milt asked. Anya shushed her.
“Quiet… listen,” the lamia whispered. As they both went as silent as possible, they soon heard what Anya had; voices. They sounded slightly distorted, some of them, quiet, perhaps barely audible for a human, but unlike normal snakes, a Lamia’s sense of hearing was quite excellent. They looked at each other, confused; it was no language they recognised, let alone understood. It sounded nothing like any dialect they’ve ever heard, not even the far off language of the Zipangu nation. The two mamonme crept up the ridge, peaking their heads over the top… and let their jaws fall agape upon laying eyes on the sight below; nestled upon a rocky plateau atop the crest of a hill which lead down to an inlet below, the slope shallow enough to walk up and down, was a dull grey, metallic… ship.
That was the only way she could describe it. It was a vessel of some sort. Not particularly massive, but larger than even their biggest fishing vessel, at least a hundred feet in length. This vessel, however, was no boat; its shape was hardly ship-like sleek and angular yet boxy and ungainly. It had four bulbous extrusions upon the top and sides, two to the port and starboard (she assumed), based on the tapered ‘prow’ at the end, where it seemed to form an angular, almost shark-like head. The underside sharply slanted up towards the rear, revealing a ramp that acted as a hatch, exposing the interior… which, further, was unlike anything the lamia had ever seen, a large spacious cavity in the belly of the craft. It didn’t extend the whole length, but it was certainly enough to fit a few merchant carriages with ease. Underneath the ‘chin’ of the front of the vessel was a circular mounting, with twin pipes protruding from it. It was utterly foreign to both the mamonme observing… and then, they turned their attention to the people… at least, they assumed they were people. The two Anya had heard were still chattering away, huddled around a table with a projected image… a three dimensional model of the sealed see… some impressive magic. The beings were tall and armoured, clad in a dark, grey black, mottled metal ‘carapace’, their helmets swept back, a dull glow where the eye slits would be. There were others two, pacing along the crags and the boulders around the site, holding long, angular rods, akin to a guardsman with a crossbow… just, without the cross part of it. Their heads swivelled, seemingly scanning their surrounds… patrolling… watching for intruders.
Like them.
Anya slipped down out of site, grasping Milt by the shoulders.
“We have to get out of here!” her voice was lowered, but harsh and urgent.
“B-But, Anya… look at them… I think…” she leaned in, lowering her tone to a true whisper. “I think they’re from the Heavens.”
“That’s ridiculous! Not even the richest of knights have amour that dark; you think Angels would have something so bland?” Anya retorted. Even saying that, the armour they wore seemed to cover far more of their body. The plating was far more segmented than was typical, far more flexible. They didn’t seem weighed down by it, and held themselves with an air of discipline. And, admittedly, she had no idea really what angels wore in heaven… but she knew in her gut these weren’t the soldiers of the Goddess, and certainly not agents of the Demon Lord, nor anyone else of power in this world.
“Even so… think about the meaning!” Milt was growing ever more excited, prompting Anya to remind her to keep her voice down with severe shushing. “Sorry, it’s just… if they’re travellers from heaven, who knows what power they have?”
“Exactly, which is why we need to leave, we don’t know what kind of people they are—“
Anya was suddenly cut off by a livid shrieking from high above, her attention then drawn to the skies as a feathered being – another Impundulu – dived upon the gathered armoured men below, a bolt of lightning striking out and hitting one of the guards in the leg, knocking him down out of shock. She swooped another, staggering them as she took once more to the skies. Circling above, she began to make another pass. Anya knew this sort of behaviour; the vampiric harpy’s nest was likely close by, and Impundulu defended their nests with particular viciousness. But this time, the unknown men had prepared themselves; one of them bounded up upon a boulder with swift ease, shouldering the butt of his crossbow-esque weapon, and taking aim. In the next moment, blue flashes sparked from the weapon’s tip, bolts of electric blue energy lancing through the air with speed like no arrow, and matched by few spells. Two of them hit their mark, one scoring the Impundulu in the wing, the other in her shoulder. There was a sickening flash of red as the flesh upon impact was immediately vaporised, a spray of blood squirting out from behind along with a puff of burning feathers. The Impundulu screamed in the greatest of agony, spinning out of control and plummeting towards the ground. She landed with a sickening crack, her other wing breaking from the impact. Anya there and then nearly vomited. Milt had gone ghostly pale. The injured Mamonme tumbled end over end in the crash, before rolling around in excruciating pain. Two more guards closed in, one of them being the shooter. Their weapons were trained on the writhing Impundulu, sparks of electricity arcing out at the rocks wildly. They approached cautiously, before a third marched over, yelling loudly in an authoritative tone. The two armoured guards backed down, but their weapons remained trained upon the injured, cursing, screaming Impundulu. Anya then slipped down below the ridge, as pale as a person locked in a dungeon since birth.
“By the Goddess…” Milt uttered, her voice barely a squeak. Rarely did she use that phrase, and only with weight when she did.
“I can’t believe… they just…” Anya trailed off, before locking eyes with Milt and firmly grasping her shoulders. “We must leave now.”
“They just… they just… what kind of weapon was that?” Milt questioned in disbelief.
“It doesn’t matter, if we don’t get out of here, we’re—“
“AY!” a deep, commanding, vaguely distorted voice shouted, cutting Anya off and sending the coldest of shivers down her spine. Turning around, she found herself several feet away from another of the armoured guards, aiming his weapon at the duo. The two of them froze, her gaze locked with the glowing eyes of the faceless warrior before her, the helmet baring no facial features even as a means of intimidation… frankly, the helmet itself was terrifying enough. Anya backed up, unknowingly getting closer to the cliff’s edge. The man barked in his foreign language, motioning with his weapon for them to leave. He barked again, his voice slowly losing any sense of dialect, and devolving into simple unintelligible shouts… likely because he knew they couldn’t understand him. But it took no linguist to know they wanted them gone. But Anya couldn’t move. She was afraid. For the first time in her life, she was truly afraid. Not of loneliness, not of the future, but afraid of what was in front of her at that very moment. It stung her… how could she be so weak? She could spring towards him, coil around him, crush him, and… no. If she did succeed, help would come before she squeezed the life from him, and she would surely be killed along with her friend. Not only that, was it right for her to do so? He was only trying to warn them off… but what were they going to do? They had struck that Impundulu from the sky, and most disturbingly, her screams of agony had gone silent… if their intentions were malevolent, how could she sit by? As she pondered these questions in the split seconds that passed, she remained wholly unaware of her steady reverse towards the cliff… until she felt her centre of gravity shift, and her whole body tilt backwards.
“Huh?” she thought, so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn’t quite grasp the totality of the situation. “I’m… falling?” It seemed like an eternity before her screams of abject terror issued forth from her mouth, when it was mere moments. The last thing she saw before fear overwhelmed her senses and rendered her unconscious was Milt leaning over the side of the cliff, screaming in horror as her friend plummeted to her death… and an armoured warrior leaping over the edge after her…


-------


That same day, Carrefour Hill…

“The forces are ready, mistress,” the raspy, ashen man informed the gangly woman. A twisted smile formed at the corners of the malevolent female’s mouth.
“Excellent… as expected, our spies in Bastion report the ruling nobility are unwilling to lift a finger to problems beyond their reach… how this region has not fallen to lawlessness, I cannot fathom,” she uttered, sounding almost disgusted.
“The people here are peaceful, live well… they see no need to turn to a life of crime or petty banditry,” the man stated. The woman sneered, watching as a pair of her ashen-skinned subordinates beat a sandy-haired man raw, his face covered in bruises and cuts, blood trickling down his face.
“Hmph… it’s time we changed that then… has the prisoner said anything?” she asked, referring to the man below.
“No. He has proven remarkably… resilient, to our interrogation,” he explained. The woman huffed disdainfully.
“Fool thinks he is protecting people… he is merely prolonging his torment.”
“Do you wish to kill him, my mistress?” The man waited for her response, but she simply waved her hand dismissively.
“No… he may yet be useful. The ring he wore… he is obviously a husband… someone cares for him. Should they see him in this state, their tongue…” she trailed off, grinning evilly, “… may be far more loose~”
“I understand,” the man nodded, interpreting the implications in his mistress’ words; to keep him alive… barely.
“Make sure the marks don’t fade, Torin,” the woman added, a wicked smile upon her shrouded face.
“As you wish… Lady Jarvis…”


------


West of the Escarpe Mountains, ten leagues inland…


Anya didn’t know how long she was out… she didn’t know if she was even alive, the black swirling around her, and abyss of darkness… if this were the Afterlife, she wondered how long before the crushing nothingness sent her mad, and how long after before she simply faded from meaning and existence altogether?... that was, until she felt warm against her chest, and a non-existent weight lift from her eyelids. They fluttered open, thin rays of light beaming into her eyes through leafy foliage. Her vision was blurred, but she had other senses to rely upon; she distinctly felt the smooth pebbles of a riverbank upon her back, the sounds of gently running water to her right. The air was cool and moist… almost pleasant. Perhaps the afterlife was a paradise after all… and then her vision regained its clarity… and immediately, she locked eyes with the armoured man before her, running his fingers down between her cleavage, her shirt since removed. Her eyes widened. Her mouth drifted open slightly.
“Ah…” she uttered… before letting loose an ear-splitting scream. She slammed her palm against the side of his helmeted head – hurting herself more than him – and used her serpentine tail to smack him off her top, scooting backwards upon the ground in both terror and revulsion. With equal parts fear and disgust, she glared at the man, huffing.
“You… you…” she uttered, almost unable to find the word. “… you… SICK PERVERT!”
Covering her breasts, she glared at the armoured man, who was reorientating his bearings, shaking his head as he stood on hands and knees. He muttered grudgingly in his foreign tongue, before lightly punching the stone in exasperation. His gazed then whipped to hers, and from his body language, she could tell he was annoyed. How sick could he be? Getting angry at the woman he was molesting for defending himself… like he had a right to complain about such repulsive deeds.
It was then she became aware of a new sensation. She looked down in surprise, and the colour drained from her face upon seeing the deep, bloody gash between her breasts… half filled with this creamy, foamy substance. She wondered why she could only feel a numbing throb… and then realised her whole chest was numb, barely any stimulation or response when she touched it. She began to shake, a sudden sickness welling up in her gut.
“Wh-wha…” she muttered, confused. She poked the foamy substance in the gash upon her chest, and found it hard and slightly spongey. It was then that she realised what he was doing; the man wasn’t molesting her… he was treating her. As she thought that, she realised… he was here… she remembered falling… seeing him leap after her… the pieces slowly fell together.
“You… you saved me?” she said, almost questioningly. “But… why?”
The man didn’t answer, either not hearing, or ignoring, her statement. He bent over, picking up a small metal canister with a nozzle upon the tip. He approached her again, raising his hand in a placating – or rather, a ‘may I?’ – gesture. She was hesitant at first, before nodding and let her arms fall away from her breasts. Her face went cherry red; this was the first man in years that had seen the lamia’s breasts. It was bad enough that they weren’t perfect, but now this man was working right between them? It was almost too horrible to contemplate. But this man didn’t even seem to care, immediately applying more of the hardening foam to the gash. There was the barest of stinging sensations, and she winced through it. Once he had finished sealing the wound, she looked down at the bulging foam; it was unsightly, but far less ugly than an open gash. And what a wondrous ‘bandage’ it was. Still, her wonder did not distract her from her nakedness. Now though, she was wondering if his seeming lack of interest in her bust was professionalism and a duty of care, or simply a disinterest entirely. Either way, she wasn’t sure whether to be happy or dejected… nevertheless, he did his job, and she was glad for that.
“Th-thanks, I guess,” she muttered. The man, his armour making a strange, barely audible ‘virrrr’ sound as he moved, made a gesture, half in appreciation, and half in sarcastic exasperation. His work done, he sauntered over to a nearby pile of rocks, the top stone exposed to the sun, where her shirt was spread neatly upon the top. He picked it up and examined it, and once he was satisfied with how dry it was, he tossed it to her, before picking up his weapon. Anya flinched upon seeing it; she’d seen firsthand how vicious they were. She didn’t expect to be suddenly murdered, however; it made no sense to kill someone after healing them. Nodding in gratitude, she donned her shirt, and noticed, with relief, that her pouch and bag were still with her, if a little soaked. She slithered over to them, and slung them upon her body. Looking around again, she slowly realised that she had no idea where she was. Anya looked to the soldier.
“Any clue where we are?” she asked. He cocked his head in puzzlement, Anya muttering to herself, forgetting he couldn’t understand a thing she said. He himself had spoken nothing since she came to, other than a curse under his breath after she knocked him off her. The lamia surmised that he saw no point in speaking his language when the linguistic barrier would’ve prevented any sort of verbal communication beyond understandable sounds. Suddenly, Anya spotted him tapping the ‘temples’ of his helmet, before grumbling angrily and clenching his fist. The soldier then looked to her, and pointed.
“Y-yes?” she uttered, gesturing to herself to show understanding. His response was to point to himself, before throwing his arm behind his head, pointing his thumb upstream. It was clear to Anya that he wanted her to follow. The lamia was hesitant; after all, she hardly knew this unknown man, or his intentions… whether he was good or bad. But, then again, he had helped her. After some furious internal debate, she came to a decision, nodding vigorously.
“Alright… I’ll…” she trailed off, before making a walking gesture with her fingers and then pointing to him, “… follow.”
He looked at her, and, in a move that surprised Anya, chuckled at the unintentional irony of her statement, before turning around and heading up the slope of the riverbank. Looking upstream, Anya could see limestone cliffs with a cave carved by the stream in its face. Beyond, she could see light from a hole above, illuminating the churning waterfall that dropped down into the cavern below. Her stomach involuntarily churned; before she fell, she got a queasy look at the rapids of the river she was all too close too, down at the bottom of the drop. Now, she wondered how even he survived… but it seemed he had a number of tricks up his sleeve. She smiled absentmindedly; perhaps he would prove very interesting.

An hour’s trudging through the underbrush later, the duo eventually emerged from the rainforest-like woods, coming upon open grass fields. In the distance, Anya spotted what appeared to be a wooden sign post, pointed slats indicating the directions to nearby towns. Anya slithered ahead of her newfound companion, causing him to eye her curiously, marching close behind. Upon reaching the sign, Anya’s jaw dropped upon seeing how far it said Coteburgh was from their current location.
“T-ten Leagues?!” she stammered, looking to the metal-clad warrior. “We went ten leagues in a river? How did we get carried that far.”
The man cocked his head, and Anya growled in exasperation. “Ugh… this is going to be a massive pain in the ass.”
He grunted, before holding up his left forearm in front of him. From a little glass bead embedded in the gauntlet came a transparent, blue projection. Initially taken aback by the show of magic, Anya soon recognised it to be the same map projected from the table in the camp. Looking over his shoulder, she watched as he slung his weapon over his back, magically clicking into place without any visible restraints. He brought his other hand to the projection, and began manipulating the map as though he were a wizard simply with his index finger. She watched as he slowly zoomed in upon the land from a top-down view, until he eventually narrowed down their location, the crossroads flashing white on the map, seemingly based on extrapolation, rather than actually knowing it was here; she was impressed, being able to perform cartography with such ease on the move… and with such accuracy too. He then snapped off the projection, grabbed his weapon once more, and pointed with his left hand in the direction they needed to go. Something she already knew, but how would he.
“Alright,” she uttered, falling in behind him. She sighed out indignantly; it was going to be a long trip.

An hour later, the pair came across an unexpected find; an abandoned horse cart. Upon observation, Anya noted that it wasn’t simply derelict; part of it was burned, its canvas top ripped open, and its contents long since pillaged. There were no signs of cart’s horses or their master, and Anya wasn’t certain whether that was a good thing or not, but one thing was clear; bandits had been here. It made her cringe; bandits were largely unheard of in these parts, even this far inland.
“Hmmm… looks like all the valuables have been looted,” she noted, before her attention was suddenly garnered by her escort rummaging through the leftovers the bandits had decided weren’t valuable enough for their time. She wondered whether she should’ve told him it wasn’t particularly ethical to scavenge from raided merchant carts, but she decided against it. Conveying the message without knowing how to speak his language would’ve been difficult, and she didn’t particularly wish to get in his way. Suddenly, he would pull out a large book, examining it with interest. Anya immediately recognised it; a dictionary for the common language, something almost universally recognised across all of Praxis, so she had heard. Whether he even knew this or not, it did seem he understood what a book was, opening it up and flipping through a few pages… before freezing, and staring at the open book with fierce scrutiny… or at least, Anya assumed he was, behind the mask. Suddenly, he brought up his left arm again, setting down his weapon, the projection springing to life once again. This time, however, it was a list of words in his language… arranged in the layout of a dictionary. Anya was genuinely surprised, but then again, surely a man of Praxis would recognise a dictionary. Unless, of course… he really was from the heavens…
Glancing back and forth between the book and the projection, he suddenly nodded in understanding, before sitting down cross-legged upon the ground, placing the open book down in front of him, on the first page. Bringing his left forearm over the paper, a beam of light projected from the side, running up and down the two open pages. As Anya watched, she would see the pages’ writing appear upon the screen. The man began to flip the pages, the triangular plane of light sweeping up and down once, copying the words onto the projection above, the whole act taking only one second for two pages. And thus, Anya watched him turn each page, ‘pasting’ the words onto the projection each time. Whilst her wonder and amazement was genuine, she couldn’t quite understand what he was doing; what purpose was there to copying a dictionary? Perhaps it was for scholarly purposes… unusual for a soldier. She sighed as she waited, the process at least lightning fast as far as transposing literature went.
Ten minutes past, and finally, the soldier was finished his work. Snapping the book closed, he stood up, reaching around and opening a small box on the back of his waist, a pouch suddenly protruding from it. He placed the dictionary within, the pouch sealing immediately on its own accord. Bringing the projection from his wrist in front of his faceplate, he tapped an icon with his finger. Immediately, the two lists of words and their definitions appeared – his language and common tongue – side by side… and next, came a flurry of symbols and letters, moving too fast for Anya’s eyes to track, boxes and lines outlining words and their definitions, seemingly matching words from his language to common tongue, and vice versa. It finally dawned upon Anya what he was up to; translation. He was using some sort of spell to translate the two languages so he could communicate with her using words, instead of simple sounds and gestures.
However, judging from the speed – despite the chaotic mess of the whizzing symbols – at which the projection was going through the two lists, translation of enough words for even basic conversation would take time. He suddenly cut off the projection, grabbing his weapon once again and gesturing for her to follow. Anya nodded, still impressed by the show of magic she’d just seen… or perhaps it wasn’t. Being a mamonme, she could feel, sense magical power, especially if it was potent… all she got was a faint ‘buzzing’ sensation in her head when she was close to him, and even then, it didn’t feel like magical power. As far as that went, he was completely barren. A theory was formulating in her head… if he was, indeed, a man from the cosmos, beyond even that of heaven… perhaps they did not need magic. Perhaps this was simply craftsmanship for his kind… Anya flushed with excitement. If she was right… then mayhap her fantasies weren’t so confined to dreams anymore. As she slithered alongside her escort, she smiled out of his field of view… though it faded when the conflicting feelings of the day’s events once more pressed to the forefront of her mind. He had saved her from almost certain death, treated her as best he could… but still, she could not forget the dreadful sight of that Impundulu crashing from the sky, writhing and screaming in agony, a small, steaming crater of burnt flesh in her shoulder… and the silence thereafter. She didn’t know what happened to that Impundulu… and she didn’t know what happened to the one that had dragged her on this turbulent trip. Was Milt okay? Perhaps she escaped after he dived over the cliff to save a certain falling lamia… Anya didn’t know. She did, however, trust to hope that Milt was safe, and that, as she watched the sun gradually dipping towards the horizon, the sky awash with orange hues, that her own safety would be guaranteed, even in the presence of this soldier, whom so far, proved compassionate, if a little aloof and at times annoyed with his charge. She hoped that when, in a few hours, they turned in to make camp for the night, she would know more. Until then, she simply remained quiet, watching the disciplined soldier scan their surroundings for any signs of trouble, not as an expectation, but out of habit and training. If anything, he was very interesting.

As night fell, the soldier led Anya towards the edge of a nearby woodland area, and the duo made camp. Since Anya had only expected to sleep under the stars upon a beach, she hadn’t packed any bedding or a tent, and it seemed the soldier had neither as well. Grumbling, she also remembered that Milt had the flame stone… no fire tonight. Or at least, she expected no fire, but the man proved at least reasonably equipped for the few pouches upon his waist. Fishing a small box shaped object from a container, he pressed a button, and an inch long blue jet of fire-like energy protruded forth from its tip. He held the end of the stream an inch from a pile of sticks and bark, and the wood caught alight. With stones arranged in a ring to keep it from spreading, the fire crackled as night fully descended, the warmth comforting to the heat-loving lamia, a trait shared by all her brethren. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her of another trait of her species; their appetite. She unslung her pack from her shoulders, and fished out a small cloth sack, filled with salted jerky. She loved jerky, especially if it was chewy. She then turned to the armoured man, and offered a stick of the dehydrated beef to him. He looked at it, and took it without hesitation; perhaps he was familiar with such food. He had seated himself on a log he’d appropriated as a makeshift chair, though earlier, Anya had to stifle a giggle as it cracked from his weight. With his free hand, he brought a finger to the side of his head, whereabouts his ear should be, and pressed a button. There was a click! and the helmet hissed short and sharp, before the faceplate and sides slid back, three separate pieces folding behind his head, the rest of his helmet remaining fixed to his armour and the back of his head. And immediately, Anya’s jaw dropped at the reveal; she had anticipated any number of appearances, even half expecting the armour to be the man, a mechanical entity like an automaton of dwarven fame.
Not a handsome humanoid with reptilian traits. He seemed fairly young, mid-twenties by human standards. His ears, still partly hidden by the very back of the sides of his helmet, appeared pointy and elongated, a common trait amongst reptilian people among the lands of Praxis. His eyes were yellow, the pupils vertical slits, much like those in the centre of Anya’s own emerald orbs. Scales creeped up from his neck, curling around from the back of his neck, mixing with normal skin, as well as around his brow and ears. As he put the end of the jerky stick in his mouth, she noted that, like a lizardman, his teeth were sharp, especially his canines. A small, pale scar ran up the side of his right cheek, like some clichéd warrior from a bard’s epic… other than being relatively subdued and short compared to the exaggerated marks of glory such tales embellish. He silently chewed upon the jerky stick, his eyes focused on the campfire.
“Do you like it?” Anya asked. The man looked at her, before pressing the button on the side of his helmet once again. The sections once more slid into place, hiding his face yet again. Anya gave an annoyed look, thinking he was being aloof again.
“<It is good>” he said. Anya’s eyes shot open, and she stared at the man, now able to speak. Was the translation complete already? Then why did he sound different; compared to his speech before, young yet gruff, this was much more distorted, flat, emotionless. It didn’t sound like him at all. Then Anya realised… he wasn’t speaking common tongue. His armour was somehow converting his own speech into something she could understand. That’s why he closed his helmet.
“W-wow… shame you can’t actually speak though… I’m guessing your armour’s doing the translation,” she stated. The man nodded.
“<Yes. It was fortunate your grammatical structure was similar to ours. I recognised that book was a dictionary, judging from its layout. If it worked the same way, then comparison and estimation would work out translation. Recording your voice also helped>” he explained. Anya gave him a lopsided look.
“Recording my voice?” she queried. The man nodded again.
“<Yes. The suit has been passively recording you this entire time. It aids in translation. Helps identify pronunciations of word parts. So the manual says>” he elaborated. “<Do not ask how. I did not produce the software. I only learned how to use it in the event of such a scenario, though it is tremendous luck to have found a dictionary, let alone a language structure so similar>” She stared at him, amazed by him.
“I didn’t get your name. I’m Anya,” she introduced.
“<An…ya…>” he enunciated, the word not being in his vocabulary until that point. “<Yes, Anya… I am Enik Ven>”
“Enik Ven? An unusual name,” she stated.
“<The same is true in reverse>” he stated. Anya shot him a look, though she silently admitted he was correct; from his perspective, she was the one with the unusual name.
“And, Enik… are you really… from the heavens?” she asked, excitement building up within her.
“<The Heavens? I do not follow>” he said. Anya shuffled closer.
“You know…” she trailed off, pointing to the sky, “from up there, beyond the world, among the stars.”
“<You mean space?>” he questioned.
“Well, er, if that’s what you call it, then, yeah, space.” Enik nodded.
“<Correct. I am from another world>” he confirmed. Anya’s excitement bubbled over. It was true. He was a man from the heavens… well, ‘space’, as he called it.
“That’s amazing!” she cried. “I have so many questions!”
“<Well… I will answer what I can>” he said, sounding uncertain.
“Oh, to be an explorer of the cosmos… what a paradise it must be!” she chirped giddily.
“<… Paradise?>” Enik queried.
“Of course! All those stars, twinkling in the sky… they must be beautiful! How much better is it out there?”
“<Better?>” He sounded confused.
“Well, yeah… surely, the realm of the divine is much more beautiful and tranquil than the mortal realms. Oh, to feel the warmth of those stars…” she trailed off. Enik cocked his head quizzically… before scoffing.
“<You have a poor understanding of space>” he stated bluntly. Anya’s excitement froze.
“What do you mean?” she asked. At that Enik sighed, and looked between his boots.
“<Space is not a paradise… it is cold, brutal. Merciless. It is unforgiving of mistakes and wayward travellers. Fly too close to a black hole, and the gravity will tear you to pieces. Wander too near a star, and the heat will incinerate you. Drift in proximity to a gas giant, and the radiation will fry you. There are many things in space that will kill you. It is not a cruel nature, it is simply unforgiving. You think your world pales in comparison to the beauty of others? You are a rarity. Not simply your world, life upon it. This galaxy is a harsh place for life to flourish. Your world is a gem among barren rocks and gaseous titans. You can live here, breathe here, eat here… the moon, in the sky? It is cold, and lifeless. You would die simply from the sub zero temperatures. Let alone the lack of breathable atmosphere, and protection from solar radiation>” he explained. “<You think space is a glorious paradise of gods and angels? It is not. It is cold and harsh. Life flourishes were conditions are just right. Were it is not, nothing lives>”
His blunt report caused the lamia’s excitement to dissipate entirely; all her life, she had dreamed of leaving this world to explore the realms beyond, to bask in the light of the stars… and now, this man, this explorer of the cosmos, tells her things are better where she is. That ‘space’ is no realm for the likes of a ‘silly girl’ with a ‘naïve dream’; he didn’t specifically state such, but the implications, despite the monotonous, artificial voice, were clear. It was… almost cruel. To have her views torn from her by cold, remorseless fact. She wanted to hit him. Her fists balled up… but she couldn’t do it. She knew he wasn’t lying. Enik’s understanding was the polar opposite of her own. Usually in such situations, the truth was hard to discern.
Not this time. He had experienced the heartless reality. It wasn’t an unfortunate experience for him. It was his job. He was a soldier of the people (of which, she still knew not the name of), and thus, wherever orders took him, he followed without protest. She grit her teeth, glaring at the flickering fire in front of her, the tip of her green-scaled tail twitching in anger. Anger that confused her; she had learned the truth, so why was it so painful? It couldn’t be lies, she knew that in her gut. Was it… because her fantasy, her dreams… had been crushed before her very eyes so coldly?
She didn’t know what to do, whether to hate Enik for being so heartless, or to hate herself for being so naïve… no. She couldn’t drop to that. She was strong. Self-loathing was weakness. Anya grimaced, determined to not let herself fall to such a level.
“<I will take watch>” Enik informed, seemingly disinterested in the conflict Anya was subject to. He shuffled over and grasped his weapon, adopting a sentinel posture overlooking the roads. “<You should sleep. It will be a long day tomorrow>”
Anya grumbled and glared. “Right, of course,” she growled. As she slithered over to a nearby tree, she looked to the otherworldly soldier. “Just one more thing… what are you?” she asked. “Your race.”
Enik’s faceless visage locked onto her piercing gaze.
“<I am of the Komodi. From the Planet of Axioma>” With that, he returned his attention to his watch. Anya scoffed.
“Of course… goodnight,” she said bitterly, slithering over to a tree and coiling around its trunk, wrapping her arms around its girth. As she rested her head upon the bark, she muttered angrily as she went to sleep… but couldn’t help a few stray tears run down her cheeks.

“<Hey. Wake up, Anya>” came the monotonous voice of the Komodi soldier, Anya feeling her shoulder being tapped by an armoured hand. Her eyes fluttered open, groaning as she cleared the sleep from her eyes with a free hand. Looking around, she noticed the sky was still relatively dark; the sun hadn’t even come up yet! And he was already waking? Did he even sleep? She grumbled unhappily, unwinding herself from around the tree. The lamia noticed the campsite had already been cleaned, and an apple from her pack had been fished out for her. She felt a pang of anger at him having gone through her things while she slept, not at all alleviated by last night’s revelations. Still, Anya couldn’t be too mad at him; it was a nice gesture, but she didn’t like having stuff done for her regardless. She slithered groggily over to the apple, grasping it and taking a bite out of it, whilst slinging her pack and pouch over her shoulders and waist. She looked to Enik, who was waiting a few feet away.
“<Ready?>” he asked.
“Do you ever sleep in?” she muttered grumpily.
“<No>” was his blunt answer.
“Didn’t think so.” Anya took another bite from her apple, slithering alongside the soldier. “Why are we up so early, anyways?”
“<I wish to get you home as soon as possible, so I may link up with my unit>” he informed. “<It is my obligation to escort civilians to safety>”
“Your obligation?!” she blurted out with a tinge of rage. Obligation? Civilian? She was a burden to him! Something he was institutionally required to perform. Was there any altruism to his efforts? Not only that, she felt Enik saw her as a ‘damsel in distress’, unable to fend for herself. That made a vein in her head throb. She grumbled in indignation, trailing slightly behind the soldier.
“Hmph,” she muttered. “I can handle myself.”
“<Nevertheless, I must escort you home>” he repeated. “<I am sure we will be safe. I have thermal optics, so I will be able to spot attackers on approach>”
His assurances didn’t dissuade Anya from her displeasure for the Enik. In only a single night, the Komodi warrior had gone from enigmatic wonder to someone Anya almost hated. He was blunt, aloof and uncompromising with his evaluations. And he seemed to view her as a burden. Nevertheless, she was stuck with him, so until such time she could part ways, she remained with him. As the sun peaked up over the horizon, the warmth providing the sluggish Lamia some invigoration, Enik suddenly piped up.
“<How is your wound healing?>” he asked. The sudden question of her welfare, after all her silent judgement and bitterness, was out of the blue… though not, admittedly, unwelcome. Truth be told, since late yesterday, the gash sealed with hardened foam on her chest had throbbed painfully, though it was at a moderate level, so she could tolerate it.
“It’s a bit sore, but I can manage,” she informed.
“<Good. Good. I am unsure how it occurred. I know you lost your shirt at some point, which is why it is not torn. I think you were cut on a sharp rock in the rapids>” he explained.
“Wait… you found my shirt?” she quizzed.
“<It washed up with us shortly after I pulled you onto the bank. It was no matter>” he stated nonchalantly. Anya grunted in response, but nonetheless silently thanked the man, despite his predilection for crushing dreams, intentional or not. She gazed sideways at Enik, this time more scrutinising his attire, rather than the man himself. The segmented ‘suit’, comprised of plates both large and small, moved fluidly and quietly, the only discernible noise being a soft ‘zi zi’ in tune with his movements, too quiet to compromise stealthy activity. It was equal parts convoluted and simplistic, areas that required limited or no flexibility covered by rigid plates, such as on the chest and arms and legs. It was around the joints the plates grew small and fluid, moving in graceful coordination, synchronised with the wearer’s movements; agile, protective, versatile. Perfect armour. Not to mention the various functions it performed; translating two languages, and converting one’s native tongue to another as they talked. Another thing that grabbed her attention was… well, its lack of flair. It was dull, unadorned and rather bland overall, despite its complexity. Most heavy knights wore armour that called attention to the wearers, both for intimidation, and to wordlessly boast of titles and deeds and allegiances, and – to a lesser extent – wealth. This armour was the complete opposite, the mottled darker shaded splotches and lines painted across its surface serving to further break up the outline. Combined with the way Enik carried himself, the way he spoke and his conduct, she was given the impression that he was, entirely, a rank-and-file footman. He was not a noble, an elite, or an honour guard. He was another soldier in the army… yet the gear provided to a simple soldier was beyond even that of great heroes of old, or so it appeared. And all of it, technology? She surmised his kind had no magical ability… but they made up for it in ways she couldn’t comprehend. So caught up in her analysis of his armour and all it could tell her of the Komodi, she almost bumped into it when Enik stopped. A startled sound left her lips as she stumbled to a stop to avoid smacking her forehead into the back of his helmet.
“Oi, I’m right here you know!” she complained. She heard an untranslated, exasperated sigh.
“<More complications>” he muttered, more to himself, and not to her. Curious, she peaked over his shoulder, and groaned; ahead, a river (likely the one that had carried them down so far from the mountains) carved a gash in the countryside, a one hundred foot drop on either side… and spanning that gap was an old stone bridge… or at least, it did. Now, the cobblestone bridge had collapsed, its debris crumbled into the river. She looked to either side of the ruined bridge; the deep carving in the landscaped continued for miles, various bubbling tributaries divvying up the landscape; the Racine River, its namesake derived from its small but numerous tributary streams, many of them violent rapids; it was likely one of those tributaries that carried them aloft. And the ruined, unassuming bridge before them was none other than the Solitaire Bridge; the only crossing over the Racine River for miles. This caused a thought to bubble up in Anya’s mind; Solitaire Bridge was old, yes, but decayed? Hardly. Rumours persisted that it was blessed with an enchantment of endurance, preventing its deterioration. And since the centuries old bridge had hardly ever chipped in its lifetime, its sudden collapse was… unusual. Thinking back on the abandoned cart from yesterday, Anya speculated; perhaps this was no inevitability of time.
“<We can cross here>” Enik piped up. Anya shot him a look.
“Are you mad?” she barked. Enik shook his head, and pointed down beside the ends of the ruined bridge.
“<Look there>” he said. Sure enough, he had marked out a set of old, definitely decayed stairs, running down the steep inclines on both sides of the river, running parallel with the banks. “<We can get down to the river, and cross it there. It is not that violent here>”
Anya looked some more, and grimaced; even still, the water nevertheless churned, and with the rapids flowing over the fallen debris of the bridge, being washed away would prove fatal, the crumbled stones of the bridge enough to break bones should one be raked over them.
“I hope you’re not seriously expecting me to swim,” she commented.
“<I’m not that stupid. Now, follow me, I will help you down>” he offered. Anya felt a pang of indignation. Help? Sure, she would need him to cross, but getting down? She wasn’t that useless. Enik sauntered over to the edge of the drop, and gestured for Anya to come over. “<It will be easier if you go first. Your larger body would make it difficult for me to help you down from the riverside>” Another pang of indignation. While he likely didn’t mean it offensively, Enik was often too blunt with his evaluation. Yes, she was big, but she was still a woman; it was rude to comment on their size. As the Komodi soldier offered his hand, Anya pushed it away.
“I’m not helpless,” she snapped. Enik held up his hands defensively.
“<Okay, okay. Just exercise caution>” he advised.
“Maybe you should follow your own advice…” she muttered under her breath. She decided to tackle the stairs in reverse, pressing her humanoid belly to the ground as she slowly lowered her serpentine tail foot by foot onto a sturdier looking step. Gradually, she took her weight off the grassy bank, and put it upon the step, slithering the rest of her tail down the rest of the steps, grasping at the broken roots of old steps embedded in the soil of the sharp banks. Suddenly, a split stone came free of the earth, and she felt herself slipping down towards the river.
“Shit!” she cursed, before feeling her entire body come to a painful halt, all her momentum travelling to the tip of her tail, all as she felt pain lance through her right arm from her wrist. Looking up, she saw Enik lying upon the ground, his gauntleted hand tightly clasped around her wrist.
“<You alright?>” he asked. Anya’s cheeks flushed red, before glaring.
“I’m fine!” she snapped, gently coiling herself up at the base, wrenching her wrist free of his grip, rubbing the tender joint. Enik followed after, clambering down the drop with relative ease.
“<Now then, to cross this river>” he stated. Bringing up his left forearm, the projection from before sprang to life. He initiated a ‘scan’, and shortly after, he snapped the projection off.
“<Good, it’s deep enough>” After that remark, he outstretched his right arm, balling up his hand into a fist. Suddenly, there was a loud ‘pank!’ and a long black cable shot forth from his wrist, embedding in the opposite side of the river. Detaching the cable from his wrist, he proceeded to secure it to a standing pylon from the bridge. “<Secure>”
Turning to Anya, he motioned for her to wait. “<I will go first. When it’s your turn, I will help you across>”
“I don’t need help, I’ll go first,” she insisted. Enik shook his head adamantly.
“No. You’ll stay here, and I will cross first,” he insisted with finality. With his decision asserted, he grasped the black cable and lowered himself into the water; immediately, his legs were swept with the flow, but his hold was firm enough that he was able to pull himself along the cable. Once upon the other side, he hauled himself out. He turned to face her.
“<Dry your hands!>” he shouted. “<Rub them on your shirt, then in the dirt. Dry them. Get good grip!” His voice had loudened considerably, likely his helmet increasing the volume of his voice so he could project it across the churning water. She did what she was told, rubbing her hands on her shirt, and then the dirt upon the bank, and then once more upon her shirt; her hands now dry, she grasped the cable, its width about that of a single strand in a mooring rope; not particularly good for gripping, but better than nothing. With her fingers wrapped as tightly as possible around the cable, she lowered her tail into the rushing water, her serpentine lower body being swept downstream much as his legs did. She strained as she pulled herself along to the cable. Looking up, she spied Enik grasping the cable tightly, digging his feet into what little surface he could. Halfway across, things seemed to be going smoothly… until she felt the tip of her tail snag in something. She looked back, grunting as she tried to twist it free, to no avail. Panic slowly built in her being, panting from the moderate strain on her muscles and the fear in her mind.
“<What is wrong?>” Enik asked, raising his voice over the river. She didn’t answer, pulling roughly on her tail in an effort to free it. Enik moved to slip into the water, moving to help. Anya hissed at him.
“I’m fine!” she shouted.
“<No you’re not!>” he retorted, ready to enter the river. However, with one final exertion, she managed to free her tail from whatever pinned it. Making her way over to the shore, she pulled herself up onto the bank, ignoring Enik’s offered hand. The Komodi grunted, before grasping the cable’s tip embedded in the soil, pulling it out and pressing a button upon it. The anchor at the other end popped free of the pylon. He inserted the end he held into his gauntlet, and with a ‘whir’, the cable was reeled back into his waiting gauntlet. Grasping his weapon, slung across his back, he climbed up the slope to the top. Once more, he offered his hand to Anya. This time, she took it.
“Thanks,” she muttered as she was hauled over the edge. Enik grunted, before turning around and heading to the road, continued on the other side of the bridge.
“<You can’t always rely on yourself>” he muttered. As he walked out along the road, Anya sneered.
“And you can’t act like everyone is weaker than you,” she said quietly.

Hours later, spent in awkward silence, the unusual duo happened across yet another abandoned cart… though this time, the cause was obvious. Enik grew alert and hunkered down by the cart, gesturing for Anya to do the same. The lamia coiled her body up as compact as possible, and listened to the voices of those who had alerted the Komodi soldier.
“I’m tellin’ ya, those Taint Pledged are bad news!” one boorish voice warned.
“Taint Pledged?” Anya muttered to herself. The Taint Pledged were, for a lack of a better term, ‘tainted’ humans, twisted inside by vile forces. Most were malevolent, striking out from their veiled villages in raiding parties. They were unheard of in these parts.
“Nah, they’re good for business!” another said, a weasely-sounding fellow, a piggish snort following his haughty statement. “Them merchants, they seein’ those ashy shits, so they turn away from Coteburgh… right into us.”
“But, you saw those Taint Pledged!” a third, less nasally sounding man added. “You saw the bitch leading them. She’s evil, real evil. She comes across us, we’re dead men!”
“So we don’t get caught,” the second assured. “We pick off the leftovers, and we’ll be set for a good while, don’t you worry.”
“Yer treadin’ a thin line, friend,” the first warned yet again. “We be lucky with this haul. Them Taint Pledged are goin’ after e’ery other cart they can find. I say, we leave, ‘n’ go somewhere else. We’ve already got blood on our hands.”
“Aye, he’s right,” the third agreed. “It’s bad enough with those Taint Pledged running around in the shadows, the next merchants are gonna be together. The Caravans will be guarded, and when they find out we threw that one guy into river, it’ll be straight to the darkness with us! No trial, they’ll gut us there and then!” The second bandit let out an angry growl.
“Now listen here, you two sons o’ bitches,” he barked. “We ain’t gonna get caught, an’ we got our employer, right? He’ll keep us right. Now, quit your bitchin’ and check your shit. We’re goin’ back!”
Anya clenched her fists; to throw a man into a river… alive or not, these men were malicious and heartless. She grasped the sides of the cart, ready to spring out at the unsuspecting bandits. Before she could, however, a metal-clad hand cut her off, Enik shaking his head.
“I can take them with a good tail whip!” she hissed. He shook his head more firmly.
“<No. Stay low. They will move off soon enough>” he stated, his voice hushed.
“But did you not here them? They killed someone, and they’re going to harm more! I can’t sit by and do nothing!” She glared at the Komodi.
“<My job is to get you home safe. I’m not going to risk your life>” he stated. That was the final straw for the Lamia. She couldn’t stand his constant efforts to look after her like she was helpless.
“Oh, to hell with you!” she snapped, before springing out from behind the cart.
“<Anya, wait!>” he shouted back.
“What the fuck?!” the weasely bandit blurted out. He was a chunky, stout fellow, armed with only a dagger. The boorish bandit was a thuggish man, hefting a large axe, whilst the one with a bit more literacy wielded a hunting bow. Taken aback, they stumbled, though Anya pressed her assault. She slammed her tail into the archer, and then into the axeman. The leader was already fleeing towards his horse, leashed by a nearby stake with the rest of their horses. Anya focused on him, slithering with the speed of a viper in his direction. But she was stubborn to the point of recklessness, forgetting about the other two. The thuggish bandit recovered quickly, and, with a vicious growl, through his axe towards the lamia. It landed in front of her, embedding in the grass. Anya yelped in surprise, and turned around to face the charging axeman. He slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. She thrashed, trying to coil her tail around his body and squeeze him into submission. However, he had already rolled away from her, springing to his feet. He grasped his axe and wrenched it from the dirt, before holding it above his head, ready to bring it down in a cleaving swing.
“Yer time, snake bitch!” her cried.
PEOOSH!
The bandit’s face erupted in a splash of blue energy and red blood. Where a scarred countenance was, now only a bloodied hole remained. There was no death cry. No terminal grown. He simply let go of his axe, which fell to the ground behind him, before crumpling into a heap in front of her. She looked at the dead bandit, and then over to the source of the shot; Enik, his weapon shouldered, aiming at the space where the axeman’s head was previously occupying. Anya heard another groan, looking over to the archer, who was getting to his feet.
“Ah… what…” he uttered, seeing his dead comrade upon the ground. He looked to Enik. “Y-You bastard!” He shouted angrily, knocking an arrow. He let it fly, but the shaft merely snapped upon impact with the Komodi’s armour. Enik’s head turned slowly, facing the Archer.
“Wh-what are you?” the bandit stammered. He didn’t get an answer; another sizzling crack of energy, and the side of the archer’s head was blown off in a steaming fountain of blood and brain. Enik once more whipped around, taking aim at the now horse-borne leader, fleeing without knowledge of the Komodi soldier. One final ‘PEOOSH!’. The leader tumbled off his horse, a burning hole where his heart would be.
“<Targets down>” Enik confirmed. Anya stared in shock; she had forgotten just how dangerous his weapon was, but now realised just how dangerous he was; Enik was a trained, ruthless killer. Not a sadist, not a twisted torturer. They enjoyed the pain and suffering of their victims; not him. Cold, clean, quick, efficient. That was how he fought. She was startled when she saw his head drop down in front of her face.
“<Come on>” he said, unreflective of what had just transpired. Momentarily forgetting her pride, she accepted it, and he hauled her onto her tail. Her serpentine lower half coiled up in insecurity.
“E-Enik…” she uttered.
“<They would’ve compromised both my security and your safety>” he stated. “<It was obvious they were criminals. Killing them was the most effective option>” She looked at him warily.
“But… to do it so coldly…” she trailed off, looking at the brutal wounds on the two close-by bandits left by his weapon.
“<I don’t take joy in killing. I did what I had to>” he stated. Even then, Anya felt perturbed; sure, he was no laughing maniac, but he was also a bit too clinical about his occupation. Not to mention the power of his weapon. The bandit leader was well over three hundred feet away, but Enik took him down with a single shot. If the Komodi ever came to conquer, Praxis would fall.
“<Let’s go. I don’t want to stay here. We need to get you home>” he stated. Anya nodded, slithering after her escort.
But now, she wasn’t so certain about him.

For several more hours, noon now past, Anya stayed silent. Pondering her current situation, she wondered what would happen; she’d seen a display of Enik’s power, both his ruthlessness and his technological terrors. They were nearing Coteburgh now. Anya could tell. The smell of the Sealed Sea was light in the air. She decided she needed to ask questions before they parted ways; for better or for worse, the Komodi weren’t simply to be a momentary event… they were going to be around for a long time… Anya may as well learn more about future acquaintances… or conquerors.
“Enik,” she spoke up.
“<Yes?>” he answered, keeping his gaze firmly ahead.
“What… what brought you here? The Komodi, that is,” she asked. Enik sighed, his shoulders sagging ever so subtly.
“<I’m sorry. But I can’t tell you, it’s classified>” he explained. “<But, for what it’s worth, we were looking for something>”
“Looking for something?”
“<Again, classified… and you don’t need to fear us>” he assured. He stopped, and turned to face her. At Anya’s questioning glance, he slung his weapon on his back. <I can tell you’re worried. I’m not a fool… but conquest and domination are not what we do. You don’t understand, you’re among the first sentient lifeforms we’ve ever encountered in… quite some time>”
“You mean… there aren’t many people out there?” Anya questioned with surprise.
“<As I said, the universe may be big, but it’s harsh and unforgiving. The few other civilisations we’ve met… first encounters haven’t… gone so well>” He stated. Anya didn’t take long to interpret the implication.
“So… there are more of you out there… less friendly…” she guessed. Enik shrugged; it never occurred to her, but his body language was uncannily like those of many Praxians… it was almost unsettling. Even his language was growing more casual and relaxed.
“<I can’t say. The only other race we’ve encountered that rivalled us technologically do not like us… but we’ve not had encounters or sightings of them in over a century… we don’t venture into unfriendly quadrants unless necessary. We prefer avoiding war if we can>”
“But you seem pretty proficient at it,” she quipped.
“<Just because we have a preference for peace does not mean we perfect the art of war… that may come in handy one day>” he defended. “<But above all, stability is our watchword – for us and other races – and to seek out the knowledge and secrets of this universe is our goal… or so I’m told; I’m just a soldier. A peacekeeper or a warmonger… whatever is required. Our military is rather… important to us, ironically>”
“Hmmm…” Anya murmured in contemplation. The two started walking again, and the lamia would idly fish out the shard of Sealed Sea Ivory within the small pouch she carried with her. Turning it in her hand, it glinted in the afternoon sun. Enik’s attention would be drawn to it. Cocking his head, he asked, “<What’s that?>”
“Sealed Sea Ivory,” she identified. “Somewhat valuable in these parts, mostly as a trinket though.”
“<May I see it?>” the Komodi asked. She shrugged and handed it to him. He examined it and muttered.
“What?” Anya remarked.
“<This. It’s the same material the scientists are collecting… they say they’re shrapnel fragments of Warship Hull Plating>” he replied.
“Hull Plating? But, this stuff’s been here for millennia, long before any ships sailed the Sealed Sea…”
“<Say what you will. I’m inclined to believe a scientist. Being stuck aboard a small research and exploration vessel for weeks with a bunch of them is a good way to learn their character; not a lying type among them>”
“Well, I’d be a little grumpy myself, being stuck inside that hundred foot ship you had.”
“<That thing?>” Enik chuckled. “<That was just a standard dropship. The vessel I came on is much larger>” Anya gave him a sideways glance.
“… how much larger?” she ventured.
“<I’d estimate… ten times the size, perhaps? Just to give you an idea>” He snickered, grasping his weapon once more, and handing the shard back to Anya.
“Um… alright,” she muttered, taking the fragment and placing it back in her pouch. Since when did he get so casual? Especially after what happened earlier… perhaps he wasn’t one to dwell on such things. “I have other questions.”
“<Pick them carefully then>” he told her. “<I’m not at liberty to answer everything about my race>”
“Actually… I wanted to know more about you… it’s hard to see you as the face you showed earlier… you seem more like… a machine. Especially when you… fight.”
“<Is that so…>” he trailed off.
“I know your name… but just how old are you? And do you have a family?” she asked. Silence. Enik continued to walk forward, the moments of no answer passing.
“<I would be about 54 SMY>” he stated.
“‘Ess Em Why’?” Anya gave him a lopsided look.
“<‘Standard Military Year’>” he clarified. “<Different planets have different rotational periods and orbits. Thus their days and years are different to our own. And in deep space, there is nothing to judge by. So that is a universal designator we use, based on our homeworld. Your planet’s orbit around your star is about forty days longer, but your rotational period – that is, your day – is almost identical. But yes, I’m about 54 ‘Smy’, for short>” Anya gave an appreciative noise.
“Wow. Looking good. But then again, I’m used to it. Even my kind live long compared to humans. Should be no surprise to me,” she admitted.
“<Indeed. I’m rather young. Over the generations, our lifespan has increased considerably>” he agreed. Anya nodded. He didn’t seem so bad, save for his constant belief she needed help.
“So then… what of your family?” she reiterated. More silence.
“<… I haven’t seen them in over forty years>” he stated. Even with the monotonous, flat tone of his helmet’s translation, the morbid finality in his words was more than obvious to Anya.
“Oh… I see,” she said, and spoke no more. Human, mamonme, space men, it didn’t matter… lost family is universally a touchy subject… so she dropped it. Bit by bit, however, the humanity of the man within the armour was coming out… even if, at times, he could be ruthlessly detached. As they walked, more woodland would creep up on them. Suddenly, Enik grew alert, hunching low and shuffling to the side of the road.
“What is it?” Anya whispered.
“<Multiple thermal signatures ahead>” he stated. Anya looked forward, and focused… sure enough, she could vaguely sense the heat of multiple people, a trait shared amongst all lamia as a result of their snake heritage… though it seemed Enik’s vision was a lot better than her own. Slowly, Enik crept up, his weapon ready. Anya slithered not far behind, silent and graceful. The Komodi held up his left fist.
“Ho ho ho… very nice,” came a simultaneously refined and piggish voice. A chill went down Anya’s spine; she recognised it. Enik shuffled along, hiding behind a bush, and peaking over it, Anya doing the same. In a clearing by the side of the road, a large group of men milled about, horses reigned to trees in the rear. And reclining on a lavish chair was a pudgy, well dressed merchant, if a little gaudy with its bright yellow and magenta fabric. He was short and stocky, evidence of his well-fed lifestyle in the bulges of his clothes around his waist. His nose was upturned, and his brown eyes were almost obscured by his chubby cheeks and eyebrows. A thin moustache grew beneath his nose, curling up at each end. His ears seemed undersized compared to his head, and his face flushed red. He laughed as he read a piece of parchment, his thick digits greasy with oil from the fried fish sticks beside him, sitting in a bowl upon a wooden table… overly ostentatious for a campsite… but the Good Baron oh so loved his luxury.
“Baron Herman Adelstitel,” Anya muttered. Enik turned to her.
“<You know him?>” he queried. The lamia nodded.
“We all do,” she uttered with distaste. “He’s a well-known merchant in these parts. Very wealthy, powerful family. Herman often comes to Coteburgh on his trading runs… ‘meeting with his peers’ he calls it.”
“<You don’t sound pleased>” Enik noted. “<Is he a bastard?>”
Other than a mild expression of surprise at his use of a curse, she shook her head.
“No… he’s sweet and charming, really, very friendly. That’s the problem… he’s sickly sweet. Suave, maybe, but there’s something off about him. Everyone finds him creepy, and whenever he’s in town, he’s always trying to use his silver tongue to entice some poor girl,” she explained. “I think he knows we find him uncomfortable… he just likes to express his dominance.”
“<In that case, I suggest we just walk past. They shouldn’t disturb us. I’d rather it be quick though>” he advised. “<I neither like the look of those thugs, and I do not want them getting a good look at me>”
Anya nodded in agreement, but before they moved, the Baron let out his ugly laugh again.
“Ho ho, who knew Taint Pledged could be such good business partners?” he commented. Anya stopped; Taint Pledged? Those three bandits earlier in the day mentioned Taint Pledged. She decided to eavesdrop, learn more.
“Speaking of which… where are those three buffoons? Gerot should be here by now… oh, no matter, the imbecile has probably gotten lost,” he complained, and then chuckled rather maliciously. “Or perhaps one of those Merchants gutted him. Oh, better for me, less to share around.”
One of the Barons sellswords walked up to him.
“But Baron, can they be trusted… I didn’t like the look of that Jarvis woman,” he voiced his concern, but Herman waved his worries aside.
“Ah, the Taint Pledged are a prideful lot. I doubt they’d renege on such a mutually beneficial deal,” Herman assured, pivoting on his seat with groans of effort, swinging his legs to the side. “They plan to take Coteburgh very soon. It would be such a shame to see all the pretty women in that town butchered or enslaved, so I cut them a deal; I use my influence to send merchants their way, and as long as I keep the flow of information to a minimum, I get a cut of the loot they make and a choice selection of the beautiful women… ah, to be king, as it were~”
A cold pit formed at the bottom of Anya’s stomach; she knew Herman Adelstitel was a perverted man, but she didn’t realise just how malevolent he was. Not only that, but Coteburgh was going to be attacked? The town’s garrison was small, and rather laid back; they were used to petty thievery, not actually defending against marauding raiders with every intention of gutting the first person they saw.
“Now then,” Herman uttered, getting to his feet with a modicum of strain. “Mmph… yes, now to do the final part of the deal.”
“My lord?” the mercenary asked in confusion.
“Oh, yes, they asked me to pay a visit to Coteburgh. Create a diversion in the guise of a sale,” he explained. “Once I do, they’ll attack, take the town, and I’ll be even richer.”
Anya balled her fists, sickened. She couldn’t believe this was happening… no. She couldn’t let herself have doubts. It was happening… and she wasn’t about to stand by idly.
“<We must leave. Now>” Enik interjected. Anya whipped her gaze at him, fury in her eyes.
“Leave?!” she exclaimed, doing her best to keep her voice down. “How can you say that? They’re going to start a diversion, and that’s a sure signal to start attacking! If we stop them now, we’ll buy some time.”
“<No. We make for the town. Warn them outright>” he stated. Anya’s fists clenched even tighter, her knuckles turning white.
“They, have, horses. Even you can’t outrun them,” she stated angrily. Admittedly, she didn’t know the extent of his abilities, but in her wrathful state, she didn’t care. “If we both take them, we can do it. You’re strong, Enik. You could take them on easily.” Enik shook his head yet again, more firmly this time.
“<No. I can’t ensure your safety>” he insisted. “<I don’t know the extent of their abilities. There are too many unknowns. Besides, it’s not my place to go engaging the enemy where it can be avoided. And I don’t want a repeat of earlier. Stay out of sight>”
“How can you say that?!” she hissed, ready to throttle the Komodi soldier. “You act like you need to do everything for me, keep me safe! I can handle myself, and so can you, but now you say you can’t?! Coward!”
Enik didn’t answer. Silently, he hefted his weapon and shuffled quietly towards the road. The afternoon sun was still up. He was probably planning on sneaking through the tall grass on the other side. Anya was ready to scream, force the Baron’s men’s hands, and thus force his hand. But something else did that for her.
“Alright, let’s get ready,” Herman commanded. “You. Boy! Get here now!” Herman’s tone turned harsh and cruel, before a pained yelp brought both Anya’s attention an Enik’s. From out behind a horse limped a young, bruised child, barely nine from the looks, clothed in ragged cotton, bruised and dirtied. His hair was unkempt and greasy, his face smudged and grimy. His eyes were red from crying, his bruised cheeks tear-stained. He appeared to have suffered a great amount of abuse as he limped over to the Baron.
“I said get here!” Herman growled, kicking the boy in the small of his back, knocking him to the ground. “Get up! Pack my things!”
The child whimpered, his frame gaunt, obviously hungry, as he set about packing up the impractical travel chair and table. He eyed the fried fish sticks sitting mere inches from his face with unbelievable hunger in his twin blue orbs… but he dared not touch them. His fear for his master’s retribution kept him from doing so. Anya’s blood turned to ice as her rage grew almost clinical.
“Kill him… I’ll kill him… crush his bones… I’ll kill him… squeeze him breathless… kill him,” she repeated in her mind, her monstrous instincts from a bygone era threating to break free, her lips curling up in a malevolent snarl.
It was Enik marching straight past her that snapped her out of her spiral into bloodthirsty wrath. He seemed unconcerned that he was exposed, his weapon slung on his back. The Baron and his thugs immediately spotted him.
“Oi… who are you?” Herman Adelstitel asked. His mercenary guards’ hands went to their swords. “I said answer me!”
Enik didn’t. He simply reared his right hand back, and struck the pudgy Baron’s face clear between the eyes with his Gauntleted fist. With a loud, pained “ACK!” he crumpled down onto his chair, the piece of furniture collapsing beneath his frame. The sound of steel scraping against scabbard filled the area, as the guards drew their blades.
“You! You like the sight of your own blood?! Because you’re about to get a whole eyeful!” one of them shouted. Enik ignored them.
“<Release the child. Now>” he demanded. The lack of emotion in his artificial voice made him more intimidating to Anya.
“Wh… what the… you…” Herman muttered, his hand going to his face as he groggily sat up, unsteady on his rump. The extent of Enik’s damage was evident; Herman’s nose was scrunched up in an ugly manner, more so than before, nose pouring from the collapsed nostrils. His eyes were red, and his face tinged blue. “… you… Bastard! Do you know who I am?! I am Baron Herman Adelstitel! Heir to the Adelstitel Name! I am the King of the merchants!” he cried. “You dare lay your hands on me?!”
Enik once more didn’t answer. He simply drew another weapon, holstered upon his waist by some unknown force, smaller than his main weapon, such that Anya was surprised she hadn’t noticed it before. It was vaguely similar to his main weapon, albeit on a much smaller scale. It nevertheless had faint blue energy pulsing through it, much like his primary. Enik knelt down, and pressed the end to Herman’s forehead.
“<You will release the child. Now. I will not ask again. If you do not, I will kill you>” he threatened. As Anya watched dumbfounded at Enik’s sudden turnaround in priority, the Baron began to laugh nervously. “Ha ha… kill me? With that thing? How could that be called a weapon… such a small cudgel couldn’t even bruise that little shit,” he mocked, pointing to the cowering child slave. Nevertheless, the fear in his voice was evident; even if he didn’t know what that weapon could do, he was certainly not about to blow off an armoured warrior threatening his life. Suddenly, one of the Baron’s guards came up from behind, wrapping his arms around Enik’s neck.
“Let’s see how much you bleed!” he grunted. Enik grunted similarly, but suddenly whipped around and smacked the man upon the back of his head with his elbow. He dropped to his knees in a daze, whereupon Enik grasped the sides of his head, and twisted. There was a sickening crack as the man, head facing an unnatural angle, collapsed to the ground. The boy screamed in terror, and the Baron’s eyes widened in horror.
“M-Men! Don’t just s-stand there, kill him!” he commanded. At that moment, the remaining number of guards – seven – all charged at the Komodi soldier. One tower of a sellsword rushed at Enik. He dived out of the way, and blasted a bloody hole in his gut.
“Urk!” he gurgled, his eyes bulging as he died, collapsing atop of Herman, the Baron screaming in fright and struggling vainly as he was trapped beneath the dead bandit. The others moved to skewer Enik, one flanking him and smacking him in the side of the head with the pommel of his sword. Enik stumbled and grunted; the blow was certainly strong; even a normal heavy knight would be dazed or knocked over after such a strike. Enik was barely even disorientated, twisting his body to face the threat. With both hands on the handle of his weapon, he pulled the trigger twice, two new bloody holes appearing in his chest. A lithe, unarmoured swordsman attempted to run him through from behind, but his blade glanced off the back plates of the soldier’s armoured suit. Whipping around, he smacked the bottom of his fist into the sellsword’s voice, knocking him backwards before a follow up shot to the head finished the job. He adopted a stable stance, both hands once more on the handle of his weapon, his primary still attached to his back. Four more remained, adopting a defensive posture, having learned from the mistake their comrades made. One of them turned to another.
“Henrik! Get the fire jar! Burn hi—” his voice cut short as half his lower jaw was shot off his skull, his tongue flying out of his mouth, ablaze. “Gluruck…” his exposed throat bubbled. The subordinate the now collapsing bandit was talking to shrieked in terror, and turned to run. Two cracks. Two holes in his back, one exposing his spine. The remaining pair looked at each other; they knew they had only one chance; charge. They rushed at Enik, ducking low to avoid his shots. One wasn’t unfortunate, his shoulder bubbling away as a bolt of energy splashed against it. He twisted around like in a pirouette, crying in agony. The other slammed his body into Enik’s midsection, the two of them falling to the ground with simultaneous grunts, the sellsword’s a bit more strained. The mercenary straddled the Komodi, bringing his fist down on his helmet. Pank!
“OW!” he cried, shaking his hand in pain. Enik recovered quickly, headbutting the guard. He grunted in pain, staggering upwards. The soldier closed in, grasping the swordsman’s shoulder, and loosed repeated blows into his stomach, gasping as the wind was beaten from him. Blood trickled from his mouth, before Enik finished the job, bending him over and dropping his elbow down upon the back of his skull, Anya just barely able to hear Enik panting softly.
“Grraaaah!” came the enraged, pained cry from the wounded bandit. His left arm was limp, dead from the complete cauterisation of his shoulder’s flesh. He shakily hefted his shortsword with one good arm, trudging over towards Enik. “Diiiieeee!”
He lunged at the Komodi, bringing his sword down in a slash. It missed, sailing past his head, glancing off his pauldron. Enik pressed the tip of his barrel to the guard’s stomach. PZAK! Blood sprayed from the small of his back, the lightning quick bolt passing clean through and impacting a tree, the back burning away in an instant around the newly smouldering hole in the trunk.
“Unf…” he gasped. Immediately, he collapsed, lifeless. Enik looked at him, the glowing eye-slits of his helmet almost baleful. His attention then turned to the Baron, busily struggling to remove the dead mercenary atop him.
“Ah… g-get off!” he muttered in strain. He then went dead still as Enik sauntered over to him. “S-stay away, devil!”
“<… there is nothing I cannot abide by more than slavery and cruelty… but of a child? You were lucky I offered you a peaceful way out of this…> Enik warned, aiming his weapon at the Baron’s head. “<… and you threw it away, forced my hand... but I guess I’m kind of glad you did… now I get to kill you. Forget doctrine and protocol… I won’t stand by idly and watch a child be beaten and enslaved before my eyes. Have a nice day in Hell>”
PZAK!
Baron Herman Adelstitel went still.
From the sidelines, Anya watched on in a mixture of shock, horror and amazement. The gory details aside, she was almost in disbelief that Enik had actually managed to beat them all. Sure, she was confident before that he could’ve taken them on. But several times in that fight, he was knocked around, even tackled over. He grunted and panted. But his exertion was, throughout, minimal, and his efficiency brutally precise, even if he still came off more soldier than magical hero; he was still stronger to a degree than the average human, likely from his suit. He looked around, surveying the carnage around him, before turning his attention to the cowering, terrified boy that had set him off on this bloody episode. He took a step towards the shivering child, and the boy winced and cried.
“S-stay away!” the boy pleaded, burying his face behind a crate. Enik sighed dejectedly, his shoulders drooping in his armour.
“<I’m not here to hurt yo-->”
“No!” the boy interrupted. Enik sighed again. This time, he crouched, and pressed the button on the side of his helmet, causing it to fold backwards, revealing his face for the second time since Anya met him; considering what had just transpired, she forget he was still flesh and blood beneath the mask, and half expected his visage to be replaced by that of a demon. But no, his face was the same as last time, albeit, this time, a faint, compassionate smile curled his lips. The boy saw, and watched in fear as Enik reached out with his hand.
“Friend,” he uttered, his kindly smile unwavering. “I help.”
Anya was… surprised. Having grown so used to the emotionless artificial voice of his suit, hearing his natural tone speaking common tongue was startling… but not unwelcome. He had a masculine voice, but it was gentle and kind. Despite his poor understanding of common tongue (he must have been slowly learning whilst his suit spoke for him), his words were soothing and comforting, a far cry from the efficient killer from before. At first, the boy was unsure. Then he cowered as Enik reached out. Eventually, however, the Komodi’s unwavering smile and stalwart posture earned the child’s trust, the boy limping over on all fours timidly. He grasped Enik’s gauntleted palm, and the soldier gingerly enclosed it around the smaller boy’s hand in a reassuring manner.
“See?” he said. “Friend. Help you.”
The boy nodded, his expression still one of fear. How could he not be afraid, not after witnessing such violence? Anya decided not to make her presence known, fearing the boy’s reaction, but she looked over at the corpse of Herman Adelstitel; blood trickled out from the hole in his forehead, cauterised brain matter already liquefying. She felt sick, but endured the horrific sights.
“Name?” Enik asked, pointing to the boy.
“S-Sasha,” he declared, nervous and frightened.
“Sa… sha,” Enik enunciated. He then gestured to himself, pressing his hand to his chest. “Enik. Enik Ven.”
The boy nodded. “Enik,” he said.
The Komodi repeated the gesture, before grasping a small flask from his waist, one of the many small containers lining a ‘belt’ of sorts. He flipped the metal lid up, and offered it to the boy.
“Drink,” he said. Sasha took the bottle, uncertain of it. After glancing at the smiling Enik, he decided to trust this person, the one person who’d treated him kindly in a very long time. He pressed his cracked, dry lips to the bottle’s opening, and tipped it up. Immediately, he began gulping down the water inside. Within moments, he’d drained the entire flask, and looked to Enik as if asking for more. The Komodi shook his head negatively.
“No more,” he told him, making a gesture as though to say he was empty. Sasha understood, and then suddenly hugged the soldier. Enik smiled, ruffling the boy’s hair. Sasha began to sob softly, and tears ran down his cheek. “Sasha Safe.”
Anya’s heart twisted and churned in her chest. Here was this man, a man from space, one who’d repeatedly harmed her pride, shown little regard for other’s sense of duty, and came off as almost heartless… but what she saw before her, what she just witnessed before, was enough to override all of that. He possessed that one important trait above all others; humanity, something not definable by species. A tear rolled down her cheek. Suddenly, Enik looked up, locking eyes with her. He nodded, an unspoken command for her to come out. Nodding in return, she slipped out from behind her bushy hiding place. Sasha immediately saw her, and began to press firmly against Enik’s armour in fear. Anya froze. Enik looked down and smiled.
“Anya friend,” he assured, pointing to the lamia. Sasha looked up at Enik, and whimpered in acknowledgment. At a confirming gesture from the soldier, she began slithering closer.
“Hey there,” she cooed compassionately, leaning down to press her hands to his shoulders, making sure her face was no higher than his. “It’s alright, you’re safe now,” Anya assured. She looked up in Enik’s eyes, and an unspoken understanding passed between them. Slowly, Enik stood up, prompting Sasha to wrap his arms around Enik’s waist pleadingly.
“No… don’t go,” he whimpered.
“Enik stay. Anya Friend. Anya help,” he assured. At first, Sasha refused to let go, but against Enik’s comforting expression, he yielded. As soon as he did, Enik pressed the button on the side of his helmet, enclosing his face once more.
“<Comfort him. I’ll move these bodies out of the way>” he told her, before looking at the young, tormented Sasha. “<Don’t worry. You’re safe now. On my life, I will assure you that>”
The boy nodded. Suddenly, felt Anya enclosing her emerald tail around him. He flailed and yelped. “Wha?!”
“Shshshsh,” she cooed lovingly. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you… it’s okay, it’s okay… just keeping you safe~” She adopted a motherly smile, caressing the top of his head in a reassuring manner. Eventually, he calmed down, finding comfort in the serpentine hug. Anya smiled, pulling him affectionately against her bosom. It was a technique she used to calm down anxious children back in Coteburgh, and one she hoped to use on one of her own someday. “See? I won’t let anyone hurt you. Enik, he won’t either. He’s a good man.” She now meant that. Whatever he had done before, Enik had proven himself in her eyes, in one way at least.
Sasha murmured unintelligibly, crying softly, emotional that his days of torment were over.
“Wh-what now?” he asked.
“We’ll take you back to Coteburgh. You should be safe there,” she assured him, but inwardly, she wasn’t so certain; even with the Baron’s diversion no longer coming with his demise, the attack would still go ahead, one way or another. Hopefully, they bought time for them to flee.
“<Anya. We should get going>” Enik suddenly called out, finished arranging the bodies in a neat row, out of sight behind some shrubs. She didn’t dwell on whether he’d leave them to rot or not… the Baron deserved it at least.
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do,” she answered. She looked down at the boy wrapped up in her tail, and smiled. “We have to leave now. You don’t have to walk though,” she said. “I’ll carry you piggy-back,” she said. The horses weren’t an option; she couldn’t ride them, and Enik hardly gave them any pause. Probably for the best; he likely didn’t want to hurt any of them unnecessarily due to his armour. Still, Anya didn’t like leaving them tied up. Uncoiling around the young boy, she smiled as she picked him up, hauling him onto her back. Sasha wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bone thin and weak. Slithering over to Enik, she asked, “What should we do with the horses?” she asked. Enik glanced at the beasts.
“<Free them, I guess. Too much effort to take them to your home, and I can’t guarantee anyone will come back for them in a timely fashion>” he stated. Anya nodded, and slithered over to the horses; compared to Sasha, they seemed much better treated. That just made Anya all the more glad he was dead, whatever the economic ramifications. The lamia untied the Horses from the tree, letting them run free, Sasha observing curiously. Anya slithered back over to Enik.
“I’m ready now,” she said. The Komodi nodded, and the trio once more took to the road, the wind carrying the salty scent of the Sealed Sea aloft on the winds… home was near.

As the sun drifted to its mid-afternoon position, Anya’s eyes widened when she first spotted the glittering dome of the towering beacon, as visible by day as its light made it at night. They were on the home stretch… but something was wrong. Several plumes of black smoke billowed up into the sky… and they were not from chimneys.
“<Village on fire>” Enik alerted in his typical professionalism, confirming her worst fears… had the attack already commenced? At that moment, Anya spotted something approaching at speed, black wings fluttering against the blazing mid-afternoon sun. As it grew closer, Anya recognised the form of her friend.
“It’s Milt! She’s here!” the lamia shrieked. She looked over to Enik, wincing as she caught him lowering his weapon. At least he picked up on it. Sasha waved at the incoming Impundulu. As the vampiric harpy touched down, she stumbled into a bounding run, before stopping short of the three, panting. Anya’s joyous expression melted immediately; Milt’s face was one of urgent dread.
“Anya!” she exclaimed. “You’re alive!”
“No thanks to Enik here,” she praised, gesturing to the Komodi soldier, busy scanning the smoky horizon, watching for threats. “But that’s another story, what’s wrong?”
“Taint Pledged,” she revealed. “They… they attacked the town in force. The Guard is outnumbered… we need help!”
Anya’s face dropped in horror; how could this happen? They stopped the Baron, they should’ve bought Coteburgh time… but now… everything was burning anyways. No. She had to be strong, she couldn’t give up now. She noticed Milt wince when Enik placed his hand on her shoulder.
“<Take me as close as you can to the town>” he suggested. Milt, taken aback by his ability to speak, nodded nervously.
“A-Alright, follow me,” she informed. A faint smile played across her lips; perhaps there was hope after all. Milt took to the sky, hovering overhead as she lead him to the town, not that a guide was strictly necessary. As they approached, however, they spotted the form of a broken man, tied to a stake rammed into the earth. As they grew closer, the features of the man resolved, and the two mamonme gasped in horror… none more so than Milt.
“No!” she screamed, rushing to the man’s side. Sasha watched worriedly as Anya slithered over to her friend, Milt hunched over the man and grasping him by the shoulders, tears running down her cheeks. “No, no, no…”
His sandy hair was riddled with dirt and matted with blood, cuts and bruises all over his body. His shirt was stripped, and his modesty preserved only by a ragged cloth that was once a set of cotton trousers. His blackened eyes were severely swollen, and his blood-stained eyes hid any traces of his natural iris colour. An incision drew across his belly, blood slowly leaking out. He breathed shallowly, indicating he still lived… but not intended to remain so for long. The wound on his stomach was a precise one, one intended for maximum cruelty, the purpose of causing the victim to bleed out very slowly. It was something only a true sadist, a master torturer, could perform. This man was staked here as an example, a warning… and what was worse, Anya knew him.
“Cyril…” the name seemed to linger heavily on her quivering lips. What Herman did was unforgivably cruel, but… this was another level of malevolence. A clinical sadism that delighted in watching the world burn, a mind twisted by more than just sick desires. Truly, whoever inflicted this was more of a monster than any twisted beast, no matter how human they looked. Whatever Enik thought was unknowable to the lamia, other than one thing; a wounded civilian. Medically, his priority was to stabilise this man, but as he approached to do so, Milt loosed a monstrous hiss.
“Stay back!” she shrieked, snarling at the armoured soldier, lightning crackling at her feathers. Sasha cowered, burying his face in Anya’s hair. The lamia gritted her teeth, coming between the distraught Impundulu and the Komodi.
“Let him through, Milt,” she said as soothingly as possible. “He can help. He helped me.”
At first, it seemed Milt was going to be adamant in refusing access, but after a firm staring contest, she relented, sobbing as she peeled off her brutalised but breathing mate. Immediately, Enik set to work, opening a small box from his ‘belt’; inside, he took out several collapsible instrument, the first being a needle-like device. He stuck it into the wound, and with clinical precision, used a small, sharp knife to clean dirt and infected tissue from the open wound. Cyril grunted in unconscious pain, and Anya had to hold tightly onto Milt’s shoulder, lest the Impundulu change her mind and try to throw Enik off of the dying Cyril. Once he had cleaned the wound, he set about applying the same foam-like substance to the gash as he had to hers. Her hand pressed against the hard material through her shirt; truly, he performed well beyond any other without a healer’s power, all thanks to training and technological superiority. Eventually, he pulled back, bringing his left gauntlet in front of him, the projection of light once more displaying. Another triangular plane of light would materialise beneath his wrist, and began sweeping up and down his body. After a few moments, he snapped off both projections, standing up and turning to the others.
“<He’s in a serious condition, but I’ve done what I can. He’s stabilised now, but I wouldn’t recommend moving him until proper medical attention can be granted>” he advised.
“Don’t move him?!” Milt blurted out angrily. “Look at him! He’s suffered enough, and you want to leave him here?! It’s not safe here anyways! They took him the day I left on the trip to the Mountains! How can he be safe here?!”
Anya would squeeze her friend’s shoulder hard, wordlessly urging her to calm down.
“<It would be dangerous at best to move him. The best I can do is link up with my unit>” he said. Anya raised an eyebrow, Sasha having since climbed down from her back to hide behind the trunk of her tail.
“What do you mean… link up? The village is right there… it’s burning… people are dying… and you want to go to the mountains for help? That’ll take hours, if not a whole day, without a boat! Can’t you just go in there, deal with them like you did those mercenaries?” Enik shook his head.
“<I’m just one soldier. I’m not invincible. There are too many unknowns. This ‘Taint Pledged’ force is likely hundreds strong… I would be overwhelmed by them. It would be a wasted effort>” he explained. As much as Anya wanted to argue, she knew he was right; a regular human sellsword was able to knock him down. A horde of rabid Taint Pledged, with all their savage ferocity, would tear him apart eventually. Just as she was about to cry out in frustration, another voice broke the tension, distorted slightly in the same manner as Enik’s untranslated speech, though this time, it was clearly female.
“Enik?” it asked. Turning around, Anya almost shrieked as she came face to face with five more fully armoured Komodi soldiers, two of them in the back crouching down, their weapons drawn and sweeping the terrain. She couldn’t work out which one had spoken; inside their armour, they were all identical, save for differing symbols upon their pauldrons, helmets and chests, subtle and almost unnoticeable. Anya never gave any thought to them, but glancing back she noticed the symbols on Enik were a pair of triangles, arranged into a rhombus shape. The soldier in front of the new group had three, arranged into a trapezium. The one to the left of the frontrunner had the same as Enik, only hollow, whilst the rest had single inverted, hollow triangles. Immediately, Enik stood to attention, smacking his fist upon his left breast in stiff salute. He barked something indiscernible, switching to his native tongue without missing a beat. The one in front uttered something, revealing them to be the female, and Enik relaxed; she was superior to him, and that revealed what the symbols on their armour meant; they were indicators of rank. The leader rattled off several unintelligible sentences, and Enik answered in kind.
“What’re they saying?” Milt whispered, leaning over.
“I don’t know, his armour translates his speech for him,” she breathed back. The trio would watch as Enik and his leader held their left wrists together. A linkage of light formed, and a flurry of symbols flowed between them. It took half a minute, but eventually, the light faded. The leader approached and, in artificial common tongue, still female, introduced herself.
“<I am Sergeant Major Vex Cet. Non-Commissioned Officer of the KUMC>” she said, her authoritarian voice coming across even through the monotonous drone of the translation.
“‘Kay You Em See’?” Milt pondered quizzically.
“<Komodi Unity Marine Corps>” Enik interjected helpfully.
“<Indeed>” Vex continued. “<I am told your town is under attack by marauders. Can you provide details on the hostiles?>”
Anya’s spirits lifted, feeling hope fill her up.
“At least two hundred,” Milt informed. “Perhaps three. All heavily armed; knives, swords, bows, spears, axes, some magic. Oh, and they’re lead by two main commanders; a woman and a man. The woman’s the real monster of the two.”
Sergeant Cet nodded in understanding. She turned back to Enik, grasping his upper arm and pulling him aside. The two began discussing something with hushed tones. As they talked, Anya observed the rest of the soldiers, keeping an eye out for danger. The lamia noted that their weapons weren’t all the same; whilst all possessed one of the smaller weapons, holstered on their hips, two of them wielded slightly different instruments of war; one of two crouching at the back held a slightly longer version of their standard tools, two stick like ‘legs’ with pads on the end akin to ‘feet’ folded up underneath the slightly rounded and less bulky end, while towards the rear, it was a touch bulkier compared to the other weapons, though it maintained the sleek, angular profile, and the lines of faint, pulsing blue energy shrouded behind mesh, likely to dull its glow from a distance. The other weapon that did not fit was shorter compared to even their normal implements, slightly wider and less boxy in shape. Its tip had a maximum of seven holes, arranged in a hexagonal pattern and housed in a similar cowling. The butt of the weapon was also much more skeletal compared to the others, and a large cylinder was mounted to the underside, just in front of the trigger guard, running parallel with the weapons length. Vents on either side obscured more pulsing blue energy. The soldier wielding it spotted her, and turned to face the curious lamia. She gasped softly, and took keen interest in the tip of her tail, wiggling nervously. The soldier snickered quietly. Upon looking over at Vex and Enik again, she noted that, unlike him, she was wearing a sort of armoured pack, rigid plates mounted to a flexible metallic weave underneath, and glancing around quickly, noticed every other soldier had as well. She wondered why they had packs when Enik didn’t, and then remembered the other day; he’d caught them spying on their landing site, so more than likely, he was simply on guard duty, and thus didn’t need a pack for long excursions. Finally, the discussion between the two Komodi came to an end, and they both marched over to the waiting quartet, Milt keeping an eye on the weak, unconscious Cyril, Sasha clinging to the trunk of Anya’s tail.
“<We will do what we can, but we can make no promises>” Vex informed.
“What do you mean by that?” Anya questioned.
“<We can’t engage in conflict against such a large force without prior authorisation>” Enik explained, interjecting. “<As it stands, Major Tek Yeg is the commanding officer on this deployment. If he denies authorisation, we can’t do a thing. If we did, it would be an act of insubordination. That is something H-COM would not tolerate>”
More protocol. Anya was growing sick of it, but she kept in mind that these people conducted themselves on a different code to anyone on Praxis, one of rules and doctrine, over honour and chivalry. Cold and utilitarian, perhaps, but ultimately much more efficient. She growled to herself in exasperation, but Vex reassuringly rested her hand on the Lamia’s shoulder.
“<I will do what I can. I make no promises, but I will do my best to convince the Major. I understand your plight, and feel it is our obligation to assist a civilian population in crisis>” she assured. Anya’s mouth drooped slightly in surprise, before nodding with dogged hope; she couldn’t afford to be pessimistic. None of them could. Vex had to convince the Major. She would step pass them, pressing her left index and middle finger to the left side of her helmet, where her temple would be, opposite to the side Enik used to open his helmet. For a moment, silence, before Vex began talking in her language to some unseen and unheard secondary in the discourse. Others would think a person talking to themselves mad, but Anya couldn’t help but be further impressed by the ability of the Komodi to overcome the boundaries that once only magic could bypass. To some craftsmen, replicating the effects of magic was a metaphorical holy grail, the goal of a lifetime. Achieving it would be nothing short of legend. The Komodi saw such things as a matter of course. As Anya listened, she watched Vex pace back and forth, her free hand moving around in emotive gestures. Her speech would grow heated, arguing with her superior. Then, it grew hopeful. Finally, Vex would talk with a professional determination. She nodded, and took her fingers off her head, turning around back to the non-Komodi present. She nodded positively.
“<Reinforcements inbound. We have authorisation to go in and attempt a diplomatic approach until they arrive. From what you have told me, that will likely fail. As such, we will begin systematic termination of all hostile forces in the area that do not surrender immediately>” she stated. “<The strength of the Komodi is with you>”
Anya let out a wild, joyous whoop. She didn’t even need to contemplate on the extent of their power, she already knew the eventual outcome; the Taint Pledged were marching to utter defeat. Sergeant Cet began barking orders, and the rest of the team began mobilising, clustering together. As the group began to move towards Coteburgh, Enik waved Anya aside.
“<You stay here with Milt, Sasha and the man>” he told her. “<Stay out of the town until it’s secured>”
“No!” she refused. “This is my home. I’m not gonna stay out of this fight. You keep telling me you’re keeping me safe, but I can handle myself. Mamonme are tough by nature, and I’ll be damned if I let those Taint Pledged think otherwise!” Enik grasped her shoulder, almost painfully, causing her to wince.
“<Strength isn’t everything. You go into that fight, I can’t guarantee any support. Going at it alone will be suicide>” he told her. For a moment, the two remained locked together in their two unyielding stares; though it helped his was that of a mask. Finally, it was Enik who relented, sighing and letting his shoulders droop. “<Fine… I will let you come with us, but as soon as the fighting begins, find shelter. I will allow you to see just why I don’t want you involved>” he stated. With a quizzical expression, she watched the Komodi walk over to one of his squad mates, asking access for his bag. The soldier nodded, and Enik rummaged through the pack, before drawing out a metal brace, like a half tiara, segments of it folded up in a nice compact form. He walked back to Anya, and began placing it on her head; the curved section went around the back of her head, and he proceeded to flip out the folded segments, two going over her ears, and small metal brace folding out in front of her brow.
“<This will allow you to monitor and understand any tactical chatter that comes through me, as well as link you to my suits optics; you’ll see what I see>” he explained.
“Um… okay,” she said, uncertain. The Komodi then pressed a button on the device, and Anya yelped, startled, as a projection of light materialised before her eyes. A crackling, sizzling sound resounded in her ears, prompting the lamia to cup the sides of her head in her palms, until the white noise resolved into clear voices, all artificial in their translation.
“<Fireteam Beta Two Four!>” Vex barked through the headpiece.
“<That’s my cue>” Enik said, patting her on the shoulder before joining his comrades. Suddenly, his voice echoed through the headset. “<Follow close behind Anya, and remember, when the combat starts, get to cover. I’ll activate the optical link from my end. If you think you’re going to be captured, take it off, slide the bar on the back of the COM Set, and press the button. After that, I suggest you drop it, it’ll get real hot and sparky real quick>”
“<Cut the Chatter Ven!>” Vex chastised. “<Fireteam, form up on me. Private Fas, you take point. Private Niv, you have the SAW, you take the rear. Corporal Ven, you keep an eye on those alleys>”
“<Yes sir!>” came a chorus of voices, one of them Eniks, one of them another female. With that, they began advancing towards the smoking, besieged town of Coteburgh. The fight was on.

Anya kept close to the man with the ‘saw’ as they approached the outlying buildings.
“<Check your plasma charge, dump waste charge>” Enik ordered. At that, there was a report of clacking and ‘whirring’ sounds from the soldiers, blue fizzling mist pouring from vents on the sides of their weapons.
“<Cycling complete>” they all uttered quietly. Outside of the headset, they were speaking in hushed tones, using their native language. “<Rifles primed>”
“<Scattergun primed>” the man with the hexagonal shaped weapon said.
“<SAW primed>” the man next to her chimed.
“<Check your corners, keep your guns ready. We are supposed to attempt the diplomatic solution first, but be prepared to defend yourselves>” Vex notified.
“<Affirmative>” they all responded. ‘Guns’, ‘rifles’, so that’s what they were called. As they passed through an alleyway, she watched them sweep their ‘guns’ down each side passage, over the rooftops, and anywhere someone might be hiding. As they neared the end, ‘Private Fas’ crouched down at the corner, peaking around with his weapon readied. He held up his hand and gestured for them to advance. They jogged around the corner, keeping in their positions. Niv bumped his shoulder into Anya’s, telling her to keep up. Ahead, she could hear the dreadful evidence of the Taint Pledged’s campaign; clashing steel, women and children screaming, fire crackling. She felt ill in her gut, and hoped the Komodi could end this quickly. As they advanced through the alleyways, they came upon a hastily erected stockade, made of overturned carts and benches. Behind it, a man in the uniform of an officer of the Guard, his helmet missing and his hair matted with his blood, twin trails of the crimson fluid dried upon his forehead, directing a pair of nurses to an injured man, the female elf and female human placing him onto a hessian stretcher, picking it up and taking him away. Suddenly, he spotted the approaching Komodi fireteam, and raised his sword at the intruders.
“You! Halt!” he cried. Private Fas aimed his plasma rifle at him. Suddenly, the guard officer spotted Anya in the rear, and lowered his blade, his eyes widening in shock. “Anya?! Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me!” she answered, slithering to the front. Fas lowered his weapon, Vex motioning the rest forward.
“Who are these people?” the guard asked.
“Here to help, that’s all that matters,” Anya assured the wary guardsman. Vex approached.
“<Soldier>” she stated. Her authoritative bearing was enough to make even this officer of the guard stand to attention.
“Y-Yes?” he asked nervously.
“<Situation report. Where is your estimate on the enemy leader’s location?>” she asked.
“U-uh, in the square. She’s taken it as though she’s already won, set up her ‘throne’ there,” he informed.
“<And the rest of your forces?>”
“Busy fighting all over this side of the town, putting up barricades everywhere, keeping them on that side, getting people out… speaking of which, how the hell did you get in?” he demanded. “I ordered a barricade set up in that alley!”
“<There was no barricade>” Vex stated. The guardsman spat.
“Bastards! The volunteer as civilians, and then cut and run! We’re spread too thin as it is…” he cursed. He winced when Vex put her gauntleted hand on his shoulder.
“<What is your name, soldier?>” she asked.
“U-uh, Officer Wilks, ma’am,” he said.
“<Officer Wilks. Go find your commanding officer, whoever that may be. Tell them to begin evacuating civilians and your men immediately>” she advised.
“You mean leave?!” he blurted out. “We can’t! This is our home, and we will fight to the bit—“
“<I am well aware of the situation, Wilks>” she interrupted. “<I am not asking you to retreat. I want you to pull back, so when the rest of our forces arrive, you will not be caught in the crossfire. We will handle it from here. There is no point in fighting on; you are outnumbered and outmatched. If you leave it to us, there will be a minimum of bloodshed>”
Wilk’s mouth opened to protest, but Anya slithered up to him and rest her own hand on his shoulder.
“Trust me. You won’t convince them to let you fight on… besides, I feel it would be for the best,” she said. For a moment, it seemed as though Wilks wasn’t going to let it slide, but his shoulders slumped and he sighed out wearily.
“Alright,” he yielded. “I’ll do what I can, just… I hope you mean it.”
“Believe me, Wilks… a force is about to be unleashed that has not been seen on Praxis in its entire existence, no matter how small… I can understand your sentiment. I want to fight too. But they don’t like others getting in the way, so I suggest you just leave it to them,” she explained. Wilks sighed, and nodded.
“Fine… save our town… please,” he pleaded.
“<We shall do so with minimum collateral damage, but we can not guarantee that there will not be any destruction>” Vex warned.
“It doesn’t matter… we’ll rebuild… so long as the people live, and there’s land to settle, we’ll come back,” Wilks assured them. Vex nodded. She then turned to her fireteam, and gestured for them to vault over the barricade. As she walked to join them, Wilks leaned in close to Anya.
“Is there a reason you brought half a dozen automatons?” he asked in a hushed tone.
“They’re not automata,” she corrected. “They’re Komodi soldiers. And they are going to help.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said, before turning around and breaking into a run, heading off to spread the word. Anya would turn to follow Fireteam Beta Two Four.
The end was nigh.

As they neared the centre of town, the signs of fighting grew more severe; broken windows, burnt out dwellings… and blood. Blood everywhere. It made her feel stick to her stomach, and the acrid smell of smoke in the air didn’t make things easier, either. They kept to the alleyways, likely to avoid being spotted.
“<Watch those windows>” Enik advised. “<Watch for ambush routes>”
They moved low to the ground, almost crouching, their rifles aimed ahead and sweeping across the open spaces, whilst making sure to hug the walls. They reached a corner. Fas crouched, held up his fist in a halt gesture, and they all bunched up behind him. He peaked around the corner. Anya couldn’t see, but she could hear the sound of a body being dragged across the pavers. She still had a hard time understanding why they were going to take the diplomatic approach first. Then again, even Vex admitted they didn’t expect it to work. They were simply following protocol. Fas would make an ‘all clear’ sign, and the fireteam would move forward swiftly. Eventually, they spotted the town square, the Council building’s spire visible above the rooftops in front of them.
“<Visual on the square>” Fas alerted. Vex moved to his side.
“<Alright, Niv, you take up position in that building to the left. I want sweeping fire across the square. Fas, you go with him>” she ordered, gesturing to where they needed to go. “<Zin, you have the Scattergun. Take Bo with you and secure that alley ten metres ahead, then clear out the building adjacent to it, eliminating the snipers on the roof, but only when I give the order>” She pointed to said building, a five ashen archers atop it, armed with long bows. “<Enik, you take up position on top of this building here.” She pointed to the building opposite the one she’d commanded Niv and Fas to secure. “<Call out targets and engage at your discretion. Engage only when I give the order. That will be when the diplomacy fails. Once it does, adhere to EXCIDIUM Protocol. Understood?>”
With their orders given, the soldiers nodded, acknowledging in unison. Immediately, the five of them split up, Niv and Fas pushing open the door of the house next to them, the one overlooking the square. Anya watched as Bo and Zin crouched down by the corner, ready to sprint to the alleyway ahead. And then, Enik climbed up the building behind them, using the window sills and the bricks to scale the façade, clambering over the awning at the top.
“<In position>” came Enik’s voice. Deciding that the best place to remain out of the way whilst keeping an eye on the action was with Niv and Fas, so the lamia slithered into the house after them. When she joined the pair, she saw Niv placing the end of his ‘saw’ onto the frame of the window, Fas crouched behind a ruined door, a convenient hole ripped open from an axe providing him a firing port. Anya too hunkered beneath a window, peaking out over the frame. She had to choke back a gasp of horror as she saw Marie, the Mayor’s wife, badly beaten, her hands tied behind her back, on her knees with an axe-wielding Taint Pledged behind her. And standing several feet from them were two leather armoured Taint Pledged that held themselves differently to the others milling about in the square, a man and a woman… the latter exuding a sinister, evil aura. Her eyes were black as bitch, her hair dark as obsidian. Her features were beautiful, if one could overlook the truly malevolent impression her facial features expressed. Beside her, a man with red-streaked hair and orange eyes observed the Council Building, a calm demeanour adorning his countenance. The woman next to him was far less composed.
“So the coward still hides within his panic room,” she muttered. “How unexpected. To think he’d have an enchanted shelter… annoying.”
“It is indeed problematic, Lady Jarvis,” the man, her subordinate it seemed, remarked.
“Don’t patronise me, Torin!” she snapped. She then went quiet, taking a moment to compose herself. With a sigh, she calmed. “No matter… once he learns the guards he sent failed to fetch her, he will be much more… cooperative.” A wicked smile pursed her lips, sauntering over to the battered Marie, drawing an onyx dagger, stained red with blood. She pressed the keen edge to Marie’s jugular, her throat gulping as a sob escaped her lips. “Such a pretty thing~” Jarvis mused with wicked delight. Her tongue flickered across her lips. “I bet her blood is beautiful, Torin~”
“Indeed,” he agreed, though his attention seemed much more focused on the Council Building. Jarvis cackled, before stepping away from Marie, joining her subordinate.
“What of that fool of a Baron, Herman Arestite or whatever his name is… he should be here by now,” she wondered.
“Perhaps he saw the battle and fled?” Torin suggested.
“No, the lecherous pig would want his payment… even fools keep me waiting… annoying,” she growled in disgust. It was at that moment that Sergeant Cet made her move, marching out into the courtyard, attracting the attention of more than a few of the pale marauders. She’d left her weapon in the alley.
“<She left her rifle>” Niv stated to Fas.
“<She has her pistol. She would not go completely unarmed. Just be ready to put down supressing fire>” Fas reassured.
“<Understood>”
As Vex approached the pair of Taint Pledged commanders, the one named Jarvis turned to face her, her eyes lighting up in curiosity.
“Oh? And who is this… this… automaton…” she quizzed. “Some last-ditch hope of the fools of this town?”
“<I am Sergeant Vex Cet of the Komodi Military!>” she introduced, her voice’s volume turned up.
“Oh, so you speak… Sergeant Vex Cet… what a mouthful…” Jarvis muttered, twirling her dagger in her fingers. “What ever is it you require from Lady Jarvis?”
“<Immediate discussion on the current conflict>” Vex answered.
“Do you now…” she mocked. “Well then, I’ll gladly oblige, but first, do tell me what happened to a certain Baron Herman Adelix or whatever it is… he was supposed to meet me here.”
“<As I have been briefed, one of my subordinates engaged the Baron in an effort to protect civilian life, and in the ensuing firefight, he was killed by my subordinate>” she revealed. Jarvis tapped her dagger to her lips.
“I see… shame. I was hoping to see his face when I stabbed him in the gut myself… ‘but we had a deal’ he would say,” she imitated mockingly, smirking wickedly. “Fool doesn’t know when he’s being played… now the merchants will walk straight into a trap. Still, I guess there’s no harm in having someone else do the deed without even asking. Now, what is it you wished to talk about? I need some entertainment~”
“<My demands are as follows—“
“Demands?” Jarvis laughed, sounding genuinely amused, her tone mocking. “You Demand? Oh, this is entertaining… do go ahead. I wish to hear them~”
“<As I said, my demands are as follows; the immediate cessation of all hostilities upon the township of Coteburgh, the immediate withdrawal of all military forces from the region surrounding Coteburgh, the immediate disbanding of all military forces under your command, and the immediate dismantling of all military assets at your disposal>” Vex listed. Anya was speechless.
“This is what counts as diplomacy?” she thought. It was little more than threats. Jarvis was far more amused, her cackles filling the town square.
“Ah ha! Hahahaha! By the Dark One, that is hilarious. Anything else, miss champion of the fools?”
“<If you do not comply, EXCIDIUM Protocol will be enacted, and anyone who does not surrender to our custody will be terminated. This is your only warning>” Vex threatened, her unwavering professionalism eerie with the artificial voice from her translated speech. Jarvis’ eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Terminated, you say… I’m sorry, but I’m a little busy. I have a town to conquer… now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve grown bored of your little show of words…” she stated, gesturing for the axe wielding Taint Pledged to execute his charge… Marie. He nodded, and raised his axe. Anya’s hand went to her mouth in horror.
“Please no…” she pleaded to herself. Her headset buzzed.
“<Ven, engage executioner!>” she ordered. In the next moment, there was a short, sharp crack, and the crown of the Taint Pledged’s head exploded in a shower of vaporous blood. He fell backwards, his axe clattering to the ground behind him. Jarvis stumbled, startled by the sudden death of her Peon.
“What in hell!?” she cried out. She whipped around, watching Vex draw her pistol. Immediately she fired, winging Torin in the shoulder. He cried out in agony, dropping to the ground in a spin.
“<Fireteam, engage hostiles!>” came her command.
With that single order, all hell broke loose.
“<Open fire!>” Fas shouted. He shouldered his rifle, and bursts of energy spat forth. Niv would pull the trigger of his ‘saw’, and a torrent of lethal blue bolts sprayed forth. He swept his fire across the square, dropping half a dozen Taint Pledged as Vex moved to rescue Marie. Firing her pistol at the nearest threats, she wasn’t able to turn to take on an injured Torin moving to stab her in the back. He didn’t get the chance. His face erupted, the dead commander flung backwards from the force. Firing her pistol the entire time, blue vaporous energy seeping from its vents, Vex brought Marie back to the alleyway.
“<Stay here!>” Vex commanded, picking up her rifle. She looked to Bo and Zin. They nodded. “<Covering fire!>” She looked back to the two waiting soldiers. “<Move move move!>”
At that, they sprinted for the target building. Arrows flew at them, harmlessly bouncing off their armour. Zin kicked the door down. A Taint Pledged soldier prepared to fire a crossbow at point blank range direct into his neck. Zin fired first. A volley of seven plasma bolts slammed into the quasi-human’s chest, ripping it open, vaporising organs in the projectiles’ immediate path, exposing ribs and blasting a hole in his back. Bo aimed over Zin’s shoulder, firing a barrage of shots into two rushing enemies. They rushed in, moving out of Anya’s sight. The air was filled with electricity, rapid-fire cracks and zaps melting into one another into an almost constant drone. At that moment, the projection of light in front of her resolved into something more solid… before suddenly, she was seeing through the eyes of another; a plasma rifle extended past her body, as though she were holding it herself. Flashes of blue erupted from its tip, each one hitting its mark. Numerous symbol, shapes and other displays adorned the borders of the projection, all relaying incomprehensible information… at least, incomprehensible to Anya. Enik, who’s vision it was, likely interpreted every last character of date.
“<Now you watch, Anya>” he said, before shouting, “<Alleyway, left flank, thirty meters, house with the exposed red bricks!>”
From said alleyway came a stream of angry Taint Pledged, waving around assorted implements of suffering. Immediately, Niv swept his ‘saw’ to the left, cutting down the charging raiders with a long, protracted stream of plasma bolts, red mist erupting from the points of impact.
“Don’t just offer yourselves up on a platter!” Jarvis screamed, hiding behind a statue standing in front of the Council Hall. “Sweep around, overrun them! Kill them all!” Soon, waves of Taint Pledged soldiers were siphoning into the alleyways, attempting to flank the Komodi soldiers. Many were cut down. Reinforcements from the alley ahead of them were surprised from the sides, Zin firing his volleys of plasma at passing marauders from the doorway. He flicked a button, and several fins popped up around the end of the weapon’s hexagonal tip. He leaned out, firing a now wide scatter of plasma projectiles, catching two enemies at once in its cone of fire. As he vented waste energy, Bo kept him covered, supressing the enemy coming down the alleyway. The archers up top were nowhere to be seen.
“<Ven, enemy commander is attempting to escape!>” Fas alerted. Sure enough, Jarvis had broken into a sprint, attempting to flee the opposing firepower of the Komodi. Through Enik’s vision, Anya watched as the sharpshooter fired. He hit her in the thigh, blowing a large chunk of flesh from it, exposing the tendons and bone beneath. She screamed, but as she collapsed, she fell behind the corner of a building, Enik’s second shot putting a crater in the brick wall. More Taint Pledged flooded into the Square and into the alleyways.
“<Fas, with me, enemies flanking to the left!>” Vex informed. Without preamble, Fas pulled away from the ruined door he was using as cover, running outside and joining his superior. As soon as he did, a group of enemies rounded a corner at the other end of the alley, flooding in from another side passage between buildings. They let out a war cry, charging towards the pair. From Enik’s view above, the lamia could see them approaching, Enik taking shots at them. Below, Fas took a cylindrical canister from his belt. It was ringed with ridges that ran its length. He twisted the top, causing a button to pop up on its top. He pressed it down. Lights appeared around the angled ring upon its upper surface, another forming with each additional second, starting out yellow, gradually turning orange.
“<Frag out!>” he warned, tossing the canister in amongst the charging group. In the next second, Anya was almost blinded as a bright, blue explosion lit up her projection. She felt the shockwave in the building she hid in. As she opened her eyes again, she noted none of the enemy were standing, even those that seemed to have escaped the blast radius; the closest corpse’s back was bleeding profusely from numerous holes in his flesh, his back shredded from shrapnel. The walls of the buildings closest to the epicentre were scorched black, the ground directly below where the ‘frag’ bomb landed a glossy, glassy crater the size of a melon. It was an impressive weapon, but Anya grew increasingly concerned; more Taint Pledged kept coming… could six people really hold off a horde of Taint Pledged, even with their skills and weapons? Then, another unfamiliar voice blared through her headset.
“<Fireteam Beta Two Four, this is dropship Gamma One Thirty, inbound on your position, Fireteams Beta Two Two, Alpha One Three and Alpha One One aboard. Razor Combat Vehicle prepped for immediate deployment. Please Acknowledge, Beta Actual>” the voice stated.
“<Gamma One Thirty, this is Beta Two Four Actual, acknowledged. Requesting immediate air support, danger close. Marking targets now>” Vex responded.
“<Solid Copy, Beta Actual. Stand by for target designation. Plasma turret online, ASMs armed and prepped. Awaiting your mark, Beta Actual>” the voice confirmed. As if to signal its appearance, Anya heard it; a high pitched, growling whine mixed with a menacing whooshing of air. It grew louder, until the building she hid in was shaking, a large shadow looming over the square. Taint Pledged either fled in terror or stood frozen in disbelief. And when Anya saw it through the head piece, her jaw dropped; it was the vessel she had first seen the other day, the four protrusions on either side of the ship pivoting, keeping the craft stable. Blue energy lit the inner rings of the protrusions, generating a sizable downdraft. Underneath the nose, the twin pipes swivelled and rotated… except, Anya knew those weren’t pipes… they were bigger guns.
“<Marking Targets now>” came Enik’s voice. Anya watched as he ‘painted’ triangular symbols in his vision, corresponding with areas of enemy concentration, using his rifle to pinpoint the targets.
“<Target Acquisition confirmed, commencing attack, danger close>” the voice in the ship said. And with that, the guns swivelled, and locked on… and to this day, Anya can never forget the shear dreadful power unleashed by those twin engines of destruction. She could hardly discern any distinction between each bolt of energy, far more powerful than what the Komodi soldiers below wielded. The rapid-fire cracks, almost like a woeful buzz, filled the air as the opposite side of the square was shredded, walls torn up and enemies cut down, sometimes literally in half. Screams and wails drowned out the thunderous cracking of the ship’s weapons. The dropship swung over to the other side of the square, hovering above the Council Hall. Admittedly, from this angle, Anya could see the hundred foot vessel was not as large as it seemed on the ground… but it was no less imposing… and with its twin guns blazing, was almost as terrifying as a dragon… only, its carnage was much more directed, precise. That made it even worse. As the dust and the smoke cleared, what few Taint Pledged that miraculously survived unscathed retreated back to their end of the town, those not unscathed but not dead groaning in agony. One gasped in horror at his intestines strewn across the ground, his lower body lying in pieces mere feet away. Anya vomited. The Komodi soldiers, however, were not so squeamish.
“<Fireteam, fan out. Mercy authorised>” Vex commanded. Her soldiers left their positions, sweeping into the square whilst the dropship loomed overhead. The six of them then began systematically executing the mortally wounded and dying, quick, clean shots to the head. Anya, watching through Enik’s system, had a front row seat to this almost barbaric act; it was, however, as Vex said; mercy. Not even the Komodi could heal the wounds those Taint Pledged suffered.
“<Beta Two Four Actual, be advised, landing of troops commencing>” the man in the dropship notified. Hatches on the side of the ship opened up, a soldier on either side manning a weapon similar to Niv’s ‘saw’, albeit even larger. They swept their guns over the area, whilst two teams of six, one on each side, dropped down from the vessel, using the cables in their right arms to rappel to the ground. A third team appeared from the back, also dropping to the ground… though what followed them was just another marvel in the Komodi arsenal; a machine, like a cart, being dropped untethered from its belly, held in the same spacious compartment she’d spied open when first laying eyes on it. It landed upon the stone pavers of the square, bouncing on four arm booms acting as suspension, the ‘wheels’ spherical balls. Atop was a rotating compartment, a large gun like that mounted on the sides of the troop compartment of the dropship attached to it. A soldier stuck out from the top of this segment, freely rotating from side to side.
“<Razor deployed>” came a voice. The now two dozen Komodi soldiers with their feet upon the ground formed up around one of their number; the symbol on his armour was similar to Vex’s, except it had two additional triangles, sitting above the ones flanking the central shape.
“<Lieutenant Gep>” Vex said, providing the same salute Enik gave her.
“<Sergeant Major>” he greeted. “<Gamma One Thirty indicates there are few civilians left on this side of town, but thermals show there are pockets of survivors hiding in some of the buildings, as well as groups of soldiers. Check your fire and keep an eye on your visuals and sensors. Where possible, escort them behind the line. The Razor will be limited to the main streets, so you will be deployed on either side. Take your squad, split your fireteams, and sweep and clear the southeast corner. Gamma One Thirty will remain on station to provide fire support. Any Questions Sergeant Major?>” he briefed.
“<None, sir>” Vex assured.
“<Then you have your orders. EXCIDIUM Protocol is in effect. If they fail to surrender, kill them>” the lieutenant reiterated. With an affirming nod, Vex barked an order at her fireteam and a second. After that, through Enik’s view, Anya watched them melt into the alleys and buildings of the south side of town, the ‘Razor’ practically gliding over the cobblestone of the central street.
And then, the fight truly commenced.

Through the headset provided to her, Anya watched in awe and fear as she tracked Enik’s progress from his point of view. Crackling and explosions filled the air, as the four teams of six, supported by the angular ‘Razer’ machine and the dropship – Gamma One Thirty – began systematically engaging and purging the invading Taint Pledged from the town with brutal efficiency.
“<Clear left!>” Enik shouted, aiming his plasma rifle down a passageway between buildings.
“<Clear right!>” a comrade echoed, the rest of his team filing through the alley. Ahead, a dagger-wielding Taint Pledged leapt out from a window, screaming. He went down with a new hole in his chest, Enik’s aim lethally precise.
“<Beta Two Four, this is Overwatch, be advised, you have hostiles in the building ahead. Thermal shows single group of hostages on the lower floor. Ten hostiles in the building with them; seven on the lower floor, three snipers in the top>”
“<Acknowledged, Overwatch>” Vex confirmed. She turned to Enik, Bo and Zin. “<You three, breach and clear. Dazzlers only>” The view nodded, Enik then moving over to the steps leading up to a raised door. Just above the lowest step was a window into the lower floor. The six Komodi pressed to the wall behind the three ‘breaching’ soldiers. Enik pulled another cylindrical bomb from his belt, this one lacking the vertical ribbing, being much more rounded and coloured a bright white on its upper ring. He twisted the upper cap, like Fas did with the ‘frag’, blue lights flashing rapidly.
“<Dazzler out!>” He tossed the bomb through the window, smashing it in the process. Startled shouts – Taint Pledged and hostage alike – were suddenly drowned out by a short, deafening bang! Bright light shone through the windows for a split second.
“<Breaching!>” Zin cried, kicking the door down, Enik hovering over his shoulder. Inside, several hostages, wrists tied together, writhed on the floor, whilst the seven Taint Pledged stumbled around, hands on ears or covering eyes. Zin blasted a close enemy with a volley of plasma, ignoring the other recovering marauders; Enik and Bo took care of them for him, quickly efficiently. The last charged Zin, leaping for him to engage in a grapple. Zin twisted his body, left hand grasping the end of his scattergun, his right gripping the back of the Taint Pledged’s head, throwing him down to the ground. Bo blew his brains across the floorboard. With the seven below dead, they moved to secure the hostages, Vex leading the other two up the stairs without stopping. Flashes and electric cracks.
“<Snipers down>” Vex confirmed.
“<Acknowledged, Beta Two Four>” ‘Overwatched’ replied. “<Extract civilians and link up with Beta Two Two. Overwatch out>”
Without further pause, the soldiers freed the hostages, still slightly dazed from the ‘dazzler’ stun bomb, requiring them to be lead out. Once escorted safely to a point they deemed they could flee themselves, the Komodi directed the civilians to flee. With grateful thanks, they blessed the armoured soldiers, before turning and running.
“<Civilians secure, rendezvousing with Fireteam Beta Two Two>” Vex said. They turned around, heading back through the side streets and alleyways, homing in on the sounds of fighting… loud, electric cracks, pops, bangs and one-sided screams of pain. Overhead, the dropship hovered, turning to put its right side facing a group of Taint Pledged on rooftop, one flinging fireballs at one of the other Komodi fireteams. The door gunner cut them down with a slow sweep of his mounted gun, the swivelling weapons beneath the nose suppressing a charge upon the fireteam below from the passage to their left. With the Taint Pledged dead, the fireteam pushed into a dwelling ahead, blue flashes lighting up from the windows as they cleared the structure of the enemy. Fireteam Beta Two Four joined Two Two.
“<Glad you could make it>” the leader of the second team greeted Vex. “<Got a large amount of hostiles in the warehouse ahead. Thermal shows they have set up a barricade at the entrance. Also, place smells like fish in>” he added.
“<Understood. Corporal Ven, you take Niv and Fas with you, keep the enemy from escaping>” she turned to the leader of the other team. “<You have the Launcher, blow the barricade, sweep through the building. Any that run will go straight to Ven. Move it>”
The other officer nodded, motioning towards a soldier with a large, elongated, angular trunk of metal resting over his shoulder. The man nodded, and moved to position himself ahead of the door, aiming his ‘launcher’ at it, another moving to the door and setting up a small ‘box’, all as his comrades positioned themselves against the wall either side of the door, ready to sweep in. It began making high pitched noises, and they braced themselves.
BOOM!
The satchel exploded in a blue fireball, destroying the heavy steel doors of the fish stores. Moments later, the soldier with the launcher fired something akin to fireworks… only, it was so fast, one could blink and miss it. There was a second explosion. Screams.
“<Go go go!>” The soldiers swept in, weapons blazing. Smoke filled the building, billowing forth from the entrance. Taint Pledged wouldn’t have been able to see through it. The Komodi could. At the rear of the warehouse, the loading doors leading onto the docks slid open, coughing, retreating Taint Pledged fleeing the onslaught from inside… straight into Enik’s and his two comrades’ field of fire. Niv opened up with his ‘saw’, cutting them down as they came, Enik and Fas picking off the stragglers. No more than thirty seconds since they breached the warehouse, did the rest of the soldiers exit the loading entrance. The Taint Pledged were slaughtered.
“<Hostiles eliminated>”
“<All Fireteams, this is Overwatch, be advised, hostiles amassing at the southern outskirts of town. Repeat, retreating hostile forces regrouping at southern outskirts of town>” Overwatch alerted.
“<Ackowledged Overwatch, Beta Actual out>” Vex turned to her comrades, then to Enik, her second in command. They all nodded. They were ready to break the back of Lady Jarvis’ little campaign. They grouped together, advancing through the streets of the retaken southern side of the town, spilling onto the main street, the Razer war machine advancing with them, the dropship circling above. Eventually, they reached the remaining Taint Pledged’s last stand, whatever they could find tipped over as makeshift barricades. A phalanx formation of shield wielding Taint Pledge push towards the Razer. The gunner swivelled his cupola in the direction of the approaching enemies. He fired, the plasma bolts ripping through the flimsy wooden and iron shields, red mist erupting from the helpless Taint Pledged. Vex led her squad forward, the other two fireteams already engaging the enemy. And ahead was the final card the Taint Pledged had to play; a siege engine, a massive cart clad in iron plates, slots cut into the metal to allow spears and arrows through, the end tapering into a solid wood and iron ram, meant for crashing through castle doors. And standing atop on an exposed viewing platform was none other than Lady Jarvis herself, beaten and bruised, bleeding and wounded, but still very much alive. She screamed orders at her dwindling peons, doing whatever she could to rally them; her face was one of desperation and denial. She would not flee. She couldn’t. Her campaign was flawless, she couldn’t run, she needed to win… it was impossible for her to lose, victory was guaranteed. The Taint Pledged couldn’t accept that her defeat had already happened. Checkmate had been declared. All that was left for her was a single, final desperate stand to the death.
“Push them back! Push them back! PUSH THE BACK!” she screeched, a wild insanity raging behind her obsidian eyes. All around her, her men fell, bolts of plasma hitting the iron plates of her siege engine, the armour bubbling away. She conjured lightning in her hand, and cast it towards the Komodi soldiers. The lance of electricity struck a soldier, rupturing their armour and knocking them to the ground, a blackened, bloodied, jagged hole in their chest plate.
“<Man down, man down!>” a corporal shouted. “<Medic!>”
The downed Komodi groaned, drawing his pistol and firing at the enemy. One of his comrades rushed to his aid, pulling him out of harm’s way, the wounded man all the while discharging his pistol. Another soldier went to his side, pulling out a kit and a foam bandage canister, applying the substance to the hole, stemming the bleeding. A normal human soldier would’ve been completely fried. He was seriously injured, but alive and stabilised.
“<This is Alpha One One Actual>” came a voice over the ‘coms’ “<Requesting immediate fire mission. Heavy ordnance, danger close. How copy Gamma One Thirty?>”
“<Alpha One One Actual, this is Gamma One Thirty, fire mission request confirmed, HEAP One ready to fire…>” The dropship hovered into position, compartments on the upsweeping sides of its belly, towards the nose, opening, rotating racks of angular, sharp rods with fins along their lengths, like oversized, shortened ballista bolts. “<… HEAP One launch>”
A plume of fire erupted from one of these ports, a lance of explosive death hurtling towards the enemy. Jarvis, in a final moment of defiance, screamed like a banshee at the craft, before the rocket hit the front glacis plate of the Siege Engine, puncturing its armoured face before detonating within. The primitive war machine was consumed in a blue plasma fireball, metal shards lashing out at everything around, ripping into unfortunate Taint Pledged marauders, the Komodi Soldiers just behind a crumbling stone wall taken cover until the shrapnel had stopped flying. And with that, all that remained was the mop up. And through it all, Anya had witnessed this from Enik’s viewpoint, and finally, she understood. Understood why Enik was hesitant to act alone, always trying to do everything for her, always trying to keep her safe; it was not individual might the Komodi coveted, but the strength as a whole. There were many orders, many doctrines, in the world of Praxis that exalted the power of Unity, but never has the concept been so flawlessly executed. Through close cohesion and coordination, less than thirty men had retaken a town against a force ten times their number, superior technology and firepower notwithstanding. Individual valour was not simply something they didn’t do, but wholly discouraged where it puts the lives of others at risk. Their entire method of operation hinged around small units operating as part of a much larger whole, all coordinating in an effort to achieve an ultimate strategic goal, but possessing tactical flexibility and autonomy at the individual team level, tackling different objectives at once. It was swift, precise aggression, brutally efficient, measured and unrelenting. What it would take a force of Luminaire Soldiers a day to do – perhaps more – the victory hard won, this small band of other worldly infantrymen have done in little more than an hour, they’re weapons, training, coordination and machines utterly breaking the enemy’s bodies, and, their resolve as well; a hard thing to do with the prideful Taint Pledged. The remaining survivors, now that their mistress was dead, fled south, the sun setting over the furthest western reaches of the sealed sea, bathing the liberated Coteburgh in fiery light. Anya had witnessed all of this from Enik’s perspective, seen how he was a part of the Komodi machine of war… it both terrified and amazed her. And, as she slithered out to the burning field of the Taint Pledged’s last stand, she watched the Komodi soldiers fan out, checking the dead, providing mercy deaths for the terminally injured, and gathering what few unscathed survivors laid down their weapons. Enik and his Sergeant Major, Vex, marched over to the flaming skeleton – and there was little of that left – of the destroyed siege engine… whereupon, suddenly, a sheet of iron shifted, and groaning in pain upon the ground was the badly burned, still living Lady Jarvis. Her face was remarkably intact, still possessing that twisted beauty… though now, marred by savage rage and insanity. The rest of her body, however, was not as fortunate, what skin not covered by leather armour stripped away, warped and rippled. Her black eyes burned with hate, fixated on the pair of soldiers watching her.
“You… no… fools… rally!” she rasped, commands to a non-existent force. “Push… push them back… cowards!” She screamed the last word at Enik and Vex. The former slung his rifle on his back, drawing his pistol, marching over to the crippled Jarvis, her right leg missing, a stump of ragged, bloody ribbons of flesh all that remained, the jagged end of the broken bone sticking forth from the burned muscle. Enik aimed his pistol at her head.
“<As outlined in Article Three point Four ‘B’ of the EXCIDIUM Protocol, any enemy commander that does not surrender in a timely fashion, and refuses to surrender after capture, and is deemed of unstable mental capacity and continues to incite hostile action is to be terminated duly>” Enik recited. He then turned to Vex. “<Permission to speak freely?>”
“<Permission granted, Corporal>” Enik nodded, before turning to face Jarvis once again. He pressed the button on the side of his helmet, the plates sliding back to reveal his face. Anya observed his visage; steely, cold, but angry.
“Vag ik blex,” he uttered in his native tongue.
Jarvis spat. Enik pulled the trigger.
CRACK!
Jarvis’ head lolled to the side, a steaming hole in her forehead. Enik pressed the button on his helmet again, sealing his head within its confines yet again.
“<Rot in hell>” he translated.
It was finally over.

The night was filled with jubilation, and sorrow; whilst the battle was won, their home spared utter destruction, the people of Coteburgh mourned those that fell, the guards who, whilst small in number and lacking in skill and experience, gave it their all to uphold their duty, and the simple townsfolk who took up arms against the invaders, and all those who were murdered at Jarvis’ orders. But the celebration was euphoric, the townsfolk and the mayor himself pleading for the saviours of the town, those four fireteams of Komodi marines and their support machines and crew, who saved the lives of hundreds, to join them in their celebration, despite it being ‘against regulations’ for them… but as it happened, the leader behind all of them, a one Captain Geta Biv, ‘ordered’ the soldiers involved to remain behind to ‘debrief the local inhabitants’. The town was pleased, though it was rather obvious the Komodi felt a bit… culturally awkward. Moreover, they were seemingly oblivious to the constant flirting by women – human and mamonme alike – as well as the odd man. They participated in the food and drink and frivolities of the night with helmets off, a sign of respect. The following morning, however, came with responsibility, the townspeople working doubly hard to remove the rubble caused by the conflict yesterday, cleaning and repairing their town, the Komodi soldiers continuing to provide assistance. Anya was involved in the work as well, helping in whatever was required of her, currently transporting cartons of nails to a temporary repair job at the fish warehouse. While the damage caused by the Komodi’s weapons was extensive, most agreed that it was localised and certainly repairable. It helped that they apologised for any and all damage they made to buildings in their efforts to expel the Taint Pledged. As she slithered through the street towards the docks, she heard a young voice calling her name excitedly.
“Anya! Anya! Anya!”
She turned around, and beamed upon spotting Sasha running up to her with a happy smile, lanky but overall much healthier since being freed from slavery, a trip to the medical tent set up by the Komodi field surgeons to treat wounds from the siege doing wonders for his wellbeing. She’d taken a trip to the hospital herself, and was surprised to see the Impundulu she’d seen shot out of the sky by the Komodi those two days ago alive and well, undergoing therapy for her injuries and rehabilitation. She was amiable towards the Komodi by that point, treated well. As it was, they mistook her for an attacker, and acted accordingly, whilst she was simply defending her nest. In the end, she allowed them to treat her, and they say she’ll eventually be ready to fly again, after some more surgeries. She’d also spotted Milt and Marie there, attending to the wounded, helping the Komodi medics as nurses, though the former wouldn’t admit she was really only there to nurture a recovering Cyril, who’d regained consciousness. There was the barest scar upon his stomach where he’d been cut by none other than Jarvis herself, the treatment he received effective and immediate. Truly, their medical technology was as impressive as their tools of war. Though even then, Sasha wasn’t supposed to be running around like he was. She stooped low, wrapping her arms around the boy joyfully.
“Sasha! There you are!” she cooed happily, ruffling his hair, causing the young boy to laugh. She then adopted a gentle yet stern expression. “You know you shouldn’t be running around like that. The good Komodi doctor said you should rest.”
Sasha gave her a sheepish look, chuckling nervously.
“But I wanted to say hello!” he chirped happily.
“I know, and I’m glad you did,” she admitted with a happy grin, ruffling his hair once more, before standing up. “Come on, let’s go say hi to Enik.” Sasha beamed, holding the lamia’s hand as she led him to the docks. They found Enik working with a group of overly flirtatious mermaids, oblivious – or ignorant – to their passes at him, helping assemble a temporary pier, the rest burned by the Taint Pledge in a surprise first strike. Anya grumbled in annoyance at the promiscuous mermaids, before calling out to Enik.
“Hey there~”
Enik turned around, and clapped his hands together.
“<Anya, Sasha! Good to see you!>” he answered. Anya noticed that the artificial voice of his suit’s translation was gradually growing more emotive. It still didn’t sound like him, but it was better than sounding like a machine devoid of heart.
“How are you?” she asked, resting her hand on his shoulders.
“<Doing well… these ‘mermaids’ are fascinating creatures, though I’m not so sure they’re entirely helping me out of ‘good will’>” he muttered. Anya laughed.
“They just want to get into your pants,” she joked. Both Sasha and Enik cocked their heads.
“<I’m not sure I follow>”
“I don’t get it?”
Anya laughed again.
“Oh, you’ll figure it out,” she teased, before looking down at Sasha. “And I’ll tell you when you’re older.” Sasha pouted grumpily, folding his arms over his chest. The lamia giggled, before returning her attention to Enik.
“So then, what now? With you, I mean?” she asked, sounding somewhat disheartened. She had mixed feelings about Enik over the last few days, rather rocky initially, but over these short two days, she’d come to learn a great deal about him, especially who he was; a kind, caring person, regardless of his race. Knowing that she may never see him again, leaving to trek over the vast gulfs of space back to his home, left a bitter feeling in her heart.
“<Well, your Mayor and the Captain are meeting in unofficial talks to establish peace with your town, and to establish a deal of mutual secrecy>” he explained.
“What do you mean?” Anya asked curious.
“<What we have done over the past few days has far exceeded mission parameters. We’ve broken numerous protocols revealing ourselves like this… this world is not ready for us. We intend to act in a clandestine fashion, insinuating undercover operatives into various populations, passing as just another species of humanoid, like you ‘mamonme’, living on this world of Praxis. We will maintain an oath of protection and secrecy with the people of Coteburgh; on their honour, you mayor swears that he and his people will not speak of the technological power we possess. That will remain a secret known only to the people of Coteburgh.>” Enik said, looking out over the Sealed Sea.
“I… see… and these… ‘undercover operatives’… what are their purpose… or can’t you tell me?” she asked.
“<Only that they are to live alongside the people of this world, as well as learn about it without exposing them to the wider picture. Truthfully, the Komodi Unity has more important matters to them, so only a small force could ever be deployed here… we’re not conquerors, Anya. This world is just not ready for us… and in a way… we’re not ready for it>”
“What do you mean by that?”
“<Magic… where we come from… it’s a fantasy… a fairy tale. An impossibility. We would need time to understand it… get used to it… in the meantime, we’ll keep to the shadows, and slowly establish peaceful relations with the societies of this world>” He turned back around, grasping Anya’s shoulders. “<And I have already volunteered to be the local liaison between Coteburgh and commanding officers>”
It took a moment for the implications of his statement to sink into Anya.
“You mean… you’re… staying? But, what will your leaders say?” she queried, worried.
“<Both Sergeant Major Cet and Captain Biv have recommended me to do so, citing my experience with the language and the local populace>” he answered.
“You mean time with a grumpy injured lamia?” Anya joked. Enik laughed. As did Sasha, though he wasn’t sure what he was laughing about.
“<Indeed… speaking of which, how is the wound?>” he asked. Anya smiled, pulling down the collar of her shirt to show a faint scar.
“Like they said, the biofoam came off easily, and they just sealed up the wound. You did everything, mostly,” she praised, blushing slightly. She watched the water of the Sealed Sea ripple gently in the wind. “So… you’re staying… do you know where?”
“<Arrangements have already been made>” he said. Anya looked away somewhat dejectedly.
“Oh… I see… well, you should talk to Sasha. He wanted to see you too,” she said, looking at the fidgeting boy.
“<So I noticed>” Enik remarked, crouching down in front of the boy. “<How are you?>”
“Good, good!” he chirped, making muscles with his arms. “Getting strong! I’m going to be as strong as you! Become a hero and save all the people and slay the bad guys!” Enik laughed.
“<I see… in that case, you should probably take it easy for a while. Get better, put on some mass, let your body get healthy again. Then, you can start training>”
“Don’t encourage him,” Anya chastised. “I don’t want him getting hurt.”
Sasha pouted, and Enik cocked his head.
“<You?>” he queried. Anya smiled.
“Sasha has no known family… he doesn’t remember them, sadly. So, I’ve taken him in,” she answered.
“<You mean you’ve adopted him as a son?>” Enik surmised. Anya blushed and muttered in embarrassment.
“Well, uh, I uh guess you could say that, yes.”
“<Good… he needs a family… now, I must get back to work>” he said.
“I see… well, good luck to you,” she uttered, turning to leave with Sasha.
“<Anya>” Enik uttered, followed by the sounds of his helmet folding back.
“Yes?” Anya responded, turning to go face to face with the handsome Enik. The Komodi was smiling, and took both her hands into his.
“Friend,” he uttered. “Good friend… family.”
Anya’s eyes lit up, understanding in her eyes. She then smiled, and nodded, grasping his gauntleted hands in return.
“Yes… family,” she repeated, smiling lovingly. Sasha looked up between them, beaming in joy; even he understood the implications here. They laughed, the both of them ruffling his head. As she watched one of the first fishing boats since the attack leave the docks to go about the town’s trade, she dove her hand into the pouch she’d worn for two days, fishing out the shard of ‘Sealed Sea Ivory’, the white polished fragment of Komodi Battle Plating glinting in the sunlight.

“Good omen of love indeed…” the lamia thought.

[Boomerang]

Lucifeller's entry

Spoiler: show

OLD HERO
A Praxis story


No one would have accused the village of Valahol, in northern Mirovaea, of being a bustling trade city. In fact, it was quite a boring place, with few humans, even less mamonme, and a relatively uneventful history compared to many other places, though it had its folktales and happenings like any other settlement.

That was precisely why the current flurry of activity was unusual, as was the unusually large traffic of travelers visiting - most of them being the mamonme species called Ureonggaksi. Large, colorful shells could be seen all over town, their owners going about on mundane activities or even only talking with villagers and each other. Save for one, however, all these Ureonggaksi came from abroad, and some even traveled a great distance for this event - a family reunion.

The one exception, and the center of attention in this reunion, was one Shion Aswati - a blonde-haired, fair-skinned Ureon with a curious dark green pattern resembling a web decorating her brown shell. Unlike the others, she’d lived in Valahol for a long time, having come aboard a settler ship in search of new sights to see half a dozen years prior, and having lived in the small community for over five years. While the peacefully-inclined mamonme had initially found it hard to adapt to Mirovaea’s rather savage, unsettled and dangerous countryside, she eventually grew used to it, in no small part thanks to Valahol’s inhabitants helping her adjust.

Of course, that was not the only reason why she chose to stay in the wild, uncivilized land of Mirovaea… Shion paused in her current task of hanging decorations on the front of the town hall the locals had so graciously offered for use to her family to sneak a glance at the nearby mountain - Dragonskull Peak, the locals called it due to its shape and unusually dark-colored soil resembling burnt ground - and, not for the first time in the day, began to wonder.

“Shion!”, a familiar voice called out to her from behind, snapping her out of her thoughts. Shion turned around, smiling at the Ureon who had just approached her - a pretty thing with green hair and a colorful reddish-brown shell. The newcomer, a distant cousin of hers, was slightly smaller than she was, but was actually Shion’s elder by several years in spite of a more youthful appearance.

“Hi, Adara,” she addressed the green-haired girl, waving at the decorations she’d been hanging with the hammer in her right hand. “I’m doing well with this, as you can see. There’s still a lot of decorations to put up, but we’ll all be done by evening, and then we can start the festivities.”

“That’s good. You’re a really hard worker, aren’t you?” Adara answered, examining the decorum with approval. She then glanced at her shell. “Say, when did you have that green pattern added to your shell? I don’t recall it being there last time we met.”

“Oh, that’s from a few years back,” Shion replied as she hammered another ribbon in place. “I wanted a new look to commemorate an event.”

“Event?” Adara asked, curious, but before Shion could answer, the mayor of Valahol, an old man with an imposing beard and a walking cane, approached them.

“Oho, what are you two pretty ladies talking about?” the old man asked in a raspy voice. “Surely you are planning no mischief? Why, I remember when I was younger and would cause a commotion every day...”

“Uh… we were just talking, mayor Unalmas,” Shion pointed out, scratching her head. “We haven’t seen each other in years, so we were getting caught up on recent events.”

“Hmm… well, I suppose that’s good too. Though it’s boring…” the mayor muttered before turning around and walking off. “Carry on, then. The town hall’s looking good. ...kids these days don’t know how to have fun. Why, if I were a few years younger I’d raise all hell at a party…”

“Um… was that…?” Adara asked, unsure how to word the question. Shion sighed.

“That was Unalmas, the town’s mayor and the oldest resident. He’s a good man, but a bit on the senile side, and has a tendency to go on long winded rants about how it was in his youth.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Most of town think he was born old and is just imagining his youth, though…”

Adara chuckled at that. “Now that’s cruel to say, Shion.” She then looked at the town hall again. “Well, I’ll leave you to this. You seem to be busy. We can always exchange stories this evening, right?”

“Right!” Shion answered with a smile.

----

A little farther away, the mayor’s mutterings were interrupted as he bumped into a cloaked man. The old villager gave the stranger an irate look, which resulted in him shrinking back, muttering a quick ‘sorry’, and then walking off at an accelerated pace. Unalmas watched the cloaked figure walk off and slowly stroked his beard, his previously vacant eyes now clear and focused.

“Sure are a lot of these folks in cloaks last few days… even though it’s hot and sunny. And just when a bunch of mamonme gathered,” he murmured, eyes narrowing as he followed the figure disappear past the town gates. “If I were a paranoid old man, I’d think something is afoot…”

Without another word, the old mayor turned around, but rather than continuing on to his home, he began to walk towards the town guard’s barracks.

He was a paranoid old man, after all.

----

The evening brought a great gathering in front of the town hall. Though it was a reunion of the Aswati family, due to it being relatively small and recently established, not many family members existed, so everyone was invited to attend - locals and passersby included, as the Ureon gathered were eager to hear stories about Mirovaea and its sights, unexplored continent that it was.

Predictably, Shion, being the one Ureon to actively live in Mirovaea for an extended time, ended up being surrounded by a small crowd of humans and mamonme alike, all curious to hear tales of her life in the wild lands. The crowd ended up settling down in front of the bonfire that had been lit before the town hall.

“So why did you come to Mirovaea?” a man asked - the husband of a distant cousin of Shion’s. She shrugged, smiling.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” she replied sincerely. “An unexplored land, adventure, romance, all these things you read about in books. I wanted to be part of it.”

“So was it like that?” another Ureon - a young one with red hair - inquired. Shion laughed.

“Not at all! It was mostly lots of heat, lots of humidity and a whole lot of insects,” she admitted, stifling more laughter even as those around her chuckled at her words. “When I came to Valahol, it was still in the middle of stabilizing as a village. It was rough, but everyone here is a honest, hard worker. I helped out, and before I knew it, we’d become a healthy, self-sufficient community.” She looked around at the small rural village with fondness. “I didn’t really do much compared to everyone else, but I’m proud of having contributed what I could. Valahol is part of my life, and I feel like I belong.”

Hey, do you have any juicy stories of adventure? It can’t have all been boring housework…” a third Ureon, this one a child, spoke up, clearly eager to hear exciting tales of action and mystery. Shion chuckled lightly.

“No, not really. Making this small settlement successful was an adventure in and of itself, though,” she told the child. “It wasn’t nearly as easy as it looks.”

“That’s not entirely true, young lady,” a familiar raspy voice spoke up behind her, and Shion turned to look at mayor Unalmas, puzzled. He smiled, showing the gaps between his teeth where some had fallen off, and stroked his beard. “Why not tell them about that time you met the Hermit of the Mountain?”

“Ah… that…” Shion murmured, suddenly subdued. The abrupt change in demeanor intrigued the crowd, and some began to clamor for her to relate the story. Then Adara spoke up, silencing the crowd.

“Quiet, all of you!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. “Can’t you see Shion obviously doesn’t want to talk about it?”

“Ah… it’s not that I don’t want to talk about it. It’s just… it’s an old story. It’s not really interesting…” she explained hesitantly. The mayor chuckled at that.

“Girlish crush it may have been, but I wouldn’t call that story ‘uninteresting’, child,” he pointed out. He then turned around, glancing at her over the shoulder. “It’s your pick whether to tell the tale or not. You know what transpired best of all, though. And the Hermit spoke to you, after years of speaking to no one…”

With those words, the mayor trodded off, sitting down on the other side of the bonfire to sip some ale. Shion sighed, then looked around, seeing all eyes on her, waiting for her decision. Sighing again, she nodded.

“Very well. But bring me something to drink and eat, and take some yourself. It’s a bit of a long story…”

Her request was met with a flurry of movement, and before long, food and drink were neatly set before her, and a now sizable crowd was huddled around her, all keen to hear a good story. Looking around, Shion sighed a third time.

“How did I get roped in this? Well, if you want to hear a boring story of foolishness, be my guest. It all started… well, five years ago? I was a newcomer to Valahol then, and was still unfamiliar with the lay of the land…”

--Five years prior--

“So you don’t mind if I settle down here for a bit?” Shion asked to the crowd assembled before her in the town plaza. The mayor stepped forward and shook his head.

“Of course not,” Unalmas reassured her with a smile. “We’re still getting ourselves set up here, and can use any and all hands we can get. Just keep in mind you’ll be expected to work hard.”

“That’s not a problem,” Shion replied with a confident smile. “I hate being a burden anyway, so I’d want to help regardless…”

“In that case, welcome to Valahol.” the mayor smiled. He then added, as if an afterthought, “Oh, and I’d stay off the mountain if I were you. Some crazy hermit lives up there. Middle aged man with wild eyes. We aren’t quite sure where he came from - he was there when we first settled, and he won’t talk to us and will chase us off the mountain if we try.”

“A hermit…?” Shion asked, curious. Unalmas saw the look in her eyes and shook his head fiercely.

“No, no, no, don’t try, young lady. It’s not a good idea,” he insisted, as if reading her mind. “He looks really dangerous when he chases us waving his spear. Hasn’t killed anyone so far, but only because we outran him every time. I’d stay away if I were you.”

“I, uh… see. I’ll keep that in mind. Strange, though… why is he so hostile?” the Ureon asked, perplexed. Mayor Unalmas shrugged.

“How should we know? He doesn’t tell us anything,” he replied. He then gave her a glance, and sighed. “Look… do whatever you want. But if you go up that mountain, lady, you’re on your own. Can’t risk my citizens’ safety.”

“O-okay… I’ll keep that in mind,” Shion nodded. Bowing courteously, she walked off, slightly disappointed by the disapproval evident in the mayor’s voice. Have they really been trying to talk? she wondered as she stole a glance at the nearby mountain with curiosity. Seems like they just didn’t try hard enough to me… maybe with a different approach…

--Now--

“Why would you assume they didn’t try hard enough?” Adara asked with a raised eyebrow. Shion scratched her cheek, looking guilty.

“Ahahahaha… I hadn’t met the Hermit yet, and didn’t quite understand how much of an understatement ‘doesn’t tell us anything’ was,” she admitted. “It’d take meeting him in person, and under… unpleasant circumstances… to realize what kind of man he was.”

“So… what kind of man was he?” Adara insisted. Shion’s smile wavered slightly.

“...the dangerous kind.” she replied in a low tone. At that, Adara fell silent, and Shion took that as a sign that she could resume her narration.

--Five years prior--

“Are you seriously going to climb up that mountain?” the town’s baker, a black-haired, tall, middle-aged human woman with tanned skin from too much outdoor work named Hilde, asked her. Shion nodded as she tightened the knot on her food sack.

“I want to see for myself what kind of person this ‘hermit’ is,” she explained. “Besides, I’m pretty good with people. I think with a different approach, I might get him to talk.”

“Being a people person isn’t going to help you with a crazy person, Shion,” Hilde insisted, shaking her head. “This is a really bad idea, Shion, and it comes at a bad time. Not only do you want to climb that mountain, but there’s been some weirdos with hoods loitering around the village lately…”

“Wait… are you saying there are bandits here?” Shion asked, pausing with a startled expression. Hilde let out a short, humorless laugh.

“Bandits? No… banditry does not pay in this region,” she replied, shaking her head. At Shion’s confused look, she explained. “Villages in MIrovaea are young, and barely have enough to get by daily… even just one bandit attack would basically destroy any village’s livelihood and cause it to fall apart and disappear in short order. Then bandits would not have anything to target, and would die themselves. This kind of criminal life only works if the settlements one targets can recover… which most Mirovaean villages can’t. No, in this savage land, with settlements few, weak, far between and basically on their own, not to mention no trade routes to speak of yet, trying to be a bandit not only will get you instantly targeted by everyone at once, it’s just going to delay your own death. You gotta have your own source of food and water, or you’ll die, it’s as simple as that.”

“I see… so, uh, who are these people?” Shion asked, still confused. “If they aren’t bandits…”

“I hear Luminaire forces are present up north, in Laramies,” Hilde replied, her tone dropping lower as she whispered in a conspiratorial fashion. “They have never come this far south so far, owing to the terrain being very inhospitable, but one never knows…”

“Luminaire…? Here of all places? That… seems off,” the Ureon commented, dubious. Hilde shrugged.

“That’s what I heard, at any rate,” she concluded. “They are unlikely to attack us, but you are a different story. A lone mamonme on the road? Can’t imagine you’d be left alone.”

“Yes, but if that’s the case why didn’t they bother me when I went down to the river? It’s not exactly close, either,” Shion pointed out. Hilde paused, blinking.

“Uh… you know, I hadn’t thought of that,” she admitted. “The river is far enough they could attack you with impunity. Maybe it’s not Luminaire forces, after all?”

“I think you’re just reading too much into it, Hilde,” Shion smiled, shaking her head as she finished packing and quickly stored her supplies in her traveling shell. Turning around, she patted the taller woman on the shoulder. “I’ll be fine, you’ll see.”

“With that, she collected her last belongings - a water canteen and a walking stick - and set out earnestly, heading for the forbidden mountain - Dragonskull Peak.

--Now--

“She was right, wasn’t she?” Adara asked, her expression clearly showing she already knew what the answer would be. “It was Luminaire forces, wasn’t it?”

“...Yeah. Scouting parties, mostly, but the ones she’d seen recently? That was a small warband,” Shion nodded slowly. “They were lying in ambush waiting for mamonme - me, I suppose, since I was the only one who lived on a permanent basis in Valahol.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” an older Ureon with auburn hair and a very dark-brown shell commented, looking alarmed. “There’s Luminaire this far south? Then this place is dangerous?”

“It was back then. After the events on the Peak, though, they have showed neither hair nor hide of themselves since,” Shion replied with a reassuring smile. The older Ureon blinked.

“Wait… they left? Just like that?” she muttered, looking incredulous. Shion’s smile turned wry.

“You’d have fled for your life too, if you’d been targeted by the Hermit,” she replied matter-of-factly. The Ureon fell silent at that, and Adara gave Shion a curious look.

“This has to do with your meeting, right? Go on,” she encouraged her. “This sounds like it’s going to get interesting soon.”

“Well, if by ‘interesting’ you mean ‘it made me petrified with fear’, then sure…” was Shion’s response as she continued her tale.

--Five years prior--

“Did I lose them…?” Shion anxiously murmured to herself, pausing to wipe sweat from her brow. As it turned out, Hilde’s fears were legitimate, and the ‘creeps’ loitering outside the village had, in fact, turned out to be a Luminaire ambush party. They had trailed her up the mountain, and she was only alerted to their presence when one of them tried to sneak attack her - only to walk right into a trap that caused a massive pile of logs to break free and roll down into the valley she’d just crossed. The pained shouts and screams of alarm behind her told her that whoever it was that had tried to kill her with a hail of arrows and tripped the trap had definitely gotten hurt badly, and she shivered involuntarily at the thought of what would have happened had she been the one to set the trap off.

Those logs had been huge.

Following that, and her realization she’d been targeted by Luminaire soldiers, she’d immediately abandoned the beaten path and taken refuge in the forest, doing her best to conceal her passage. Apparently, the trap had slowed her pursuers down far more than she’d thought, because no sounds of pursuit came from behind her. Even so, she held no illusions as to whether the Luminaire force abandoned pursuit of her. If nothing else, they were persistent.

She paused a little longer to listen to the noises of the woods, and noticed the animals had gone quiet. That was not a good sign. Then she heard what seemed to be a crow cawing in the distance, and her anxiety returned.

There were no crows in that region.

Deciding she’d been still long enough, she prepared to move once more, and turned towards the mountaintop, intending to see if maybe she could find shelter with the mysterious Hermit.

An enormous hand shot out as soon as she turned, clamping on her mouth with unnatural strength. Shion’s heart skipped a beat, and she fearfully looked up, expecting to see the grim smile of a Luminaire soldier.

What met her was the bearded, unkempt face of a huge man with wild, emerald green eyes and bright red hair. The man looked like he barely took care of his appearance, and even with the ragged clothes hanging loosely off his body, she could tell he had a massive frame: he was easily over seven feet tall and the arm whose hand was keeping her mouth sealed was as thick as some small trees down in the village. His left hand was busy holding her mouth closed so she couldn’t scream, but in his off hand was a huge double-edged battleaxe - the kind she’d seen Luminaire soldiers use, she realized, only rusted over and almost without an edge anymore - and he appeared to have no trouble lazily holding it up with just one arm.

She had no doubt if he’d wanted to, he could have torn her face off with little effort even just with the hand he was holding her with: though they weren’t digging in her flesh, the fingers around her mouth were like steel. The thought made her relax slightly: chances were if this huge Hermit - because it had to be the mysterious man of the mountain - wanted her dead, she’d have been dead already, seeing how he’d snuck up to her undetected in spite of his size and enormous weapon.

“You… not with them, are you?” the man spoke up in a rough, deep rumbling tone that almost felt like it reverberated from his chest, startling her. She’d been told he never spoke to anyone, yet here he was, talking to her - though it felt more like a growl than speech. The man continued, apparently uninterested in an answer - not that she could have answered with his huge hand still over his mouth. “No, ‘course not. After all, it’s Luminaire. Them worthless dregs hate monsters, after all. Never’d work with ya.” Shion blinked again at that. It had been a very long time since humans referred to mamonme as ‘monsters’ in general discussion, and only Luminaire soldiers really still did it, mostly out of spite. This man didn’t seem to use the term in a spiteful fashion, though - more as a matter of fact.

Her thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly let go of her and she stumbled backwards a bit: he’d actually lifted her, shell and all, a few inches off the ground with his hand, and she hadn’t noticed in her panic. Hesitantly, she looked up and met an impassionate stare from the mysterious man.

“Get lost. You’re in the way,” he growled, losing interest in her as he turned towards the direction she’d come from. His eyes narrowed as he began counting under his breath. “Two, three… five… eight. All greenhorns by the looks of it. Pah! This what passes for a war party these days?” Looking around, his eyes fell on Shion, and narrowed in annoyance. “Don’t care what ya do, but get in my way and I’ll kill ya. Want to live, stay outta this.”

“Uh…” she managed to croak out, finding her voice again. As the man turned to leave, headed towards the Luminaire soldiers whose voices she could now hear approaching their position, she managed one quick question. “Are… are you the Hermit of Dragonskull Peak?”

“You one of them village fools from down below? Figures,” he muttered in annoyance at the question, not turning back. “Shoulda stayed off this mountain. Then again, I wouldn’t have any Luminaire to kill if ya did. You got uses. Now shut up an’ stay outta my way.”

With those words, he stalked off growling slightly with a sinister light in his eyes. Behind him, Shion stood unable to move, paralyzed with shock and fear.

There was a light in the man’s eyes she’d only seen in wild beasts before. And he was on the hunt.

--Now--

“Um, wow… that sounds scary,” Adara commented in a low voice, somewhat subdued. Shion chuckled in spite of herself.

“Scary? For a moment I thought I was in the presence of the Demon Lord herself,” she replied, shaking her head. She sighed deeply, then looked up with a somber expression. “I’m not exaggerating. That man’s presence was oppressive. Him merely being there made me unable to move from fear alone.”

“Wow. That sounds… just wow,” another relatively young Ureon commented, wide-eyed. “So, uh, what happened them? Did they fight?”

“Fight? No. That was more an onesided slaughter,” Shion replied, her smile vanishing briefly. “I won’t recount it here, because it is not something that makes for a good campfire tale, unless one wants to have nightmares, but… suffice it to say not one of those Luminaire soldiers survived. And, even heavily armed as they were, they didn’t stand a chance.” She sighed again. “I’m pretty sure their armors are still up there rusting, and the less said of their bones…”

A brief silence fell on the assembled crowd, the atmosphere darkening slightly. Then Adara spoke up, trying to lighten the mood.

“Well, you’re still with us, right? So he must not have been all that bad like the locals thought!” she exclaimed with somewhat forced cheerfulness. “Did you work your womanly charms on him? Or did he turn out to be a big teddy bear after all?”

“Neither of those,” Shion replied with a chuckle, amused by Adara’s grandiose attempt to defuse the mood. “He came back afterwards…”

--Five years prior--

Shion held her breath, waiting for something, anything to happen. The sounds of battle had died down long before - and hadn’t lasted long to begin with, lasting all of forty or so seconds if she had to make an estimate. She began to look around for someplace to hide, fearing she’d be assaulted by the Luminaire soldiers left. Surely, eight on one against trained knights, even that wild Hermit could not win?

“Don’t bother. They’re dead,” a familiar growling voice spoke up from behind her, causing her to yelp in fright and partially retract in her shell. Glancing backwards, she saw the huge man, and her breath caught in her throat: he was coated in blood, and nonchalantly held a rope to which a few broken, twisted weapons were attached. Noticing her horrified stare at his state, he shrugged, unconcerned. “All theirs. Not mine,” he stated dismissively, and after a moment Shion realized he was talking about the blood coating him. She almost fainted at that. Eight on one, against trained Luminaire troops, and he killed them all in less than a minute? she thought, beginning to wonder if the man before her wasn’t some kind of demon in disguise.

“I’m strong. They were weak. They died. Simple,” he added, as if reading her mind, and she realized her thoughts must’ve showed on her face. Unsure what to say, she glanced at the weapons he was dragging behind him, and realized that his intervention likely saved her life: those looked like armaments of elite troops, and she’d probably have been killed had eight of them attacked all at once. Timidly, she looked up at the giant man.

“Uh… thank you?” she managed to whisper out. The man’s eyes narrowed.

“Didn’t do it for ya. I hate Luminaire, ‘s all,” he specified in a rather hostile tone. “Had you been by yerself, I’d have kicked you off th’ mountain and be done wit’ it. But ya brought ‘em to me. Convenient. Good for me and you. Now get out.”

“Um… why are you so mad? I didn’t do anything to you…” Shion asked, confused by the abrupt hostility. A flash of annoyance passed over the Hermit’s face.

“Yer here. Bothers me. Wanna be left alone,” was his growled reply. His expression then shifted to a pondering one. “Ya got me fresh kills though. Guess I owe ya for this. Poke around th’ hill if ya like. Never know when more Luminaire dregs’ll stalk ya. But stay off my back. And no gropin’ around the ravine to the west.”

Having spoken those words with an air of finality, the large man turned around and began stomping up the hill, having lost interest in her existence. As he headed into the woods up ahead, she finally broke free of her intimidation-induced paralysis enough to call out after him one last time.

“Wait! I don’t even know your name!” she shouted at his back, torn between curiosity and wariness. The man didn’t even bother to turn to answer.

“None of yer business. Make like the wind an’ get yer ass back ta yer village,” he brusquely replied. “There be wild beasts on this Peak, an’ I ain’t gonna bother savin’ ya from bein’ lunch!”

And then he was gone, vanished into the woods ahead. Shion stood there dumbfounded for several more minutes, torn between being outraged at the Hermit’s extreme rudeness, relieved that he didn’t kill her like he did the Luminaire soldiers, and grateful he’d saved her life. Then, a howl was heard in the distance, and she remembered the man’s words and belatedly noted that she’d lost track of time in the panic of being chased: it was almost sunset. Turning around, she looked about to make sure she hadn’t dropped anything - though she’d lost her walking stick when she’d made a break for it, she still had everything else she’d packed before leaving - and then hurried back down, hoping she’d make it back to the village before night fell - and hungry beasts replaced hateful humans as the danger lurking about.

--Now--

“Wow, rude!” An older Ureon commented with a click of the tongue. “Just dumping a damsel in distress there to be eaten by wolves?”

“Well, in fairness, I wasn’t precisely in any danger. I could hide in my shell and be safe from night beasts,” Shion amended, shaking her head slightly. “Although, spending a night outside would have been very… damp and cold, to say the least. And there are bugs. And the village would’ve gone in a panic and thought me dead or worse at the Hermit’s hands.”

“Speaking of which, you must have looked disheveled when you made it back,” Adara spoke up, curious. “Did they assume he roughed you up?”

“At first, yes, but then I explained what happened, and urged them to tighten security around town,” Shion explained with a nod. “Though, if the Luminaire had launched a serious attack on Valahol, our defenses would’ve broken down in an afternoon.” She then shook her head. “But I think they caught wind of the Hermit, and tried to pick the wrong fight. Thrice after that did we spy soldiers creep up the mountain. Not once did they come back down. Then a fourth party, larger than before, rode up the mountain in broad daylight.”

“And…? Did he survive?” Adara asked, curious and somewhat anxious, as if awaiting the end of a fairy tale. Shion looked up.

“...He did. There were explosions. A lone rider was seen galloping away heavily wounded, as if the Demon Lord herself was chasing him in fury,” she said, a measure of satisfaction seeping in her voice as she recalled the Luminaire’s disastrous attempts to slay the Hermit. “After that, no more hooded men showed up nearby. I have no idea what they reported, but I suspect they made it sound like some manner of especially heinous fiend lived down south, because we have seen neither hair nor hide of Luminaire soldiers since.”

A few hoots and shouts of approval met that declaration, the assembled Ureon and humans clearly pleased that someone’d stood his ground against the Luminaire and won - alone, to boot. When the commotion died down, Adara looked at Shion with a knowing expression.

“So? I assume you didn’t remain indifferent to being rescued,” she went straight to the point. “Did you see him again after that? Maybe he’s the reason you remained here for good, hmm?”

Shion gave a small smile at that. She’d figured Adara of all people would connect the dots first.

“Yeah, I saw him again,” she told her. “Several times, in fact…”

--Four years prior--

“The hell ya doin’ here? I see no soldiers tailin’ you. Get lost.”

Shion sighed as she set down the supplies the villagers gave her for delivery, rolling her eyes at the usual growled warning. This had become a common occurrence, since that day one year prior when the Luminaire’s troops had stopped coming around. Back then, by common agreement, the village had decided to send supplies to the Hermit as a sign of appreciation for driving an unwanted presence from the region. At first, however, the wild man hadn’t been pleased at all, refusing the supplies and even tossing some down a ravine in irritation. It wasn’t until Shion suggested looking at the items not as gifts, but rather loot, that he begrudgingly started dragging some of it off. He was, however, still irritated by her presence whenever she showed up, complaining that she was only barging in to annoy him and he had no incentive to keep her around.

Even so, he didn’t keep her from traveling up the mountain - and given how effective she’d seen him be at keeping intruders out, she had no doubt if he’d actually wanted her off the Peak, she wouldn’t have been able to take a single step up without something truly unpleasant happening to her. Shion hoped that meant she could still connect with him somehow, though her lack of progress in that sense was depressing - she’d never met someone as obviously loathe to even so much as make small talk as him.

“If you really didn’t want me here, I wouldn’t be here,” she voiced her thoughts to the Hermit. “I’m not so much of a fool to think I’d take one step up this mountain without your permission.”

“Whatever. Ya made yer delivery. Now go away,” he muttered, ignoring her as he sifted through the new supply drop. Shion sighed again.

“I just want to understand you. Is it really necessary to be so hostile?” she said, not for the first time. The Hermit blatantly ignored that remark, as well, collecting a few items and discarding the rest. The Ureon frowned. He always picked the same objects - nails, scraps of metal, arrows and multipurpose tools, and ignored food and drinks, with the occasional exception of high.grade alcohol, which she suspected he used as fuel rather than drink.

As the man got up and turned to leave, she once more addressed him, repeating the one question she unfailingly asked every visit. “Won’t you tell me your name, now? I told you mine, after all.”

The Hermit didn’t respond and stalked off, grunting in annoyance. Shion sighed and watched him disappear in the woods, shaking her head. It appeared as if she couldn’t get through him at all.

Approaching the discarded supplies, she quickly rounded up what the Hermit had left, resolving to tell the village to stop sending those objects, since he never accepted them. As she did, she noticed that, for the first time, something besides the common objects he always took was missing: a book on wild herbs and their properties. She blinked: this hadn’t been the first time she’d brought that particular book with her, but it was the first he’d taken it. She wondered, with some worry, if he was sick or otherwise in need of medicine.

“You, I don’t hate as much. I’m Jedo.”

Shion nearly jumped out of her shell at that sudden statement, growled from a distance in the direction the Hermit had vanished. Turning around, she opened her mouth to ask a question, then closed it and began to think, excited at the prospect of having finally found out the wild man’s name. It had taken one year, but she finally felt she’d made some tiny progress.

Humming an upbeat tune, she cleaned up the remaining supplies, and began the trek down the mountain. She was in a good mood.

--Now--

“Jedo…? Isn’t that a common name in Luminaire territory?” Adara asked, curious. Shion nodded, not smiling anymore.

“It is. I found that out later - Jedo was once with the Luminaire,” she nodded. A deep frown appeared on her face, as if recalling something especially unpleasant. “In hindsight, maybe I would have been better off not knowing. But it did explain his personal vendetta against them.” Shion sighed deeply. “I will be honest. Jedo really is a hateful person. He’s not misunderstood or introverted. He just hates everyone. It just so happens, as he said, that he hated me less than others, and hated the Luminaire a lot more than anyone else.”

“I don’t get it. If he’s so hostile, why waste time on him?” a young Ureon asked Shion, puzzled. “It’s obvious you liked him, but he made his dislike of everyone clear, right?”

“I never did know when to quit,” was Shion’s reply as she gave a small smile. The smile then vanished, replaced by a frown. “And that’s also what caused me to stop seeing him, all things said. I really should have known better.”

“What did you do, anyway?” the Ureon asked. Shion gave her a somber look.

“Went somewhere I shouldn’t have,” was her reply.

--Four years prior--

“I wonder if I could find some clues here…” Shion murmured as she struggled to make her way through the unstable terrain of the western ravine. “I know he told me to stay away from here, but I think I may find some clues if I look around…”

As she slowly moved through the rocks, she kept an eye out for any unusual sights. Even so, she almost missed the small crack in the ravine’s side, and it was only a brief sighting at the corner of her vision that caught her attention. Drawing closer, she realized it was some kind of small cave, and it looked man-made rather than natural.

She cautiously scanned for traps before going any further. She’d seen how effective Jedo’s trap-making skills were, and had no wish whatsoever to experience them on her hide. Her shell was tough, but had its limits, and the Hermit’s traps were way past them. She’d narrowly avoided two such traps on the way to this cave, in fact.

After a few minutes of careful scanning, she concluded there were no traps about, and carefully made her way inside after lighting a torch to brighten the way. Barely a few steps in, she almost stumbled into an alcove, and caught a gleam of metal coming out of it. She took a closer look, and almost immediately recoiled, sharply inhaling in shock at the sight before her.

It was a rusted-over heavy Luminaire armor, of the type worn by Grand Knights, some of the elites in the order. It looked fairly battered and damaged - and appeared to bear signs of Luminaire weapons itself. Shion recalled the first time she’d met Jedo: he’d been dragging around a heavy axe of the type Luminaire knights used. Then, this armor used to be his…?, she wondered, noticing that the size and shape of the armor seemed to match the huge Hermit’s own considerable frame. She felt confused at the discovery, and pressed on, convinced that whatever secret he had was likely within the cave.

Eventually, the cave path widened into a small room. There, two stone mounds rested, surrounded by unlit braziers. Even without fires on, though, a peculiar strong smell permeated the room, and Shion recognized it as some kind of incense. She paused, a very bad feeling washing over her. Don’t tell me this is… a grave?, she thought, an ominous sensation intensifying by the minute.

Later on, she concluded that she should probably have left then and there, and no incident would have happened. However, curiosity got the best of her, and she approached the mounds, inspecting them for more clues. Eventually, she found one, in the form of a small stone tablet on the larger mound, engraved with nothing but what appeared to be a name - ‘Aluru’. A similar tablet was on the smaller mound, but it was covered in soot and she couldn’t make out the engravings, and was hesitant to touch anything. As she looked around more, she spotted what appeared to be a small locket on the larger mound, containing what appeared to be a clump of hair.

Before she could do anything else, however, there was a rustling behind her, and then a familiar growling voice spoke up - this time, however, with a lot more hostility than before.

“You. Out. Now.”

Shion froze, then slowly turned around, a guilty expression on her face. She hadn’t quite considered what to do if caught, but understood that she was somewhere Jedo didn’t want her to be, and facing him, could see visible anger on his face as opposed to the usual annoyance typical of him. She opened her mouth to speak, but the huge man merely pointed at the cave’s exit and repeated: “Out. Now.”

Sensing it was not wise to argue, Shion acquiesced, meekly sliding out past the Hermit’s massive frame. She winced as she glided past him, his hostility being almost palpable as she did so. As she quickly left the cave, a warning came from behind, causing her heart to sink.

“Never come back again.”

Shion barely kept from crying for the rest of the trek down the mountain.

--Now--

“...Um… that was not smart,” Adara pointed out awkwardly in the somber mood that followed the blonde Ureon’s words. Shion nodded.

“Indeed. It was terribly stupid, and it made him incredibly angry. I ruined whatever progress I made because of curiosity,” she admitted, sounding depressed. She shook her head. “I never went up the mountain again after that. Some villagers told me huge roadblocks were erected on the way up where I typically traveled, and the message was quite clear. So… I never returned.”

“But you are still here,” Adara pointed out. Shion nodded.

“Aside from everything, this is my home now. I have no plans to leave,” she replied firmly. She then stretched, and looked at the dimming bonfire. “Well! That took longer than I thought. It’s very late. Shall we all go to sleep? I’d rather not dredge up the past any more, if possible…”

“Sorry about that,” one of the Ureon apologized sheepishly. “We had no idea it was such a painful story.”

“It’s fine. If anything, telling it made me feel better,” Shion reassured her relatives with a smile. “But there really is nothing else to say. It’s been like this since then. Now then, let’s all go to sleep, shall we?”

With those words, she turned around and left the circle around the fire, heading towards her own home. The rest of the assembled Aswati clan watched her leave, unsure what to say or do, until a coughing noise caused them to look towards the bonfire, where mayor Unalmas had been sitting, forgotten. The assembled Ureon and their husbands watched as the old man slowly picked himself up and dusted himself, then tapped his cane on the floor, humming.

“Hell of a story, wasn’t it?” he commented, looking at the people around him with squinting eyes. “Young Shion’s been through more than some older folks here. Though there’s more to her story than even she knows. I did some digging after that mess, and found out some interesting tidbits. For instance…” he murmured, looking up at Dragonskull Peak. “That name she mentioned? Aluru? It was the name of a high ranking noblewoman married to a Luminaire champion… and his name, as you no doubt imagined, was Jedo. Tough fellow, too - supposed to be one of the strongest fighters in the whole order.”

The old man sighed. “Thing is, Jedo didn’t really care about the Luminaire’s cause: he just wanted to beat stuff to pieces. He kinda hated everyone and everything even back then, and mamonme were no exception. He just joined the side that’d give him the most fighting.” He turned his gaze back on the onlookers. “That is, ‘til he found a woman he didn’t hate after all. He and Lady Aluru married shortly after they met, and Jedo became more and more rarely involved in Luminaire matters. When they fled to Laramies, he went with them, but wasn’t interested in fighting anymore, as he’d recently had a child.” The old man shook his head. “His ‘colleagues’ didn’t take that well.”

“Don’t tell me....” Adara murmured in shock. The mayor nodded.

“Aye, they turned on him and branded him traitor,” he confirmed, looking grim. “Even then, Jedo was Jedo. He took his family and fled south, and being who he was not a whole lot could be done to stop him. But before he could cross into Mirovaea, his wife and child were mortally wounded by an archer ambush, and he was forced to flee and leave their corpses behind.” He turned towards the Peak again. “Not before almost closing off the northern passage, though. He made a stand in it, killed more than half his pursuers, and set off an explosive charge that brought the whole northern pass down on the heads of the survivors. Took years before the Luminaire recovered from that and showed their noses in Mirovaea.”

“Um… wow. This turned really dark really fast,” a middle-aged human man commented, scratching his stubble-covered chin. “But this guy sounds real tough.”

“Word has it no mamonme could defeat him one on one, and I believe it,” Unalmas confirmed, stroking his own long beard. “And he did drive the Luminaire off again five years ago… well, for a time,” he added almost as an afterthought. “Who knows when they’ll strike. At any rate, don’t mind an old man’s ramblings. Young Shion is right, it is late. You should all go to your assigned home and securely rest in them. Keep the doors closed - lack of bandits or not, it is not safe at night.”

With that, the elderly mayor left for his home. Soon enough, the rest of the assembled party-goers also scattered, each returning to the safety of their abode, and before midnight struck, all in Valahol were fast asleep.

All, that is, except for the mayor, who patiently sat on his balcony, waiting for something. And that something came, in the form of a black crow landing near him, bearing a message. Quickly, he unfurled the parchment tied to the animal’s leg and read it. Then he crumpled it, a grim look on his face, and quickly left his house, heading for the barracks to ensure his men were ready.

Forgotten on the floor of his balcony, the piece of paper briefly unfurled, and on it, written in rough calligraphy, these words could be read.

“Not travelers. Luminaire scouts. Attack tonight. Prepare.”

----

Shion awoke to shouts and the sound of clashing weapons. Startled, she looked around in confusion, trying to shake herself awake in case she was still dreaming. When it became clear the sounds were no dream, she froze, dread washing over her. The village is under attack?! Why?! What’s going on?!, she frantically thought, before a flash of worry bolted across her mind. Adara! I have to find her and make sure she’s safe!

Quickly collecting a few bandages in case of need, as well as a heavy wooden stick for defense, feeble as it was, she left the house and headed for the east side of town, to the location she knew Adara was housed in. Fortunately, the sound of fighting seemed to come mostly from the north and west, where the town gates were, but she could see guards running in the streets, and once more wondered who was attacking them. A sneaking suspicion wormed in her mind as she recalled the cloaked figures she’d seen loitering about the past few days when her family had come in for the reunion, but she discarded it, focusing on the matter at hand.

She found Adara quickly and easily enough: her cousin was in the street in front of her house, frantically looking left and right and trying to make sense of what was happening. Shion wasted no time closing in, and pulled her by her arm into a side road. Adara gave her an alarmed look.

“Shion, what’s happening? There’s a lot of noise and fighting going on over there--” she began to ask, but Shion cut her off with a wave of her hand.

“Town’s under attack. We have to go to the Hall - it’s the only fortified building in town, and it’s also made of stone, so not easily set on fire. We’ll be safer there,” she urged her. Turning around, she grimaced as she noticed the sounds of fighting had strayed near the Town Hall. Approaching might be dangerous now, but it was much riskier to remain out in the open or in the wooden houses around. “Come on. Stay close and stick to the shadows.”

The two Ureon began to creep around the unlit streets, avoiding the exposed roads and trying to not draw attention. As they drew closer to the town hall, they began to see actual fighting, and Shion’s blood ran cold in her veins when she recognized the assailants’ garb.

“Luminaire forces! So I was right…” she whispered in alarm. “They must have caught wind of our reunion and decided to attack…”

“Shion, watch out!” Adara shouted, suddenly pulling at her cousin’s arm. Shion was dragged to her side and lost balance - just in time for a sword to cut the air where her head had been moments before. Straightening up, she found herself face to face with a Luminaire soldier in full armor, only his eyes visible through the holes in his helmet as he advanced, sword raised in a menacing fashion. Shion backed away and raised her wooden stick for protection. The man was too close to retract into her shell safely, so all she could do was try and fight him off.

Before either side could do anything, however, a heavy whooshing sound was heard and something large impacted the Luminaire soldier’s side. A tremendous crunching sound echoed in the air, drowning out a strangled cry as the armor the soldier was wearing shattered under the impact, and his body was violently flung away and into a far wall by the force of the sudden blow, crashing into the wood with an even louder crunch. The man ragdolled to the ground, and Shion felt the morbid certainty he’d been dead before even hitting the side of the house.

Slowly turning around, Shion saw a huge figure loom before her, wearing rusted-over armor, and her heart skipped a beat. She’d seen that exact same armor before, and there was no way she couldn’t recognize the axe in the figure’s hand. Looking up, she met Jedo’s dispassionate stare, and he simply jerked his head towards the town hall.

“Go. Stay outta the way. Can’t guarantee anythin’ if ya poke yer nose out;” he growled in the rumbling voice she still remembered so well after four years. After a brief moment, she nodded, and quickly took Adara’s hand, hurriedly pulling her along as she moved towards the Town Hall as quickly as possible. Upon exiting into the plaza, several Luminaire soldiers saw them and shouted, alerting each other, but no sooner did they try to approach that Jedo’s massive frame got between them and the two Ureon. A short and brutal scuffle later, half a dozen Luminaire lay dead, with Jedo not bearing a scratch for it. Once more, the huge Hermit glanced at Shion and jerked his head towards the Town Hall, which was now at hand.

“Get in. Don’t be so bleedin’ slow,” he barked at her in irritation. “Can’t fight with ya in my hair.”

Shion nodded and moved towards the Hall, but then stopped and turned around, glancing at Jedo, who was watching her retreat. She smiled.

“You saved me again. Thank you,” she told him. An irritated snort was the only answer she got, and she shook her head with a chuckle as she headed up in the Hall. He hadn’t changed, after all.

The Hall’s doors opened as she and Adara approached, and several familiar faces urged her to hurry inside. Shion let her cousin in first, and spared one last glance back, at Jedo’s unmoving form, which looked on unconcerned as several Luminaire soldiers approached, swords drawn. She felt some anxiety as she saw the number of enemies.

“Jedo!” she called out by his name for the first time. A brief glance told her she had his attention. “Don’t die! I won’t forgive you if you do!”

“Get yer ass out of the way, noisy woman!” was the barked reply as Jedo casually swiped at an approaching soldier and neatly took his sword arm off at the elbow. He then gave her a half-lidded glare. “...You, I don’t hate, though…”

Shion smiled again at those words, and quickly headed inside, the heavy doors closing behind her as she reached the Hall’s safety.

There was no need to be concerned about Jedo, after all. She doubted he’d lose to such trivial odds.

----

Dawn came sooner than expected, though the noises of fighting had died down long before that. Silence enveloped the village of Valahol, nothing moving in its streets, save for crows pecking at the dead. Then, the great Town Hall’s doors moved, and a head peeked out, cautiously looking around for signs of danger. Seeing none, Shion fully moved out, and her breath caught in her throat as she surveyed the destruction before her.

The entire town plaza had been torn apart. More than fifty armored corpse lay around, their armors shattered and more than a few limbs ripped apart. On a far corner, a few town guards could be seen huddled over, nursing heavy wounds. One or two appeared to not be moving at all, and Shion’s heart sank. We had losses, after all…, she mourned. She then began to anxiously look around, but could see no sign of the rusted armor or battleaxe she was looking for.

“Don’t bother,” a wheezing voice behind her told her. Turning around, she spotted mayor Unalmas leaning against a corner of the Hall, his face bloodied from a cut in his scalp, but otherwise looking unharmed. He gave her a knowing look.

“He’s not here anymore. Left as soon as he destroyed the attacking forces,” he informed her, leaving no doubt as to who he was talking about. “And oh, what a sight it was. I do wonder if he perhaps isn’t a God of War. Must have been sixty on one… still not enough to call it a fair fight.”

“How did he know about the attack?” Shion wondered, puzzled by his sudden appearance. Unalmas smiled.

“I told him,” he replied, chuckling. At Shion’s incredulous stare, he elaborated. “After that… incident… four years ago, for a time he didn’t show his face anywhere, and no one dared to go up the mountain. Then, one day while looking at the panorama from my balcony, I spotted him spying on town from afar. Thought it was just a coincidence, but then he did it again. And again. And again… so on a sunny day, I walked out to where he camped before he got there, and waited for him.” He smiled. “Quite an odd... talk... we had. For days I went there and he said nothing, ignoring me. We just… kind of sat together. Then, he asked me about you out of the blue.”

“He what…?” Shion asked, incredulous. Unalmas nodded, still smiling.

“Yeah. Thought maybe he’d been too harsh on you. He’d gotten used to having you around, I guess. ‘Her, I don’t hate, after all’, he said, and said you brought back good memories,” he confirmed. “He still didn’t quite want you anywhere near the mountain, though. It’s his place of silence. But he did keep an eye out. And when cloaked men started poking around, and I told him about it, he did some digging right away and uncovered them within the day. Big Luminaire attack in the works since your family reunion began. So he told me to get my boys ready, then came down himself… and rest’s history.” He sighed. “A few of the guards died, but no one else did, and it’s in large part because of him. When he showed up he just plowed through the Luminaire forces’ rear guard, and sent them in a total panic. Allowed us to hole up in the Hall before things got bad. The perimeter still fell, but didn’t matter in the end, as you can see.”

“He did all this…?” Adara, who’d approached them, asked in amazement, looking at the carnage. Unalmas chuckled.

“Lot more than this, little lady,” he replied. “About thirty more corpses outside, and I think he must’ve taken care of most of the enemy forces on his own. Must’ve been more than a hundred, and my boys only barely fought off twenty o’ them. Rest’s all his doing.” He looked up at the Peak. “Earned his rep as the strongest warrior, he did. But doubt he cares ‘bout bards singin’ his praises.”

“I see,” Shion murmured. She had mixed feelings on the situation. On one hand, he’d come to make sure she was all right, and he seemed to have forgiven her for her trespassing. On the other…

“Oh, almost forgot. Left a message for you, he did,” Unalmas added, almost as an afterthought. Shion gave him a confused look, and he returned a knowing smile. “Said to tell you, and I quote, ‘Keep yer nose outta the ravine. It’s the past, an’ not yer place to be. But don’t mind more supplies, an’ it’s borin’ without yer annoyin’ chatter.’ That’s what he said. Guess you’ll be going up the mountain again, eh?”

At that, Shion couldn’t help but break into a huge smile. Last night had been one of the worst in her life, and the village would take a while to recover from the sudden attack it suffered.

But, all things said, she felt the suffering had been worth it.

Looking up at the mountain, she reflexively made a mental checklist of the goods she’d have to prepare. Even after four years, she knew the list by heart.

And maybe, this time, she’d be able to understand him a little more…

----END… or a start?----

[Boomerang]

Timiddarkspy's entry

Spoiler: show

[A Heist of Love and Loss]

It was a late night, a man and woman walking towards a large wooden shack with the lights on. They enter the small room and find it full of people, and Mamonme

“Let's get this game rolling~!” One of the guys shouted, excited for the events to come.

“So this is gonna be a thing huh? I can't believe this is actually happening” a second man chuckled.

“What part of secret meeting did you not understand. Idiot I swear” a third man grunted as he entered the room joined by a Kaaiman closely beside him.

“For such an important meeting you sure showed up late” an Impundulu replied as she sat impatiently crossing her arms and tapping her shoulders.

“Fashionably late my darling, you should try it some time, maybe you'll actually attract something” a Kaaiman retaliated as she immediately clung to her as the Impundulu glared at her with evil intent and sharp teeth.

“Friendly shots fired” the fourth man commented.

“Come on~ let's do a heist already!” An Erumo cried out.

“Fine fine let's do a head count, everyone here?” The man who had just entered the room called out.

“Jack, present and accountable! Hope we actually win this one” the first male called out.

He was tall and lean with locks of golden brown cut short and brushed neatly with eyes of lime-green. How such a dashing young man got involved in this was beyond anyone else, yet he was most excited to be apart of this. His clothes were a clean, a creamy white turtleneck with black denim pants and dark brown dress shoes.

“This is a dirty job you know, hope you don't mind getting dirt on your pretty face...” the Erumo commented. She then turned to their possible leader waiting for her to introduce herself. “Come on, you guys know me right? Emmy here~” the Erumo sighed as she reclined in the air crossing her legs and laying back.

She was dressed in a pink tank-top cut to her midriff and showing off her cute bellybutton while her tight fitting purple short-shorts teased the group with her round butt and exposing her beautiful long legs. She also had on dark purple slippers Her dark purple hair was done straight and reached passed her shoulders with a silver hair-clip in the shape of a flame on her right side. Her magenta eyes were wide and joyous as she reveled every-second of every day waiting for just the right kind of mischief, and from what she gathered, this particular job had all kinds of mischief to be had.

“I am Callie as you all know, and frankly I think you're too lax to be of any use to us, but do as you wish, we'll see how far that lasts” the Impundulu warned.

She was dressed in a white leotard that faded into black around her tummy, her outfit much like Emmy's short-shorts was rather tight fitting yet she seems to have no problems with it. Around her waist and ankles she wore a belt and anklets of beads colored red, orange, and blue. Her hair was long, white, and full of volume, the front of her hair parted to the side covering her left eye. She continued to leer at the people she decided to join and mentally wonders why she even bothered to be part of this group.

Emmy blew Callie a raspberry in response.

“Damn~ girl you got burn~ed nice one Emmy! Zack here, and all fired up!” the second man joked giving Emmy a high five.

He was dressed more casually with a simple gray T-shirt with an insignia of his favorite band with a Lorelei lead singer. He had on several piercings, including one in his nose and bottom lip, his hair was spiky and black with eyes of dark brown He had on black saggy denim pants with holes on his knees and one on his calve. He also had on black boots. He acted as if he lived off adrenaline alone, always the dare-devil even in child-hood he had a taste for the more dangerous and crazy.

“Chill out Callie, no need to get your feathers all ruffled, so hey I'm Cody, but you already knew that” a man with quite the ego declared.

His hair was slick with hair-spray and combed neatly back. He also wore sunglasses over his eyes and a smirk on his face. He wore a suit jacket with a dark pink long-sleeve button shirt, and dark gray dress pants and dress shoes.

“And this the team I have to work with...well whatever, miracles have happened before. Norman right here” the leader sighed and introduced himself

He was dressed in a long sleeve blue, and black long sleeve flannel shirt with navy-blue denim pants with black and white sneakers.

“You guys are going to love this, trust me or my name's not Helen” the Kaaiman assured.

Her skin was slick, and slippery with a clear sheen and silky smooth, her hair quite possibly the most luxurious and well kept, and colored a very dark green, almost black depending on how the light hit it. She was also the smallest of the group, fairly skinny with little curves to be seen, and her tiny bust was covered by two lengthy locks of her own hair tied together via a blue bow. On her neck and elbows were tiny pearls tied on a small, bronze loop to keep them on her body. Her smile was confident, and knowing, her eyes looked upon the group with confidence that nothing can go wrong.

“We've been friends for practically years, can you guys be friends just a little while longer? We could really use the teamwork here” Norman said

“Best Alliance of Real Friends!” Zack called out.

“...You do know the acronym to that is 'barf' right?” Callie stated.

“I thought it was an abbreviation” Emmy commented.

“If everyone can just sit down and look at the large map on the table so we can begin?” Norman said

“I was wondering when you were going to address that” Jack said.

The map was crudely drawn, and only displayed a tiny fraction of the land.

“Ah~ good old Gazpecht, even on a map ya look beautiful” Zack showed his hometown pride with a fake accent

“So our target is right here. The cash will only be out of the vault and in the open for a short time so we go in, get out, we become filthy rich. Simple enough right?” Norman explained.

“Too simple, we'll be caught before we enter the front doors, I hope there's more to this” Callie said.

“Looks like we'll need all the money we can get if this is the best map we've got” Cody figured.

“Hey! I worked real hard flying all over the place and drawing the map!” Emmy sounded offended.

“You mean we couldn't even afford a map!?” Jack cried out.

“Pfft~haha~ oh man we suck! We suck so hard!” Zack laughed.

“Speak for yourself ya punk” Cody stated.

“So then who's shack are we in? Clearly not ours considering our budget” Callie said.

“This is our shack! And we're not that poor!” Helen argued.

“And of course I had more planned, the easiest part is getting there. Alright next part is gonna rely on two of us to provide support watching the front of the building while we stuff our sacks, Zack, Jack you're our support, think you can handle that?” Norman asked.

“Oh we're gonna paint them red tonight!” Zack assured.

“Just leave it to us” Jack sounded more mature.

“You'll be carrying a small burlap sack we'll be keeping before the heist, this will act as a decoy making them think you have the cash while we sneak in with the real cyrunes through the backdoor.

“Oh~ sneaky” Emmy complimented.

“A sound tactic, it could work” Callie agreed.

“Alright, after we make our getaway through here you two are gonna head to the opposite side here where we have Kelly waiting to hide you guys, but make sure you lose the heat before that okay?” Norman said pointing at two specific locations.

“The Ureonggaksi? You sure about her, she doesn't seem to be the type to be involved in something like this” Jack said.

“Don't worry, she said she's cool with it, anything for an old friend right?” Norman said glancing at Zack.

“Yup, I can vouch for her, she's cool. We've been traveling buddies when we were following our band on their tour across Karpathia” Zack stated.

“Oh? Methinks you two have something more going on besides sharing a favorite band” Cody was suspicious.

“Oh~ traveling together like that. We should go on vacation way out of here sometime, what do you say?” Helen asked clinging herself closer to Norman.

“After this, we'll think of something, promise” Norman assured.

“*Ahem* if I can interrupt, where will we be heading after we split?” Callie asked.

“We'll we'll have to stick to the ground from here on out. Sorry Emmy you're running this one” Norman declared.

“Boo~! That sounds lame, why can't me and Callie just fly away with all the Cyrunes?” Emmy asked.

“Because you'll stick out like a soar thumb, I'm sure they'll have something to shoot you down” Norman pointed out.

“We're heading for the woods just a half mile from here, the tree's are thick enough for us to cover behind, but not so much that our huge sack will be a burden” Helen explained further.

“Right, but make sure you take detours, and turns through the alleyways, we've already memorized the layout so there shouldn't be any issues with getting lost, or trapped.

“Fine~ no flying, but I won't like it!” Emmy pouted.

“Anyone ever tell you how cute you look when you're angry?” Cody flirted.

“Aw~ stop that, geez~ now I'm like totally embarrassed” Emmy blushed.

“Once we give them the slip, we're gonna find a safe spot to hide and split the cash. Normally it's not a good idea to split up, but that's were Helen here comes in” Norman said turning to his girlfriend.

“I'll create an illusion of all of us after we split the cash and the heat will be so confused they won't know which of us is the real one” Helen said.

“At that point you can fly, run, swim, whatever it takes, we split the money and go our separate ways and come back rich” Norman said.

“Dibs on driving” Cody said.

“Fair enough, any questions?” Norman asked.

“Yeah, can I play!?” Another girl cheered.

They turned to the front door and saw a Polimana with vibrant wings of yellow and long wavy blonde hair kept for the most part alone. She wore a simple strapless dress of a light yellow, and she had on several necklaces of varying shapes and sizes, and several anklets.

“Uh~ that's okay, we got a full team already” Norman said as he noticed several of his crew were shaking his head.

“Oh come on~ I had so much fun last time, I want to play with you guys again!” The Polimana whined.

“Don't be so quick to follow suit, I think it's best you sit this one out Marybell” Callie said.

“Why?” Marybell asked.

“Well, it's just that...you see~” Jack tried to answer.

“You're a klutz!” Cody revealed.

“Whaa~ I am not!” Marybell cried out.

She turned to her other friends for support, but their awkward glances and the fact that they couldn't bring themselves to look her in the eye only solidified Cody's point.

“Y-you guys are being mean~” Marybell was getting teary-eyed.

“We're just looking out for you Marybell, you're too good to us as it is” Jack said.

“So why can't I be of any help now?” Marybell asked.

“Well our last try didn't...end so well” Norman said.

“You dropped our winning sack onto the river and we lost it all. All that work for nothing!” Cody said.

“It's not my fault! I didn't know the bag was going to be extra heavy!” Marybell said.

“We just feel it's better you sit this one out, no hard feelings” Norman said.

“Yeah, hey! Still up for hitting that bar with us after all is said and done?” Zack asked.

“No thanks! I suddenly have plans now! *Humph!*” Marybell pouted before leaving the room.

“Dodged a bullet there, don't feel too bad about it” Cody said.

“Well, it wouldn't have been so bad to just have her keep watch or something?” Jack said.

“No way, she'll screw that up too somehow. So when's the job?” Cody asked relaxing in his own way by reclining on his chair and putting his feet on the table.

“Tomorrow morning, sharp. Everyone bring your own gear, you've done this before so I shouldn't tell you what you'll need to bring, but let's all please remember to bring our MARE devices this time, I'd like to keep tabs on where my teammates are, and their status” Norman said.

The group nodded knowingly.

“Good, we'll be waiting at our usual hangout and everything should be ready for us till then, right Helen?” Norman asked.

“It's gonna be my best work!” Helen assured.

“Well this ought to be promising, okay we'll see you there” Jack said leaving the room.

“Hey wait! Hold up, you're my ride!” Zack called out.

“If that's all then I shall return to my nest, rest easy” Callie excused herself.

“I'm gonna go too, gotta recharge and all that, see you all later~” Emmy waved goodbye leaving the last two couples alone.

“Well let's pack all this up, and go to bed ourselves” Norman said.

“I can't believe you scheduled this tomorrow of all times!” Helen suddenly cried out.

“Why? Is tomorrow a bad time?” Norman sounded confused.

“It's not a bad time! It was suppose to be a good time!” Helen exclaimed.

“It is! No one will be there so we won't have to hurt anyone that snoops around the area” Norman said.

“That's not what I meant! Ugh! You're so impossible sometimes!” Helen shouted.

“Whoa-whoa easy there with the shouting, come on babe, I promise whatever I forgot I'll probably end up remembering eventually” Norman laughed it off.

Helen continued to bicker at her partner until the next day when it was time to start.

It was dawn, the sun rising on a clear day. A day where normal people would go out and enjoy it with outdoor activities or even a simple gathering of friends. For Norman however, it was time to set his plans into motion.


The group came together one by one though there was still time before their plan was set.

“Glad to see none of you chickened out this time, did you bring your gear?” Norman asked.

“Locked and loaded, gotta say though these new designs are pretty damn slick” Jack said. He wore deep brown coat over a black suit and red tie with a top hat for maximum gentleman points.

“Thanks! It took me forever to pick out something ju~st right for us” Helen commented. Although the only thing she really wore were black lacy bra and panties and a very intricate black hair ribbon with onyx gems.

“We had some spare time and got ourselves some new ones, what about you two?” Zack said Wearing a slick black trench coat over his gray shirt and black denim jeans

“I'm happy to say I'll stick to the classics thank you” Callie said. She wore a black leotard with a deep purple stripe crossing her right shoulder to her left waist.

“Not me babe, glad I got something to match my suit, kind of think you're the only one clashing though” Cody replied before turning to Emmy. Cody wore a white dress shirt, red tie, and black dress pants and shoes.

“I may be clashing, but I'm clashing in style~!” Emmy stated wearing a slight, sky blue summer dress that flows and moves at the slightest gusts of wind.

“Okay, okay we all match and look good-” Norman began wearing a gray suit, and black dress pants and shoes.

“Style~!” Emmy repeated.

“...Right, okay team let's win this!” Norman forced them back to their original plan.

Armed with specially modified rifles and a large leather sack of fake currency they rushed to their target, the streets empty and quiet just as they had predicted, after all this was merely a heist after all. At last they made it to their destination, smack dab in the middle of what should have been a bustling town.

“Okay, this is it, Jack, Zack, you two wait outside, when you see the fuzz do whatever it takes to lure them away from us while we sneak in through the back. Do you know where to go?” Norman whispered.

“Aye, we've memorized it, We'll be at Kelly's side with the fuzz off our backs no problem” Zack assured.

“Okay...from here on out, there's no going back...GIVE US THE MONEY!” Norman bellowed loudly, signaling the start of the show...

Emmy, Callie, Norman, Cody, and Helen all rushed in while Zack and Jack waited outside the building.

“...Hey Zack?” Jack called out.

“Yeah bro?” Zack replied.

“...We didn't wear masks because...?” Jack wondered.

“...'Cause~...crap! Hey Norman! Where's our masks!?” Zack called out.

“Didn't have time to prep them! Sorry!” Helen answered instead.

“Too late to worry about that now, here they come!” Jack cried out.

“Where!?” Zack immediately began aiming his weapon.

“Above us! Aw~ crap and balls they got a clear shot at us!” Jack exclaimed noticing the opposition were already drawing their own similar looking weapons and aiming down at them.

“Then let's get moving already!” Zack cried out as he immediately began to open fire and causing the cops to retreat to cover.

With Jack carrying the large sack of their fake bait they attempted to lead the cops on a wild goose chase to the opposite end of their actual goal.

“Come on ya filthy slimes come at us!” Zack challenged.

“He called me filthy!?” One of the cops shouted and popping her head revealing herself as an Azure Slime with the only uniform she's wearing to be a navy blue beret.

“You idiot!” Jack swore at his brother.

“It worked didn't it! Look at them go!” Zack looked back to see they were in fact being chased.

“Guys! This is bravo team-yes that's our team name! Anyways we got them tailing our backs, do you have the money yet?” Jack called them on his MARE device.

Meanwhile back with Norman and his team, they were just finishing loading up the last of the Cyrunes into their own large sack.

“Almost-almost-yes! We got out sack stuffed, we're heading out now! Keep them busy!” Norman called out.

“Book it!” Emmy cried out.

The team rushed out of the building through the back door and headed straight for the woods, several yards away.

As they made their escape Zack and Jack noticed a slight pause in the officer's barrage of gun shots.

“Hey...where'd they go? Did we lose them!?” Zack wondered.

“...I don't know, but we're almost at the meeting point, so let's just hope we did” Jack replied.

“If we're almost there, how come I can't see Kelly?” Zack wondered.

Jack looked ahead and noticed the empty grassy field with the only interesting aspects being two large boulders jutting out next to each other in a distance of several yards apart.

“T-this is the spot right? I mean we're not early or anything right?” Zack said.

“...Look! Over there, that grass!” Jack pointed at a particular spot of grass.

Zack saw it too, the grass was not only flattened, but covered in transparent slime, or mucus of some kind. He also noticed that it formed a trail that reached to the outskirts of the woods where their other teammates are heading.

“...You don't think...” Jack murmured.

“No-no way...Kelly wandered off!” Zack realized all too late.

A sudden gunshot rang behind them and they immediately took covered behind the rocks, separating from one another.

“Guys! This is bravo team! Our transport has scampered, we're pinned down! What the hell do we do now!” Jack called out on his MARE device.

The other team finally made it to the woods just in time to hear the bad news.

“This wasn't part of your plan! Callie cried out.

“Crap, I didn't think she'd bail that quickly!” Norman said.

“That girl is always on the move!” Emmy stated.

“I'm going back to help them!” Callie declared as she began to spread her wings.

“You can't! They'll shoot you down before you can even reach them!” Norman said.

“So what are you saying! That we just leave them!?” Callie shouted.

Norman was silent and soon so was the rest of the team.

“[Guys! Hello!? Is this thing on!]” Jack's voice rang through the MARE device.

Meanwhile back with Bravo team, their situation was not looking any better as they were running low on ammunition and none of their shots were hitting their marks.

“Anything Jack!? Ow! Damn it!” Zack called out but was suddenly struck on the shoulder, a splotch of red staining his suit.

“Zack! J-just stay put we'll think of something!” Jack called back.

“Hey! I just found out something!” Zack shouted.

“What!?” Jack asked.

“There's only three of them after us! Aren't there suppose to be more!?” Zack pointed out.

“...No, this is getting worse all the time!” Jack growled.

“Great~ so we only did half our job...ain't that swell-*hahaha~*” Zack laughed.

“Look! Just-I have a plan, my side is closest to the buildings, we just get you to cross over here and we can book it to a better hiding spot from there. I'll provide cover for you!” Jack cried out.

“Okay...Okay I think it's worth a shot! Ready!? One! Two-three!” Zack shouted as she made a mad dash towards Jack.

Jack left his cover and began to shoot what was left of his ammo to keep them off Zack. However; fate wasn't on their side today...

Zack made it half way before his back was peppered by several shots, a handful of red splotches now coating his backside as Zack gasped loudly and collapsed on the floor unmoving.

Back with Norman and his team they reduced their sprinting to a power walk as they trudged deeper into the woods, guilt and silence heavy in the air until...

“[Zack! NOOO~]” Jack's voice boomed through the MARE.

“Jack! What happened!? Did we lose Zack!” Norman shouted.

“No! Not Zack!” Emmy gasped.

“[You bastards~AUGH!]” Jack's voice rang and was suddenly silenced.

“Jack! D-did we lose Jack too!?” Callie cried.

“Jack!?...Zack!?...” Norman called for them one last time.

“...Are they gone?” Helen asked.

“Yup, it's game over for them sweetheart...” Cody murmured as a moment of silence came over their newly lost comrades.

“We...We have to keep moving” Norman broke the silence.

“Have you no respect for-” Callie growled.

“If we lose here, then everything they went through was pointless!” Norman interrupted her.

Callie fell silent but continued to glare at Norman who simply ignored her and kept moving. The team moved silently as Helen clasped Norman's hand in an effort to comfort him, and Norman was thankful for the support of his own girlfriend.

“There's a clearing not too far from here, do you wanna split the money there and finish this?” Cody asked.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea” Norman muttered.

They reached the forest clearing and for a brief moment everything felt peaceful, the sun was glowing it's warm sunlight at the group, the flowers were in full bloom and display bright and vibrant colors and the team couldn't help but relish in the beauty of nature.

“...Okay, let's do this quick, I mean I like this and all, but we're on the move” Norman reminded them.

A loud shot was heard narrowly striking Norman and the team was once again on alert and returned fire in the direction of the shot, at the very least to buy them some time to find cover on their own.

“I thought Jack and Zack were suppose to distract them all?” Callie said.

“They must have decided to split off too, but we should be good, we have them outnumbered!” Norman stated.

“But we aren't exactly in the best hiding spot!” Cody reminding them.

“He's right-whoa-!” Callie cried out as she was nearly struck by the other team.

“We can't hold them off from where we're at, they'll flank us at any time!” Callie exclaimed.

“Well don't give them any ideas!” Emmy scolded.

“Well we're screwed-on our right!” Cody exclaimed.

Sure enough the idea of flanking Norman's team did not go unheard and one male officer, and a Lichen wearing a greener version of a police woman's skirt and shirt.

“It's over! You're in my territory now!” The Lichen proclaimed.

“Air~strike~!” A girl suddenly shouted from above them.

Coming down through the shine of the sun the officers were unable to see her swoop down and lay suppressive fire sending them back and saving the crew.

“No way is that-” Helen couldn't believe it.

“Marybell!” Cody realized.

“How'd ya like me now!?” Marybell cheered as she descended down on the group wearing a bright orange and yellow vest with matching mini-skirt.

“We got an opening! Let's retreat and find a new spot to split up!” Norman exclaimed.

The team with Marybell quickly left the clearing in search of a better sweet spot to split the money, along the way remembering to give Marybell her well deserved praise.

“Marybell! You beautiful bastard!” Cody was struck with huge relief.

“*Giggle~* well~ I can argue with the beautiful part” Marybell giggled.

“Marybell for the win! I take everything everyone else said about you!” Emmy cheered.

“You actually proved your worth, I'm actually glad you're on our side” Callie agreed.

“Oh gosh! Stop, now it's becoming embarrassing!” Marybell squeaked.

“Helen you any good spots around here?” Norman asked.

“Yeah, there's the old gazebo we had our dates on a couple of times...remember anything especially interesting about it!?” Helen asked.

“...Wasn't that the time you first did that thing with your mouth on my-” Norman began.

“Not in front of everyone!...U-uh~ j-just forget he said anything! (Can't believe he forgot that was where our first date was!)” Helen growled internally.

“There's a dirt trail we can follow that will lead us straight through it, just follow me!” Norman declared.

Taking a sharp turn the group left the density of the forest for an easier run on a dirt path.

“We're almost there, just a few yards left!” Norman declared.

Unbeknownst to them, two female officers were watching from a distance, two predators watching their prey flee in a desperate but futile attempt to escape.

“Don't know why she got involved, but it's clear who's side she's on...I'm taking her out” one of the girls replied.

“So long as you save some for me, I've got my eyes on some of them in particular” the second girl replied.

“Oh my delicate little butterfly, how I envy your beautiful wings, what I'll give to rid me of the site of them!” the first woman suddenly took a dark tone.

“I hate it when you get like that” the second girl commented.

Meanwhile Norman's team trudges along seeing the gazebo in the distance.

“That's it! Take cover under it as soon as we reach it” Norman instructed.

“I'm getting kind of tired actually, I've been flying around forever trying to find all of you” Marybell suddenly confessed.

A shot was heard, and then another rang across the forest.

“Cody!” Marybell shouted before leaping into action.

The team dispersed and took cover behind the trees.

“Everyone alright!?” Callie called out.

“No! Oh gosh! No-no!” Emmy quickly began sobbing.

“Emmy!? What's wrong?” Helen asked until she stared at what Emmy was looking at.

Cody was lying on the floor with Marybell on top of him and clearly hit twice on her back.

“O-ow~ these...actually sting...a lot harder than I thought...” Marybell gasped.

“Marybell!” Cody cried out as he carefully tried to lift Marybell up, but she wouldn't let him.

“No...it's okay, I know what happens next...and I'm okay with it” Marybell whispered.

“Why'd you do it? We didn't ask you to-to do all this for us” Cody was losing his cool.

“You're my only friends...I just wanted to do something nice for all of you. 'Cause you've been so good to me. You're the only ones who wanted to spend more time with...me” Marybell whispered as she felt her eyes grow heavy.

“Marybell! Don't! Stay with us, it's not too late! We can go all the way together, just you and me, what do you say!?” Cody tried to keep her awake.

“The sun is so warm~ and I'm so~ tired right now...I feel like I'm going to take a nap right here~” Marybell sighed as she started to lose consciousness.

“Marybell no! Keep your eyes up, j-just keep talking to me!” Cody exclaimed.

Marybell closed her eyes and remained silent.

“Marybell!? Marybell!” Cody called out one last time.

“Cody! Come on we gotta move!” Norman tried pull Cody away from Marybell.

“W-we can't just leave her like this!” Cody exclaimed.

Another shot was heard, this one narrowly missing both men.

“That was a warning shot! I don't think she'll miss again! We gotta take cover in the gazebo now!” Norman ordered.

“Marybell...damn it kid you weren't suppose to make me feel this way for you” Cody murmured as he gently lowered Marybell to the floor and took off with Norman and the group.

Dashing and weaving through the trees they reached the gazebo where Norman and Helen took their spoils in the center while the rest of the team shot at the forest to keep whatever is hunting them at bay.

“Holy crap we're rich! Alright everybody take your shares one at a time, Helen? Are you ready?” Norman asked.

“Just need some time to focus” Helen murmured as she was deep in thought.

Norman tossed large sums of their heist over to Cody, Callie, and Emmy.

“It's a lot bigger than usual...” Callie noticed.

“Yeah well...you know...” Norman couldn't answer her directly.

“Hold your fire everyone! Listen...” Cody stated.

They paused and tried to catch whatever Cody had noticed.

“I don't hear a thing” Emmy said.

“Exactly, they're being too quiet...Norman I don't think this is the safest place to finish your plan” Cody hissed.

“Look, we got our split just give Helen some more time she'll-” Norman hissed back when they heard loud rustling on some nearby bushes.

“Please don't let it be her, please~ don't let it be her-” Norman murmured.

“Your asses are mine!” A girl bellowed as she jumped out of the bushes and towards the gazebo.

“Go! Go! Retreat!” Norman shouted as everyone dispersed...almost everyone.

“Cody! What the hell are you doing!? Run!” Norman shouted.

“Just go without me! We can't outrun her anyways!” Cody shouted back as he stayed behind and narrowly avoided being tackled.

He stood his grounds ignoring the shouts of his team to do otherwise as he leaped at the new challenger.

The girl in question had sharp horns jutting out of her head of deep purple, and slightly curled upwards. Her deep brown hair cut short and wild, with skin nearly as dark. Her eyes were sharp and green and gleamed as she saw a challenger in front of her. She wore a simple dark blue vest cut short and open to give her generously large breasts and her strong abs some breathing room. She also had on a navy-blue mini-skirt ripped and torn in certain areas. Lower still her were several golden chains tied loosely around her furred legs that reached up to her thighs, and large bull hooves that matched the same color as her horns.

She licked her lips knowingly as she met her opponent and waited for him to approach her and make his first move.

Abandoning Cody to his fate the team moved on to find another safer location.

“Damn, it just had to be her” Norman swore under his breath.

“H-he'll be alright, right? I mean he can get away on his own! He's tough...right?” Emmy whimpered.

“...I think we all know the answer to that” Helen murmured.

“It's just us four then...look, it's just us so how about we just go with the plan right now! Before anything else happens” Norman said.

“Norman, I'm getting kind of nervous” Emmy confessed.

“We're almost there, I know a place where we can do our little trick and get them off our backs for good.

“*Oof!*” Emmy cried out as she suddenly fell face first.

“Emmy? You okay?” Helen asked.

“Oow~ this is why I hate walking!” Emmy pouted.

She tried to lift herself back up, but found her leg was stuck in something.

“W-wait, my leg...what is this stuff?” Emmy wondered.

She poked at the green fuzzy stuff that was somehow stuck to her left foot.

“I don't think you should be doing that, come on let's go already” Norman insisted.

“J-just give me a sec to pull this stuff off-*Aa~h!” Emmy suddenly began screaming.

The green stuff had suddenly grew and now attached itself to her hand and began growing still.

“Emmy! Hang on!” Callie cried out gripping her free hand.

“Helen come on!” Norman exclaimed.

“W-we can't...” Helen murmured.

“Help! Help! This stuff isn't burning for some reason!” Emmy began to panic as her flames on her wrists and ankles did nothing to help her.

“Oh no...it's 'her' lichen...” Norman realized.

“Stop muttering and help me!” Callie cried out as she tried to rip off the lichen stretching and growing along Emmy's body.

“I don't want to lose this way-oh-oh! This stuff feels weird! It's wriggling in all my sensitive-*a-ah~*” Emmy began moaning.

“Norman! The lichen, it's everywhere and spreading fast, we have to leave!” Helen began to panic.

“What!? Damn it, Callie we have to go!” Norman yanked Callie off of Emmy.

“No! I can save her! I-I can at least save her...I have to...” Callie's deafening shouts dwindle to mere whimpers.

“J-just go on without me-*ohh~ah~*I-I'll be-*pant-pant* my body feels so hot-I can't-d-don't look at me! I-I think I'm gonna-*ooh~* y-you're gonna pay for making me feel this way in front of ever-every-*aah~!*” Emmy moaned her loudest as her friends left her as a small cocoon of Lichen entrapped Emmy.

And then there were three, their large party of seven now reduced to three on a desperate struggle to finish what they started, leaving behind close comrades.

“Jack...I never...I never got the chance to ask him out, why couldn't I built up the courage sooner...” Callie muttered to herself.

“Callie? You okay over there?” Helen asked.

“I'm fine! J-just fine!” Callie stuttered.

“Okay, just past a few yards here we'll have to be careful, the land here is pretty hilly and we can expect the ground to suddenly drop beneath us” Norman said.

“...Screw it...” Callie muttered.

“Callie, we can't hear a word you're saying” Helen said.

“Screw it...all of it! I'm done following your orders!” Callie suddenly went haywire.

“Callie settle down! What's going on?” Norman asked.

“This is all your fault! If we had done things my way things could have been different! We could have all been together!” Callie exclaimed.

“Take that back! It's not Norman's fault! They just got us by surprise is all!” Helen defended.

“I'm flying the coop! You guys can get captured on the ground, but there's no way they'll catch me in the air now!” Callie declared.

“It won't work Callie! I'm trying to help you here, you have to stay on the ground with us!” Norman hissed.

“We've tried it your way! Now we're trying it my way! I'm out!” Callie shouted as she spread her wings and shot straight up through several branches and leaves and out in the air.

“Callie! Callie come back down! It isn't safe up there!” Norman shouted.

They watch her sail higher and higher, and then they saw something else coming after her.

A large glob of azure colored slime catapulted from the trees and hit Callie directly on her wings. Callie struggled to fly with her wings covered in slime and unfortunately made a crash landing several yards away.

“Callie~!” Helen shouted at her.

“We got her! Just two more, don't let them get away!” They heard a girl's voice bellow out her commands.

“Come on Helen, it's now or never, I see the clearing over there!” Norman hurried Helen along.

And so the team was reduced to just two, Jack, Zack, Cody, Marybell, Emmy, Callie, all of them lost, and the only ones left to continue were Norman and Helen. They could hear the footsteps of their chaser getting closer, but they had reach a small clearing where Helen quickly mustered up her concentration to create another illusion.

“Just need...a little more time...” Helen was focusing.

“Take your time Helen, I believe in you” Norman assured.

Their chaser finally revealed herself as she slowly walked out of the shrubbery and trees of the forest and into the clearing with Norman and Helen.

Tall creamy white goat horns and ears adorned her sandy blonde head, and matching her hair color were her legs made of soft fur and in the shape of a pair of lion's legs. Swishing back and forth behind her was a serpents tail colored emerald green like her scaly arms holding razor sharp claws from a dragon.

She wore a plain dark blue bodice and mini-skirt, but on top of that was a silver and gold breast plate that secured her generously large breasts. Despite chasing them down like a predator her lapis-lazuli blue eyes were soft and gentle, and a warm smile graced her pretty face.

“I'm sorry it had to come to this, but it's not too late. Just surrender yourselves now and the same thing that happened to your friends won't happen to you” she spoke with a soft voice.

Despite her soothing tone and inviting nature, Helen and Norman knew better and took a step back, Helen on the verge of preparing her last trick.

“Sorry, but you know me, I'm not the one to sit still for no one...well almost no one” Norman quickly changed his mind once Helen started staring at him.

“I see...good! I was getting bored anyways!” The Chimaera hissed before quickly covering her mouth. “M-my apologies, but if you won't come quietly, I'll just have to take you by force~” the Chimaera returned her soft voice.

“Ready Helen?” Norman asked.

“Ready” Helen assured.

“Good luck catching all of us!” Norman shouted the signal.

Helen's jewelry began to grow a bright green and created a bright flash that stunned the Chimaera. As she struggled to see what was going on she was dumbfounded to see that several dozen Normans and Helens rushed out of the clearing in every which way.

“Oh-oh! My eyes, so stingy~” the Chimaera squeaked, then her eyes began to leer and her smile grew as she licked her lips. “But my nose is twitchy, and going crazy~! The Chimaera growled.

Norman and Helen sprinted through the trees and forest with Norman taking the lead.

“Almost there, the finish line is just around past the riverbed!” Norman assured.

“The river bed...so now we're going to the place we first met...I mean not like I expected you to remember that or anything” Helen stated.

“Trust me Helen, once we make it through this you're gonna be so~ happy” Norman assured.

“You guys seriously think you can outrun me!” they heard the Chimaera cry out behind them.

“B-but how! I thought we lost her!” Helen said.

“My nose never lies!” The Chimaera retaliated.

She was sprinting after them and gaining fast as she fired at them repeatedly. The couple weaved and maneuvered through the trees to reach their destination when a sudden drop caused them both to stumble with Helen falling on top of Norman who landed face up on the ground. Their landing was rough but Helen was quick to get up, Norman was a different story.

“Norman come on! We gotta go-can't believe it's me telling you to hurry up this time...Norman?” Helen said.

“...Sorry, but I think...I think I'm done here too” Norman gasped.

He turned to his side to reveal he had been struck several times on the back. Helen gasped as she saw four deep red splotches staining his suit.

“No-no-no-no! Not you too, I can't lose you too!” Helen cried out.

“Callie was right...it wasn't suppose to end this way. You're gonna have to go on without me Helen” Norman murmured.

“No! I'm staying, I can't leave you like this!” Helen declared.

“Listen to me Helen, on the other end of those trees. It's just within your reach, you can make it Helen. I want you...to be happy for...the both of us...” Norman was growing quiet.

“Norman! Stay with me! Don't go!” Helen began sobbing.

“Take this, just in case...I...love you Helen, always and forever. Just go to the river, you'll understand there...I-I have to go~...” Norman sighed handing Helen an oval shaped object before he slumped to the floor unmoving.

“Norman!...Norman please...” Helen sobbed.

It was no good, Norman kept still and Helen had no choice but to keep moving to the river. Taking Norman's share of the loot she reluctantly left him and headed towards the river.

She crossed another small row of trees until she found what used to be her home until she moved in with Norman not too long ago. It was bitter sweet to see such a tranquil, and beautiful spot after everything that happened, it was even more so when she saw what was prepared in front of her.

Streamers, all around the tree branches, balloons tied to rocks both on the ground and even on small shallow part of the river. A long table was set up with cake, drinks, and snacks. Not only that a large banner which Helen couldn't believe what was on it.

“...'Happy Anniversary'...Norman, you did remember. You romantic idiot!” Helen sobbed loudly.

Moments later the Chimaera reached the river and found Helen slumped on a chair next to a table with a large pink and white cake.

“See? Wouldn't it have been better if you had just surrendered peacefully? It's such a shame too, you were a really cute couple, I almost shed a tear” the Chimaera heard everything.

“He knew...he always knew and he was just teasing me...and-and I said all those things to him too, and I was being hard on him...I wish I could take it all back” Helen murmured.

“Hello~ are you listening? Well no matter, just come with me dear and let's end this game” the Chimaera declared.

“...I'm not moving, and I'm definitely not coming with you” Helen stood her ground.

“Oh~ that's too bad...be kind of a shame to mess up that pretty hair on your head, but a job's a job” the Chimaera grumbled as she walked closer.

Just a foot away from Helen the Chimaera suddenly stopped, her instincts telling her something fishy was going on, and not just because of Helen herself, then she spotted what was on Helen's hand.

“W-what is that? Drop it immediately!” The Chimaera ordered.

“...Hehehe~*giggle*! Ah~ sorry about that, but in this game, there are no winners, just us losers...sorry Norman” Helen whispered.

She pressed the tip of the egg shaped container and smiled one last time as it's contents erupted and hitting them both...

…

…

“*Pfft~hehe-ha-haha~!” Laughter was heard passed the clearing.

The field and much of their equipment suddenly turned hazy and unrecognizable for a brief moment until they returned to clarity only this time looking much more different than before. Their weapons and rifles turned to mere paint-ball guns loaded with red paint.

Soon more laughter erupted and suddenly the whole forest was flooded in laughter. Out of nowhere people and mammone all started to come out. The officers in the Chimaera party, a Lichen, an Azure Slime, and three other boys chuckled at the sight of seeing their boss and Helen coated in red paint despite some of them stained in red themselves.

Then came Helen's team, Jack, and Zack came back first.

“What happened!” Jack cried out astonished.

“You were there! We almost won!” Zack cried out.

Both men had their chests and legs coated in paint everywhere.

“I'm sorry! I got dramatic! I couldn't help it...ugh~ my hair it's covered in paint!” Helen cried out as the paint bomb she set off nearly drenched her in red paint.

“I can't believe you did that! You know how long it's gonna take to wash this off! I'm gonna have paint in my fur for days!” The Chimaera cried out.

“Seriously Nina you did you really have to go berserk on us, I mean look at me? I look like red Swiss cheese!” Zack exclaimed.

“You said mean thing! Nina still mad at you!” the Azure Slime Nina pouted.

“I told you that was a bad idea” Jack said.

Then came Emmy who immediately glared at the Lichen on the other team, her cheeks blushing furiously.

“That was not funny Lila! You got me in a mood for nothing! I mean it would have been alright if it was any of you boys!” Emmy shouted.

“Yeah right, you were loving every bit of it. Can't say that I blame you though” the Lichen Lila smirked.

“Oh~ that was a nasty trick, next time I'll give you a 'massage' and we'll see how you'll like it!” Emmy warned.

“I'll probably like it a lot to be honest-haha~” Lila laughed it off.

“Oh! I just remembered! Did you guys pass my Marybell on the way here?” Helen asked.

“Oh yeah, we saw her taking a nap on the path” one of the boys on the officer's team stated.

Back on the dirt path, Marybell was snoring loudly sprawled on the floor as she was enjoying a particularly pleasant nap-time.

“And where's Cody? Last I check he was wrestling with Gwen” Helen asked.

“I think Gwen still not done with him, and he's not done with her, let's just leave those two love-birds alone a little longer” the second male stated.

“Guess that means we'll have to sterilize the gazebo, what a waste of a good afternoon” the third boy stated.

Next came Callie looking worse for wear as her wings were still covered in azure slime.

“Oh and here we have the best trick shot I've ever seen Nina pull of!” one of the guys declared.

“O-oh! I-I um-gee Nina just, did her best” Nina quickly became bashful.

“Best nothing I've never seen anyone pull off a shot like that!” Lila squealed.

“Yeah-yeah whatever it was...good” Callie murmured.

“At least you landed safely, can't be mad at that” Lila stated.

“I'm...I'm gonna take a dip in the river for a bit” Callie said.

“Unless you like you're feathers red I think you're gonna have to take a pass on that” Zack said.

Callie looked to the river and saw that Helen and the Chimaera were busy scrubbing off the paint on their bodies.

“Helen if I may be a bit rude, you need to deal with your dramatization a little better” the Chimaera said.

“Me? You were loving your little role-playing Carmen!” Helen argued.

And lastly came Norman coming out of the woods and brushing off any dirt that clung to his clothes.

“So what did I miss?” Norman asked.

“What looks like a tie apparently, what the hell happened to you?” Jack asked.

“Carmen got to us at the last minute” Norman answered.

“Wait Norman, tell the truth...did you set us up to lose back there?” Zack asked.

“...Yeah, I kind of did” Norman confessed.

“You rat bastard! I knew something was off when you told us Kelly was gonna be out escort! There was no way that girl can hold still any longer than five minutes!” Zack cried out though he sounded happy than angry.

“The funny thing is, me and Zack were actually planning on doing the same to all of you, we had a plan and everything” Jack smirked.

“Good to know I got to you first, where's my Helen at?” Norman wondered.

He was answered when Helen suddenly jumped on him and hugged him tightly.

“You idiot! I hate you! B-but I love so~ much too!” Helen cried out.

“Uh~ surprise?” Norman said.

“Is that why you acted so dumb?” Helen asked.

“Heh, guess I deserve that. Honestly I thought we were all gonna make it...besides Jack and Zack” Norman said.

“Hey~! Way to show that B.A.R.F spirit” Jack said.

“And~ screw you too Norman” Zack added.

“Anyways, how could I not remember the time and place we first met? I'd be a pretty crappy boyfriend if I didn't after all this time together. So you ready to party?” Norman asked.

“I'm ready for some shampoo, did you prepare some of that?” Helen smiled.

“Uh~ so let's party!” Norman quickly said.

The gang enjoyed the festivities and Helen enjoyed their praise for all the work she did to make their game so real looking.

“Helen, from all of us larpers here, I want to thank you for everything you've done for us. We couldn't ask for a better friend or person” Jack congratulated.

“Oh gosh, you guys are too nice...keep them coming” Helen insisted.

“So what do you guys feel like doing next? I was thinking of a medieval castle siege of some kind.

“A castle? As in multiple rooms and decorations?” Helen sounded a tad nervous.

“Oh-oh! We should have like an outer space laser fight between star-ships!” Emmy declared.

“Lasers~ star-ships, just making a field look like space~” Helen swooned as she was feeling overloaded just from the thoughts alone.

“Hey guys lay off a bit, you'll over work her” Norman said.

“No-no it's fine! I love the practice, we'll think of something to make next time. Promise” Helen assured.

Meanwhile the others were chatting away with their own conversations.

“Sorry bro, I'm booked that day, you're gonna have to take someone else” Zack said.

“Aw~ crap, last minute like this? And you're going with Kelly?” Jack said.

“Hey she screwed up but...I don't think it's her fault or anything, besides she's cool, might even crash at her place again” Zack smiled at the thought.

“Ugh, you're worthless, but fine...hey Callie!” Jack called out.

“I'm Callie!” Callie suddenly spoke up nearly dropping the drink she was holding.

“Weird question, but wanna go with me to this thing I'm going tomorrow? Kind of like convention meets concert thing. It's pretty neat if you're into classical and jazz music” Jack asked.

“...Me...and you? On a date?” Callie sounded genuinely surprised.

“Yeah, I mean we're friends all right? I mean I thought we were friends” Jack said.

“Uh-um~y-y-yeah! Yeah sure, I mean I probably don't have anything better to do then anyways” Callie agreed.

“Great, see you at three-o-clock sharp then?” Jack said.

“I'll be there...” Callie said “(The word of the day is 'score')” She cheered in her head.

The team partied and celebrated and many new ideas were forged and considered and as night fell they said their farewells eagerly waiting for the next adventure to be had in their own little 'Larper's Guild'.

[Boomerang]

JElwood's entry

Spoiler: show

New Species: Bloodhorn Faun

Bloodhorns differ from regular fauns in that they have goat-like traits instead of the regular deer ones. Their name comes from their curved, gnarled horns that take a bright red color as the faun matures. Bloodhorns have mean, violent personalities and continuously seek fights. They revere brute force above everything and feel an absolute contempt for weakness of any kind. They will show no mercy to men who can't hold their ground on a fight and are capable of acts of excessive brutality against humans and monsters alike.

Because they believe strength should be savage and unrestrained they loathe principles like chivalry, and will often try their hardest to sway knights into a path of barbarism. Despite their violent natures they are exceedingly good at seducing men and have no qualms in offering their bodies in order to corrupt righteous warriors, feeling a great pleasure whenever a human their have chosen falls into their way of life. Bloodhorns are also extremely lascivious and enjoy all sort of lewd acts, and will even encourage their husbands to ravish them in public places where everyone may see.

Although a Bloodhorn will only belong to one man it is possible for a particularly strong man to gather several of them as wives. Said men are given the title of Horned Lords and his wives and children become his herd. Horned Lords with herds large enough can often sack whole villages and cause all sorts of mayhem. Within the herd there is an strict hierarchy based on strength, and the strongest Bloodhorn will become the Alpha wife and the one with the right to be bear children first.

In general they dislike wearing clothes, as they know their bodies are both a distraction and a way to seduce men, however they are fascinated by human inventions such as metal armor and weapons. While they normally carry crude wooden clubs and even large bones as weapons they will never waste a chance to get steel weapons and armor, and will happily wear whatever parts they manage to scavenge. Some are known to even get revealing suits of armor tailor-made for them when they can find (and force) a blacksmith to craft one.

[Boomerang]

Loweee's entry

Spoiler: show

"Freedom"

Story by: Loweee
Art by: Loweee

Lamias are very intelligent, hardworking beings. Many want to be as good as them, and some want to use them.
In a small village, there was a big factory in creating all sorts of things to entertain humans. The villagers thought it was filled with robots assembling the products. Little do they know all of those items are handmade by thousands and thousands of Lamias.
Ceres was still a child before she was sold as a slave to the company. She has never tasted the outside world. All she sees is her bed and her working table. Day and night she works, along with thousands of her kind.
One of the company owners had a son, Ben. He's a kind-hearted human on his teens and the complete opposite of his father. Like the villagers, he never knew what or who was making all the products. But one night he went for a stroll all over the factory while his father was at a meeting. After minutes of walking around, he saw a large metal door with a "NO ENTRY" sign on it. As a very curious man, he entered.
Ben was shocked of what he was seeing. Cell after cell filled with Lamias. At cell 8501, he saw a Lamia that was working too hard, it was Ceres. He gave her some water and they began to talk. They have a lot of mutual traits that made them connect easily. Ceres told Ben that she never saw what's outside. So he thought of a plan to get her out of the factory to set her free. While executing the plan, his father caught him and they never saw each other since.
After some months, Ben heard something amazing on the news. He heard that the villagers found out about what was happening in the factory and they were all at a strike to set the Lamias free. And they were. So he immediately drove to the factory to see Ceres again. But he never saw her. He went to her cell and was given the biggest shock of his life. He saw Ceres' body dangling on the ceiling. He was so terrified of what he saw. He couldn't believe it. After standing in grief, he found a letter on her bed.

To The Person Who Finds This,
I know that you're terrified of what you're seeing at the moment. And it makes you ask why? I've been here for decades, I never felt freedom. And I realized, I should just get the other kind. I'm so excited to be finally free from this box. I can live or should I say die freely and roam around the world I'm about to go to. At first I was afraid because I will never see the only person who understood me, Ben. He gave me hope and taught me a lot. After he was taken away from me I was depressed and tried to wait for him to come back. But then I realized that I will also see him in that place soon....

The letter was longer but those were the only sentences he read. Ben wasn't sad although there were tears on his eyes, he was happy for Ceres. She can finally be free and be with the people she truly loves.

END

[Raet]

Hello there, all that needs to be done is to enjoy reading these great stories, then pick your favourite one and vote in the poll. Please try, I really do not understand why no-one has voted at all yet.

[SIERRA-116]

I dun think your spoiler worked for me Boom.

EDIT: Also, it might've paid dividends to have added coding to where italics would've been in text... trust me, it does a lot for effect.

[[BRindustries]]

Hello there, all that needs to be done is to enjoy reading these great stories, then pick your favourite one and vote in the poll. Please try, I really do not understand why no-one has voted at all yet.

Well, i'm gonna give it a shot, it's just that it's a LOT of material to read. (heck, SIERRA's story is so long it broke the spoiler )
So yeah, i'll get on it.

[SIERRA-116]

Hello there, all that needs to be done is to enjoy reading these great stories, then pick your favourite one and vote in the poll. Please try, I really do not understand why no-one has voted at all yet.

Well, i'm gonna give it a shot, it's just that it's a LOT of material to read. (heck, SIERRA's story is so long it broke the spoiler )
So yeah, i'll get on it.

My story's so long, the page was still loading when I skipped to the bottom.

[Raet]

It's a long story... but an extremely good story

[SIERRA-116]

So I noticed by winning the internal judgement.

Now to be thrown to the lions of public judging.

Whether I win or lose at the bottom of the back... I still won something, right?

And Raet, I've already picked what I want you to draw. It's very relevant to my story.

[Raet]

good to hear, I take it it is a Komodi... Or maybe their dropship? Man I love that thing!

[SIERRA-116]

good to hear, I take it it is a Komodi... Or maybe their dropship? Man I love that thing!

It's Enik, in full armour and rifle in hand.

If possible, one with full helmet, one without. You know, basically same picture, same pose, if you do it digitally, which I think you do.

If not possible, then Helmet.

[Raet]

Okay, I just need an example of his armour...similar to your profile picture?

[SIERRA-116]

A little bit like that, just less curvy, and more angular, and not quite as 'thick'.

After all, the armour the Komodi wear is only 'semi-powered' armour. It enhances their capabilities to only a small degree, as it mostly provides an endurance boost and supports its own weight, as well as making stable firing whilst moving much easier. Overall, it is still largely the operator's strength.

As for his rifle, similar to that, but more sleek, more flat surfaces, similar to a Forerunner Light Rifle in HALO 4, just less open.

[Raet]

question, does he have hair or scales instead? Oh yeah, gun resting on his shoulder or held like in the second image? What colour are his scales?

[SIERRA-116]

His scales are a sort of matte green, dark but pale, kinda the colour of crocodile skin, but still scaly like most reptiles.

Also, the rifle would be sorta held like in the second image, but more in an idle stance, not battle ready. Like he's standing idle, observing the environment, and he's holding his weapon in the 'alert carry' position.

[[BRindustries]]

Wow, Section 8, haven't played that for a loooong time, was pretty fun.^^

So anyway, i just finished the last entry, and i gotta say it's a pretty hard decision to make. In terms of storytelling and general setup, SIERRA's takes the cake, very well written story, interesting crossover as well. Very few grammar/spelling issues, good layout between narration and dialougue.

However, when it comes to which story i found the most enjoyable to read, i'd have to go for Timiddarkspy's story, "A heist of love and loss".
Despite the grammar issues in some places, i really felt the atmosphere of this story the best, and really gave me the most satisfaction after reading.


As for the other stories, they were also quite enjoyable.

Lowweee's story was short and sweet, despite it's somewhat grim ending. The only real gripe i had with this one was that it was a bit too short for it's own good. Not that a sort story in itself is bad, but it makes the context of some of the sentences a bit awkward at times. It felt more like a summary of a story than the story itself. A bit more "filler" here and there would've made the story more fluent and easier to read.

JElwood's profile of the Bloodhorn Faun was quite interesting, nice artwork too.^^ I like how she's quite different from most other profiles, and think she'd fit into the setting quite well.^^ It's just that i don't really know how to compare this to the other stories really, despite the exellent grammar and vocabulary throughout the text.

As for Lucifeller's story, i liked it mostly because it was capable of giving us a 7-foot super-overpowered masculine beast of a tsundere, lol'd at that when i came to realize it.^^ Also well executed in terms of length and writing.

Hizumi's story i found quite interesting because of the different setup, being more akin to an old folktale than a character driven story, which was probably your intention from the get-go. It worked out very well, i must say.


So anyway, Timiddarkspy, you got my vote!
GG to you all, folks!