Chapter 1: Be careful what you wish for. Another day of marching, great. Sidra thought to herself tiredly, trying to stifle an on coming yawn as she trudged along. The stretches, warm up motions, and invigorating sparring bouts that Sidra went through at the beginning of each day were great for snapping her awake on a morning, and was an excellent method to shake off any lingering weariness from the long sleep of a chilly night. But the lengthy hikes that followed were apparently able to sap her energy away again, leaving Sidra just as tired when she first woke up. And she had a feeling that today's long march would be just as tedious as the previous two. Now on the third day into their journey to the city of Blackmoor, Sidra was so bored of stomping her way through these woods, and the young Lizardwoman knew that she wasn't the only one. Unfortunately for Sidra and her peers however, there were at least another four straight days of marching through this forest... Having grown up in Elewyr, being mostly surrounded by grasslands, meadows and cultivated fields, Sidra wasn't accustomed to being in such a dense forest. At first she rather enjoyed the novelty of the change of scenery, but as aesthetically pleasing and pleasent to be in as it was, the charms of the forest rather lost their luster when you weren't permitted to go at your own pace to actually enjoy yourself. But she supposed that she wasn't really out here to enjoy herself to begin with. Sidra, a class of seven other Lizardwomen recruits, and their instructor, had all set off West from Elewyr, Lord Elizabeth's capital city, to the trading hub of Blackmoor three days ago. The aim of the trip being to show them what being a member of the Ranger Korps could really mean by exposing them to the poorer, rougher areas of the port city. Having them put some of their training to the test against women other than their classmates, making them break up a few drunken brawls in the taverns, catching and subduing some pickpockets in the markets, and if they were lucky, get a bounty or two from the Ranger Korps agents stationed there. She didn't know about the rest of the class, but Sidra was keenly looking forward to finally getting a chance to put everything she'd learned over the past few months to the test. Though Sidra was especially excited at the prospect of testing her skills with the blade at her waist. She often found herself reflecting on the numerous facets of swordplay to quietly occupy herself as she marched... distancing, timing, cutting, blocking, thrusting, deflecting, binding, winding, grappling and of course, the accompanying handwork and footwork that brings it all together, just to name a few. And thanks to the past few months of Casdra's instruction, Sidra was now growing to excel at all of them. So much so that even though Sidra was shorter and slighter of build than most of her classmates, she was still viewed as the rising star of the group. After she lost the battle against the relentlessly insistent yawn, and had closed her mouth again, Sidra rubbed the gathering moisture out from the corners of her eyes before looking ahead at her classmates, being the slowest of the class due to her utter weariness of hiking through this forest, she once again found herself to be last in line of the group as they marched. The first Lizardwomen she saw was Destra. Slightly taller and broader than Sidra, Destra was pretty average for the class. She had a slight ginger tint to her brownish long hair and faint streaks of red in her light brown eyes, which complimented her lightly tanned skin. Of the whole group, Destra was Sidra's closest friend. Sidra thought of her as a determined and passionate woman, always eager to lose herself in the excitement of a good sparring bout, especially with Sidra. And failing that, Destra usually sought some other kind of intense stimulation, anything that would get her blood pumping. Rock climbing and cliff jumping being her favourites, usually preferring to do one right after the other whenever possible. Sidra considered her to be a thrill seeker through and through. Their shared love for the ardent exchanges of swordplay being the main thing they bonded over, and of the whole class, Destra was the only one that could rival Sidra, both when it came to delivering swift cuts and thrusts, as well as defending against them. Where Destra fell short was dealing with any binding and winding techniques of the sword. Though Sidra herself rarely exploited her shortcomings in those areas, opting instead to challenge herself by playing the kind of game that Destra preferred, and sticking to the back and fourth dance of blades, both of them cutting, blocking, thrusting, and deflecting until one of them erred. Marching beside Destra, was Milla, a friend of both Destra and Sidra. Though she was shorter and leaner than Destra, she wasn't quite as short or lean as Sidra. Milla was a transitional point of sorts. She had long black hair, which she normally kept in a simple but neat braid, and clear light blue eyes, which complimented her clear pale skin tone. Sidra thought of her as calm and reserved. Usually preferring to remain quiet, but not afraid to speak up if she had something to say. Of the whole class, Milla was perhaps the most attentive listener when Casdra was lecturing the group or explaining a technique, and spent the most time going over the details even after the lessons had ended. Because of this, whenever a dispute or question came up about swordplay, Milla was also usually, to the annoyance of the whole class, the one to always offer up the correct answer. And of the trio, Milla was normally the voice of reason if Sidra or Destra came up with any foolhardy ideas, doing her best to keep them out of trouble. Even though she could be strangely overbearing with her opinions at times, Sidra could admit, if only to herself, that Milla probably had a better grasp of the theory of swordplay than even herself. Though that didn't always translate into her sparring bouts, due to Milla simply lacking the confidence and coordination to execute some of the techniques against a resisting opponent. While she could certainly throw out some quick and accurate thrusts, and could effectively bind and wind against her opponent's blade, Milla's overall blocking and deflecting skills were lacking, and she was practically defenceless if any of the class got her into a grapple. Even Sidra was able to come out on top more often than not when she got into grappling with her. Walking in front of her two friends was Tina, a little taller and broader than Sidra, making her fairly average for the class. But where the rest of the class had a fairly equal measure of both muscle and curves, Tina had a body that was packed with comparatively more muscle than curves. Reflecting how much time she chose to spend weight training. Tina sported light brown eyes with a hint of yellow and had long blonde hair that she kept in a ponytail, going rather well with her peach complexion. Though she was in the middle of the line, she was walking alone. Over the months of the class every single one of them had at some point tried to interact with and befriend her, but each one got little more than reserved pleasantries or guarded replies. She was rarely, if ever, rude to any of them when she spoke, Tina was just never the one to initiate a conversation, seeming to prefer to be on her own. Because of this, the class mostly didn't interact with her unless it was to further their training with paired drills or sparring. Sidra respected her for that, she seemed to be self reliant, professional and steady, which Sidra thought to be quite admirable, having that level of discipline. Tina was proficient in delivering cuts, thrusts, and was a fair grappler, though that was more due to her mass than her technical skill. Where she fell behind was her binding and winding swordplay. Even in spite of that through, Sidra would still certainly want to be next to Tina in a fight, she just wasn't all that much fun in any other situation. Next in the queue was Quina, the tallest and broadest of the class, she had short, spiky black hair and light brown eyes, paired well with her dark tanned skin. Although where Tina had more muscle than curves to her body, Quina was the reverse, having more curves than muscle, she was the most plump and well endowed of the whole class by a fair margin. But still had a deft and nimble air to the way she moved. Sidra couldn't help but be a bit jealous of Quina's body, mainly her height and her curves, though she'd never admit it. But she couldn't be mad at her, Quina was one of the most high spirited, caring and affectionate women she had ever known. She was always friendly to everyone around her, and of the whole class, Quina was the one that spent the longest time trying to befriend Tina. Even after she had eased off with her attempts, she still tried to invite or include Tina in group conversations every now and then, even if they weren't about training. But of the whole class, Quina might be the worst at swordplay, not quite being able to deliver effective cuts or thrusts, nor being able to adequately defend against them for very long. Her binding and winding skill was on the lower end of the spectrum as well. Though where she truely shined was in the grapple, in fact she was pretty much accepted as the best in the class in that regard. The moment she managed to close in, it was over. Of the whole class only Tina was able to put up a struggle, though that was more due to her added mass and muscle than because of her technical skill. So the trick with Quina, naturally, was to keep her at bay or land a debilitating strike before she closed the gap. As a result, no one in the class went easy on her during sparring, because for Quina, it was a game of getting past the sword, for everyone else, it was a game of keeping the sword in front of her. Unsurprisingly though, she was quite good at, not to mention fond of, giving out hugs after each sparring bout. Striding beside Quina, was Wylla. The two being close friends, though they made an odd pair in Sidra's opinion... Wylla was fairly average in size and build for the class, both a little taller and broader than Sidra, having medium length blonde hair with just as light skin, but also had vibrant green eyes. Quite a unique and rare trait. What made them an odd pairing to Sidra however, was that while Quina had always been friendly and sociable, Wylla, not too far removed from Tina, had always seemed more withdrawn and aloof. Sidra wouldn't say Wylla tried or intended to make herself unapproachable per se, she was just a little awkward. Perhaps just not having that much experience socialising if Sidra had to guess. And when Sidra reflected on that fact, she came to the conclusion that their friendship may have been a case of an extrovert adopting an introvert, which she found oddly amusing. Wylla herself first came across as guarded and stoic, not just to Sidra, but to the whole class. However, over the course of the past few months it was slowly revealed that her stand-offish nature was just a front, and that Wylla had a passion for poetry of all things. A couple of her peers snickered at the disclosure, although a dislocated elbow and shoulder in the following sparring sessions with Quina dissuaded any teasing to occur. While that seemed to have been a set back in Quina's endeavour to bring Wylla out of her shell, Quina seemed to be quite happy to continue chipping away to find out more about her. But Quina isn't the only one that has to chip away at Wylla, because when it came to sparring, although her offense left something to be desired, her defence was almost impregnable. Wylla's ability to ward off both cuts and thrusts are almost flawless, and her binding and winding skills are near impeccable too, so much so that landing a legitimate cut or thrust on her had become something of an accomplishment amoung the class. Sidra herself only managing to land maybe half a dozen hits on Wylla during the past few months in this class. Walking in front of them, and rounding out the class, were the sisters, Kira and Kida. Both a little taller and broader than Sidra, making them average for the class, as well as both sporting brown hair and eyes with peach coloured skin. They would probably describe themselves as quirky and fun, but Sidra thought of them as just somewhat immature. Sometimes a little too eager to have have a laugh, make a joke or indulge themselves with 'witty' banter. Usually at someone else's expense. Both Kira and Kida were below average in most respects when it came to swordplay, neither of them having the skill to last very long in any prolonged exchange, and so they were usually beaten by almost everyone in the class in sparring bouts. That is... when it was one on one sparring bouts. Whenever they challenged their peers to a two against two sparring bout, they normally came out on top. Working together with an efficiency and coordination that usually overwhelmed their opponents, despite their lower level of technical knowledge and skill. Lastly, at the front of the line and leading the march, was sergeant Casdra, the classes swordplay instructor and their superior. Taller and broader than any in the group, she practically towered over Sidra. The fact that Casdra wore more armor and used a larger sword than the rest of them only compounded the feeling of smallness for her. Possessing a lofty height, wide frame, not to mention having an ideal combination of muscle and curves, Sidra viewed her as a prime example of what a Lizardwoman should be. Though she didn't just respect her for what she was born with, Sidra also admired Casdra for her skill with the sword. Being able to efficiently perform the individual facets of swordplay was one thing, but weaving them together, seamlessly flowing from one into another, that is a display of a wholly different level of mastery. And watching Casdra in a sparring bout was truely a sight to behold because of that. She was capable of going from cutting into binding and winding, deflecting into counter thrusting, or blocking into grappling, all without hesitation or pause. Honestly it seemed like she could do it all as if it were second nature to Sidra. And you could never be sure when she was going to switch tactics, or which techniques she was going to use, Casdra was near impossible to read or predict. She was a true master in Sidra's eyes, and was thankful of the chance to be taught by her. Even if Casdra was outwardly stern instructor. Though Sidra didn't mind that. Casdra may have seemed harsh at times during the last few months of instruction, but Sidra, and likely the whole class, knew that it was only to help prepare them for the harshness of the world. What helped Sidra see through Casdra's instructor face though, was her teaching method. Casdra's lessons initially began the way Sidra expected. Starting with introducing them to a few stances and postures, then demonstrating the cuts and blocks that could be performed from them. They spent a grueling ten days repeating solo drills, practicing the motions of how to attack with, and how to defend against, various cuts until they practically dropped from exhaustion. When those ten days were through, they would then spend a further twenty days refining those movements with paired sequence drills, beginning with simple exchanges at first, but which grew into an ever more complex display of blows with each day. After those twenty days were over, Casdra would have them put those moves to the test in sparring. Spending five days having continuous bouts against each other. Only then would Casdra step in, and the class had to spend another five days sparring, only this time going up against their instructor, Casdra humbling each of them in turn, using only the cuts and blocks that she had taught them thus far. Afterwards she would restart the process, teaching them thrusting, deflecting, binding, winding and grappling, all of which Sidra thought of as fairly standard. Up until they started to revisit those previous aspects of swordplay, after she had a chance to come to know her class, and see for herself where the talents of her students lay, Casdra would gradually begin spending less time teaching her class as a whole, and more time instructing each recruit individually. Switching between guiding them in how to further refine the aspects of swordplay they were naturally proficient in, and showing them ways to mitigate their exploitable weaknesses in the areas they had shortcomings with. Meaning that by the end of her instruction, Casdra's recruits weren't just brought up to a standard level of competency in every aspect of swordplay, she instead had a reputation of presenting recruits who truely excelled in one regard or another. Which in part usually dictated where they would be assigned and what their duties would be. Destra, for instance, who had unquestionable skill in both attacking with, and defending against, cuts and thrusts delivered in rapid succession, and who had an almost fearless approach to danger... was almost certainly going to be assigned to patrolling the roads of Elizabeth with a team of different Mamono, serving as the vanguard and charging in with the standard issued longsword if the group encountered any trouble. Milla, however, who had a strong inclination towards thrusting, binding and winding, as well as having a more level headed approach to try to deescalate most situations before they got violent... would probably be sent off to recieve additional training in the use of the estoc, serving as security in courtrooms or gatherings of nobility. Tina, given her imposing physique, and the skill she had with cuts, thrusts and grappling to back it up, not to mention her stoic and disciplined nature... was probably going to be sent off to learn how to fight with a sword and shield, becoming a bodyguard of travelling merchants, or assigned to help safeguard the delivery of supplies to cities and villages. Quina, with her size and the skill in grappling that she possessed, was definitely going to be a bouncer, escorting rowdy women out of some establishment or another, as well as minding the door to keep similarly troublesome Mamono from entering... so breaking up a few drunken brawls in Blackmoor was probably just going to be a bit of practice for her. Sidra though, was more than proficient in every subject Casdra had taught, so she didn't really know where she would end up. Although she hoped that she would be sent for additional training in order to join some kind of elite sector of the Ranger Korps. Sidra felt that such ambitious thoughts weren't entirely unfounded, she proved herself again and again in sparring with her peers after all, the most recent example being just this morning. Though such prideful thoughts vanished as she was sharply reminded of the group's physical exertions when a gentle breeze blew down the line, carrying everyone's scent along with it as she continued trudging along. Sidra and her group had a chance to bathe and wash their clothes at a nearby waterfall that lead into a river yesterday, so the smell wasn't that bad, at least not as bad as it could have been. Although it was still surprising to Sidra how much she missed the luxury of bathing whenever she wanted, after spending just two days of being unable to. Even though the water was cold, wearing sweaty and dirty clothes for the past two days made the natural shower of the waterfall feel divine on her skin. And the group's moral seemed a little higher today because of the chance to feel a little cleaner. They were actually more chipper than usual in fact, several of Sidra's peers chatting animatedly as they continued their hike for the day, most either bragging about the moves they managed to pull off this morning, or making bets as to who would be the victor in their rematch later today. Sidra hid a grin to herself at the fact none tried to make any such gambles or wagers with her. But then showed a frown as she felt nature begin to call. "Hey Destra, I have to take a leak, tell Casdra if she thinks I got lost somewhere." Sidra announced before veering off into the forest to find somewhere more private. "Fine, hurry up though." Destra called back over her shoulder before continuing with the group. As she went further off the trail and into the forest, Sidra soon found a suitably large collection of foliage to squat in that would be completely out of view on the other side of a small clearing. As she walked over to it, Sidra found herself idly daydreaming about finding a man who she could call her equal in swordplay. Or, even better, her superior. A fantasy shared by pretty much every member of her kind. Or at least every one she had ever known. But as her skill and finesse with her blade grew, she found the idea of finding such a man vanishingly less and less likely to happen. Especially with how rare human men were to begin with. She sighed, stopping to reach down to undo her belts. Oh well, a girl can dream. Sidra thought. But before she could pull aside the fabric covering her privates and squat down, Sidra heard something that made her freeze in place, eyes going wide in shock. "Oh thank god I finally found someone." A voice called out in relief. A 'male' voice. Standing in the middle of the bushes as she was, only her uppermost torso and head were viable. Eyes widening, pupils dilating, and with a shiver running up her spine, Sidra slowly turned as the male voice continued. "Hi there, excuse me, I could really use your help. I have no idea where I am, or how I got here really... so if you could please..." He trailed off as he rounded the corner of the shrubbery where she had entered, letting him see the entirely of her, and conversely allowing Sidra to completely see him. The human standing before her looked raggedy, muddied, unkempt. His attire in particular looked strange to her... the style was of a design she had never seen before, and Sidra offhandedly found them ergonomic, yet somewhat lacking for any extended wilderness traversal. His skin was of a naturally tanned brown complexion, he had short black curly hair, a scruffy short black beard, and eyes so dark brown, that at a distance they appeared to be completely black. But what caught and kept her attention as soon as she noticed it, was the fact that he held a sword in his left hand. Holding it at the base of the blade by his side, with the handle out in front of him to resemble drawing it from the hip. A moment of silence passed between them, both wearing expressions as if they trying to work out how a mathematical impossibility had just been performed. Sidra instantly recognised him for what he was, an off-worlder. What are the chances!? Not only do I find a man, or should I say, not only does he find me, but he's also a swordsman!? This is a chance of a lifetime!! She thought to herself. Only one thing to do. Sidra told herself. "I challenge you to a duel!!" She proclaimed in a proud, booming voice. An almost feral grin streaking her lips in sheer anticipation as she drew her sword and pointed it at him in one fluid motion. He stumbled back as she unsheathed her weapon, eyes going wide looking at it, standing in frozen shock for a moment.. then abruptly turned and bolted. Sidra didn't hesitate. "Human!!" She bellowed as loud as she could. "I found a human!!" Sidra yelled again to her group before giving chase. The man got faster as she gave out her call, ducking and weaving between the trees as he ran, sometimes jumping to avoid tripping over exposed roots or fallen logs, at other times suddenly darting off to one side. He was fairly quick and nimble, only having his blade to carry, while she had her own weapon in addition to her water canteen, rations and camping supplies, all stored in her backpack. But Sidra could keep pace with him despite all the extra weight and jostling, the only thing she needed to do was not loose sight of him as they ran. "Over here!!" Sidra bellowed out again when she heard her name being called by her friends. The effort of shouting so loud taxing her more than she liked as she tried to regulate her breathing while running. The echoing reply of her peers and instructor being washed out by the rustling of her backpack and the gradually increasing roar of the approaching waterfall as they continued their chase. The human dove into a large patch of shrubbery, momentarily disappearing from view. Sidra cursed as she found that diving in herself was her only option. She raised her arms to shield her head as she jumped in. When she emerged from the other side her eyes darted around to relocate her quarry, finding him standing dead ahead looking over the ledge of the same waterfall they had bathed under the day before. "Got you." She proclaimed with a grin as she walked up. The man turned to face her, a look a dread on his face as she stepped forward. Before either of them could do much of anything though, Sidra heard her friends call out once more. She yelled back, reluctantly this time. The sound of trampling footsteps and jostling equipment heralding their arrival through the bushes, their instructor was first to burst through the bushes, quickly being followed by the rest of her students. The group forming a small quadrant circle around the human, one end at the edge of the cliff, the other at the edge of the river. A cacophony of mutterings broke out as they all just stared at him. "Sidra wasn't lying." Tina said in wide eyed astonishment. "What luck. What incredible luck." Kida breathed in a husky groan. "He has a blade." Milla observed excitedly. "Think he's any good with it?" Kira asked giddily. "Only one way to find out." Destra said, eagerness thick in her voice, reaching for the hilt of her own sword. "Quiet." Casdra hissed sharply. The chattering abruptly ceased. She stood there taking his measure for a moment before speaking again. "Human, step away from that ledge." She ordered. He simultaneously jerked his head back and furrowed his brow at her words, then momentarily glanced around at the surrounding Lizardwomen and shook his head. "I think I'm fine right here, thanks." He replied unsteadily. Grasping the hilt of his blade, moving one foot back to enter a stance and holding the sword low at his right side. The air grew suddenly tense as a small stone was kicked over the edge by the foot he placed behind him, he didn't seem to notice, but Sidra and her peers did, unconsciously leaning forward in response. "All of you take three steps back." Casdra suddenly spat to her class. "Now." She continued, glancing around at the Lizardwomen flanking her. They all took exactly three steps back when they fell under her gaze. Some taking larger steps than others, a few even having to back up into the bushes they previously cleared to obey her instructions. "You as well, Sidra." Casdra admonished the lone Lizardwoman in front of her. "But I was the one that found him, and I challenged him to a duel. I should be the first one to..." Sidra whined. "That was an order, Sidra." Casdra interrupted firmly. Sidra was torn. She always wanted to join the Ranger Korps, her mother had spent much of her life serving the agency, as had her grandmother. Being raised on the stories of their exploits and adventures, Sidra grew to want nothing more than to have a few stories of her own to tell one day. Ever since she was old enough to lift and swing a stick she remembered practicing to one day follow in their footsteps. To become an honourable protector of the people, leaving Elewyr, seeing the rest of her domain, righting wrongs and serving her Lord. The moment she became old enough to join, she did, without reservation, without hesitation. And now, almost through all of her training that honor seemed so close. But one of the conditions to join the Ranger Korps was to always follow and obey the orders of her superiors. Failing to do so could potentially mean being rejected from joining, even if she was otherwise qualified. But this... this was the opportunity of a lifetime in front of her. The chances of an off-worlder appearing on Arcadia at all was rare, the chances of them appearing specifically in Lord Elizabeth's domain was rarer still, but the chances of them also being the ideal type of man a particular Mamono hoped to claim for a husband? And them just falling into their laps like this? That was almost infinity improbable. So much so it was practically impossible. And Sidra knew it. Yet it happened, there he was, right in front of her, the opportunity of a lifetime... of several lifetimes in fact. She wavered there for a moment, the weight of her instructor's eyes at the back of her head as she stared at him. Finally, she hesitantly took three steps back. "There, you have more space, now step away from that ledge." Casdra said authoritatively. He looked behind him at the fall that was by his feet, before slowly taking a single step forward away from it. His stance and guard still held as he moved. "Now, do you accept?" She asked. "Do I accept what?" He puffed in vexation. "Sidra claims to have challenged you to a duel, do you accept?" Casdra asked simply. "Why the fuck would I do that? What the fuck is going on? Who are you? Where am I? And how the fuck did I get here?" He questioned in a frantic tone. "I'll take that as a 'no' then." Casdra replied. "Back away from him Sidra." She continued. "But he didn't say that he wouldn't accept." Sidra whined. "He didn't say that he agreed either. Regardless we will address it later, until then, resheath your blade stand behind me, now." Casdra said, her tone brooking no argument. "Yes, sergeant." Sidra replied meekly before doing as told. So what that really means is I have to find a way to get him to agree. She thought covertly to herself. "As for you, we'll answer your questions later. For now, come with us." Casdra instructed calmly. "And go where exactly?" The human demanded in exasperation. Casdra paused for a moment, considering something, then letting out a light sigh before answering. "We'll have to take you back to Elewyr." Casdra proclaimed. What? So the training mission to Blackmoor is being called off then? Sidra thought, looking to Casdra. "And where the fuck is that?" The human asked in a fit of pique. "Come with us and I'll explain." Casdra said calmly. "Fuck no. I'm not going anywhere with you." The human declared, glancing behind him at the river again as he shuffled back with a few jittery movements. "Don't be a fool." Casdra snapped. "That currant is stronger than you think, try to jump it and you'll just slip and be carried over the edge. A fall from that height is enough to break your leg if you're lucky, crack open your skull if you're not." She admonished. "And what, you expect me to just go along with a group of women playing dress up in the middle of a forest, with real swords? I think I'm better off making the jump to the other side and legging it thanks, so if you don't want me to chance it, all of you stay the fuck away from me." He snapped back, both the human and Casdra falling into an uncomfortable silence for a long moment. "There's no way we can convince you to come with us?" Casdra asked in a dangerously resigned tone. "No." He answered sternly. Casdra sighed, hanging her head. This is my chance. Sidra thought. "I believe I have a way to reach a compromise, if I may, sergeant." She offered, stepping forward to stand beside Casdra, who turned to look down at her, though Casdra wore a slight frown on her face, she didn't order Sidra to step back, so she continued. "How good do you think you are with that sword?" Sidra asked of the human, turning to him. "Good enough to warn you that you 'really' don't want me to swing it at you right now." He replied coldly. "Ah-ha, is that so..." Sidra mouthed with glee. "Do you think you're good enough to beat me if I were swinging one back at you then?" She pressed. He wavered for a moment, before becoming firm with grim confidence. "You really don't want to find out." He breathed, shaking his head. "Oh but that's where you're wrong, because I really do." Sidra cooed. "The way I see it, we're at a bit of an impasse. He doesn't want to come with us, but we can't just leave him now that we've found him." She continued, looking up to Casdra, before turning back to the human again. "So why don't we settle the matter with a little wager, just you and me, no interference from anyone here, if you win, we agree to leave you alone just like you want, if I win, you agree to come with us just like we want... how does that sound?" Sidra questioned to both the human and Casdra, glancing between them. Casdra's frown deepened, she had a reputation for scorning contests of chance, but even Casdra would surely agree that her victory over this human was a forgone conclusion, and it was certainly a better alternative than whatever drastic action she was planning. Sidra held Casdra's eyes for a few moments, actually getting a bit nervous that she wouldn't allow it and employ her own methods instead as the seconds dragged on, until Casdra broke their eye contact and turned to face the human again. "Would you be willing to agree to her terms?" She asked of him. Sidra breathed out a quiet sigh of relief before also turning to face him. The human considered for a moment, looking about at the audience of women surrounding him, all staring, most leering. He fidgeted under the weight of their attention. "I win, you and all of your friends here agree to leave me alone? Are you actually being serious?" He asked, glancing sceptically at all of the women arrayed in front of him. All of which were trying to hold back a knowing smile, most of which were failing miserably. "You have our word." Casdra proclaimed. "But if Sidra wins, will you agree to come with us?" She returned, he hesitated, briefly looking around at all of them again before answering. "Alright, I'll play along, sure." He said amusedly. Sidra's heart fluttering into a frantic rhythm at his assent. Yes. Oh Elizabeth, yes... Sidra thought with mix of euphoria and barely contained anticipation. "Very well, the terms of the duel are as follows, you will both be using wooden blades, not steel, you will both start out of reach of the other, since this is will be a contest of skill with the sword, only swordplay techniques are allowed, no grappling, no strikes with the hands or feet, the duel will continue until one of you yields or is rendered no longer able to continue, are these terms agreeable?" Casdra queried. "Yeah, I can agree to that, just don't blame me if she gets hurt, you both asked for this, remember that." He replied coldly. She nodded in response. "Tina." Casdra spoke, glancing at her, the blonde haired muscular Lizardwoman stepped forward, slinging a long sack off her shoulder before retrieving two hardwood practice swords from within, throwing one over to Sidra, who deftly caught it, and tossing the other at the human's feet. "Everyone stay back. Whenever you're ready." She invited before joining her class. "Thank you, sergeant. I won't disappoint." Sidra swore, undoing her belts and buckles before flinging her sword, backpack and other equipment aside. Then stepping to the side further up the river, before widening her stance and raising her sword. "Don't ruin him Sidra, I call dibs on having a go at him next." Destra called coyly. A corner of Sidra's lips curled up at her friend's voice, though the human frowned at the presumption of his loss. He turned to face her and re-entered his guard, now brandishing his wooden blade, his oddly shaped steel one being placed carefully behind him. They squared off, slowly stepping closer to each other, closing the distance foot by foot, until they were both just out of reach of the other. I'll hold back a bit to start off, can't finish this too quickly, I want to take my time and enjoy it. Sidra thought to herself. Holding her position and resigning herself to letting the human attack first to begin their exchange. He stepped in, gathering himself to strike, his blade soon rapidly approaching in a downward diagonal arc, a strike aimed squarely at her head. Easily blocked. She thought, bringing her own blade to the side. The two wooden swords clacked as they connected. Then Sidra's eyes widened as she doubled over in a coughing fit, the coarse, splintered wood of his blade having whacked her throat. What...? What!? What just happened!? I blocked his cut, I know I did! I felt our swords connect! What did he just do? She thought, sputtering as the Lizardwomen frantically took several small shuffling steps back. "So, we done?" The human asked, his eyes momentarily flickering to sergeant Casdra. "No." She replied with a frown. "Victory condition was until either of you yielded or was rendered unable to continue." Casdra reiterated. The human again simultaneously jerked his head and furrowed his brow in surprised disbelief, looking at her with incredulity before settling into another guard position. Alright, fine. No more holding back then. Sidra chastised herself before getting serious, this time taking the initiative. Choosing to begin their exchange by stepping in with a vertically straight downward cut. She again didn't exactly see what the human did to respond, but she felt it. While the tip of her blade clacked again as it connected with the base of his, she reeled back in shock as the tip of his blade sharply connected with the left side of her temple. Soon followed by another swift impact to the right side of her head. Dazed and disoriented by the two blows, she next found that her sword was sent flying off to the side by one last powerful stroke aimed specifically at her blade. By the time she planted her feet and recovered her wits, Sidra saw the human was already back in a readied stance. What did he do this time!? I've never seen a move like that before! Sidra questioned in her mind as she stared at him with slack jawed disbelief. "How about now?" The human asked again, head turned to look directly at the sergeant, but periodically glancing back at Sidra out of the corner of his eyes. "I am not overly fond of repeating myself. Sidra has yet to yield, and is still able to continue should she wish it." Casdra retorted sharply. The human's expression grew dark. "Have it your way." He said gravely before settling his full attention on Sidra again. "One more." He muttered. Sidra found herself bristling, her face flushed, her breathes growing heavy and her tail lashing. She strode over to pick up her hardwood sword before readying herself to beat him down with everything she had. Not like this. I will not allow myself to be humiliated like this. Not in front of my friends! Not in front of my peers! And not in front of my sergeant!! You're going to regret belittling me like this human! Sidra swore to herself before closing in one final time with a flurry of blows. Raining them down with all her might, skill and fury. Engaged but not overwhelmed, the human blocked and deflected each one, even managing to retaliate after warding off some of her cuts. The exchange going longer than most exchanges would, the initiative changing sides on multiple occasions throughout. Until the human pulled one of his strikes to her right in order to redirect it to her left. A feint! Sidra screamed in her mind as she wrenched her blade back over to block the redirected stroke with a grunt of exertion. Before the wooden blades touched though, the human lunged forwards, planting the pommel of his sword squarely into her throat. Sidra produced a sound half way between a gasp and a cough, as she involuntarily doubled over in shock again. Before she could recover, she then fell limp onto the floor, a jolt of paralysis taking her after receiving a swift crack to the back of her neck. Her mind now sluggish and disconnected from her environment, staring blearily at the flowing water of the river, she faintly registered the weight of a foot being pressed onto her back, before dully hearing her sergeant's voice call out. "Stop!" She bellowed. "That's enough, Sidra is no longer able continue, you've won, lower your sword." Casdra reluctantly admitted. Then Sidra felt the pressure on her back lift away. "No... wait, I can still fight. I can still win." Sidra pledged shakily, slowly getting to her feet. Her words slurred, her balance compromised. Casdra didn't waste time trying to convince her otherwise. "Destra, Milla." Casdra barked before nodding over to Sidra. "Pick her up and drag her back to the path. Wait for us there." She ordered. Without hesitation the two Lizardwomen jogged up to her, causing the human to retreat back up to the edge of the cliff again. The two hoisted her up, taking one arm each and wrapping it around their shoulders, before turning around to lead her away. "Wait, wait please! Tell me your name! I need to know!" Sidra yelled looking back at him. Her two friends turned, allowing Sidra to face him again. The human paused for a moment, then steadily replied. "My name is William." He answered. William. Sidra seared the name into her mind. This isn't the last you'll see of me, William. I will find my way back to you, I swear it. And when I do, I will make you mine, even if I have to chase you down to the other side of the continent, I will make you mine. Sidra vowed to herself as she was again lead away. Sergeant Casdra stepped forward as they passed her, walking up to William as he once again stood at the precipice. Stopping a respectable distance away. "Now I'll see what your word is worth." William said agitatedly, trying and failing to keep from glancing around at the women still surrounding him. She didn't respond for a long while, appraising him for a few moments, before finally nodding and stretching out her hand, palm up, fingers flexing. William tossed the wooden sword over to her, which she deftly caught. Hesitating for a brief moment longer, before turning around and ordering her class to return to the path. Picking up Sidra's discarded gear as she walked over to them. All of them were alternating between glancing at William and each other in uncertainty and distress before being spurred into motion by another, this time more sharply, barked order to backtrack to where they came from. Some of them stealing one last look at the human before turning, all doing so with crestfallen and dejected expressions. __________________________________________ "Wait." Sidra quietly uttered. Destra and Milla still holding her arms over their shoulders, though now more for security than support, as she had recovered enough to walk on her own again. "Don't even bother asking us to let you run back to him." Rillisa retorted sharply. "I'm not going to ask you to do that. I need to..." Sidra trailed off, whispering too quietly for either of them to catch what she said. "You what?" Destra asked, smiling. "I still need to pee." Sidra whispered, utterly mortified. |
Maku_The_BlueNov 19, 2023 7:52 AM
| Heh! That ending was perfect! |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| That ending really conveys how bad Sidra feels about her humiliation. William seems to be quite adept with the sword or is Sidra (and her fellow trainees) simply still quite inept? I'm curious to see if and how Sidra will manage to find William again and whether she'll come up with a different way of convincing him of her charms. I imagine her fellow trainees, and perhaps her captain as well will be quite interested as well. Also good to hear that you have a bit of a backlog, but I would not worry too much about posting speed. Just look at how quickly you are writing new chapters and then adjust accordingly. Better to release once every two weeks or once a month, rather than encountering some writer's block and not being able to post for a long time :) |
Chapter 2: A rare and interesting occurrence. What a delightful evening. Lorelei thought to herself as she strolled idly through the forest trail. Today had been just wonderful as far as she'd been concerned regarding the weather. The morning had been a bit moist from an early morning drizzle that left the woods feeling cleansed. The afternoon had been hot with a proudly shining sun, but was accompanied with a strong breeze that had intermittently blown to offer a cooling draft. Not to mention the fact that Lorelei had the shade of the trees above to provide further shelter as she made her way through these woods. To top it all off, the evening air was now left pleasantly warm. The sun's fading amber light gradually giving way to a darkening sky filled with stars. Lorelei tilted her head up and closed her eyes to enjoy a wash of gentle wind that passed over her as she continued to slowly place one foot in front of the other. I do so really enjoy evenings like this. They're so rarely this ideal. She observed in her mind. A slight smile gracing her lips. Her long Elvish ears twitched as they caught a sudden twang, then a rapidly approaching whistle coming from behind. Eyes snapping open Lorelei lunged out to the side, the arrow thumping into the ground in front of her. Then a cacophony of twanging and whistling erupted in Lorelei's ears, a virulent storm of arrows hurtling towards her from almost all directions. She dashed, ducked, dived, dodged, even twisting and twirling between trees, periodically using them as cover as Lorelei evaded the constant stream of arrows. Managing to avoid getting hit by every single one for almost a minute, until finally, a particularly well placed arrow found its mark, striking her centre mass on the left side of her ribcage. The arrow bounced off as it struck, but Lorelei snatched it out of the air before it could fall to the ground. She held it up with her left hand, and just like that, after dodging a stark few more arrows that were already heading her way, the bombardment ceased. The Elf sergeant lowered her arm and looked at the arrow in her hand. "Three blue stripes." Lorelei called out. A triumphant guffaw of victory rang out as one of Lorelei's pupils practically pranced out of some foliage. The rest of her Elven Ranger Korps recruits sourly coming out into the open as well, stepping up from various bushes or from behind large fallen logs all around her. Quietly muttering to themselves under their breathes as they walked up and crouched to collect their arrows. None of which had steel tipped heads, nor were any even sharpened to a wooden point, in fact all were padded with a rounded leather cover at the end. And each had three ink stained stripes just below the fletchings to identify which belonged to who. Lorelei presented the arrow that had struck her to the Elf that had loosed it as she gleefully walked up. "Well done, Nimri. Your precision and timing is getting even better. That may have been a lethal shot, if not certainly a debilitating one." Lorelei said. "Thank you, sergeant." Nimriel replied, beaming. "Few things are as pleasing as seeing diligent effort and practice bear fruit." She continued, ecstatic with herself as she accepted the arrow and slid it back into her quiver. "Well said." Lorelei agreed with a smile. "But don't let the joy you feel at your continued success to devolve into vanity, many of your peers train just as judiciously as you, even if their buds have yet to bloom." She chided gently. "Yes, sergeant." Nimri responded with a less jubilant, but still respectful tone. After all of her trainees had found and retrieved their arrows, they formed up into a single row of eight in front of her, standing at attention and awaiting orders. Even though some 'were' admittedly more talented than others, Lorelei still gazed upon each one of her students with pride. For each one was standing before her, wanting to help keep the land and people she loved safe. And each one was willing to put in the time and effort to learn the skills required to do so. Chief amoung these skills, and the main thing she was charged with teaching, was mastering the bow. Lorelei held the belief that there were essentially four areas of expertise one had to be proficient in, before they could effectively use the bow in any given situation, or claim to be a master of the weapon. The first and most rudimentary level, was being able to accurately hit a stationary target, while also being stationary. The second was being able to accurately hit a mobile target, while being stationary. The third was being able to accurately hit a stationary target, while being mobile. The fourth and most complex level, was being able to accurately hit a mobile target, while also being mobile. Most of her students attained competency in the first three of those areas by the end of their training. But only a select few managed to display proficiency in all four. Lorelei didn't view those that didn't fully master the bow as being deficient or less useful though. Because the other disciplines that she taught could make up for that. Stealth being the other primary skill that she instructed her students on, followed by teaching them how to defend themselves with the shortsword as an ancillary weapon, and how to perform various throws and submission holds as a last resort. Lorelei's current group, as with all of her previous ones, was a mix of talent. Going down the line of her class, there was Nimri, Farali, Ranni, Merci, Hillni, Vinci, Yuni and Kimi. Nimri was the top recruit of this group by a wide margin, already displaying proficiency with the first three areas of mastering the bow, and showing real promise of achieving competency with the fourth. She also excelled in every matter regarding stealth, alongside holding a more than passable aptitude for shortsword combat and grappling techniques. But like all the other top students that came before her, Lorelei knew that Nimri was in danger of allowing her confidence and pride in her abilities to predispose her for a severe downfall. A lesson that Lorelei always endeavoured to teach such pupils before her time with them concluded, and they were sent off. The next Elf in the line was Farali. An exceptionally accurate archer, but only when both she and her target was immobile, of the whole group she had the best precision with the furthest range. But give her a moving target or get her to loose an arrow on the move, and her impressive aim faltered. Thankfully she was a fairly adept at remaining undetected, so she could reliably sneak up to a good vantage point before taking aim. Standing next in line was Ranni, a fair archer in most respects, accurately hitting most stationary and mobile targets, again, as long as she herself was permitted to remain grounded in one spot. But Ranni made up for that shortcoming with her fluidity, being able to snatch an arrow from the quiver, knock, draw and loose at a good speed, especially in comparison to the rest of the class. Merci was the next in line, another who had a grasp of hitting stationary targets, but could actually keep her accuracy while on the move. She was possibly the next best all round archer in the group behind Nimri, but she also excelled at shortsword combat. The following Elf in line was Hillni. Possibly the best at stealth of the group, which was good because her aim was rather poor. Lorelei supposed it was a relief that she was a fair combatant with the shortsword, and an even better grappler. Vinci was next in line, another that was capable of hitting stationary and mobile targets while being stationary herself, and was beginning to show promise of being able to hit stationary targets while mobile. But she was rather clumsy with a shortsword, and she had a habit of getting tunnel vision when she locked onto her target, which meant she didn't look where she was placing her feet when sneaking up to them. The next Elven recruit in line was Yuni, more adept with the shortsword than the bow, she almost seemed to favour it in fact, being the best in the group at it. She could hit a stationary target while being still herself, and had passable aptitude with stealth, but seemed to end up really liking shortsword combat more. Last in line was Kimi, probably the worst archer of the class. But she excelled at every other subject Lorelei taught, stealth, shortsword, throws and grappling. Farali and Hillni would probably be assigned to be scouts or join the advanced guard of some other larger force. Ranni and Vinci should probably go to a keep or fortress near the boarder, shooting down any terrestrial or celestial invading forces from the rooftops or through arrowslits. Nimri and possibly Merci were the only two good enough to be sent off to recieve additional training to join the Ranger Korps elites... but Lorelei wasn't so sure what she should do with Yuni and Kimi. Since Lorelei still had a few more weeks left with them before she had to make any final decisions, she dismissed it from her mind. "Don't worry girls, you'll all get another chance tomorrow." Lorelei spoke, addressing them. "For now though, we continue going south-west until we find a suitable location to set up camp for the night. Fan out in the arrow formation, Merci, you take the lead." Lorelei ordered. However, before Lorelei could give the order to break, her ears twitched again as she heard a large branch snapping under foot in the distance, then she began to hear the rhythmic thudding and gasping of someone jogging. She turned to peer into the forest, and spied a Lizardwomen running up to her. Wait a minute... that's one of Casdra's lot isn't... what was her name again? Milla, wasn't? Lorelei thought, straining to remember. She was dripping with sweat, her face flushed, and panting so heavily that Lorelei thought she'd pass out any moment. The poor girl looked like she'd been running all day. "Sergeant Lorelei." The Lizardwoman recruit rasped out, jogging up. Exhaustion distorting her words. "Sergeant Lorelei." She choked out again, this time intending to say more, but involuntarily doubled over in a coughing fit as soon as she stopped, hands resting on her knees. "Calm yourself girl, sit down and catch your breath." Lorelei ordered. "Whatever you need to tell me, you won't do it if you faint from exhaustion." She declared. Not even bothering to respond with words, the Lizardwoman simply nodded and fell to her knees, puffing and panting for air. After about a minute had passed and she had settled a little, she spoke again. "What's your name again? Milla, right?" "Yes, sergeant." The still huffing Lizardwoman replied, steadily making her way back to her feet before giving Lorelei a salute. "I came under orders of sergeant Casdra, to deliver a message, she urgently requests your presence." Milla spoke breathily. "Well, you have my attention, out with it. Why does Casdra need me?" Lorelei asked, deeply intrigued. Casdra isn't easily shaken, she's a skilled warrior, a capable leader, and should be able to handle anything she could possibly come across in these woods. Especially with us being not even a week outside Elewyr. She thought worriedly. "We found a human, an off-worlder." Milla replied. And just like that, Lorelei could practically feel the attention of the trainees behind her shift from mildly curious, to keenly engrossed. Their eyes widening as they momentarily glanced at each other before all gazing fixedly back at the Lizardwoman, eagerly waiting to hear more. "Elaborate." Lorelei stated simply, now feeling significantly more at ease. "Coming across an off-worlder is certainly a rare and interesting occurrence, but I fail to see why Casdra would order you to run yourself halfway to death just so you could tell me about it." She continued. "Well..." Milla began. __________________________________________ "Oh my... what an interesting predicament." Lorelei chimed, a faint smirk on her face. "So in summation, Casdra won't permit any of you to approach the off-worlder again because that would mean breaking her word, but she rightfully can't just leave him out here to die in the wilderness either. And because she's interested in this human due to him displaying an unusually high degree of skill with a sword, Casdra doesn't want someone else to come along and snatch him right from under her. So her solution is to have me approach the off-worlder instead, since I technically fall outside the terms of the little wager she agreed to, and then lost." She observed amusedly. "Do I have that about right?" Lorelei asked. "Yes, sergeant." Milla replied, trying to hide her displeasure. Lorelei giggled lightly. "I am going to be telling this story for decades." Lorelei announced, thoroughly amused. "Nimri, Farali, Merci, Hillni, you're running ahead with me. The rest of you will have to shoulder our gear and regroup with us when you arrive. We'll light a bonfire so you won't miss us." The Elf sergeant said before turning, then paused. "Oh, and be sure to not leave Milla here behind." She added before running off, four of her Elf recruits eagerly running alongside her. __________________________________________ The sun had long since fallen when they arrived at sergeant Casdra's encampment. When they did, Lorelei was quickly escorted to Casdra's pavilion to speak in private by a lone Lizardwomen that was tasked to stay up and wait for them, while the vast majority of the camp slept. As soon as Lorelei walked in, she was greeted by a crisp salute. "Sergeant." Casdra stated respectfully. Lorelei rolled her eyes. "And here I thought we've known each other long enough to skip such formalities." Lorelei said with a pout. "But very well, if it turns you on." She teased before performing a mockery of the same salute. "Sergeant." Lorelei said in a playfully flirtatious tone with a wink. "Still playing the frivolous, ditsy air head? You know I won't fall for that. I know you." Casdra deadpaned. "Well, if you're going to play the stern, aloof uptight, I thought it was only fitting that I put on my veil too." Lorelei retorted. They both stared at each other for a moment. Then Lorelei grinned, and after another moment, Casdra returned a faint smile of her own. They both clasped forearms and stepped in to wrap the other arm around each other in a more familiar greeting. "Always a pleasure to see you Lorelei, it's been some time." Casdra said pulling back. "I trust that your instructing endeavours have been going well?" She asked. "For the most part they're going reasonably well I suppose. Though there's only one, maybe two in this class that show promise of being accepted for elite training." Lorelei sighed quietly. "Much the same with my current group unfortunately, typical that the single prodigy in my class was the one to go and find an off-worlder to be infatuated with." Casdra softly muttered. "And this human truly defeated her in a contest of swordplay?" Lorelei asked. Casdra nodded. "You can't be very happy about that." She tittered. Casdra frowned. "You don't have to prove me right so readily." She continued with giggle. Casdra's frown deepened. "Oh lighten up, I'm only jesting." Lorelei admitted, lightly swatting Casdra's arm. "Although, in all seriousness, I'm still trying to figure out why on Arcadia you agreed to Sidra's absurd proposal in the first place." She finished. "So am I." Casdra muttered sourly. "Clearly it was a imbecilic decision, and I should have known better. Being placed in a situation like this is precisely why I normally refuse to partake in such facetious games of chance." She proclaimed bitterly. "However... in this case I felt utterly assured of Sidra's victory, and so I honestly thought that agreeing with the condition of gaining the human's voluntary compliance with his defeat, was the most expedient course of action I had." She admitted with a sigh. "But evidently I miscalculated." Casdra finished with another downward turn of her lips. "And so we come to the matter at hand." Lorelei spoke lightly. "Let me guess, this off-worlder you found, you don't just want me to approach him for you... you want me to seduce him for you as well, don't you?" She asked playfully. "Correct." Casdra deadpanned. "Oh now really, couldn't you at least 'pretend' to be somewhat embarrassed to request that of me?" Lorelei asked with a pout. Casdra merely raised an eyebrow in response. "Apparently not." Lorelei sighed. "I was hoping to see a new awkwardly bashful side of you, but I suppose that may have just been wishful thinking on my part." Lorelei muttered. "All done?" Casdra questioned with a weary air. "For now I guess." Lorelei responded lightly. "Anyway, this human, how do you want me to proceed?" She asked. "Honestly I was hoping you would have some suggestions. I honor my word, and I keep my promises. So I will not permit myself, nor any of my class to approach him, per the terms of that asinine pact." Casdra spat. "Aside from that though, proceed however you wish, take whatever course of action you think has the highest chance of securing him for us." Casdra went on. "You have more experience with off-worlders than anyone else I know, so both I and my class will defer to your wisdom, and do whatever you ask to help in securing him for us." Casdra said with a nod before stepping closer. "But let me be clear, we need him, Lorelei. 'I' need him. I won't get another chance like this in my lifetime, and I fear that I'm on the verge of losing it, if I haven't already, so I'm asking you, as a friend, please, help me get it back, help me get 'him' back." Casdra finished, using a tone of voice that Lorelei didn't think she'd ever heard from her before. More than sincere, Casdra had been sincere a few times before, no, this was... vulnerable? "No pressure..." Lorelei drolled, rolling her eyes. "But very well, I will do this for you, and yes, I do have a few ideas of how I should go about doing it." Lorelei said confidently. "His apparent martial skill alone makes him a rather ideal match for you and your girls. So I promise I won't snatch him for myself either." She proclaimed, speaking earnestly for a moment. "Can't make such a promise on behalf of my girls though, but you likely don't need to worry, their attempts at seduction would probably go even worse than yours ever could." She continued, momentarily imagining how it would go, then leaned in. "But you owe me one for this, a big one. Agreed?" Lorelei added in a whisper, pressing her lips to Casdra's ear. "Agreed." She readily stated. "Marvellous." Lorelei said, leaning back. "Now, first things first, where is this prodigy of yours, the one that first stumbled across him, Sidra, that was her name. I would very much like to speak to her next to get some details." She continued. "I have her tied up and kept under watch in the middle of camp." Casdra answered with a sigh. At Lorelei's eagerly raised eyebrow and ready grin, she reluctantly went on. "After her first attempted escape to run back to the human and 'claim him before any of us did' I took no chances. I tied the knots myself, and have selected two recruits to watch over her from dawn to dusk." She explained. "Doubtless she's trying to wriggle her way out of her binds while feigning being asleep as we speak then." Lorelei noted lightly. "Doubtful, I tied the knots to myself, remember? She won't be able to get out of them. Besides, I gave her a choice, either she falls asleep on her own terms, or I put her to sleep myself." Casdra retorted. Lorelei's eyes widened for a moment. "Using a sleeper hold on a recruit isn't something relish the idea of doing. But if it means keeping her from breaking my word, I 'will' do it." She admitted calmly. Lorelei shook her head in bemusement. "Would be a little harsh to wake her in the middle of the night if that's the case. I'll have my questions answered by proxy in the morning then. Where is the human now?" Lorelei asked. "Last we saw him he was huddled up under a partially fallen tree trunk just north of our encampment, just a stone's throw away from the waterfall. Assuming he hasn't moved and isn't dumb enough to go wondering out into the forest at night, I'm certain you will have no issues finding him." Casdra answered. "Very good. I look forward to seeing this human for myself. Let us begin." Lorelei smiled. |
Maku_The_BlueNov 19, 2023 8:30 AM
| "After her first attempted escape..." heh heh. Poor Sidra is definitely smitten. Not that one can blame her. I find myself liking Lorelei a lot. I don't care for tsunderes, so a departure from the usual elf attitude is quite refreshing. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| Lorelei seems like fun. I'd say finding a more subtle approach than Sidra used should not be so hard, but curious to see how the guy will react to that. Looking forward to more. |
Chapter 3: And so it begins. Predictably, it was a rather simple matter for Lorelei and her Ranger Korps recruits to find the off-worlder. Being an Elf, Lorelei couldn't see in the dark as clearly as a Vampire, nor did she have as keen a nose of a typical Werewolf, but her ears were as sharp as they came. And the human's perfectly infrequent shuffling as he tossed and turned on the forest floor, huffing in frustration as he tried and apparently failed to get comfortable enough to be able to sleep, made him painfully easy to pick out in the otherwise relatively quiet night time forest. Being huddled under a fallen tree trunk, she couldn't quite get a good look at him, even with the help of the faint moonlight piercing through the canopy to illuminate some of the forest floor. "Now, the waiting game begins in earnest." Lorelei quietly uttered, as she nestled her back against the trunk of a tree to have a little rest herself. Never fully going to sleep, but entering a restful meditative trance like state. Her trainees similarly hunkering down in bushes or behind trees. Getting into comfortable positions were far easier for them out in the forest than it was for the off-worlder. __________________________________________ As the sun just began to rise and light washed over the forest, Lorelei stood and stretched luxuriously, yawning and trembling with the satisfaction of the motions she went through. Before finally shaking herself out and carefully rounding the circumference of the tree that hid her, to get her first good look at the off-worlder that was causing so much fuss. He was still asleep, at some point through the night exhaustion had finally claimed him and he stopped his fidgeting, apparently coming to rest in a fetal position. Fingers still loosely clutching the grip of his strangely shaped sword, which was held under his head as if it were a pillow. The first thing Lorelei noted was that his complexion immediately reminded her of the numerous Salamanders and High Orcs that she knew, and Lorelei idly thought that he'd make quite the match for some of them, especially if he was as good with a blade as she had been told. Multiple would-be interested individuals instantly springing to mind. Before Lorelei could finish mentally listing them however, she was interrupted by a voice pitched high enough to gain her attention, but still far too quiet for the off-worlder to hear. "Sergeant." Nimri stated. "Hmm?" Lorelei acknowledged. "We should move to secure him now, while he sleeps, before anyone else discovers him. Elizabeth knows if any of us will ever get another opportunity like this, we shouldn't squander this chance." Nimri went on. Lorelei frowned in dissatisfaction for a moment before replying. "Nimri, it's that kind of impulsive thinking that drove Sidra to act how she did, and is exactly how she got us into this mess in the first place." Lorelei began. "But let's say, for the sake of argument, that I agreed with you, how do we go about 'securing' him exactly? Especially while he sleeps? Grapple him into submission while he is unaware and defenceless? Tie him down and drag him back to Casdra's encampment on the end of a rope? Gag him should he protest, or attempt to shout for help perhaps? Do you imagine making him endure any such treatment at our hands will endear us to him? Or is it more likely to compel him to spring into the arms of the first woman we come across in a bid to escape us?" Lorelei queried. Nimri's eyes widened in realisation with the last question, glancing back at the off-worlder, looking at him with obvious longing, not answering any of Lorelei's queries. "We're representatives of the Ranger Korps, Nimri." Lorelei said harshly, regaining her attention. "And he's quite obviously a freshly arrived off-worlder in desperate need of help, regardless of whether he knows it or not, he is now a citizen of Lord Elizabeth's domain, so we'd do well to not act like rapists or slavers." Lorelei pressed, Nimri looking away at her words. "However, because this off-worlder had a poor first impression with Casdra's... results oriented way of thinking, and her... straightforward disposition, it means approaching him directly is unlikely to have a favourable outcome for us, so we'll be using another method. And for now that means utilising the skills we've been out here honing all this time, we stay hidden, we keep quiet, and we observe to gather information. Do I make myself clear?" Lorelei asked, softening her tone. "Yes sergeant." Nimri responded quietly. "Good, now I want everyone to spread out and encircle him. Nimri, you move to cover the north. Farali, you move to cover the south. Ranni, take his west flank. Merci, his east. Hillni, you stay to his northeast. Vinci, you stay to his southeast. Yuni, his southwest. Kimi, his northwest." She listed, each of her trainees nodding as they were given their locations. "Anyone gets anywhere close to approaching him, I want to know about it. Remember, we're not the only girls out here, we may not have come across anyone since we set out, but we can't assume such luck will keep. Understood?" Lorelei asked. "Yes sergeant." They replied, being mindful to keep their collective voices down, before slinking away to perform their assigned roles, each sneaking their way around the off-worlder to create the circular barricade. Lorelei turned again to get another look at the human. She hesitated for a moment, focusing on his face. Not bad. Lorelei thought, turning to climb a nearby tree, getting comfortable before she resumed compiling her list of would-be interested individuals while she waited for the still snoozing off-worlder to awake. __________________________________________ Almost an hour had passed before the off-worlder finally got up. From her perch up on the branch of a tree, Lorelei watched as the human stirred far below. His movements were strained, laborious and stiff as he slowly got to his feet, leaving his sword where it lay for the moment, and stretched while he yawned. The corners of her lips turned up in amusement as he suddenly jerked a hand to the side of his neck, grumbling unhappily to himself as he rubbed at the spot and gingerly rotated his head. As he came to his full height Lorelei appraised his build and form. A fair stature, broad shouldered, healthy physique, still quite young... not bad at all. She mused to herself. He turned to pick up his sword and breathed in deeply, letting it out in a long, slow exhalation. Then glanced around at his environment as he visibly debated with himself on what his next actions should be. Lorelei waited to see what he did. Eventually his attention turned north, and he began to walk. As he moved, so did Lorelei and her trainees. Lorelei herself leaping from branches of one tree to another, preferring to keep a more bird's eye view of the situation. While her Ranger Korps recruits stayed below, all moving as he did to maintain the circular perimeter around him. As the off-worlder travelled north, he gradually began to crouch and walk more slowly as he edged closer to the bustle of Casdra's encampment. Finally coming to crouch in small patch of shrubbery, trying to peer over at the group of Lizardwomen, still some leagues away. After it became clear that he wasn't likely to move for some time without provocation, Lorelei climbed back down and snuck her way over to Nimri, who in light of the situation, wisely decided to join Kimi to his northwest, in order to keep from being pushed into Casdra's encampment by his movements. "Well, that was easy, it appears the off-worlder is planning to walk up to them all on his own. We didn't even have to do anything." Kimi said idly as Lorelei approached. "Typical. First he claims that he wants to be left alone, then he sneaks his way back to spy on them? Hypocrite. And men say that 'we' give mixed signals." Nimri stated, unimpressed with the off-worlder's actions. "A cute observation Nimri, but inaccurate." Lorelei began with a light chuckle. "While he did state that he wished to be left alone, we must look at this situation from his perspective if we're to have any chance of understanding him and his actions." She continued. "We don't know the exact conditions of how he ended up here, and won't until we ask him. But suffice it to say that he was plucked from his world, an environment he was familiar with, and dropped into this forest, an environment he is unfamiliar with." She went on. "We also don't know how long he's been here, but it's a reasonable assumption that Casdra's party were the first women that he has come across, as he likely would've been claimed and accompanied by someone had he run into anyone before them." She explained. "Knowing that, despite the unfortunately brash first impression they made, from his perspective, keeping tabs on them would be a very wise decision. He doesn't know where he is, how far away he might be from any kind of settlement, which direction he should go in, what else could be out here, or how to survive in a forest for very long. And I'm fairly sure he acknowledges all of this too. Aside from keeping tabs on them as a last resort for help should he get desperate enough, staying close and watching them also means not getting anymore lost than he already is, but more importantly, it could mean being shown to safe food and water, which is exactly what we're going to have them do." She proclaimed, smiling. "Nimri." Lorelei uttered. "Yes sergeant?" She responded. "Sneak your way into Casdra's encampment and get somebody's attention, but make sure the off-worlder doesn't notice you doing so." Lorelei emphasised. "Once you've got someone's ear, deliver my instructions, say they're from me, inform them that the off-worlder is observing them, but stress the importance of not letting him know that he has been discovered. Once done, instruct her to break camp and begin heading east until they find the water spring. Casdra will know of the one I speak, and where to find it. Tell them to discreetly empty or drink from their canteens on the journey. Once there, have all her trainees refill them with the spring water, instruct them to make a show out of doing so. And have a few of them gather and drink the water from their hands for good measure. After that, tell them to completely and clearly vacate the area, again heading east, back to Elewyr. And instruct them to leave a wide and clear trail, march with at least three of them abreast, not single file. Once you've delivered my words, sneak back out of their camp and resume your place in the circle at his north. Understood?" She asked. "Yes sergeant." Nimri repeated before carefully slinking away to carry out her orders. Now, let's see if you'll continue to do the smart thing and follow them... Lorelei thought to herself. __________________________________________ Lorelei was pleased that her plan succeeded, though she was a little annoyed that after her message had been delivered, most, if not all of sergeant Casdra's recruits couldn't help but glance behind them in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the off-worlder stalking them. Some did it subtly, to their credit, but others did it rather brazenly before having to be quietly reprimanded to stop. However, after some consideration, Lorelei thought it might have been as equally suspicious if none of them tried to spot the off-worlder as well, considering the level of interest they showed towards him when they first encountered him, so she dismissed that little hiccup of her directions from her thoughts. Ultimately Casdra's recruits broke camp and headed east as instructed, found the water spring, lined up to refill their canteens, some stopping to drink from their hands and even wash their face, to give the human plenty of chance to see what they were doing, before marching on in an openly concise manner. Some time after they left, the human descended on the spring water, first vigorously washing his hands and face before eagerly slurping down palm full after palm full of water. Good. Assuming he's smart enough to drink his fill, that should give me at least two days before I have to lead him to another water source, or be forced to intervene. Two days should be plenty of time for an opportunity to present itself. Lorelei thought with a smile of satisfaction as she watched him. He left his sword by the bank of the water spring, and though she had taken note of its odd shape and design before, now she wanted to take a closer look while the human was preoccupied. Lorelei dropped down from the branches she had been perched on, landing softly and almost silently on the lightly moist soil below. Stalking forward, keeping low, staying quiet and alternating between using trees and bushes as cover, she always stayed at least partially hidden as she moved. Lorelei chose to stop in a loose collection of shrubbery still a fair distance away. Looking more closely at his weapon, she was surprised to find that it had no cutting edge to speak of, the two planes that ran along the length of blade where they were supposed be, was entirely too thick to sport one. Having a rounded bevel instead of an edged one. While that meant it wouldn't be able to cut into anything, she supposed getting hit by it would still be a rather unpleasant experience. Lorelei also noted with some interest that the tip of the blade, where it normally should have narrowed to a point, was instead curled and folded in on itself, seemingly to prevent any kind of puncture wounds when thrusting. These two observations, combined with his blade's overall shape, that of a peculiarly wide base which suddenly gave way to an unusually thin strip of metal, too narrow to be a dedicated cleaving instrument, but likewise too thick to be any devoted thrusting one, left Lorelei with the distinct impression that his 'sword' was merely a tool, a training simulacrum of a blade, and not lethal weapon. Good, that means I won't have to worry about it when it comes time to approach him. Lorelei thought with relief, checking one concern off her list with a smile. But then Lorelei frowned as she noticed that the off-worlder's head suddenly jerked up in alarm. His focus snapping from one direction to another. What? What brought this on? I didn't hear anything. Lorelei thought as she watched him, though she paid more attention to her surroundings anyway, listening carefully. Sure enough, all that she heard was what she expected to hear. The babbling of the spring water as it flowed, the chirp of bird song from up high, the light swishing of leaves being blown together in the wind. Nothing out of the ordinary, no sudden snapping twigs, no rustling of shrubbery due to another hidden individual, nothing of anything that would give cause for alarm. Then what is it? There's no way he heard something I didn't. So why this sudden alarm? Lorelei thought as she refocused on him. As she did, he began to walk around the water spring, continuing to try to spot something, glancing around seemingly at random. He hasn't retrieved his sword... She noted, glancing at it. So despite his initial alarm, he apparently doesn't feel threatened by something. So what brought this on? What is he searching for? She asked mentally as he walked with the stream of the water spring for a few paces, then stopped, turned back around, considered the water spring for a moment, then went about ruffling bushes, rolling fallen tree trunks, and peered up at particular trees, all still seemingly at random. But with a certain intenseness and sense of purpose to his actions. Lorelei was felt perplexed watching him. Finally his seach ended, she could only assume in failure, though she still had no clear idea of what he was trying to find to begin with. She ruled out her trainees, none of them had given themselves away, they hadn't even gotten close enough 'to' give themselves away. She likewise discounted the idea of searching for any possible threats, as he never retrieved his sword. She also didn't think he could have been trying to find any kind of edible plant life, not with the way he was searching. And being left unable to figure out what he was doing or why left her in an odd state of disquietude. Does he suffer from auditory hallucinations? That would be a shame. She thought as she watched him. He drank from the water spring one last time, picked up his sword, and began to follow the wide trail left behind by sergeant Casdra's party. Lorelei waited until the sound of his footsteps faded from her ears, then stepped out into the open to stretch her legs as she silently mused to herself. Alright, let's see what else you do... Lorelei thought, turning to trail him in turn. |
Maku_The_BlueNov 19, 2023 8:56 AM
| Interesting chapter. I quite liked how Lorelei manipulated him into fulfilling his most immediate needs. While Lorelei herself is obviously not one of the stuck up kind of elves, is it the same for her trainees, or are they merely respecting their superior? I'm quite curious how you'll manage the initial introduction between human and elves :) |
| Well, now. Lorelei is shaping up to be one clever individual. We won't discuss how much that turns me on. So it seems that our male lead is an expert swordsman, but somewhat less adept at wilderness survival. That tracks; few people have those skills nowadays. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Maku_The_Blue said: Kind of strange actually, when I first started writing this, she didn't have so big a role/focus, but then she kind of grew into a main character. I can relate. The first time I did NaNoWriMo I had a character who was supposed to be a 2-scene walk-on. By the end of the 30 days she was the Big Bad's main henchwoman. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Chapter 4: You reap what you sow This fucking sucks. Sidra thought sourly to herself as she walked, flanked by the sisters of the class, Kira and Kida. Treated like a prisoner just because I found an off-worlder and dared to try to stake a claim on him. She had so far made two attempts at escaping the purview of her sergeant to try to get back to William, with the full intention of both demanding that he give her a rematch, and demanding that he lay with her. Having either demand granted would've made her happy, but she hoped the off-worlder would be sensible enough to acquiesce to both. Unfortunately for her however, Casdra had experience with detaining prisoners, and both of her attempts were soundly thwarted. There were ultimately two reasons why Sidra wasn't planning on making a third attempt. First was that she had received point blank orders not to. And disobeying those orders meant Casdra would be well within her right to prohibit Sidra from being fully accepted into the Ranger Korps due to insubordination, which would also cripple her chances of joining any other military force, like the Exercitus. But the second reason was that it had been discreetly explained to her that sergeant Lorelei was currently enacting a plan to convince the human to make his way back to them. And it was stressed that her compliance with Lorelei's machinations greatly increased the chances of them working. Sidra didn't know why she was being singled out with being told that, she wasn't the only one that was jeopardizing the success of Lorelei's plans, everyone was. For instance, though they had all been subtly instructed to act natural, as though nothing was out of the ordinary, everyone's efforts at following those orders were laughable. Milla, Wylla, and Tina all marched with an overly stiff and rigid gait, seemingly being unable to help but radiate a kind of palpable anxiousness, utterly consumed with being too self conscious of themselves, agonising over each and every movement they made because they knew that the off-worlder may be watching. And they just couldn't allow themselves to be seen doing anything the slightest bit untoward or unseemly. Lest they inadvertently ruin their chances of getting with him. But their efforts at trying to look so prim and proper ironically made them look a bit off and silly instead. Destra and Quina on the other hand, swung to the opposite side of the spectrum in the extreme, almost prancing around and flaunting their assets as they stepped with deliberately swaying hips or bouncing rears. Being so carried away with trying to put on a show for the watching off-worlder in a bid to advertise themselves and catch his eye, that they coincidentally forgot that they were supposed to be trying to look and act natural instead. And it wasn't just some of the Lizardwomen's manner of walking that made the group's hike look a tad conspicuously suspicious. Normally there would be conversation aplenty in the rank and file, playful banter, good natured jibes, dares, bets, proclamations of superiority in their martial prowess, disagreements and disputes over such claims, even singing on occasion. None of that was to be found here, instead only a heavy, awkward silence as they all continued forward, everyone's mind being consumed with thoughts of him. But the most damning thing of all in Sidra's estimation, was that every now and then, she and her fellow classmates would be placed downwind of the off-worlder. And when they were, everyone, including Sidra she had to admit, attempted to subtly tilt their heads towards the sky and inhaled deeply through their nose, angling their faces to the sides in order to catch as much of his scent as they could when it passed. That aroma, his musk... it's intoxicating. Elizabeth, I need him. Every time I smell him I wish he was right here so I could rip his clothes off. Sidra thought to herself on multiple occasions whenever the wind carried his scent. She wasn't the only one to try to savour his fragrance on the air, so she couldn't be singled out to be blamed. And at least Sidra managed to resist the urge to turn and attempt to spot the human in order to steal a glance at him. That only happened twice before Casdra announced that the next Lizardwoman to do so would be disallowed from joining the Ranger Korps for an inability to follow simple orders. Still, William's scent came, it's intermittent appearance reassured Sidra that he was still behind them, still following. Well if I can't go to him, having him come to me is at least a good alternative. She thought. Though she still felt bitter about having to be minded while going along with sergeant Lorelei's plans. First they had been discreetly instructed to show the off-worlder to safe drinking water, an Elven subordinate of hers intermittently came to whisper from some foliage or shrubbery, delivering orders all while telling them to act like they couldn't hear her. Now they were being instructed to show him to a viable food source while simultaneously leading him east to Elewyr. Which certainly made sense she supposed, none of them knew how long he had been wandering around before his encounter with them, since none of them had thought to ask. And since humans can only survive a stark three days, if that, without water... making sure he's at least well hydrated was a good move. But leading him to food immediately after? Sidra idly wondered if what they were doing was a bit too obvious, and if the human would figure out what was happening. But, then again, she had never been one for participating in subterfuge, trickery or mind games, Sidra preferred to be direct and honest, so she supposed she wasn't the best one to judge Lorelei's directions. She hadn't managed to spot her, nor any of her number that wasn't specifically sent out to them to deliver them instructions, but she knew she must be up there in the canopy of the forest somewhere. When they finally reached the fruit tree after two hours of slow marching, they took a few moments to gather around it and rest for a short while. Almost everything had to be done slowly to make sure the off-worlder not only caught up to watch what they were doing, but could also clearly see why. Which meant giving him ample time to nestle himself in whatever vantage point he desired so that he could both 'remain hidden' and observe them. After two dozen or so minutes had passed, Casdra gave the order for Destra and Tina to scale the tree and cut down a healthy collection of fruit, their clawed hands and feet making the climb look effortless, while back down on the ground the rest of them remained and readied themselves to catch and gather the fruit as they fell. The fruit were ovular in shape and were about the size of two clenched fists stacked one on top of the other. They had a brown hard rind that had to be cracked open, but which concealed a juicy and sweat white fleshy pulp within, the tender flesh itself containing numerous small brown seeds. They were a delectable treat of a fruit in this forest, that also happened to be rich in nutrients, and so was perfect for their purposes. While Lizardwomen like Sidra and her class didn't usually eat fruits or vegetables, instead normally favouring meat, they were willing to put up with the change in diet just this once considering the circumstances. Without so much as a grumble from any of them no less. Once a decently sized potion of them had been collected, they set about cracking them open one by one. Usually they would all go about opening them with the uniformly expedient method of just using a hammer, however, this time orders had been given that everyone was to crack their fruits open using only one of two very specific methods. The first was opening them by placing it on the ground and using the pommel of their sword as a makeshift hammer until they pounded the cracks into it. The second was opening them by again putting it on the floor and placing the flat of their blade on it, then using their body weight to press down on it until they cracked enough to pull them open. Sidra again thought that this would all seem a bit overly convenient to William, but she had her orders, so Sidra, like the rest of her class, followed them. Once they had them all cracked open, they sat down in small groups to eat, only one fruit being consumed by each. Leaving at least half a dozen uneaten fruit in total as intended, a pair of them even cracked open. And again Sidra noted the change from a normally loud and raucous group, being so abruptly subdued into complete silence. Where there should have been small talk and laughter, there was instead a certain... energy, an electric charge that filled the air around them, creating an aura of suspense that blanketed each little cluster of Lizardwomen. She found the shift to be quite stark, almost startling when she stopped to fully consider it. One man managed to cause this? Sidra silently questioned. Taking a moment to think on it. No, not just a man, a swordsman and a fine one at that. The exact kind of man many of my kind dream of finding. She concluded. And though everyone was quiet, Sidra knew they weren't absent minded, they were all thinking about him. Replaying the duel in their minds, rewatching the engagements, how he moved, how he fought, how he managed to land those hits so easily. She knew that's what they were doing because she was doing the same. Trying to figure out what he did and how he did it, attempting to parse together his moves and techniques, and more importantly, endeavouring to come up with counters for them when they inevitably had their rematch. After everyone had finished eating, sergeant Casdra gave the orders to move out, and so everyone rose, gathered their gear and set off once more. Again Sidra resisted the temptation to try to spot the off-worlder out in the forest. Soon. She thought as she turned to follow, once more trying to quell her annoyance at her minders, Kira and Kida. __________________________________________ Lorelei, perched up high on the branches of the forest canopy, observed as Casdra and her trainees left. She watched and waited for a further dozen or so minutes until the human finally crept his way over to the fruit tree. Giving it some time before he moves in, even when he's probably staving, and still keeping a wary eye out for a potential trap or ambush, smart. Lorelei thought with a smile of approval. He further eyed the direction Casdra and her group set off in particular detail, before turning his attention to the opened but uneaten fruit left by them. He picked one up, sniffed at its contents, then took a small bite. After seemingly considering the flavour for a moment, it appeared that he liked it, or at least found it acceptable, and deemed it not to be poisonous. Then he settled down, placed his sword by his side, and began to eat in earnest. Never fully letting down his guard Lorelei noted, periodically checking his surroundings with almost clockwork like regularity. Wait... he's not just checking his surroundings for potential danger... he's trying to find something again. Lorelei realised. She could tell with the way he didn't just glance in a circular perimeter on ground level, but also peered up into the trees all around him as well. Now that he's fed and watered, he should be more receptive to any kind of approach that I make, all I need to do is wait for a good opportunity. She thought. Patiently waiting as he finished the two previously opened fruit, before wiping his mouth with his sleeve, and pocketing two more. Then he stood, stretched, and followed the trail sergeant Casdra and her trainees left behind. Lorelei and her trainees naturally shadowing him in turn, still maintaining the circular perimeter, with Lorelei keeping a watchful eye on things from up above. |
Maku_The_BlueNov 20, 2023 3:28 AM
| I liked this one as well, well written. I suppose since in this story the pov will remain with the women, we'll never be fully sure whether William will think everything to be suspiciously convenient. Looking forward to what you came up with for Lorelei introducing herself. |
Chapter 5: Another interested party The rest of that day passed rather uneventfully, sergeant Casdra and her group were still travelling east, heading back to Elewyr, the capital of Lord Elizabeth's domain. Meaning the off-worlder was also unwittingly making his way to the heart of the domain in turn. When early evening came they stopped to set up camp again, and again the off-worlder chose to settle down for the night a fair distance away from their encampment. Lorelei and her trainees similarly hunkering down around him for the night. __________________________________________ As morning came, Lorelei was the first to rise with the arrival of the orange and yellow rays of the sun, shortly followed by all of her trainees. Once she and her group had gone through a variety of stretches and had some breakfast, they spread out in order to widen the circular perimeter they had established they day before, once again resigning themselves to simply observing him from a distance at Lorelei's order. Although she chose to remain on the ground for now, instead of climbing a tree to get a good vantage point. They waited for two hours while the human lethargically tossed and turned, coming to rest on the right side of his body, then his left, then his front, then back to his right side again. He was clearly awake, but seemed disinclined to actually get up. "How lazy can he be? For Elizabeth's sake, it's almost noon." Merci uttered with disdain looking over at him. She had remained with Lorelei because Casdra already had the off-worlder's east flank covered, and was going to be sent off to them to give word once he got up. Lorelei chuffed softly. "Not very empathetic are we? You must remember that he is most likely not accustomed to sleeping outside in the elements without so much as a cover or padding. So I'm not surprised he's struggling with getting a good night's sleep. Which, quite honestly, is a very good thing for us." Lorelei stated. Merci looked to her in puzzlement for a long moment. "I admit, you have me at a loss there sergeant, how could that possibly be any good for us?" Merci asked. "Because it's one more thing we can use to help convince him to join Casdra's party, and therefore, join us. The prospect of food, water 'and' a warm, comfortable bed for the night could convince a lot of people to do a lot of things after what he's going through." Lorelei explained. Merci pondered that for a moment, again looking down at the off-worlder. He rolled onto his stomach for the nineteenth time by her count. "I wish I had your ability to spot opportunities." Merci finally admitted. "I would say it mostly comes with an optimistic mindset." Lorelei replied lightly. They stayed like that for almost a full hour further, both they, and Casdra's party couldn't move until the off-worlder got up. Having them set off before he arose, only for him to find them gone, might have caused him to panic and scramble to catch up. Which could lead to any number of unfavourable outcomes, he could overtax himself and collapse from exhaustion, or have an accident in his haste and injure himself, forcing Lorelei to step in sooner than she wanted to. Or he could move too quickly for Lorelei and her group to stealthy shadow him, comprising their, so far, undetected status. The worst outcome however, would be him haphazardly making too much noise and drawing the attention of another Mamono, which would drastically complicate matters. Having everyone wait until the human was good and ready may have looked suspicious in its own right in some respects, but it was the best course of action they had for proceeding. Finally, he got up and stretched, like yesterday he appeared to have a bit of a crick in his neck. And even at a distance Lorelei could see that he was beginning to form bags under his eyes, while his lips were starting to chap. He gathered the two fruit he had taken with him and used the flat of his blade to press down on it until it cracked. Then he pried it open and ate, doing so rather voraciously in Lorelei's estimation. After repeating with the second fruit he took, he stood and streched again, picking up his sword and turning to face the direction of Casdra's encampment. At last he finally appeared to be ready for the day. I suppose if an opportunity to introduce myself doesn't present itself by the end of the night, I may have to intervene in the morning whether I like it or not. She thought with dismay, watching him creep his way over to Casdra's encampment. "Alright, he's on the move, go tell Casdra he's ready to begin. But inform her to move at half speed for the day. He doesn't look like he can handle the kind of marching they did yesterday." Lorelei ordered, turning to Merci. "Yes sergeant." She replied before slinking off. Lorelei herself now deigning it necessary to ascend into the canopy. __________________________________________ About an hour passed, blissfully uneventful. Casdra's party leisurely walking through the forest, the off-worlder following them, and Lorelei's circle of Elves slowly stalking him in turn. That was until Lorelei spied Nimri making her way over to her, coming from her left flank, waving an arm to get her attention. Lorelei leapt from tree to tree in order to make her way over to her, before climbing down to ground level. "Sergeant, we have a situation, a Soldier Beetle is approaching from the north, it appears that she hasn't scented the off-worlder yet, but if she does she could be trouble." Nimri quickly stated. Lorelei cursed softly. And today was going so well... I really don't want to have to subdue one of those right now... She thought wearily to herself. But I suppose it was foolish to hope that our luck would keep. Lorelei thought, then instructed Nimri to show her to the Soldier Beetle. Nimri immediately spun and began leading the way, Lorelei following, and sure enough just a short distance away now, was an approaching Soldier Beetle. And a particularly hulking specimen at that. She appeared to be ambling along at a leisurely pace, but at her current rate she was likely to run straight into the off-worlder. She wasn't exactly being stealthy... once the off-worlder saw her, he would surely react and cause a fuss, and once she noticed him, then there would be problems, big problems. Lorelei sighed softly to herself before addressing Nimri. "Alright, keep quiet unless directly spoken to, let me do the talking, we don't want this to escalate to any kind of conflict." Lorelei said, she nodded, and with that they both rose to their full height, and stepped out into the open to approach her. As they did, the Soldier Beetle stopped and turned her head to watch them as the pair of Elves walked up. "Good afternoon friend, are you well?" Lorelei asked in polite conversational tones. The Soldier Beetle tilted her head to the side as she appraised her for a moment, before finally replying. "I am in good health, yes." She replied simply in a vibrating but yet emotionless voice. Choosing to ignore the apparent misunderstanding, and reminding herself that her kind usually aren't well practiced with reading any subtext of a conversation, most often taking things quite litteraly, Lorelei proceeded with the interaction. "My name is Lorelei, an officer and representative of Lord Elizabeth's Ranger Korps." She continued, holding a hand to her breast and giving a small bow. "My name is Tia." She retorted in the same buzzing, drone tone, her head returning to it's natural alignment. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Tia, but I'm afraid going to have to politely request that you apprise me of where it was you were going, and why." Lorelei stated in a diplomatic tone. And once again Tia's head cocked itself to the side as she stared unblinking at her. I dislike speaking with her kind, it's always near impossible to get a good read on them. She thought with discomfort. "I am going south to my favoured fruit tree to feed." She replied in that characteristic monotone. "You're not in any particular rush are you?" Lorelei pressed in a soothing tone. Tia hesitated a moment, than answered. "No." "Excellent, then I would hope there shouldn't be any issues with me asking you to please take a slight detour of a league due west, before continuing on your way down south? We're assigned to aid in the delivery of a valuable asset back to Elewyr you see, and we would prefer it if everyone kept a respectable distance away from our party." Lorelei explained. Whenever in doubt, always mislead with the truth. She thought to herself. The Soldier Beetle didn't speak for a moment, just stared unnervingly at the pair of Elves with her compound eyes. "Do you think me a bandit or thief?" Tia suddenly asked. "No, but still we would still rather err on the side of caution, and you said yourself that you weren't in any rush. Besides putting us at ease, which we would be most greatful for, it would help you work up a bit more of an appetite so you'll enjoy your meal that much more when you get there." Lorelei responded sweetly. Tia hesitated a moment longer, then abruptly turned west and started walking. "We sincerely thank you for your cooperation. Have a pleasant day." She called as the Soldier Beetle departed. "Nicely done." Nimri said. Lorelei smiled. "Let's just hope that's the only time I'll have to do it." She replied. __________________________________________ Back at a certain water spring, over a day's journey away, a pack of Werewolves gathered to quench their thirst. They numbered twelve in total, all strong and healthy, but most covered in numerous scars, and all wearing nothing but ripped and tattered rags. Working together they were more than enough to handle most prey or foes this forest could present, but thanks to their refusal to wear most conventional kinds of clothing, they didn't always come away unscathed either. However, it was their willingness to take damage in order to deal damage in the thick of battle that gave them their edge. And so they strode with confidence to the sweet, freshly gushing water. Feeling utterly assured that they could scare or intimidate anyone away from the site if it were occupied, claiming it for own personal use while stayed. But as they reached the water spring, they found it empty. Shame. Lowell, the mother and leader of the pack thought. She enjoyed the act of strong arming others, but it was always a gamble to see if anyone was here whenever they arrived. The surrounding area was so filled with scents that they could never tell if someone was there by smell. And the babbling water helped mask all but the noisiest of drinkers. So they always had to wait until they could see whether the place was empty or not. Lowell drank her fill first, taking her time to wash herself in the spring water, as she always did, before allowing any of her daughters to quench their thirst in turn. Each one conceived from the continuous rape of a man she had managed to capture, after killing his pathetic Weresheep lover. When she finished, the Werewolf spent her time waiting for her daughters to drink with her nose in the air, idly sniffing around to figure out what had recently been here. Centaur, Jinko, Elf, Nekomata, Satyros, Lizardwomen, and... and... it can't be. Lowell thought. "All of you, get over here, now." She barked. They immediately obeyed. "What is it mother?" One of them asked. "Can anyone else smell that? There's a new scent on the air." Lowell rumbled. At once they all started sniffing. After only a moment, one of them widened their eyes in excitement. "No way... is that..." They muttered, then trailed off to sniff again in order to confirm. "A male human?" "I think it is." Lowell said with a feral grin. "And I think it's about time you gained some new sisters..." She grinned excitedly, turning to the three person wide trail leading away from the water spring. __________________________________________ As the sun began to gradually sink into the horizon, sergeant Casdra called a halt for the group's march for the day, and gave the order to set up camp for the night. The numerous Lizardwomen of her party soon busying themselves with setting up tents, unfolding bedrolls, preparing fire pits or collecting and chopping wood to cook their evening's meal. Lorelei, perched up on the branches of a tree far above, watched the off-worlder as he in turn observed the activity of Casdra's encampment. After some time had passed, he began to 'sneak' away from their group heading north. Lorelei and her trainees naturally moved as he did to maintain the circular perimeter around him in order to keep the off-worlder in the centre. When he located a slight clearing, he began to sweep aside the leaves, twigs, moss and other substrate of the forest floor to form a circle of exposed soil. Before trying to dig a small pit in the centre of it with his fingers. After placing and leaving his blade on the floor, he then started to wander around the small clearing, periodically crouching to gather twigs, sticks and branches. Oh... now this looks promising. Lorelei thought as she watched him. When the bundle in his arms grew too large or awkward to carry while being able to pick up and add more, he returned to the small clearing to set it down by his blade before setting off to begin anew. Going through this process at least a dozen times before finally stopping. Circling further and further away from the small clearing each time, eventually collecting quite a sizeable stack of material to burn. Most of which Lorelei would call little more than mere kindling. But since he didn't have an axe to chop up any larger and more suitable logs or branches with, Lorelei supposed that she couldn't really blame him for making do. However, after a few more moments of watching him, she realised he came up with a solution to that very problem. He collected the more sizable branches that he gathered, and dragged them over to the trunk of a large tree in the clearing. After which he began to snap each one into smaller pieces by anchoring one end into the ground at the base of the tree, before forcefully stomping on it while holding up the other end in his hands. Resourceful. Lorelei thought with a smile as she observed him. As creative of a solution as that was however, it soon became apparent that he couldn't quite manage it with some of the thickest logs or branches amoung them. Sometimes his grip was the one to give instead of the wood, the logs clattering to the floor when it slipped from his fingers, other times the branches were just too thick to be snapped that way, and his foot was simply brought to a halt without going through. He ended up making several attempts at snapping a select few of them before finally relenting in frustration and moving on to the next. Unbeknownst to him, each failed attempt earned a snicker of amusement from some of Lorelei's trainees, who seemed to find it especially entertaining whenever his grip failed and he stumbled from the unexpected loss of balance. Lorelei tried to ignore them, instead opting to spend her time rehearsing what she wanted to say and do in her mind. When he finished snapping all the branches and logs that he could, he set about positioning them, along with some of the smaller twigs and sticks, into the small circular pit he dug out. Laying them against each other to create a little tent of firewood. Lorelei watched with keen interest as he gathered a handful of leaves before stacking them together, one on top of another. Next selecting a particular stick from the pile and placing one end on top of the stacked leaves, quickly rotating it by vigorously rubbing the lengths of his hands together. As she watched, Lorelei was initially worried he might actually manage to start a fire, but as time went on, she breathed out a silent sigh of relief when it became clear he wouldn't be able to. The expression on his face gradually shifting from one of concentration, to determination, then to frustration as he began from the top of the stick and rubbed his hands down to the base again and again to rapidly rotate it. The off-worlder had the air of a man that had perhaps seen someone successfully start a fire using such a method, but never actually learned how to do it himself. Attempting to haphazardly replicate the motions, rather than performing them with confidence and practiced assurity. Perfect. Lorelei thought with glee, climbing down and making her way north towards Nimri. "Yes, sergeant?" Nimri asked as she approached. "Make your way around the circumference of our perimeter and deliver my orders to the rest of the group. Tell them to maintain the circular barrier, the only reasons to break it is if I motion any of you to approach, someone who could be trouble is getting too close, or if there is a genuine emergency. Other than that, everyone is to keep themselves hidden and prevent anyone from encroaching on the off-worlder. Understood?" Lorelei asked. "Yes sergeant." Nimri replied. "Good, after you deliver my words to your peers, return to sergeant Casdra, and give her an update of the situation, let her know that if she, or any of her class sees a light from a nearby bonfire, to not investigate it, this is our chance to convince him to join them, and the best thing they can do to help me, is remain absent. Got it?" Lorelei added. Nimri again nodded as she gave her assent before slinking off. Now, time to introduce myself... Lorelei thought as she turned her gaze to the human's little campsite, still huddled over his kindling, still trying to start that fire. |
Maku_The_BlueNov 20, 2023 4:01 AM
| Oho! Those werewolves are going to be quite the complication. I look forward to seeing how that turns out. And kudos on the fire-making scene; it really is that difficult to start a fire using that method. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| Very nice, I agree, those werewolves are probably going to kick-start a bit of action. Can't say that I tried that method, but I imagine doing it with random branches (probably not perfectly dry) you find in the forest would not work too well |
| Seeing how I have a few chapters to catch up to, I'll be posting multiple comments here. With regards to chapter one: It seems that our protagonist either did not pay attention during the course about tact and savvyness, or has yet to follow said course. Given the laws of her lord, even if she had bested him, that would have given her exactly zero claim on him. So her strategy was a prime example of high risk, no reward. All I can hope for her is that her captain drills some common sense into her before she finds him again, for otherwise I have low hopes for her chances. With regards to chapter two: Lorelei! Sidra desperately needs some lessons in tact from Lorelei. Also, her group having to tie her up because she wants to run after him again? Tss. Tss. Tss, there is only so much being of a young age can get you away with... General remark: Does this mean you've abandoned your other story? For, generally speaking it is best to focus on one story rather than working on two at the same time and risking not making much progress with either. |
MetallumOperaturOct 20, 2022 7:41 PM
Maku_The_Blue said: Yeah I'm going to give my original MSG story a rest, for now at least, and focus on this one. My first one was kind of intended to be open ended so I could continue it for as long as I wanted, but this one has a definite end point in mind. With a fairly linear chain of events to get there, which has oddly given me a little bit more staying power. For the purposes of staying motivated, having a definite end point in mind and a chain of events that lead to that point definitely helps. |
| [quote=mugen91 message=67775133] Maku_The_Blue said: For the purposes of staying motivated, having a definite end point in mind and a chain of events that lead to that point definitely helps. Yes, indeed. While I had to revise my plans during the course of writing I had endings in mind for both my stories before I started writing. When you know where you want to go it's easier to get there. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| Very nice. William seems to be suffering from a major case of paranoia and Lorelei has proven quite patient, though that seems a given, considering the previous three days as well as her profession. I liked the little game of Q&A and am looking forward to whether William will take Lorelei up on her offer of some more comforts. It's going to be fun to read Sidra's reaction if he does stroll into their camp, I reckon. |
mugen91 said: It's going to be fun to read Sidra's reaction if he does stroll into their camp, I reckon. No kidding! I want William to march into the lizardman camp bold as brass now just to see Sidra's reaction. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Maku_The_Blue said: Oof, don't know if Lorelei is going to like being called old.Funny you say that, because that may or may not be what ends up happening... I thought they'd make an interesting contrast and dynamic. The young, rash and naive Lizardwomen, being mentored by the old, prudent and wise Elf. 😂 Maku_The_Blue said: Yeah having a goal in mind does help with staying on track. Perhaps once this story is finished and you consider picking up your first story again, looking for a sub-plot can help make it feel less overwhelming. Set a sub-plot and then come up with the next one once the first arc has been closed offYeah I'm going to give my original MSG story a rest, for now at least, and focus on this one. My first one was kind of intended to be open ended so I could continue it for as long as I wanted, but this one has a definite end point in mind. With a fairly linear chain of events to get there, which has oddly given me a little bit more staying power. |
| So, I've caught up with the reading. Here are my comments per chapter: Chapter 3: - I've got a feeling that the waiting game Lorelei is playing with him is not just to ensure she has gathered all the info she can get on him, but that it is a bit of playing a game with him too. See how he reacts or what he can figure out on his own, but hey at least she is looking out for him... Chapter 4: - Oh, no why do I have to suffer the consequences of my actions? -Sidra - I really liked the detail that Sidra realises how big an impact William's appearance had on the group's cohesion - Doubt the group being all tense and quiet is going to help win the man over Chapter 5: - I really liked that soldier beetle. No nonsense & straight to the point - Looks like trouble is brewing... An opportunity to bond with William, or perhaps yet another reason for him to distrust everyone in this place? Chapter 6: - Ah the true and tried, Q&A technique. Always entertaining to read - The forests around Elewyr are comparable to the forests that can be found in say the UK, or Germany. So I strongly doubt he would confuse them for a tropical forest, a mistake perhaps. In fact, even the southern most areas of Atalantheis would still not have a tropical climate, but rather more akin to what once can expect in, say, Greece / Southern Italy. Adding a tropical biome is one of the main reasons for these long term plans to eventually open up a bit more of the world and adding a new archipelago/continent - Yeah, that last question, I can see why Lorelei can't answer that one. Whichever answer she is going to give, he is going to interpret it such that it would confirm whatever he wants it to confirm. I wonder how long it is going to take before he takes up the offer - Seeing they were only a full day behind, and the relatively slow pace of William and the group it should not take long for those werewolves to catch up to them General: Perhaps a chapter title and/or numbering could be a simple yet useful addition to your story |
| Seems like the lizardmen need to be collectively investigated by the horny police and who knows, they might even end up in horny jail. (where Sidra presumably still is) Seems like William is (very slowly) warming up to Lorelei and company. Who knows, maybe one of them (even Sidra?) will get a chance to play the hero when those werewolves eventually manage to catch up with that scent trail he's been leaving. |
| I'm glad William wised up and threw in his lot with the good girls before the bad girls showed up. I suspect there's still going to be a fight, though; those werewolves don't strike me as the types to let a little numerical disadvantage deter them. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| I wonder if those elves will eventually get over their stuckuppiness and start flirting too. I reckon that if they are a bit more tactful about it, then perhaps they make a chance given how exaggerated those lizardmen are with their attempts at impressing him. |
MetallumOperatur said: I wonder if those elves will eventually get over their stuckuppiness and start flirting too. I reckon that if they are a bit more tactful about it, then perhaps they make a chance given how exaggerated those lizardmen are with their attempts at impressing him. Not to mention that they don't work with the disadvantage of having made a terrible first impression. Although, knowing the average elf, I'm sure they'll rectify that before long :P |
| Well it seems to me that Sidra is still quite caught in her entitled thinking that William obviously belongs to her. I can't help but wonder whether that's gonna come back to bite her in the ass again when her self control lapses. Personally I may be in favour of William x Lorelei :P I suppose a thorough investigation of a lizardman's tail may be a bit more difficult to attribute to an unscuprulous plastic surgeon, so William might be forced to confront reality come next chapter. |
mugen91 said: Well it seems to me that Sidra is still quite caught in her entitled thinking that William obviously belongs to her. I can't help but wonder whether that's gonna come back to bite her in the ass again when her self control lapses. Yep. I mean, you can't really blame her, but the intent doesn't matter if the result is bad. mugen91 said: Personally I may be in favour of William x Lorelei I'm firmly Team Sidra on this one... but only because I'd prefer to keep Lorelei for myself. ;) mugen91 said: I suppose a thorough investigation of a lizardman's tail may be a bit more difficult to attribute to an unscuprulous plastic surgeon, so William might be forced to confront reality come next chapter. The fact that William doesn't seem to have considered any other possibilities for his situation suggests that he's capable of weapons-grade denial. My money says it'll take an active demonstration of mamono capabilities, or even of magic, to crack his disbelief. And even then he's going to take some convincing. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| Seems like William's denial of reality may not quite be weapon's grade after all. Before long I'm guessing he may concede that his surgery theory may just be unrealistic. I really had thought Casdra to have a better grasp on the situation, but then again, she's still a mamano. Let's see if Lorelei can keep wrangling everyone into behaving :) |
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