Pushing his way past the flap, he stopped when he noticed Becky and Kuro staring at him. “What? Do I have something on my face?”
“That took way too long to just grab some stuff,” Becky said.
Opening up the bag and pulling things out, he began to fill Becky in on what had just transpired. He stopped multiple times as she raged at what they were doing, just like he had wanted to. When he finished the story, Becky seemed to be calculating something.
“We should save the XP until we can see what the base upgrades are,” she finally said. “It makes the most sense.”
“I agree,” Alvin nodded. “I’m going to go grab some food and maybe a bottle of wine or something, then we can turn in for the night.”
Becky glanced at Kuro, then him, biting her lip. “Cuddling tonight?” she asked softly.
“I’m always fine with cuddling my gothic temptress,” Alvin said. “Let’s have some good food first, though.”
“I’ll get the beds made,” Kuro said, taking the pile of blankets and gear Alvin had brought in, separating it out.
“One big happy family,” Alvin chuckled as he headed back to the Mustang. A pang of loss hit him though as he remembered that Jarvis wasn’t there anymore to snark at him while he bought food.
The mood in the tent was somber as they ate and eventually curled up to sleep. Kuro lay a few feet away from Becky, as far from Alvin as she could. Brushing Becky’s hair as they lay mostly naked under the blankets, Alvin wondered what the coming changes would mean. He now understood Johnny’s words a bit more, and wondered how the Shaman knew.
Chapter Five
Voices woke Alvin from his sleep. Laying still, he listened to the people talking. “Matriarch, you are wrong,” Kuro’s voice whispered. “I’ve been close to him for two days and he hasn’t once tried to do as you say. Matriarch Gothy slakes all of his needs.”
“We all know that men are never satisfied with what they have,” someone replied. “Even when I was with him for that short time, he looked at me with hunger.”
“I think you’re mistaken,” Kuro said. “I’ve been before him with nothing on, being tormented by Matriarch Gothy, and he never once laid a hand on me.”
“Because he knows his place under her,” the woman hissed. “She is sleeping soundly. If you go in there and lie next to him, he will do what men always do and take you. If your new Matriarch awakes, he will claim that you forced yourself on him.”
“I…” Kuro’s voice trailed off.
“You know I’m right,” the other woman pressed. “Just you wait. She will leave you alone with him and when that happens, he will show you what men truly are: beasts with only one thought.”
“No…”
“Why don’t you ask to ride alone with him tomorrow and see what happens? If you’re correct, then he won’t even try to do anything to you. If I’m right, though…”
“He won’t,” Kuro said louder than she had been talking. “You don’t see his eyes when he looks at her. If we were both naked side by side, he wouldn’t even look at me.”
“Tomorrow will tell the truth. I’ll be saddened to hear that your first time will be like that. Tell them we are going to head out within the hour.”
Closing his eyes, Alvin heard the tent flap rustle a moment later as someone came into the tent. Alvin was sure she hadn’t paused at the flap, but he didn’t hear her move until he heard the slight movement of leather from the other side of Becky.
“Matriarch, it is time to wake. The army will be moving in an hour,” Kuro said softly.
“Hmm,” Becky murmured as she turned toward Kuro. “What was that?”
“The army will be moving in an hour. We need to start getting things ready to go.”
“Wake Hero up,” Becky said as she shifted to sit up. “I’m going to get food from the shop. Dinner was too good to go back to jerky and granola for breakfast.”
“As you desire, Matriarch,” Kuro said softly as Becky got to her feet and walked out of the tent.
Alvin was considering sparing Kuro the problem of waking him, but before he could, a soft hand touched his hair before quickly vanishing from his head. Keeping his eyes closed, he waited to see what she would do.
“Hero… it’s time to wake up,” Kuro barely said.
Alvin didn’t twitch, waiting to see what would happen next. The soft hand came back to gently trace his face, making his cheek twitch at the suddenness of it. A soft scurry backward sounded from where Kuro was.
“It’s time to wake up,” Kuro said a little louder.
Deciding to play off his movement, Alvin brushed at his cheek with a wordless sound, letting a light snore escape him. It took her another few moments before Kuro came back to his side.
“You’re asleep, right?” Kuro asked from beside him. When he didn’t do anything, Kuro bopped his nose. “Wake up.”
Grumbling, Alvin swatted at his face, smacking himself in the nose. “Wazzit?” The sound of Kuro backing away came to him before he started to sit up. “We being attacked?”
“No, thankfully,” Kuro muttered under her breath. Speaking in a normal tone, she continued, “Matriarch Gothy is getting food. We need to start preparing to leave.”
Rubbing his eyes, Alvin yawned. “Sounds good.” He summoned his clothing before he stood up and saw Kuro across the tent from him. “You want to pull down the walls while I gather up the bedding?”
“I would rather gather the bedding,” Kuro said.
“Fine,” Alvin shrugged, going over to the closest wall to start untying it from the roof.
Finishing the first wall, he turned to see Kuro with a vexed look on her face. “Problem?”
“Where is the bag you used to bring this into the tent?”
“My duffel? Put it back in the Humvee before we went to sleep. Tell Gothy to buy a duffel just for the camp stuff so we know where it all is easily.” Alvin said as he went on to the next wall to start pulling it down. “We can put the tent in that same bag.”
As Kuro went to the Mustang, Alvin shook his head. “Today is going to be a fun day.”
Becky had picked up food, what looked like sandwiches, along with a small jug of juice. The juice was a blend of apple and banana from a fruit called banple, which made Alvin wince. Game designers still suck at naming things, it seems. No, this was probably named by Jarvis’ company before they brought in the devs. Shaking the thoughts away, he enjoyed the simple meal. The meat and cheese were close enough to roast beef and cheddar that he didn’t ask about them, and the bread was something between sourdough and rye. They passed around the jug, though Kuro paused before taking a drink after Becky ordered her to.
When they finished their meal, Skyfall walked over to them. “We will be moving out in a few moments. I wished to speak with you more on the changes. May we ride with you in your carriage again?” The whole time she spoke, she ignored Alvin, speaking directly to Becky.
“The elemental is resting today, but I can fill in as much as I can,” Becky said. “Is Lightkiller going with Hero again?”
“I wished to have us both go with you. Let Lightskin go with him,” Skyfall said. “Surely you can trust them together without you present.”
Becky’s lips trembled at the corners, her eyes full of amusement. “Yes, yes I can.” Looking to Alvin, she asked him, “Do you mind?”
“Nope. I’m sure Kuro and I can find ways to amuse ourselves during the trip,” Alvin said with a straight face.
“Give us five minutes,” Becky told Skyfall, who nodded and went back toward the army.
“Matriarch,” Kuro spoke up, “four can ride inside your carriage, correct?”
“Yeah, but it gets cramped if you stuff four into it,” Becky said. “Besides, it’s good for you and Hero to get to know each other.”
Kuro bowed her head. “I will do my best, Matriarch.”
“I’ll be glad when we get back to Earth, and you can start calling me just Gothy again,” Becky said as she got to her f
eet. “Let’s get this show on the road”
Alvin got to his feet, watching Becky walk away, before looking at Kuro. She was eyeing him with hesitation, fear, and some anger. “Ready to go?” Kuro didn’t answer him, instead walking around the Humvee and getting in the passenger side. “Well, this is going to be fun,” Alvin chuckled as he opened up the driver’s door.
“Car, you are to follow the army while maintaining pace with the Mustang,” Alvin said to the air as he started the Humvee. A pang of loss touched him when Jarvis didn’t reply. It wasn’t long before the army started walking, the vehicles rolling along behind them.
The ride felt tense as Kuro stared at Alvin warily, but he kept his eyes on the army and the side mirror so he could see behind him some. The silence was broken, eventually, by Alvin. “Kuro, why do you hate men?”
Not having expected that question from him, Kuro blinked dumbly for a few seconds. “Why do you want to know?”
“It’s obvious that you distrust me, probably even hate me,” Alvin said. “I think it’s more of a man-hatred than a specific me-hatred, so I wanted to know what it is that makes men so despised by you and your fellow Elves.”
“Are you suggesting that the men of your world aren’t overly-sexed, violent beings that are bent on controlling those around you?”
“No, I can’t deny that. That sounds like most guys I’ve known. But most of them also learn how to temper those feelings and behave civilly toward the people around them. For instance, I’m trying to have a conversation with you right now.”
Lips pursed, Kuro thought about it. “You’re just afraid of what the Matriarch might do if you showed her the real you.”
Laughter filled the Humvee as Alvin shook his head. “Oh gods, that is amusing as fuck. Kuro, Gothy knows exactly who and what I am. In a way, you are correct about me. I do control those near me and I am sex crazed, but those are both focused on Gothy. It’s what we both want, so it’s what I give her. If both of you were naked and next to each other, I might glance at you, but I would devour her.”
Kuro swallowed at his confession, before her head dropped. “I told her that,” Kuro muttered, just barely audible over the engine. “If I took the other side of you during the night—”
“I’d hold Gothy, like I always do,” Alvin shrugged. “I don’t always end up waking the same way I went to sleep, but I wouldn’t molest you, either.”
A spark of something seemed to build inside of her. “You would ignore me as if I’m worth nothing?”
“No, it’s just that Gothy means more to me,” Alvin replied. “If Gothy and I were naked side by side, who would you focus on?”
The dark coloring of Kuro’s face became darker as her mouth dropped open. “What? Why would you ask that?”
Alvin blinked, not having expected her to go defensive like she had or to blush. Maybe she is interested, but her upbringing twisted her. Pushing the thought away, Alvin shrugged. “It’s the same thing; we both know you’d be after Gothy. The way she makes you squeak proves that.”
Kuro’s dark cheeks turned darker still as she turned away from him. “That is not your concern.”
“Kind of is,” Alvin said. “You’re part of my team, and my gothic temptress wants you with us. I want you to feel comfortable with us. If you need something to make that easier, tell me, please. Gothy will use you, abuse you, and love you. You are a boon to both of us, as you help her vent some of the needs she has that she was uncomfortable doing with me. So, thank you.”
Kuro silently looked out her window, so Alvin let the conversation drop. I wonder if I went a bit too far, too fast. But, she isn’t yelling or threatening to kill me a hundred times, so I’ll call it good.
The silence between them started to stretch, so Alvin tapped the dash. “Play a list of instrumental music, please.”
A moment later, the opening notes of “The Nutcracker Suite” started to play, and Kuro turned from the window to listen to the music. Alvin was glad to see her stop withdrawing and becoming engrossed in the music. When the song was over, Kuro sighed, sad to hear it end.
Alvin smiled when “Ride of the Valkyries” started next. Kuro sat up straight as the music started, her eyes wide as she listened. As the heart of the song was reached, Kuro was enraptured by the strong music, her hands clenching and unclenching as it played. When it finally came to an end, she wiped a tear away.
“Pause music,” Alvin said softly, before speaking to Kuro. “That was ‘Ride of the Valkyries.’ It’s a very well-known piece of music from Earth. It has a special place in the heart of people going into combat, as I’m sure you can understand.”
“It was beautiful,” Kuro said. “I wanted to break into dance just listening to it.”
“You can tonight when we stop. I’m sure Gothy would love to see you do so.” Kuro nodded absently, seemingly lost to the memory of the music. “Kuro, I’m going to let similar music play. If you want to hear one or more of them again, just tell me. I’ll see if we can’t put together a playlist for you. I’ll earmark Valkyries for you.”
Glancing at him and seeing only open honesty, she nodded. “Thank you, Hero.”
“You can call me Alvin, or Al if you would rather,” Alvin said. “Gothy calls me Hero, but you don’t have to.”
“I will do that. Thank you, Alvin,” Kuro said.
“Music, please. Keep the classical going; mix in some battle music with the softer pieces,” Alvin told the car as they crept along behind the army.
Chapter Six
Hours later, Alvin caught sight of something behind them. “Be right back,” he told Kuro, who was entranced with Mozart’s “Requiem.” Climbing into the back, he unlatched the gunner’s hatch and stood up, looking back the way they had come.
Lips pursed, he had the Humvee come to a stop and pulled the M82 out of his bag. Alvin set up the bipod and rested it on the Humvee’s roof, taking a look down the scope. A light-skinned Elf sat on a sevra with a spyglass to his eye.
“Hello there,” Alvin chuckled as he took aim at the rider. “Let’s see what this baby can do.” Never having shot the rifle, Alvin took a minute to make sure he was ready. “I hope Lister kept this thing accurate.” The boom of the rifle echoed as Alvin grunted and brought the rifle back on target. The rider was looking around wildly, but was uninjured. “Fucking Lister. Now I’m going to have to sight this bitch.”
The next shot rang out and the sevra staggered, blood splashing from its front shoulder. Alvin nodded as he adjusted his aim while the rider began to turn the sevra around. Using his new point, Alvin fired a third round. The rider was pitched from the mount as the round caught him between the shoulder blades.
“Still a little low,” Alvin muttered as he watched the Elf climb to his feet slowly. “Now, time to finish the job.” The fourth round removed the Elf’s head in a splash of red. “One scout down.”
He took a moment to adjust the sights, mentally promising to sight in the rifle properly later. Alvin put it away and dropped back into the Humvee, locking up the hatch.
Kuro looked at him with watering eyes. “That was louder than normal.”
“It’s the biggest gun we have,” Alvin said loudly, realizing that his ears were ringing, too. “Devs, if you are making it more game-like, do something about the fucking hearing damage,” he told the air. “Be right back.” He climbed out of the vehicle as Becky stopped the Mustang beside him.
“What was that about?” Becky asked, getting out of the driver’s seat.
“Scout. I got him, so I’m going to drop back to loot him and see if there are more,” Alvin told her.
“Stay safe. I’ll continue to sheepdog,” Becky blew him a kiss, sending a wicked wink with it.
“I have Kuro, so if anything gets in close, we’ll be fine. See you soon.” Getting back into the Humvee, Alvin got it turned around and headed back to the corpse.
“Where are we going?” Kuro asked, puzzled.
“Back to loot him and to see if any other
scouts are about,” Alvin told her as the music continued to play. “We’ll catch up with them once we’re done.”
Kuro’s eyes followed the Mustang, and some of her earlier tension crept back in. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Keep your eyes open. If you see someone, tell me so we can kill and loot them. Once it looks clear behind us, we’ll rejoin the rest,” Alvin said as he climbed into the back again. “Stop at the body, car.” Opening the hatch, Alvin stood up to get a good look around. He realized that the plain they were on was actually a long sloping bowl, leading toward the mountains that surrounded them. “Can see a long way,” he muttered as he pulled the M82 back out, just in case.
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