by R. A. Mejia
By this time everyone else at the table is laughing their asses off, and the crazy guy has had enough, and he does something stupid.”
“What he do?” Vrax asks.
As if waiting for the question, the innkeeper curls his hand into a fist and mimes punching it in the air, “He takes a swing at her. I don’t mean a slap either. A full blow, aimed at her face. Kitsune is swaying on her feet, apparently intoxicated and I think she’s going to get laid out. But instead, she bends to the left and dodges the punch. The guy swings his fist again, and she sways out of the way only this time she slaps him across his face just as she dodges. He’s stunned for a moment. Then he goes crazy and starts to punch and kick at her. But every attempt is deflected or dodged as she stumbles around the room, knocking over vases, spilling drinks, rolling over tables knocking dishes on the floor. Each time she dodges, she slaps him. Soon his face looks like a bruised tomato. Then he does something truly foolish.”
After a pause for dramatic effect, the innkeeper whispers, “He pulls a knife.”
Both Vrax and I gasp. I involuntarily grab at my waist for a weapon that’s not there. “Some ass-hat thinks he can pull a knife on my friends and get away with it? What’s his name?”
Bob laughs, “Don’t you worry. Those ladies took care of him themselves. Your fairy friend had been watching the whole thing, laughing her little fairy butt off and yelling something about a ‘drunken master.' But when that guy pulled a knife she just changed. A purple bolt of magic shot out from her finger and knocked the blade from the guy's hand. Then vines with thick needles growing out of them sprang up from the floor and wrapped around the guy's legs.
He screamed bloody murder when those thorns pierced his legs, and he fell right over onto his ass. He probably could have gotten out of the vines, but then the whole room went deathly still when the most menacing growl I’d ever heard sounded in the room. One of the diners screamed and pointed at some huge gray wolf that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I swear it was the biggest damn thing I’d ever seen.
Then before anyone could move the wolf had the guy’s throat in his jaws, ready to rip it out. Your fairy friend flies right over to the wolf like it was the most natural thing in the world to do and pets it. Then she flies to the man’s ear and whispers something. The bloke’s face goes ghostly white, and he actually pisses himself.
I don’t know what she said to him, but he starts screaming that he’ll never come back here nor ever lay a hand on a woman ever again. He begs her not to let the wolf eat his…err..little soldier, if you know what I mean. Then she gives some signal, and the wolf lets him go, and the vines disappear like they were never there. The guy scrambles away, his pants soiled in front and back. Then he and his friend run out the door.”
Bob chuckles then concludes, “I don’t expect to see either one of them around anytime soon.”
The orc innkeeper walks away as a customer walks through the door, leaving Vrax and I staring at each other.
“Mary and Kitsune got into a big fight last night,” Vrax states, still awed by the tale.
“Yeah buddy, they sure did. I bet that guy we met outside the Inn was the one that started all that trouble. It’s good to know Kitsune and Mary can handle themselves.”
“Yip, Kitsune is a secret ninja.”
“Huh?”
“You tell me about ninjas and how awesome they fight. So Kitsune must be a secret ninja. Or is she a Kung Food Master?”
I chuckle at Vrax’s statements, “First it’s Kung Fu master, not food. Second, Kitsune’s probably not a secret ninja, but she may be a secret Kung Fu master. Or at least she may know more about fighting than she’s told us. I remember watching a movie.” Then remembering that Vrax doesn’t know about movies, I change what I’d planned to say, “..err rather I heard a story once about a guy that knew Kung Fu but could only draw out his full power when he was drunk. Maybe Kitsune knows some secret fighting technique like that.”
I review in my mind the few times that I’d seen Kitsune fight and found it hard to reconcile the idea of the healer who had a problem fighting an Imperare soldier or any of the monsters in the dungeon, with the image of Kitsune as a master of the drunken fist style of Kung Fu.
I scratch my head in confusion, sigh, and suggest another possibility, “Or maybe she was just really drunk and got lucky avoiding all those attacks from that guy.”
Vrax and I relax at the inn for a few hours until Kitsune and Mary get back from their shopping trip. They have a couple of small bags with them but don’t want to tell us what they bought with their money when we ask about it. Instead, the two of them take a quick dinner and head upstairs to their room to luxuriate in the baths they are still owed. Vrax and I head to bed early too so that we can have an early start tomorrow.
We wake up early, settle our bill with Bob the Innkeeper, and we’re on the road to meet up with, Dr. Gooflak, Leelu, and the caravan.
Chapter 5.10
The sun is only peeking over the horizon as we turn left onto the street where Dr. Gooflak's transportation, delivery, animal care, and wagon repair service is. As we turn the corner, we see five wagons full of goods, horses hitched and ready to travel. As we walk up the street towards the red two-story building, one of the wagon drivers spots us and waves. I wave back, and he turns and calls out, “They’re here Dr. Gooflak.”
I hear the voice of the doctor call out, “It’s about time.” The squat form of the pink shelled crab man comes into view a few feet away. He walks sideways between two wagons, his clawed hands in the air, snapping in nervousness, and stands before us. His bald pink head nods and the tentacles where his mouth should be squirm, as he says, “I’m glad you made it. We were going to leave in another half hour if you boys and girls didn’t show up.”
“Come. Come. Follow me. You need to meet Mr. Hastings; he’ll be organizing the duty roster for the trip.” Dr. Gooflak starts walking quickly away from us, and we’re forced to pick up our pace to keep up. Dr. Gooflak stops near the last wagon. A wiry old man with gray hair and round wire-rimmed glasses is muttering to himself as he scribbles away on a piece of paper on a clipboard. He looks up from his work as the doctor stops in front of him.
Dr. Gooflak pats the old man on the shoulder with one claw and gestures to us with the other, “These are the kids that I was telling you about Mr. Hastings. The guards you required for the trip.”
Mr. Hastings looks us over with a critical eye, then sniffs disapprovingly. He turns to Dr. Gooflak with a slight sneer and says, “These are the guards? They look more like a bunch of children that should still be holding their mother’s apron strings. I told you that the insurance people wouldn’t cover the trip unless we had guards and this is what you come up with?”
Dr. Gooflak’s cheeks turn purple, but he answers in a cheerful tone, “Yes. I know Mr. Hastings, and these people will make good guards. I’ve already interviewed them, and they have more than enough experience to guard us till we get to Trinitarian.” His claws wave before him as he continues, “You know as well as I do that the journey there is safe. The insurance people are overly cautious.”
The old man doesn’t seem convinced by the argument and looks like he’s about to start yelling when he stretches his back slightly. There’s a popping sound, and Mr. Hastings’ eyes go wide, he grimaces in pain and drops the clipboard in his hands as he clutches at his back with his hands.
Dr. Gooflak moves closer to Mr. Hastings and grabs his shoulders with both claws and asks, “Henry, what’s wrong?”
The old man looks stiff as a board, and he hisses out in pain, “My back. My back’s gone out again.”
Kitsune pushes her way to the front of the group and walks up to Mr. Hastings. She grabs his face in her hands and pulls down the bottom lid of each of his eyes and examines them closely. Mr. Hastings tries to pull away, but Kitsune has a firm grip on his head, so instead, he hisses out through clenched teeth, “What’s this young woman doing?”
I notice
Kitsune’s fox ears twitch slightly, but in a very calm and clinical tone, she answers, “My name is not young woman, it’s Kitsune. I’m a healer, and I’m examining you to make sure it’s only your back that’s the problem and not something more serious.” Having finished examining his eyes, she puts the back of one of her hands on Mr. Hastings forehead and places two fingers on his neck, to the side of his windpipe. She holds this position and counts to ten and then tells Mr. Hastings, “Looks like it’s just your back after all. I’ll have you healed up in a minute.” Before the old man can say anything in response, she walks behind him, places her hands on his lower back, and a green glow envelops her hands.
The expression on Mr. Hastings face goes from one of excruciating pain to one of relief. I hear a long exhalation, and his shoulders sag as his entire body relaxes. He moans slightly and mutters, “Oh, that feels good.”
The glow around Kitsune’s hands disappears, and she walks around Mr. Hastings. The old man stretches left and right, rolls his shoulders and even jumps up once before nodding happily. He turns to Kitsune, grabs her hands and shakes them, “This is the best my back has felt in years. Thank you miss.”
Kitsune blushes slightly and answers, “It’s my duty as a healer to help those in pain, Mr. Hastings.” She turns and is about to walk to the back of our group again, then stops and turns back to Mr. Hastings, “I believe I interrupted your conversation with Dr. Gooflak. I believe you were questioning the usefulness of our group? Please feel free to continue the discussion.” Kitsune then turns around and walks behind me and resumes her normal place at the back of the group.
While Mr. Hastings stands there shocked by Kitsune’s statement, I take the opportunity to introduce the rest of the group, “Hello Mr. Hastings. I’m Armon. I know you’re not quite convinced of our usefulness as guards to the caravan. But rest assured that we’re more than guards. As our brilliant healer just proved we have a variety of skill sets that will be useful. I’m a spellwrite with skills in blacksmithing and carpentry. Mary is our mage, and she has an uncanny knack for spotting trouble from the air. Vrax there is our scout specialist. No one will sneak up on us with him watching out for us.”
Mr. Hastings looks at our group again. His eyes linger on the fox woman that just healed him, without charge, just a moment ago. He sighs and turns to Dr. Gooflak, “Ok. They’ll do I suppose. The trip shouldn’t be particularly dangerous anyway.”
Then turning to me, a serious look on his face asks formally, “Do you and your team accept the position of guards for this caravan and promise to do your utmost to protect the personal and goods of this caravan, for the terms you negotiated with Dr. Gooflak?” Before I can answer, a notification appears in front of me.
Guard the Caravan
Dr. Gooflak and Mr. Hastings have requested your services as a guard. You will be required to protect the people and wagons carrying goods to Trinitarian from thieves, bandits, monsters, and any other threats. In addition to the agreed upon rewards given at the end of the trip, you will be provided food along the journey.
Duration of quest: 14 days.
Rewards: 25 XP, 70 copper.
Accept or Decline?
I smile at the efficient nature of work contracts in Terra. I say loudly, “I accept,” and the notification window disappears. I hear the rest of my group accept the job as well.
Mr. Hastings nods once. Picks up the clipboard that he dropped and says, “Good, then pack your things on the wagons and hop on board. We’re leaving soon.” Without another word, he quickly walks away muttering and writing on the clipboard.
Dr. Gooflak waves his claws in the air and dances in a circle. When he stops spinning, he tells us, “Hurry kids, you can ride with Leelu and me. We’re in the second wagon from the front.”
We follow the crab man to the wagon and pile into the back, Leelu waves from the driver’s seat.
Only a few moments later, the lead wagon starts moving, and we’re off.
Chapter 5.11
The wagons move at a snail's pace as they make their way out of the border town. Once outside the borders of the town, the wagons pick up the pace to that of a fast walking man. It shouldn’t surprise me that fully loaded wagons would move so slowly, but it doesn’t mean it’s not annoying.
Still, the four of us find places in the back of Dr. Gooflak’s wagon. Vrax and Mary have the easiest time and only have to move a few things around to find a small place to sit. Kitsune and I have a slightly harder time and have to move several crates of vegetables and end up sitting next to each other. The wagons are open to the outside air, and while I sit, I feel a cool breeze and appreciate the forest scenery as it passes. I feel something press against my leg and see that it’s Kitsune’s knee. I look up and see her lips pressed together in slight embarrassment.
I realize that the two of us have never been this close before and I try to smile reassuringly at Kitsune. She smiles back, and I notice that she has light freckles along her cheeks. Now that I think about it, I’ve never really talked to Kitsune before. We’ve been in the same group for weeks now, but I don’t know that much about her. I’m not saying that I don’t trust her. After all the fights we’ve been in, I’m well beyond that. I just realize that the most I’ve ever heard her say about herself was that night when we had dinner with that family in the woods. Even then, it wasn’t as much about her as it was about some of the customs of her clan.
When I bring it up with her, she shrugs as if it’s not important. I look to Vrax and Mary for support, but they just watch to see what I’ll do.
So I fall back on my natural people skills and blurt out, “So, tell me. Where are you from? What was it like growing up as a princess there? What’s your family like? Who taught you how to heal? What else did they teach you?”
Kitsune stares at me with astonishment at the stream of questions that come out of my mouth. I turn my head slightly and see that both Vrax and Mary look embarrassed for me. Then I hear a giggling sound and see that Kitsune is laughing.
She wipes a tear from her eye, and smiles, “You’re not good at small talk are you?”
I smile back, glad that my burst of questions didn’t offend her, “Uh, not so much. I’m good at smashing the monsters but not so much with the talking.”
Kitsune pats me once on my knee, and while she doesn’t seem to think it’s all that interesting, she takes pity on me and tells me about herself.
“I’m from the island nation of Oturan. We are a collection of, Shioku, or as you may call us beast men. Our tribes forsook the mainland and lived in harmony and peace for many generations. Then we were invaded by the tribes of monsters, humans, and other beastmen. After many great battles, we repelled the invaders but changed as a people. We took up the study of sword and spell and became a country to be reckoned with. Five main clans formed for the five types of beastmen that live on our islands. The rabbit clan became our warrior class and the backbone of our armed forces. The Toad clan became our sages. Magically talented guardians of our history and knowledge. The crane clan deals with diplomacy, scholarship, and philosophy. The Tortoise clan is in charge of our navy and fishing fleet. They also act as our first line of defense from invading armies. Finally, the fox clan. We are the leaders of our people. The most honored among the clan are the nine tailed fox tribe. Who often practice the strongest magic and martial skills in addition to having the distinction of being the current ruling class. Our clan rules over the main island and the three smaller sister islands.
As a member of the ruling clan, I was raised to take the role as a leader among our people. From the time I could walk and talk I’d spend each day being trained to take the reins of the clan. I learned to read and write before I was three; as I got older I was tutored in history, mathematics, economics, customs of neighboring countries, etiquette, how to manage crops and direct trade, the languages of the countries and tribes on the mainland, logic, and philosophy. In the last few years, I’d also learned some of the healing arts and fou
nd that I rather liked the subject. I quickly progressed from basic first aid to healing wounds with magic.”
Remembering the story Bob, the orc innkeeper told us, I ask, “What about fighting? Did you learn how to fight?”
She goes quiet for a minute, and I’m about to tell her that she doesn’t have to answer if she doesn’t want to, then she blurts out, “I don’t hurt people!”
After that story Bob told us, I’m rather surprised by the statement. When I look at Kitsune closely, I see that her knuckles are white from the fists she’s making and that there are small tears in the corners of her eyes. I don’t understand why the subject is having this kind of emotional effect on her.
“I’m sorry if I brought up a sore subject, but I’d heard that you were an amazing Kung Fu fighter. I didn’t mean to make you upset.”