“Are you mental?” Rio dryly chuckled. “Do you not understand how those things work? You don’t even have any arrows to use with it, nor could you possibly hope to strike me with one of those silly little things. Just what do you think you’re going to do to me with that?”
Squeak narrowed her eyes with a squeak, then grabbed near the end of the bow with one hand as a smirk formed on her face. With a hard clench she crushed the wood with a crunch, breaking it apart with the tied end piece now being snapped off, with the freed wire shrilling through both the air and the scorpia’s tail without pause. Rio screamed in agony as her tail was cleaved off by the elven cord, the severed appendage dropping to the ground twitching while blood poured out from its base. The scorpia cried out in pain while cringing uncontrollably, with Sheal watching in shock at what happened before managing to part the scorpia’s claws away from her neck. Squeak tossed aside the broken bow and grabbed hold of Rio’s stump where her tail once was, gripping the bleeding limb tightly and throwing the scorpia away from Sheal into and then through the burning wall behind her. The salamander woman watched in awe as Rio was flung through the burning wood where she dropped into a bush outside with fiery debris raining down atop her. Squeak sharply squeaked at where Rio had been buried in smoldering debris, waving her fist around and clearly saying something along the lines of a witty retort, before looking back over to Sheal who was now staring at her in disbelief.
“You’re not with The Sisterhood?” Sheal again questioned, with Squeak shaking her head to that. “Then why save me? I’m just like them. Why didn’t you leave me with her?”
Squeak eyed her over then squeaked with a raised eyebrow, slowly taking steps towards the salamander woman who tensed up as the ant girl drew closer. Sheal kept on guard as Squeak watched her with a solemn expression, the ant girl slowly breathing out then squeaking at her a few times while waving around them. Afterwards Sheal just stared at her in confused silence, with Squeak closing her eyes and sighing as she realized why she wasn’t getting a response. She pointed back to where Rio was under the debris and shook her head with a stern expression, then slowly pointed to Sheal and showed some curiosity before squeaking a few times and giving a single shrug.
“I’m no different than her,” Sheal said shaking her head. Squeak merely raised an eyebrow and tilted her head forward slightly, seeming to be questioning that statement. Sheal lowered her guard and then her head, silence befalling her as Squeak watched her closely. Before they could say anything more their attention was brought over to where broken boards and branches erupted with cinders and fire from outside the hole in the wall. With a furious scream Rio stood up amidst the ashes and flames, her stoic expression having gone straight to hell as her eyes were glaring with murderous intent at the two girls while her face was contorted with unbridled rage.
“You’re both fucking dead!” she roared, the scorpia quickly dashing towards them with her claws set to strike. Squeak and Sheal quickly dodged aside, the scorpia’s claws tearing into the assembly beam and ripping it apart before she chased after the two girls who scrambled to get away. As the suspended log dropped down at an angle from being torn through Rio hopped onto and ran along it towards the girls who looked back with surprise at seeing the scorpia quickly closing in on them. Moving with extraordinary speed Rio lunged through the air towards Squeak, the ant girl squeaking loudly at her before Sheal knocked her aside, with the scorpia tackling the salamander down to the ground while Squeak was pushed against the central log that swayed with rattling chains from the impact.
“I’m going to hack you apart!” Rio scorned, thrashing about atop the salamander woman under her who was holding onto the scorpia’s arms in a desperate attempt to keep the pincers away from her. Squeak regained her footing then ran over and punched Rio hard in the head, knocking the monster off Sheal, only for the scorpia to then quickly recover and lunge right over the salamander into the ant girl. Holding onto the front of the monster’s pincers Squeak stumbled back and fell onto her rear, the girl being pushed along the ground all the way into the log with a thud before Rio started snapping her claws at her. Ducking down Squeak dodged the clacking pincers and tried to crawl away under the log, managing to turn her lower back and insect abdomen aside to fit under the low hanging beam and also avoid the scorpia’s pincers that narrowly missed it. The claws however did manage to snag her tunic, halting the ant girl with a squeak as Rio started to pull her back.
“Leave her alone!” Sheal yelled, jumping onto Rio’s back and biting down on her shoulder. The scorpia screamed in anger as she thrashed around, ripping off the back of Squeak’s tunic which allowed her to scramble away to the other side of the room, while Sheal was grabbing the scorpia’s head and chest with her claws with smoke and cinders slipping out between her teeth.
“You traitor!” Rio shouted as she tried to bash Sheal’s face again, this time being unsuccessful as the salamander was holding her head away while chewing into her with fire coming out of her mouth. Spinning around in her struggle Rio tried to swat off the salamander or snap at her with her claws, each time failing to do so as the reptile was clinging too closely to her back while scratching up her cheek and breasts. With a loud yell Rio jumped backwards, slamming Sheal into the log between two of the tied bows with a hard crack before they both dropped to the ground. The salamander froze with a stunned groan, smoke and fire wafting from her open mouth as she felt the brunt of the impact very heavily. Getting onto her knees Rio turned and snapped her pincers at Sheal, the weakened salamander ducking down and trying to scoot away under the log before the scorpia grabbed her foot with a painful clamp of her pincers. Dragging the screaming salamander back Rio watched her with a furious scowl, seeing the woman struggling to grab onto the dirt to pull away while seeming to be stunned with pain. Sheal turned her head and spat out what fire she still had in her mouth, the small blast being blocked by Rio’s other pincer that quickly shielded her before moving aside to reveal her infuriated glare at the salamander woman.
“You… will… suffer!” Rio snarled with a trembling claw. She reached out to snap at the woman’s frightened face before the log was kicked by Squeak right into the scorpia’s face. Rio dropped back onto her rear with a painful scream, holding a pincer up against her broken nose while blindly snapping at the salamander woman with the other. Squeak grabbed and quickly pulled Sheal over to her, dragging the wounded monster off to the side before looking back with a glare at seeing Rio slowly getting up on one knee with a bloody face and a vicious leer at her.
“You… little insect… you’re going to fucking die!” Rio roared. She started to lunge forward with her claws before Squeak hopped aside and kicked the steel holder attached to one of the bows. Breaking the frame with a loud crunch the broken end and wire snapped through the air under the assembly beam and up through the air, slicing through Rio’s side and cleaving her arm right off with a spray of blood and a horrible shriek coming from the scorpia. Rio dropped down with a slurred cry, holding onto the log with her remaining arm while staring at her mutilated body with both shock and rage.
“You… YOU… GODDAMNED LITTLE- AHHHHHHH!” she cried out shaking her head with eyes shut tight. Pulling herself up onto her knees she roared as she became consumed with wrath, the monster shakily looking from her severed tail to her arm, then ahead at seeing Sheal now standing on the other side of the assembly beam next to Squeak.
“Alright, you win,” Sheal hoarsely conceded before glancing down to the bow that was between her and Rio. The scorpia slowly looked down to it then to the salamander with widening eyes as Sheal smirked at her.
“Now I’m a traitor,” she admitted, then promptly moved aside and kicked the steel holder on the bow with all her might. With a hard crack the bow’s frame broke, its compromised end crumpling under the strain of the wire and snapping right off. It launched the freed line through the air with a sharp shrill, slicing the tension-filled cord under the log and up through Rio with a slick crunch. Blo
od sprayed behind her as the scorpia was sliced in half up to her neck by the wire, the monster wavering slightly with a stunned look on her face before dropping to the side in a bloody mess. Sheal spat out a little fiery bile onto the scorpia’s remains, flipping off the fallen monster with a scoff as it caught fire, and then turned to Squeak with a curious eye who was smiling a little at her. The two then noticed the building shaking with a loud creak while fire was spreading through the rafters, the girls making a mad dash for the exit where they managed to flee from before the workshop collapsed into a fireball against its burning timber behind them. Squeak looked around to seeing elves and grunts of The Sisterhood running about in disarray through the smoky air further away while Sheal distantly gazed at the burning archery billet and slowly brushed a hand along her scarf.
“I joined The Sisterhood with my two sisters,” she spoke up, with Squeak turning to her curiously as the salamander sighed softly. “We were going to fight for our people, for respect, for a better future. That’s what the gemini promised us. We were going to unite and take care of each other, to protect each other, to help each other survive in this world. To become a true Sisterhood in Eden.”
Shaking her head in defeat from that statement she then turned her glowing eyes to Squeak as the ant girl was watching her with twitching antennae.
“You’re the only one since that I’ve encountered who actually wanted to help me, who actually did. Why is that? Who are you, and why are you here?”
Squeak opened her mouth to speak before stopping herself as she remembered the minor detail of the language barrier between them. Ruffling her hair the ant girl tried to think of a way to explain everything, with Sheal watching carefully as she struggled to come up with how to do so before they both turned towards a thunderous boom that caught their attention. Through the smoke and haze they saw flashes of fiery crimson glows and bolts of lightning erupting further away, being followed by bright red lights as magical energy was being unleashed wildly near where the top of the royal tree would have landed. Squeak peered ahead closely at the sight, seeing strange lights going off behind trees deeper in the village, while Sheal slowly shook her head with a frustrated groan.
“For crying out loud, now what’s happening?”
Without warning a large barrage of bright red lights shot upward into the sky, parting through smoke and casting the surrounding area into a crimson glow. Sheal stared in surprise at the flashy display while Squeak showed a look of wonder from the oddly familiar lights. After which crackles of electricity and white glows erupted near the source, followed by more fiery red lights as it became apparent there were those fighting with magical power within the village. Slowly a smile came across Squeak’s face as hope for her mate being alive was rekindled. She started to run forward then quickly stopped, the girl looking back over her shoulder as Sheal just watched her with a troubled grimace. After a pause Squeak walked back and took her hand, pulling her along a step before the salamander stepped back and shook her head.
“You want to go towards those lights? Are you crazy?”
Squeak waved her hand around and squeaked something at her, the salamander woman watching with unease as she couldn’t make sense of what the ant girl was trying to say before glancing over towards where something was waiting further ahead that was making strange bursts of light.
“You know what’s doing that, don’t you?” she asked, with Squeak nodding and squeaking at her.
“Friends of yours?” Sheal asked, again getting the same response from Squeak. “Then go find them, no need to bring me along. Save yourself from this nightmare. Just leave me be.”
Squeak shook her head and pulled on the salamander, this time with Sheal yanking her hand away and stepping back with a flustered grunt.
“Dammit, I’m not your ally. I’m your enemy, aren’t I? You’re not with The Sisterhood, so that means we’re not friends. We… we can’t… we don’t belong together. I’m not even… I… I don’t even know where I belong anymore. But it’s certainly not with you and your friends.”
Squeak reached out for her hand before Sheal stepped away and held her arms close to her chest.
“I’m your enemy. I’m not worth protecting, Squeak. You shouldn’t have bothered with me back there. There was no point to it.”
Squeak stomped her foot and squeaked sharply at her, waving her hands around and stepping closer to the salamander who again watched her with confused silence. After she got her long and unknown reasoning out Squeak grabbed Sheal’s hand and tugged on it.
“I’m not worth saving, Squeak. I’m just like the wretched monsters around you. I’m just like Rio.”
Squeak huffed then pointed back to the burning remains of the archery billet, the ant girl shaking her head while doing so before pointing to Sheal and then nodding. The salamander woman tried to protest but words never passed her lips, the stunned monster seeing Squeak smiling at her again before pointing to where the lights they saw earlier came from and squeaking something more. Pulling Sheal after her the salamander started to trot behind the ant girl, letting her companion take her along as Squeak started heading towards where she hoped to find her mate. As the two girls ran through the smoke and between trees while avoiding passing groups of monsters belonging to The Sisterhood, Sheal slowly turned her fiery eyes from the ant girl that wouldn’t leave her behind down to her hand which was being held securely by her new friend.
‘The only one to ever want to save me, and I can’t understand a word she says. Why is life always so cruel?’
Chapter 5
Cindy’s Choice
In the world of Eden, there was a unique monster class known as sand wraiths. These monsters were comprised of magically cursed sand, being able to take the form of beautiful women while shifting their appearance to cover up what they truly were. These dreaded monsters were feared by both human and monster alike as they preyed upon anyone they could, devouring them whole as was their nature to breed. The mere sight of a sand wraith would instill fear in most, for any sensible person would know these monsters were nearly unstoppable and extremely dangerous.
For any to think they could have a heart, or even a will to protect others, was simply unheard of.
*****
“Please help us!” an elf desperately cried out. She sat on her knees alongside two of her sisters, all three outfitted in sleeveless white silk dresses with yellow ribbons tied to their arms around their backs, having their hands clutched together and heads adorned with flowery circlets hung low as they trembled fearfully from another tremor rolling through the area. Before them was a statue of an elf clad in a flowing dress and flowers woven into her long braided hair, the marble effigy standing tall with a serene expression on its face at the end of the grand church of Green Haven while bathed in fiery light that came in through the large circular stein glass window on the front of the upper level over the entrance foyer. Colored glass murals of floral and angelic designs rattled in the high walls as they let in flickering shadows and burning red light from the raging forest fires, long elegant tapestries hung between them with woven depictions of elves standing amidst sunny skies, the open windows on the ground floor let in veils of smoke as well as the sounds of trees crashing to the ground nearby, the wind chimes in the belfry above clanged loudly in the wild gales passing by, and terrified screams from monsters of various races were heard outside that appeared to be quickly escalating. Chandeliers with lit candles swayed high overhead as the building shook from another tremor hitting and testing the solid foundation of the chapel. Goblins, gremlins, and arachne were gathered near the entrance of the elven sanctuary and remained on alert while keeping close to the doors, some of them catching glimpses of their sisters running around in disarray outside through the windows while others were eyeing over the local residents who had taken refuge in the church with them. Seated in several rows of pews were elven women and children, all of them struggling with keeping their fearful voices down as they prayed for the god
s to save them and their home from the raging calamity.
“Please help us!” the cleric repeated, turning her teary eyes up towards the statue’s face. “Oh Holy Spirits of Eden, hear our plea! The devils of this world have brought upon our sacred land a horrible disaster! We need your divine mercy to save our people and send these goddamned horsefuckers back to the putrid hell they crawled out of!”
“We beseech you!” an elf at her side cried out. “Do not let them smite our sisters or daughters with this fiery cleansing that they’ve unleashed! Our people have suffered enough, please spare them any further despair from these demons and their wretched ways!”
“Except for Sivil and her fucking traitorous regime!” the third quickly added shaking a fist in the air. “Seriously, this entire nightmare is her fault! Rip her apart and burn her in hell for all time at the very least, she needs to suffer for all this bullshit she brought into our home!”
“Yes, except for her and those treasonous rats!” the first cleric agreed. “You can take them away, we won’t mind at all! Smear their fucking guts all over the barren wastelands, we would forever be in your debt for such a grand service! But back to the matter at hand. Please, Deities of the Divine Forests, hear our cries and answer our prayers! Save us! For fuck’s sake, save us!”
As the elves continued calling to the gods for help, monsters of The Sisterhood watched their fruitless pleas while scoffing at their efforts.
“You know,” a gremlin spoke up with a sigh. “For fearless and renowned archers of the forests and women who talk a good amount of shit, these tree rats are just cowards inside.”
“Love how they’re blaming us for what’s happening out there,” another dryly mentioned. “As if we could have done such a thing even if we tried. But no, go ahead. Everything’s our fault. Wretched fuckers.”
Chronicles of Eden - Act XII Page 14