Triska cringed a bit then looked to seeing the fluugher picking up its petals while crying, having a heartbroken expression as the others looked to it with sympathy.
“It may be a feral monster, Triska,” Specca explained. “But it would have been kind in return to Daniel. Had that monster been a sentient creature, then you would have ruined any chances of Daniel talking about peaceful coexistence with it.”
“Always knew Triska would be the one screwing up our chances out here,” Alyssa mentioned flatly.
“Hey! I was trying to save Daniel!” Triska yelled out at her.
“He wasn’t in any danger,” Alyssa argued. “He could have been if that was a different type of fluugher you cut apart, but otherwise he would have been just fine.”
“I saw him get pulled underground by a monster, why wouldn’t I have tried to save him?”
“Because your guide told you not to!” Specca cried out. The group looked to her as she shook her head with a flustered huff. “You wanted my help out here, remember? You wanted me to tell you about the monsters we meet and how to approach them. You wanted me to help you out here in The Outerlands, didn’t you? Well I can’t do that if you don’t listen to me!” Triska opened her mouth to speak before Specca threw the monster book at her, the human catching it with surprise as the nixie looked at her with a teary-eyed glare.
“You could have killed Daniel! If that was a poisonous or constricting fluugher you would have killed him the second you cut the first petal!”
Triska stared at her with a stunned expression then to Daniel, the boy watching as the fluugher was weeping while holding her severed petals. Specca whimpered and looked to the boy with worried eyes.
“I’m trying to keep him alive, I’m trying to keep all of you alive out here, but you didn’t listen. He even said himself to stop, but you just wouldn’t listen to him,” she said before turning to Triska with an accusing glare. Triska struggled to say anything back for a moment before Specca shook her head with a grunt.
“I get you’re a strong swordswoman, we all know you can fight. But the next time Daniel or I tell you not to attack a monster, don’t attack it!”
Triska opened her mouth to say something then looked to the fluugher as it whimpered while holding her severed petals. The monster looked over to Triska with watery eyes, the human feeling guilt building inside for hurting the harmless monster like that.
“I… I’m sorry…” Triska said softly.
The fluugher whimpered then receded back down into her nest below her flower, the remaining petals closing up while vines and weeds sprouted and entangled over the opening.
“Way to go, Triska,” Alyssa scolded. “Had that been an elf this trip would have gone to hell really fast.”
“I’m sorry, alright?” Triska said nervously. “I saw it pull Daniel under the ground; it was staring at him like it wanted to… I was worried. I had to try to save him.”
Specca shook her head and looked towards the flower bud of the fluugher with concern.
“Listen to me the next time we encounter a monster, otherwise your actions may very well kill Daniel just as easily as the monster could,” she warned before walking back towards the caravan. Triska watched her go then looked to seeing Alyssa and Squeak shaking their heads at her.
“You and that dumb sword of yours,” Alyssa said before walking off as well. Triska looked to her blade then to Squeak while shaking her head.
“Squeak, I… you get why I… you understand, don’t you?”
Squeak looked to the fluugher then to Triska, squeaking a few times before walking off after the others. Triska slowly sheathed her blade behind her then looked to the monster guidebook in her hands, her eyes then glancing to Daniel as the boy was watching the flower bud still.
“Daniel, I just wanted to help you.”
“I know, I can’t get mad at you for that. But Specca’s right, she’s our guide out here, our monster expert. If she says to halt, then you need to halt.”
“But you were pulled underground by a monster,” Triska said worriedly. “I thought it was going to rape you, kill you even.”
Daniel nodded slowly then looked to her with a solemn expression.
“I trust Specca with my life in these cases, you need to as well. Alyssa and I know our fair share of monsters in this world, but we all know Specca knows the most. If she says stop, then you need to stop,” he said before walking towards the caravan. Triska watched him go then looked to the fluugher with remorseful eyes, the flower monster’s faint wails and cries being heard from under its flora covering.
“Okay,” she said quietly before walking after him towards the caravan, her eyes looking down at the book in her hands with regret as she felt guilty for what she did to the helpless monster behind her.
*****
Inside the cabin everybody was quiet while Lucky was pulling the caravan along a trail of grass and dirt, the single white horse having no trouble pulling the larger ride at all while sitting at the driver’s seat Daniel was holding onto the reins. The girls were all gathered inside the cabin as usual, with each of them sitting back against the walls while Triska was looking down at the monster book in her hands with remorse still. Sitting next to her Specca was reading another book, her tail curled up beside her while she was engrossed in the story she was reading, while across from them Squeak was picking some dirt and blades of grass off her pickaxe, the ant girl seeming to take extra care in making sure her weapon was in good condition and looking clean. Next to her Alyssa was sitting on a pillow while levitating an apple in front of her with a bored expression, her eyes glancing from the floating fruit to Triska who had been silent ever since the fluugher incident.
“You know,” she mentioned. “Now that I think about it, Specca’s the only one you haven’t threatened with your sword.” Triska glanced to her with annoyance as the witch gently flicked her fingers, causing the apple in front of her to spin around in place.
“You threatened me with your sword when we first met, if you had it with you at the time you would have been pointing it at the ant girls when we met them, you tried to attack a Darker One with it, which was incredibly stupid by the way, you threatened that nightmare we came across even though your sword couldn’t do anything to it at all, and-”
“SHUT UP!” Triska yelled as she grabbed her sword and yanked it out with a swift pull, swinging it over to point it at Alyssa as the other girls watched her with worried eyes. Alyssa however just stared at Triska with a dull expression as the apple continued to hover in front of her.
“I use my sword to protect Daniel,” Triska snapped. “To keep monsters from taking him away! I pointed it at you when you stole him from me! I would have pointed it at the ant girls back then because they kidnapped him from us! I attacked that succubus to save your ungrateful life when you were being strangled! And I struck down the nightmare in my dreams with my sword! I haven’t had to aim it at Specca because she never tried to steal Daniel away!”
Daniel at this point was glancing back to her with a worried eye while Specca had scooted further away from the loud teen.
“Triska, no swordplay in the cabin, you know the rules,” Specca reminded nervously.
Triska growled while keeping her blade aimed at Alyssa still.
“You want me to apologize for trying to keep him safe?” Triska demanded. “You want me to say I’m sorry for fearing that he was going to be raped and killed earlier? I’m out here to protect him, I love him more than anything, and I’ll be damned if I let his quest come to an early end because of some lustful creature he comes across!”
Alyssa merely waved her finger up, causing the spinning apple to float over to the blade and push against it, carving the fruit into a spiral while Triska narrowed her eyes at the witch.
“The only thing that stupid sword of yours is good for is cutting up our food,” Alyssa mocked before a piece of her sliced apple floated over into her mouth, the witch chewing it casually as the rest of the
apple hovered over into her hand.
“Again,” Specca spoke up louder. “Put your sword away, Triska. Right now.”
Alyssa leaned back against a pillow and watched Triska with a raised eyebrow while eating her apple casually.
“You can’t threaten me with that piece of metal.”
With a furious yell Triska thrust her sword forward in the blink of an eye, striking the blade into the wall of the cabin with a sharp strike. Alyssa twitched on reflex as her hand jerked, dropping the sliced apple onto the floor as Specca and Squeak stared at the sight with wide eyes.
“Alyssa!” Daniel called out as he turned to see Triska’s sword struck into the wall next to the witch’s head, with Alyssa staring at Triska with wide eyes while the blade had grazed her cheek. A small trickle of blood dripped from the cut onto the steel as Triska glared at Alyssa with anger.
“I’ve had it with you criticizing me at every turn, I’ve had it, Alyssa!” Triska yelled out.
Alyssa slowly lifted a hand up to her chin as she felt blood dripping off it, the witch glancing to the blade in the wall next to her then to Triska with shock.
“Lucky, stop!” Daniel shouted out as he snapped the reins. The horse neighed and started slowing down as Daniel entered the cabin and stared with surprise at the sight.
“You… you…” Alyssa stuttered before glaring at Triska with anger, her purple eyes giving off a soft bloom as she clenched her fists.
“Triska, what is wrong with you?” Specca cried out.
“All you ever do is say my sword is stupid, that I’m stupid!” Triska yelled out. “Well guess what, this stupid piece of metal could have killed you just now if I hadn’t aimed it to the side of your head! I don’t care if it’s a witch, a Darker One, or whatever, if any monster tries to take Daniel away you can be damned sure they’re going to be answering to my blade, you got that?”
Alyssa growled with anger as she prepared to throw Triska out of the caravan again before Daniel grabbed Triska’s hand and blade and yanked it away from Alyssa, the boy holding Triska by the arm with a stern expression.
“Drop it, now!”
“But, but, Daniel-” Triska started before the boy shook her hand and his head.
“I said drop it now, Triska!”
The girl stared at him with surprise then let go of the sword, the blade dropping to the floor with a clank as Alyssa held a hand to her cheek and cringed.
“Ah, that stings,” she whined.
Triska glanced to her then to Daniel as the boy was watching her with a stern expression.
“Triska, you just broke three rules in one go. You used your sword while inside the caravan, you threatened our friend with it, and then you hurt our friend with it.”
“But, Daniel, she’s always-” Triska started before he grabbed her sheath and pulled it up off of her, the girl watching with surprise as he took her blade and slid it back into the sheath before pointing to Alyssa, the witch glaring at Triska while holding a hand to her bloodied cheek.
“Apologize to her right now.”
“What? But, Daniel…” Triska pleaded while shaking her head.
“Right now!”
Triska looked at him with growing concern then to Alyssa, the witch flinching with a scowl at the teen.
“I… I’m sorry, Alyssa,” Triska said softly.
Daniel then glanced to Alyssa with a stern expression still.
“Alyssa, you too, apologize to her.”
“What? But she was the one who broke the rules and hurt me,” Alyssa whined.
“You were the one heckling her, that cut came from you pushing Triska into a fight.”
“But… Daniel,” Alyssa whined with an innocent frown.
“Alyssa,” Daniel repeated sternly. Alyssa glanced to Triska then to the floor with a pout.
“Fine, I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“To her, not the floor,” Daniel ordered. Alyssa flinched then slowly looked to Triska, the teen watching her with a dull glare.
“Sorry,” she said quietly.
Daniel shook his head then looked to Triska with discontent, the girl watching him with worried eyes as she could tell he was really angry with her. Alyssa flinched again from her cheek hurting before Squeak gently pulled the witch over to her, with Alyssa then watching as the ant girl held her in her lap. Squeak gently turned Alyssa’s head to the side and started licking the witch’s cut, with Alyssa feeling her mind going numb in waves as the euphoric sensation of the ant girl’s saliva rippled across her face.
“Squeak…” she said softly before collapsing in Squeak’s arms, the ant girl holding her carefully as she licked and cleaned up the girl’s wound with quiet squeaks.
Daniel glanced to seeing Squeak taking care of Alyssa then held Triska’s sword out to Specca.
“Specca, hold onto this for me,” he said, with Specca nodding and reaching out to take it.
“What? Wait a minute, why does she get my sword?” Triska asked shaking her head.
“Because you’re done with it for the night,” Daniel scolded her.
Triska looked at him with a stunned expression then to Specca as the nixie took hold of the blade. Specca set it down beside her with her tail wrapping around it, the girl then glancing to Triska as she adjusted her glasses.
“I warned you, those are the rules.”
Triska stared at her with disbelief then looked to Daniel as the boy was shaking his head at her.
“You’ll get it back tomorrow. Until then hands off, you’ve lost the right to hold it today after you attacked Alyssa like that.” Triska opened her mouth to protest before the boy pointed to her. “If you argue with this or try to take it back before tomorrow, then you can skip your ‘turn’ tonight.”
Triska gasped then shook her head quickly.
“Wait, please don’t say that,” she pleaded. “I’m sorry, really, it won’t happen again.”
Daniel breathed out then looked to seeing Alyssa giving Triska a weary glare while Squeak kept licking her cheek.
“We need to talk about this. I’m not going to have what happened earlier start more fights between you girls.”
All the girls watched him curiously, with Squeak sitting back up next to Alyssa as the witch held a hand to her cheek, feeling the sharp pain having vanished while the bleeding had stopped as well. Daniel looked around at all the girls, with Triska quickly sitting back down against her pillow while watching him with worried eyes, Specca lying down on her legs while holding her skirt down a bit to keep it from rising up, Squeak lying on her legs with her abdomen sticking back alongside the wall behind her, and with Alyssa glancing to Triska with a glare before looking at Daniel with timid eyes. The boy sighed and looked up with a tired expression as he knew he had to quell this dispute with them quickly or else more blood would be spilled.
“First off, you’re all friends with each other. Don’t lie and say you’re not, it’s obvious you all care for one another after all you’ve been through together. Remember that we’re out here for a reason, to speak to monsters about coexisting peacefully, and that means you all should be prime examples of getting along with each other.” The girls all slowly nodded while remaining silent before Daniel glanced around at them then looked to Specca.
“Now, Specca is our guide out here. She knows more about monsters in Eden than even I or Alyssa do, and as such we need to listen to her. If she says it’s safe, then it’s safe. If she says it’s dangerous, it’s dangerous. Let me make this clear about our monster encounters, her say is final. I won’t doubt what she says about any we come across, I trust her with my life, with all of ours even, and you all should do the same.” Specca smiled bashfully and looked down with a small blush while the other girls glanced to her.
“However,” Daniel continued, with Specca then looking back to him curiously as he shook his head. “She doesn’t know everything about the world, nobody does after all. And there will be times when we have to react faster than she can evaluate th
e situation. We have to trust our instincts then, it just may keep us alive,” he reasoned, then looked to Triska as the girl was watching him with concern still.
“In those situations, if we don’t know what we’re up against, then we may have to fight. Triska made the mistake of not listening to Specca earlier, we all know that, but if Specca hadn’t found out what that fluugher was, then her decision to attack it would have been correct based on survival instinct.” Triska looked at him curiously as he glanced around at all the girls.
“Let’s get something clear here, I trust you all. You’ve all been by my side out here, you’ve all been helping me with my journey, all of you are important to me. And there are some things that each of you excel at, which is why the rest of us should be supportive of that. Specca is an organized thinker, she knows a lot about the world and the monsters we’re going to be seeing, she would be the first we should turn to when planning our next move or how to approach these monsters.” Specca blushed from the comment as Daniel pulled his dagger out from his shirt pocket and tilted it around in his hands, similar to how Triska always handled hers.
“Triska is quick to react on her feet, and would know what to do when we don’t have time to think or plan a course of action. She’s trained to fight and can take more hits than I can and still remain standing, that’s for certain. If we’re caught off-guard she would be the one I would trust to get us out of danger quickly, however we needed to.” Triska smiled softly at him as he then put his dagger away and turned to Squeak.
“Squeak is able to help us when we need it with her own skills, be it with her incredible strength in a fight, or with healing injuries using her saliva. We’re sort of her guide out here in the world above her nest, but she’s able to help us with whatever we may come across all the same. She’s there as our shield in a way, able to help us up when we stumble across trouble.” Squeak nodded with a squeak and a smile before Daniel slowly shook his head.
“Even though there is a pretty big language barrier between us,” he mentioned, with Squeak blinking then looking down with a weak smile in response. Daniel then turned to Alyssa, with the other girls looking to her curiously now as well.
Chronicles of Eden - Act III Page 9