"The right ones to talk to first?" the Ashwood guard asked puzzled as she looked to the nixie. Specca looked at the group curiously then slowly shook her head with concern.
"But… I'm not a fighter, Daniel; I can't protect you like those three can. I don't want to slow you down," she said looking down with worry. Daniel chuckled and shook his head.
"I'm not asking you to come along to fight, Specca, I'm only offering you the chance to come with us if you want. To see the world, to help with my quest, and not to hide what you really are," he reasoned gently. Specca looked at him curiously as the other girls glanced to each other worriedly.
"I'm… not so sure about this," Alyssa said shaking her head.
"Yeah, the caravan I got for us… it might get a little crowded," Triska slowly cautioned. Squeak slowly nodded in agreement as she eyed the nixie who was clad with wet clothing. The fabric may not have been see-through, but the girl’s shapely body was still easily noticeable.
"That thing has plenty of room, we'll be fine. What do you say, Specca? Would you be our guide?" Daniel asked gently. Specca looked at him with wonder then to the other girls. She glanced over to the Ashwood guard holding her then back to Daniel worriedly. He smiled then glanced to her gloves.
"You don't have to hide anymore. There's nothing wrong with who, and what, you are," he reassured gently as he walked up and slowly took hold of her hands, pulling her away from the guardian.
“No, wait. I can’t touch you, Daniel, it’s the law here,” Specca said nervously looking back to the guardian who was narrowing her eyes at the girl.
“It’s alright, I don’t mind at all. Holding my hand isn’t a crime, Specca,” Daniel said gently. She looked at him for a moment then down to her gloves.
“If you come with us, you won’t be judged for being a monster,” he said, glancing to the guardian with a stern expression before looking back to Specca with a kind smile. She looked at him for a moment then down, gently holding his hands as he held hers. After a pause she let go and looked at her gloved hands with a gentle gaze. She glanced to Daniel and hesitated, then slowly slid her gloves off, the group watching her curiously as she dropped them to the ground. From her elbows down her skin shifted to light teal colored scales. She flexed her hands slightly and smiled at Daniel.
"Those things… were pretty itchy," she reasoned with a slight laugh. After a moment she looked down to her clothing then glanced to Daniel.
"You're sure… it's ok?" she asked worriedly. He nodded with a calm smile.
"You're welcome to join us, Specca, however you are," he said kindly. Triska glanced to him then back to Specca.
"Well, if she's more proof to his belief, I suppose… we can make room," she said with a reluctant smile. Alyssa looked at her for a moment then back to Specca.
"I guess that's true," she admitted softly. Squeak nodded and tilted her head slightly as she watched the nixie. Specca smiled then kicked off her boots to the side, the group seeing that she had webbed toes. She then unfastened her long dress skirt, the wet clothing dropping down to the ground around her feet. Under it she had on a smaller light blue skirt that had green trimmings, the clothing shaped like petals that went down to her thighs. Going from her knees up to her thighs her skin shifted into light teal colored scales just like her arms had. She had a long slender reptilian tail, the extension having scales that were between an aqua blue and light green as it swayed gently behind her. Reaching behind her she pulled out two brown sandals, the nixie slipping them on and looking herself over with a quick glance. She looked around to seeing people staring and talking about her with surprise and stunned expressions then looked back to Daniel, the boy still smiling gently at her.
"You look great, Specca, you don't need to hide what you are," he said kindly. Specca looked at him with wonder and a small blush as the other girls glanced to him worriedly. He nodded then looked over to them, the girls jumping then quickly smiling nervously at him.
"Don't you agree?" Daniel asked. The girls glanced to Specca then nodded slowly.
"Yeah, she looks… great," Triska said, seeing the wet shirt the nixie was wearing that outlined her bust.
"Nothing to be ashamed of at all," Alyssa agreed through a forced smile, seeing that the nixie had a figure that she was sure Daniel was bound to notice.
Squeak nodded with a small squeak while looking back to Daniel with a slight smile. He looked over to Specca as she smiled at the group, her tail swaying a bit behind her. She walked up to Daniel and smiled timidly.
"Thank you, Daniel," she said softly. He nodded then looked to the Ashwood guard as Specca kept staring at him with a bashful smile.
“She’s coming with us,” he said firmly. The guardian glanced to Specca then sheathed her sword.
“Fine, just get her out of here then,” she grunted reluctantly as the other guardian sheathed her sword as well. Daniel nodded then looked over towards the other girls.
"Alright then, we have our gear and our guide. Let's head out, we have a long journey ahead of us still," he announced. The girls nodded and slowly started to climb back aboard the caravan. Triska and Squeak sat down inside the cabin while Alyssa sat at the driver's seat, the girls exchanging worried glances. Specca walked over and climbed up, then moved past the witch and into the cabin as well. She sat down on one side while Triska and Squeak were sitting across from her, the two girls watching the nixie with a careful eye.
"Thank you for allowing me to come with you," Specca said gratefully. Triska nodded with a slight smile as Squeak glanced to her.
"Sure, the more the merrier, right?" Triska asked with a forced laugh. Alyssa rolled her eyes and glanced away.
"Not quite what I was thinking," she muttered quietly. She then smiled as Daniel climbed up and sat next to her, the boy smiling at her then looking back to the others sitting behind him.
"All set?" he asked.
"Ready," Triska said with a smile at the boy. Squeak nodded with a quick squeak.
"All set," Specca agreed eagerly. Daniel nodded then looked ahead as Alyssa snapped the reins, the white horse then neighing before taking off with a calm pace down the street. As the group made their way towards the city exit into the outerlands the two Ashwood guards watched them go with a curious eye.
"What are those two thinking traveling with those monsters?" one of them asked.
"I have no idea, but I feel sorry for that lad. Heading out into the outerlands with monsters for traveling companions, he's just asking for it," the other commented, shaking her head. Her friend nodded then glanced to her with a raised eyebrow.
"What was that he was saying, about finding the right monsters to talk to first?" she asked curiously. Her comrade merely shrugged as they started walking away from the courtyard.
"Doesn't matter, I bet you anything one of those 'three good monsters' is going to give in to their nature before nightfall. Poor lad," she said simply.
Lucky traveled out through the large gate separating Ashwood from the outerlands, the single horse pulling the larger caravan with little trouble at a brisk pace down the worn dirt road. Daniel looked up at the sky with a calm gaze, feeling more confident about his journey. He had met and befriended three monster girls, all of which having agreed to come with him to aid in his quest as well as be proof of his beliefs that monsters and humans could coexist peacefully. The group had a new caravan for their travels, new supplies, and a guide to the outerlands in the form of their new companion, Specca. All that was left for them was to seek out possible allies in the world, to help bring Daniel’s belief of coexistence into reality.
*****
Far away from the city of Ashwood two figures were seen atop a hill with a few trees along the side. Tora was holding her staff and the artifact while looking at her mistress with concern, the succubus holding a hand to her leg wound as she growled with frustration.
"I can't believe that lesser monster managed to strike me like that," Katie hissed as her hand glowed with a dark
purple and red light. Her wound slowly started to close and heal as her pain vanished.
"Alyssa is nothing but a curse, my mistress. I swear next time I see her I'll put an end to her life for daring to draw your blood like that," Tora said with discontent. Katie breathed out as she removed her hand, the wound on her leg now gone as the demon stood upright again. Her wings shifted slightly behind her while her tail swayed around casually. She looked at the artifact as Tora handed it to her, admiring it with a sly smile.
"I'm sure you will, my dear Tora, I'm sure you will," she mused, obviously more interested in the artifact than the witch that had managed to get in a lucky strike against her. Tora nodded then looked at the artifact carefully.
"Where to now?" she asked. Katie chuckled and looked off into the horizon.
"Off to find the next piece of the puzzle of course, and the sooner the better. I have a feeling our friend is already on the trail of the next one," she said with a slight tone of annoyance. She held the artifact up to the side as a green and black flame flared around it, the object appearing to waver and distort slightly before vanishing into a dark void.
"Come, my dear girl, one down, seven more to go," she said as she started to walk away. Tora nodded then looked off into the horizon as she followed after.
"As you wish, mistress," she said calmly. Katie narrowed her eyes slightly as she smiled, her eyes giving off a faint greenish glow. She took off into the air with her wings as Tora hopped up onto her staff, riding atop it sideways as she followed the demon up and over the land. While flying through the air Katie chuckled and glanced behind her briefly before looking back ahead.
'Triska, I do hope our paths cross again soon. Stay alive for me until then, my dear little kitten.'
Chapter 17
Into the Outerlands
In the world of Eden, regions were often divided up into ‘safe zones’ where monsters were rarely encountered and the wilderness that was known as ‘the outerlands’. In these parts of the world monsters were known to run more freely while bandits and raiders often traveled in search of their next victims. There were smaller towns and villages spread about in the various regions, however they often lacked the strength and fortitude of the more heavily defended cities and kingdoms that were further away. Traveling through the outerlands was dangerous, and it was always advised that if you must do so that you never travel alone. Those that made their way through the outerlands knew to be aware of their surroundings, to pack plenty of supplies for survival, and to travel with those you could trust.
Otherwise you were in for a rough journey.
*****
Traveling across a dirt road outside of the city of Ashwood, a caravan was rolling along as it was pulled by a single white horse. Sitting at the driver's seat of the ride Alyssa and Daniel were looking around at the surrounding area while Lucky pulled the caravan with little trouble. The sun was shining through a few clouds as birds were seen flying overhead, the sky slowly darkening as the day was passing by. Traveling east into the outerlands the scenery remained mostly the same, with a few hills and trees being seen here and there. To the far north the mountains were seen rising up near the clouds while to the south the outerlands seemed to meet with the edge of the forest that connected to Ashwood.
"So this is the outerlands?" Daniel asked looking around curiously.
"Yep yep. Ashwood and the forest behind us separate your homeland from the surrounding region. It doesn’t look any different to you I’m sure, but don’t assume it’s as quiet out here. Inside your homeland you probably had very few, if any, monster encounters, but out here they are much more common," Alyssa warned while glancing around carefully. Even though nothing was seen even remotely close to them she still seemed to be on guard, showing that they were certainly not in the ‘safe zone’ anymore. Daniel nodded and looked up in thought. He knew his home village of Edgewood was located near the mountains to the north and west, the settlement resting in the valley with a forest near it along with the rolling plains to the east. To the south of his village were more empty fields before it connected to rocky bluffs that nobody traveled through, man or monster.
"In a way your home was pretty much hidden from the world. If I remember correctly, the only way into it was through Ashwood, or crossing the Devilo River," Alyssa added, looking up thoughtfully.
"Devilo River? What's that?" Daniel asked. Alyssa looked at him with a curious smile.
"You don't know? It's the river south of your homeland. How can you not know about that?" she asked.
"Well, we knew there were some bluffs to the south, but we never really ventured out further than that. No travelers or monsters ever came from that way, so we assumed it was naturally blocked off," Daniel reasoned with a shrug.
"It's blocked off alright, but not by rocks. The Devilo River is south of your village and runs down into the southern region near Ashwood’s forest. Nobody crosses it though, nobody," Alyssa said shaking her head.
"Why not, what's so special about it?" Daniel asked.
"Nothing's special about the river itself, it's just a normal river. You couldn’t really swim across it, you would need a boat or raft, but other than that it's just water," Alyssa said with a shrug.
"Then why does nobody ever cross it?" Daniel asked puzzled.
"Because on the other side of the river there is the Devilo Forest, and the nesting grounds of wild hornets," Alyssa explained. She paused for a moment then glanced to Daniel.
"And I don't mean little insects, wild hornets are a type of monster that you don't want to meet," she warned, shaking her head. Daniel looked at her with concern as she looked back ahead with a solemn expression.
"They don't usually leave their homes, and they don't want to cross over water either, so your home is perfectly safe from them. But if any humans or monsters wander through that forest they'll attack and in great numbers," she said simply.
"Wild hornets? I don't remember reading about those," Daniel said looking down. He looked back inside the caravan’s cabin with a curious expression.
"Hey, Triska? Could you please grab my monster book for me?" he asked. His mouth opened a bit as he stared with wide eyes at something, with Alyssa slowly looking back then jumping in surprise at seeing something as well.
"Sure, one second, Daniel," Triska said while she was packing her duffel bag to the side near the rear of the cabin. Inside the caravan were wooden floors and walls, a roof that was curved up slightly, and a small window in the back looking out behind the ride. At least that's how it was when they left Ashwood, now however it had a soft blue blanket spread across the floor like a carpet, a few white pillows lying around against the walls, and a very surprised ant girl and nixie who were staring at Triska with wide eyes as the human pulled out yet another pillow from her bag and set it down against the wall near her.
"Where… is she getting all of these from?" Specca asked looking around at the cabin as Triska glanced back to her.
"What do you mean? It's just a blanket and some pillows, nothing wrong with making this place a bit more comfy to rest in, right?" she asked while she pulled out a lantern and set it down next to the travelers' bags.
"How did she pack all of that into one bag?" Alyssa asked with bewilderment. Squeak stared at Triska's duffel bag with wide eyes then over to the human while Specca looked around with disbelief.
"But… the physical dimensions of these and your carrying bag…" Specca pondered, scratching her head as she looked around inside the cabin. Triska moved over towards Daniel's bag and sifted her hand around inside of it, then pulled out his monster book. She smiled and moved towards the front of the cabin while Specca and Squeak looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
"Here you go, Daniel, so what are we looking for first out here?" she asked as she handed him the book. Daniel glanced to the book, back inside at the cabin, then to Triska as he remained silent. After a pause he took the book with a weak smile and shook his head.
"I'm not s
ure just yet, but first I want to check out something. Alyssa says there were monsters living south of our village past the bluffs," he said as he started looking through the pages.
"What? There were? There are?" Triska asked looking to Alyssa with surprise.
"Relax, your home isn't in any danger, wild hornets don't leave their nests or cross over bodies of water. Nothing to worry about," Alyssa said with a wave of the hand while she looked around inside the cabin with a curious eye. Even with all her knowledge of magical spells and bending the laws of physics with her power, she couldn't fathom how Triska could pack everything she had into a single duffel bag.
"Wild hornets? What are those?" Triska asked looking to Daniel. He shrugged as he flipped through his book.
"I'm not sure, I don't think I have those in here," he said shaking his head. Triska looked at the book worriedly then over to Specca.
"Hey, Specca, you said you memorized that monster book back at Ashwood, right?" she asked quickly. Specca glanced to her and nodded while Squeak stared at Triska's duffel bag with wonder, her antennae twitching a bit as she glanced around at all the stuff the human pulled out of the bag then back to it with confusion.
"So, what are wild hornets then?" Triska asked, sitting down while looking at the nixie curiously. Specca looked up for a moment in thought as she sat back, her eyes darting around slightly before she looked back over to Triska.
"Oh, yes. Um, let's see. Monster class: Wild Hornets. An insect class monster, they are found primarily in forests. These creatures operate in a hive based society with a queen and workers. They are extremely aggressive and territorial, and are known to be rather sadistic with the men they capture. Although they have stingers much like their insect counterparts, they do not use them to attack with. Their venom acts as a powerful aphrodisiac that keeps a man they sting in a constant state of lust, who the hornets then take back to their hive to use him as they wish. They will provide as many men as they can to their queen, while the workers are allowed the rest. It's common for any men that are captured by them to die of exhaustion as the hornets will repeatedly sting them and keep them active until their body gives out from the strain," she stated in a professional tone. Daniel and Triska stared at her with stunned expressions while Alyssa raised an eyebrow at the girl.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 53