by Eden Redd
Seven
Nero woke with a start. Sitting up, he saw that he was on the floor of the very basement he was held prisoner. Eyes shifted to Luci as she lay curled on the floor, her tail wrapped around her body and the small sack a foot from her, empty and deflated. The troll crawled over to the sleeping kitmori, hand reaching out and touching her shoulder.
The fox woman murmured and curled into a tighter ball. The troll couldn’t take his eyes off of her; face snuggled into her arms and the top of her fluffy tail. Ears pointed up from her head, twitching every few seconds but eyes closed in peaceful slumber.
Nero almost didn’t want to wake her up but he knew time was of the essence. There was no light in the basement and they had to get topside and figure out how much time they actually lost.
The troll was to his feet. Luci stayed snuggled on the floor. Nero let out a sigh as he knelt down and dug his hands under her. The kitmori shifted to his touch until Nero lifted her up and held her close to his chest. Luci snuggled closer, a hand touching his chest. She was light as a feather and Nero made his way to the stairs. Climbing each step, warmth touched him as Luci seemed to snuggle as close as she could. She wasn’t small but in Nero’s arms, she seemed to fit perfectly, her legs hanging over his arms and upper body against him.
The player wanted nothing more then find a place to lay her down and cover her in a thick blanket. He heard the stories about too much fairy dust use would cause a serotonin spike and then a deep crash. The troll almost smiled as her ear flicked against his chest. He couldn’t deny how attractive she was and it pained him to think she was a fairy dust junkie. The game had taken dark turns but this cut too deep and anger filled his brow.
Reaching the top of the stairs, the troll maneuvered through the doorway and into an abandon home. Morning light filled the empty windows, leaving a golden hue across the floor. Nero made his way through the abandon house and out into the street. A quick glance around showed the small town they were in was not far away. It looked like they were held in a house just outside of town.
A dagger flashed from nowhere and pressed to the troll’s throat.
“Put me down,” Luci growled as she gave a hard stare.
Nero did as he was told and lowered her to the ground. The kitmori’s feet touched the ground and she stepped away with dagger pointed at the shadowmancer.
“I believe we are working together,” Nero said plainly.
Luci continued to eye him with a dash of rage, “Are you playing a game with me? You knew those masked people last night. Was this some kind sick joke?”
The troll stayed his ground but his eyes lowered to the dirt street, “It’s not a joke. If you have a moment, I will tell you everything.”
The kitmori could see the pain in his eyes and gave a hesitant nod. Nero opened his mouth and spoke of the last few months. He told her about his former job, former co-workers, the attempt to shake him down and some of the history. He left out his true dark purpose and played it off that there simply was a grudge. The player didn’t want to get her involved in his own plans to teach them a lesson.
Confusion filled the kitmori’s eyes as the troll talked. Nero guessed it was because she was out of it through most of it and didn’t retain everything that had transpired. Her dagger arm lowered and soon she pressed it to her waist and it vanished. Nero noted how the blade simply disappeared and told himself to follow up later it. If he could hide his weapons like her, he would become better at his dark quests.
Luci clasped her hands behind her, a small smile creeping into her cheeks, “Thank you for telling me. It sort of makes sense.”
Nero nodded, “I understand if you want to go off on your own or abandon this contract. I have to see it to the end.”
The kitmori shook her head slightly, “No, the money is too good. Besides, don’t try that good guy crap, trying to get me to leave and you have one less player to compete against.”
Nero smirked, “We could work together, split it sixty forty, my favor.”
Luci looked away, trying to hide her smile, “Sixty forty, my favor.”
The troll kept his face gentle, “We can negotiate.”
The shadowmancer turned to the rising sun, raising a hand to block out its light, “I assume our competition may already have a head start on us. Shall we travel together, safety in numbers?”
Luci looked to the cloaked troll, eyes wandering down his solid frame and wide shoulders, “Sure, I can protect you from all kinds of monsters.”
Nero turned his eyes to her, “Protect me? I’m here to protect…” the troll trailed off.
Luci turned and began walking with a stride in her step. The shadowmancer shook his head and started after her, the sun clearing the eastern horizon.
***
The forest was alive with filtered light, bird song and two assassins taking a stroll along the fern covered ground. Thick trees stood with natural wonder and the occasional rabbit lifted its head up, twitched its nose and bounded away. The air felt clean and pure, causing Nero to take a deep breath. It was all a trick of the game but that didn’t make it any less amazing.
The player thought back to years ago, when his family camped and hiked in the national parks. Sometimes he went off on his own, taking in the natural solace. The animals he witnessed and the air he breathed centered his spirit and calmed his mind. It was magical and the troll took in another breath, reliving that private beauty.
Luci looked to the troll, his eyes lost. She remained silent but enjoyed watching the calm flow over his strong, blue face. It seemed to flow outwards from him and gently touched her own spirit. She wished she could say it was odd but it wasn’t. It was natural as the bathing in a springtime lake.
Nero let out a long exhale before glancing to Luci. The kitmori looked away, pretending she wasn’t looking at him. A grimness returned to the troll’s face as they both hiked through the forest. Nero forgot where he was only for a moment and returned to his dark, brooding self.
“It’s okay. You looked happy,” Luci said in an even tone.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nero said gruffly.
Luci smiled, “You looked like you were enjoying the walk. Sorry if I snapped you out of it. You don’t have to be so grim all the time, even if you’re a shadowmancer.”
A small smirk appeared, stabbing into Nero’s cheek, “I get caught up in my character.”
Luci eyed him, “Do you? You seem like a nice guy.”
Nero reached up and pulled his hood back. Blue hands ran through short hair. He didn’t like the dreadlocks so much and changed it to a normal haircut. The hair was still black as pitch but it felt better, less constricted.
Luci watched him, her heart quickening as she could fully see his handsome features, “You look better with the hood down.”
“The hood covers up part of my vision. Since its day time, I should have it down so I can see better.”
The troll looked to the forest, “Nice guys finish last, so I’ve heard.”
The kitmori strolled to his side, hands behind her and a playful hop in her step, “I doubt that very much.”
The two assassins continued their stroll through the serene forest.
“Do you role play all the time?” Luci asked.
“Most of the time, its fun to not be myself for a while, don’t you?”
Luci walked along, “Only when I’m on a job. It’s easier to get the mark in my good graces if they think they’re just having a good time.”
“You lure them in by being friendly?”
The kitmori looked on, eyes half closing, “Sometimes. Sometimes I just like to have fun before I sink a dagger in their heart.”
“Is that why your being friendly now? You’re going to sink a dagger in my heart?” Nero grinned.
Luci let out a small laugh, “There’s no contract out on you, so no.”
Nero walked along, the mood light and inviting, “I don’t mean to pry but…..”
Luci
’s face darkened as shadows covered her eyes, “I don’t want to talk about my sex life.”
Nero’s mouth hung open for a second before he continued, “I was going to ask, how do you hide your weapons. I noticed you make them vanish at your waist.”
Red bloomed into Luci’s cheeks. She knew he had seen her at her worst and was sure that’s what he wanted to know. That’s all anyone wanted to know. Biting her lip, she remained quiet for a moment, long enough for the red to turn a shade of pink.
“I’m a kitmori. I have ‘trick’ ability that lets me open small dimensional pockets around my body. I can hide small, non living things and they will always be with me.”
Nero nodded, “I had seen the race class but didn’t read up on them, too furry for me.”
“You don’t like what you see?” Luci grinned and spread out her hands.
The troll laughed, “I meant it’s too furry for me to be one. It looks beautiful on you.”
Luci bowed, “Thank you oh dark one.”
Nero bowed his head and smiled. The pair continued on, a silence filling the space between them. Nero wanted to talk more but wasn’t sure what to say. Luci looked around with bright eyes and an occasional skip. Trees and large rocks passed as they made their way through the forest. Nero thought, if they weren’t on a dangerous contract together, this would have been a nice first date.
The troll’s face sagged at the thought. Doubt lingered and the player wondered what was wrong with himself. Glancing to Luci, he could feel the stir of emotions and a sliver of heat crawling up his neck. He barely knew the kitmori player and yet there was something there. A shadow of a memory came back to whisper in his ear and the troll’s hands clenched into tight fists. It was all a trick to bring down his defenses and then stab him in the neck. She could even be a spy for Lord Blight, planted to keep an eye on him.
“Thank you for stabbing the knight in the neck that night,” Luci said simply. “They had already killed my mark so I didn’t have much else to do.”
Nero’s eyes widened and turned to Luci as she walked indifferently.
“I was on an escort mission to bring a group of wannabe rebels south. The lizard man with us was a rebel leader. He needed help brining new soldiers down south to fight against the troll masters. The lizard folk had grown tired of the masters and their promises for a better life. Many of the tribes began helping some of the human kingdoms with information and small raids. Nerk was supposed to meet his end once we reached one of the tribe locations and I was to report back his death and the location.”
Luci hopped on a medium sized stone, twirled and hopped off, “But the ambush killed almost everyone, including Nerk. My contract a failure, I was sort of at the mercy of the knights and paladins, not that I minded too much.”
“I take it, that is one of your kinks,” Nero said in a low voice.
Luci grinned from ear to ear, “Maybe,” and picked up her pace, walking ahead.
Nero eyed the furry beauty as she sauntered along. Eyes drifting down, he found himself mesmerized by her plump ass and couldn’t break away. The kitmori glanced back with a smile as the troll stayed behind her, watching with a smirk.
A long hour passed and Luci playfully stayed ahead of the troll, giving him a view and a show with every step through the thick forest. The player couldn’t decide if she was leading him on or simply messing with him. Either way, it made the time go by much quicker.
Losing track of where they were, Nero summoned Wynn with a thought. A cloud of smoke and bats rose up from the ground near him and a sultry demon sprang up with a crazy smile. Launching herself, she was on the troll, grabbing his armor and pulling herself onto him.
“Oh my shadowmancer, are we going to have some needed release. I’ve been waiting with…”Wynn turned her head to the kitmori walking ahead.
“Wynn I….” Nero began.
“Oh! We have company. Does she like to watch or does she join in? I could watch you both and then join in. I don’t care I just need you to stab with that meaty…”
“Wynn,” Nero said sternly, “I just need some information.”
The succubus pouted as she slid off of him and onto her own two feet, “Fine. What do you want to know?”
Luci looked back as Nero and a succubus talked.
“How far is the kingdom of Rork? Anything I should know before entering the city?”
Wynn’s pout melted into indifference, “The kingdom of Rork is a day and a half journey from this location. It is a PVP area. The city has not chosen a side in the war and remains neutral. There are rumors the princess is bat shit crazy and the real power behind the kingdom. The city is open to all races but the castle is heavily guarded.”
The succubus eyed the troll for a moment, “Is that all?”
“Yes Wynn. That is what I wanted to know.”
“Then pull out that cock!” the succubus growled.
Nero had to fight back the smile, “I’m sorry, not right now, maybe after my current contract.”
The succubus’s pout turned into a seductive leer, “I love when you make me wait. It will only be worse for you in the future.”
And with that, bats and a puff of black smoke rose up, enveloped the demoness and she was gone. Luci turned around and strolled back to Nero as he stood.
“I can’t even call my personal demon. He can’t take no for an answer,” Luci grinned.
“You have a demon?”
The kitmori nodded, “Clearly you do too. You know you can change them to anything you want, right?”
“Yea but she seems to like her body. I don’t have the heart to change her.”
Luci smiled, “For a shadowmancer, you’re pretty sappy.”
“For an assassin, you talk a lot,” Nero grinned.
Luci’s jaw dropped as the troll walked past with a wink. Nero took lead as Luci hung back. Warmth caressed her cheeks as Nero walked on without looking back. The world took on a rosy hue before she began to walk, admiring the troll’s shoulders and strong neck.
***
The woods gave way to a wide stream. Nero stepped out from the cover of the forest and surveyed the area. The stream rippled along as the occasional green leaf fell from a tree and landed on the water, travelling with the current. Luci stepped from the tree line behind Nero, also surveying the area.
Patches of stones filled the river, rising up above the waterline while a peaceful babbling flowed on. Nero stepped closer to the river and looked down. It wasn’t more than a few feet deep but it was travelling in the direction they were headed.
“We could walk along the bank,” Nero said.
“It makes us a target,” Luci said as her eyes drank in her surroundings.
“If we stay to the woods, it will slow us down. This is a straight shot for a number of miles. We could make some distance before we camp for the night.”
Luci turned her attention to Nero, “Speaking of camping, I don’t have a tent.”
Nero looked to her, “I have one,” then his eyes narrowed, “Sixty forty, my favor.”
Luci grinned, “If we are spending the night in the same tent, it will be sixty forty, in my favor by morning.”
The troll crossed his arms and shook his head, “What makes you think anything would happen?”
“From the way you watched my ass, it will be in my favor,” the kitmori snickered.
“I disagree. You have been checking me out the whole time.”
Luci barked out a laugh, “I highly doubt that. Clearly you….”the kitmori stopped talking and turned toward the river.
Pointed ears perked up as kitmori studied the stream and forest down further down the river. Nero turned and looked in the same direction, hands resting on his blades. The forest grew silent except for the sounds of the stream.
“What is it?” Nero asked.
“I hear magic, down the river,” Luci pointed.
“You can hear that?”
Luci nodded, her eyes never wavering. A moment later s
he began to walk. Nero followed close behind. The kitmori’s gaze stayed true as they walked along the side of the river. The shadowmancer was on edge, fingers tight around the pommels of his short sword and dagger.
After ten excruciating minutes, the troll and kitmori knelt down by the forest edge and stared out. A man in a light blue robe stood in the middle of a cluster of stones. He had long, flowing pale-blue hair and a pointed, hard face like he had seen too much. In his hand was a staff and he simply stood on a stone pile in the middle of the river current. The forest remained quiet as Nero and Luci watched.
The man looked at his bare wrist like he was looking at a watch before letting his hand hang at his side. An annoyed sigh fell from his lips and he stared blankly at nothing. The river babbled on but the robed man stood in plain sight, as if waiting.
“We should go around,” Luci whispered.
“He looks like a mage. There must be a reason he is standing there. Maybe he is one of the other assassins?”
The man’s shoulders dropped before he opened his mouth in their direction, “I can hear you!”
Nero and Luci froze, staying right where they were.
The blue haired man rubbed the bridge of his nose while letting out another sign, “I can sense magic. You’re weapons and armor are giving you away.”
“We should still go around,” Luci whispered.
“I think if he was going to harm us, he would have done it already.”
Luci shook her head, “You don’t understand; that’s no ordinary mage. We should ignore him and go around.”
“I can still hear you talking! Going around will accomplish nothing since I can still sense you!” the mage shouted with a harsh edge.
Nero looked through the brush before making up his mind. Standing up, he let go of his weapons and stepped out into the open, palms out. Luci stayed where she was, eyeing the troll in disbelief.
The mage grimaced a small smile, “Finally, someone with sense.”
Nero wasn’t sure what was happening but a quick chat couldn’t hurt on finding out more. Luci seemed shaken but Nero wasn’t sure why. If the mage was as scary as she made him out to be, he would have done something to them already. The troll walked along the river bank until he was about seventy feet from the mage in the river.