“I’ll give you exactly two minutes to explain yourselves,” he spoke sternly as his harsh gaze alternated between both Agna and Scar.
“We’ve come here to join the fight against the Nér-vrogan,” Kyrah immediately replied on our behalf before I could even open my mouth. “Ashíel has already slain Lady Vistaal; she can be a powerful ally if you’re wise enough to welcome her aid.”
That was not how we’d planned things, but Kyrah’s little introduction had apparently given the man something to consider. Still regarding us with obvious suspicion, his tone softened only slightly when he made his reply.
“Yet you come not only in the company of an orc but with that vicious animal by your side.” He didn’t bother hiding his sneer of disgust, and I saw more than a few knuckles turn white as his soldiers gripped their weapons tightly. “You call yourselves allies, but you travel with our sworn enemies.”
Come closer, Scar, I beckoned him.
When he responded to my summons, I began stroking his face, allowing my fingers to trace the outline of Scar’s long snout with the sharp teeth that lay just beneath his lips. He understood the subtle message I was trying to convey and sat beside me as I calmly replied to the man’s pointed statement.
“This is Scar, and he belongs to me, not Agna,” I countered as the leader’s eyes shot open in surprise. “As for my other friend, she is no enemy of yours either; only the first of many whom I hope to also persuade to join this fight.”
“Although I’ve fought your kind for many years, I’ve always respected your people’s sense of honor,” he spoke directly to Agna for the first time. “Tell me in your own words why you have come here.”
“I follow her.” I cringed as Agna gestured towards me. Even though I’d told her all my secrets, we’d agreed to keep them between ourselves. Not knowing how she might be received, we’d made a similar pact regarding Kyrah’s background as well. Yet with the man calling on Agna to speak the truth, I feared she might feel compelled to tell him far more than I wanted him to know.
“She’s already killed one Nér-vrogan noble,” she continued. “For all your efforts, that’s something you’ve never managed to accomplish. If any of us are to be free from those savages, we’ll need her help.”
“I’ve heard news of Lady Vistaal’s passing, as have many others,” the man paused momentarily as he seemed to reevaluate us. “Yet, there’s no proof that you’re the one who killed her.”
I understood his implication immediately, and even respected the man’s sense of caution. Anyone at all could claim they’d been the one to slay Vistaal in an attempt to use her death to their advantage. With no way for me to verify my claim, we seemed to be at an impasse until he offered us a way out.
“I received a report from our scouts just yesterday about a small group of Sentinels they discovered camped only a few days south of here.” I immediately saw where this was headed. “The Nér-vrogan believe they’re beyond our ability to threaten them, so they don’t trouble themselves with us too much. They do send their spies to check on us from time to time, however, and I believe this may present us both with an opportunity.”
“I’ll provide you with a map of their location, and you will eliminate them for me,” he declared. “All I ask is that you bring back at least one of them for questioning.”
Oh, was that all he was asking?
After coming so far to escape the Nér-vrogan, it seemed like insanity to simply turn around and march back south again, yet it wasn’t as if we had any choice if we wanted to secure a safe place in the Three Kingdoms.
“Who shall we ask for when we return?” The arrogant jerk still hadn’t told us his name.
“Commander Leshel,” he smirked as I accepted his terms.
After traveling for weeks with nothing more than a few scattered caves and random thickets to camp in, it might’ve been nice to venture inside and at least pick up some supplies or perhaps even rest at the inn for the night, but Leshel’s men held us at bay when he retreated beyond the gates. Once he’d provided us with the promised map, the heavy wood barricade slammed shut behind him, leaving us with no option but to turn around and head back the way we came.
“That could’ve gone better,” I grumbled as I looked over the parchment.
“Honestly, I expected it to go much worse,” Agna confessed.
She had a good point. Given the risk we’d taken, Leshel could have simply killed us all without ever allowing us the opportunity to explain ourselves.
“You’re probably right,” I was forced to concede the point. “But that asshole could have at least let us spend one fucking night under a dry roof before throwing us back into the wilds.”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh, Ash?” Kyrah replied, apparently annoyed by my condemnation of that idiot. “Leshel’s responsible for the safety of everyone under his command; he can’t afford to take chances with their lives.”
“Whatever.” I waved her off. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t made a decent argument; I just wasn’t as willing to give that jerk the benefit of the doubt. Besides, there was something else drawing my attention.
Over the past few weeks, I’d gotten used to the interface that was ever-present in my vision. Dreya had always described it as unobtrusive, yet it had taken most of that time for me to become comfortable with it. But the moment Leshel passed me the parchment, the little icon thing had begun blinking in the corner of my sight. Not only was it extremely distracting, but I just had to find out what sort of notification was waiting for me.
Scar, I’m going to be a little distracted for a moment, his shoulders were nearly level with mine as I placed my hand on him. You may need to guide me for a while.
‘Let me know if you discover anything interesting.’ Having done this before as I’d explored the UI, he immediately understood what had drawn my attention.
Quest Assigned – Exterminator. Leshel has tasked you with removing the encroaching Nér-vrogan spies. Success in this mission may go a long way towards earning his trust. Quest rewards are indeterminate at this time.
Well, that certainly hadn’t told me anything I didn’t already know…
Once I’d dealt with the profoundly uninformative Quest notification, I closed the UI and resumed walking beside Scar on my own. I responded to his inquiring glance with just a slight shake of my head, letting him know that I’d found nothing worth disclosing. As I looked around, I quickly realized that Kyrah and Agna were leading me back towards the campsite we’d used the night before. Although it wasn’t quite on the path we needed to follow to reach the Sentinel’s outpost, at least we knew it was a safe enough place to spend the night. After my disappointment at not having a comfortable bed to sleep in, it was only the smallest bit of consolation.
We reached the secluded thicket early in the evening, and now that we knew how close we were to Leshel’s fortified garrison, we felt secure enough to build a fire. Scar padded off to hunt for his dinner but soon returned with a small deer he’d taken, dropping off the carcass before vanishing into the forest again. My mouth began to water at just the thought of freshly roasted venison, and Agna wasted no time as she began butchering the deer. While the meat slowly cooked and the aroma filled the air, Kyrah told me of her own hunger.
“I think I need to feed tonight,” she whispered softly, obviously trying not to let Agna overhear her.
I hadn’t noticed before, and in the flickering light of the campfire, it was difficult to be sure, but I thought I detected the first faint traces of the dark circles under Kyrah’s eyes. Despite how well things had gone the last time, just like Kyrah, I was still filled with uncertainty. Yet something told me it was far better to head off her pangs at the earliest sign of their return rather than wait for them to hit her with their full force.
“Come lay beside me later, and I’ll take care of you the same way I did before,” I tried not to let Kyrah sense my hesitation as I offered my reassurance. “Everything will be fine.”
We both saw right through each other, of course, but neither of us had any other option. Kyrah had lost the ability to gain anything from normal food, and her only source of sustenance was me. Since I sure as hell wasn’t going to make my friend starve to death, that left us with exactly one choice. Although I hoped we’d gotten past the… uncomfortable side effects that had occurred during our first few times together, we simply had to deal with whatever consequences might occur if that wasn’t the case.
When Agna declared our dinner to be ready, I didn’t allow the uncertainty of what lay ahead of us dampen my enthusiasm in the slightest. Grabbing one of the hunks of meat, I stuffed it in my mouth without allowing it a moment to cool off first. The taste of the freshly cooked venison made the burning sensation completely worth it, and I let out a moan of sublime satisfaction as I chewed on the delicious morsel.
After not having a single hot meal in weeks, I ate far more than I should have and settled atop my bedroll in absolute contentment. It may not have been the soft bed I’d been hoping for, but with a decent meal in my belly, it was all I could ask for. Once I made sure Detect Life was still protecting us, I wrapped myself up in my blanket and closed my eyes.
“Ash?” Kyrah whispered to me once again.
Fuck! I’d completely forgotten about our ‘appointment.’
As I turned towards her, Kyrah’s self-conscious expression told me she understood what had happened. Although she was clearly reluctant to intrude, I lifted up my blanket and welcomed her beside me. Once we got comfortable next to each other, I rolled up my sleeve, and Kyrah wavered for only a second before I felt her sharp teeth piercing through my skin.
The instant she began to draw from me, I was filled with the same powerful sensations I’d experienced before. Thankfully, they weren’t the overwhelming urges that had characterized our initial encounters, but the more comforting, nurturing feelings that had occurred during her most recent feeding. I reflexively reached out to stroke her hair and felt Kyrah wrap her arms around me in return as she took her fill from my veins. I was completely taken in by the stark beauty of our exchange, but it ended far too soon when she pulled away to rest her head on my shoulder.
“It’s okay, Kyrah,” I soothed as I continued to run my fingers through the fiery red locks of her hair, fearing that she’d only stopped for my benefit. “You can take whatever you need from me.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I have,” the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. “It just doesn’t take very much of your blood to satisfy me.”
I was relieved at how well things had gone, yet despite the fact that Kyrah had been able to answer me, she was still powerfully affected by the experience. The traces of divine blood that coursed through my veins left her in a near stupor; eyes barely able to focus as she dropped her head back down heavily on me. In a matter of seconds, she was fast asleep, and I tucked the blanket around her body as I tried to join her.
‘May I lay beside you as well, or would you prefer to be left alone?’ Scar’s tentative inquiry came to me.
Not only had he returned while my attention had been diverted, but I’d forgotten that Scar hadn’t witnessed me feeding Kyrah in quite some time. From his tone, I could tell that he was uncertain about the status of my relationship with her, so I patted the ground and invited him to lay next to me.
Kyrah needs to feed from me, Scar, that’s all, I tried to explain the situation as best I could. I’d appreciate a little space while I take care of her, but you’re more than welcome to return to me once we’re finished.
‘If you say so,’ the doubt in his voice was readily apparent as he laid down.
I guess I couldn’t fault him for his skepticism—even I didn’t really understand my relationship with Kyrah. She was definitely a friend, of that I was certain; the only real question was if she would eventually become something much more than that. While I was sure that I could push the issue if I really wanted to, forcing that on her just wouldn’t be fair. Wherever the tides might take us, I needed things to develop naturally, not because I’d compelled them. With everything else going on, this wasn’t exactly the best time for me to explore my personal relationships, either—just trying to stay alive was more than enough to occupy my mind. Since that jerk Leshel hadn’t even let us purchase some basic supplies, I still only had the one blanket to wrap around myself. Fortunately, with the fire slowly dying out and both Scar and Kyrah bracketing me, I was warm enough to fall asleep quickly.
We turned south the next morning and began our trek towards the Sentinel’s camp. Much of the surrounding area was painted in an impenetrable black on my UI, but with the parchment Leshel had provided us, a bright red dot marked the location for me. Using both that beacon to guide us and Leshel’s map, we made good progress for most of the day. Until we didn’t.
In an almost perfect repeat of our encounter with the worg pack, we once again found ourselves surrounded as we attempted to cross a small clearing. Unlike before, these were no wild animals hemming us in, but a band of orcs, well-armed and clearly out for blood. While I drew back on the arrow I held nocked against my bowstring and Scar prepared to defend me, the orcs glared back at us for only a moment before their collective gaze settled on Agna.
“We thought you died at the crossing with the others, Agna,” one of them sneered with disdain as he recognized her. “I see that it’s even worse than we feared; you’ve allowed yourself to be tamed by these weak fools. Tell me, do they let you eat their scraps, or must you beg for your food?”
“Shut your mouth, Cren.” Although she more than matched his derisive tone, the orc’s harsh words had clearly stung her.
Over the past few weeks, Agna had slowly been growing more comfortable with the makeover we’d forced on her, even picking up the habit of absently toying with the end of her braid at times, but Cren’s insults managed to undo all that progress in an instant. She suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable in her human garb, and Agna’s long braid hung loosely in front of her when it fell from between her fingertips.
“Leave,” he ordered her. “Take your worg and go, and we’ll forget that we saw you here. I’ll make these two pay for what they did to you.”
Scar’s low growl echoed my own thoughts on his ‘proposal.’
“He’s not my worg,” Agna regained a bit of her composure as she corrected Cren’s assumption. “Scar belongs to her.”
That got a rather… interesting reaction.
Almost as one, Cren and the other orcs turned towards Scar, and without any need for me to prompt him, he took the one long step required to stand by my side. Draping my arm over his broad neck, I glared back at Cren, returning his look of contempt as I ran my fingers through Scar’s fur.
“Hit him with Bolt when I give you the signal,” Agna whispered as she strode past, leaving me no choice but to trust her when she advanced toward the suddenly perplexed Cren.
Although I had no idea what she was up to, I had a lot of faith in Agna. After all, she knew her people far better than I did, so I prepared the Spell as I watched her closely. With his heavy armor, the magic would hit Cren hard, and I could only assume that Agna needed some demonstration of power to get us out of this mess.
With only a slight twitch of her fingers, Agna let me know when it was time for me to act. Casting my magic quickly, I sent a powerful jolt of energy surging towards an unsuspecting Cren. I couldn’t help but smile as the electric-blue tendrils skittered over his armor, sending the orc into an uncontrolled series of convulsions before dropping him to the ground.
Magic was practically unknown in these lands, and Cren’s companions were just as unprepared for the Spell as he was. Overwhelmed by the display, they stood frozen in place, gaping openly as he vainly struggled to stand up again, only managing to awkwardly crawl to his hands and knees before Agna loomed over him.
“You always were an asshole, Cren.” Agna’s sword cleared its sheath in an instant before she decapitated the orc with a flash her of steel.
His head hadn’t even rolled to a stop before Agna wiped her blade clean on Cren’s tattered cloak. I had no idea that she’d intended to kill him, and I prepared another Spell as I braced for the orcs’ reaction. But rather than attack, Cren’s companions gathered around Agna when she approached them.
A rather intense discussion ensued while Kyrah and I kept a discreet distance. As poorly as we understood the intricacies of orc society, neither of us wanted to do anything that might jeopardize Agna’s ‘negotiations.’ During her talks, Agna repeatedly motioned towards both Cren’s corpse and me, seeming to make it clear that he wasn’t the only one who might fall victim to my talents. The threat of using my magic against them apparently won out, and the remaining orcs eventually filtered back into the forest, leaving us alone again.
“What exactly did you tell them?” Agna cringed just slightly at my accusatory tone.
“It didn’t take a lot,” she sidestepped the question. “Cren might have been their leader, but they didn’t like him very much either.”
As long as she’d gotten us out of the situation, I figured the particulars didn’t really matter, so I motioned for Agna to take the lead again, allowing her to escape with only a harsh glare.
19
Two days later, we found ourselves hiding behind a thick stand of brush as we stared into the Sentinel camp Leshel had ‘asked’ us to take care of for him. The few Sentinels he’d told us about turned out to be an even half-dozen; outnumbering us, but that wasn’t anything new. With the element of surprise on our side and a bit of planning, I imagined it would be easy enough to even up those odds.
Glancing at my mini-map for confirmation, I saw only the six dots that corresponded with each of the figures that were in view outside the three tents that made up the orderly campsite. Looking them over closely, we pieced together the plan for our attack: I would begin with a volley from my bow while Scar, Kyrah, and Agna rushed forward in an effort to overwhelm the hopefully startled band of Sentinels. If I could take out at least a pair of them before they made contact, we’d likely have an easy victory.
Second Skin: Wayward: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 7) Page 18