Home of Consequence

by Archibald Bradford

  Especially given the circumstances surrounding their training.

  He shuddered and turned away from the sight, only to again be distracted by another odd sound coming from his right, around the left side of the cottage. He rounded the corner to find Volka working with Erica in what appeared to be half-battle, half-athletic performance.

  “Good, your reflexes are incredible, but you hesitate! Throw your knives at me! They will not overcome my protection spell!”

  The veteran angel whirled in place, her own wings launching a volley of deadly feathers in a scythe around her, and sure enough: though several of them did strike Erica, they merely bounced off of the glowing Katje as she stumbled back with a string of invectives.

  Nameless however, was not currently included in the Valkyrie’s spell.

  Rapidly drawing a line towards him, the volley of feathers struck the side of the cottage with sharp clicking noises, some rebounded off with little chips of rock but many actually sank into the stone of the cottage wall.

  Fortunately, Nina grabbed him by the seat of his pants and pulled him off his feet and clear of the deadly projectiles that would have otherwise taken his nose off.

  While he stood and fixed his trousers, the Gigas called out to the dueling pair.

  “Hey Volka! Squishy on the field! Quit chucking feathers!”

  The angel spared a worried glance towards Nameless, and then flinched when two of Erica’s knives narrowly missed her face.

  “Nice try kitty but-”

  As she turned back to her opponent, both of Erica’s feet slammed into her chest and she wrapped her torso around the Valkyrie’s head, clawing and hissing like mad as the glow from the spell around them increased with the strain of her assault.

  The pair tumbled to the earth in a mess of golden wings and purple hair.

  A wide-eyed Nameless looked down at Nina, who gave him a pat on the butt by way of apology.

  “Sorry, figured you didn’t need any more scars.” Then she paused and tapped her chin thoughtfully; “Actually, one that goes all the way from your hairline, around your eye and down your cheek would be pretty sexy.”

  Nameless mirrored her chin tapping, his finger bouncing off the scar he had earned protecting Milly from a whip when he had first met the Minotaur.

  “Doesn’t this one count?”

  The red skinned girl immediately shook her head.

  “Nope. Sure it’s sexy, but not scary enough. I want kids to cry when they see you.”

  The tussle beside the cottage ended, Volka on top of a yowling Erica, the angel had lost her helmet and her strawberry blond hair was a mess from the cat’s mauling.

  “Fuck! You cheated!”

  The Valkyrie smiled.

  “Using my wings isn’t cheating. If that were the case, then using your claws would also be cheating. Still, you caught me off guard with that trick with the knives.”

  “Er… yeah, trick! I mean, I wasn’t really aiming for your smug stupid face.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Volka said serenely as she unpinned the Katje and gave a flap of her wings to stand up.

  For her part Erica did a graceful backwards roll that ended with her likewise back on her feet, she turned to retrieve her blades while Volka moved to greet Nameless.

  “Forgive me Husband, I did not see you when I released my feathers.”

  “It’s alright, I’m glad you two are having fun.”

  But he felt a sharp stab of pain from Erica’s heartstone as he spoke.

  He looked to see her cupping the knives to her breasts, a hurt look on her face.

  “Erica?”

  She gave a quick shake of her head and flashed him a smile.

  “It’s nothing lover, I think I’m done with getting my ass kicked, gunna wash up real quick.”

  The pain was gone as quickly as it came as she smothered it, but Nameless’s eyes tracked her as she went onto the porch and back into the cottage.

  Nina didn’t notice her bond-sister’s distress, her arms crossed over her chest as she gave Volka a meaningful look.

  “Well, if you’re done kicking ass, I want to get back to work.”

  Earlier the Gigas had cleared a flat space beside the cottage to set up her work space; she had already pounded the ground flat with her hammer and moved their pile of firewood to one side to make room for her smithy.

  She intended to take advantage of the cottage’s chimney, and the pile of firebricks Rory had sold her for her forge were laid out against the stone outcropping.

  Volka and Erica had themselves taken advantage of the cleared space and had been sparing in there to spare the Amazons and Milly from their ranged attacks.

  “As you wish, I think then that I will stretch my wings for a time.”

  Though Volka’s eyes had also tracked Erica as she went inside, she saw that Nameless had noticed her sudden distress and knew that he wouldn’t ignore it. So after giving him a kiss on the cheek, the Valkyrie’s wings gave a mighty heave and she was airborne.

  As Nameless watched her ascend he mumbled a quick goodbye to Nina. The poignant sorrow that had overtaken Erica had him worried and he went back on to the porch to follow her inside.

  On his way to the front door he glanced to where Milly was training, and saw something that made him do a double-take, and then beam with pride.

  Evidently they had switched from the weapons practice to hand-to-hand, and a flush-faced Milly was currently sitting on a stunned Escrya’s rump while the other Amazons cheered at the Minotaur’s victory.

  To his knowledge it was the first time she had bested any of the Amazons, but though he wanted to share the moment with her, his concern for his cat overrode his pride in his cow and so he slipped inside.

  He found Erica curled up on the bed, the bundle of Kar’s knives once again clutched tight to her breast while her shoulders shook in silent sobs.

  Wordlessly he sat beside her and rubbed his hand over her back while she worked through the painful emotions.

  At length she sat up, the deadly bundle in her lap while she wrapped her arms around him.

  “The tip, it must have hit a rock.”

  She held out one of the knives, and sure enough the tip had a significant nick in it.

  “Nina can fix it.” He offered and she nodded.

  “I know! It’s not that. Fuck, I-I feel so stupid, we only knew her for a few months. But sh-she taught us so much! Did so much for us, and I really did want her to bond with you! To be my sister!”

  “I know baby. I wanted her too.”

  For his part, Nameless’s own grief was set aside, his focus more on his distressed Katje.

  She cried into his shoulder until her tears turned to sniffles, then to a heavy silence while all the while he rubbed her shoulder in a side hug.

  “This sucks.” She sniffed again.

  He chuckled as he turned his head to face her, kissing her under her ear, his hand slipping from her shoulder and his fingers entwining in her hair as he pulled her head close to his lips.

  “Yeah, it sucks, but there isn’t anything we can do but keep going on I guess.” His voice mumbled into her hair as he breathed in the smell of her.

  Despite her exertions with Volka, her hair still held a hint of a familiar scent and after taking a moment to savour the smell, he smiled.

  “You’ve been bathing with Ophelia.” He observed.

  It was her turn to chuckle as she wiped at her tearful cheeks.

  “What can I say? It’s nice to smell girly, plus it’s even nicer to have someone wash your back.”

  He took another deep breath through his nose, then pulled his face from her hair and set his hand in her lap on top of her knives.

  “Teach me? We can make a game of it. Then we can wash each other’s backs, though it’ll be my second shower today.”

  He quirked an eyebrow at his cat who gave him a saucy look as she wiped away the last of her tears.

  “Sure thing, loser gets head?”

&n
bsp; His expression shifted to puzzled amusement.

  “Don’t you mean loser gives head?”

  She shifted over and nuzzled against his side, then quickly leaned in to nip at his ear affectionately.

  “Where’s the fun in that?”

  Her tongue, teeth and hot breath on his earlobe made his breath catch and he felt a familiar stirring in his groin. But he pushed down his lust as he took her hand and they went back outside and around the side of the cottage where Nina was now busy working on her forge.

  The pair moved to the stack of firewood; the split logs would make suitable targets for Erica’s knives.

  “So, you hold it like this.”

  Erica handed him one of the blades and demonstrated the technique that Kar had taught her.

  They played at it for ten minutes or so, and even though Nameless only ever sank the knife into the target he was aiming at once, they had fun.

  Unfortunately, perhaps inevitably, his hand slipped when he was handling one of the blades and he cut his thumb with a sharp intake of breath.

  “Okay, no more knives for you!” Erica teased after she determined that the cut wasn’t deep.

  Nina tossed them a quick look over her shoulder without pausing in her work on the hearth for her forge.

  “Yeah, I’ll teach you how to throw my hammer later. No sharp edges. Loser gives head.” She called out while laying the little white bricks in sequence, her massive hammer never far from reach.

  Nameless and Erica shared an amused look while he nursed his injured digit, sucking at the pad of his thumb until the bleeding stopped.

  With a wink to Erica he walked up to Nina’s massive weapon, gripped the handle with one hand and tried to lift it, straining dramatically before eventually giving up with an anguished moan.

  “Oh no! I failed! Curses, I guess you win. Oh man, shoot. Darnit, this is so embarrassing!”

  Nina snerked at his ridiculous behavior.

  “You dork.”

  Erica joined in the giant’s mirth, and then deliberately gripped his crotch, squeezing his cock firmly and causing him to gasp.

  “I guess the three of us need to wash up together so the winners and losers can pay up.”

  The seductive lilt in her voice was unmistakable and Nina licked her lips.

  “Be my second one today, but sure.”

  It was turning out to be a pleasant day.

  __________

  While Nameless, Erica and Nina went inside, Milly helped Escrya to her feet with a nervous smile. The young Amazon had insisted on another bout after her initial defeat, and won the rematch, so they then had to have a tie breaker, which the Minotaur won in just three moves.

  Despite just having her ass kicked, Escrya was overjoyed at the progress that Milly had made.

  “Well done Milly! I never saw that shoulder throw coming!”

  Milly self consciously rubbed the back of her neck.

  “Oh, um, was that okay? I saw Kaylee use it before on Myrina, or try to anyways.”

  “Myrina cheats!” Kaylee replied immediately while the others laughed mockingly at her excuse.

  Myrina stepped forwards and clapped her hand onto the Minotaur’s shoulder.

  “It was more than okay, it was perfect! I doubt even I could have countered you there!”

  “I don’t, because you would have cheated.” Kaylee insisted.

  Kaylee was one of the youngest of the Amazons present, only Escrya was younger.

  They took a break to drink some water and recover, during which Ophelia fluttered to the ground in their midst, a cloth bag hanging on her arm and two Hornets buzzing beside her.

  The Flutterby looked more than a little flustered by the Hornets’ presence.

  “Really dears, I’m alright, I didn’t need an escort!”

  “The queen’s orders are absolute.” One of them said flatly.

  Ophelia sighed.

  “Fine! But I’m home now! See? Safe and sound.”

  She waved one hand from head to toe to demonstrate she was still in one piece.

  “If we see any of you going anywhere alone we are to accompa-”

  “Fine! Fine, alright but please, in future don’t fly so close? My wings need more room than yours do!”

  The two Hornets nodded after sharing a quick look.

  “So long as you don’t try to escape our notice again, we will.”

  They shot back towards their hive.

  Milly moved to embrace the frazzled Flutterby, her tongue working over her cheeks and hairline by way of greeting.

  “You tried to sneak past the Hornets?” Helena wore a knowing smirk.

  “I did not sneak!” Ophelia huffed out; “I just forgot some things for dinner, but when they saw me flying into town they ambushed me! That was the most stressful flight I’ve had since we went over the falls in the wilds!”

  The Amazons chuckled, but after a moment Myrina spoke in agreement with the Hornets.

  “I know we can be a pain, but still, it is best not to be alone too much.”

  “You’re not a pain!” Milly objected, while Ophelia looked guilty.

  “No of course not, dearheart, and I appreciate everything that you and the Hornets are doing to keep us safe, they just caught me off guard.”

  With Ophelia’s arrival, Myrina and her girls called an end to the training session and after some quick farewells half of them returned to their camp by the water while the rest fanned out into the field, quickly disappearing in the tall grass.

  Alone now, Milly leaned down to nuzzle her face into her bond-sister’s hair and share a warm snuggle.

  “Mmmm, that’s nice dearheart.” Ophelia turned her face up to consider the Minotaur’s; “And were my eyes deceiving me as I flew in or did you just beat one of the Amazons in a fight?”

  The cow girl beamed with pride and nodded.

  “Yes! Escrya! She’s the youngest, but still, she fought really hard!”

  Ophelia wrapped her free arm around Milly’s waist and gave her a warm smile.

  “Congratulations dearheart! I am so proud of you! Let’s go inside and once I’ve put away the groceries, we’ll celebrate.”

  Milly giggled.

  “I think the others are already celebrating.”

  They shared a knowing look, before Ophelia licked her lips.

  “Then we better hurry before they run out of revels.”

  It really was a good day.

  __________

  After his disastrous meetings with Nina, Milly and Erica, Brandon was more than ready for a softer encounter with a monster girl. So he had grabbed his usual partner in crime and set out in search of paradise.

  Now he and Dillon ran for their lives, Janet Skinner in hot pursuit with her meat cleaver.

  “Man! For a woman her age she can really move!”

  When night fell the pair had skulked through the shadows in Skinner’s drive, intending to sneak into her flower garden where the notoriously horny Blomma lived.

  They had managed a tryst with the flower girls only twice in the past. For the young men and women of Kettering it was almost a rite of passage, both to get past Janet’s knife, and to couple with any of the willing Blomma.

  But to their misfortune Janet had been there when they arrived, collecting the girls’ nectar while they slept, their petals wrapped closed around them to ward off the increasingly cold night air.

  Brandon and Dillon had walked right into her and she was quick to run them off.

  “This is Paul Fletcher’s property over the fence right?!” Dillon was already clambering over the barrier while Janet cursed at them from behind.

  “Yeah, I think we can reach the road if we cut through the field and the trees there!”

  The more athletic Brandon vaulted over the fence before Dillon had even finished climbing it.

  Unbeknownst to the crass young men, they had picked the absolute worst field to trespass in.

  They slowed their headlong pace once they were a ways
into the thigh-high grass, correct in assuming that Janet wouldn’t follow them over the fence, though she shouted a few more choice oaths at them before stomping away.

  Dillon took a moment to catch his breath while nursing a stitch in his side.

  “Man, what a mean old bitch! I mean, share the wealth am I right?”

  Brandon snorted a laugh in agreement but then all but tackled Dillon into the tall grass when they neared the big oak in the middle of the field.

  “Hey wha-”

  “Shh! Someone’s there!” Brandon’s voice was a harsh whisper in the night.

  The pair huddled in the grass for a minute before Dillon ran out of patience.

  “Dude, there’s no one here!”

  “Actually there is.” A man’s voice called to them and they froze once more.

  Another half minute passed.

  “Look, you guys, I’m not mad that you’re trespassing, but you should really go home now, it’s late.”

  Brandon recognized the voice and slowly stood up from his place in the grass and Dillon soon followed.

  Nameless had been sitting with his back to the tree with a blanket around his shoulders, and when he saw them approach he stood to watch them, his silhouette hidden by the thick trunk in the night.

  “Trying to sneak a quickie with the Blomma?”

  His tone was amused.

  “What’s it to you?” Brandon snapped.

  With his amorous intentions spoiled, the last person Brandon wanted to see was this little fucker.

  Nameless smile fell away and he shrugged at the aggressive tone.

  “Whatever, come on then, I’ll have to walk you out.”

  Dillon tried to thank him, but Brandon cut him off.

  “The fuck is that supposed to mean? ‘You’ll walk us out’? We look like a couple little girls to you? We can get home just fine!”

  Nameless pushed himself off from the tree.

  “Yeah I doubt that, I’m sure you two are great at sneaking past one old lady, but I don’t like your odds of getting by the Amazons, not to mention the Hornets.”

  “Amazons? Where?” Dillon asked, looking around the field.

  Nameless rolled his eyes in the dark.