"Hey," Daniel called out from nearby. The girls looked over to seeing him walking up to them with Lucky following, the teen holding Triska's folded clothing in his hands as he looked at the girls curiously.
"Sorry I took so long; I'm all set when you are. Oh, and, Triska? You left these over on the rocks, they're all dry now," he said, handing the girl her clothing with a calm smile. She slowly took them and smiled softly at him.
"Thank you, Daniel," she said as she looked down to the clothes in her hands. He smiled at her then looked around at seeing the girls having gentle expressions.
"Is everything ok? You girls weren't fighting again were you?" he asked. They glanced to each other then to him with soft smiles.
"No, we were… just talking, Daniel. Hold on a minute, I'll get changed then we can head out," Triska said before walking around the tree and out of view. She started to slip out of her bikini as the other two girls looked to Daniel.
"Talking? About what?" he asked. Triska froze in place and looked ahead worriedly as she waited to hear what the others, or rather what Alyssa, would say. The witch glanced to Squeak then smiled a bit.
"Just… common interests," she said. Squeak nodded then reached down and picked up the boy's book, handing it over to him with a soft squeak. He smiled and took it, then put it into his bag on Lucky while the two monster girls watched him with calm smiles. They now knew why he had such faith that monsters could coexist now, why he was so determined to find those in the world that were kind-hearted. They knew about how a monster saved his life, and how he was forever changed because of it.
"That's good; I was worried I heard shouting earlier. May have just been water in my ears, right?" he said with a weak smile at the girls. Squeak nodded as Alyssa giggled.
"Must have been,” Alyssa agreed. Triska smiled softly as she finished getting changed, the girl then walking out from around the tree dressed again in her usual outfit.
"Yeah, we were just talking and waiting for you, Daniel," she said glancing to the other girls.
"Sorry I took so long, my clothes were dirtier than I thought," Daniel said with a weak laugh and a shrug. He glanced to Triska’s bikini in her hands then over to the lake.
"I'm sorry we all weren't able to go swimming with you, Triska, maybe we could next time when we all have swimwear?" he asked hopefully. Triska smiled and looked down.
"Sure, Daniel, that sounds great," she said before walking over to her bag and putting her swimwear into it, then slipping her sheathed sword around her back and flicking her hair out from behind her. She lifted her duffel bag with one hand and slung it behind her back, then looked to Daniel with a calm smile.
"Well, shall we go? Ashwood can't be too far off, and we've got a long journey ahead of us afterwards," she said casually. Daniel nodded and started walking as the other two girls followed, with Alyssa hopping up onto Lucky's back while Squeak walked behind Daniel. Triska walked alongside the ant girl as the group headed down the dirt road towards the nearby human city.
As the travelers headed along the trail and Daniel was gazing up at the sky, thinking about the long road ahead for his goal to be realized, Triska was glancing to the girls next to her, with both of them watching the boy ahead of them with gentle gazes.
"I'm sorry, Squeak," Triska said softly so Daniel couldn't hear. Alyssa and Squeak looked over to her curiously as the teen glanced to the ant girl with remorse.
"About hesitating to save you when we first met," she continued. Squeak looked at her curiously as Triska smiled at her.
"You saved Daniel's life before your kind could use him, you weren't just another monster. For that I'm thankful," she said gently. Squeak smiled and nodded as Alyssa looked at them curiously. Triska then glanced to Alyssa and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm still mad at you for personally trying to rape Daniel when we first met," she stated simply. Alyssa looked at her with a dull expression before Triska smirked at her.
"You can make it up to me by helping me keep him alive during all this," she said with a nod. Alyssa and Squeak looked to each other then to Triska curiously.
"Wait… are you saying… you're ok with us coming with you now?" Alyssa asked quietly.
"You two are his proof; he's going to want to keep you around on his journey. I'm stuck with you two now, whether I like it or not," Triska reasoned with a shrug. She then glanced to them with a dull expression.
"We're going to be traveling together, we might as well get used to it. Like Daniel said, we need to coexist with each other, that's his dream remember?" she inquired simply. Alyssa and Squeak looked at her carefully as the teen glanced to Daniel then back to them.
"However, don't think this means I'm going to give him up to you two so easily. I still know I love him the most," she said firmly while keeping her voice down. Squeak and Alyssa looked at her with firm glances and shook their heads.
"I'm going to be his mate, Triska, there's no way it's going to happen any other way," Alyssa argued. Squeak merely squeaked something as she looked back ahead to Daniel. She and Alyssa then looked back over to Triska as she giggled in amusement.
"What's so funny back there?" Daniel asked looking back to them. Triska looked to him with a warm smile and shrugged.
"Just talking about our common interests again," she answered.
"Really? And what might those be?" Daniel asked with a curious smile as he looked ahead again. Triska glanced to the two monster girls next to her and smirked.
"Just things that human girls and monsters have in common. As it turns out, we're not that different after all," she said.
"I had a feeling you would eventually find common ground with one another," Daniel mused.
"Yeah, we sure did," Triska agreed looking at the other girls before back to Daniel. Alyssa and Squeak glanced to each other then ahead at Daniel as well while they all traveled towards the human city.
All three of them had admitted they loved him, and each one was firm in their belief that they were the one he needed as a mate. Even though they were rivals for his heart, they were all going to be travel companions with him during his journey, as both his protectors and proof that monsters and humans could work together.
However, one thing was crystal clear to each of the girls as they watched the boy they all loved, the boy that they all wanted to help with bringing his dream to life in the world.
Only one of them was going to be his mate in the end.
Chapter 12
Welcome to Ashwood
Throughout the world of Eden monsters roamed the lands, with the majority of these dangerous creatures being found out in the wilderness, or the ‘outerlands’. These areas are where most of the monsters try to steal away men they encounter, usually by force or use of magic. Some monsters may even try to venture into human towns and villages in order to steal men right from their homes, especially if they had overwhelming numbers on their side. An attack on a human city would be less likely though as such areas were much more heavily defended and capable of repelling lesser classes of monsters. For the travelers of the world, the surrounding walls of a human city meant refuge and peace from those outside.
However that didn’t always mean there wouldn’t be any monsters inside.
*****
High in the sky a few clouds were gently moving along as a calm breeze drifted through the rolling plains. The sun was shining down on a hill which Daniel and his group of travelers were slowly making their way over towards the nearby human city, with the witch riding her horse while the others walked alongside. As they approached the top of the hill they looked ahead at the horizon with wonder as their goal slowly came into view.
At the edge of the rolling plains a great forest was seen to the south with the woods stretching across the land towards the mountains to the north. And built into the expansive forest was a human city, with high stone walls surrounding it. There was a large opened gate facing the rolling plains showing a small glimpse of the protected city within. The
sturdy architecture of the city was evident with the buildings being comprised of brick and wood, with cobblestone streets branching out between residences and shops that were built next to each other. There were a few chimneys with white smoke coming out from some of the buildings, the small pillars of haze gently climbing up into the sky before dissipating.
"Wow, that's a big city," Triska said with awe.
"I know, I've never actually seen it before," Daniel said looking at the city that was easily five to six times the size of his hometown.
"First time out here?" Alyssa asked curiously as she gently pet Lucky, her staff laying casually across her lap in her other hand.
"Yeah, we've only had a few traders that came to our village, but we've had everything that we ever needed so we never really went further out into the region ourselves," Triska said with a shrug.
"It looks like the city is dividing the forest," Daniel noticed, looking to the northern and southern forests on the sides of the city.
"Ashwood connects the empty plains on this side with the outerlands on the other. It's placed between the forests as sort of a gateway between the two locations," Alyssa explained.
"So on the other side of the city…" Daniel said as he looked at the large settlement with wonder, not really being able to see how large it was in its entirety. Alyssa nodded as she looked at the city.
"Is the outerlands, the wilderness. Ashwood and your small village are the only real human settlements in this area, the closest human city after here being Cyllidon, and that's quite a ways away. There are small camps and towns out there probably, but nothing really big out in the outerlands. There used to be another large settlement out there, but as I recall it was wiped out a while ago," she explained, looking up thoughtfully.
"Rehnder," Triska said looking to Daniel. He nodded and looked down with remorse.
"Rehnder?" Alyssa asked.
"We heard from traders in our village about Rehnder. They were located far away from Ashwood; the city was overrun with monsters and wiped out," Triska said with regret. Alyssa looked down with worry for a moment then to Ashwood.
"We don't know what kinds of monsters were responsible for it, but we heard that the city was raided and burned to the ground in one night. All the men were taken away while the women… well, they weren't," Daniel said with remorse. Squeak looked at Daniel worriedly then to Alyssa, the witch nodding slowly.
"I see. I'm sorry, Daniel; if it makes you feel any better I don't think my kind had a hand in it. Witches don't raid human cities like that," Alyssa said looking to Daniel. Squeak shook her head and squeaked something at him as well. Daniel gave the two monsters girls a gentle smile and shook his head slightly.
"It's alright; I don't blame either of you for what happened to them. Besides, you're my proof that coexistence can exist with certain monsters, it's that sort of union that might prevent another incident like what happened to that city," he hopefully reasoned.
"It's places like Rehnder that remind people of the dark side to monsters. You two may be special cases, but until we can get more proof for the world to see, mankind will always view monsters as a plague,” Triska said shaking her head. She sighed then glanced to the two monster girls.
"You two need to be on your best behavior in there, we can't let anybody see you for being evil monsters," she said worriedly. After a pause she blinked, then looked at the two girls with surprise.
"Wait, hold on a second. What are we going to do about them going into the city with us?" she asked nervously.
"What about us?" Alyssa asked.
"Ashwood is a human city," Triska pointed out expectantly. Daniel looked to Alyssa and Squeak then jumped a bit as he realized what she was getting at.
"Oh… yeah. I didn't even think about that," he said softly. Alyssa and Squeak looked to each other then to the humans curiously.
"What are you two talking about?" Alyssa asked.
"We're talking about us going into a human city with two monsters. They're not going to let you in with us," Triska said shaking her head.
"Sure they will," Alyssa reasoned.
"What? But you're both monsters, they're going to try to kill you if you go inside," Triska said with bewilderment. Alyssa giggled and shook her head.
"I'm not sure what kind of village you came from, but not all human settlements outlaw monsters," she said with a laugh.
"What?" Daniel and Triska asked with surprise. Alyssa looked at them curiously and then tilted her head slightly in question.
"You're surprised?" she asked.
"Well… yeah," Daniel said unsurely.
"What do you mean not all human settlements outlaw monsters? I thought mankind hated… your kind," Triska asked with confusion. Alyssa nodded and glanced away.
"Well, I'm not saying they're going to welcome us with open arms. Far from it actually. Still, there are some human areas where certain monsters are permitted for various reasons," she explained with a shrug. She then looked to Daniel with a curious smile.
"Let me guess, your home had a zero monster tolerance," she guessed. Daniel and Triska just nodded with stunned expressions still.
"You mean there are humans out there that… are already coexisting with monsters?" Daniel asked curiously. Alyssa showed a bit of worry and shook her head.
"Not exactly, Daniel. We're allowed into human areas, but not as welcome guests or residents. Some of us are allowed in to sell and trade with our own merchandise, and others are hired for various tasks by your people. Of course there are some types of monsters that are strictly banned from human areas for obvious reasons, and some of us even require an armed escort to make sure we behave," she explained.
"I never knew that, I always thought all humans hated monsters," Daniel said curiously.
"Yeah, our village council raised all of us with that belief," Triska agreed with.
"We're still not exactly loved, Daniel, and those that are permitted into human areas aren't considered trusted by your kind either. Still, some monsters have things or services that humans are willing to pay for, and we don't mind getting some gold for our hard work," Alyssa said with a shrug. Daniel and Triska looked at her curiously then to Squeak. The ant girl merely shrugged and looked at Alyssa curiously, her antennae twitching slightly. Alyssa giggled and shook her head.
"I doubt she would have known; ant girls always stay near their nest, so they don't travel too far away from their own land. She's probably the first ant girl to accompany anybody like this, let alone venture into a human city," she said with a smile.
"Have you been in human cities before?" Daniel asked curiously.
"Yep yep, in fact I was in Ashwood before I met you. I was on my way to see if I could sell my potions at your village, and to see… if…" Alyssa said before trailing off and looking down, her expression shifting from a happy smile to a remorseful frown. Daniel looked at her with a sympathetic smile and nodded knowingly.
"To see if there were any men you could charm," he finished. Alyssa cringed at that and nodded slowly. Triska looked at her for a moment with a blank expression then glanced away and shook her head.
"Well, that wouldn't have worked out well for you, Alyssa, our village would have tried to kill you long before letting you in," she said simply. Alyssa nodded and looked to Daniel worriedly.
"I'm not like that anymore though, honest. Please don't think that way about me," she begged.
"It's ok, Alyssa, you were just following your nature then. I guess it was good fortune that we found you when we did," Daniel said with a kind smile. Alyssa nodded and looked down with a small smile. Triska looked to the witch and then down with a gentle gaze. She knew Alyssa was indeed trying to fight her nature, that was a given seeing as how the witch wasn't trying to kill her and Squeak and merely charm Daniel into submission.
'If she really wanted to, she could take Daniel away by force. Not even Squeak or I could stop her. She really is fighting her inner nature for him.'
Daniel
looked down the path towards Ashwood then back to Alyssa with a curious expression.
"So since you were just allowed in there, does that mean you and Squeak will be ok going in with us?" he asked. Alyssa looked to him and nodded.
"Don't worry, Daniel, we'll be fine. I've been in human cities before, I know how the law is with us," Alyssa said assuredly.
"The law?" Triska asked. Alyssa glanced to her and held up one finger.
"All monsters types that are permitted into these cities are allowed one chance to stay. That means if any witches ever tried to use their magic or steal men within the city limits then they just got all witches on the banned list, and we wouldn't be allowed into that city ever again. Since we can get some pretty good gold for our wares in the human city, no witch wants to blow that for all our kind, not to mention that if a witch did screw that up for all of us she would likely be hunted down for it," she explained.
"Wow, strict policy," Daniel said scratching his head. Alyssa nodded with a small shrug.
"It is, but it's effective. The types of monsters that trade with you humans want to keep doing so, and won't risk losing their permission to do so. Selling our merchandise in the cities is a lot more profitable than selling them out in the wilderness, and a lot of monsters make very good money doing so. Ashwood still allows witches in to sell their magic, so they'll let me in even though I don't have anything to sell," she reasoned casually.
"How come monsters want gold anyway? What are they going to do with it?" Triska asked confused. Alyssa looked at her with an amused smile.
"Same reason as you humans; for wealth of course. What's so odd about us wanting gold just like you?" she asked curiously.
"Where are you going to spend it? Or on what? I don't know, I just never thought about monsters wanting gold, I thought they only wanted our men," Triska reasoned with a shrug. Alyssa giggled and glanced to Daniel.
"Well, I think almost any monster would choose a man over gold, I know I would. Still, monsters use gold for the same purposes you humans do, to buy and trade with other monster races. We may be monsters, but we're not that different than humans in some ways," she said with a wink. He smiled and nodded in agreement.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 36
