"That… and the way you took on that other witch was pretty impressive too," she added. Alyssa looked at her with a bit of surprise as the others watched Triska look back down to the map with a calm smile.
"Taking her on all by yourself to protect Daniel, that was very commendable," she said gently. Alyssa looked at her with wonder then over to see Squeak nodding with a calm smile, squeaking once in what was assumed to be in agreement. Alyssa then looked up to Daniel as he was smiling at her.
"No more doubt about whether I want you with us or not, ok? I want you by my side during this Alyssa, that's the truth," he said gently.
"You mean it? You really do?" Alyssa asked hopefully. He nodded with a gentle smile on his face.
"I do. We trust you completely," he assured her with a calm smile.
"I wouldn't go that far," Triska commented while shaking her head.
A moment later the girl crashed through the back of the caravan and tumbled into a roll on the ground while Specca watched with wide eyes. Squeak sighed while shaking her head as Daniel merely looked back down while holding a hand over his eyes. Alyssa had a dull glare as she was holding her staff out towards where she launched the human girl out of the caravan.
"She could have just left it at what I did was impressive," Alyssa said flatly as she lowered her staff. Specca looked at the new opening in the back of the cabin then over to Alyssa with wide eyes as the witch snapped the reins to stop the horse. Squeak rolled her eyes then hopped out of new back exit of the ride, the girl then walking towards Triska who was starting to get up while growling with anger. Before Daniel could speak Alyssa looked up to him with a gentle smile.
“But still, thank you, Daniel,” she said softly. He glanced to her and smiled a bit then looked over to see Triska trying to rush the caravan while Squeak was holding her back with one hand, the ant girl shaking her head and squeaking something at her while the human was yelling loudly.
“Of course, Alyssa,” Daniel said with a sigh.
A short while later the caravan was back in motion as Lucky continued to run along the dirt road at a brisk pace. Alyssa was at the reins with a calm smile on her face, grateful that Daniel still wanted her with him even though she wasn’t very popular among her own kind. Inside the cabin Daniel and Triska were fixing the broken wall, the two using hammers, nails, and new boards while Specca and Squeak stared at them with bewilderment.
“I can’t believe I have to fix this after she was the one that launched me through here in the first place,” Triska muttered as she hammered the new wooden boards into place. Daniel sighed as he helped hold it up and glanced to her.
“I can’t believe you still don’t trust her after all she’s done to help us,” he said tiredly.
“I can’t believe Triska had all of that in her duffel bag,” Specca commented, looking over to the duffel bag nearby. Squeak just stared at the bag then over to the two humans that were nailing in new boards in the back of the cabin, trying to comprehend how Triska pulled all of the supplies out of her duffel bag in the first place.
“Seriously, she should be back here doing this,” Triska grunted, glancing over to the witch that was humming a happy tune while she was at the driver’s seat.
“Just let her be, Triska, she’s steering the caravan,” Daniel said, grabbing some more nails and hammering them into the boards. Specca looked closely at the duffel bag then to the boards that the two humans were using to fix the back of the cabin.
“How did she fit all of those things in there, and why did she even have boards and nails in her bag in the first place? Was she planning on doing carpentry work while out here?” she asked scratching her head in puzzlement. Squeak merely shrugged as she watched the humans fix the back of the cabin.
Once the repairs were done and the back was looking as good as new again the Daniel and Triska sat down with the others while Alyssa hopped back over to them. After they calmed down Specca as the nixie freaked out and started screaming at the top of her lungs that nobody was driving, the group having to repeatedly explain that Lucky knew how to stay on the path and that they weren’t going to crash, everybody was looking at the map of the nearby outerlands.
“So that’s our best one to begin with, the elves way over there?” Alyssa asked pointing to the forest that Specca had marked.
“That’s a long ways off, isn’t there anything closer?” Daniel asked looking to Specca. She shook her head as she examined the map.
"I'm sorry, but they would be the ideal ones to start with. The elves are known to be peaceful with humans, and have even have taken it upon themselves to help those that were in great danger," she explained. Daniel looked closely at the map and then leaned back, then glanced over to Triska with a curious eye.
"What do you think, Triska?" he asked. She glanced to him then looked back down to the map.
"It's no secret that the elves of Eden are expert markswomen; I hear their arrows always hit their target even in the most crowded of forests. They would be very useful allies to mankind, their archers far outrank our own in most cases," she commented with a single nod.
"The elves are indeed expert archers, their aim and awareness are among the sharpest of monsters," Specca added. Triska nodded in agreement then showed a puzzled expression.
“But there is something I’ve always wondered, if they’re so peaceful with humans, how come we still treat them like monsters? It sounds like mankind should have already seen that they’re not evil,” she asked. Specca showed concern with that and looked down.
“Well… it’s actually... the other way around,” she said softly. Daniel, Triska, and Squeak looked at her curiously while Alyssa kept her eyes down on the map, the witch having a solemn expression as she knew what the nixie was referring to.
“The other way around? What do you mean?” Daniel asked. Alyssa sighed and glanced to him.
“Elves don’t rape humans, humans rape the elves,” she said softly. Specca slowly nodded as the others looked to Alyssa with surprise.
“What?” Daniel asked with disbelief.
“We’re the ones that are… raping them?” Triska asked looking back to Specca with shock. The nixie nodded and glanced up to Triska over her glasses.
“The elves of Eden are very peaceful monsters, always keeping to themselves in their forests. Their archers are indeed among the finest, as their senses are very keen. And… their women are considered the most beautiful in Eden,” she explained, having a remorseful tone at the end. Daniel, Triska, and Squeak looked at her curiously while Alyssa nodded in agreement.
“The most beautiful?” Triska asked slowly. Specca looked back down to the map as she adjusted her glasses.
“It’s said that their priestesses and warriors are the most enchanting and alluring of monsters, even more so than human women. They don’t use any charm spells or trickery; in fact they don’t even try to look for a male to breed with. It’s their beauty that is their curse, it’s the humans that look for them to… use,” she said softly. Daniel and Triska looked at her with wide eyes as Alyssa glanced to Daniel.
“They’re not going to want to take Daniel away, if anything they’re going to try to avoid him. They’re peaceful creatures, they won’t kill him on sight, but they’ll be leery about a human male coming close to them. They… fear you,” she warned him. Daniel looked at her with disbelief then down.
“We’re… the monsters to them?” he asked quietly. Specca nodded slowly.
“I’m afraid so. The stories about them helping humans in peril are true, however it’s not because the elves wanted to coexist with your kind, but rather they felt pity for the unlucky victims that fell into harm’s way. They value life, Daniel, but… sometimes the lives they save end up using them like monsters themselves,” she remorsefully explained. Triska showed a troubled expression and glanced to Daniel.
“I never knew our men… would be like that with any monster,” she said softly.
“Me neither, I had no idea we treate
d them like that,” Daniel said with remorse. Specca nodded slowly then looked over to Daniel.
“But still, they would be the best choice to start with. They’re the closest ones that are peaceful, and you won’t be in any danger approaching them. If anything, they would just fire their arrows to ward you off, not kill you with them,” she reasoned. Daniel nodded slowly then looked to the map with concern as Triska shook her head with a troubled expression.
"Well that's comforting to know, I guess, but what can we say or offer to persuade them to ally with us when we’re the ones they want to avoid?" Triska asked worriedly.
"I honestly don't know, they would make a great addition to our cause, if only we could gain their trust," Specca said looking down at the map. Daniel held a hand to his chin and looked down in thought.
“Squeak’s queen mentioned something like this to us before we left her nest, how mankind has to be ready to help the allying monster race survive just as they would help us. That means that our men would have to willingly choose to mate with them to keep them from dying out, that we would have to see them as equals rather than monsters,” he said with a thoughtful expression. The girls watched him sit there, staring at the marked location on the map as he pondered their options.
“It’s reversed with the elves, but it still stands true. For us to coexist peacefully we need to take care of each other, which means that it’s we that will need to correct our behavior for them. Our men would need to show them heart and not abuse them,” he reasoned. Triska nodded and looked down to the map.
“So that’s what mankind would need to offer them in return, men that would genuinely want to be with them, not for lust but for love, and to protect them from humans that would otherwise abuse them,” she stated carefully. Specca glanced to her then looked back down with worry.
“Will that really be a possibility?” Specca asked quietly. The group looked over to her as she was looking down at the map with a concerned expression.
“How will you convince your own race to coexist with us?” she asked softly. She looked up to Daniel as he tried to think of what to say.
“You’re the first human ever to think of such a thing, to believe that we can live amongst each other in this world as allies. I want to help you, I truly do, and I’ll gladly be your guide out here in the world. But even if you do convince these monster races to consider peace, how will you do so with your own kind?” she asked. Everybody turned their eyes towards Daniel as he looked down with a solemn expression.
“I’m not sure, Specca. The only way I’ve seen so far to even get my people to listen is to gather proof to my belief, that monsters can and do want to coexist. My hope is that if I get enough of them to side with me on this, my own people might actually see reason,” he said softly.
“And what if they don’t? What if they say no even if you have dozens of races who wish for peace? What if they’ll never see us as anything more than monsters? Most of us are killed on sight, while others, like the elves, are raped and abused. What if your kind won’t listen to you, what if they never change?” Specca asked worriedly.
“Then I’ll talk to them. I’ll try again and again, and again, and again if I must. I won’t just be quiet about this; I’ll keep talking to them over and over again until they do listen. Mankind is spread about the world so thin, we’re at each other’s throats and at odds with the monsters of Eden that all want us to breed with because it’s their only way to live on. If things don’t change nobody in this world will prosper, neither man nor monster,” Daniel said firmly. Specca looked at him curiously as she tilted her head in question.
“How is it that you’re so determined with this crusade and no other human is? Why do you fight so hard all on a chance?” she asked softly. Daniel looked at her with a calm gaze.
“Because I know for a fact monsters and humans can coexist, that we don’t have to be enemies. I’ve seen that they’re not all evil at heart, that some are more caring than even some humans. And I’ll do whatever it takes for my race to finally see that,” he declared confidently. Specca looked at him with wonder as the other girls exchanged glances, all of them knowing exactly why Daniel was firm in his belief that monsters could be good souls. Daniel looked down to the map with a focused expression, his sheer determination evident in his eyes.
“There are monsters out there that need help just as we do, ones that need a hand in surviving in this world. We don’t have to be enemies; we don’t have to be at war like this. Some monsters are truly malicious, I’m aware of that. But there are those out there, like Alyssa and Squeak here…” he said glancing to the two monster girls. They smiled at him with hopeful eyes while Triska smiled a bit at Daniel’s proud speech.
“That can truly be our allies,” he finished looking back to Specca. She looked at him with awe then down with a timid expression.
“And you… would you really choose a… monster as a mate in life?” she asked looking back to him. He looked down as all eyes fell on him once again, with the three monster girls having hopeful eyes while Triska showed concern. After a moment of silence he nodded with a small smile.
“I would choose any girl in life, human or monster, if they had a pure heart. If we felt the same way about each other, then I would treat her equally nonetheless,” he said looking back to the nixie. Squeak and Alyssa smiled at Daniel while Triska looked down with worry. Specca watched him curiously then leaned forward a bit.
“You would really treat a monster girl equally to a human girl? If they had a pure heart?” she asked softly. He nodded again in agreement.
“I would, I wouldn’t discriminate them for being monsters, and I would hope that one day my own people would also treat them as fairly,” he assured. Specca looked at him with wonder then down to the map with wonder.
“You’re so chivalrous and caring, Daniel, I wish all humans were like you too!” Alyssa cheered as she hugged the boy from the side. She giggled playfully as he smiled down at her, all while Triska glared at the witch with anger while grinding her teeth.
“Um, thanks, Alyssa,” Daniel said with a weak smile. Squeak quickly hugged him from the other side and nuzzled against his cheek, squeaking happily as Alyssa looked over to her with a low growl while Triska clenched her fists with frustration.
“Hey, c’mon you two, calm down,” Daniel said with a small smile, laughing with both a friendly tone and with a hint of uneasiness. He then looked over to see Triska staring at the two girls with a dull glare while Specca was watching him curiously.
“If you two are about done, maybe we can focus at the task at hand,” Triska said through her teeth, trying to control her anger as the two monster girls looked over to her while holding onto Daniel from both sides.
“Um…” Specca said glancing back to Daniel’s bag. She smiled a bit then looked at him with a timid expression.
“If you’d like, Daniel, um, I could update your monster book for you,” she offered politely. The other girls looked over to her curiously as he glanced over to his book then back to the nixie.
“Update my book?” he asked. Specca nodded a few times and looked down while her hands fidgeted in her lap.
“Yes, I mean since we’re going to be traveling for a while before reaching the elven forest, I thought I could be of some use to you and update your monster book. I have the other book from the library memorized, and I could easily copy down the information into yours. If that would be ok with you of course,” she reasoned, glancing back up to him. The other girls looked at Daniel as he smiled curiously.
“Um, sure, if you want to, Specca, that would be great if you could really do that. I don’t want to trouble you though if you don’t want to,” he said kindly. She looked at him with a small smile and waved her hand to dismiss his comment.
“It’s no trouble at all; I want to be of as much use as I can for your journey. I’m not much of a fighter, but I do have other talents that could prove useful for you,” she giggled. Daniel smiled a bit an
d nodded as the other girls looked at Specca with careful eye, none of them liking the nixie’s choice of words.
“Well, if you insist, thank you, Specca,” Daniel said gratefully. She nodded eagerly then quickly crawled over towards his backpack. Triska jumped with wide eyes then promptly tackled her down to the ground as Alyssa and Squeak both covered Daniel’s eyes with their hands.
“Stop flashing Daniel!” Triska yelled out.
*****
Up in the sky the sun was slowly starting to settle over the horizon as Lucky had stopped to eat some grass from a patch found near the dirt road. As the horse grazed and ate contently, nearby Daniel was sitting down next to a tree which was bare while looking up at the sky, having opted to watch over Lucky while the horse was taking time to eat during their trip. As Daniel yawned and stretched out his arms, looking around casually at the surrounding landscape, inside the caravan a soft glow was seen coming from the front entrance and the back window.
Inside the cabin Triska was sitting up against her duffel bag as she tilted her sword in her hand, examining her blade while a lantern was lit and hanging from the ceiling near the back of the cabin next to the small window. Her blade shimmered in the light as she tilted it, admiring her trusty sword before looking ahead at something. Next to her Squeak was sitting on her legs with her abdomen sticking out next to her, looking at her digging tool as it had been reconditioned like new again from the blacksmith in Ashwood. Her antennae twitched a bit as she ran her fingers along the metal edge towards the tip, the girl then looking over towards something as well. Across from her Alyssa was sitting up against a pillow while looking at her staff in her lap, seeming to be in thought about something while she eyed the relic. After a moment she glanced over to the side with a raised eyebrow as she too watched something that the other two girls were.
Next to the witch Specca was sitting against a pillow as well with her legs lying crossed before her, her tail lying at her side while she was writing in Daniel’s monster book. She had been writing nearly constantly for a while now, with small pauses to look up thoughtfully before resuming every now and then. The other girls glanced to each other then back to the new travel companion as she seemed to be very engrossed in her work.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 55
