"Did you find any water nearby, Specca?" Daniel asked looking over to the nixie. She shook her head and looked down with a slight frown.
"No, no river or lake, not even a pond nearby," she sighed softly.
"I have water in my bag if you're thirsty you know," Triska said moving over towards her duffel bag.
"What don't you have in there?" Alyssa asked glancing to the bag with a raised eyebrow.
"No, it's not for drinking, but to bathe in," Specca corrected, looking over to Triska. The teen smirked and looked at the girl with a bit of amusement.
"Well we may not get to bathe every day during this trip, besides this is your first day out here, you can't be that dirty," she said shaking her head with a slight laugh. Specca shook her head and looked down as her hands fidgeted together in her lap.
"It's not that I'm dirty, Triska, it's just we nixies like to keep our skin and scales wet if we can. Otherwise they get dry and… itchy," she complained. Triska looked at her with a bit of sympathy as the nixie hesitantly scratched her thigh before looking away.
"Oh, I didn't know. Are you going to be ok?" Triska asked gently. Specca nodded and brushed the hair around her reptilian ear.
"I'll be alright; it's not a life or death sort of thing, we just like to be around water to be comfortable. I'll be fine until we find something along the way," she said with a shrug.
"We should come across a river or lake eventually, we'll stop as soon as we find one for you Specca," Daniel said gently. She looked over to him with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Daniel," she said softly. Triska smiled slightly then started rummaging through her duffel bag.
"Alright then, let's get something to eat then we can be on our way. Now let's see here…" she said as she started digging around inside her bag. The group watched as she pulled out a few small tins with fruits and vegetables in them along with another containing sliced ham, a loaf of bread which she used her dagger to cut into slices of bread for everybody, and a few small drinking cups of which she poured water into from a larger travelling container. Everybody watched with wonder as she prepared them a sandwich with ham, lettuce, and cheese along with an apple and a cup of clear water. Triska packed the remaining tins and containers back into her bag then looked around to see everybody staring at her.
"What?" she asked as she took her sandwich and bit into it.
"I'm never going to understand how you packed all of your things into that bag," Alyssa said looking over to it.
"What are you talking about?" Triska asked while chewing her food.
"How is this food not crushed into a fraction of its original form after being stuffed into that thing anyway?" Specca asked, examining her sandwich and apple which were perfectly fine. Squeak looked at the bag then to her sandwich with a curious expression while Daniel smiled a bit and chuckled. Triska looked at them funny then shook her head and glanced over to Daniel.
"I know it's nothing fancy, but I'll make us something better for lunch when we stop for a break," she said with a shrug. He smiled and shook his head.
"No, it's fine, Triska, really. And thank you for making them, beats foraging for food any day," he said before he started eating. Triska smiled at him gently as the other girls glanced to him. Alyssa rolled her eyes then looked at her sandwich.
"What else can you make anyway? You've only really made us sandwiches before," she asked examining it with a bored eye. Triska glanced to her with annoyance while Squeak started eating her apple, the ant girl glancing between the two while Specca dabbed her fingers in her cup of water before rubbing the moisture around her hands.
"It was all the basic food I could bring from our home, Alyssa. And I did purchase a larger variety of rations for later from Ashwood," Triska said firmly. Alyssa looked at her with a raised eyebrow then down to her sandwich.
"We had these last night I believe, not really that much. Are sandwiches all you're going to make for Daniel out here?" she asked looking back to Triska with a dull expression.
"If I can catch some fish at a river I'll cook those, if I catch a rabbit or fox I could cook them, if we find and take down a deer I could use the meat from that as well. I could only pack food that doesn't need to be cooked or kept frozen in my bag you know, things that are easier to travel with," Triska argued with annoyance. Alyssa nodded slowly then looked up. After a moment she looked over to Daniel with a sweet smile.
"Tell you what, Daniel, how about I handle lunch for us today? My treat," she offered cheerfully. He looked at her curiously while Triska narrowed her eyes at the witch.
"You handle lunch? With what, you don't have anything on you at all for food," she said cautiously.
"I managed to survive out here without your expert cooking, I think I can handle it," Alyssa said with a mocking laugh and an amused smile. Daniel smiled a bit as Triska sat back against the wall and looked at the witch with a dull stare.
"Well if you want to, Alyssa, go ahead, but what are you going to make?" Daniel asked curiously.
"You'll see later, Daniel. I promise it'll be much more appetizing than some boring sandwiches," Alyssa giggled. Triska held in her growl as Specca took a bite out of her apple, the nixie glancing back and forth between the two.
"I don't really mind who makes what, just so long as we can stop by something for me to take a quick dip in," she added softly. Squeak finished eating her apple down to the core then started on her sandwich, not really against whatever the group wanted to eat.
"You never offered to cook anything before, why the sudden interest?" Triska asked carefully.
"Is there anything wrong with me offering to make all of you something to eat besides this?" Alyssa inquired, looking at the girl with a raised eyebrow. Triska watched her with an annoyed expression then looked away.
"Nope, go right ahead if you wish," she said dryly. Alyssa giggled and looked to Daniel with a wink, the boy showing a small smile while wondering what the witch had in mind to make for everybody.
"Well, that's very kind of you to offer that, Alyssa. Thank you," he said kindly. Alyssa nodded then looked down with a shrug.
"Monsters know how to cook too you know, we're not all like wild animals," she said before taking a bite out of her sandwich.
*****
Standing under a tree Daemon was surveying the surrounding land with his cold blue eyes, his arms crossed before him while he was leaning back against the trunk of the old tree casually. His sword was sheathed at his hip as always while his gloved hand drummed its fingers on his arm as he gazed around at the nearby woods and grasslands of the area.
"When you two are finished we need to keep moving, and this time don't carry the leftovers with you, I'd rather not have that smell following us," he said plainly.
Nearby behind the tree a reptile girl was sitting down with her large broadsword struck into the dirt behind her, leaning back against the blade while her tail lay at her side. Sasha tore off another mouthful of meat from a deer's leg as she ate quietly; feasting on the fallen animal which was nearly picked clean except for the head at this point which had been lopped off and now lay next to the skeletal body. Next to her Rulo was munching down on another deer, the orc having dug into her meal while on all fours. The deer she was feasting on was torn up, the animal's meat and blood being strewn about while its head was smashed in under the girl's large stone hammer. She looked up towards Daemon with a curious smile while chewing on the meat, snorting a bit as her chin dripped with fresh blood.
"Did you want any, master?" she asked eagerly.
"Rulo, I told you to stop calling me that," he said simply while still looking away into the distance. She blinked then smiled nervously.
"Right, sorry… I mean… did you want-"
"Just finish up and clean your face, Rulo, he's been waiting patiently for us," Sasha interrupted while having a focused gaze, the reptile girl biting off more flesh from the deer while her tail swished around slightly. Rulo glanced to her then looked down at the deer th
at she had eaten from.
"Sorry," she said softly. Daemon glanced back to them then looked forward again, his eyes watching the surrounding area carefully. Sasha finished eating then stood up, the girl yanking her sword out from the ground with one hand before walking over towards the human.
"Thank you for allowing us to stop to feed, mas-… I mean, thank you," she said softly.
"You don't need to thank me, monsters need to eat too," he said while still looking ahead.
"Would you like for me to prepare something for you? I can very easily kill another one if you're hungry," she offered hopefully. He merely shook his head while still looking out at the wilderness. She opened her mouth to speak, then slowly closed it and looked down. There was a moment of silence as she kept her eyes downward, her tail swaying gently behind her.
"But… you need to feed too, mas-… I mean, you need to eat too, Daemon," she said softly. He glanced to her then over to Rulo, the orc looking at him with gentle eyes while she was digging into the deer face first. He then walked over towards her while unsheathing his blade, his eyes narrowing a bit as the orc showed a worried expression and whimpered. Sasha watched him with wonder while Rulo trembled in fear, shakily looking up to him as he stood over her and the deer with his blade in his hand.
"Um… master?" she squeaked out.
"What did I just tell you?" he asked as he slowly geared back his blade. She oinked and looked down, shutting her eyes in fear, while Sasha watched with slightly widened eyes.
"I'm sorry, Daemon!" Rulo cried out. He struck down and into the deer with a slick crunch, his blade reflecting some sunlight as he held it firmly. Rulo slowly opened her eyes and looked up to him, breathing quietly while her mouth quivered. He slowly pulled out his blade with some of the meat stuck to the end, lifting it up and taking a bite out of it. Rulo looked up at him as she was trembling still while Sasha stared at him with wonder. He turned and walked back towards the tree and glanced to the reptile girl as he held the meat skewered on his blade.
"You have some deer blood on your cheek, please clean it off," he said before walking over toward the tree and leaning against it again. Sasha slowly lifted a hand up to her cheek and wiped off the blood with her reptilian hand, slowly licking her fingers and cleaning them as she stared at the boy with awe. She blinked then looked over to Rulo with a stern expression.
"Hurry up and finish eating, do not make him wait any longer," she ordered firmly. Rulo jumped a bit then resumed eating with a quickened pace as Sasha looked back to Daemon, the human casually taking another bite out of the deer meat on his sword. His cold blue eyes seemed to watch the horizon closely while he held his sword with his gloved hand. Sasha licked her lips slowly as she watched him stand there, keeping her focus on him as her hair swayed in the breeze.
"Master…" she said quietly to herself.
*****
Running along a worn dirt road Lucky was moving at a quickened pace, the single horse pulling a larger caravan behind him with relative ease. As the horse made its way along the path Alyssa was sitting in the front with Daniel next to her, the boy looking around at the surrounding landscape of the outerlands with wonder while the witch was humming a happy tune to herself as she held onto the reins. Sitting inside the cabin Squeak was leaning against the wall with her insect abdomen sticking out to the side while her legs were laying beneath her, the ant girl looking ahead out the entrance at Daniel with a curious eye. Across from her Triska was sitting against the wall while looking at the map they had of the area, wondering what types of monsters near them they would encounter, and whether they would be up for even listening to Daniel rather than trying to get his pants off. Next to her Specca was sitting against the wall with her legs and tail laying in front her, reading one of Daniel's books with a calm smile.
"Alyssa, are you sure Lucky can't just run all night like he did before? The elven forest is really far off and we need all the time we can get to talk to them and any others we find along the way," Triska called up to Alyssa. The witch shook her head as the others looked over to Triska.
"I'm double sure, Triska, this isn't the safe zone behind Ashwood you know. We don't want Lucky running into trouble or have us asleep if trouble runs into us," Alyssa said while looking around the area with a calm glance.
"She's right, Triska, there are humans and monsters out around us now, and we need to be alert when we're moving around out here. In the outerlands there's no law enforcement from human civilization," Specca added looking to over to the girl. Triska looked up with a groan and shook her head.
"We would make so much more progress if Lucky traveled during the night though, and we haven't seen anyone or anything out here ever since we left the city," she complained looking back over to Alyssa. The witch didn't look back to her as she kept humming a happy tune to herself.
"Maybe we should listen to them on this, Triska, they have been out here before," Daniel reasoned with a shrug.
"But we need to find support for this and fast; Squeak's nest is in danger if it moves any closer to Ashwood," Triska said looking over to the ant girl. Squeak merely squeaked a few times with a worried expression before Daniel looked back over to her.
"We will, we won't let her nest be wiped out. I promise, Squeak," he said gently. Squeak looked at him with concern as the others looked over to her. He smiled a bit then looked down with a focused expression.
"But we can't rush this, if we travel during the night and run into trouble while we're unprepared then we'll be even more likely to fail in getting support or even reaching Rockhelm to talk to the queen. We need to be smart out here, and travel carefully. I trust Alyssa and Specca's judgment that it's too dangerous to travel during the night," he said assuredly. Specca looked over to Squeak then down as Alyssa nodded in agreement. Triska showed a worried expression then looked down to the map in her lap with a sigh, eyeing the incredible distance between where they were and where they wanted to go. Daniel watched Squeak as the ant girl was looking down with a worried expression.
"We have time everybody. Even if Squeak's nest does keep moving it'll take them at least a few months to slowly move their entire nest within Ashwood's surrounding area. We can do this, we just need to make sure to be careful and not make foolish mistakes," he said assuredly.
"Daniel's right," Specca said softly, with everybody then looking over to her. She smiled timidly and looked back down to the book she was holding.
"Even though the elven forest is far away we still have time to reach it and even make the lengthy trip to Rockhelm as well. As long as we take the proper precautions and travel safely we'll be just fine," she agreed softly. Triska looked at her with concern and shook her head.
"But we not only need to reach Rockhelm but also figure out some way to talk to and convince the queen of this region that certain monsters can be our allies. Not only is she most likely going to think we're crazy but even if she does approve of such an idea it'll take time to implement it and even send word to Ashwood, where they'll also have to arrange some sort of way of coexisting with the ant girls near them," she argued before looking over to Squeak. The ant girl looked at her worriedly as Daniel showed a troubled expression. Triska glanced around at the group before continuing.
"Plus, in order for the queen to even believe Daniel in the least we'll need support from more monster races. We have an ambassador from the ant girls’ nest who can't speak on her own, a witch who can't talk to her own people about this, and a nixie who doesn't have any support from her own race. Even if the elves agree to aid us we don't have enough to make a strong enough voice with this, we still need more help," she said before looking down to the map with frustration. Specca looked at her with concern then down as Alyssa closed her eyes while looking forward still. Silence filled the cabin as the only sounds heard were Lucky trotting ahead while the wheels under the caravan rolled over the dirt road.
"Then we'll get help," Daniel said with determination. The girls looked to him as he had a fo
cused expression while looking down at the floor.
"But from who? The elves are far off from here, and even if we do go after the bovinettes and harpies it sounds like they won't add much if anything to our cause," Triska asked shaking her head.
"We'll have to search out others around the region, even ones that may be more dangerous to approach," Daniel reasoned.
"But… Daniel," Specca said worriedly. He looked over to her causing the nixie to jump a bit, the girl seeing the sheer determination in his eyes.
"I know, Specca, those three are the only safe ones remotely close to us. But we have to try with others as well. I know it's dangerous and you're trying to help by having us steer clear of them, but we need all the help we can get," he said assuredly. Specca looked at him with wonder then with a bit of concern.
"But… what if they don't listen? What if they try to take you away? You said it yourself that we needed to travel carefully and not make foolish mistakes, well taking you right into talking distance of most of the monsters out there is something I would consider a foolish mistake," she pointed out.
"That's why we're out here with him, Specca. I'd die first before I would let any monster take Daniel away from me," Triska said firmly while looking at the map, meaning what she said about both the monsters around the world as well as the ones in the caravan.
"I'm certain many of the hostile monsters in the region would be just fine with that, Triska," Specca commented with a glance to her. Alyssa sighed and glanced back to them.
"Hey, this is Daniel's call remember?" she asked simply. The group looked to her as she smiled at the boy with a cute expression.
"I'll keep you safe no matter what you come across, I promise. Wherever you wish to go Lucky and I will take you there without question," she said gently. Daniel smiled as the other girls looked at the witch with dull expressions.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 60
