“Don’t ever throw me around again,” Alyssa threatened. “Or you’ll get worse.”
Tabitha scrambled back onto her feet with a loud yowl, grabbing her swords and glaring at Alyssa before Daniel quickly stepped forth between them with his hands held out at the girls.
“Okay, that’s enough,” he ordered. “We have a job to do, remember? There’s a little girl out there who needs our help, that’s what we should be focusing on. Let’s just work together on this so we can get what we each want. Tabitha can get her gold and then be on her way while we stay and try to talk to the monarch.”
Tabitha hissed as she attached her swords back to her belt when looked away while keeping her hands held on the handles.
“So where do we go first?” Luna asked looking to the map. “It’s a very big forest out there, where do we start looking for her?”
“We?” Falla asked her. “No no, we’re not going, Luna. Again, we’re not fighters, we can’t do anything out there with this. Daniel and the merc can go after the princess while we wait here.”
“Adventurer,” Tabitha snapped at her with a glare.
“But, Falla,” Luna whined. “I want to help, I have to find her again. What if she’s hurt? She’s probably scared too. She needs me.”
“And just what are you going to do when you find the humans that have her?” Falla questioned. “You’re not exactly going to scare them, and I doubt you could throw a punch to save your life, which in that case is pretty much what it would be for.”
“Tabitha and I are going,” Triska spoke up. “The rest of you are waiting here.”
“No, I’m going too,” Daniel insisted.
“Daniel, you’re not ready for this. I get you want to help, and you’ve done more than enough just getting us this far to begin with, but if we come across bandits out there you’re not prepared to take them on.”
“You should listen to her,” Falla mentioned. “You may be able to talk well to others, but you can’t really do shit to defend yourself.”
“Falla,” Triska snapped at her.
“What? I’m agreeing with you, what’s wrong with that?”
“But we want to help,” Luna pleaded hopping up and down. “If we help out there we can find the princess faster, I just know we can.”
“I’m going with you, Triska,” Daniel argued sternly. “I’m not going to sit back and do nothing. The more eyes we have out there the better, and I am going to do my part to help the princess.”
“You really are stubborn, aren’t you?” Triska commented with a sigh.
“Can we just go already?” Tabitha impatiently asked walking up to them. “I could find the kidnappers easily enough without all of you, it doesn’t matter who wants to come along. None of you are going to be doing anything anyway.”
“And just how could you find them so easily?” Alyssa inquired.
“I already know where they would go,” Tabitha said pointing to the map. The group looked down to it curiously as the neko eyed an area marked as a village on it. “The forests around here are teeming with fluughers and arachne, the humans would likely head straight for what little protection they could find from the monsters out there.”
“Arachne?” Triska asked.
“Spider monsters,” Luna squeaked out with fright. She trembled a bit then quickly darted over behind Daniel and held onto his back as she whimpered fearfully.
“Are they bad?” Daniel asked looking back to Luna.
“Bad?” Falla repeated with disbelief. “Daniel, they capture and eat us! Don’t even think about making friends with them too.”
“She’s right,” Alyssa cautioned. “Arachne are not the ones you can talk into being peaceful. They’re sadistic with the men they catch in their webs and often eat them along with anything else they find as well.”
“That bad, huh?” Triska wondered.
“Giant butterflies are they’re favorite food,” Falla said nervously. “We taste the best to them, but they won’t hesitate to eat you and Daniel all the same.”
“We can’t let them eat the princess!” Luna cried out. “If they catch the humans that took her then they’ll eat her for sure!”
“The thieving humans made it this far,” Tabitha pointed out. “They know how to stay on the trail for safety. That being the case they would likely hide in this village for protection to plan their next move. As long as we stay out of the deeper areas of the forest we should avoid coming across any unsavory monsters as well.”
“What village is that anyway?” Daniel asked looking at the map again. The group gathered around the table and saw the town marker on the map, being a good distance away from Flairwood yet still reachable even on foot.
Triska eyed the trail leading away from the grove towards the human village that was nestled in the forest then read the name aloud.
“Rackleholm.”
*****
“Why are we going to Rackleholm anyway?” Kroanette asked as she galloped along the forest trail. She ran swiftly while riding on her back Clover was watching the passing trees with a careful eye as she remained silent.
“Hey, I asked you a question,” Kroanette said as she looked back to the elf.
“Because I need to do something there,” Clover snapped while still looking around. “Now just shut up and take me there.”
“Is it so bad to make conversation? I’m just trying to fill the uncomfortable silence of having to carry you like this with anything.”
“You’ll see when we get there, alight?” Clover scoffed.
“Alright. Then a how about this for a discussion, why exactly did you want those humans back there to rape you?”
“To get pregnant, why else?”
“You wanted those men to violate you?” Kroanette asked puzzled.
“Yes, that’s how I would be able to have a daughter. What’s so hard to understand about that?”
“It just doesn’t make sense,” Kroanette said as she started running up a slope. “I’ve always heard elves were so gentle and peaceful, that they would seldom reveal themselves and in such cases just to help troubled travelers. That they never went after or raped humans but rather the humans would violate them on occasion.”
“Yep, that’s how it works,” Clover casually agreed. “Took a while to get that reputation spread throughout Eden, let me tell you.”
“Wait, what?” Kroanette asked looking back to her confused. “What do you mean?”
Clover chuckled then looked at her with an innocent smile.
“We’re such gentle and peaceful creatures,” she spoke in a timid voice. “We care only for the forest and our lovely Eden, and we value life like no other. We would never dream of harming a human being, they are such wonderful creatures, and in fact we are rather intimidated by them so we tread lightly when around such rugged men.” She then burst out laughing and shook her head amusedly.
“Took a long while for humans to get that stuck in their heads. But it paid off so well.”
Kroanette reached the top of the hill then stopped while watching the elf with confusion.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that we elves aren’t weak little monsters in this world,” Clover stated proudly. “And we’ve got the best setup for getting the men we need to have our children with. What could be easier than raping a man? Simple, have the men want to rape us.” Kroanette looked at the girl with surprise as Clover chuckled and gazed around at the surrounding wilderness.
“All we had to do was spread that rumor that we’re such delicate and peaceful creatures, that we have the most beautiful and alluring women of all of Eden, and that we are ‘afraid’ of people in general. After that we just had to show up and ‘offer help’ to travelers who would then take advantage of us. Humans are so predictable. If we act so weak and submissive in their presence then their men are so eager to violate us.”
“Wait a moment here. Are you saying everything that is known about elves is all a lie?”
“Not everything,” Clover said with a shrug. “We are the best archers in Eden, that’s no lie. We being the victims of ‘evil men’ who rape us is though. That’s how I almost got those humans back there before you and your damned milk jugs came bouncing through. I shot a fluugher that was near then pretended to carefully approach them to see if they were okay. Only to then, by accident, trip and just happen to drop my bow before I cowered before them like a scared little girl.” She chuckled to herself as Kroanette stared at her with disbelief.
“It didn’t take them long to gang up on little old me and tie me up, saying they were going to turn the tables and rape me and see how much I liked it. A few fake tears and pleas for mercy from the gods only got them more worked up. They really are idiots if you stop to think about it.”
“You pretended to be helpless so they would violate you?”
“Of course, that’s how elves get pregnant,” Clover laughed. “It would be so much work to try to rape humans. We may be expert shots with our arrows but c’mon, it’s just such a hassle to hold the men down and hump them for their seeds. But having them want to rape us makes it so much easier. All we need to do is cry and beg for mercy then just let the dark side of men take control to abuse us. We literally just sit back and let them do all the work.”
“I can’t believe this,” Kroanette said with shock. “I always thought you elves to be noble and pure, that you were graceful and gentle creatures of Eden. You’re nothing but deceitful fiends.”
“Thank you,” Clover casually replied.
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“Well I’m taking it as one,” Clover said before yanking on the girl’s hair, causing a yelp to escape Kroanette’s mouth. “Now enough talking, get going. We have a ways to go before we reach Rackleholm.”
“Ow!” Kroanette whined as she flinched and staggered a bit. “Hey, I’m taking you there, knock it off already.”
Before the centaur could run again the sounds of people screaming were heard off in the forest to the side. The two girls watched as birds took off into the sky from the trees while a rumbling stampede of something grew louder within the woodland.
“What is that?” Kroanette asked worriedly.
“Shh,” Clover hushed her while seeming to focus on the disturbance closely.
From the forest down below the hill trails of dust and leaves rustled through the trees while the sounds of people screaming along with laughter and snorts were heard passing alongside the slope. Clover’s eyes slowly moved as if tracking something before she kicked Kroanette in the sides.
“Let’s go, after them,” she ordered while Kroanette coughed and looked back to her with annoyance.
“Hey,” the centaur snapped with growing ire. “I told you to knock it off. I am not a horse.”
“I said after them!” Clover shouted before slapping Kroanette’s rear. The centaur yelped then took off down the hill at high speed.
“I’m telling my mother that all elves are the devil once I return home!” Kroanette whined while galloping down the slope and into the woods again.
“Just shut up and catch up to them!” Clover ordered while gripping her bow in hand.
“Catch up to who?” Kroanette asked before looking ahead to seeing several figures charging through the woods. Trees and shrubs passed by quickly as the centaur raced along between them, nimbly making her way closer to the stampeding horde that became visible as orcs. The many monsters were shouting out in excitement and oinking as they ran through the forest with quick and heavy steps. They were all dressed in simple clothes and rags while carrying large blunt weapons of stone hammers and axes.
“C’mon!” Clover yelled as she yanked on the belt around Kroanette’s waist as if pulling on horse’s reins. “Get ahead of them!”
“Wait a moment, just what is going on here?” Kroanette demanded as she started to catch up to the horde of orcs. Further ahead the sounds of horses neighing and humans screaming were heard followed by a loud crash. As Kroanette continued through the woods she and Clover spotted an overturned caravan off to the side in a clearing. Between the passing trees Kroanette saw a group of orcs swarming the wagon with loud grunts and oinks. A few men scrambled out of the wagon and swung at the monsters with swords before being quickly knocked aside by the powerful girls. An orc swung her axe down and struck down a horse that was hitched to the wagon before another grabbed the other horse and threw the animal over into a tree where it splattered against it. A few of the monsters started beating and ripping apart the caravan while two woman screamed and raced out of it. They were quickly smashed into the ground by the monsters while the men were thrown down to the ground and pinned by the lustful creatures.
“Oh my word!” Kroanette cried out as she saw the monsters killing and ravaging the travelers.
“Keep going!” Clover yelled as she watched a horde of orcs still running off ahead of them.
“We have to help those poor men,” Kroanette pleaded as she saw the orcs holding down and ripping the clothes off of the humans. The monsters were laughing and oinking at the men that they effortlessly held down with their strength.
Clover looked over and saw the orcs ganging up on the men they had pinned to the ground. The female monsters quickly seized the chance to rape and abuse the humans as they held them down and mounted them before riding atop their prey with lustful cries. The screams of the men were quickly muffled as a few orcs held their hands over the mouths of their victims while some of the monsters sat atop the faces of the humans and forced them into pleasuring them as well.
“It’s too late for them,” Clover said shaking her head.
“What are you saying? You’re an expert archer aren’t you? Can’t you pick them off from here?”
“Not worth my time or arrows,” Clover retorted. “Besides I don’t want sloppy seconds after an orc.”
“Sloppy seconds?” Kroanette asked bewilderedly. “What are you talking about?”
“Keep going! We have to get ahead of those other ones! Move it!”
Kroanette kept running ahead as she glanced back to the clearing that slowly vanished behind the trees, hearing the laughter and loud oinks of the orcs as they raped their victims.
“This is horrible, those poor men,” she mourned softly.
“Shut up and move!” Clover yelled as they kept after the other orcs that were still running through the woods. Kroanette looked around at them then peered in front to see another wagon wildly racing through the forest, the white top carriage banging against a few trees as it tried to elude the pursuing monsters.
“More humans?” Kroanette asked. “My word, they’re trying to escape as well.”
“Get me ahead of those bitches, right now!” Clover ordered.
Kroanette galloped along through the woods, weaving between trees and shrubbery as she took notice of the eight remaining orcs that were chasing the wagon with obvious intentions.
“I wasn’t aware orcs could move this quickly,” Kroanette mentioned with disbelief.
“If there’s a man to rape nearby any monster can push themselves more than you’d believe,” Clover said while watching the orcs closely. “They might exhaust themselves or even collapse from fatigue in doing so, but if they’re horny enough then they’ll haul ass to catch their prey.”
“Then what are we going to do?” Kroanette asked as she looked to her right and saw the lustful monsters only focusing on their prey and not the centaur and elf running alongside them. “They’re going to rape and kill those people if we don’t do something.”
Kroanette then looked back and watched as Clover yanked off the belt holding her to the centaur then took out three arrows with one hand, priming them in her bow as she watched the orcs with a vicious glare.
“What are you doing?” Kroanette cried out. “We’re too close to those orcs, if you attack them now they’ll rush us!”
“Get ahead of them, now!” Clover yelled out at the centaur with a glare tha
t Kroanette swore could kill alone. Kroanette gulped then reluctantly sped ahead with all her might, her hooves running along the ground swiftly as she slowly gained on the fleeing wagon. As she got closer screams of women and children were heard from inside the enclosed ride as it rocked side to side on its wheels.
“We have to help them,” Kroanette declared as she looked at the wagon before her then back to the orcs that were now watching her and Clover with wicked grins. “Uh oh, they’ve noticed us now. What’s your plan?”
An orc got ready to throw her spear at Kroanette, which was pretty much the trunk of a small tree sharpened into a large point, while another started racing towards the centaur with her spiked club held up high.
“Get back!” Kroanette yelled as she grabbed her whip and snapped it at her side. “I’m warning you! Get back or else!”
Without warning Clover suddenly jumped up onto Kroanette’s back then leapt off towards the orc holding the club. Kroanette watched in awe as she tried to process what she was seeing, the world around her becoming a hazy blur as the elf had captured her complete focus. Clover let loose a single arrow from her grip, the bolt shooting out and striking into the skull of the orc with a loud whack. As the monster jerked back and let go of her club Clover landed down on her shoulders before nimbly leaping off towards the orc with the tree for a spear. The elf fired another arrow at blinding speed, the bolt again striking into the face of the surprised orc and jerking her head back.
Kroanette’s expression changed from awe to complete shock as Clover gracefully landed down on her second kill’s shoulders, the elf’s cape fluttering behind her as she again jumped off the dead orc and over towards the others who although were still racing after the fleeing humans were now watching with surprise at the agile archer. As Clover fired her third arrow clear across the line of stampeding monsters and struck the furthest one in her face Kroanette was rendered speechless, her legs still moving on their own while her eyes were locked onto the elf.
‘I don’t believe it…’
Clover landed down on another orc’s shoulders, the stunned monster staring up at her with wide eyes as the elf quickly reached back and grabbed three more arrows before priming them in her bow.
Chronicles of Eden - Act V Page 16
