@MadEmperor[Continued from here (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=27091.0)]
Even traveling by dragon, it took the better part of two weeks to reach Zantaric. Over that time, River slowly adjusted to the idea that she was pregnant--the start of the morning sickness certainly solidified things--and found herself growing gradually closer to their traveling companions.
As Kahroan had aptly pointed out, despite being grown-ass adults, Thrax and Hana were surprisingly good parenting practice.
"We should set down outside the city," Hana called as Zantaric came into view from the air. "And I'd try to keep your dragon side hidden as much as possible, Kahroan. Gods know there's plenty of poachers who'd be more than happy to harvest some dragon bits in this place."
Thrax nodded his agreement. "Yeah, big guy. I'd rather not see my first dragon friend on some crime lord's trophy wall."
"Then it's a good time to practice my ability to shift into a human, even though I can pass as a half-dragon," Kahroan commented as he circled down to land in a spot outside the city. He didn't want to leave his child without a father, so the more human, the better.
"Seconded," River agreed with Thrax dryly.
Once he landed, the group quickly climbed down from Kahroan's back, and River automatically led the other two a few lengths away to give her mate space for his shift.
Once River and the two childish adults were clear, Kah nodded and closed his eyes to focus. The luminous, icy shell formed around him again, and he rapidly shrank. It soon shattered, but this time he was left very nearly perfectly human. His hair was still white, his skin still had a vaguely scaly pattern underneath, he still had short horns, and, never having been without wings, he still had draconic wings.
He looked at human fingers with a broad grin. Feeling himself all over, he started to laugh. "I don't remember having such strong cheekbones before!"
Hana giggled, charmed by how pleased he seemed to be every time he completed a successfully shift—since shapechanging came relatively naturally to her, she just found it fascinating.
River grinned at him and stepped up to peck his cheek once the ice had cleared. "It looks good on you," she told him quietly, eyes sparkling.
Hana rolled her eyes theatrically, but she was still smiling. "Uhg. Couples."
Kah touched her face with a full range of sensation for the very first time. He grinned happily and planted a kiss on her lips. "Gods! Human fingers are so much better. I don't have to worry about cutting you either."
Thrax averted his eyes. "Ugh. It's like watching my parents getting all touchy."
River giggled—actually giggled, which wasn't a sound she made often—into the kiss and nuzzled her nose briefly against his.
Eyes sparkling with mischief, Hana noted too innocently, "Well, clearly you figured out how to work your way around the whole scales and claws situation, considering River's, ah, delicate condition."
"Oh, fuck you with delicate condition," River responded with a laugh, casually flipping her off.
Hana smirked in Thrax's direction. "I wouldn't know—I only ever had a dad."
"You know we're not that much older than you, right, Thrax?" Kahroan chuckled.
Thrax smirked. "Her maybe. You're, like, fifty percent older than me. That's a lot! Relatively!"
Kah blinked. The gnoll almost had a point, putting it that way. "I'm not even going to bother arguing the point."
Thrax threw up his arms with a whoop. "Yeah! Victory by default!"
"Idiot." The islander chuckled, grinning warmly.
Hana laughed and elbowed the bard playfully, and River rolled her eyes again.
"Alright, children, settle down," she said with an arched eyebrow. "We need a plan before we head into the city. Gods know we don't wanna get caught unawares here."
"Alright. Since you two are more in your element here, we'll..." Kah hesitated. "Follow your lead."
Thrax raised a brow. "You sure you want to give us that much power, frosty?"
"Just... try not to get us killed. Deal?"
"Deal." The bard turned to the fox, a question in his eyes that asked, "Well? I sure as hell don't have a plan."
Hana sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically. "I suppose, if it's all up to me," she said in a tone of long-suffering, but her expression was playful as ever.
"First, we should deal with the demon blade," she said with a nod toward Thrax's pack. "And hopefully, while we're finding a buyer, or a collector, or whatever, we can pick up some information about who exactly the demon stole that damn music box from."
River nodded slowly. "That makes sense. We don't want to accidentally cross someone here."
"So, ask around carefully, lest they think we're with Validor," Thrax agreed, feeling weird advising caution. He barely understood the concept.
Why not just keep both for yourself? You still can. said a small voice in his head.
He shook off the thought. "Any idea where the black market even is? No, wait, it's Zantaric; the whole place is a black market. That part is easy."
Hana snapped, conjuring a brief, blue spark, and pointed at him with a grin. "Precisely."
River frowned in thought. "Do we stick together? Or...is it safer to split up for a bit. No offense intended, but aside from myself, pretty much everyone in this group is...memorable."
She gestured at the gnoll bardbarian, the kitsune with silvery hair, and her own mate--who, though he certainly looked the most human he had since she'd known him, did still have wings.
Kahroan frowned, not liking the idea of letting his pregnant mate do the dangerous job by herself. He knew she could handle herself, but this felt different. "Even so... it doesn't feel right letting you potentially anger dangerous people without backup."
Thrax just shrugged; River had a point. They did stand out quite a bit.
"What if Riv and I go in?" Hana offered. She gave herself a little shake, shimmying out of her halfway form and into her entirely human self. "We'll draw less attention as two human women than the four of us together. And I can be her backup." She gave Kahroan a quick grin. "I won't let anything happen to your mate or pup. Promise."
River quirked an eyebrow. "That mate in question can handle herself just fine, you know."
Kahroan gave her a pleading look. "I know you can. Just humor me, okay Riv? I'd be too distracted worrying about you if you went alone."
"How about we take the box, then? Validor didn't have anyone like us with him anyway. And people tend not to pick fights with me to begin with," Thrax suggested.
"That makes sense," Hana said with a brisk nod.
At the same time, River was smiling gently at her mate and reaching up to cup his face in her hands and pull his brow down to hers.
"I know," she told him softly. "And I promise, I'll be careful. But just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I've suddenly turned to glass," she chuckled lightly.
"I'll do my best to tell my male instincts to shut up." Kah smirked and sneaked a quick kiss before they parted.
Thrax reluctantly exchanged magic items with Hana, holding onto the demon sword a bit too long as if it hadn't been his idea.
"That's my boy," River chuckled, leaning into the kiss for just a moment before they separated.
Hana chuckled a bit herself when Thrax seemed momentarily reluctant to hand over the sword. "I promise I know how to use one of these," she told him with a wink. "Pointy end goes into the other guy. You be careful with that music box, yeah?"
"Can do." Thrax smirked. "I know my way around a lady's--"
Kah glared at the gnoll. "Don't even think about finishing that sentence."
"Fin." Thrax sulked dramatically. "Let's get moving then."
While River rolled her eyes at the bard, Hana giggled and tossed him another wink.
"I swear to all the gods, the two of them are going to give me a heart attack," the wolf shifter muttered, glancing to her mate with a long-suffering expression. The corners of her mouth softened quickly though, and she briefly looped her arm through his so she could hug his arm to her chest and kiss his cheek.
"I'll see you soon."
"I have a friend who travels in and out of Zantaric," Hana piped up, "he usually stays at an inn called The Red Moon. Let's meet there at dusk?"
"As good a place as any." Kah nodded and gave River one last peck before he walked over to join Thrax. "We should probably get started."
Thrax chattered the whole time as the pair walked off.
Hana shot River a quick smirk as the other two walked away. "Think they'll avoid killing each other?"
River huffed a quiet laugh and shook her head at the fox. "C'mon. Let's see if we can find a buyer for this thing."
Asking around Zantaric if anyone was interested in purchasing a demon-steel blade would have put a target on their backs almost as fast as if Kahroan had waltzed into the city in full dragon form. So, the two women tried to be more subtle, pretending they were looking for a job while they kept an eye out for any potential armor smiths or traders.
They were directed to a merchant who dealt in rare weapons and armor, especially the kind recovered from monsters and dark ruins. Their shop was located in a dark alley, because where else would someone peddle totally-reputable-and-not-at-all-cursed items?
As they stepped inside the dingy shop, a form popped up behind the counter. "Good day, good day, good day!" cheerily greeted the strange, haphazardly armored figure in a strangely high voice. "Welcome to Fuzbit's Fantastic Finds! How may Fuzbit help you today?"
Oh boy.
Hana and River exchanged a glance, then the fox stepped forward to smile at the proprietor. "Well, we're hoping maybe we can help Fuzbit, actually," she said brightly. "D'ya happen to know of anyone who might be in the market for an...abnormal sort of blade?"
"Abnormal how?" The proprietor tilted its head sideways at an impossible angle. "Perhaps Fuzbit interested."
Kahroan and Thrax took great care to only ask about the "rumor" that Validor robbed someone he shouldn't have. So far, they have gotten conflicting versions of events. In one version, he took a wagon full of gold from a dark elf. In another, a cursed painting from someone called the Red Countess. Nothing about a music box. So they kept looking.
"Abnormal like...left behind by a visitor. A very, very angry visitor. From a hell realm," Hanako replied, her smile never slipping.
"Pssst. Hey."
A small figure tried to flag down Thrax and Kahroan as they passed an alley. They were entirely bundled up in a cloak, good up, so not a hint of their features could be discerned. They seemed to look around furtively before saying, "Heard you been askin' bout old Vali, yeah?"
Fuzbit reeled back. "No, no, Fuzbit no buy demon weapon. Not even from fellow hoomans." They leaned forward conspiratorially, whispering even though the shop was empty. The voice was coming from their chest. "But can tell you who buy, for a price."
The pair ducked into the alley. Thrax looked down from his great height, asking, "Who wants to know?"
"And who is that, exactly?" River asked, arms folded and one eyebrow quirked
After half a day of trekking around Zantaric, she was starting to second-guess their decisions to sell the thing at all. They didn't really know what it could do—what if it fell back into the hands of someone like Validor?
The hooded figure took a few steps back, maintaining the same distance between themselves and the inhuman pair.
"The rightful owner of that pretty little trinket," they replied, sounding amused. "You do have the box, yes?"
Yes. Keep it. How better to protect what is yours.
"No good brother, yes? Money, and I tell you where find," said the "hooman" merchant.
"Maybe we do, maybe we don't," Kahroan responded, not getting any closer, "How can we know you are who you say we are?"
River started a bit, surprised by the thought. She frowned, then shook her head and refocused as Hana rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Two copper bits and you tell us who we're looking for," she started to haggle.
The diminutive figure chuckled and seemed to spread their arms wide under their robe. "This is Zantaric, stranger. No one is who they say they are."
Tone becoming abruptly less amused, they added, "If you're looking to stay on the boss's good side, you'd best head to the half-burned temple outside the western gate. Dawn tomorrow."
"Five. And Fuzbit tell you password too," the bizarre shopkeeper countered.
Kahroan opened his mouth, but Thrax cut in. "Tell your boss we'll be there."
Hana sighed theatrically, but she handed over the coin. "Alright, Fuzbit. Whaddya got?"
"Good good." The figure nodded quickly. "I will tell the boss. Don't be late."
Giggling incongruously, they turned and darted down the alley, seeming to simply disappear once they reached the end—likely utilizing some tiny gap only they'd hold fit into.
The obviously disguised shopkeeper scooped the coins into a receptacle with small hooked pole. "Half-burned temple outside west gate. Come at dawn, yes?"
Kahroan looked at Thrax as they left the alleyway. "You sure he isn't just going to rob us."
Thrax simply shrugged. "We're out of time for today anyway."
"At dawn," Hana repeated with a nod.
She linked her arm through River's as the two women walked back out into the main thoroughfare. "Let's head for the Red Moon," she said with a meaningful nod toward the setting Sun. "It'll be dusk soon—the boys have probably already beat us there."
River nodded in agreement, but she was frowning as she turned over the strange little shopkeeper's words. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"
Hana shrugged. "Maybe not. But, speaking for myself, I make better decisions on a full stomach. We'll talk it over with Kahroan and Thrax at the inn."
They found the boys enjoying a drink and socialize. Well, Thrax was; he was laughing and carrying on with a couple of dwarves. Kahroan was just sitting there looking shy and awkward. The man lit up when he saw River and stood up, clearing his throat to get Thrax's attention.
The gnoll looked up. "What?" He smiled as he saw the women. "Oh! Hey!" The bard got up. "Sorry fellas, duty calls."
River seemed to brighten just as much as her mate when she caught sight of him, giving Hana a quick tap on the shoulder and a jerk of her head in the two men's direction before quickly weaving her way across the tap room to him.
Hana followed at a slightly more sedate pace, rolling her eyes and mouthing, Couples at Thrax as she got closer.
"So. You get any actual work done, or you just making new friends?" she asked with a crooked grin once she was in earshot.
"Oh, we got a lead alright. Or a trap. One or the other." Thrax grinned as he came around the table.
Kah jerked his head toward another table. "Let's discuss this somewhere more private, shall we?"
"That is probably a very good idea," Hana agreed, seeing the open table Kah indicated tucked into a corner. A miracle, really—Zantaric was the sort of place one really assumed any shadowed corners would be claimed automatically.
"We have our own lead-maybe-trap," the kitsune said as she took a seat. "But I imagine ours is probably less fraught, seeing as the sword isn't stolen. The we know of."
Kahroan waited until River sat down before explaining. "Somebody covered in a cloak told us to bring the box to some ruined temple outside town. He was pretty shady, but he was the first to know anything about a box to begin with, and we didn't actually mention it."
"I couldn't get a good sniff, but he was the right size to be a goblin. I've never met a goblin that can be trusted," Thrax added.
Hana and River exchanged a look. "No-good brother, you think?" the kitsune asked, and River nodded in agreement.
"We found an odd source of information ourselves," she explained to the other two, describing their encounter with Fuzbit--and his direction to visit a half-burned temple.
"That sounds way too coincidental to be a coincidence," Hana declared when she'd finished.
"Sounds like someone heard us talking before we split up," Kah observed.
Thrax nodded. "Yeah... there's no way this isn't a trap."
Take the treasure and run. Why risk it?
He scratched his ear nervously. "Maybe we should just keep them? We could fly away and never come back."
River sighed. "I've actually been thinking about that," she said slowly. "With the sword, at least--do we really trust selling it to someone? I mean...it doesn't seem safe."
Hana pursed her lips, considering. "I could see that," she said slowly. Then she shook her head. "But with the music box...I dunno. Validor's gang seemed pretty worried someone was gonna come after them for it--do we really think they wouldn't come after us for the same thing?"
"We should just give them the box. It doesn't really matter if they are the right owner. We don't want that heat," Kahroan suggested.
"As for the sword... I don't know." He was pained to disagree with his mate so totally. "I definitely don't want something that dangerous near our unborn child."
Thrax frowned. "So, what, you think we should destroy it? Think of the good a powerful weapon can do, the justice it could bring."
Hana gave the bard a briefly startled look, but River seemed too focused on her mate to catch anything that might seem...off about that.
"I don't think we should keep it," she agreed with him, reaching over the table to take his hand. "And...I don't know about destroying it. I'm not sure we could. But there might be someone...more qualified to handle it."
Hana nodded slowly. "A temple in Serendipity, maybe? The Moonspear priestesses deal with demon crap, don't they?"
Kahroan nodded. "They do. If anyone can destroy it or seal it away, they can."
Thrax glared a little before catching himself. "... Fine. Don't listen to me. I see how it is."
Hana frowned. "We're not ignoring you," she told Thrax, starting to reach out to touch his shoulder. "It's just...it's not just a powerful weapon, Thrax. It's a demon weapon."
River nodded. "I think we just have to admit we're not prepared to properly handle the thing," she said with a sigh.
"Maybe you aren't..." the gnoll grumbled quietly to himself, sulking.
Kahroan gave River a look that said "I don't know what to do about that."
River returned the look with a shrug, equally clueless.
Hanna drummed her fingers on the table, then stood abruptly. "C'mon, music man. Let's get a round for the table," she offered, nodding toward the bar.
River opened her mouth to question whether that was such a good idea, but she shut it again at the kitsune's sharp look.
"Y-yeah, let's... do that." The bard got back up, rage and sorrow at war in his heart as he went with Hana to the bar.
When they were out of earshot, Kah gave his mate a worried look. "I've never seen him like that, have you?"
River shook her head, befuddled. "No, I haven't." She pursed her lips and propped her chin on her hand. "Though I guess...I mean, we've really only known them a couple weeks. There's probably a lot we don't know. About either of them."
Once they were out of earshot, and closer to the bar, Hana leaned in and cocked her head at the bard.
"Okay. What's up?" she demanded point-blank, clearly not one to tiptoe around a subject.
Thrax didn't meet the kitsune's eyes. "Nothing's up. I just think you're all being way too cautious."
"You're right, we don't." Kah watched the two at the bar with interest. "I forget sometimes that he isn't a big kid."
"Oh, bullshit," Hana laughed, though she didn't sound all that amused. "Look, fine, you don't have to tell me what's actually wrong; but at least don't insult my intelligence by pretending you're fine."
River nodded. "Both of them, really," she murmured. "Honestly, neither of them every wants to take anything seriously--it's easy to forget he's the only gnoll I've ever actually met. That can't be a happy story. And Hana..." She shook her head. "Hanako was ready to die for us back with Validor, remember? And she'd only known us a few days then..."
"They do both have big hearts, don't they?" Kah smiled softly. "I hope our kid has one even half as vibrant."
Thrax sighed, his anger deflating. "I shouldn't even have this axe, you know. I wasn't ready yet."
"I'm sure they will." River smiled and took his hand, squeezing lightly. With a small laugh, she added, "Though I'm sort of hoping they'll be just a little less prone to danger."
Hanako leaned against the bar, lifting four fingers to the bartender before looking back to Thrax. "What do you mean?" she asked softly, kindly.
"I was just an apprentice to the Stormsinger; that's what my clan calls our shaman. At least..." Thrax gave a trembling sigh. "At least, I was."
It took him a moment to build up the courage for what came next. "I was until three years ago. The clans had been at peace with each other for the very first time. So, we eventually let our guard down."
"They came in the night. They set fire to our homes, slaughtered our warriors--" He let out a small sob. "Storm, Hana, they killed everyone. But not before my master gave me the axe and told me to run."
"Storm forgive me, I did. I ran while everyone I ever knew was butchered." In that moment, he looked broken and lost.
Kah smirked. "I mean... this is our kid we're talking about. We aren't exactly risk averse ourselves."
"Oh, Thrax..."
Hana reached over to wrap her arm around his shoulders--which was a little difficult, considering their difference in height, but she persevered--and squeezed tight.
"It wasn't you're fault," she told him quietly. "You were a kid. There was nothing you could have done."
River chuckled a bit, but then her expression sobered slightly. "Oh gods," she muttered. "We...are we really ready for this?"
Kah squeezed River's hand and smiled gently. "Look at it this way: We're going to do anything to protect them, with no hesitation, the same way we protect each other."
"A kid? Most gnolls my age were already full-fledged warriors. But not me, I was too busy studying magic to learn to fight properly. I was useless when they needed me, all because I happened to have some talent with magic." Thrax sighed heavily.
"Right." River squeezed his hand back with an only slightly shaky smile. "You're right. This...it'll be fine."
"You were not useless," Hanako told Thrax, her voice quiet but fierce. "You did everything you could--and if you had fought, then your whole clan would be gone now. You're what's left, and that sucks, but it also means that your people aren't completely gone. Not really."
She spoke as though she maybe understood something of what that was like.
The bard finally looked her in the eye, smiling sadly. "But I haven't done everything I can. I'd give anything to have the power to get justice for them. That's why it's so tempting to pick up that sword, consequences be damned. The Poisonclaw clan wouldn't stand a chance."
Kill them all. You know you want to.
"Maybe not." Hana bit her lip, then said slowly, "But...there is a very fine line between justice and revenge. And I'm not saying vengeance is inherently a bad thing to want—just be clear-eyed about what it is you really want."
She gave him a small smile, then a quick kiss on the cheek, before she gathered up their drinks and moved to head back to the table.
Thrax gathered himself before following after her. "Sorry everyone. I let the temptation of power get in my head. I'll... do better," he awkwardly apologized.
Kah smiled sadly. "It's alright, Thrax. I know what it's like to crave strength, but I also know the price of messing with forces you don't understand. And something tells me this sword will do worse than change your body as my price did."
"And no guarantees an out-of-work shifter will happen upon you and essentially adopt you into her pack, either," River joked, trying to match the normally carefree attitude that the bard kept up.
Hana snorted; she and Thrax had gotten the abbreviated story of how Kahroan and River met over their time traveling together. "I bet I could find you somebody," she joined in on the joke, smirking crookedly at the gnoll. "Does it have to be a shifter? Cuz I know a cute half-elf in La'marri..."
River snorted and shot the kitsune a very dry look.
Thrax smirked a little. "Do I really have to be cursed to get a date?"
He grew more serious. "Yeah... let's get this damned thing somewhere where someone like me but without friends can't get ahold of it."
Kah nodded, pleased to hear it. "Question two: how do we approach this ambush without getting ourselves killed?"
"That," Hanako said, lifting a single finger, "is an excellent question."
River "hmmm"ed softly. "Maybe..." She pursed her lips. "Maybe Hana and I go in first, with the sword. As far as they know, that's all we have--they shouldn't know we even know you two, so they shouldn't have any reason to think we'd be associated with the music box."
Hana tipped her head. "But...if we do have it...and if the boys have the sword..."
River nodded. "That gives us an element of surprise when they try to pull something."
Kahroan made a thoughtful noise. "Assuming they don't know we're together, it might work. It's a gamble, though."
Thrax grinned slyly. "Gambling is what I do best next to music. I like our odds better than they'll be if we run."
Hanako nodded agreement. "Yeah--either way we're taking a risk. I think this option minimizes it, even if just a bit. You two sure you're okay hanging back? We'll need you close enough that you can jump in if we need you, but not so close they'll spot you quickly."
Kahroan had to swallow down his protective instincts, but he and Thrax exchanged a look before they both nodded. "We'll follow your lead. Just... be careful."
"We will." River reached up to cup her mate's cheek. "I promise." Under the table, her other hand fluttered to press against her lower stomach briefly.
Hanako recommended that the group get two rooms—they had spent most of their time in the road camping in fairly close quarters, but she muttered as an aside to Thrax that she thought the "lovebirds" could use some privacy after spending the better part of a month essentially babysitting the bard and the trickster.
Thrax placed his pack near his chosen bed in case of thieves, happy that he didn't have either problematic item in his belongings. He propped Stormsong against the wall and turned to look at Hana a little sheepishly. "Listen... Thanks again for--yanno, talking some sense into me. If you--if ever need to talk about anything... I'm happy to listen."
"Or whatever," he added in a poor attempt at nonchalance.
Hana smiled at him as she perched on the edge of her own bed. "Anytime," she said with a quick wink.
His offer of reciprocity seemed to catch her off guard though, as she blinked and opened her mouth, but no sound actually emerged.
After a few moments, she sighed and said bluntly, "Did you know I'm not actually a kitsune? Not fully, I mean." Her ears twitched. "My father was human."
"I hadn't even heard of a kitsune before I met you, so... no. No, I did not."
He frowned slightly. "When you say 'was'...?"
"Right." She let out a breath. "So—let's say this is a story, okay? And just...bear with me for a second, I promise I have a point about...y'know. What we talked about earlier."
She drew her legs up onto the bed and let one of her tails curl into her lap. "So, ah...once upon a time, I guess, there was a secluded village of fox spirits living in the mountains of Thanatos."
She glanced at him through her lashes, as though evaluating his reaction. She had actually only learned the truth of this "story" about a year before in her wanderings—she'd never had occasion to tell someone before.
He sat down on his bed with a creak. The bard looked a bit perplexed, but only by her choice of where to pause and why being Thanati mattered. "I figured your name was Thanati, yeah. And...?"
"Right. But this is a story, so it doesn't matter if my name is Thanati," she said with a smirk and a quick wink, but the usual humor wasn't in her expression. "So, there was this village of foxes. But there was a group of humans--hunters--who tracked them down. They massacred most of the village, pretty much an entire generation." She said it blankly, as though it really was a story. Well, to her, it sort of was--she hadn't been born when it happened.
"Of the survivors, there was this pair of sisters. They were young when the attack happened, not yet considered adults by their elders. So they grew up in what was left, after the village moved further up the mountain to better hide itself. But then, years later, another human hunter stumbled upon them. This guy, though, he didn't actually care about killing foxes for their fur or magic or whatever. He was just lost."
She dropped one leg to scuff her foot against the floor. "The younger sister found him, and yadda yadda yadda, they fell in love. It was a secret, 'cause, y'know...the whole massacre thing. But, of course, it eventually came out, and she was exiled from the village. Her sister fought for her to stay--but only if she killed the hunter she'd fallen in love with."
She huffed and leaned back on her palms, head tipped toward the ceiling. "Long story short, they fought, younger sister gets disowned and exiled, and she and her husband came to live in Serendipity. And things were okay for a while. They settled on a farm, had a handful of kids--all of which seemed to take after their mother for looks."
She gave the tail in her lap a pointed flick, head cocked to one side and her customary half-smile back in place. "I was the youngest," she murmured, dropping the "story" pretense again. "I don't...actually remember them."
Sensing that the series of tragedies didn't end there, Thrax came over to sit by her. He may not be the most empathetic guy, but it felt similar enough to his story that he thought he understood. "What... happened to them?"
Hana sighed and leaned into him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "The older sister," she replied quietly. "My aunt. She tracked them down. Tried to convince my mother to come back to the village. When it didn't work...she was basically mad with grief and vengeance. She'd watched almost everyone she knew slaughter by people like my father--well, at least that's what she thought. It didn't matter that my mother loved him; he was the enemy. And because she loved him, so was my mother."
She closed her eyes. "She killed them. All of them. My parents, my siblings...I only survived because we were playing, and one of my older sisters hid me in a hollow tree when it started. I don't actually remember that part...I remember the fire, though."
She went quiet for a moment, then sighed again and pulled back from Thrax's shoulder. "I'm not telling you this to get sympathy, you know. Like I said, I don't remember most of it. And, honestly, my childhood wasn't all that terrible--Tobin found me, and he was a great dad. I'm not even trying to tell you that , y'know, vengeance is wrong, blah blah blah. Just..."
She looked at him and smiled sadly. "Just be careful, yeah? I don't think you're like her--like my aunt, but...from everything I heard, she didn't start out like that. She just wanted justice for her family. But she let it eat at her until there was nothing left. That's not justice, that's just...poison."
The gnoll sighed. "Yeah, I get it. The whole reason for what the Poisonclaw did was a hate they couldn't let go of. We'd feuded with them for so long that I don't think anyone can remember what started it. We got more peaceful over time, at least trying to move towards the future. They... didn't."
"So I do know the ugliness of revenge. It's just, well, the gnoll way to seek blood for blood. It's all I knew before leaving the Serha. I don't--I don't know how else to seek justice."
"By being better than they were." She smiled in a bittersweet sort of way and reached up to place her hand gently on his shoulder. "By protecting your new family, whoever they are and however you find them."
She shrugged. "I'm not saying I don't get it--honestly, if you put the woman who killed my family in front of me now, I don't know what I'd do. And maybe there are Poisonclaw warriors who really do deserve to die for what they did to your clan. Just don't lose yourself in the process, okay?"
She shucked him gently along the jaw, smile slanting sideways. "You're a good guy, Thrax. I think your people should be proud of you."
"And here I thought I was trying to comfort you." He chuckled and turned his head to her with a sheepish, comforted smile. "I think your family would be proud too. You were willing to face off against a demon to help people you barely knew escape. That's pretty damn heroic if you ask me."
She snorted. "Heroic, maybe. Stupid, definitely." She arched her back in a stretch and sighed. "Welp! I dunno about you, but I've officially felt one too many emotions for today. We should probably turn in so we can deal with this stupid music box situation tomorrow."
She gave him a smile more like her usual playful one and bumped his shoulder with hers, teasing with a wink, "So unless you're planning on making this worth my while, get your tail back to your own bed."
"I wouldn't actually say no if you were serious, but you probably know that already," he chuckled as he stood up. Looking back at her over his shoulder, he asked, "You aren't... right?"
Leaning back on her palms, Hana shrugged, still smiling. "I mean, I can be, if you want," she replied honestly. "I like you. You're fun to be around. If that was something you wanted to do, I'd be into it."
She shrugged again. "No pressure or anything--I know we've been stuck with the two most sickeningly in love people alive the last few weeks, but that isn't really how I do things. I like casual." She wasn't necessarily trying to be brusque--she just figured honesty was important in things like this; it was better if everybody knew where they stood up-front.
The bard turned back towards her with a smile. "Casual is fine by me." He smirked. "I prefer it if that is what a committed relationship is like. Seriously, you have my permission to set me on fire if I start acting like that."
Hana laughed. "Noted." Leaning back onto her elbows, she tipped her chin up at him in something that was between an invitation and a challenge. "So? You comin' over here or not?"
He climbed onto the bed eagerly, undoing the front of his shirt with a grin. "Challenge accepted."
Just before dawn, the group paired off and headed to the meetup point by different routes. The women with the box arrived first, as planned. For the moment, they were alone.
As Hanako and River approached the burned out temple, both of them surreptitiously sniffed the air. Nothing--they really were alone, at least for now.
"So." River glanced sidelong at the other woman. "You and Thrax...?"
Hanako groaned and rolled her eyes. "Oh dear gods."
River arched a brow. "Our rooms share a wall, Hana. You had to know we'd notice."
The kitsune snorted. "Funnily enough, it wasn't exactly my primary focus at the time."
"I could tell," the wolf shifter replied dryly.
"Oh--shut up, mum," Hana laughed, shaking her head.
River chuckled and shrugged, saying, "Hey, I'm not here to pass judgement. You two might actually be...good together."
"Y'know, not everyone is actually so concerned with togetherness. It was just some fun."
"Alright, alright--"
"Shh."
"I said alright--"
"No, seriously. Shh." Hanako's ears--despite their currently human shape--still seemed to prick toward the entrance of the temple. "I think they're here," she muttered.
A completely bald Essyrni man stepped out of the gloom of the temple, his red clothing bright in the dawn light. "Come. The boss is inside. I recommend you not keep her waiting."
The two women exchanged a glance, then looked to their contact and nodded. "Right."
We're heading in, River told her mate, hoping they were still in range for beastspeech to reach him as they entered the temple.
"So who's this boss anyway?" Hana chirped, deceptively ditzy even as her eyes flickered around, taking stock of escape routes.
Kah came in loud and clear. Just tell us when we should approach.
There were several exits—some were part of the original design, others were created as sections of the walls collapsed from fire damage. All of them were guarded by armed thugs wearing red.
"I am." Their attention was drawn to a curvaceous Adelan woman with dark red hair wearing a low-cut red dress. She was seated on the damaged altar like a queen or, perhaps, a countess. "They call me the Red Countess. Who, may I ask, are you?"
Hana snorted, and River elbowed her.
Oh c'mon. You know this woman uses the word "languish" unironically.
Fighting down a sudden and vaguely hysterical giggle, the shifter inclined her head to the Red Countess. "I go by River, ma'am," she introduced herself--they hadn't given a false name to Fuzbit, so it wouldn't make sense to use one now. "We were told to meet someone here who might be interested in buying a...sensitive bit of weaponry we got our hands on recently."
"So I have been informed. A demonic blade, no less. I must know: How did you acquire such a thing? Perhaps it belonged to a demon playing bandit in the woods?" she asked probingly.
"And if it did?" Hana cocked her head. "We may have heard some things ourselves, your grace. Maybe that demon wasn't exactly a friend of yours. Maybe you should owe us a little extra for the bother of getting rid of him."
River shot her a quick, warning glance. Careful.
The Countess began to narrow her eyes at the sarcasm. Yet, she gave a dignified laugh at Hana's sheer audacity. "Am I supposed to believe that the two of you took out a demon all by yourselves? You don't even have weapons."
"Or, perhaps, you had help? From, say... the two trying to unload a certain music box?"
"Now, what makes you think that?" Hanako batted her eyelashes, pouting theatrically. "Who says two tough gals like us couldn't do it on our own?"
River kept her impassive mask in place. What the hells are you doing?
Pushing her buttons. Seeing what she wants--and how bad she wants it.
Oh. Clever, actually.
"If you did, you would have the box as well." She gave a predatory smile. "And if you have both, then I would have no use for the two headed here right now."
...I'm gonna smash it.
Don't. You. Dare.
Think about it. Hana flicked her eyes briefly in River's direction. If I make like I'm gonna destroy it, it'll force her to show her hand. Plus, she'll know the boys don't have it, they have the sword. It's insurance.
River cursed, rather imaginatively, and said aloud, "Fine. Do it."
Hana grinned, flashing sharp canines, and drew the music box from her pocket. "You mean this box?" she asked innocently, and raised it above her head as though preparing to dash it to the ground.
With her bluff seemingly called, the Countess had only one option. "Wait!" she called out, instinctively reaching for the box. "You want a deal? Let's make a deal."
Hana smiled slowly. "What sort of deal?" she all but crooned as she lowered the box ostentatiously back down into her pocket.
At the same time, River was calling in beastspeech, Kah, they've got eyes on you--you okay? We cannot let these people get ahold of that sword.
You'd better have a plan to get out of there. Or I'm coming, sword or no sword, Kah vowed.
"I'll take both off your hands right here for six gold crowns," she offered. For those items, that was a low-ball offer.
"That's bull and you know it," Hana retorted, with all the confidence of someone who wasn't currently surrounded by hostile forces. "The box alone is worth ten. We've seen what it can do." Her lips curled up on one said and she prodded, "How'd Validor snatch the thing from you, anyway? Seems like the kinda thing you'd wanna keep well-guarded."
Are you trying to piss her off?!
Yes. Hana tipped her head to the right. River glanced in the direction she was subtly indicating, and her stomach tightened. One of the "Countess's" thugs had relaxed his guard just enough to leave one of the holes in the temple wall clear--at least, clear enough that they could make a break for it, if they were lightning fast. And if they could keep the Countess's attention away from the security gap.
The whole point of this was to get this mob off our tails, River reminded the kitsune.
Yeah. But I don't trust her with this box anymore than the sword--I'm really gonna break it.
You sure?
Yup. Countdown: three...
River reached for her mate again: We're gonna be coming out hot--get ready to fly.
The Red Countess' confident demeanor turned into a glare. "I would choose your next words very carefully. I do not take such disrespect lightly."
Her fighters tightened their grips on their weapons to add a threat to her words. The plan was working.
"Oh, do forgive me, your grace," Hana said with an overly-dramatic, sweeping bow.
Two.
"But honestly, I think the thing is more trouble than it's worth."
Three!
She yanked the music box back out of her pocket and dashed it to the stone floor of the temple, shattering it with a few tinkling, discordant notes. River was already moving, changing to wolf form in mid-air as she leaped for the gap in the wall.
Hana was on her tail. "Go go go go go!"
"Bring me their heads!" the Countess screamed furiously as she jumped to her feet.
The fighters nearest the gap rushed to intercept the pair, but the sword slash from the first to arrive went high. He hadn't been prepared for her to become a wolf.
"Dragon!" someone shouted from outside.
Oh thank gods.
"Do you see him?" Hana shouted, not even pausing as she ducked a fired crossbow bolt and began zigging erratically after River as they rounded the southern edge of the ruined temple.
River had seen something else.
Kah, go high! There's some sort of—I don't know, but it looks like it fires huge bolts! Get out of range!
Thanks for the warning! Kahroan appeared over the trees as he banked upward. A huge bolt flew past, narrowly missing his right wing.
"Don't let them escape! Use everything we have!" the Countess shouted from the temple.
Several men were waiting out front and rushed the women, swords swinging.
Across the small plaza between them and a way out of the temple complex, they heard a crash of thunder. The sky being clear, it had to be Thrax, apparently not on Kahroan.
"Get to Thrax!" Hana shouted as she spun to hurl a half-aimed ball of fire at the men attacking them. "If we're all together, Kah can pick us up and go!"
River nodded, changing direction erratically in an effort to throw off the ranged fighters' aim as they pelted across the small courtyard, looking for Thrax in the evolving chaos.
Head for the trees! the shifter called in beastspeech to both Hanako and Kahroan. We can use the cover to mount and get in the air!
There was a powerful thrum and a pair of men were sent crashing through a wooden barrier covering a broken section of the outer wall. Thrax's voice carried across the courtyard. "This way! Hurry!"
Kahroan banked around and flew back to the trees, where Thrax was making a ruckus. The ballista fired again and the dragon performed a rolling maneuver to avoid it. The bolt glanced off of his breastplate, causing him to grunt.
Gods, that was close. If it wasn't for this armor, that would have killed me.
River yelped instinctively when she saw the bolt strike him, heart racing even though she could see that his armor had deflected it. Too close. Way, way too close.
"Shit!" Hana haphazardly threw another bolt of blue foxfire over her shoulder. "They're gaining! Move move move!"
Suddenly, a ball of fire flew past them and struck the ground in front of the gap, creating a fiery barrier. "Enough!" the Countess yelled.
Damnit!
Hana couldn't control natural fire as easily as she could her own. She skidded to a halt just behind River, who was growling and eyeing the height of the flames as though she was considering jumping.
The kitsune spun to face the Countess, panting lightly. "It's over," she shouted over the crackling of flames. "The damn thing's busted! Now no one gets it!"
The ruby amulet around her neck glowed bright as the Countess held fire in her hands. "There is still the matter of the sword! Hand it over, and I promise your deaths will be swift!" she called to them as her fighters surrounded them.
River and Hanako fell back to back, both crouched warily. But they were staring down half a dozen ranged opponents, all of whom would be able to get a shot off the moment one of them moved.
If anyone's got a surprise play up their sleeve, now would be the time! Hana cast out desperately.
Thrax looked on from beyond the flames. Fear had a tight grip around his heart as the flames danced in his eyes, conjuring memories of his village burning. It told him to run, to save himself and keep his clan alive
Don't be a coward. You can save them. You know how.
No. I can't do that. I won't.
You would let them die? Just like your clan?
Thrax's resistance buckled under the weight of his survivor's guilt. He reached into his pack and pulled out the sword. As soon as he unwrapped it and put his hand around the hilt, he felt a surge of power travel up his arm.
"You mean, this sword?!" Thrax bellowed as he put out fire with one swing, blade absorbing the magic.
The Countess stepped back, afraid. "You fool... That blade will devour you whole!"
Both Hana and River whirled, startled. River just stared for a breath, wide-eyed, but Hana's expression crumpled.
"No..." she whispered, already feeling the twisting magic of the thing thick and cloying in the air around Thrax.
"Move, now," River hissed, grabbing her arm and jerking her back to the more pressing emergency. "He's given us an opening, and we're taking it."
"I was going to keep anyone else from using it, you idiots!" The Countess scolded. "Now I really can't let you go."
"Kill the gnoll before it takes him over!" she ordered, and her fighters all focused on Thrax.
Thrax leaped into the nearest fighters, cutting them down with more skill than he had ever displayed. He channeled electricity through it and slashed, sending a fan of lightning bolts into the enemy. He was grinning like a maniac and enjoying himself far too much.
River's pace slowed fractionally. Takes him...over?
Hana's expression had shuttered. "Get to Kah, and get out of here," she told the wolf sharply. "And here--take this."
She tossed something through the air that River had to quickly shift to human form to catch.
The music box.
"What--?!"
"You had to believe it was broken for the trick to work," Hana replied without looking at her. "Sorry. Now go, quick. Thrax and I will catch up."
River couldn't tell if she was lying, and she didn't like it. "Hana--"
"Go!"
The Countess was too preoccupied with a rampaging, empowered gnoll to notice the handoff.
Kah landed somewhere in the woods ahead as Thrax started chanting something he had been trying to figure out by the campfire. The sky darkened, which was very much something he normally lacked the power to do. Around the blade, power crackled as if begging to be released. Each slash cracked like thunder, and each cut was like a hot knife through butter. The only reason he wasn't drenched in blood was the fact that the wounds were cauterized.
"Don't. Hurt. My. Friends!" the bard yelled, charging the ballista.
River ran, using scent as much as sight to guide her to her mate. She allowed herself the briefest moment of relief when she saw him before she threw herself forward and swung up onto his back, arms wrapped as far around his neck as she could manage.
"Thrax has the sword," she panted. "Hana--stayed back with him. Told me to go..."
"Got your back!" A massive, silver-white fox leaped over Thrax's head, bowling over the archer who had been lining up a shot behind him. Looking back over her shoulder, Hanako called, "Thrax, let's go! We're safe, we need to move!"
She didn't really expect it to work. She could feel the power from that blade, and there was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. But she had to try.
"What's with her and self-sacrifice?" Kah asked. "Can we really just leave them behind?"
"No! They'll never stop until we're all dead!" Thrax growled, glancing at her with black eyes like pits full of hate.
She didn't want to. Every instinct in her body wanted to stay, to fight, to protect her pack, temporary though it might be.
And if just one thing had been different, she might have.
Choking on a sound between a sob and a growl, she pressed one hand to her lower belly and bent until her head rested on the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I...the baby..."
"Thrax, come on!" Hanako grabbed for his arm, trying and failing to haul him back with her. The Countess's men were closing in.
Desperate, the kitsune once more summoned her fire, hotter and brighter, using every scrap of power she had to blaze a barrier into existence between them and the enemy. The flames surged up up up--then died.
When they faded, they revealed nothing but empty ground.
Because, of course, the fire itself had been the illusion--or part of it. It took everything Hana had to simultaneously throw off the perception of heat and light while making herself and Thrax invisible. Grabbing his empty hand, she just started to run, not even paying attention to which direction they were going, panting as she struggled to keep the magic in place.
She staggered as they got further into the trees, twisting roots snagging at her feet. Her grip on Thrax's hand broke--but she was so intent on keeping the illusion in place that it lingered, just long enough that when she reached, she couldn't find him.
Kahroan sighed deeply. "You're right. We... have to prioritize our child."
He took to the sky and sailed away from danger.
Thrax was gone, and under the spell of an evil sword. That was bad, but she knew where he'd be headed. With any luck, she could reach him before his kind soul was lost forever to darkness.
[Continued here (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=27110.0) and here (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=27111.0)]