“Sure thing Joseph.”
A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she didn't bother setting Joseph down. Rather she turned around and secured one arm around his waste. She then used her free hand to open the door and step out. Her tail giving the door a quick smack to shut it as she walked towards the dining hall. “I can't wait until I get a bigger body so this is less awkward.”
***********************************************************************************
As Joseph walked along side of Maria he couldn't help but notice her tail. She hadn't quite wrapped it around him but it seemed to be regularly moving behind him. Every now and then he'd feel it brush against him and Maria would either speed up or slow down her walking pace. He couldn't be sure but she seemed to be insuring that she was walking beside of him rather then in front or behind.
“Joseph it should be safe for us to talk right now.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
A slight chuckle escaped Maria as a shiver ran up her spine. “I could smell it on you while we were eating. You're nervous and you're nervous right now. You have something that you want to tell me. At first I thought it was because you planned to ask me to walk with you back to your place but the scent hasn't faded in the least there is something else. The life bloom has started to bare fruit hasn't it?”
In response Joseph gave a quick nod. “Yeah the first of the fruit are ready. Now Maria whenever you try it be careful not to eat the seed. I've seen you bite through apples and eat them whole so I know you're capable of it. The seeds are very important though.”
While Maria had suspected that the life bloom was ready she hadn't quite been ready for it to be confirmed. Now she felt a ripple run throughout her entire body as if she was about to pounce on her prey. Instead this translated into a strait leap upwards. “Yay!
Maria's sudden departure into the sky had caught Joseph off guard and he was made to jump backwards. As he looked up into the sky to find Maria though he was astounded by how far she'd jumped. Those muscles of her could propel her mass to quite a height. He didn't have a chance to move back any further though as he felt something take hold of his wrist the moment Maria was closed enough to the ground.
“Well let's go! I've been waiting for this for so long.” Instead of waiting for Joseph to respond Maria quickly placed a hand behind him. Her right leg swiped outward and quickly took Joseph's feet out from under him. Before he could begin to fall though her other arm found position under him and Maria lifted him into a cradle hold.
“Woe!” As Joseph found himself held in Maria's arm he felt as if his stomach had been left behind. Upon looking around he realized why that was as Maria had began to quickly sprint throughout the forest. He had no ideal of how fast they were moving but instinctively he wrapped his arms around Maria's shoulders. Even if he didn't know how fast they were going but he knew that they were going very fast.
“So how many of the fruit are ready? What does it taste like? You mentioned that you grew one before did you get to taste the fruit? What color is it? I bet that it taste really sweet. You mentioned I shouldn't eat the seeds but how big are they? Where are they at in the fruit?”
“Huh? What? Maria you're talking too fast!”
Instead of repeating herself Maria continued to dash along towards Joseph's shop. She didn't know how much Joseph was going to give her but she'd been wanting to try the life bloom for weeks on end. Now that he had told her there was some fruit ready for her to try she just couldn't restrain herself.
While Maria didn't respond to his questions Joseph didn't bother asking her again. She'd apparently already forgotten what she'd asked him to begin with. Rather he took a moment to look at her face and noted the wide grin that graced it. He could actually see her lips parted slightly and noted the teeth behind that smile. It didn't disturb him though he felt kind of guilty that he didn't have much for her to eat.
Walking to Joseph's workshop normally took a bit over half an hour. With her packing Joseph though it only took a few minutes for Maria to carry herself and him to the shop. As she neared it she actually had to remind herself to decrease her speed slowly or the sudden change in acceleration could harm Joseph. Despite her best efforts though she ended up giving Joseph a slight jolt as she brought herself to a stop.
While when Maria had began to run it felt like he'd left his stomach behind now Joseph felt as if it had slammed into him. The deceleration wasn't significant enough to cause him pain but it did leave him feeling dizzy. “Are we there yet?”
“You bet we are!” As she spoke Maria bent at the knees and lowered Joseph to the ground so that he was standing on his feet.
At first it seemed like he would be fine however the moment Maria's arms left him Joseph found himself to be very unstable on his feet. Instinctively he reached out for something to take hold of. He was relieved whenever he found something to grasp as his hands came to wrest upon Maria's shoulders and she took hold of his waist.
“Sorry about that. I guess I shook you up a little.”
In response Joseph gave his head a quick nod. “A little. Just help me over to the shop door okay?”
Instead of helping Joseph walk over Maria quickly lifted him into the air again. “Sorry I can't wait for you to hobble over.”
A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he placed a hand on his forehead willing the world to stop spinning around him. Unfortunately the world didn't seem ready to oblige him as Maria packed him over to the door. “After all of that I wish I had a bit more of the fruit to let you try. We have to take this slowly though.”
Instead of responding right away Maria opened up the door and quickly stepped inside. An unknown scent slammed into Maria the moment she was past the door and her gaze turned towards the urn the life bloom was in. There was no move to place Joseph on the ground but rather Maria continued inside still packing him and gave the door behind her a swift kick slamming it shut. “Is it in the urn?”
“The plant? Yeah but the fruit is over there.” As he spoke Joseph elevated an arm indicating a desk with a sealed container on it.
“What were you doing?”
“I took some time to examine the juices and some of the fruit itself.”
For a moment there was a slight sting of disappointment for Maria. From the way Joseph had been talking she'd been certain she'd get to eat the fruit whole except for the seed. It didn't last long though. “Well can I try it now?”
“Just as soon as you set me down and let me get a slice for you.”
“A slice?!”
“Maria we need to take this slowly. You'll eat a small amount now and if you're okay in a little while you can eat more. It's a common enough practice whenever you're not sure about something.”
A low growl escaped Maria as she set Joseph down. “Well alright.”
“Anyway you don't know if you're going to like it or not.” This time when Maria set him down Joseph found himself able to stand on his own. He then quickly made his way over to the table and opened the container bringing out the slice of fruit.
Immediately Maria began to examine the fruit taking in a deep breath as it was presented. She could practically smell the sugars inside of the fruit so that she began to salivate. The scent was quite strong reminding her somewhat of fresh strawberries though not quite. The skin was a bright red while the inside was a soft shade of pink. “It smells good.”
“I hope you like the taste.” As he spoke Joseph handed the slice to Maria.
There was no hesitation on her part. The moment the slice was in her hand Maria tossed it into her mouth. She didn't bite down right away though but pressed it firmly against the roof of her mouth with her tongue squeezing out some of the juices and lightly sucking upon it. The flavor was undeniably sweet though it wasn't as much like strawberries as she thought it would be. Slowly she slipped some of it between her teeth and began to chew on it.
“Well what do you think?”
“Mm it taste wonderful but I don't know where to put the flavor.” Even as she was chewing on the fruit she could feel the healing affects. Her muscles were made to tighten and she felt the whole in her stomach grow smaller as her hunger was beaten back a bit. The hunger was still there to some extent but the amount that the one bit of fruit was closing of that emptiness was truly amazing.
“The flavor always reminded me of sugared black berries.”
“Huh? Really? I can't say I taste it.”
In response Joseph gave a slight shrug. “Given the partly mystic nature of the plant there might be something more to the taste. What do you think it taste like?”
Instead of responding right away Maria gave a swallow as she finished chewing the fruit. “It smells like strawberries to me sort of but I don't think it taste like them. I can really only say sweet.”
“Well what's the closest thing you'd liken the taste to?”
“Hm it's really hard to say. All I can really call it is sweet and fruity though I can't name the fruit.”
“Well maybe some more slices will help you think of something.”
“You mean I get another?”
“Sure you can have another. In about three hours.”
“Three hours?!”
A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he noted the expression on Maria's face. Clearly she wasn't used to being this careful. “If you don't have any signs of having an adverse reaction to the life bloom within that time we can assume it's safe for you to eat. Based on the lack of a reaction and the test done previously.”
“Why three hours though?”
“Well I've been witness to how resilient your species is again and again. If you weren't so durable I'd make you wait even longer.”
For a moment Maria was made to groan as she shook her head. “You've got to be kidding me.”
“Don't worry Maria this time of caution is a one time thing. I'll need you to tell me though if you start to feel strange.”
“Yeah I'll let you know.” A sigh escaped Maria as she shook her head. “Three hours before I can have another slice. I thought all the testing you did beforehand was to let you know whether or not the life bloom would harm me.”
“Maria when it comes to the life of another I don't believe one can be too careful. You're important to me and I'd hate to see you harmed whenever I could have been cautious and prevented it.”
“Yeah I know. I know but.” Once again Maria was made to sigh. “Ah well maybe I could put myself in the mind set of the stock. Do you have anything to help pass the time?”
“I do have a few things actually. I remembered Allen, Pera and a few of their friends playing marbles so I got curious what other games you might have. I asked around a bit and found a few of them that could be played indoors.”
“Oh. So we're going to play children's games to pass the time?”
“From the way the sisters I talked to responded I got the feeling that these games are played by adults as well.”
“They are. I just wanted to try and make you feel silly for a moment. Anyway what did you get?”
“I thought that you might want to try playing catcher.”
A slight chuckle escaped Maria as her lips parted into a toothy smile. Catcher was a game where a sister had to place her arms fully extended to her sides or behind her back. The brother would then launch a projectile of some type be it food, something valuable or just a point score. His objective was to get the projectile into a score basket while the sister tried to snatch it out of the air without destroying it. “You want to try playing that with me? Knowing full well how fast I am.”
“Ah well it sounded like a game you'd enjoy.”
“Just what do you have in mind for the projectile?”
“Sweet rolls.”
A slight giggle escaped Maria as she shook her head. “I see. So you chose something soft so that if I grabbed it too quickly or forcefully I would ruin my treat. I think you're underestimating my self control though.”
“So do you want to play?”
“Of course! There are baked sweets involved.”
It was impossible for Joseph not to grin as he stood up and made his way over to a cupboard. In truth he'd chosen sweet rolls because they had a relatively high shelf life. He wasn't going to tell Maria that as he gathered up the materials. The launcher was a sort of stationary slingshot that had been clearly set up to not damaged the projectile. The target for the brothers was any wide open surface in Joseph's case a bowl. While the sister could position herself behind or to the sides of the target but never in front.
“Normally our brothers are expected to make a launcher of their own.”
“Well I had a little help getting this all together.” As he spoke Joseph walked over to one of the tables and set his ammunition and launcher down. He then walked over to the opposing side and set down the bowl. The desk in use was kept very clean and he didn't risk doing work on it as it was the table he tended to dine at while at work for a very long time.
There was no way for Maria to stop grinning as she walked over to the target and stood behind it. “You know that you're not going to get one of those past me.”
“Oh we'll see about that.”
In response Maria gave a slight shrug and proceeded to place her arms behind her back. While she could have placed them on her sides she opted to go for a full handicap. “Joseph my body isn't the only thing that's fast. My eyes are as well.”
Instead of responding right away Joseph brought out one of the sweet rolls and tucked it into the launcher. He then began to pull back until he felt the cords had a good deal of tension. “You're just lucky I haven't played this before.” As he finished speaking Joseph released the launcher.
Nearly the moment Joseph let go of the launcher Maria realized he'd put too much tension into the cord. There was no way that it was going to land inside of the target zone. Instead of moving her arms from her back though she shifted to the side several centimeters and jumped into the air opening her mouth as she did so.
It had been clear to Joseph that he'd missed his target almost the moment that he had fired. He was quite surprised though by how quickly Maria seemed to move as she repositioned herself and jumped into the air. The fact that she didn't use her hands but rather used her mouth only made it more astounding so that he actually began clapping his hands together as she landed upon the ground.
As her feet returned to the ground Maria was a bit surprised to be greeted with clapping. A slight chuckle escaped her as she quickly chewed up the sweet roll and swallowed. “You weren't kidding when you said you hadn't played this before.”
“Yeah I figure I'll need a few tries at least to get my aiming down. At least this means that I'm not wasting any food though.”
“That I'm glad to help with.”
As Joseph reloaded the launcher he took a moment to increase the angle a bit. He knew that this would mean increased flight time and thus more time for Maria to snatch it but at the moment he was just learning to hit the target. “So whenever you seriously play this game with others who tends to provide the food?”
“It's generally the brothers tasks to provide the snacks. This is one of those times where we're allowed to break our diet a bit. Technically we're never suppose to do it but everyone knows that some release is necessary. Even my mother and Mina sneak some extra food at times.”
“Okay well we're doing it through a game how do they do it?”
“Well my mother will just eat a little extra once in a while. Mina on the other hand tends to snack a little whenever Dan isn't able to finish his food and it's something she particularly likes.”
As Maria finished speaking Joseph released the launcher. Once again he watched as the sweet roll flew through the air. This time it seemed like it might hit the target however once again Maria's mouth was there to capture it. “Are you even suppose to use your mouth?”
“There is nothing against it. Normally that would be too big of a handicap though.”
“Showing off your speed?”
“No. You're just really bad at this game.”
“Ah well thanks a lot.”
“Hey I'm not complaining.”
A snicker escaped Joseph as he looked towards the table and adjusted the launcher. This time he quickly fired fully realizing he'd miss his target. At least he'd miss the target he was suppose to aim for. This time he was trying to deprive Maria of her sweet roll by hitting the table. He didn't get to though as he noticed a sudden blur of motion and looked up at Maria who was already chewing.
“You need to aim a little higher then that.”
“You caught that!”
“Yep.”
“Well dang it. I guess I can't win by losing when it comes to you.”
“You need to put more tension in the launcher so you get more speed. You're never going to hit the target firing at those speeds.”
In response Joseph gave a nod. “Yeah that seems to be the case. Okay then.”
As Joseph began to ready another sweet roll Maria watched him tightening the strings. While she was suppose to be competing with him she couldn't resist offering some advice. “Further back that won't be fast enough.”
“Are you sure? This feels pretty taught to me.”
“Yeah you need to draw it further back.”
In response Joseph gave a nod as did as he was told. Instead of waiting for Maria to tell him to draw it further back again though he quickly released. The velocity difference between his first few times and this one was quite noticeable. As he raised his head to look at Maria though he wasn't too surprised to see her holding the sweet roll in her right hand a wide grin across her face.
“Dang it.”
“This is one game that I don't think you're going to be able to beat me at.”
“Well I still have ammo and I'm not giving up yet.”
A slight giggle escaped Maria as she smiled at Joseph. Well I sure am glad to hear that.”
***********************************************************************************
Alora gave a slight shrug as she looked at Markus. “It's your choice who you promote to rank one you don't have to ask me for permission.”
In response Markus gave a nod. “Well I didn't want to risk there being any confusion. So it's okay if I take Alex?”
“Sure. I'll find some accommodations for him to stay in sense he's rank one now.”
“Actually that won't be necessary.”
“You intend to leave already then?”
“With his level of ability? Of course not. However, I intend on having him live with me while I prepare him for the trip though the forest.”
“I guess the ideal of getting a reward when you make it out of the forest helped sway you.”
“It isn't just that. I believe that he'll be able to contribute to our departure once I've trained him a bit. He already has several useful skills.”
Once again Alora gave a slight shrug. “Just keep in mind if we have to save the two of you then you're both coming back here as claimed again.”
“I'm aware of that.”
After giving a slight nod Alora turned away from Markus and glanced towards one of the claimed housings. “Okay I'm sure all of you were listening to that just now. Alex come on and get yourself out here. Feel free to bring anything that you might have acquired or earned while working as a claimed.”
As the last words left Alora's lips Alex seemed to become alive on an entirely new level. He nearly tripped over his own feet as he turned away from the wall and quickly dashed towards his bed. Lowering himself to the ground he began to gather his few belongings from a dressed beside of it. Even as he was gathering his things he could tell that the other claimed were watching him. He didn't worry about their gazes though. He was a rank one now and they knew that assaulting him would get them in serous trouble if not killed.
Upon hearing Alex moving about Alora turned back to Markus. “I'll need to speak to Alex to see if he agrees to such arrangements. You do realize that now that you've had him promoted you can't withdraw that promotion. He is under no obligation to actually do as you ask.”
“Yeah I realize that. It's one of the reasons I chose him. I needed someone that struck me as exceptionally honest.”
It had taken Alex less then three minutes to gather his belongings. As he sprinted out the door of the compound he quickly made his way over to Alora and Markus. As he neared them though he slowed down and turned his attention towards Alora. She hadn't been a bad keeper though she didn't seem to have any love for the claimed. She rewarded good work though and punished anyone that displeased her. He often felt she was quicker to punish then reward though. “Now what?”
“Normally I would look into finding you a place away from the market to live in. However, it seems Markus wishes for you to move in with him. Do you agree to this?”
In response Alex gave a quick nod. “Yes we talked about that before hand.”
“Very well then. Alex this is a bit unusual in most regards. You might be free and you're allowed to stay as long as you restrict your movement to nothing beyond the market. However, you're still going to have to earn your keep. The way you do that is up to you.”
Before Alex could respond Markus spoke up. “Don't worry Alex I'll teach you what you need to know.”
***********************************************************************************
As Durin looked into the darkness he gave a sigh. He could hear much of the forest's wild life around them but it wasn't what he heard that made it hard to relax. It was what he couldn't hear. Giving a slight shrug the dwarf made it back over to the heavy crates laying on the ground. The donkeys had seemed quite relieved to get the materials off their backs.
“Hello Durin.”
In response to the voice Durin glanced up towards the sky. He actually felt relaxed whenever he saw the smiling face looking back at him. “Kiara it's good to see you.”
“Durin we've done this many times before. Why are you so nervous now?”
“Ah well you see. I'm worried that we might have been followed this time. They're some people that have been trying to find out exactly what my sources are. I normally manage to lose them before journeying into the forest but this one has proven hard to shake. To the point that I'm worried I might have failed.”
“That isn't good.” As she finished speaking Kiara glanced off into the forest. She could tell by the sent what direction Durin and his small band had come from. “You're going to be here until morning am I right?”
“Aye, we have no intention of traveling through these woods at night.”
“Then make yourself comfortable I'll be back before sun up. I'm going to go and see whether or not your suspicions hold true. It wouldn't do us any good if my peoples' and your relationship was discovered.”
“It would make my life much harder that's for certain.” Durin kept his eyes focused on Kiara until she pushed off the branch. The thick timber creaked in protest to the sudden force exerted against it as Kiara shot through the air. He didn't bother turning to see where she'd gone he knew she was moving too fast for that. He heard motion all around him telling that Kiara hadn't been alone either.
Soulaxe had been with Durin before on these journeys into the forest. The first time he'd actually been quite concerned and wouldn't have come if Durin's clan wasn't on such good terms with his own. It still seemed strange as he watched the beast girl running off into the forest and he stepped forward to speak to his employer. “So when you were first captured by them did you ever expect that you'd be trading with them?”
“Ah well. At first I thought I was going to end up a part of dinner. I was quite surprised whenever I learned that I was going to be put to work instead of killed.” A slight chuckle escaped Durin as he shook his head. “I was especially surprised by how light the work was.”
“I still have trouble believing you when it comes to what they had you doing. I mean seriously. Having you work on waste disposal and clean up?”
“I was a might offended I must say.”
As a species Dwarfs were naturally inclined to digging through stone and working in confined spaces. Heavy labor meant nearly nothing to them. Unskilled work like waste management though was seen as something of an insult depending on the dwarfs temperament. “Yet here you are now.”
“Well I might not have liked the work they'd stuck me to doing but at least they were honorable about it. I'd say the worse part of the entire ordeal though was having to listen to the humans and especially those damn elfs. Damn pointy eared bastards are lucky they didn't need strong labor.”
Instead of commenting right away Soulaxe walked over to the containers Durin had looked at before. He then carefully wedged the but of his ax below the crates top and pushed it open. Several iron ingots wrested within the container which he bent down to examine. “It's amazing the value they put on these.”
When dealing with the beast girls Durin tried to be fair. He had left them on good circumstances actually having been given the chance to be a rank five. However, he'd chosen to return to his home and clan. Now as he traded with them he had a tough balancing act to do. The metals he tended to bring to trade he didn't see as exceptionally valuable. However, the risks he took in traveling to the forest and the difficulties of the journey in general caused him to charge an increased rate. “Salt can be more valuable to gold in the right situation. So don't be surprised.”
A shiver ran up Soulaxe's back as he looked at Durin. “I wish you wouldn't put it like that.”
“Clan Brin traded salt for gold for an equal ratio of weight with the Goren kingdom whenever it found itself land locked and unable to obtain any of its own. This trade afforded the clan such a boon in profits that they were able to obtain a position of prominence they still hold to this day and all because they knew of a trade rout through the mountains no one else knew of.”
“So do you see yourself as doing the same? You're trading with the hated enemy of all those around them by using a secret trade rout?”
“I'd say the spirit is the same though the scale is much smaller.”
Kiara had been around whenever Durin had been first claimed though she hadn't been a guardian at the time. She'd been too young. The dwarf was quite well known as he was one of the few claimed that had achieved rank five. It was quite impressive but also a disappointment as he had chosen to return to his own people instead of stay with them. In the long run it had worked out though as he was now a regular trading partner.
Stostine had been hired to follow the dwarf and find out exactly where he was getting his supplies. Her employer was something of a business rival that didn't appreciate the prices Durin had been charging as it had forced him to lower his own. She had been quite dismayed whenever she'd seen the dwarf traveling into the forest but professional pride had brought her to follow. Now she was questioning that decision as she moved through the darkness.
She'd been caught off guard whenever she heard Durin talking about being followed feeling confident that she'd evaded his notice the entire time. Now those beast were roaming through the darkness looking for her. She'd seen them moving so she knew she couldn't out run them so she chose to move carefully and silently hoping to avoid detection in the darkness.
The night seemed to embrace Kiara. She didn't have a unique mutation like some of her sisters though indeed she'd never underwent the long sleep. However, she'd lived in the night for so long that it had become a friend to her. She could recognize the sound of every creature native to the forest that roamed the night. She could also tell whenever something wasn't part of this regular night atmosphere and found herself following such a thing.
It had been the intent of her employer to approach Durin's suppliers and make them a better offer. As Stostine moved throughout the forest she knew this wouldn't be happening though. Rather this information would be used to ruin Durin most likely. Stostine knew this but it was the price he would pay for making such an agreement. At least she believed Durin would be the one paying a price.
“Why hello there little elf what brings you here.”
Instinctively Stostine's hand went to her dagger as she heard the voice. As her fingers moved to curl around the weapon she spun around and pushed off the ground meaning to use the force of her legs and her arms to drive the weapon into the speaker. She didn't get to though as something very powerful clamped down upon her shoulder stopping her cold.
Making use of her greater reach Kiara had caught the elf before she could stab her. She then gave the woman a quick shove sending her flying backwards a good ten yards. There was actually enough force to send her even further back but she met with a tree before that could happen.
A slight yelp escaped Stostine as she slammed into the tree though the impact was reduced by her protective armor. The enchanted leather did wonders for soaking damage. As she raised her head though she found an absolutely massive figure standing before her at three meters tall. The creature's powerful build and massive claws were clearly visible to Stostine's eyes.
“You must have been the one that was following Durin.” As she spoke Kiara took a few steps towards Stostine. While normally when she or her sisters walked they moved to diminish the sound of their foot steps this time Kiara didn't. She let her full weight meet the ground better illustrating her size.
This was pretty much the worse case scenario Stostine could imagine. Not only was she confronted with one of the beast girls she appeared to know Durin. “So just what type of business do you have with the dwarf?”
“He sells us goods we have difficulty finding isn't that obvious? We provide him with materials that have value in the world outside our forest in exchange. Now I wonder just what your business is with him.”
“I'll be damned before I'll tell you!” As she spoke Stostine reached into her side pocket and retrieved a small capsule. Moving as quickly as she could she threw the capsule against the ground shattering it and releasing a massive cloud of toxic gas.
Even before the cloud reached her in great concentration Kiara could smell the poison. Instead of shying away from the cloud she walked into it while relying on her hearing to keep track of Stostine. “You really think toxins this weak are enough to affect one of us? You really have no ideal why this is our forest and all within our prey should be choose them to be.”
Stostine had expected the beast to evade the cloud not walk into it. As Kiara seemed entirely unharmed though she found herself wondering if that was the best ideal. “What is Durin bringing you that is so valuable?”
“Like I said things that are hard to find in the forest.”
“You know they are those that would be willing. Ah!” Kiara couldn't help herself as she felt something clamp down on the back of her throat and lift her into the air.
A slight chuckle escaped Kiara as she held the elf woman in the air. “Others that would make us a better deal? Sorry but trust is a major issue here. We just can't have suppliers we don't know. Now as you're a trespasser and tried to kill me I suppose I should just rip your head off or crush your throat.”
Before Stostine could respond she felt Kiara's grip tightening on her throat. Those powerful fingers easily sunk into her neck and cut off her air. It didn't stop there though as she felt the pain increasing as Kiara's hand threatened not to just choke her to death but literally crush her throat.
Kiara could easily feel the muscles in Stostine's neck giving and could even feel her spine responding. Before she popped the elf woman's head off though she relaxed her grip. “Then again maybe Durin will have something to say on the matter. I doubt you have anything to offer me or my kind that we'd care to have but maybe you have something for him.”
There was no way for Stostine to respond. While Kiara had relaxed her grip she was still in horrific pain and felt that her neck had been badly bruised. As she struggled to regain the breath she lost while Kiara had been squeezing her throat all she could do was groan in pain.
Durin had inspected their cargo before it had even been purchased. He'd inspected it before they left his shop and upon their arrival. He still felt the need to look over the product though before finalizing delivery. This wasn't due to fear but rather a pride in service and an unwillingness to compromise. As he was beginning to examine the cargo again his attention was drawn to the forest.
“Hey Durin do you recognize this little treat?”
Instead of immediately responding Durin took a few steps closer to Kiara noting the elf she was holding. “I recognize that she's highly skilled and probably cost a lot so I would like to ask her some questions. Please don't pull her head off.”
“Ah Durin. You know just how to talk. If you'd said no first thing I would have done is pop her head off her shoulders.”
“I figured that was your intent.”
A slight chuckle escaped Kiara as she released the elf and let her fall to the ground. Stostine didn't stand though but immediately fell to the ground gasping. “You might want to give her a few.”
In response Durin gave a nod and walked over to the elf. “Now las you seem to be in a bit of trouble here. I don't know who paid you to follow me but you've followed me into unfriendly territory. I would like to know who's so curious about my merchandise to send someone as skilled as you to chase me.”
A sharp gasp escaped Stostine as she looked at Durin. “Like....I'd tell..you.”
“I think you may want to unless you want Kiara here to pull off your head or worse.” Instead of continuing to speak to the elf Durin looked up at Kiara. “You won't be letting her leave the forest will you?”
“Of course not. I don't care what she tells you nothing she says could be that valuable. If she has some useful information for you though I might be willing to spare her life and take her as one of the claimed.”
“Ah thanks Kiara. I was worried nothing could be done to spare her life.” Once again Durin looked down at Stostine. “Well there you have it. If you have some information to share I'd love to have it and you can go on living albeit in a different setting that or you can just die here.”
Before Stostine could speak up Kiara chose to. “And be eaten.”
For a moment Durin was made to grimace and looked up at Kiara. “I suppose there is that to.”
A slight chuckle escaped Kiara and she turned to the trees. “Come on out sisters.”
In response to Kiara several figures quickly leaped from the trees. In total they were six sisters that joined Kiara though none of them were quite as big as she was. They were all younger sisters that had yet to reach the title of guardian or the body size. Each of them also had a pack of some kind on their backs.
While the ladies made their presence known Durin turned towards the elf. “We can't be out here all night. You're going to have to make your decision to tell me what you know or die here. If you do you'll at least go on existing and there is a chance you could live once again.”
By now Stostine had recovered enough to talk and move. “Okay, I'll.” The moment the second word left her lips Stostine pressed off the ground and went to take hold of one of her daggers. It was clear that the beasts valued Durin and with him so close she had a means of escape. However, as she rose to her feet she felt a very sharp pain in her shoulder.
Kiara had only given Stostine a light tap in the shoulder. At least it had been light for Kiara. She felt confident that she had dislocated Stostine's shoulder with the tap though. “Wow you're really slow in many ways.”
Instead of crying out Stostine held her lips shut as she fell to the ground and glared up at Kiara. She didn't think that the beast could move that fast. She then looked up at Durin. “Well do you still want to know what I have to say?”
“You had better have more then false claims now.”
While Stostine felt it was bad business to talk about her employers business she felt it was even worse for business to be pulled apart. “Check my right boot.”
Instead of waiting for Durin to comment Kiara reached down and took hold of Stostine's leg. She then easily lifted the woman off the ground and began to inspect her right boot. It didn't take much filling around to find a small compartment which she busied opening.
Stostine was in pain from the injuries to her neck and shoulder. However, she'd learned how to work through pain. So she now found herself enduring Kiara's treatment without complaint. “Sealamen hired me to track you and find out where you were getting some of your merchandise.”
“Hey Durin I found something.” As she spoke Kiara popped open the small compartment and brought out a small coin. “What is this?”
“Let me see that Kiara.”
“Sure.”
As Kiara handed the coin to him Durin gave a nod. “It's a promissory note and a very expensive one.”
“Okay what is that exactly?”
“It basically says that someone is due a certain amount of money upon rendering a service. This one has Sealamen's emblem on it as well.”
“It could be a fake.”
Instead of arguing Durin took a moment to inspect the coin. He'd seen such coins from Sealamen before hand but never such a valuable one. “I don't believe it is. Whether or not he hired this elf here to spy on me I can't say for sure but this proves that he did hire her.”
“Mm I don't know if that's good enough to keep me from eating her.”
In response Durin gave a nod and walked closer to Stostine who Kiara was still holding upside down. “Tell me everything that you know.”
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“Well since Alex was promoted I have been one claimed short.” As Alora spoke she looked at Stostine. She was a bit surprised whenever Kiara had brought the elf in especially when she noted that it was female. “So she has training in killing?”
“Yeah, it's stealthy as well.”
“Why didn't you just kill her Kiara? With skills like that she could be a threat to our brothers.”
“Well she was able to give Durin some valuable information. We sort of worked out a deal that I wouldn't kill her if she was able to do so.”
A sigh escaped Alora as she shook her head. “I hope that Durin is going to do us a favor in return for this.”
“I'm certain that he will.”
“Okay I'll take her. Do me a favor and make sure all the guardians know about her. What kind of weapons did she have on hand?”
“Quite a few daggers I think a few of them were enchanted. I had them taken off to be inspected before they were melted down.”
In response Alora gave a nod and walked over to Stostine. “What's your name elf?”
“Stostine.”
“Well Stostine. Here's how things are going to go. You're now under my supervision whatever I say goes. You'll work when I tell you to, where I tell you to and on what I tell you to, eat when I tell you to, where I tell you to and what I tell you to and sleep when I tell you to and where I tell you to. If you refuse to work you won't be eating and if you wait too long to eat then you're just going to starve to death.
You're now what we refer to as the claimed or in other words our property. You will not damage any other pieces of our property except in self defense. If you do you'll be punished. The punishment will depend on my mood and what you've done. All other claimed count as our property.
You'll will make no aggressive actions towards me, any of my sisters, any of my brothers or anyone else above the rank of a claimed. I don't care what they do to you. If you harm any of our males or any of our youth you'll be killed or worse. If you're stupid enough to attack one of my adult sisters well. I'll leave it up to them what they want to do to you. A bit of warning. Very few of my sisters are as considerate as Kiara.”
As Stostine listened to Alora she kept her eyes locked on hers. She knew the massive beast could rip her apart at any moment but she refused to look away. Even if she was at a disadvantage she wasn't going to just bow.
“Now. If you obey and do as you're told you'll be well fed, well sheltered and well taken care of. Should you become ill you are to tell me so. After all I like to take good care of my property and hate it whenever your kind breaks early. Should you manage to prove yourself to me you might even earn your life back.”
While everything up until this point had been expected Stostine was actually quite surprised to hear that last part. So surprised that she couldn't keep her lips closed. “What?”
“If you behave yourself and earn enough of our respect your life would be restored to you. Don't get your hopes up though. I'm sure after you get to know your fellow claimed you'll realize how very rare that is.”
While Stostine had planned to try to escape and still did this news was surprising. “What happens if I do earn your respect?”
“You're allowed to live amongst us and do as you desire. Naturally you still have to work but what you work on is up to you. Why are you asking about that though? You're a new arrival and you attacked Kiara here.” A slight giggle escaped Alora as she shook her head. “You have a long way to go little elf and there are plenty of ways to mess up.”
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“I believe that we've waited long enough. I know that it's been a relatively short while since Joseph's arrival but I feel that he should be given the choice to truly join our society or leave. Carter you worked with Joseph to an extent as I recall. What do you believe?”
“I've heard very positive things about him. His secrecy shows that he doesn't entirely trust us though. Of course, we haven't shown him complete trust either. The only part of our community he's been allowed to visit is the market place after all. However, from the materials he's gathered from Dan and the help he requested from Carter I feel we can assume that he's resumed his own studies. I believe that's showing us a good deal of trust.”
To this William gave a quick nod. “Our sisters and mates also seem to put a good deal of trust in him. After all Flora has voiced nothing against her daughter making regular visits to his work shop. The fact that Flora puts such trust in him is a good sign.”
After giving a slight nod Carter spoke up. “He also helped us all by providing the masks to our sisters. I still can't believe we never thought to provide them with one. It would have been so simple and saved so much trouble.”
While Dan had been silent now he chose to spoke up. “Yeah I'm still kind of ashamed about that one. When I first heard what he had done I felt so stupid. Mina is my mate and I never thought to provide her with a masks.”
Now Carter spoke up. “You're not the only one that feels they played the part of a fool in regards to that little detail. He also showed interest in helping us to find the escapees and those involved in the act. While his theory has yet to be proven the plausibility of it alone is worth noting.”
Now Mirin chose to voice his thoughts. As the highest ranking brother there his words carried the most weight and thus he felt the need to keep the most to himself. “I don't like his attitude towards the claimed. He's far too kind to them. As while he has been trying to help discover the mage one of his reasons was to lighten the punishment of the escapees.”
Dan didn't have the same rank as Mirin but he couldn't just stay quiet. “I don't see why he should be faulted for having strong morals. After all, standing up to someone as massive as my Mina and telling her you don't approve of her methods takes some nerve. Even if she happens to be your friend.”
To this Mirin gave a nod. “That is true and brings me to another point. I believe that he has seen enough of our culture to understand much of it. If he has only been able to tolerate it because the dangers of leaving on his own then he will most likely choose to leave now. However, I will agree that he has done enough to become a member of our community.”
Dan was actually grinning as he heard this. Mirin's word wasn't the final say in the matter but it went a long way towards that goal. A great many of the brothers would have to disagree with him in order to override the decision. “Well then. Shall we make all our standings official and see what the out come is?”
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Maria didn't know if she was excited or anxious as she walked towards Joseph's current residence. She had felt confident that Joseph would achieve rank five in due time. However, she hadn't been prepared for it to happen so soon. He had made a very good impression in how he'd conducted himself during the escape though and getting to know the sisters. Getting to know Dan also seemed to have helped matters a great deal.
Now Maria had to face the very real danger that Joseph might choose to leave. She wanted to rationalize it out and tell herself that he wouldn't just leave his work behind. However, she also knew he had the seeds of the life bloom now. Even if he destroyed the mature plant growing a new one from them would be a small matter. So there wasn't that to tie him to this place anymore. The only thing that would keep him there was his desire to become part of their community if there was one, his feelings for the friends he'd made and maybe his feelings for her.
Joseph had grown use to the way the sisters tended to move about. Their speed was just so great that keeping track of them seemed a futile effort. So he was more then a little surprised whenever he looked out his window and noted Maria walking towards him at a humans' pace. She only walked that way whenever she was with a human. “Maria what brings you here?”
Upon hearing Joseph's voice Maria grew still. She really hated the ideal of saying good bye to a friend and Joseph had become a very good friend indeed. After a moment of standing still though she willed herself to move forward. “I. I have something important to tell you Joseph.”
It was clear to Joseph that Maria was concerned and it was impossible to keep himself from thinking of the what ifs. Had something happened to compromise the community and he was about to be forced into a less desirable job? Had they somehow learned of his work and decided to take it by force? Had one of his friends been injured somehow? “Maria what's wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing is wrong.”
Instead of continuing to speak to her Joseph moved away from the window and made his way to the door. As he exited the building he ran in a light trot towards Maria who once again had quit moving forward. “Maria, you seem to be worried about something. I mean very worried.”
“Well. Joseph.” It hadn't been Maria's intent to act so nervous however she couldn't help her own fears creeping in. “I'm scared that I might be about to lose you?”
“What? Did I do something wrong? Oh god. Did I get you in trouble Maria? Did you grow more then you were allowed to? They're not going to punish you again are they? If they are please take me to your sisters it was my experiment after all you shouldn't be punished for it.”
Despite the situation Maria couldn't help but grin. The ideal that Joseph was willing to be punished in her place was quite a delight. “Joseph it's nothing bad. I haven't grown any either. I came here to tell you that. Well you're going to be promoted to rank five in three days.”
“What?”
“In three days you'll be a rank five. That means you're going to be able to decide whether or not you want to stay. If you decide you don't want to stay we'll escort you to the edge of the forest. If you do decide you want to stay you'll be welcome into our community completely. You'll be one of us. Joseph, I would like it if you stay.”
“Maria. I. Wow this is rather unexpected. I take it these three days are a time to decide.”
“Yes.”
Instead of speaking right away Joseph reached out and placed his hands on Maria's shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Maria I can honestly say I didn't expect this day to come so soon. I expected to be here at least five years before I achieved such a rank.”
“You've really impressed a lot of us Joseph.”
“Maria I don't have any intention of leaving.”
“Really?!”
“Yes really.”
“How can you be certain already though?”
“Well I sort of made up my mind a while back. Actually, I think I really decided whenever we talked about people coming here. This is a nice place to live and I'm happy to use my knowledge to help you and your sisters.”
Instead of words coming out of her mouth Maria let loose an excited yelp and quickly moved towards Joseph. Before he had time to even step backwards her arms had wrapped around him and she easily lifted him off the ground as she hugged him. “Thank you!”
A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he placed his hand atop Maria's head while she held him aloft. “It's no problem. Besides I'd be a fool to leave everything I have here.”
“Oh if you think the shop and home you have now are nice wait until you see what you're moving in to! One of the reasons for the three day wait is also to examine vacant homes in the main village. Once we've got a list of them and any repairs that needed to be made we'll show you around and let you pick one. Don't worry about having to walk a long time to your shop either. There is a much nicer research center near the main village for you to use. I'm certain they'll be able to set you up with your own lab there.”
“Um Maria I wasn't talking about the shop or home though that does sound nice.”
“You mean you were talking about me?”
“Ye.” Joseph didn't get to finish as Maria suddenly released her hold on him. Before he knew what was happening he felt himself once again being embraced by Maria but this time something covered his lips. It was only a few moments later that it was Maria's lips.
Maria wasn't certain what had come over her. All of a sudden though kissing Joseph seemed very important to her and she couldn't help her body's reaction. As she kissed Joseph she pulled him against herself more firmly. He was soft. Even by the standards she judged most humans. He had been going on walks with her and trying to tone up but his time in his workshop had cost him some of that progress it seemed.
This was the first time Maria had kissed him like this. As she kissed him Joseph couldn't help but notice certain features about her body as she pressed it against him. Though three features really struck him the first was the feeling of her lips against his own. They were soft and warm not exceptionally full but far from thin as well. They seemed to bind to his lips and make it impossible for him to pull away.
There was a slight belly to Joseph's waste line. Once again this wasn't much of a surprise to Maria she had been bringing him his meals after all. It was odd. There was a desire to help Joseph strengthen his body. After all no sister would let her mate endanger his health by being out of shape. She wasn't certain she wanted him to lose his slight tummy though she didn't want it to grow either. Her thoughts were taken from that though as she felt his arms around her and how light his hold was.
The fur of Maria's face wasn't quite what Joseph had expected it to be. It was far softer then he would have guessed. He had known her fur was relatively short and now it was apparent how short it was. It felt to Joseph that someone was kissing him while wearing a perfectly formed mask. Except this mask was far softer and gentler then any material he'd encountered before far surpassing silk. It made him wonder.
As she held Joseph Maria found herself listening to the sound of his heart. It was a healthy heart and it had began beating faster since she'd embraced Joseph. She liked the sound of it beating. While the sound of an unfit heart in one you cared for was a horror the sound of a healthy one was a delight.
At last Joseph found himself noting Maria's breast. While he'd felt them pressed against him before this time was different. Apparently Maria was somewhat stimulated and he could feel her nipples poking him. Apparently her fur was no where near thick enough to conceal whenever she was excited.
It actually surprised Maria how long she made Joseph hold the kiss and she only relented whenever she heard him having trouble taking breath. As she parted their lips she gave a slight giggle when he took in a deep breath of air. “Thank you Joseph but. Joseph I have to ask you something.”
“What is it Maria?”
Before continuing Maria released her hold on Joseph and took a few steps away from him. “Joseph do you find me attractive?”
“Huh?”
“I want to know if you find me attractive. I know that not every human can well. I know that our bodies aren't pleasing to every human. So I want to know do you find me attractive?”
“Maria I.”
“Don't answer yet Joseph. I want you to look at me and decide whether or not you find me attractive. You don't have to answer right away. I know that my body doesn't appeal to all humans. We look strange in your eyes and I understand that. I don't have the smooth skin of one of your females, I have claws and fangs, my body will grow if it's permitted and they're so many other things.”
“Do you find me attractive Maria?”
In response Maria gave a quick nod. “Yes, I'm attracted to your personality and who you are first and foremost. Your body is delicate and easy to break but all males are. Joseph, I do find you to be a little too soft though and if you do become my mate I want you to know I'm going to work to fix that.”
“You mean like Mina did for Dan?”
In response Maria gave a quick nod. “Yes. I want you to understand that as well. If we're going to be more then just friends I can't let you keep an unfit body.”
“Maria your body feels strange to me I admit that. I noticed whenever we kissed just now how the fur on your face feels. It's strange but I can't say it bothers me. I don't know how that'll change in time. You should know that I'm physically attracted to you though.” A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he touched his nose. “I've had your sense of smell mentioned to me several times.”
A slight giggle escaped Maria as she took a few steps towards Joseph. “That is true but I really wanted to know what you thought about it. My body doesn't disgust you?”
“Of course not Maria!”
“Thank you.”
“Now Maria, about this exercise routine you have planned.”
“Oh don't worry I know when human bodies are reaching their limit. I can tell by how you smell, your heart beat and breathing. I won't push you too hard.” Before continuing Maria once again moved towards Joseph and pressed her lips against his. “You know. You and I are going to have to experiment some to insure that a body like mine can truly be beautiful to you.”
End Book 1
Giantess World
Author's Chapter Notes:
You might call this the end of book one. Several more to go!