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This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copywritten. Everything in this work is mea culpa.
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Two
(6/25/06 0800 Bog Walk, Tropic League)
Caradoc had made another trip to the empty house and was sorting through the pile when Naomi stumbled out of the shack, a desperate look on her face. She hurried to a nearby bush and squatted to pee.
Caradoc made a mental note to find a place away from the house to dig a cesspit. He wasn’t sure what might attract ferals, but urine was often a lure for other kinds of predators and he’d hate to find out the hard way that it also worked for pokegirls.
When finished, she looked around with a slightly worried expression that relaxed when she saw him. Naomi came over and settled down next to him so that her nude hip touched his. “Master.”
“Naomi.” In the morning sun it was easier to see her and Caradoc looked her over as she poked at the pile. She’d top out somewhere around 145 centimeters in height and probably weighed no more than forty five kilograms soaking wet. She was slender, with small breasts and only a slight swell to her hips, but a patch of green pubic hair indicated that she was no child. Now that her hair was clean, it was a rich emerald color that matched her eyes.
She caught him watching her and gave him a nervous smile. “I have never had a master before, but I will learn fast, I promise.”
“What did you do before now?”
The elf straightened proudly. “I was a hunter, master. I am a very good hunter.”
He nodded. “What did you hunt?”
“Soldiers.” She frowned slightly. “My favorite target was officers and noncoms. Once they lose those, humans tended to run around like ants. It made the rest of my hunting easier for a while. Then new officers and noncoms would arrive and I’d hunt them too.” She brightened. “I will be a good hunter for you, master,” she paused and slowly sounded out the next word, “Ca ara doc.”
He shook his head. “It’s pronounced ka rad ock. The emphasis is on the rad part.”
Naomi’s head drooped. “I am sorry, master. Would it be all right if I called you Master Bishop while I learn your first name? I can say that.”
“That will be fine, although I have to ask why you call me master at all.”
She looked faintly surprised. “You are my master.”
“You’ve never been bonded to a human, right?”
“No sir.”
“Then where did you learn that you should call a human master?”
Her eyes went wide and then she gave him a slightly suspicious look, as if he were making a bad joke at her expense. “I don’t know. I do know that it is right. I look at you and know you are my master. It makes me happy to have a master.”
Caradoc shrugged. “It must be something that Sukebe designed into pokegirls.”
Naomi’s mouth dropped open. “You knew the Maker?”
“I know of him. I don’t know him.”
“Oh. Yes sir.” Naomi looked around slowly, assessing their surroundings. “I will need weapons if I am to hunt for you.”
“I don’t have any to give you. Unless you can make them, it’s going to have to wait.”
A happy smile appeared. “You will let me make my weapons, sir?”
“You sound surprised.”
“Master, towards the end of the war I encountered some elves who had acquired masters. None of them had been allowed to make their weapons and I thought perhaps it wasn’t permitted.”
“Nobody has told me that. All I was told was that I couldn’t add to my harem without permission. Feel free to make your own weapons.”
“I will, sir. How much clothing will I have to wear?”
“Is there an amount that you think you should have on? You don’t seem bothered by being nude.”
“Around you, sir, I am not. However, the elves that I mentioned earlier all wore clothes, and so I wasn’t sure.”
All of the tropic league pokegirls that we have seen so far all wear at least coverings for their crotch. It may be a rule.
“When we are alone you can wear whatever you want, but around others you should wear at least a loincloth or something like that.
“Men are distracted by breasts, master” she said as she flashed a grin, all tiny white teeth. He got the distinct impression that by men she was referring to humans like him, but both genders. “We used that against them in the war. While mine are small, I do not wish to distract men that you work with, master.”
Caradoc wasn’t sure if she was looking for him to stroke her ego, but it didn’t hurt to do so. He gave her bosom an obvious inspection and smiled. “I think you have very nice breasts, so perhaps you’re right. I’ve found some clothes we can probably fix up for you.”
She hugged him and bounced to her feet. “Thank you, master. I’ll get started on my weapons right away, sir!” Caradoc watched her run off, noting that her steps made no sound as she sped away.
He kept sorting through the pile until the singing started. The words were nothing that Caradoc had ever heard and something about them made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He grabbed his shovel and followed the sound.
Naomi sat on her heels, singing as she faced a large tree. He stopped a few meters away when she waved at him without looking or ceasing her song. Finally the song ended. Naomi rose with fluid grace and moved to place her palms flat against the tree. She began to call out an incantation and Caradoc took a step back as the tree seemed to shiver. Threads of green light began to spread through the bark from her hands. The threads quickly grew into lines that arced up the tree and out through its branches until the whole tree was covered with a glowing network of lines.
A burl at the join of a branch and the trunk began to swell until it was the size of Caradoc’s head, then his chest, and finally his torso before it fell free and dropped heavily to the ground. Behind it the tree was unmarked.
Under Naomi’s hands the side of the tree bulged and a crack spread up and down from her touch until it was as big as she was. Inside the bark, a line of wood pushed into her hands, or perhaps she pulled, Caradoc was never truly sure, and a bow began to emerge from the trunk. Finally it lay in her hands and the crack in the bark sealed shut behind it to disappear.
Naomi’s incantation slowed and died as she swayed away from the tree. She started to fall and Caradoc lunged forward to catch her. She lay in his arms for a moment before trying to twist free. “Master, I must.”
Caradoc gently set her on her feet before releasing her. The elf moved tiredly forward and dropped to her knees in front of the burl. Her hands wrapped around it and the bark fell away to reveal a quiver. Naomi slung it over her shoulder and pushed to her feet. She swayed slightly and looked over her shoulder at him. “Master, I am tired and I could use your aid.”
He scooped her up into his arms. “I’ve got you. Are you ok?”
She looked up at him and nodded. “I’m just tired, sir. I’ll be fine with some rest.”
He turned and jogged towards the shack. “Then rest you will get.”
(6/25/06 1800 Bog Walk, Tropic League)
Caradoc had been cleaning some of the stuff he’d scavenged when he heard the sound of pounding strides. He turned and watched as Kathy came running up. If he hadn’t recognized the tigress when she started to emerge from the trees, he’d already be hidden. She pulled to a halt. “Master Caradoc, tomorrow will be a workday. Please be at the town square by 0600 and bring your pokegirl. Master John will want to speak with his tamers before the villagers arrive at 0730.” She held out an item. “Here is a watch for you, sir. It has to be wound every day.”
Caradoc took it. “Thank you, Kathy. Would you like something to drink before you leave?”
She gave him the same startled look he’d received from her the day before. “No, sir, I have to be going.”
“Very well. The elf’s name is Naomi. John may ask about it.”
“Yes sir. Where is she, sir?”
“She’s resting inside. Don’t worry, she’ll be there tomorrow.”
“Yes, Master Caradoc. Good day, sir.”
Caradoc raised a hand for her to wait. “I’ve got a question. Are there any rules about pokegirls wearing clothing?”
The tigress nodded. “There are, sir. Pokegirls who can cover their pussies should and human looking pokegirls should cover their breasts.”
“Thank you, Kathy.”
She gave him that look again. “Yes, Master Caradoc.” Then she turned and raced away.
“Who was that, sir?” Naomi stepped out of the shadows of the shack, her bow held loosely in her hands. An arrow was nocked to the string and her quiver was slung over her shoulder. “You knew her, so I held my fire.”
“That was Kathy, and I don’t know if you know what she is, but she’s a tigress. She belongs to John Manley, the man who let me keep you and who is in charge around here.”
“Is she a threat?”
“She hasn’t been so far. I’m supposed to work for John and so it’s likely you will be working with her along with several others. Including me, there are seven tamers and a total of eight pokegirls with masters here. Only one tamer has two pokegirls, and that is John.”
“Master, will you have other pokegirls?”
“John said I can’t add to my harem without his permission. I don’t know if he’s going to give that and I’m not going to worry about something that I cannot control.”
“Yes, master.” Naomi gracefully curled up next to him. “What are we doing here?”
“I was given this property so I could turn it into a productive farm. Now that I’m a tamer, I’m not sure if I still have to do so since John tried to move me to town after I chose you.” He hesitated, hating to confess weakness. “Something else to consider is that I’ve never worked on a farm and I have no idea what to do.”
The elf gave him an amused look. “Master, I am an elf and I am part of the land that I live on. I will help you.” She laid her bow across her knees and dug a hand into the soil. “This land is alive and it will produce great things if we ask it to.”
Caradoc eyed her for a moment before nodding. “You’re the expert, so you’re in charge. Just don’t forget you also have to protect me. Any passing feral would squash me flat without working up a sweat.”
“Guarding you will be my primary objective at all times should you desire it, Master Bishop.”
“I’d like that.” He felt a trickle of curiosity. “Can I see that arrow?” She nodded and handed him the projectile without comment. Caradoc examined it carefully. He’d never seen anything like it. He expected the shaft to be made of wood, but appeared that the entire arrow was organic, with a needle point on the business end of the shaft that flared out to form a three bladed broadhead that looked razor sharp. The fletching was integral to the shaft and appeared to be made of leaves; they were even veined like a leaf. Close examination suggested that the arrow was made as a single piece. “Where did you get this?”
“They come from the quiver, sir.” She held it out. “Look inside.”
Caradoc peered inside the quiver. It was packed full of arrows but down at the bottom of the quiver he could see what look like tiny plants. He blinked and realized that the arrow shafts he could see were still embedded in the quivers’ bottom. “They grow?”
“Yes sir. It’s part of the magic. Given by a living plant, they remain living. When I draw them, I command what kind of head I get, in case you don’t want me to kill my opponent.”
Caradoc looked up and met her gaze. “I think we’re more valuable than any feral pokegirl we might capture. You will strike to kill unless I specifically order otherwise.”
A relieved expression crossed her face. “Yes sir.”
He handed her back the arrow. “Is your bow alive too?”
“Yes sir. Among other things, it cannot be used by anyone I do not allow.” She held it up for him to see. Just like the arrow and the quiver, it was of a light brown wood shot through with filaments of blue, a characteristic of the tree she’d gotten the bow from. It was known locally as a Blue Mahoe and was prized for the color and strength of its wood.
He slid to his feet and offered her a hand. “I’ll keep that in mind, but that’s enough woolgathering. Considering we’ve got a lot to do and we have to work for others tomorrow, let’s get started.”
(6/25/06 2200 Bog Walk, Tropic League)
After blocking the door, Caradoc finished undressing, blew out the candle and settled down on his blanket. Naomi dropped next to him and pressed herself against his body. “Sir, I know what you had to do to wake me from the Nothing, but I don’t remember it happening. Could you,” she broke off when he kissed her.
His tongue swept lightly over her warm, soft lips, and when they parted, delved into her mouth. She moaned softly and her tongue met his. The kiss deepened and her arms wrapped around him.
Caradoc kissed his way down her chin and nibbled her throat as his hands closed over her breasts. She arched when he rubbed his palms against her nipples. “Master.” He covered one breast with his mouth and she gasped in pleasure. She draped one leg over his and ground her wetness against his thigh as he sucked, moaning as her fingers wrapped around his head and forced her breast into his mouth. “Harder. Bite me, master.”
He bit down, slowly increasing the pressure until she hissed and shuddered. “Yes, there, right there.” Caradoc twisted her other nipple hard and she bucked, keening in a high voice. “YES!”
He rolled her underneath him and she wrapped her legs around his waist and tried to pull him down to her. Sitting up, he grabbed her legs and untwined them from his body. He spread them wide and lifted her knees to her shoulders. Naomi grabbed his wrists and her nails sank into his skin when he buried himself inside her wetness in one brutal stroke. He paused to give her a chance to adjust to him and she struggled beneath his body. “Don’t stop,” she moaned/whimpered.
He pulled back until just his tip was inside her and his thrust drove the air from her lungs in a grunt. He drove into her again and again, his body slapping against hers as she trembled beneath him like a leaf in the wind. Abruptly she stiffened and tried to throw him off as she screamed her orgasm to the night. He kept pounding into her and she rolled from orgasm to orgasm as he felt his own beginning to build until it erupted in a wave that left him collapsed on top of her rolled up form, his chest heaving as his seed poured into her.
He let her legs go and she promptly draped them around his waist to keep him inside her. He lifted her and twisted to put her on top as he laid back. Naomi plastered herself against his body and hummed as if she were trying to purr. She lifted his wrist to her mouth and with a tiny tongue began cleaning the blood from the wounds she’d inflicted with her nails. Each lick came slower and slower until her breathing changed and she relaxed her grip. When he tried to work his arm free, her hands tightened and she gave his wrist a couple of halfhearted licks before drifting off again.
He smiled in the darkness and wrapped his free arm around her before letting sleep claim him too.
(6/26/06 0600 Bog Walk, Tropic League)
John looked up from his breakfast as Caradoc and Naomi came up. “Good, I’m glad to see that you’re prompt.” He gestured at the other tamers. “Gentlemen, this is Caradoc and he’s been promoted to tamer. This is his elf.” He looked at Caradoc. “What is her name?”
Apparently John hadn’t bothered to ask Kathy about her visit to his farm. “Her name is Naomi.”
One of the tamers gave the elf a hard look. Today Naomi was wearing a stained canvas loincloth her tamer had stitched together along with a floral bikini top they’d discovered had escaped the mice. Visible around the triangle covering her right breast were bruises from where Caradoc had bitten her the night before. His eyes narrowed when he noted the slung quiver and bow. “Why is she armed?”
“It increases her efficiency.”
John frowned. “Where did she get it from?”
“Me.” Caradoc decided a partial lie was in order. “I’ve been scavenging some of the houses around my shack.” He held up a shovel that he’d found in one of the houses. “I also found this and brought it to donate to the village.” Naomi had his other shovel strapped to her quiver.
“Does she know how to use it?”
“She wouldn’t have it otherwise.”
The belligerent tamer rocked to his feet. “I don’t believe you. Prove it.”
John smacked the table with his hand and Kathy jumped. “That’s enough. We are responsible for our pokegirls and I doubt Bishop would let her carry that thing behind him if she couldn’t use it.” He glared at the belligerent tamer. “Is that good enough for you, William?”
The tamer met his glare for a moment and then nodded. “Yes sir. Later, when we train, I’d like to see if she can be trusted to fire around my Cerise.”
“I think that would be an excellent idea.” John settled back in his chair. “It’s kind of funny that almost a century ago there was a power plant here, using the river as a source to run some turbines. They got rid of it after an accident killed over thirty of the men living there.” He sighed. “It would really be nice if it was still here.”
Naomi shook her head. “With all due respect, Master John, if it had been we would have destroyed it along with the others.”
“I didn’t ask you for your opinion,” John snapped.
Naomi blinked and flushed.
“She does have a point,” one of the other tamers noted quietly. “Maybe it’s for the best, since the site is undisturbed we can someday put one there without having to remove the rubble they’d have left.”
“Maybe,” John muttered as he glared at the elf. The glare transferred to Caradoc when Naomi’s tamer stepped between her and Manley. “What’s your problem?”
“She didn’t know not to talk to you. I didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to talk to you. She won’t do it again.” He checked his watch. “Some of the villagers will arrive early. What did you want to say to us?”
John took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “See that she doesn’t do it again.” Another deep breath. “What I wanted you here early for was so I could give out the assignments of who is doing what. Caradoc, you’re going to lead the group that’ll be digging the latrine trench. I want the damned thing at least six feet deep. We don’t have running water and I don’t want people going to the river to get water any more than they have to. I also don’t want them shitting and pissing wherever they want. Let them know they can use pots for toilets, but they’ll be dumping them in the trench or I’ll be very unhappy.” He grimaced. “I lived through a typhoid epidemic during the war and I’m not going to do it again. Once the trench is done, build a shelter around it. Don’t forget to divide the shelter for the women.” He looked at Caradoc. “Bishop, I want that finished today, so keep them late if you have to.”
Caradoc quickly converted feet to centimeters in his head. Two meters would be easily doable. “Can do. Will we be burning the waste or composting it?”
“We’ll worry about that later.”
“Ok. I’ll need three strong backs for the digging and two more to dismantle an empty building for the shelter.”
“That’s it?”
“As long as they have the proper tools, yes. In a perfect world I’d like someone who can’t do heavy work, such as a child, to bring water so we can work longer between breaks.”
“That’s a good idea. Everyone, assign someone to bring water from the barrels for your team. Doug, you’ll be using the cart to fill those blue plastic barrels we found. Get them rolling right away and get the first load back ASAP.”
Doug nodded and looked at his pokegirl, a slender muscular girl wearing jeans and a blue blouse. “Get the barrels and put them in the wagon now for the first trip.”
She nodded. “Yes sir.” She trotted in the direction of a large cart.
That is a Tomboy. They are renowned for their temper.
John gave out the rest of the assignments quickly as the first of the villagers started to drift into the square.
(6/26/06 1020 Bog Walk, Tropic League)
“Sir, I think you need to see this.”
Rachel straightened when John sighed and turned from watching his workers retrieving material from more buildings. “What is it?”
“Bishop.”
Manley gave his rack an exasperated look. “What has he done now?”
“He’s working, sir.”
“Working? He’s a tamer.” He motioned the young woman with the water over so he could get a drink. “Just a minute.”
The location for the latrine trench had been selected on the edge of town, on the other side of the village from where the tamers slept, but still within the village to lessen the danger to people using the facilities from wandering ferals. As he approached the site, John surveyed the area. Two villagers were carrying lumber from a shed that looked half dismantled towards a pile. Not too far from the pile stood the twelve year old girl who’d been detailed as the water bearer for the group. She was watching as two of the men who’d been selected to dig stood patiently, looking at the ground. Nearby he saw Naomi, her bow ready in her hands as she alertly scanned the area.
He blinked when something long flew out of the ground and one of the two men grabbed it. When the other fellow took the end of the rope and they began pulling, he understood. They hauled up a large tub and grabbed the ends to head off towards where a large pile of dirt fresh dirt marked their destination.
Naomi glanced at the approaching tamer and gave the low fluting whistle of a songbird. The girl looked up and began speaking quietly into the hole before scuttling a safe distance away.
John frowned when they reached the latrine pit. “What the hell?”
Caradoc looked up at him. “It’s the latrine pit.” He’d stripped and put on a loincloth and his skin and muscles gleamed in the sun. The scars were hard to see under the purple stains from the berries, but as he darkened they’d become more visible.
Scar tissue didn’t tan.
“It’s too big and why are there two chambers?”
“The one on the right is for urine while the other one is for feces. Urine can be pumped out to a holding tank for processing. It’s rich in nutrients and once diluted will provide excellent fertilizer for the village’s crops.” He leaned on his shovel and looked up at the girl. “Water, please, Pam.” She nodded and headed for a bucket that had been placed far enough away to prevent accidents. “Feces require a lot more time to turn into compost. We’re going to get some urine in the feces tank and wet feces are too dangerous to put on food crops. I figure we may only have to empty the feces pit twice a year, but Naomi thinks we’ll make more waste than that. I’m planning to build the shelter building so that both the men and women have access to both tanks.” He frowned. “Do we have any tarps? I’d definitely like to line the urine pit but if we have them to spare I’d like to line both of them. I’m also going to cover both tanks to try and control some of the smell as well as to avoid luring ferals.”
“That sounds great. Why are you digging?”
“I’m small and strong. That’s what we needed as the pits got deeper. Don’t worry, Naomi is on watch.”
“You could have put her down here while you stood watch.”
Caradoc blinked. “Why on Earth would I do that? If we got attacked while she was down here, all I could do to protect the others is throw myself at the feral and hope they escape while she’s eating me. I really don’t fancy that as an obituary. ‘He was brave and tasty’ isn’t what I had in mind.”
The girl had been leaning down into the pit with a cup of water and she laughed so hard she dropped it. Caradoc reflexively caught it in midair. “Thanks, dearie.” He drained the cup and tossed it up to her.
“I don’t want my tamers working.”
“Then I’m going to have to disagree with you. Working with the villagers will help them to grow to appreciate us more than if we only sit around on our rumps eating the food they make and waiting for ferals to attack. It’ll also result in fat and lazy tamers unless you train a lot harder than I think you do. Yes, a pokegirl commanded by a tamer is far more efficient than one acting on her own, but if a feral attacks, I’m sure he’ll have time to bark out some orders before the fight is over. On top of that, by not letting your tamers and their pokegirls work, you’re wasting twenty percent of your personnel. Once the situation stabilizes, it may not be necessary for tamers to work as much, but right now you need every hand you’ve got.” He gave John a grim look. “I know that some of the villagers hate your guts already and we all have to sleep sometime. Making them all hate you is a great way to never wake up. Yes, your pokegirls will kill a lot of them, if they are around and if they can get out of the house before the flames get too high.”
“Sir?”
John waved away Rachel’s comment. “I know, I know. You think he’s right.” He smiled when Caradoc looked curious. “Rachel is my alpha and she’s been telling me some of the same things you just said.”
“Are you going to listen to any of them?”
Rachel stared at Caradoc in shock and then her eyes narrowed. “Master, shall I instruct him in politeness?”
Bishop didn’t look cowed. “I thought part of the reason I was made a tamer was to give you the benefit of my experience. In my experience, taking from the locals without giving anything back is a good way to make them start plotting to kill you and take your pokegirls. It’s a really bad idea if you have to live among them.”
“We protect them from ferals.”
“Yes, and people perceive truth in what they see. If we’re attacked regularly, they’ll appreciate you. If the attacks come with long intervals between them, all they’ll see is tamers and their pokegirls sitting around, eating food and playing the lord over everyone else.”
“What have you done for me recently,” John mused to himself. “I think I’ll have to rethink how the tamers interact with the villagers.” He refocused on Caradoc. “If you want to work with your group of villagers, then go ahead. Just don’t go nagging the other tamers.”
“That’s not my job.” Bishop looked up as the two men returned and lowered the tub into the hole. “Anything else, John?”
Rachel bristled as Manley blinked. “You’re aware that I outrank you, right?”
“No. I know you’re in charge, but I didn’t know we had ranks. Why?”
“You’re supposed to call me sir or Mr. Manley, especially in public.”
“I didn’t know, Mr. Manley. I’ll remember that for the future.”
John gave Caradoc a satisfied smile. “I’m sure you will. Rachel, let’s go.”
(6/27/06 0700 Bog Walk, Tropic League)
As soon as he left the shack, Caradoc ground to a halt and peered suspiciously at the land around him. “I know something is wrong.”
The plants have been moved during the night. Not a lot, but I am noting definite changes in their orientation and distance from one another.
He eased backwards into the shack. Naomi was putting on her loincloth and when she saw him enter their home she grabbed her bow and quiver. “Master?”
“Something is wrong outside.”
The elf shifted to cover the doorway. “Stand back.” She knocked an arrow, lunged outside as she drew the bow and was gone. Caradoc stayed back in the shadows as he carefully watched the outside through the windows and door.
About fifteen minutes later the elf returned. “Sir, if there was a pokegirl out there, she’s not here now.”
“Great. It looks like she’s settling in to lair around here, so she’ll be back.”
Naomi gave him a quizzical look. “Why do you say that, sir?”
“She’s been moving the plants around the house.” He frowned. “What kind of pokegirl can do that?”
Naomi suddenly looked like she was embarrassed and at the same time fighting a smile. “Sir, I moved the plants.”
Caradoc stared at her in shock. “You?”
“Sir, you told me that this was a farm and that you wanted me to help make it more productive. A lot of your plants are too close together. Yesterday afternoon, while you were cleaning up, I started moving the plants. There’s still too many of them and we’ll have to thin them out, but this way they’ll be the proper distance from one another to thrive. Moving them slowly is healthiest for the ones we want to keep.”
“How do you move them?”
“Sir, how do you explain sound to a deaf person?”
Bishop nodded ruefully. “You can’t explain it, you just do it.”
“Yes sir. It’s been explained to me that we can endow vegetative life with pseudo-musculature that allows them to move as if they were ambulatory creatures. I can’t describe how it’s done.” She smiled. “Those of us who are adept can move them quickly enough to use plants in combat. The elfqueen breed is the best at it.” The smile vanished. “Master, are you going to evolve me?”
Caradoc blinked and stalled for time as he thought. They’d only been together a couple of days and he hadn’t considered some of the ramifications. “I think that really should be your decision, since it affects you more than it does me. Do you want to evolve?” Naomi’s expression suggested she hadn’t expected the question to get turned back on her. Then it turned thoughtful. Caradoc nodded. “Let me know what you decide.”
He was outside working on removing rust from his tools when she came to find him. “I can’t guard you if I’m not with you.”
“I know, but you needed to think.” He glanced up at her. She’d put on her bikini top to go with the loincloth. “Did you make any decisions?”
“Sir, there are several options when evolving an elf. If we don’t do anything special, someday I may evolve into a high elf. You may not want that, because I can no longer feel the land if that happens. High elves are better fighters, but they lose their ability to know plants.” She settled against a tree, watching the area as she spoke. “We don’t have any evolution stones, so all of the stone induced evolutions are unavailable.”
Caradoc spoke in a quiet voice. “Don’t pass this around, but I know what an evolution stone is and I may be able to get some stones if you really want me to.”
Her head came around to stare at him for a moment. “I probably shouldn’t ask, sir.”
“No, you shouldn’t. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it, either but I want you to know all of the available options.”
Naomi nodded. “I won’t tell anyone. In any case you don’t have any now and honestly, I’d like to become an elfqueen. They’ve got huge tits compared to me and a rounded figure. I want them for both of us.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Both?”
“Sir, I watch you watch the others. The women with figures are the ones you look at most. I don’t have that, but as an elfqueen I would.” She glanced down at her chest. “I look like a girl and you didn’t look at any of the girls yesterday.”
“I don’t have a problem with the way you look,” he began.
Naomi cut him off. “I never thought you would, sir, but I want you to be as happy as I am. That means becoming an elfqueen and more like your ideal of a woman.” She gave him a crafty look. “The fact that I’ll become the most powerful of the elf breeds never crossed my mind.”
He started laughing and she joined in. “Ok, what has to happen to get you to evolve to elfqueen?”
“You’ve got to fuck me, sir.” Her eyes met his and she smiled lasciviously. “You’ve got to fuck me a lot. I’ll evolve to elfqueen when I have an intense enough orgasm.” She winked. “And what you did to me the other day, sir, was so good that you’ve set the bar very high indeed.” He watched as she unconsciously rubbed the purple bruises around her breast.
“So I should have started off crappy and then improved dramatically? Maybe I can fix this.”
Her eyes went wide and then narrowed dangerously. “Don’t you dare do anything like that,” she almost growled. She blinked. “Sir.”
Caradoc chuckled. “I promise to do my best to make you evolve as fast as possible, starting tonight.”
“Maybe you should get a second pokegirl. I don’t really want to share you, but perhaps that would be for the best.”
“Why would I want to disobey John?”
“If you had another pokegirl, then she could stand guard and I wouldn’t have to wait until bedtime.” She grinned at his stunned expression. “Sir.”
“Perhaps you’re right. That might be a very good reason to disobey John.”
(6/27/06 1230 Bog Walk, Tropic League)
“Stop.” At Naomi’s warning, Caradoc froze. “Look a little to your left.” He obediently turned his head smoothly to look towards the river. “Sir, do you see that ripple near the bank about ten meters ahead of us?” He nodded as his eyes sought it out. “It’s moving against the current and it’s stalking us. I think that’s a pokegirl. Do you want me to try to capture her?”
“Can you?”
“I won’t know until I try. Please move away from the bank and we’ll see if she’ll come closer in search of prey.” A warm chuckle danced up and down his spine. “She’s probably focused on you more than on me, so it’s very likely that she will. Pokegirls don’t really have a fight or flight response. We have a fight or fuck response.”
Caradoc began slowly backing away from the water’s edge. The ripple in the water became a V aimed straight at him. “RUN SIR!” He turned and sprinted away from the water. There was a spray of water behind him as the pokegirl surged onto land. A stream like that from a water hose narrowly missed him and he began zigzagging irregularly as he ran.
He glanced over his shoulder at one point. There was a tall pokegirl that had apparently completely ignored Naomi and was now pursuing him. She had blue skin, a long tail and three smallish fins protruding from her head.
She was also as fast as he was and closing. He stopped evading and went into a dead sprint.
Seabra. She’s a powerful water type and will be stronger than you.
Naomi watched the chase. Years of combat against humans and domesticated pokegirls had taught her all about her weaknesses at close combat and she was more than willing to wait for her opponent to get far enough away to make capture easier. Then she reached into her quiver and pulled an arrow from it, letting it know as she did so that it should be a blunt. Nocking the arrow and drawing it to full extension as she raised the bow was as automatic as breathing. She activated a technique and fed energy into the arrow a heartbeat before releasing it. The reach into the quiver for another arrow was, for her, part of the follow-through and she was drawing the bow again before the first found its target.
As she’d wanted, the arrow took the seabra in the back of the left knee. At the instant of impact the arrow shot technique activated and changed the arrow’s element from plant to electric.
The seabra make a peculiar yelp as electricity knocked her off her feet and sent her into convulsions. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she bit through her tongue. She squalled in pain and rolled to her feet, looking for whatever had hurt her.
The second arrow took her in the belly, paralyzing her diaphragm and driving the air from her lungs. The seabra wheezed as she fought to breathe, but she’d seen Naomi and lumbered angrily in the direction of the elf.
Naomi nocked the third arrow and reached back to the side of quiver and twisted a small round object from it. She touched the seed to the end of the blunt, drew and released.
The arrow took the seabra in the chest, driving the seed into her skin where it released and burrowed into the water type.
The seabra responded with a water gun. Naomi stepped sideways and it missed. The water pokegirl bellowed in rage and fell into a charge, closing the range to where her foe couldn’t evade.
The seed inside her chest siphoned some of her life energy and fed it to Naomi. At the same time, Naomi hit her with force bolt, the magic attack staggering the seabra.
The seabra’s water spear hit Naomi and spoiled her aim as she was knocked backwards. The arrow she’d aimed at the seabra’s heart ripped off one of her head fins instead.
The seabra bellowed in rage/pain and unleashed another water spear as the leech seed sucked away more of her life. Green lights swirled underneath Naomi’s skin as she used the energy to heal her injuries.
The water spear knocked Naomi down, but she never lost focus, keeping her torso upright long enough to release her next arrow before rolling over to scramble to her feet.
The arrow took the seabra over the heart and, for another time, electricity shot through her. Weakened as she was, it knocked her off her feet in a flurry of mud. She lay there for a few seconds before lurching to her knees, her bellow of rage reduced to a moan of pain.
Naomi raised her hand and four thin chains shot from her palm to strike the seabra in the center of her body. Seemingly of their own accord, they whipped around her torso before seeking out her limbs and binding them. The seabra toppled sideways as the chains contracted, pinning her feet together and her arms against her sides. The chains then surged forward like serpents, throwing more loops around her torso and binding her tail to her legs until she began to look like a glittering metallic sausage. She struggled weakly and then went still as the leech seed continued to pirate her life to the elf.
Caradoc had taken cover behind some rocks and watched the ensuing battle. Once it was over, he reappeared and jogged over to Naomi. “Are you ok?”
“I’m a bit tired, sir, but she helped me to heal my injuries and my magic will take care of the rest.” She seemed pleased at his concern.
“While I’d love to quiz you on everything you did, the important thing is that you’re ok. What do we do with her?”
“For a feral, she was an adequate opponent. Waters should never attack elves, however. It’s a losing battle for them.” She glanced at her tamer. “Do you want to keep her, sir?”
“Manley’s already annoyed at me for questioning his policies. He’d have a fit. She goes to him.”
“I can carry her easily and the binding spell will last for as long as I want. We can get her to town and be back quickly.”
Caradoc shook his head. “You take her. There’s too much stuff that still needs done here and you don’t need me for that.”
“Sir, I’m supposed to protect you.”
“I’ll be fine. She was probably the queen of this portion of the river and it’ll be a while before another pokegirl can claim her territory.”
“Are you ordering me to take her to town while you remain here, Master Bishop?”
He nodded. “I am.”
“Then I obey under protest.”
“I heard you.”
She sighed and slung her bow. “I’ll be back as soon as possible, sir.”
“Good. I don’t want you gone any more than you need to.” A thought struck him. “I am instructing you to deliver the seabra to John Manley or one of his lieutenants and return here immediately, taking no more than five minutes to answer any questions.” He handed her the watch. “Then you are to return straight here, disregarding any orders, requests or questions that anyone else may give you. That should keep John from trying to get a blow-by-blow account of the battle. If he has any problems with my orders to you, he can take them up with me when you’re here to guard me.”
Naomi relaxed slightly and grabbed the seabra. “Thank you, sir.” Effortlessly she slung the unconscious pokegirl. “I promise to come back as fast as I can.” With that she turned and jogged off.
Bishop returned to the shack and retrieved his cleaning gear. He settled down at the table he’d scrounged and went back to removing rust from his tools.
(6/27/06 1330 Bog Walk, Tropic League)
Caradoc had grown up with family and had never really been alone until they were killed. Then he’d been on his own for several years and had gotten used to not being around others, so he figured that he’d enjoy an hour or two without Naomi around. He quickly realized, however, that although she’d only been in his life for a couple of days, he missed having her around. He caught himself straining his ears for sounds of her return and only iron control kept him from moving outside so he could watch for her.
He relaxed when he heard footsteps approaching and looked up from sharpening the axe when her shadow blocked the light. “I’m glad to see,” he broke off when he realized it wasn’t Naomi.
The pokegirl was taller than he was, nearly a good two meters at the crown of her red-gold hair. Her eyes were hazel and they widened when they saw him. Her skin was reddish in hue and her breasts were the size of melons. A grin spread over her face and she folded her wings to squeeze into the shack with him.
That is a whorizard. They are very dangerous fire types and if you hit her with the axe as you’re planning, you may injure her slightly but you will anger her a lot and she will pursue you until you’re dead.
Caradoc backed up slowly, keeping the table between her and him. She plunged her fist into the table, smashing a hole through it and trapping her arm. The whorizard hissed and tore the table to bits.
While she was distracted with that, Caradoc dived out the window, blessing the fact that he hadn’t gotten around to replacing the missing panes of glass. He rolled to his feet, losing the axe in the process and sprinted in a straight line for the river. Behind him he heard a feminine roar that sounded more amused than angry.
Somehow he found a bit more speed.
Behind him he heard an odd rushing of wind and glanced behind him as he started zigzagging. The area was too crowded for the whorizard to take off in a normal fashion and she stood with her wings outstretched while her entire body was limned in flames from her ignite technique. It superheated the air around her, which rushed skyward, lowering the air pressure above her. This generated lift.
As Caradoc glanced behind him again, she raised her feet from the ground and began slowly floating into the air. Her eyes met his and she laughed triumphantly.
He lengthened his stride and sped up a little bit more, stopped zigzagging and headed for the river at a dead run.
Drop and turn on my command. There was a pause. Now!
Caradoc hit the ground and rolled as the Whorizard grabbed at him and missed. She plowed into the turf and her roar was one of pure rage. He popped to his feet and ran away from her, curving back around towards the river as the first flamethrower barely missed him. Heat washed over his back and he felt his hair crisp as he sucked air in a quick hyperventilation for the last few meters. He didn’t slow down when he hit the bank of the river and dove in cleanly. Heat bathed his boots just as the waters closed protectively around him.
The water was muddy enough that visibility was only a meter or two and he swam almost straight downwards before turning and working his way upriver, all the while angling towards the far bank. A timer appeared in the lower corner of his vision, spiraling up the time since he’d last breathed. His personal best time holding his breath while performing activity was six and a half minutes.
His goal was some brush that overhung the river that he’d noted as a possible place to put some fish traps when he had time. Mentally, he relaxed a bit when the shadows enclosed him and he saw the branches dragging in the water. His timer said he’d been without air for five minutes and his lungs were protesting mightily.
Caradoc rolled onto his back and floated to the surface, only allowing his face to gently break the water. Ignoring his body’s desires to gulp air, he cracked his lips and slowly exhaled while his eyes swung around, seeing only the foliage overhead. Only after taking a couple of deep breaths did he slowly raise his head and look through the brush at the other side of the river.
The whorizard was circling over the water, peering intently into the depths. Her entire body was aflame, allowing her to move so slowly that she was almost hanging in place as she waited for him to surface.
She looked like she wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere else.
Naomi stiffened as she took in the shattered table. She stepped back outside and noted the discarded axe and the fresh footprints headed for the river. She unslung her bow and followed the tracks at a quick walk, her entire body on full alert.
She paused when she saw the hovering whorizard and eased forward, staying well within the bounds of the trees. The tightness in her heart eased slightly when she realized what the pokegirl was doing. “She hasn’t caught him. Good work, master.” She focused on the whorizard, entering that noiseless place where she hunted. It reminded her of the Nothing, but was completely different. Things lived in this place, at least until she wrested that life from them. Her world narrowed down to nothing more than her and her opponent, leaving her only aware enough of her surroundings to respond if attacked.
She was never truly conscious of drawing her first arrow from the quiver.
Caradoc caught the flicker as the arrow left the woods. The whorizard was lifting to turn again and so the arrow missed her armpit and instead hit her below the ribcage. This was no blunt and the needle tip and razor sharp blades burrowed deep into her side, slicing everything in their path. The arrow-shot modified weapon discharged its electrical pulse.
The whorizard screamed in agony as she convulsed. She recovered before she hit the river and began climbing, her head swinging wildly as she looked for her foe. The ignite technique flickered and died as she lost her focus and her wings began to powerfully bite the air to compensate.
She grabbed the arrow and pulled it from her body, screaming again as it came free. Drops of blood began drip into the water beneath her.
Naomi noted this behavior with the predator portion of her mind and changed the elemental affinity on her next arrow as she released it. Again she missed her target, this time the meaty portion of a wing, as her opponent turned once more.
The arrow took the whorizard just below the base of the tail and punched deeply into the tissue. She’d imbued this arrow with plant energy, which actually lessened the initial damage that it caused. When it activated, the arrow grew thick, three-centimeter long spines along the length of the shaft.
The whorizard saw where the second arrow came from and turned, inhaling as she reached back and jerked the arrow free. As it was removed, the arrow ripped a huge wound track through muscle, veins and arteries. Blood sprayed in a geyser.
The whorizard vomited fire involuntarily and set the tops of the trees ablaze as she crippled her own tail.
Naomi hissed when she realized that their trees were on fire. She dashed forward almost to the edge of the trees and raised her free hand as the other swung the bow out of the way. Chains erupted from her palm and slithered around the tree in front of her before shooting up at the whorizard. The flying pokegirl saw them coming and instinctively climbed. The chains hit her in the tail and swarmed up her body to pin her wings to her torso. Then the links around the tree tightened. When the whorizard’s forward momentum hit the end of the chains, she snapped downward to smash into the dirt with an impact that shook the ground.
Naomi stepped around the tree as the chain ends unwrapped from the tree and finished trussing up the whorizard. Her world narrowed down to a single spot on the forehead of the stunned pokegirl as she drew her bow for the coup de grace.
“ALIVE!” Naomi’s head whipped up at Caradoc’s cry. Relief flooded through her as he emerged from the brush on the other side of the river where he’d been hiding. As she refocused on the whorizard, she thought for an instant of disobeying him. This one had damaged their home, their crops and threatened her tamer. Death was called for.
“NAOMI!” She sighed and pulled the arrow from her bowstring, bent and thrust it point first into the soil. During the night it would take root and by morning it would be a Blue Mahoe sapling three meters tall.
Caradoc plunged forward and swam across the river with powerful strokes as Naomi pulled a blunt from her quiver and shot the whorizard in the forehead. Then she turned and raced for the shoreline to meet him, throwing herself into his arms and plastering herself against his wet clothes. Emerald eyes looked at him reproachfully. “I’m glad you’re alive, master, but next time you need to heed my warnings and not send me away from you.”
“I promise never to do that again.” He looked over her head at the whorizard. “Didn’t you say that you aren’t the combat elf breed? You certainly impressed me.”
She shook her head and pushed away from him. “No sir. A high elf would have had three arrows in the air for every one of mine and she wouldn’t have missed her target like I did.” Naomi pointed at the river and it suddenly looked like it was steaming. Fog rolled off of it and climbed to cover the trees that still burned. Soon the woods were soaking wet and the fires started sputter and die. “I wish I could do more for the fires, but that’s all the water magic I know. I wish I knew more.”
“If we get the opportunity, you’ll learn more.”
“Thank you, sir. What do you want to do with her?” The elf sighed. “I’ll get some berries and treat her wounds before you make her yours.”
Caradoc shook his head as he followed her towards the great grape. “I don’t want her. She tried to kill me. We’ll haul her into town and turn her over to John.”
“He already sent Rachel off with the seabra.”
“Then he’ll either have to contain this one until she returns or kill her.”
“What if he offers her to you?”
Bishop snorted. “I’ll respectfully decline. Your joining my life was a wonderful event. She tried to eat me and that puts a distinct damper on any affection I might feel for her.”
“Good. I hurt her pretty badly and I understand that her type has a pretty fierce temper. In a close range battle, I’d be beaten to a pulp.”
She’s right. The whorizard would want revenge on her for such a complete victory.
“You’ve just provided me with another reason to get rid of her. Nobody hurts my woman.”
She blinked and flushed. “I’m your woman?”
“Yes, you are.”
A bounce appeared in her step. “Thank you, sir.”
(6/30/06 0800 Bog Walk, Tropic League)
Caradoc and Naomi were looking at trees and deciding which ones to cull when the elf’s head came up. “Someone is coming, sir. I can hear them. They walk like humans.” She made a motion like she wanted to unsling her bow but stopped.
“We don’t know they’re friendly,” he commented quietly.
Naomi flashed him a smile and finished the move. “Thank you, sir.”
A few moments later, three people came walking from the direction of the road. The leader was a middle aged black woman with the M on her forehead. She was followed by what looked like a thirteen year old girl and a young man of fifteen or so. The woman scowled when she saw him and spoke in a bitter voice. “Where do we go?” Her children scowled at him.
Caradoc frowned. “Miss, I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The woman eyed him suspiciously before shaking her head. “You really don’t, do you?”
“I try not to play games with people.” Caradoc glanced at Naomi, who was watching the unfolding scene intently. “So please explain.”
“I’m Amelia Henry and this is my daughter Nancy and my son Richard. Lord Manley ordered us to move out here to help you with your plantation.” Her mouth twisted angrily.
Caradoc remembered where he’d seen them. “You were ones grieving during the trip here.”
Amelia blinked in surprise. “You saw us?”
“I wasn’t made a tamer until I came here and I walked with everyone else. I couldn’t help but notice someone in such obvious pain.”
Richard snapped his fingers. “You were the injured guy. I thought they’d killed you like they did my uncle.” He looked admiringly at Naomi. “How did you get a pokegirl?”
“I dug her up. She was in my floor.” He smiled at Richard’s expression of disbelief and gestured for them to sit. “It’s true. She was in my floor asleep and I dug her up by accident. John made me a tamer because I have knowledge of pokegirls that his people don’t. So far, I suspect I’ve been a disappointment to him. I don’t think he thinks I’m a very good tamer.”
“Why not?” For the first time Nancy spoke.
“I’m polite to people and pokegirls and I like to work with my hands. That didn’t change when Naomi entered my life. You said that John sent you out here to work for me?”
Amelia nodded. “We’re supposed to help you out on the farm. John sent us out here even without the few possessions we’d managed to get since we got here. Where will we stay?”
“There’s an empty house over there that’s not in too bad shape.” He pointed at it and then nodded towards his shack. “I live there, with Naomi.”
“You live there?”
“I do. It was empty and I’m already established. Later, I’ll build something better.” He swung the axe idly. “So, why don’t you three go look at your new home and after that we’ll all go to Bog Walk and get your stuff before someone steals it all.” He flashed a smile. “I’ve got a lot of stuff I’ve scrounged, and we’ll go through it when we get back and see what you can use, but that stuff is yours and it belongs to you.”
“Why would you go with us?” Amelia gave him an uncertain look.
“I’m a tamer. If I say you’re supposed to get your stuff, only six people here can argue with me about it. You, on the other hand, can be argued with by anyone who thinks they’re bigger or tougher than you are.”
A slow smile appeared on Amelia’s face. “How about we go get my stuff now, instead of waiting?”
He nodded and turned towards his shack. “Let me put my tools up and we’ll do just that.”
Caradoc Bishop - Human (Tirsuli)
Naomi - Elf