Disclaimer:
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.
This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr@ (SPAM) hotmail.com). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.
You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.
The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.
Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr@(SPAM) hotmail.com. Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.
Six
(07/12/06 0900 Bog Walk, Tropic League)
“I’m glad you came back.” Amelia hugged Caradoc and quickly stepped away with a slightly embarrassed look. “We’re all ready to go.” She motioned towards a small two wheeled cart with solid plastic wheels. “We found this, can it go too?”
Shima suddenly looked disgusted. Naomi’s laughter at her expression pealed merrily and even Caradoc chuckled. “We don’t have any sort of harness for you yet, so they’ll just have to pull it themselves.”
“Is something the matter?” Amelia’s worried gaze shifted from one to the other in turn.
He shook his head. “No, it’s just that Shima’s not looking forward to pulling a wagon or a plow and she’s slated to do both sometime in the near future.”
The older woman’s mouth set. “Then perhaps you should consider getting my son a pokegirl that can do so in her place.” Her expression lightened slightly at his startled look. “Yes, I heard about what you and Richard talked about. Why do you want him living in sin with one of them?”
“Amelia, it’s not a sin to me.” Caradoc gave a mental sigh as she visibly inflated. “Let me ask you this, what’s your church’s stance on pokegirls?”
She blinked in surprise. “I don’t know. Everything just fell apart during the war and we haven’t heard from anyone on the matter.”
“Then I’ll have to ask you to make a decision. Do you think that Naomi or Shima are people?”
She gave him a baffled look. “Of course Naomi is.” A wry smile tugged at her lips. “Shima I’m not so sure about. She can be pretty cruel with her honesty.”
“That doesn’t exclude her as a person, but I’ll let that question go for now. If Naomi is a person, could it be that other pokegirls are people too?”
Suspicion filled her eyes. “Where are you going with this?”
“If a pokegirl doesn’t have sex, actual sex with a human, she’ll go feral. It has something to do with the way they were constructed.”
“I understand how pokegirls can go feral. Naomi explained it to me.”
Caradoc nodded slowly. “I’m glad you understand that if a pokegirl is living with Richard, he will have to have sex with her. To do otherwise is inhumane. Do you think it’s fair to let people go without medical aid it that aid is available?”
“Of course not.”
“Having sex with a human is a form of medical aid to a pokegirl. Without it, she descends into a feral state which, for most, is akin to being insane. For the ones like Naomi, it means going completely catatonic and, therefore, becoming completely helpless against the elements and passing predators. Should we withhold that help for pokegirls if they are people?”
Amelia looked stunned. “I’d never thought about it that way.”
“I doubt most people do. However, there is something else I suspect you haven’t thought of. If you think pokegirls are people, there is no reason why they can’t get married. If Richard has a pokegirl, after a suitable getting-to-know-one-another period, he could take her as his wife.”
Amelia’s mouth dropped. “Married?”
“Why not? It’s not against league law, mainly since I don’t think they’ve considered that someone might want to marry his pokegirls.”
“What about you?”
He’d wondered if she’d go after him with the same logic. “What about me?”
“You have two pokegirls. You can’t marry them both.”
He repeated his earlier question. “Why not? They wouldn’t mind, or I don’t think they would. I’d have to ask about that before proposing, wouldn’t I?”
“It’s not right.”
Caradoc had wondered why Shikarou had insisted that one of the information uploads he’d received had been the Christian Bible. Now he silently thanked his benefactor as he quickly thought. “Oh? I do believe that the bible is full of polygamy, isn’t it? It has got husbands with multiple wives and concubines of all sorts.”
“The Old Testament had it, but then later on, in the New Testament, there was no reason for it anymore and it ended.”
“Do you think we need more people today? I do believe that was the original reason it was allowed.”
“I’m not ready to continue this discussion right now. I’ll have to think about what you’ve said.” Amelia gave him a thoughtful look. “I’ll have to remember that you’re a slippery person to discuss things with.”
“You do that. In the meantime, we’ve got somewhere else to be and we’re not there yet.” In the Tirsuli Confederation, any sort of marriage that consenting adults wanted to enter into was perfectly fine, as long as anyone who changed their mind about it later was free to leave if they couldn’t convince the rest of the group. That and the children had to be well taken care of according to standards laid out in the tenets of The Wolf God’s religion. Caradoc realized that Amelia had conveniently either forgotten or was ignoring that he wasn’t Christian. He decided that he’d keep that little fact in reserve for the next time she started in on him.
(07/13/06 0900 Bishop Farm, Tropic League)
Naomi dropped back to be next to her tamer as he pulled the cart. “How is it that you ended up doing this?”
“I’m far stronger than a normal human,” he replied quietly, “and this is the only way to ensure that they don’t hold us back. We should be close to the farm.”
“I think we’re about an hour away, sir.”
“That’s good to hear. This isn’t very exciting. I’d much rather be working on the farm.”
“I would too. What’s the first step after we get home?”
“It’ll probably be taking shovels and cleaning out Amelia’s new home. Do you know if any elves have shown up yet?”
The elfqueen shrugged. “I won’t know until we get there.”
The land looked the same as they’d left it. Caradoc pulled the cart up to their house. “This is where we live. You’ll stay with us until your house is cleaned out and we’ve surveyed the area for more ferals.”
Amelia nodded, looking at his home. “We’ll get started cleaning right away. How bad is it?”
“We’re no longer using shovels, so it’s a lot better.” His droll reply prompted a startled stare from her. “I’m not kidding.”
She shook her head. “I’ve got some mops and buckets in the cart. Can I get someone to fill the buckets from the river?”
He nodded and headed for the cart. “Naomi.” For the next several hours, he and his pokegirls trekked from the river to the house with buckets of clean water that disappeared inside only to return filled with filthy water that was dumped in a refuse ditch and then refilled to begin the process anew.
Finally Amelia appeared. “All right, Caradoc, it’ll do.”
Caradoc followed her inside. “I’m impressed.” It was the truth. Amelia and her family had scrubbed the floors, the walls and, in some places, even the ceiling. For the first time in a decade, the place was clean. “This is outstanding. Thank you, Amelia.”
She gave him a pleased smile. “You rescued us from my brother’s killers. I know you can’t avenge his death, but we owe you a lot for what you have been able to do for us. This is nothing compared to that.”
“It sure didn’t feel like nothing.” Richard stretched his back.
“Boy, you mind your manners.”
“Sorry, mother.”
Caradoc chuckled. “It doesn’t look like nothing to me either. Thank you, Richard, and tell Nancy I’m thankful for her work as well. In return, we’re having a treat for dinner.”
Richard gave him a skeptical look. “More fruit?”
“Nope. On our first trip to the river we scared up a flock of chickens. While capturing them, one got kind of squished by Shima.” Caradoc smiled slightly. “It zigged and she zagged at the same time. Naomi is roasting it up right now.”
Amelia’s eyes went wide. “Real chicken? I haven’t had that since the plagues. Save whatever is left, including all of the bones, and I’ll make soup tomorrow. What are you going to do with the rest of them?”
“We’ve got them in some old sacks we found and, now that we’re done hauling water, I intend to slap together something for them to sleep in. We’ll build a coop tomorrow. There’s over a dozen hens and a young rooster, so we’ve got the start of a nice flock. A handful of others got away, but Naomi says she can find them tonight once they go to sleep and then we’ll see if we can catch them too.”
“What do you want us to do?”
“Amelia, you’ve cleaned my house from top to bottom. Take a rest. We made some extra trips to the river while you guys were cleaning and we’ve got a barrel full of warmish hot water if someone wants a bath. We even found some old bar soap that’s usable.”
Richard blinked. “How did you heat a barrel of water?”
“You heat rocks and drop them into the water, fish them out and repeat.” Caradoc glanced at Amelia. “As the matriarch of your family, I think you should have the chance to bathe first.”
“I haven’t had a hot bath since we were driven to Bog Walk. One sounds like a good idea. Where is the water?”
He pointed. “We put the barrel in the shed for some privacy.” He dodged as Amelia almost raced in the direction of the small metal building.
“Where is mother going in such a hurry?” Nancy stood in the doorway of the house.
Richard grinned. “Bishop has provided hot water for bathing and mother is first.”
“Hot water?” Nancy’s eyes lit up. “Seconds!”
Caradoc headed off as they started arguing about who was next.
(07/14/06 0600 Bishop Farm, Tropic League)
Caradoc came awake when Shima touched his arm. The three of them rotated out the watch during the night and right before dawn was currently Shima’s turn. She leaned down and whispered into his ear. “There are six pokegirls outside. They appear to be looking for something and they’ve already been examining the exterior of our house.”
He glanced over to see the glitter of predawn light in Naomi’s open eyes. She sat up. “Are they elves?”
The nightmare snorted. “I don’t know. For obvious reasons, I didn’t want to make a light or stick my head out where I might be seen.”
Naomi slid out of bed and reached for her dress. “I’ll go outside and find out.”
Caradoc put a hand on her arm. “First, I want Shima to wake up the Henry family and tell them to get in the basement.” Caradoc started to order her to leave Winona there too, but Shima still didn’t trust them. “I’ll take Winona and all three of us will go outside. If there’s going to be trouble, we need to face it together.”
Naomi looked like she was ready to argue with him, but Shima merely nodded. “I’ll get the humans into the basement while you get dressed. A naked male could cause all sorts of distractions for them, whether or not they’re feral.”
She paused and exchanged a long look with Naomi, who shook her head. “No, it’s too dangerous for him if he’s not dressed. Do you know any fire magic?”
“I know a spell that creates a jet of very intense fire about a foot long. During the war, between missions I did welding and helped pokegirls make weapons. I also know how to make fire constructs.”
“You can weld?” Caradoc grinned suddenly. “Oh, you’re a dear.”
“I am a nightmare,” came her response. “I am not a deer of any type.” Shima sank down through the floor and was gone.
“She made a joke.” Naomi looked surprised. “I thought she’d die first.”
“It’s a good sign.” He grabbed his clothes.
A few minutes later they met at the front door. “Amelia and the others?”
“Safe.” Shima handed him her baby. “She needs changed.”
“Gee, thanks. At least with the dirty diaper I have a weapon now.”
The nightmare made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a choked off snicker. “You will keep her safe for me.” She looked at Naomi. “I know that my armor can be intimidating and I won’t put it on unless they open hostilities.”
The elfqueen nodded and readied her bow. “Let’s go. She threw open the door and quickly headed outside, bow ready. The nightmare and Caradoc followed close behind.
In the growing light of dawn, from where he stood he could see six pokegirls in a loose group. The tallest one spun around as the door slammed open. That is an elfqueen. Four of the others are elves and one is an avariel, or flying elf. His twee flashed an amber outline on both the elfqueen and avariel in turn.
“Why dare you to summon us?” The elfqueen stood with her arms folded defiantly.
Naomi’s eyes flashed. “I summon you because I can. I did not expect a queen so weak that she would answer my summons, but no matter, you can still serve me.”
The strange elfqueen bristled. “I command elves of my own and only came out of curiosity.” She waved a hand behind her. “I command these.”
One of the elves glared at her back. “You lie. You only command those two. We answer her call.” She strode forward with another elf and both of them went to one knee. “We heard your call, my queen and present ourselves to you. It has been too long since we had a queen and we rejoice for having one once more.”
Naomi motioned for them to rise. “And I am glad for your presence. What about her?” She nodded towards the other elfqueen.
“We have never seen her before today. If we had not been answering your call, she would hold us, but your call is stronger than her will.” The elf’s eyes went wide as she looked at Naomi’s weapon. “You can call a live bow.”
“You will have one of your own soon enough. Stand with me.” The elves scrambled around behind her as she turned her attention to the avariel. “Are you here to serve me?”
The avariel nodded. “That was my intent, but now there are two queens. I will serve the victor.”
Naomi nodded. “Then you will remain neutral if there is conflict. You have declared neutrality; if there is a battle and you involve yourself on either side, I will remember and punish you for breaking your oath.”
The avariel blinked in surprise. “You have great honor. I vow to remain neutral until the supremacy between you and she is decided.”
The strange elfqueen smiled grimly. “Now you command two elves to my two. We are evenly matched and there will be a conflict.”
“You must be blind,” Naomi observed calmly. The other elfqueen scowled as she continued. “I command Shima the nightmare and I have a male.”
Shima grinned and moved up next to Naomi. “I’ve wanted a good fight. I am the darkness made live, plant. Do you think you can give me one?”
The elfqueen smiled back. “I win either way. If I lose, I will still remain here and if I win I gain everything.”
“If you live.” Naomi gave her a grim look that the other elfqueen returned.
“If I live. You could die too.”
Caradoc dropped his voice. “Is there any other way this can be settled?”
Naomi shook her head without looking back at her tamer. “If she is this determined to fight, then no display of powers can deter her and, since she thinks you are part of the prize, it’s a great enough temptation that you can’t even order her to leave.”
“I go to no one’s bed unwillingly.” His voice was flat.
“I will defeat her, my master.” Naomi stepped forward. “Is it sufficient that only we battle, or shall our people wage war as well?”
Her opponent eyed Shima shrewdly. “I can defeat you without the aid of others.”
Naomi chuckled. “You show wisdom in your fear of her, but you will learn that I am to be feared too.” She glanced at the avariel. “As you are neutral, you will begin this fight.”
The winged elf cocked her head. “Very well. Do either of you require time to prepare for this combat?”
The strange elfqueen shook her head. “No. We will fight now, or I will be victor by default.”
“What is your name?”
The strange elfqueen was tying her golden hair back. “I am Bluebell.”
“I am Naomi.”
“I do not have a weapon to match your bow.”
“Bluebell, the fact that you do not is not my problem. You challenged me and I will not weaken myself because you are stupid.”
Bluebell’s eyes narrowed but she said nothing as the avariel looked expectantly from one to the other. “Begin.”
Bluebell immediately threw herself sideways as she fired a glowing dart of energy at Naomi. The power bolt staggered the green haired elfqueen, spoiling her aim so that her arrow missed.
Bluebell held up her hand and shards of bamboo shot from them only to bounce off of a glowing field that appeared around Naomi. In return, an arrow slammed through the upper part of Bluebell’s right arm and disappeared into the distance as the blonde elfqueen’s face went white. She grabbed her bloody arm and the wound began to shrink.
Naomi raised her free hand and chains leapt from her palm to wrap around Bluebell’s throat. The chains twisted, tightening and choking off her air. Bluebell grabbed at the chains and they glowed briefly, but nothing seemed to happen. Naomi released the chain and it promptly slithered around her opponent’s arms, pinning them to her body. She still tried to pull the chains free from her neck. The links moved again, tightening still more as Bluebell’s struggles gradually weakened. A sharp tang of vinegar filled the air as her bladder let go. Finally, the elfqueen collapsed to the ground to lie unmoving.
Naomi watched her for a moment and then turned to face the elves that hadn’t joined her. “I am victorious and you are mine.” The two elves and the avariel dropped to one knee. “Rise and join the others. As I have humans available, I can return our sisters from the Nothing. Are there any that you had to abandon?”
“Yes, my queen.” It was one of the two who had originally supported Naomi. “We were forced to leave two behind.”
“All of you except the winged one will leave immediately to retrieve them.” The elves bowed and headed for the nearby woods at a run.
“Naomi?” She gave Caradoc a curious look. “Aren’t you forgetting that Bluebell is still being strangled by your chains?”
She blinked. “Oh, yes. I suppose I should let her live. However, if she defies us just once, her life should be forfeit.”
He shrugged. “Once she knows that, I don’t have a problem with it as long as she’s free to leave if she chooses to instead of rebelling.”
“Can anyone leave at any time where you come from?”
“As long as it’s not seen as a betrayal at a crucial time, yes.”
Naomi shook her head. “You don’t come from a kingdom, do you sir? What if I made it so she couldn’t leave, by offering her to Richard as a bond mate?”
“That’s kind of cruel.” He smiled slightly. “It might just be cruel to Bluebell as well.”
“She will see having a male of her own as a prerequisite of her rank as elfqueen. If it binds her to our farm and she’s too stupid to realize what that means, is it my fault?”
“What about the fact that the Henry family will have their own farm? Will that end up with her trying to order your elves to work her farm?”
“Probably, but then I’ll deal with her. She’s now my subordinate and I will not let her have elves of her own unless and until she proves to me that she’s trustworthy. In the meantime, she’s likely to need a few corrections until she learns her place. I’ll be firm to make sure she needs as few lessons as possible.”
“Don’t cripple her. By the way, she’s still dying. Please release her.”
“As you command, master, so shall it be.” The chains disappeared in a puff of smoke and Bluebell began making loud raspy sounds as her abused lungs sucked in air.
The avariel made a choked off noise and Naomi raised an elegant eyebrow. “Yes?”
“I don’t mean to offend you, my queen, but you are very cold blooded.”
“Actually I’m not, but I can’t have her disobeying me every time I turn my back. I really hope she behaves, but I can’t trust her enough to just believe that she will. Sadly this means I need to plan in case she does foment rebellion.” She rubbed her chest where the power bolt had struck her and her hand glowed as she used heal. The burned fabric mended along with the damaged flesh beneath. “If she goes after me or Shima, we’ll gang up on her, but I can’t afford to take the chance that she’ll hurt Caradoc or Winona, either deliberately or by accident.”
“I’m not quite that fragile.”
“Sir, she is a pokegirl and you are not. If she attacks you, she will die, no matter how much or little she hurts you.”
Beside her, Shima growled her agreement. “Naomi will have to race me to see who gets to kill her if she tries to harm you or my daughter.”
Caradoc cocked his head. “Isn’t she our daughter?”
“No, she is not. She is my daughter and someday, when I am unable to continue as your woman, she shall take my place.”
Caradoc’s eyes narrowed. “What if that day doesn’t come for some time?”
“Then, for a while, you will have two nightmares in your family.”
“I have two nightmares in my family now.”
“If you raise her as your daughter, you will not want to fuck her when her time comes and she needs you to.”
Caradoc’s voice took on a calm evenness that belied the anger that flickered in his eyes. “And at that time we will find her a nice man to be her husband or lover.”
“How long will you live?”
He looked startled. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Naomi has told me of your past. You are not entirely human, are you?” She didn’t wait for his reply. “I repeat the question, how long will you live?”
“I am human, but the treatments I’ve received will extend my life. Barring accidents, I can live for several centuries.”
Shima nodded as if that were the answer she expected. “No matter what happens, I will not live that long. You will take excellent care of Winona and that makes you the best choice to be her master.”
“You seem to forget that there’s the small problem that I have no intention of bedding my daughter.”
“I have not forgotten it, which is why she is not your daughter and you will not be her father.”
Caradoc went very still and his voice became cold enough to freeze nitrogen. “Let me explain something to you, and I’ll use small words so you understand since we are never going to have this conversation again. You are in my family and Winona is my daughter, no matter the fact that I didn’t sire her. I birthed her and I have taken care of her and there is nothing that anyone can do that will change the fact that she is my child. Like I told you once before, even if you leave, she may not go with you unless I think her situation will either improve or at least not get any worse. If, for some reason, you leave my family without that condition being met, you’d better keep running because I will do everything within my power to find you. I won’t care if you are feral or aware, I will find my daughter and I will rescue her.” He fixed the stunned nightmare with a furious gaze as his voice dropped to a hiss. “She is never going to come to my bed for anything more than comfort from bad dreams. If she needs fucked, I’ll find someone I trust to do what needs to be done properly, but don’t you ever, ever suggest that I would breed my own child.”
Shima stared at him for several heartbeats. “You would insist on being Winona’s father?” Her voice was soft and hesitant.
“I am her father.”
“We who were created by Sukebe never had fathers or mothers. I don’t know what it’s like to have a father, but I hope it makes Winona’s life happier than mine was.” Shima bowed her head. “I am sorry for my words, Master Caradoc.”
She jumped when he touched her chin and lifted her face to look him in the eyes. “Not master, just Caradoc. You and Naomi don’t have to ever call me master.” A glint of humor flickered in his eyes. “She does so because she wants to and sometimes I think she does it to tease me.”
Uncertain red eyes stared into his. “What will Winona call you?”
“I think the common usage here is dada.”
As Shima snuggled into her tamer’s arms, Naomi glanced at the stunned looking avariel. “Come with me.” She picked up Bluebell, easily throwing her over a shoulder. “Let’s find you someplace to stay while we’re settling in.”
(07/14/06 0900 Bishop Farm, Tropic League)
Richard Henry looked like what he was, a young man in a difficult time who’d been forced to grow up fast. He was taller than Caradoc and gangly, but there was a quiet strength in him and it was obvious to Bishop that, in the years to come, he’d fill out to meet the potential that his frame hinted at. Right now he looked more pensive than strong. “Mother is going to kill me if I take a pokegirl.”
Caradoc nodded. “She’s not going to be happy about it, I’ll agree, but I don’t think she’ll resort to homicide.”
“It’s not your life you’re making jokes about.”
“No, it’s not.” Bishop picked a stalk of grass and began slowly shredding it. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t ask you for this; but the truth is that according to the league you’re an adult and, as an adult, you have to decide if you’re going to make adult decisions or let your mother make them for you.” He glanced at Richard. “I think you’re mature enough to make those decisions, but only you can decide you’re going to make them.”
Richard ground his teeth. “You know, that ‘become the man of the family’ bit that I was told after dad left was a lie. It just meant that I had to give up what little of my childhood remained and shoulder a lot more responsibility while my mother still made all the decisions.”
“Did she do that while your father was alive?”
The young man grinned suddenly. “Yeah.”
“Then that’s probably what she thinks a man does. He takes her orders.”
“I’m not my dad.”
“I never thought you were. But your mother thinks of you as a kind of stand in for your dad, and she also thinks of you as her baby boy.” Bishop smiled when Richard gave him a suspicious look. “I took some psychology courses when I was in school. Where I lived, it was a really good idea to have some knowledge of basic psychology in case someone went a bit crazy. It was a kind of stressful place and it happened from time to time.” Caradoc dropped the grass. “However, that’s neither here nor there. What is important is whether or not you’re ready to make decisions for yourself. If you are, you’ll need to decide if you’re ready to have a pokegirl of your own.”
“What would you do?”
“I wouldn’t ask someone else what I’d do. However, if you’re asking for options, then maybe I can help. Like I said, you’ve got to decide if you’re willing to live with your mother’s disapproval by making decisions that she may not agree with before you can decide if you want a pokegirl.”
Richard looked into the distance and nodded abruptly. “I am willing to decide against what my mother wants.”
“And are you willing to live with the repercussions?”
“I am.”
“Welcome to adulthood.” Caradoc gave him an odd half bow. “I greet you, Richard Henry, as a whole man, fit in mind and body.”
“Uh, thanks.”
“Trust me; the responsibility for your own actions is not a light burden. As a full adult you should only blame others if the fault truly lies with them. Now you need to decide if accepting a pokegirl into your life is the right thing for you and yours.”
“Do I have a ‘yours’?”
“You accept responsibility for the care of your mother and sister, don’t you?” He continued when Richard nodded. “Then they are your family and yours to protect and cherish.”
“A pokegirl would help me do that. Our house is too far from yours for you to protect us all the time.”
“That’s right.”
“Mr. Bishop, couldn’t all the pokegirls together move our house closer to yours?”
“First, as an adult, you have the right to call me Caradoc or just Bishop if you want. Second, I suppose they could, but you’d lose all your plumbing and electricity since your house is on a foundation. I do intend for us to have running water again someday. Third, I thought you’d want to be far enough away to have your own farm just in case we have a falling out. No, I don’t think it’s likely; but, as the years roll by, people do change and I don’t want to own your property if you hate my guts.”
Richard laughed a little before sobering. “Then we need a pokegirl to defend the house until help can come. Do you have one of the elves in mind?”
“Naomi wants you to have Bluebell, but I think that maybe you should start out with something a little less pushy. Once you have a decent alpha, she can help you keep Bluebell in line.”
“I know I haven’t met the ones who went off to get their friends, but I’ve been told that all we have are elves.”
“That’s right, so what we need to do is go feral hunting for you.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Well, today Shima and the avariel are going to do a bit of scouting. We’ve seen tracks from water types down at the river, so we’ll start there. Once we have a better idea of what’s available, you can decide what you want us to try and catch. Just remember that it’s ‘try and catch’. I make no guarantees other than we’ll do our best.”
“Mr, um, Bishop, I won’t ask for anything more than that.”
(07/16/06 1030 Outside Falmouth, Tropic League)
The avariel circled slowly; staying just low enough to be able to see her target through the binoculars she’d been given. They hadn’t had time to set up some kind of communications, so she was supposed to stay there unless something significant changed and then the event of her abandoning her circling would be a warning until she could report to her queen. So far nothing had necessitated that move.
The growltit sniffed the air and decided there was nothing that required her to get up, so she rolled happily in the long grass before settling down to soak up some sunlight. She’d noticed the flying pokegirl overhead, but since the avariel was too high to attack the growltit had decided to pretend she didn’t exist.
She rolled to her feet the same instant that Naomi stepped out of the woods on the other side of her clearing. The growltit gave a barking cry and charged as Naomi raised her bow.
Her blunt took the growltit in the belly; the arrow shot technique changing the projectile into a rock element as it struck. The growltit went down hard as she vomited up her last meal. She struggled to all fours and wiped her mouth as she looked up to glare at the elfqueen. Confusion rippled across her face when she realized that Naomi had vanished into the forest. Pushing to her feet, she looked around quickly and began sniffing the air as the second rock element blunt took her in the side and knocked her off her feet again.
The growltit rolled to her feet and blasted a flamethrower attack in Naomi’s direction. The flames wrapped around the elfqueen and were sucked into her body as the absorb technique mitigated the damage and actually healed what little damage got through the technique.
The growltit took three steps forward and a wave of fire exploded from her as she launched a fire blast technique at Naomi. It went wild as Shima plowed into her from behind with double edge. The nightmare’s armored form razored dollops of flesh from the growltit’s back as the impact smashed her forward to lie unmoving.
Shima grinned down at the fallen growltit and then screamed as fire washed over her body as the second growltit came out of the woods and hit her with fire blast.
The entire scene vanished in a sphere of absolute darkness a hundred and forty feet across. Naomi’s heart suddenly pounded in her chest and she fought to breathe past the fear that gripped her when she realized that she was completely blind. Somewhere, she heard the growltit make a terrified sound and then there was the burp of a flamethrower.
When she suddenly found herself in the light again, Naomi shuddered in reaction, gripping her bow so tightly that her knuckles went white. The edge of the darkness swept away from her and towards the other side of the clearing. There were a series of heavy sounding explosions and the growltit came flying out of the sphere to smash through several trees before coming to rest.
The darkness was suddenly gone, revealing Shima standing in the air about fifteen feet off the ground. She trotted downwards as she turned towards the second growltit. “You take the first one while I secure this bitch.” From a pouch draped over her shoulder she pulled a bundle of wire cable which she twisted around the growltit’s wrists and ankles. Then she ran the wire around the growltit’s muzzle before pulling an opaque bag over her head and tightening it around her neck.
She picked up the growltit and threw her over her equine back before trotting back to Naomi, who was finishing up securing the first growltit. “I wish we’d known about there being two of them.” She glanced at the sky where the avariel still circled. “Maybe we need a flying pokegirl in the harem, so we can trust her more.”
“Not her. I’ve talked to her and she’s not that bright.” The elfqueen draped the first growltit across Shima’s back and began tying both of them in place with some ropes. “I want someone smart enough to think that she was seeing two identical pokegirls instead of just one. Are you ok?”
The air flickered around Shima as she activated cocoon of darkness. “I’ll be fine.”
“Will that also heal the growltits on your back?”
“Yes. I used to use it to heal my riders if they were injured.”
“Would it work on Caradoc?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good to know. I worry about him getting injured.”
Shima shook slightly to settle the two bound pokegirls more firmly on her back. “You are not alone in that concern.”
(07/17/06 0630 Bishop Farm, Tropic League)
“Damnit!”
Caradoc lurched upright at Naomi’s curse and rolled out of bed, instinctively reaching for a weapons belt that wasn’t there. He forced his mind to the present and grabbed his pants as Shima sat up and checked Winona.
He dashed into the kitchen to find the elfqueen glaring at a small bag that sat in the middle of the kitchen table. She gave him a sour look and nodded towards the bag. “I can’t believe it happened again. That wasn’t there fifteen minutes ago.” She angrily pushed to her feet. “I’ll get some vine to set up my warding spell while you look at what that damned wet queen left us this time.”
“I take it you don’t like unexpected visitors.” He motioned to Shima when she appeared in the doorway. “It may be nothing, but do a quick sweep of the farm.” The nightmare gave her alpha a disgusted look and headed outdoors to check the area.
Naomi fought not to glare at him. “I really don’t like ones that sneak in and out of our house. I happened to have been up on watch. The bitch could have knocked instead of sneaking into our home.” She opened the kitchen door and disappeared outside as he reached for the bag.
Inside were two small cases with stones inside them. He frowned when they jogged his memory and he went back into the bedroom and grabbed his pack. He dug around and pulled out another case with a handful of stones in and returned to the kitchen.
When the two pokegirls returned, Shima was in a better humor. “I was worried that one of the growltits escaped during the night, but we’ve still got both blondes securely tied up so Richard can choose one this morning.” She paused as she looked at the stones lying in their now open cases. “What are those?”
“Sit down, ladies. Until I saw the new ones, I’d forgotten we got these from the first visit by our wet queen.” He gestured at the stones. Eight of them were almost identical, a dull gray ovoid two centimeters in diameter with an identification number stamped into the top of them. Each number was different. Of the other two stones, one was fist sized and glossy black while the other was the same size and shape as the gray ones, but was a dark green. “We got the green one and the large one last night.”
After talking with Naomi about his mission and his past, not long after, the two of them had spent an evening discussing what was going on behind the scenes with Shima. Caradoc had been surprised that the briefing had actually pleased the nightmare, not only because the fact that she’d been informed meant that she was trusted and would be kept around for the foreseeable future; but also because it turned out that she was a mission oriented person and having one allowed her to focus more on the job at hand. At the time, he’d made a mental note about that aspect of her personality and, ever since, had broken her job assignments down into specific goals for her to focus on. It had increased her efficiency by a measurable amount.
Naomi, on the other hand, he could give a general instruction to and turn her loose to do the job knowing that while it might not get done the way he would have, it would get done. More and more he found himself appreciating her organizational skills and considered himself blessed by The Wolf for her being his first pokegirl.
Caradoc turned the case with the gray stones around so they could see the contents better. “These are technical trainers and each one contains a single pokegirl technique. When applied to a pokegirl, if she can learn the technique, it gets uploaded into her mind and she learns how to do it; but she still has to practice it to get it down well and to learn to access it at will. If she can’t learn that technique due to type differences, nothing happens. They don’t work on humans.” He nodded towards the green stone. “That is also a technical trainer, but according to the instructions it came with, it’s a very special one indeed.”
Naomi looked at them curiously while Shima’s eyes were filled with hunger as she gazed at the stones. “Master, do the instructions say what techniques are in these?”
“Yes, they do.” He touched one marked N05. “This one is a literacy trainer and will make any pokegirl able to read and write English, which is the dominant language here on Jamaica.” His fingers brushed another one, this one stamped F11. “Neither of you can use this one. It’s got feather shuriken in it.” He looked up. “Of the others, M03 is energy blade, V07 is regeneration tears, and M12 is heal, which Naomi already knows.” He picked up a stone. “F05 here is flamethrower, which I don’t think Naomi can learn, but I don’t know about Shima.”
The elfqueen shook her head. “I’m weak against fire, so no, I can’t learn it. What about the others?”
“W02 is water gun and N22 is double edge.”
“I already know double edge,” Shima commented quietly. “I want the others though.”
“This one,” Caradoc picked up the green stone marked MP01, “has a technique in it called Earth Mother.”
“I’ve never heard of that one.” Naomi peered at it closely. “What does it do?”
“Well, according to the instructions, this is a relatively new development and it can only be used by a pokegirl who is both a plant and a magic type. When the technique is used, it will create an invisible ten foot field around the user that causes a pokegirl who is already inside or who enters the field to immediately undergo parthenogenesis and become pregnant. She has to be old enough to get pregnant, so it won’t affect a kit. It can also be used to create a glowing green nimbus around the user’s hands that will only affect individuals. The field won’t affect the user, but the individual version will if she touches it.” He glanced at them. “It also works on a human or a pokewoman, making her body more fertile when she ovulates as well as making her internal environment more conducive to keeping sperm alive on the trip to the egg. In men, it causes their sperm production to jump to three times normal levels.” He put the stone back. “It will also permanently repair a woman or man affected by the Bloody Flu and for that reason alone, if the Tropic League finds out about it they will be willing to kill us all to get it.”
Shima stared at it like she expected it to bite her. “Throw it away.”
Caradoc shook his head. “We have instructions to use it when we go to towns. The area effect version can’t be seen, so Naomi will be using it in bursts when we hit communities to increase the numbers of fertile women.” He flashed a grin. “It’ll also confuse the hell out of the league when a bunch of mules turn up pregnant in spite of their conclusive proof that the mules are sterile.” His grin vanished like it had never existed. “However, our primary goal is not to be suspected in the sudden rash of fertile women, so I don’t think we should use it on anyone close to us, at least not in the beginning.”
Shima’s hand hovered over the fist sized stone. “What about this one?”
“That is a knowledge stone and it’s used in Tirsul to upload information to the brain of a human. According to the information I have, it works on pokegirls too. I’ve already used this one and it’s got a lot of information about farming as well as an overview of what grows well here in Jamaica. It’s also got maps that should prove very handy for us.”
Naomi glanced up as the sounds of movement came from upstairs. “The Henrys are up. Which ones of these can we learn?”
“Since both of you have magical elements, you should be able to learn everything with the exceptions of the feather shuriken and the flamethrower. Shima should also be able to learn flamethrower.” He closed up the cases and gathered them up. “Considering that you have to learn to access the techniques once you get them, we’re going to proceed slowly with them. I’ll give each of you a new technique this evening. I think each of you will start with a different one and, hopefully, later on when the other learns it you’ll be able to help her access the technique faster. We’ll also decide which, if any, of these we want to let the elves learn.”
“What about Richard’s pokegirls when he gets some?”
“Now that he and Amelia are done yelling at each other, he said he’ll pick one of the growltits this morning. I don’t want one, so the other we’ll ship off to Montego. As to your question, Naomi, he’s not family and he’s not part of our mission, so he does not get access to our resources.”
Shima’s eyes glittered as she looked at him. “When will we start?”
“Today.”
(07/19/06 0645 Hagley Gap, Tropic League)
Naomi slid off of Shima’s back and pulled an arrow from her quiver. From his perch on the nightmare’s equine torso Caradoc watched as she headed into the ruins of the town to check for ferals. Until the area was clear, he was going to stay on Shima so they could flee if necessary. He didn’t like it, but agreed that if it were necessary, Naomi stood a much better chance of evading and making it back to the farm if she weren’t dragging him behind her the entire way.
The memory stone had shown him this area and the knowledge it had provided had given him some ideas as to some crops that he could glean from here for his farm
Winona giggled and Caradoc leaned over Shima’s shoulder to watch as the nightmare teased her daughter’s nose with a finger. “I’m still watching the area,” she said without looking at him.
“I know you are, but I was actually admiring the fact that you’re a good mother.”
That got him a sharp look from her that softened when she realized he was serious. “Thank you. I know that if you had children in the Confederation you wouldn’t be here, but did you lose any when your family was killed? You said you don’t have any, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t have some.”
“Fortunately, I was spared that particular pain. Although I got to help with some of my siblings when they were children, Winona is my first child.”
“Will there be others? With me, I mean.”
He draped his arms over her shoulders and kissed the back of her neck before sitting back up. “I certainly hope so.”
Her head kept sweeping slowly. “Will you have Naomi use that new technique on me?” Her voice gave no hint of what opinions she might hold on the matter.
“When and or if you and I decide that we want more children, we may use that to ensure it happens. However, if you’re asking whether or not I’ll decide to have her use it on you without you wanting her to, the answer to that question is a definite no. Children are supposed to be loved; forcing you to get pregnant isn’t a good way get that off to a good start.”
Winona made a hungry noise and Shima shifted the infant to a breast. “I think that once she has that technique, Naomi may turn up pregnant very soon. She loves Winona and I think she wants one of her own.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Will that cause problems?”
“I don’t see why it would. It shouldn’t affect her abilities, although we’ll have to be very careful about using her to fight if she’s pregnant. It also won’t affect our relationship or the one I have with our daughter.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Naomi came loping up. “The area is clear. What a mess this place is.”
Caradoc had to agree. Hagley Gap had been a tiny community in the Blue Mountains about twenty five kilometers miles north of Kingston. The place had existed for two reasons, one of which had been tourism. Before the war, Hagley Gap had been a convenient destination for day trippers from Kingston, as well as foreign tourists, to dump their money into the Jamaican economy.
The other reason the village existed, which was also a large part of the tourist draw and also the reason they were there, was that it was also an agricultural center for the region and it grew some rather desirable crops. It was also the only reason he could think of that would have resulted in pokegirl forces destroying the village.
The place looked like it had been stomped flat by an angry giant. Parts of buildings were scattered all over the place amid the remains of shattered trees and pieces of cars that lay bleeding rust over everything they touched. On one edge of the village lay an odd depression roughly eight feet wide and twenty feet long that was covered with grass and small bushes. Caradoc had seen it and pointed it out as they circled over the village, wondering out loud what it was.
Naomi had squeezed her arms around him and quietly explained to him that it proved that the destruction was done during the first or second stages of the war. She’d gone on to tell him that it was probably a mass grave for the villagers who’d been killed by the attacking pokegirls, buried when the local government had still had the time, the earthmoving equipment and the fuel to waste on such an endeavor. Later in the war, the Jamaican government wouldn’t have had the resources to clean up and the dead would have either been buried by the survivors or left where they lay.
Caradoc had been very quiet while his brain had worked to wrap itself around the idea.
He slid off Shima’s back and began picking his way through the rubble. “Naomi, you’re free to roam and look for what we’re here for. Shima, you’re with me.”
The two of them were examining some rows of bushes that were covered with nuts in various stages of ripeness when Shima went still. “Don’t move quickly, Caradoc, but look to your right and up.” She began sliding slowly in his direction, carefully reaching for her daughter. They’d fashioned a baby carrier that Amelia had called an onbuhimo. It was essentially a pouch that Winona rode in with some straps and a couple of rings that could be worn either in the front or back to free up Shima’s hands. Today, she’d moved it to the back as soon as her tamer had gotten off her back and she’d changed back to her human form. Now she unfastened it and pulled it around so she could cradle her daughter.
Caradoc slowly turned to look. A group of flying women was about a hundred meters away. Their white wings flashed in the sun as they circled, looking for thermals as they climbed. There are thirty four of them. Analysis is proving difficult as there are several flying species of pokegirl with white wings. I recommend getting a pokedex scanner since it reads energy emissions that your eyes cannot detect. I will continue analysis and try to identify them. Warning, they are drifting in this direction.
Caradoc slowly knelt and shifted under one of the bushes, motioning for Shima to join him. She pressed herself against him and handed him Winona. “I don’t know what they are,” she muttered as she alertly eyed them.
“Yeah, there are a lot of winged pokegirls and there’s no guarantee that they’re all the same species anyways.”
She glanced at him. “Naomi told me that you were remarkably well informed because of your connections. I see that she was right. Use your vast knowledge and take a guess as to what they are.”
Bitch. I accept her challenge. There was a pause. Please go to wide range view and relax. Caradoc widened his eyes and stared at the middle of the formation of pokegirls. All of them are humanoid. All of them are wearing some clothing, although in many cases it looks pretty badly beat up, and a couple are wearing what looks like leaves tied on with vines. Hair color is primarily what is called golden blonde, with variations running through the spectrum of blonde. Sixty five percent of them have braided or otherwise bound hair. Most of them are wearing back and breast armor with leg protection as well. There don’t seem to be many weapons visible, but some flying armored pokegirls can summon weapons when needed, however the weapons in sight are Western in design. I only see melee weapons such as swords and spears. Still, that doesn’t narrow the field a lot. I would give an eighty percent probability that they are valkyrie.
Shima was watching the pokegirls, but giving him expectant glances. “Well?”
“I think they are valkyrie.”
She cocked her head and regarded the circling flock carefully. “That’s an excellent guess. They are also coming this way.” She forced him further into the cover provided from the bushes. “Now, we hope they haven’t seen us. I’m faster than they are, but if they attack all at once, I may not be able to protect you and Winona.”
The flock drifted overhead and spread out to cover the area before all but two landed. They began looking the nuts over carefully and began picking the ripe ones.
This is not good.
Shima shook her head. “We have a problem. They haven’t seen us or Naomi, but it is only a matter of time before we’re discovered. Still, I can phase through the ground and take you and Winona to safety.”
Caradoc sighed. “We’ve only got one thing that’ll prevent that.”
“What?”
He twisted his wrist and pointed behind Shima without moving his arm. “Her.”
The nightmare slowly twisted around and her lips thinned when she saw the valkyrie watching them curiously. “Damn. Valkyrie are part fighting type, but I doubt she’ll be much of a match for me. The problem then becomes the fact that if we fight, it’ll draw the rest of them into the battle.” She glanced at him. “I’m good, but I don’t think I could take them all.”
The valkyrie touched a jeweled necklace on her chest and was suddenly wearing full plate armor as her wings vanished. She grinned and held out her hands. A massive shield appeared in one of them while a broadsword appeared in the other. She made a “come on” motion with the sword.
“I think she wants a fight.”
“I already said I don’t think I can beat her when the others all pile in.” Shima moved to stand between him and the valkyrie. “And I can’t assure you that they won’t track me if I phase and take you underground. It’s also risky since you’ve never done that before. If you fall off, you will die.”
Valkyrie are supposed to be at least partially rational when feral. Perhaps she can be reasoned with.
Caradoc slipped next to Shima, who gave him a quick glare as he fastened the onbuhimo around himself so that Winona was riding against his chest. “I’m going to try something nonviolent.”
“I’d feel better about this if you weren’t holding our daughter.”
“I wish I didn’t have to do it at all. Hand gestures aren’t necessarily universal.” He pointed at the valkyrie and then at Shima and shook his head exaggeratedly, pointing at the valkyrie again and waving one hand in a slow circle. Then he raised both arms until his hands were head high, curved his hands and smacked his hands together lightly before pointing at Shima.
The valkyrie looked mystified for a moment and then her eyes lit up. She turned and gave a lilting call.
“Get ready to run.” Shima reached out and grabbed his hand. “Whatever you tried didn’t work.”
Caradoc gripped her fingers tightly. “Give it a moment, please, but when we bail is your call.”
“Mine?”
“If they attack us, I’ll be curled around our daughter to protect her and won’t have time to give the order.”
Within seconds, the valkyrie surrounded them. The one that had called pointed at Shima with her sword and then at herself. She swung the sword in a circle, aiming the point at the other pokegirls and then smashed the blade against her shield while scowling at them. The other valkyrie backed up several paces and became still.
The first valkyrie grinned and again made the motion to Shima for her to advance. The nightmare glanced at Bishop. “Do you think it’ll work?”
“I got the distinct impression that her ‘get involved and deal with me’ wasn’t met with a lot of dissent. She could be the flock’s leader.” He relaxed slightly at a flicker of motion in the trees. Emerald green. “Naomi is here.”
“The two of us can’t fight them all.”
“Then don’t. Fight the one that wants to fight you and take her down quickly. Then we’ll run while the others are working themselves up to be angry about what just happened.”
“Then don’t. Fight the one that wants to fight you and take her down quickly. Then we’ll run while the others are working themselves up to be angry about what just happened.”
“And if events don’t go as planned?”
He gave her a serious look. “In that case, try to stay alive. I’ll run and you can escape through the ground since they’ll probably be focused on you. Don’t get killed protecting us if you can avoid it. Winona needs a mother as much as she needs a father.” His jaw muscles flexed as he gritted his teeth. “I wish I wasn’t so fucking useless right now.”
Shima patted his shoulder. “You aren’t useless. You know many things that we do not and that is your job.” She stepped forward to face the valkyrie.
To Caradoc that was little condolence as he watched her square off against her opponent. He’d be much happier if he could do more than hold the baby while she fought.
The nightmare pulled her dress over her head and handed it behind her to her tamer without looking. Then she seemed to shimmer darkly as she shifted to her centaur form. The red tuft on her tail lashed as she regarded the valkyrie. “Come on, bitch.” Her voice dropped, becoming both seductive and taunting at the same time. “You’re a fighting type so you have the advantage. You’re also stronger than I am, so this should be easy for you. All you have to do is hit me.” She smiled confidently. “If you weren’t feral, you might have a chance, but I’m not and that makes all the difference in the world.”
An excited murmur went up from the other valkyrie at the obvious challenge in the nightmare’s voice. Her opponent growled, raised her sword and charged, closing rapidly. Her sword began to glow as she pumped power into the blade.
Shima’s armor boiled up out of her skin but she waited until the last possible instant to dodge. Her speed was almost three times that of the valkyrie and she blurred sideways as the valkyrie swung and missed.
Caradoc ran for the edge of the circle as the nightmare fired a dark bomb at the valkyrie. The blast spun the valkyrie through the air and knocked him to the ground. He coiled around Winona and used the impetus of the fall to roll to his feet and continued his sprint for the line of valkyrie, silently blessing his mothers for insisting he follow through with his martial arts training when he didn’t want to.
The valkyrie was barely fazed by the blast and resumed her charge just as soon as she clambered upright. Shima’s force bolt slowed her for a second but did no other apparent damage. She moved forward, trying to crowd the nightmare against the ring of other valkyrie where she could bring her sword to bear.
The valkyrie in front of Caradoc gave him a toothy grin and moved out of the way so he could race out of the ring. She grabbed for him as he ran by, but he dodged and her hand closed on air. She visibly debated chasing him before turning back to watch the fight.
Shima noted that Caradoc and her daughter were free and changed tactics, lunging forward with double edge. She smashed into the valkyrie just as the fighting pokegirl brought her sword down. The glowing blade sliced deeply into the nightmare’s shoulder. Then Shima plowed through her, trampling her underfoot as she raced for the relative safety of the middle of the ring. Darkness shrouded Shima and the blood flowing from her shoulder slowed as she used cocoon of darkness to begin healing the damage. Her armor flowed across her body and sealed the rent as the valkyrie got up. The armor acted like a pressure bandage to prevent further blood loss as the wound began to close.
This time, as the valkyrie got up she looked somewhat worse for the wear and underneath her helmet her grin wasn’t quite so cocky. She shook herself to settle her armor into place and advanced at a walk. Her smile vanished when the force bolt took her in the chest. Shima launched another one that the valkyrie blocked with her suddenly glowing shield.
The nightmare responded by using energy drain as she backed up to keep out of reach of her opponent. The valkyrie stumbled as streamers of energy left her body and flowed through the air to Shima, where they sank into her skin and further healed her already knitting wound.
The valkyrie forced herself into a lumbering run, her face lined with exhaustion. While her breed of pokegirl was designed for extended combat, she’d hadn’t fought a long battle in years and she could feel her body’s reserves starting to deplete.
Also a veteran of the Revenge War, Shima could sense it too and she exploded forward as she used quick attack. Darkness shimmered and grew in her hands, forming a massive spear. She braced the butt end of the weapon against her torso just before impact, shifting slightly as the valkyrie made an abortive attempt to dodge. The point slammed through the shield, breaking the valkyrie’s arm before it took the pokegirl just below the center of her armor. The momentum of the nightmare coupled with her mass worked to punch it through the breastplate and sink it deep into her chest until it stopped when the tip grated against the backplate.
An astonished look crossed the face of the valkyrie as she dropped the sword that had suddenly grown too heavy to hold. She crumpled to the ground and vomited blood before becoming still.
A keening sound came from the valkyrie around her and Shima went into a defensive posture as wings sprouted from them and they took to the air. They circled twice and were gone, winging away to the north.
Shima used her energy to maintain the dark blade’s existence as she watched them go and then picked up the valkyrie and draped her fallen foe over her back. Shadows flickered over them for a moment and then the spear faded away. Turning, she trotted in the direction she’d last seen Caradoc headed.
Naomi was waiting with him and the nightmare ignored him to turn to her alpha. “My cocoon of darkness is keeping her alive, but she’ll need healed by you if she’s going to live.”
The elfqueen placed her hands on the valkyrie and the chest wound started to close. “Do we really need another present for Commander Jordan?”
Shima smiled grimly. “Even feral, she put up a good fight, which means she’s a lot smarter and tougher than that avariel. Once we get her back into fighting trim, her skills will help to keep Caradoc safe. The rest of us, too.”
Naomi’s eyes widened and turned thoughtful. “Now we just need to convince him of that.”
Caradoc Bishop - Tirsuli human
Naomi - elfqueen
Shima - nightmare
Winona - nightmare pokekit