Disclaimer: This story is not suited for minors due to violence, strong language and sexual content. If any of these offend you then stop reading now. To those of you who think that's all this story contains though you may want to stop reading as well. This story contains plots, character development and storyline.
Introduction: A young alchemist fleeing from his former employer encounters a small beast girl in the forest. Much to his surprise this little lady turns out to be far more then she seems. Now he must learn of these new people and wonder what they have in store for him as he resides amongst them.
As Joseph sprinted through the forest he cursed the thick underbrush as various vines and thorns snagged bits of his clothing slowing him down. His legs hurt and his throat was dry yet he couldn't stop to refresh himself. He could still hear people pursuing him. He wanted to curse, curse the forest, curse those who chased him, curse his own research and the world in general but he didn't have the breath to speak. He had to focus on escaping for the time being there would be time to be upset later.
“Gralam we need to pull back now! We're already too deep into the forest.”
In response to his subordinates crying out Gralam glanced back. “Do you want to explain to the king why we failed to retrieve the alchemist?”
“Sir you know how dangerous this forest is! If we don't turn around now we won't be returning to the king.”
Normally Gralam would have scolded his subordinate for cowardliness however he felt his men had good reason to be concerned. The forest wasn't exactly a place that welcomed humans. Yet the idea of returning empty handed didn't set well with him either. “We must pursue him for as long as we can!”
In response to this Horlam gave his head a quick shake. He would turn back now if he didn't know the consequences for disobeying a direct order. At the rate they were going though they'd all end up dead and lost in the forest. “Sir the king may be upset but if we continue further we're going to end up dead here anyway.”
At last Horlam's words seemed to register with Gralam and he quickly came to a stop. “Damn it!” It was clear that all his men wanted to stop as Gralam noted how quickly they call came to a stop. “We're not giving up yet however, we need to find another way.”
“What are you talking.” Horlam grew silent as he caught up with Gralam and noted what his superior was referring to. They had come to a rather steep cliff one which armor was ill suited for.
“Come on we can't wait around!”
As Joseph put more distance between himself and his pursuers his pace began to slow down and he took in a deep breath. He had actually used a strengthening potion to allow himself to scale down the cliff quickly so that he would have a little time to breath. He had been on the run for the past three days now after fleeing the service of his patron. It was an unfortunate situation but one that he couldn't help as he seated himself on some exposed roots.
Unfortunately Joseph couldn't relax too much as now that the soldiers were no longer chasing him he was able to remember other dangers. Some rustling leaves and snapping twigs drew his attention however he couldn't see anything. He wasn't trained to survive in the forest and didn't know what to look for anyway.
Running into the forest had been an act of desperation on his part. He couldn't allow himself to be captured for fear of what would happen if he was. He felt certain that death would be preferable over capture so he had chosen the forest feeling confident that no one would pursue him too far within it. However, he didn't particularly want to die either. It had been an act of desperation upon finding no other alternatives. Much to his surprise the soldiers under Gralam had continued to pursue him even within the confines of the forest.
Now he had to continue evading capture while making it through the forest alive. A forest that was known for being exceptionally dangerous and extremely vast to the point that no one was entirely sure how big it was. A forest that was hardly explored and he didn't have any training for wilderness survival.
“I'm so fucking dead.” A sigh escaped Joseph as he placed a hand on his forehead and gave a sigh. At least he had managed to regain his breathe now he could at least begin trying to find his way out of the forest. As he brought himself to a standing position he retrieved a small compass from his bag.
Maria gave a contented sigh as she lay on the massive river rock. The rock had been worn smooth by numerous floods and its dark texture did a wonderful job of soaking up the sun's heat. Her belly was full and all together she was quite content as she stretched out and let herself relax. She'd let herself go when it came to snacking and knew that she'd pay for it later especially if her mother found out given that she'd only recently been allowed to wake up. She couldn't help herself though.
Running water was a good sign at least that's what Joseph had heard. He hoped that it would turn out to be this time as he made his way towards the sound. He could get a drink and get some water for the journey ahead. At least that's what he thought until he came to the edge of the stream and noted the figure laying near the water.
The creature before him currently sported a rather impressive set of claws though only the ones on her hand could be seen. Her mouth was open partly revealing razor sharp perfectly white teeth. For the moment this was all Joseph cared to notice as he once again felt his heart rate speeding up and he was made to remember the stories he'd been told about these beast women. Slowly he took a step back but was made to stop as he noticed the young lady's ears twitching.
It was hard for Joseph to move as he looked at the apparently sleeping figure. From the way her ears twitched he felt certain she could hear him however whether she was awake or not and would remain so was the big question. If she was asleep maybe he could sneak away. She seemed to be asleep that was certain. As Joseph took a moment to examine her more closely something caught his attention.
While her left hand was cleaning the right was stained red and next to that hand were several berries. Immediately his gaze moved to her lips which had the same red tone as her fingers. Joseph didn't need to get any closer to recognize the berries and for a moment he felt himself calming down.
Deaker berries were quite toxic and as far as Joseph knew fatal to anything that might think them a delicious treat. Only certain types of insects could handle the harsh poisons of the plant. From the looks of the situation Joseph was guessing that this young beast girl had eaten a great deal of them. As he calmed down though he was made to realize something else. She was quite young indeed. While he couldn't be certain how big she actually was it was clear to Joseph that this one was no larger then a young human child.
Maria could hear and smell Joseph as he watched her. She chose to remain still out of curiosities wondering just what the human would do. She figured that he would try to sneak away and was debating on giving him a bit of a scare. So she was quite surprised whenever he began to edge towards her though very slowly.
What was he doing? Joseph didn't know the answer to that as he found himself edging closer to the beast girl. He didn't even realize that his hands were reaching for his satchel until he found himself clutching a tiny bottle in his hands and removed it from his back. Cautiously he removed the cap as he edged a few centimeters at a time towards the prone form of the beast girl. As he came closer he noted that her chest was rising and falling indicating that she was still alive but it was very slowly.
It would have been safer to just leave and let the poison take affect. Joseph couldn't do that as he came near the girl's sleeping form and tipped the bottle ever so slightly. He'd heard the stories but he hadn't encountered one of these beast woman before and this one was just a child. The idea of letting a child die of poisoning when he could prevent it just didn't set well with him.
As the human approached Maria prepared herself. If he was going to try to take her head while she was asleep he was in for quite an awakening. The smell of the potion reached her nose before anything that would indicate a weapon though and she remained still. She could hear how close the human had come and smell the potion growing closer. She then felt a few drops of the potion land on her tongue and couldn't hold in her reaction. “Yum!”
Immediately Joseph was made to recoil as the beast girl's eyes flew open and she set up. Instinct took over and he quickly closed the cap on the bottle and took several steps backward. He had just given the young girl a potion to purge the poisons from her system however there was no way it could have taken affect already. She had just been pretending and waiting for him to grow closer. As this thought sunk he once again found himself running.
Maria gave a slight giggle as she noted the humans' response and quickly jumped to her feet. Her padded feet insured there was nearly no sound as she jumped off the rock and began to sprint behind the human. It didn't take her to change from sprinting behind the human to running slightly in front of him. As she caught up to him she couldn't help herself and her lips parted in a rather toothy grin.
Joseph's heart was racing as he tried to put as much distance between himself and the beast girl as he could. Before he could even plan an escape rout though he found the object of his terror running along side of him and giving him a wonderful display of her teeth. The sight was so shocking that he forgot to watch where he was going and his foot caught on a rock.
This was one human that wasn't suited to running in the forest that was clear to Maria. As Joseph began to fall she quickly reached out and took hold of his waste band. It was easy for her to stop his fall despite her smaller volume. Instead of speaking to him though she gave into temptation and gave off a rather loud roar.
The fact that she had caught him didn't even register in Joseph's mind. The moment the roar hit his ears he was moving once again. Instead of running strait though he quickly moved to run into the forest. He was stopped cold though whenever he noted something move over his head and suddenly the beast girl was standing in front of him still grinning widely. A frightened help escaped him and he was made to stumble backwards.
Once again Joseph stumble though this time Maria didn't catch him. Instead as he landed on his back side she took a few steps towards him making sure that the claws on her hands and feet were extended. “Hi there!”
“Gah! Please don't hurt me I wasn't trying to harm you!”
“Hm I know. If you had been you would have been missing an arm by now and maybe a head.” After speaking Maria gave a slight giggle and took another step closer to Joseph.
As Maria moved closer Joseph took in a deep breath and tried to compose himself. “What do you want?”
“Mm oh lots of things really. Right now though I want to know why they're so many humans in the forest.”
“Well I'm, wait you just said many.”
Before another word could be spoken Gralam made his way out of the shrubbery. Immediately his gaze fell upon Maria and his hand took hold of the hilt of his sword. “Step away from the alchemist monster and leave immediately.”
Maria's response was quick and quite amused as she responded to the warrior. “No.”
In response to Maria's response Gralam wasted no time drawing his sword. He had been sent to retrieve the alchemist alive and he wasn't going to let this little beast eat him. Fortunately she was just a child and she was all alone. “This is your last warning monster either you leave now.”
Instead of waiting for Gralam to finish Maria spoke up. “Could we do this some other time? I've already eaten and I really hate to waste food.”
“Kill her!” As Gralam called out several arrows were let loose aimed directly towards Maria's chest.
Maria had a positively massive grin as she more skipped to the side then ran. She then gave the ground a slight push easily accelerating herself beyond the speed of the arrows so that by the time they struck the ground she was standing in front of Gralam looking up at him. “You didn't even have those enchanted and you thought they could hit me!” As she spoke Maria swung her hand upward in a wide arc slamming her claws into Gralam's chest piece.
Searing pain gripped Gralam's chest as Maria's claws impacted with his chest piece. His hand was made to go limp and he looked down towards his chest. What he saw horrified him and he felt his jaw go slack. They were several deep slashes inside of his chest piece and he quickly noted a few bits of crimson seeping out from under his armor. Her claws her sharp enough and arms powerful enough that she'd cut through his armor and even reached the flesh underneath.
Gralam wasn't the only one that could see what had just happened. Joseph had seen it as well and his reaction was instinctive. Turning around he began to sprint down river as he realized his folly. He had saw the beast girl and from her appearance though she was only a child. However, regardless of her age she'd just torn through steal armor with apparently no effort what so ever. He needed to get away as quickly as he could.
“Huh?” In response to Joseph's attempt to flee Maria quickly turned her head in his direction. Moments later her right arm struck out though this time she pressed her palm against Gralam's chest piece. The force of the impact lifted him up and sent him flying three meters before landing again. “Hey wait for me!”
Horlam could only look on as the beast girl chased after the alchemist. He didn't know what was going on but at the moment he didn't care. The moment the beast girl was out of site he quickly made his way over to Gralam and began working on his chest piece. “Help me get this off of him. We have to cover up those wounds and get him out of here before she comes back.” When no hands came to help him Horlam looked towards the others. “Well? What are you waiting for?! Get over here now!” At last the men came to aid him.
It had been Joseph's hope that the beast girl would stay to amuse herself with the soldiers. As he heard her call out though he realized that wasn't going to be the case. In a panic he began to reach into his traveling bag searching for a potion to renew his stamina. It didn't occur to him that while such potions would let him run longer they wouldn't let him run faster and at the moment that was what he needed to do if he wanted to escape. A sharp pain in his waste got his attention as he was suddenly forced to a stop.
Maria couldn't help but grin as she held onto Joseph's waste band once again. “I caught you!”
Instead of continuing his effort to run Joseph grew still and glanced behind himself. Considering what she'd done to armor he could only imagine what this young girl could do to him. “Please let me go I was just trying to help you.”
“Mm promise not to run and I'll let you go.”
While it was Joseph's intent to escape at the moment he didn't see many choices. “I promise I won't try to run away from you anymore. It's not like it'll do me any good anyway.”
“Now you're getting it.” As she spoke Maria released her hold on Joseph's waste band. “So how about telling me why you're in the forest now?”
“I didn't mean any harm I know the forest belongs to your people. I was just hoping to pass through.”
“That can't be the entire story.”
“Well no. As you can tell they are some people pursuing me. I had no choice but attempt to escape through the forest as there was no other path to take.”
Instead of responding right away Maria leaned in closer to Joseph taking in several deep breathes. As she did so she noted his scent and quickly committed it to memory. “There we go.”
“What?”
“Oh I was just memorizing your scent so even if you did sneak away I can track you down now.”
As Joseph listened to this he felt his skin growing cold and he began to sweat. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Hm well I can't eat for a while but I'm kind of bored but you can't run very fast so chasing you around isn't much fun. I suppose I could give you a head start and track you down but from the way you move that'd be too easy as well. Hm how could you amuse me?” For a few moments Maria grew silent allowing Joseph time to think. “I know!”
“What?”
“I'll talk to you and learn more about you.”
Joseph had been preparing to learn that he was going to be used as a scratching post so this was rather welcome news. He didn't feel safe at the moment and would have indeed rather left but given his previous experiences he knew there wasn't anyway he could escape. “What would you like to know.”
“Well why were those people after you for one thing.”
“They work for my former employer we had a divergence of interest.”
“Ah you mean that your employer wanted you to do something you didn't want to do so you ran out. In retaliation your former employer sent those men to retrieve you and you're so scared of what would happen if you got caught you ran into the forest hoping they wouldn't pursue you.”
“Well yes.”
“You're in quite a situation then. Of course there is a chance that group will report that you were killed in the forest which you may very well be. If you aren't though and you can make your way back out you should be able to take a safer rout.”
“If only that was true. I'm sure that he'll want proof that I'm dead.”
“You do have a point. Ah well I'm certain that a mage will be able to identify your bones whenever they come back and retrieve the body.” As Maria looked into Joseph's eyes her lips were made to part so that when she smiled her teeth could be seen.
For a while Joseph had felt certain that at least he would make it through this encounter alive. As he found himself once again looking at those teeth though he grew concerned. “Would you be interested in some other form of trade then my life? You seemed to like the potion an awful lot.”
“Indeed I did after you're dead they'll make quite a refreshing drink. What did you mean by trade for your life though?”
“Do you not intend to kill me?”
“Um nope I can't say that I do.” As she finished speaking Maria gave a slight giggle as stuck her tongue out at Joseph.
“What?!” It was all Joseph could do to keep from collapsing as his ears were filled with laughter moments later. The young beast girl before him no longer able to compose herself was made to topple over with laughter. As she was holding her sides trying to take breath Joseph was trying to contain his anger and fear all at once.
“OH now what is that look for?”
“Is this some type of game to you?”
“Yep! But what's with the tone I should be the one offended. I don't know exactly what type of stories you humans have been spreading about my people but apparently you think we're such monsters we'd repay good will with ill.” As she spoke Maria once again raised herself to a seated position though she was made to chuckle several times.
“What was all that talk about my corpse then?”
“Well from the way you ran and your attire and preparations I'd guess you've spent about as much time in a forest as I've spent in human cities.”
“Well that is. That's true.” As Joseph examined the young beast girl he still didn't feel it was safe to relax. She may very well just been toying with him. “I guess my odds of getting out here aren't very good.”
“Nope.”
“Well thank you for your help back there but even if my odds aren't very good I believe I should get going.” As he spoke Joseph brought himself to a standing position rubbing his sore back side as he did so. As he turned to leave he couldn't help but notice some movement out of the corner of his eye and once again the beast girl was standing in front of him.
“Oh come on now! Are you so scared of me that you're not even considering asking me for help?”
“I well. I don't know anything about you and. You said that you can't eat right now but that doesn't mean you can't eat later and after what you said to the guards.”
“Oh! Stop. Fine you have a point.” A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she reached up and flicked the tip of her ear a few times. “I'd suggest you go back to where those soldiers were and retrieve anything they might have left behind.”
Maria's speed had been established several times already however Joseph was still amazed when he saw it. The speeds with which she moved easily surpassed that of an arrow so that he didn't have time to say much as she quickly darted back into the forest. He could hear her moving quickly through the trees branches for a few moments and then he found himself once again alone.
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Night had set in far more quickly then Joseph had realized that it would. He had hardly had time to set up a small camp and gather enough firewood. At least he thought he had time. In truth the wood had been too damp to burn and he had been forced to resort to a flame potion to get the fire started. The fire wasn't so much to provide warmth though it was a warm summers night. Rather the smoke served to keep awake various pest and animals.
He just wished that the fire was more effective in keeping away the animals though as he could swear he heard things moving all around him. It was making it hard to eat. At least his alchemical training helped him in the forest to an extent. He knew what plants were safe to eat and which ones weren't though he didn't know which ones tasted good. He was finding that out by trial and error and sadly the majority tasted very poorly to him.
He had been lucky in some regards though. He had found a nice clearing to set up camp though the ground was far from comfortable. Absently he reached out to his side and took hold of the hilt of the sword he'd retrieved. Apparently the soldier Maria had injured had dropped the blade. He didn't have any real training in the use of such a weapon but having a weapon in his hands did make him feel a little safer.
“What are you doing sister?” As Mira spoke she kept her voice well below the tones that humans could hear. This posed no problem for her or her sister though as their large ears were quite adept at picking up such sounds.
“Watching the human.”
“You've been doing that all day.”
Maria waited until her sister joined her on an opposing branch. She was being noisy by their standards but it hardly mattered in this situation. The human didn't have any true forest experience and even if he did she doubted he could hear them. “I know I just feel like watching him is all.”
Before responding Mira took in a few breathes of air she then looked at her sister. “Yeah right as if that was your only reason. Blast it Maria you only recently woken up and you're already doing this?”
“It was just a little extra.”
“A little?! Your fingers are saturated in sugar I can smell it and so are your lips. You've been snacking on those berries again.”
Instead of responding Maria bit down on her lower lip and looked away from her sister. “I'll make up for it later it isn't a big deal.”
“You've just been using watching him as an excuse to stay away from home and snack haven't you.”
“No. No I haven't.”
“Yeah right.” A sigh escaped Mira as she lay down on the branch and looked at the human. “He really sure scorch those roots they taste much better that way.”
“I somehow doubt he knows that. Maybe we should go down there and tell him. If we give him some cooking tips he might share.” Maria didn't get to finish as her sister's hand clamped down on her mouth.
“Oh no. You've already eaten enough for today and well into the morning as well.”
“Morning?”
“Yes morning.”
A low groan escaped Maria as she found herself focusing on the human and his dinner even more intently now. “You know I think I've hanged around here enough I'll see you in a bit.”
“No you won't.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I'm not letting you out of my site. You're still recovering and apparently need heavier supervision then our older sisters thought.”
In response Maria was made to pout and once again lay down on the branch. Absently she reached out and began to cut away bits of leaves with her claws. “So what have you been up to today?”
“I went fishing.”
“All day?”
In response Mira gave a nod. “Yeah I wanted to catch some blue scales enough for a proper dinner.”
“Oh those are delicious! I haven't had then since I woke up maybe we could go get some for breakfast.”
“Sure we can go get some for lunch.”
Instead of responding Maria gave a slight sigh and closed her eyes. “Won't he be in for a surprise in the morning?”
“Yeah, why are you so interested in this human though?”
“He tried to help me earlier and gave me a potion to cure poison. I probably should have told him that I'm immune to any poison found naturally in this forest but it smelt so good.”
“You and your stomach. So what do you intend to do?”
“I'm not really sure sister.” A slight giggle escaped Maria as she opened her eyes once again. “I kind of want to take him home with us.”
“He tried to cure you when he thought you was poisoned? That's actually pretty neat no wonder you're interested in him. Humans that would stop to help one of us aren't exactly common.”
“Um sister you do realize that branch won't hold you for much longer right?”
“Yeah. Yeah. I'm moving.”
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Sleep had come far too late and morning had come far too early. As Joseph found himself waking up his back was sore and his head hurt. There wasn't much time to think about that though as he noted a sound near by. His heart seemed to skip a beat as he opened his eyes and found out where the noise had been coming from. Roughly ten meters away stood three adult tuskers snorting away and looking directly at him.
It hadn't occurred to Joseph last night but now that he saw the tusker's he realized he'd made a big mistake. Tuskers tended to root up various roots and plants for food as they traveled around the forest. This had two affects. It provided food and it made the areas easier for the animals to travel. Unfortunately it was this leveling that had drawn him to the spot and now he was directly in front of their path.
He didn't know much about the wilderness but even Joseph knew tuskers were bad news. The animals were big, temperamental and as their name implied sported massive tusks that served as natural weapons. The animals had been the death of many unprepared hunters and even some that were prepared. However, Joseph wasn't a hunter in any regards and he was most assuredly not prepared for this encounter.
Maria leaned forward as she watched the events unfolding. The tuskers had actually arrived a short while ago and had been trying to warn Joseph to get out of their path. He had been slow in waking up though and now the animals were quite upset. She doubted that he even recognized the warning signs that the tuskers were getting ready to charge.
As Joseph looked at the animal he didn't know if he should move or wait for them to pass him by. He didn't know that the best thing would have been to slowly stand up and move as far to the side as he could. In the end he was only certain that he should have moved whenever one of the large adults gave a loud squeal and quickly began advancing on his position. Realizing his plight he quickly reached into his bag and drew out a vial tossing it on the ground before him.
The moment the bottle struck the ground a massive blast of light was released as a thunderous boom resounded throughout the area. For a moment the tuskers were made to come to a stop as they shook their heads. Several of them began to dig their hoofs into the ground as their vision was currently blurred.
Joseph took in a deep breath as he stood up. He wanted to frighten the tuskers away knowing full well that he couldn't outrun them. He felt his heart sink though whenever the animals gave an enraged grunt and all moved into a full on charge. The light and sound had only stunned them it hadn't frightened them away and now they were even angrier then what they had been before. He knew he couldn't outrun the animals but he had to try and began to sprint to the side. He didn't have to sprint far though.
Maria's foot connected solidly with the tusker's head as she leaped from the trees and pressed off its skull. The time between her foot striking the first tusker in the head and the second was less then a tenth of a second as she jumped from animal to animal. Despite her small size the force with which she struck the tuskers was enormous and they were sent plowing into the ground. As she struck the last one she made it a point to leap in front of the heard her mouth opened and she let loose a roar that surpassed the bang of the flash potion.
It had happened too quickly for Joseph to follow one second the tuskers had been charging him two seconds later they were on the ground and there was a beast girl between them and him. As she let loose with a roar he covered his ears and was actually made to recoil. Much to his surprise the tuskers didn't continue their charge this time but seemed very concerned as they looked at their new opponent. The animals gave off a squeal quite different from their previous ones and quickly turned in the opposite direction.
“Wow you wouldn't have even made it twenty four hours in here!” As she spoke Maria turned around to face Joseph.
“You?! You were the one I encountered yesterday.”
“Hmmhmm.”
“What? How did you do that?”
“Tuskers are highly aggressive animals I thought even you humans knew that. In order to scare them you can't rely on just loud sounds or images you have to include some pain. Well that or be something they're already terrified of also known as me or one of my sisters.”
“I see. Well thank you but wait were you following me?”
“Well yeah.” A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she noted the expression on Joseph's face. “It's lucky for you I have been or you'd been torn to bits.”
“Why? Why were you following me?”
It was clear to Maria that Joseph was nervous though she couldn't blame him. He was already rattled by the tuskers. She was glad Mira had decided to stay out of site. “Listen um I just realized I don't know your name. Mine is Maria.”
“I'm well I'm Joseph.”
“Please to meet you. Anyway, Joseph you're going to die if you continue trying to travel through the forest there is no question of that. You went to sleep on a tusker's trail after all. There is no way you're going to get through the forest alive making mistakes like that.”
In response Joseph gave a slight nod. “You're probably right but I have to try. Setting down and dieing wouldn't be any better.”
“Actually there is a third option.”
At first Joseph bit down on his lower lip as he looked at Maria. After a few moments he gave a sigh. “What could I possibly pay you though to escort me through this forest?”
“Not that!” A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she took a step closer to Joseph. “I can't just escort you through the forest that could be very bad for my people in the long run.”
“How?”
“If we started escorting people through out forest it might inspire more humans to come here hoping to make a similar deal. That would put undo stress on my people and would force drastic action.”
“Then what is this third option you're talking about.”
“How about you come back to my village with me?”
“What?!”
Once again Maria was made to giggle as she noted the chock on Joseph's face. “Come back to my village with me. You said you were an alchemist and we could always make use of a human with such skills. You could earn your keep that way and we'd keep you safe at least until we felt certain.”
“Certain of what?”
“Certain that we could trust you of course.”
“I. I don't know.”
“Hm I'll tell you what. I'll stick around and let you think about my offer at least until I have to save your life again.”
“I take it this time you won't help me unless I agree.”
“Um not exactly.” It was impossible for Maria not to grin.
“Wait what happens the next time you save my life?”
“Mm it'd be better for you to come with me now so that it'll at least be in part on your terms.”
Instead of responding right away Joseph turned away from Maria and began to gather up his belongings. He needed to get out of this path and somewhere safer. “Please tell me what happens the next time you save my life?”
“Ah okay I guess it can't hurt anything except your nerves. The next time I have to save your life I'm going to claim your life.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean just what I said.”
“You mean you'll kill me.”
“Um well that depends on you.” A slight giggle escaped Maria as she noted the expression on Joseph's face. “You see from time to time a human with a useful skill will come through the forest and get lost. If one of us steps in and saves them we exercise the right to claim them if we want. That means you come back to our village and work for us. Once we decide you've earned your life back we'll let you go or you can try to escape and we can exercise the right to take away the life you'd lost anyway.”
“I. I've never heard of this.”
“Yeah.” For a moment Maria looked away from Joseph. “It's kind of rare and most don't leave or make it out of the forest at least. So what do you say? How about you come back to my village? You won't be claimed that way and while you'll have to earn your keep you'll be able to leave anytime you want. I believe that it's your best choice.”
“What do you mean by earn my keep though?”
“Oh we have uses for alchemist! You could make medicine, help in food preservation all sort of things really.”
“What. What happens to those humans you save who don't have any useful talents.”
“Ah that type of human just doesn't exist!” A slight giggle escaped Maria as she gave a rather toothy smile. “We can always find a use for people even the old ones.”
While Joseph couldn't be certain he doubted he wanted to know what the other uses were. “You intend to follow me regardless and see if I need to be saved don't you?”
“Yep!”
“What if I don't want saved?”
“Ah well even the claimed have the right to end their own lives if they want to. We'd never take that away from anyone.”
Joseph was more then a little frightened as he noted the expression on Maria's face. He had no reason to doubt what she was saying and she had saved his life. It wasn't likely that he could make it out of the forest on his own with only the supplies he'd brought and indeed she'd saved him twice now. Once when they'd encountered the guards and now from the tuskers. “I. I don't see much of a choice. I can leave whenever I want right?”
“Yep. I would say you can trust me but I doubt that would comfort you so I'll say this. You have no other choice but to trust me. After all try to make it on your own and you're going to end up dead or claimed. At least this way you have more freedom.”
“Is there anything else involved in this?”
“Um well just some common sense rules.”
“I'd like to hear them.”
“Okay but they're really basic things. You know no stealing, trying to harm or kill us, you'll only be allowed into certain areas and you have to do something to earn your keep though they're a variety of choices. I imagine my sisters will want to make use of your alchemical skills though and I'd suggest you go along with their request.”
“I would say that depends on what you want me to make but does it look like I have the tools needed to ply my trade?”
“Hey that's mean!” As she finished speaking Maria's lips parted as she snarled slightly.
Immediately Joseph felt his heart rate quicken as felt he'd made a major mistake. In response he took a step back while holding up his hands. “What? What did I say?”
“Here I am talking to you after saving your life and you still believe we're just dumb animals?! Of course I know you need tools to do your job!” A sight escape Maria as she wrapped her arms around herself and bit down on her lower lip as if trying to contain herself. After a few moments she gave a slight sigh and seemed to relax again. “It's not like we haven't had alchemist in our village before.”
Now Joseph had a pretty good idea as to why Maria had gotten upset. “I apologize I wasn't thinking. I would prefer to be able to leave under my own terms so. I'll come with you.”
“Yay!”
Nearly the moment the words hit his ears Joseph realized they hadn't come from Maria. Rather they had come from above them. Moments later he heard a slight thump and a massive figure landed right beside Maria. While Maria was child sized this new comer was most assuredly not. The being positively dwarfed Maria and even him as it stood up he felt certain that this new comer was somewhere between three and four meters tall.
In response to Mira's landing Maria glanced up at her. “I think you startled him sister.”
A slight giggle escaped Mira as she looked at Joseph. “Sorry about that. Hi I”m Mira, Maria's sister.”
“Um hello what are you?”
“I was just keeping an eye on Maria and making sure she didn't slip up. So you'll be coming back to the village with us then. That's good we've been needing some new alchemist for a while now.”
“Some new?”
“Oh some of our brothers are alchemist! But, they aren't a whole lot of them and well they've been under a lot of pressure. It'll be nice to have another one to lighten the load.”
“Um just what type of alchemy do you expect me to work on by the way? They are different schools of it.”
“My sister told me that you gave her some antidote whenever you thought that she had poisoned herself. Can you make medicines?”
“I well. Is this really happening?”
“Huh?”
“I'm sorry it just seems like a lot is happening to me very quickly. I'm half expecting to wake up and find myself still in that trail.”
A slight chuckle escaped Mira as she shook her head. “You know you could still be asleep but I think it's best if you play along with the dream for now.”
“I. I suppose that you're right. Yeah I can make medicines if that's what you want me to do. If I have the right materials and equipment but from what Maria said I'm certain that you do.”
Now Maria chose to speak up. “Mira you carry him I'll get his stuff. Listen Joseph I know that this is a lot to take in but you're not the first human to end up in this situation. People have tried to escape into these forests before after all and like I said this isn't too rare. You're just one of the few cases that's coming in unclaimed.”
As Joseph had been speaking Mira had moved over to him. “Come on and climb onto my back, make sure you hold on tight.”
“Why are you going to carry me?”
“Um it'd take you more then a day to make it to our home. We really don't want to have to wait on you that long and besides I'm hungry.”
“Hey no fair Mira. You're going to eat in front of me when we get home?”
“You're the one that didn't watch herself I'm doing just fine. Come on Joseph just hop onto my back and wrap your arms and legs around me. You can't hurt me.”
In response Joseph gave a slight nod and placed his arms around Mira's neck who had been nice enough to bend down. As she began to stand back up he wrapped his legs around her. “Is this okay?”
“Hold on tighter, tighter, tighter okay that should do it. You ready Maria?”
“Sure thing.”
As Joseph held onto Mira he was suddenly made to tighten his hold on her. He had expected her to start running instead she'd leaped onto a near by tree branch and taken off like an arrow. The speed with which she moved was astounding as she leaped from tree to tree and he was suddenly made to realize why she'd told him to tighten his hold so much. It was so that he wouldn't fall off the moment she jumped into the trees of course now that she was moving he was holding on even tighter. Despite the speeds Mira was moving at though he was surprised to see Maria out in front.
It was easy for Maria to out pace Mira and she could have easily left her sister waiting in the tree tops. She was moving slow though as she knew she'd be in trouble if she lost her sister and went after a little snack. “So Joseph before we arrive do you have anymore questions?”
“Um I suppose.” It was hard for Joseph to think as he held onto Mira. Her pace had evened out so he wasn't having to strain himself anymore but that didn't change the fact that she was still moving far more quickly then he'd traveled in a long time. “This isn't just some cruel game you play with people that get lost in the forest is it?”
A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she slowed down a bit. “That's a good question! Now let me ask you a question in response. Does it matter?”
“I suppose not.”
As Mira spoke she glanced over her shoulder at Joseph. “At least you can take comfort in the fact that you're no worse off with us then you'd be without. Just try to relax and enjoy the ride.”
“Yeah about that. Is there any chance I could get some aid making my way out of this forest alive?”
Mira chose to turn her attention back to what was in front of her even as she spoke to Joseph. “Sure you could if you can earn it.”
“How do I do that?”
“We have to trust you enough.”
A sigh escaped Joseph as he nodded his head. “I have to say you're not behaving like I always heard about.”
To this Maria spoke up. “Most humans only see what I showed you at the stream. You get to see something else because you're coming along with us.”
It was hard for Joseph to follow Mira and especially Maria's movements even as they moved through the trees. The speed with which the two ladies moved was absolutely astounding. Still he could feel Mira's movements. She was constantly twitching, shifting from one side to the other or take slight steps. Occasionally she'd seem to jump over something. He guessed that she was evading various branches and twigs but surely she couldn't be evading them all. “Is there any particular reason you two travel through the trees.”
To this Maria answered. “It's more fun.”
“What? That is it?”
“Well yeah. We can travel on the ground if you're uncomfortable.”
“Um I'm kind of worrying about falling.”
“OH you'd need to worry about that even on the ground.”
“Why is that?”
“If you were to come to a sudden stop at the speeds we're moving now you'd probably end up dead anyway.” A slight giggle escaped Maria as she glanced back at Joseph and noted the expression on his face. “If you were to let go of Mira at least we'd have time to catch you way up here and possibly slow your fall without outright stopping it.”
“Um is there any chance we could slow it down a bit?”
“Sorry Joseph but it's going to take us a while to get back home even moving at these speeds and we are in a hurry.”
***********************************************************************************
Joseph felt ill as he leaned against the wall. He had been okay for a while but after so many changes in direction and speed he'd been shaken up a bit. He wasn't so out of it that he wasn't surprised though. When Maria had said take him to their home he expected a cave or some natural feature. What he found was a a structure made from several small branches skillfully lashed together to form what felt to him a very sturdy wall. The roof was covered by thick leaves and he actually found the temperature inside and outside noticeably different. “Mar, Maria I have to ask. Was all that trip and speed just to make sure I couldn't lead anyone here.”
“Hey you figured it out!” A slight giggle escaped Maria as she shook her head. “Yeah that was actually the reason we had to move so quickly.”
“I'm. I'm going to be sick. Did you really have to move that fast?”
“Here drink this.”
Joseph was surprised to find Mira standing in front of him holding a cup of water. After a moments hesitation he took it from her and took a few sips. He was a bit surprised when he found out it wasn't water. “What is this?”
“Just some juice to help quiet your stomach.”
“It's sweet.”
“Yeah we like it more then water. Okay Maria I'm going to go further in and let everyone know what you brought back. I don't want to find you snacking whenever I come back.”
“Oh yeah I'm really going to start snacking whenever you're probably going to bring mother back with you. I wonder where she is anyway.”
“Probably out hunting I'll see you in just a bit sister.”
As Mira departed Maria turned to Joseph. “Come on in and have a seat. Feel free to ask anything you want.”
“Um well if you don't mind. Just where am I going to work?”
“Well starting out you're going to have to work outside of town don't worry we have a hut set up for that. You're going to be randomly supervised and no you won't know whenever you're being watched we have to be careful after all.”
“Why outside of town?”
“Um well. It hasn't occurred within my waking time but a few of the alchemist we brought in decided to try to escape. One of the methods they used in this is a decoy and that included blowing up their shop. Naturally we weren't too amused whenever the building was blown to a thousand bits.”
“I guess they didn't make it out very well.”
“No. We couldn't just let that slide.”
“Maria they're is a lot of talk from people that have come here about the members of their party being taken and eaten is that true.”
“Some of it!”
“How? How can you say it like that?!”
“What's wrong with how my daughter speaks?” As Flora entered the room she could feel the tips of her ears brush against the door frame. The massive woman stood a solid four meters tall making both her daughters seem small especially Maria. So that as she approached Maria and Joseph she bent at her knees bringing herself closer to their level though not all the way.
“I didn't mean any offense.” As Joseph spoke he was amazed by what stood before him. Apparently Maria was young indeed if this was her mother.
In response Flora gave a slight shrug and reached a massive hand out towards Joseph. “Now there is no need for you to be this uncomfortable around me or my daughters. Mira told me about the little arrangement you worked out with Maria. We'd be glad to set you up and let you stay here for a while until you're better prepared to leave.”
“Um thank you.”
“You're welcome. However I'm going to have to ask before you go to judging us you take some time and think about what Maria tells you. You seem to automatically assume all the people that have gone missing in this forest have died by our hands or ended up as food.”
“Well you do have a point there but is it true you eat people?”
“Of course! Meat is meat after all. It isn't like human flesh poses a serious threat to us so why let it go to waste?”
“But that's.”
“You humans are just so picky about what happens to your body after death. What difference does it make if something large eats your body once you're no longer using it versus something small eating it? Either way you're going to end up food for something.”
“That is true but those smaller things don't tend to be intelligent.”
“That just means that can't appreciate the flavor!” As she finished speaking Flora opened her mouth revealing a massive set of razor sharp teeth. She felt Joseph immediately recoil but she held him steady as her tongue flicked out of her mouth and pressed against his face covering a good portion of it as she gave him a quick lick. “Hey you taste better then normal!”
Joseph was far more then alarmed as he looked up at Flora his gaze occasionally shifting to the hand that had held him steady. For a moment he had started to relax around her but that had been shattered in an instant. Now he felt his heart pounding against the inside of his chest and if it hadn't been for the fact that Flora's hand was still on his shoulder he'd been going for the door. He was thus very surprised when he was able to speak. “Please don't do that again.”
“Ah why not?”
“I don't like being tasted by women I don't know.”
Now it was Flora's turn to be surprised though that surprise soon turned into a wide grin. “Ah is that it? I guess I'll restrain myself then after all now I have your scent well enough.”
It was impossible for Joseph not to feel relieved whenever Flora removed her hand from his shoulder. “Thanks so what now?”
“Right now I imagine you're rather hungry so how about breakfast? After that we can discuss what you'll be doing. It's kind of unusual that people are brought in unclaimed though not entirely unheard of.”
“So what Maria told me was true?”
“Probably but what did she tell you just to be sure.”
“That I'd be better off coming in of my own choosing rather then waiting until she had to save me again.”
“Mm it depends on what you consider better off.” A slight giggle escaped Flora as she looked at her daughter. “Don't worry about it too much though. Anyway as you're not claimed you can leave whenever you want. Now come on and I'll prepare you something to eat.”
“You?”
“Well of course my daughter brought you in but you're my guest.”
***********************************************************************************
Currently Joseph found himself setting at a massive stone that served as the dining room table. The surface and sides of it had been worn smooth and it formed a nice circle. They were various areas around the stone clearly meant for people of various heights. Flora set at one of the sunken in areas while Mira seemed to be on the portion of the ground one might call level. Both he and Maria currently set at a raised section.
Setting in the center of the table was various bits of fruits and vegetables some even he didn't recognize. There was also several bits of seared meat and fish. Flora had assured him that the food was safe for him to eat but he found it hard to do. It wasn't because he wasn't hungry and it wasn't really due to worrying about taste. He just felt strange that Maria wasn't allowed to eat anything right now. Something she was clearly resenting.
Maria couldn't help but glare at Mira as she watched her and her mother lightly snacking on the food before them. She had violated her probation and eaten more then she was suppose to. It wasn't like she'd eaten that much more. “Can't I have a little something to eat? I'm hungry!”
In response Flora lightly shook her head. “No Maria you know the rules. You're going to have to wait until lunch time then you can eat again. Joseph don't let Maria's sour mood ruin your meal she knows the rules.”
“Um okay sure.” As he spoke Joseph took hold of what he recognized as an apple and lightly bit into the fruit. “So we were going to talk about what I was going to be doing?”
To this Flora nodded. “Yes. Mira already told me that you were an alchemist when she went to find me. However, is there any particular type of alchemy you specialize in?”
“Well yes. I'm primarily trained in recovery potions and well temporary modifications to the body. Flora may I ask you something?”
“Certainly you're more of a guest then anything else after all.”
“Should I be afraid or not?”
A slight giggle escaped Flora as she lightly tapped the table. “That is an interesting question. Well I don't have any intentions of harming you if you must really know. You could always give me a reason to harm you and in that instance I would but so long as you don't do that I don't see why you should be scared.”
“I guess that's good. It's just that all of this seems quite sudden.”
In response to this Flora gave a slight nod. “I've heard as much from others. What would treating you poorly benefit us though? You know you're not in a situation where fighting us would be a good idea and you're more useful in one healthy peace rather in several peaces or damaged.”
“Your people have done this a lot haven't they?”
“I'm not sure what you would define as a lot so I can't really answer that with certainty.”
“I see. Maria mentioned that I might be able to get some help making my way out of the forest after I've worked it off. Could you tell me more about that?”
In response Flora gave a nod. “Yes I can but you might have misunderstood her. I can't quote you an amount of work or time at which we'd be willing to help you leave the forest. Some of us might decide to help you and if enough of us agree we'll help you in that case. However, I can't tell you what might make us decide to do that. Most people we bring in never actually leave this village or the forest alive.”
“What?!”
“Oh now Joseph don't look at me like that. It reminds me of a deer and that makes your throat look tempting.” Once again Flora gave a slight chuckle clearly amused with Joseph's response. “It isn't our fault that few of them make it out. You see even the claimed can work off their debt but that doesn't mean we're going to help them leave.”
“So what happens?”
“They try to leave unprepared we have to save them and they end up claimed again.”
In response to this Joseph felt his skin growing cold. He hadn't stopped to think about that. He might have came into the village unclaimed and thus he could leave but the odds were leaving just meant coming back claimed. “I see.”
“Most aren't exactly happy whenever this happens but they were the ones that chose to leave and we could have just let them die.”
“So is there a difference between being claimed and unclaimed?”
“Oh yes indeed there are several! You for example aren't trying to repay us for saving your life. That means you only have to work to earn your shelter and food so you've got much more free time. You can spend that free time doing whatever you want as long as you stay away from the restricted areas. You can even spend that time figuring out a way to get out of the forest.”
“Well that's comforting. When will I be expected to begin working?”
“You can begin today if you like or you can stay here for a few nights. That should be plenty of time for you to think your situation over and decide on what you really want to do. Keep in mind you are free to leave whenever you want and as long as you can get out of the forest without putting yourself in a situation where you would surely die you can leave.”
“So do you save everyone that chooses to leave if they get in such a situation?”
“No. We're not everywhere after all. At times one of us will go to track down someone that left only to find a corpse.”
To this Joseph gave a slight nod. “I suppose I should just settle in. I burned through a lot of the potions I had planned to use in my escape just running from the guards.”
“You have some potions still on you?”
“Yeah. Some healing salves, general purpose antidotes and some restorative potions.”
“Would you be willing to part with them?”
“Huh?”
“Would you be willing to part with them? I can't offer you safe passage out of the forest for them regardless of how many you had but maybe we could work out some kind of deal.”
It was impossible for Joseph to hide his surprise as he looked at Flora. Whether or not she was serious or just playing around he needed to get some more information. “I'm sorry I'd like to keep them for when I attempt to leave.”
“That's fine.” A sigh escaped Flora as she looked at the food on the table. Slowly her right hand came and pressed against her stomach. “I need to step out for a few. I've eaten all that I can allow. How about you Mira?”
“Yeah I guess we brought out a bit much.”
To this Flora nodded. “Maria come with me.”
“But?!”
“No buts young lady. Remember you have to wait until lunch before you're allowed to eat again.”
As Maria stood up she couldn't help but grimace. “This is just no fun at all. You even put out extra food more then the two of you were going to eat and now you're telling me I can't even have some of the leftovers.”
“Joseph eat your fill then come on out and we can continue this conversation if you want.”
“I um sure.” As Joseph watched the three women leave he couldn't help but be curious about what was going on. Several times now he'd heard the women mention a limit to how much they were permitted to eat.
***********************************************************************************
As Joseph walked along behind Maria he found himself looking up towards the sky. The tree coverage was thick, thick to the point that nothing flying above would know what was going on below them. It wasn't surprising that his current location hadn't been found. His thoughts were taken from such things as Maria spoke up.
“Joseph you know my mother meant it when she said you didn't have to start work right away.”
“I believe her. I just want to see what I have to work with though.”
“Um well you might be a bit disappointed at first.”
“How come?”
“Oh you'll see.”
Instead of questioning Maria more Joseph gave a slight shrug. One thing he had noticed was that Maria seemed to be leading him away from the village. Flora had told him that the work area was kept outside of the village so this wasn't too surprising. It was a good twenty five minutes before they finally arrived at a sturdy structure.
The building was a far cry from Maria's home. The building was made of rather heavy timber that had been tightly notched together so that there was no visible opening. Even from the outside the walls looked quite thick and this was confirmed as Maria opened the door revealing just how heavy it truly was. He didn't have time to ask anything though as Maria spoke up.
“No we're not going to lock you in. It's just some things are kept in here we'd rather not go missing.”
“Ah I see. Well that's comforting to know. So just what is in?” Joseph didn't finish speaking as he looked inside. Cupboards and shelves lined the walls while in the center of the room there was a heavy table. In many of the shelves he noted flask and various instruments of different size and quality. What really caught his attention though was one cupboard in particular. It was clearly heavier then the other and had a small glass panel for someone to look inside. The tiny funnel leading into the wall immediately told him it was a ventilation chamber for some of the more dangerous projects.
One thing was missing from the room though. He didn't see a single re-agent. “Um Maria the equipment is nice but.”
“You don't have a thing to work with!”
“Well um yeah.”
“Safety measure.” A slight chuckle escaped Maria. “You have to tell me what you want and I'll go and retrieve it. Of course before I go and get anything I'm going to go tell the others what you asked me to bring to you.”
Immediately Joseph realized what was going on and he was made to sigh. “You don't give trust easily do you?”
“Not that easily. Like my mother said though we've learned from past mistakes about alchemist and mages. So you'll have to forgive us if we're a little careful about what we trust you with.”
In response Joseph gave a slight nod. “This is going to slow down my work you do realize.”
“Don't worry about it too much. So what do you want me to go and get you?” As she spoke Maria retrieve a peace of paper from a drawer, some ink and a quail pin which she placed before Joseph.
“Are you sure you'll know what to search for?”
In response Maria gave a quick nod. “I'm pretty certain and if I slip up I can always go out again. It's not like I'm going to be going far after all. The first place I'll go to is the alchemical supply storage vault. If you ask for something that isn't there I'll just head out into the forest it shouldn't take me long to track whatever it is down. Besides those at the vault should be able to identify anything that I don't recognize and tell me where to go.”
“You're quite confident in your hunting ability.”
“It's the nose.”
“Huh?”
“I can find most things in the forest just by smell. We actually learn our family members by their scent long before we can see.”
“Just how good are you eyes then?”
“I'm not sure how you humans rate your eyes but I know that my eyes are better then yours.”
“Extremely sharp hearing, eye site and smell you're pretty well equipped to monitor your surroundings.”
“We have to be or we'd be constantly smacking into things while we were running. That'd hardly make for a stealthy approach.” As she was speaking Maria tried to look over Joseph's shoulder to see what he was writing. To her frustration she found that she was too short. “Um Joseph could you keep the list kind of short.”
“Huh?”
“Um well I'm confident in my ability to find what I want in the forest but. If the list is too long and I can't find the items I might miss out of lunch or might have to eat it late and well I didn't get dinner yesterday or breakfast today and I was already hungry yesterday.”
In response Joseph gave a slight nod. “Okay. Well this should let me get started.” As Joseph spoke he handed Maria the list, he'd written down common names for the plants, their alchemical name and a brief description.
“K I'll be back in just a few with what you have down.”
Joseph waited after Maria had slipped out the door and shut it behind her to stand up. He then began to make his way around the room taking his time to search in far greater detail then when he'd entered. At the moment he wasn't looking for a means of departure rather he wanted to know where the various items had came from. So that he began to search through the various items.
The mortars and pestles were the first thing he began checking through. As he looked on the bottom of the mortars he was a bit surprised by what he found. They were indeed branded so that anyone finding them would have an idea of who the maker was. However, he didn't recognize the symbol and he felt certain he knew the symbols of all the quality makers of alchemical supplies in the region.
Normally this would mean that the maker produced items of such low quality they weren't worth noticing. However, such producers rarely marked their work to begin with. These were of good quality though far too good not to be marked. There was also the chance that they were simply quite old having been obtained a long time ago but that didn't seem likely either. If they were being actively used they shouldn't be in such good condition.
After a moment Joseph gave a sigh and ceased his inspections of the mortars. Instead he found himself searching the various flasks and stands. Once again he found the mark but was dismayed. The mark was exactly the same as the ones that was found on the mortars. Whomever had crafted the mortars had clearly done the same for the flasks and stands that held them.
Several minutes later and Joseph had found a very noticeable trend. Everything that had been marked had the exact same mark. This was very unusual. Normally it was rare that the same maker that made the glass would also refine and fire the clay. If he was going to go by the marks though that was exactly the case and sadly the mark was unknown to him.
“OH that is disappointing.”
Immediately Joseph felt his heart quicken as he turned to the door and found Maria standing there. “What is?”
“I had hoped you would have set up your equipment before I got back.” As she spoke Maria proceeded in the room and used her free hand to shut the door. “Ah well! I have what you asked me for right here.”
In response Joseph gave a nod. As he began to walk towards Maria though he noticed something different. She was wearing a golden necklace with a bright red jewel in the center. After a moment of inspection he couldn't help but notice it seemed to be glowing. As he took the crate she was holding from her he also noticed that she was wearing a similar ban on her wrists and even on her ankles. Why had she put them on?
“I hope you don't mind but I'm going to be watching you this time.”
“I thought the inspections were random.”
“Oh they are I won't be with you all the time. It's just simpler if I hang around this time.” As she spoke Maria made her way to one of the empty tables and gave a slight hop jumping up onto it and seating herself. “I hope you don't mind.”
“Na that's okay.” As he spoke Joseph busied himself removing the various plants and reagents from the crate. “Maria I hope you don't mind me asking but. Where did all these instruments come from?”
“From the shop.”
“The shop?”
“I'm sorry but we don't have a special name for it. It's where our brothers store the manufactured goods. What section of the shop is decided by value.”
In response Joseph gave a slight nod. He was actually surprised to learn that Maria's people produced these materials. He didn't think they had a form of manufacturing of their own. “Well then. I'll just get to work then.”
***********************************************************************************
How big was the town? Joseph hadn't managed to find the answer to that though he hadn't asked. He had seen some other buildings and Maria had spoken of various places that he hadn't seen. He wasn't allowed down certain paths though so he couldn't find out on his own. At least not without putting his life at risk. A sigh escaped him as he arrived at what he'd come to know as his work shop and pushed on the door.
He'd been there a few weeks now and Maria had stopped setting in on him. Though he did see her every day whenever he'd leave and often enough whenever he walked to work. Even when he didn't see her though he didn't know if she wasn't near by. Her ability to keep herself hidden was quite remarkable as he'd learned the first time he'd walked to the shop alone.
She'd had been there waiting for him with the door open. He'd asked her why she hadn't walked there with him only to have her tell him she was with him the entire journey. She'd just been keeping a low profile. Why hadn't she let him know she was there? These women apparently had several strange habits. One in particular he'd taken note of was the wrist and ankle bands as well as necklaces they'd wear at times.
This he had actually asked Maria about whenever she'd arrived one day to walk him back without the bands on. She had only told him that she couldn't explain what the bands wear for and that was something he'd have to wait until later to learn about. That is if he stuck around long enough to learn and earned enough trust.
A sigh escaped him as he shook his head. He didn't like their ideal of trust it was entirely one sided. He had to trust them entirely at the moment. Even though they said he could leave when he wanted he had learned that was only a limited truth. If one of them had to save him he would be coming back in a short while as property. It wasn't a pleasant thought to him. Despite those thoughts he was surprised whenever he pushed open his work shop door.
Joseph immediately grew concerned at what he found. While before the shelves had only contained the instruments he had needed now they contained several plant species many he recognized as being rather costly. What was even more shocking was that many of them weren't used in the making of healing potions at least not the type of potions he'd been making to earn his keep. A good many of them had far different uses.
“Surprise!”
It felt as if Joseph's heart had leaped into his throat as he was made to jump forward. In his haste though he lost his footing before he could fall forward though he felt something grasp his waste band.
“Careful.”
“What?” As the hand released him Joseph turned around to find Maria who was currently setting in a squatted position. “Maria what is going on?”
“Like I said congratulations!”
“For what?”
“For earning some of our trust of course! We've been keeping an eye on you and it was decided that it's safe to give you a supply of alchemical items all your own so last night my sisters and I stocked the shelves for you.”
“Why though? All I've been doing is preparing regular potions.”
A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she stood up and walked past Joseph into the lab. She then proceeded over to the table that she'd been using as a seat for her visits and climbed up onto it. “You've been honest with us. Most try to sneak in some extras that they don't actually need. That or they ask for more then they need and try to keep some potions for themselves. You didn't do that though.”
“I see but actually now that you mention it. Could I use some of these to make potions for myself?”
“Sure! We don't mind as long as we feel we're getting something of equal value in return. Honestly you've been working so diligently that you've earned far more then your keep. Of course this leads us to believe you're still scared of us.”
“I would be lying if I didn't say you made me nervous.” As Joseph looked at Maria he couldn't help but think something was different. Unfortunately upon finding out he couldn't keep it in. “Your toes are touching the ground!”
“Huh?” In response Maria glanced down at her feet. Currently her legs were hanging over the desk and her feet were pointed strait down. Indeed her big toe was touching the floor. “So it is.”
“You couldn't do that when I first came here. You've grown?!”
A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she nodded her head. “You're an observant one! Yes I have.”
“Just how fast does your species grow?”
“Ah that's kind of variable and I can't say more then that.”
“But.”
“Nope. No point in asking.”
A sigh escaped Joseph as he shook his head. Already five major theories had entered into his head but he couldn't confirm any of them. “I see. So you really meant it that I could plan for a way to make it out of the forest?”
“Indeed I did but you're not doing a very good job of it.”
“Huh?”
“Joseph you haven't even started jogging to work yet. You stroll comfortably to and from here without even thinking of conditioning your body. You're really not in any type of shape for trying to make your way through the forest even if you had all the materials you needed.”
“I well. I didn't think of that.”
A sigh escaped Maria as she reached up and rubbed the very tip of her ear. “Anyway, it's not like we're in any hurry to see you leave. If you'd like though I can start preparing you for your departure.”
“What do you mean preparing me?”
“I can teach you some things about the forest of course.”
“You'd really do that? I thought you said you couldn't help me leave. Oh wait. Even if you do prepare me. What are my chances?”
“Joseph I really don't want to be mean to you and I don't want you to think me cruel but the odds aren't good. This isn't a forest you come into this far with only a small group.”
“Did those soldiers make it out alive?”
“You believe I checked up on them?”
“I believe that one of you did.”
In response Maria gave a slight sigh. “No. We retrieved their armor and weapons a short while after their deaths. They might have made it out.”
“How? How did they die?”
“Joseph they charged blindly after you into this forest and you'd been running full sprint for a long while. Night fall came before they could find their way out and they got lost. For some reason they tried to continue moving after it was too dark. If they had waited until morning I believe they would have made it out alive.”
“So why didn't you help them?”
“None of my sisters and I didn't feel like they were worth helping. They tried to kill me upon our first encounter and had already proven themselves too thick skulled to be worth the time and effort. Did you know they were actually less prepared then you were?”
“I didn't really have time to see how well prepared they were.”
“It was my and your talking that brought them to us. If you hadn't stopped to talk to me you probably wouldn't have even been found by them. That's why I didn't count saving you from the tusker as the second time I saved your life.”
It was hard for Joseph to contain his surprise as this news hit his ears. “That's right. You saved me from the soldiers and from the tuskers. You. By your peoples rules you could have claimed me.”
It was impossible for Maria not to grin as she noted the expression on Joseph's face. “Like I said we don't repay good will with ill.”
“Maria could you tell me what killed them though?”
“Getting lost is what killed them however they died by a variety of methods. One of them died from infection due to the scratches I gave him. A few others died from poisoning others well. They are some dangerous creatures in this forest.”
“This isn't a forest you travel from one side to the other alone in is it?”
“Oh I've seen it done. You're right though it isn't the type of forest you travel in alone. On the outskirts of the forest it's relatively safe however the deeper you go into the forest the more dangerous it becomes. My people aren't the only ones that call this forest home after all.”
“So you live on the outskirts?”
A slight giggle escaped Maria as she shook her head. “Nope! No where near them!” Before continuing Maria stuck her tongue out at Joseph who was clearly surprised. “You're very close to the center of the forest right now actually I would say this is the center of the forest. The eye of the storm as it where.”
“What?!”
“We may not be the most dangerous thing in this forest but my people are the most powerful. Thus we claim the heart of the forest as our own and only very rarely have to remind the others that live here why it is our home.”
“Maria, I can't help but feel like this is all a trap. I believe I'm being taken to safety to improve my odds of survival and eventually make it out. Only to learn some time later there is a system in which I can be claimed if you have to save me. Now I learn that that we're in the very heart of the forest where it's most likely that I'll end up being claimed if I try to leave.”
“That is true.”
A sigh escaped Joseph as he looked away from Maria and leaned against the table before him. “Damn it. Damn it all. What can I do then? You offer to help me prepare to leave the forest and then you tell me this. It's like you're playing some game of cat and mouse and you're just wanting to help the mouse run a little faster so you can tease it a bit more. You make me think I can go and then you pull me back in again and again.”
It was odd but Maria actually found her smile had vanished as she listened to Joseph. “It's not uncommon for people to lose their life in this forest Joseph. At least this way you have a chance to reclaim it.”
“Why though? Why do you have to play this game with people?”
“I can't tell you that Joseph.”
Before he could respond Joseph found himself lowering himself to his knees and leaning his head against the desk before him. “I think I'm going to be ill.”
Instead of responding Maria hopped off the desk and made her way over to Joseph. She then placed her hand on her shoulder. “Joseph you don't have to just work, eat and sleep while you're here. You've been working a lot lately. I'll tell you what tomorrow don't do anything and we'll go for a walk in the forest. Maybe you'll find something you can use.”
“Maria how do I know this isn't just a game? You could be planning to put me in a life or death situation so you can claim me. You seem to like these games.”
“Okay then I'll make you a promise. If your life is endangered while we're traveling together and you don't wonder of against my instructions then I'll protect you and won't charge you a thing for it. That also means I won't be able to claim you.”
“I really wish I could tell if you're just toying with me.”
“Anyway, why don't you give your work area a look around and see if there is anything you need. If there is we can talk it over. That goes for something you need for your own projects or something you need to help us.”
“Maria is there something you want more then healing potions and antidotes?”
“Why do you ask? Can you make such an item?”
“I might be able to if I knew what you needed. Now you don't seem to be lacking for stamina so I doubt general restoratives would be of help.”
“I'd say you're right about that. Hm.” Before continuing Maria slowly leaned back until half her body was laying on the desk she'd been setting on while the other was hanging off the other side. “Something we need that I'd be willing to tell you we needed. Oh yeah!” Before speaking Maria quickly set up. “Can you make something for the preservation of food?”
“Huh? Why don't you just dry it or salt it?”
“We do. However, we like to use methods that are a bit longer lasting.”
“Oh I see. You're building up an emergency reserve of food but you don't actually need to preserve anything right now. I believe I know a few things that could be used in the preservation of food.”
“Neat! Of course if you'd like I could go and retrieve you a copy of methods we already used.”
“You'd be willing to share that information with me?”
“Sure it's not like it's dangerous to us.”
“This might sound strange but I believe I'd prefer to use my own methods. I hope that is alright.”
In response Maria gave a quick nod. “That's fine. So do you have everything you need here?”
As they had been speaking Joseph had been wondering around the room examining the various reagents and other items provided. His previous impression was confirmed that these were truly some good materials. “Maria you retrieved all the armor from the soldiers that died didn't you?”
“And the coinage why do you ask?”
“You have a pretty abundant amount of reagents here but I just realized you're short on things like metal shavings. Several of these are far more valuable in my world then such shavings leading me to believe that you don't have ready access to metals.”
A slight chuckle escaped Maria before she stuck her tongue out at Joseph for a moment. “We get by but we do have to ration such things I won't deny that. Now you have to ask yourself how much do we have in reserve.”
“I bet if I was to go back and examine historic records for expeditions that entered your forest I'd find that they were always stripped of whatever metals they happened to have on them.”
Maria gave a slight chuckle as she raised up and looked at Joseph. “Why are you telling me all of this? Aren't you worried we're going to decide you know too much and can never go home?”
“I don't believe you'd decide that based on what I know. You've already decided I know too much to be allowed to leave with the current trust you put in me. At least you've decided that I know too much to give me a very good chance of leaving.”
“I suppose you may be right.”
“I believe I have everything I need here just let me check.” Joseph went silent as he glanced around the room. “Maria could you go and retrieve my bag for me? I had a book inside with several notes.”
“You left your note book at my home?!”
“Um well yeah I forgot it there.”
At first Maria tried to hold it in but she soon her body shaking and before she could contain it she found herself laughing. She wanted to respond to what Joseph had just told her in a more polite manner but she couldn't help herself. As she opened her mouth to speak she only found her laugher became more uncontrollable and found herself gripping her sides and biting down on her lower lip in an attempt to stop herself.
“What? What's so funny?”
“I just can't believe you'd forget something that important back at my home! I thought you'd have it on you at all times.”
“I well. I. I guess that was pretty silly.”
As Maria regained control of herself she raised herself to a seated position and gave Joseph a little wink. “You're fortunate that we aren't thieves. Okay I'll go and get your book while you set things up here. I'll be a little late as I need to inform my mother of the change in plans.”
In response Joseph gave a slight nod. “Well it isn't like I don't know what the book contains. It's just helpful for a memory refresher.”
“Mmmhmm justify it however you like. I'll be back in just a bit.”
When Maria hopped off the desk Joseph took a moment to look her over once again. She was taller then whenever he'd first met her. Given the utter lack of surprise she'd shown at this and how little she'd done to hide the fact he doubted this was a big secret. Then again it wasn't a secret they could keep very effectively from someone meeting with them daily. Now he just wondered what might have happened to cause her to put on the extra height.
***********************************************************************************
Flora smiled as she watched her daughters clearly enjoying their meal especially Maria. It had been a while since she'd been allowed to eat this much though she still wasn't granted the same portion as Mira. “So the two of you are going for a walk tomorrow?”
“Yep. I'm going to show him around some of the easier paths around the village.”
In response Flora gave a slight nod. “You were right to trust him early it seems. He isn't a thief and I don't think it's because he's scared of us. It makes me wonder why he was running away from his previous job though. I suppose it was a difference in ethics after all.”
“I like that he isn't begging me to help him out of the forest.”
To this Flora gave a slight nod. “Yes that can be bothersome. It really helped that he tried to save your life whenever the two of you first met. They aren't many humans that would do that for one of us even if they thought we were a child.”
“Yes I wish he'd offer me some more of the antidote though that stuff really tasted good.”
“You should be glad he hasn't. You know what that would mean young lady.”
“Yes mother.”
“I just hope that as you get to know him he doesn't prove to be a disappointment. He's shown so much promise.”
In response Maria gave a quick nod. “I think that everything is going to work out with this one! Maybe I could introduce him to some more of our sisters later and let him wonder around the village some more. Well once I show him where it is.”
“One thing at a time now. Are you interested in having him for yourself though?”
“Um well. It's not like I can right now. Not with this body anyway.”
A sigh escaped Flora as she leaned over the table and placed her hand on top of her daughter's head. “Don't worry Maria. You're doing wonderfully. I know you've slipped up a few times but it won't be long before you're body becomes more comfortable.”
“I. I really messed up before I had to go to sleep. Didn't I?”
In response to this Flora slowly ran her fingers through her daughters hair. “I was so glad when you came back willingly. If you hadn't. I don't want to say it.” Instead of continuing Flora removed her hand from her daughter's forehead and slipped them under her arms. She then lifted her over the table and brought her in for a hug. “I'm just so glad to have my big girl back.”
“Big? Pfft this body isn't big by any stretch of the imagination.”
Giantess World
