Chronicles of Eden - Act III (26 page)

Sometimes they were much more than they seemed from appearances alone.

*****

Daniel and his friends slowly took a step back, with Triska carefully reaching for her sword while Squeak held Daniel behind her with one arm. Alyssa flexed her hand a bit while keeping on guard while Specca quickly darted back behind Daniel for protection. Standing in front of the group a centaur was watching them with a harsh glare, a bullwhip held in her hand as she grunted while kicking back some grass with her rear left hoof. The new monster girl, who addressed herself as the legendary courier, Kroanette, had made it perfectly clear that nobody would be stealing her deliveries from her, however that only raised more questions with Daniel and his friends.

“Um, wait, what?” Daniel asked with a weak smile.

“What is she talking about?” Triska asked carefully.

“Legendary courier?” Alyssa questioned.

Kroanette scoffed at her while having a proud stance and posture.

“That’s right, and woe to any who think they can take what has been entrusted to me by my clients. You want my treasure? Then prepare to fight for it!” she declared before snapping her whip hard. Daniel held his hands out defensively while quickly shaking his head.

“Wait, wait! We’re not trying to steal anything from you, we-”

“Silence!” Kroanette yelled before she charged towards them. Squeak grabbed Daniel and threw themselves over to the side into the tall grass while Triska grabbed Specca and pushed her over as well. Alyssa jumped over to the other side and rolled into the grass as the centaur charged past them and onto the worn path with a furious yell. She quickly turned around and skidded on her feet before racing at the group again. With a mighty swing she snapped her whip towards Daniel, the lash slicing through the grass in front of him as he, Triska, Specca, and Squeak darted back further away from the enraged centaur.

“Neither rain, nor sleet, nor thieving bandits shall stop me from making my delivery!” Kroanette yelled as she struck her whip again and again through the grass, the lash cutting through the tall stalks and sending them flying into the air.

“She’s out of her mind!” Specca cried out as she and the others were backing up into the grass, watching as the flying whip and severed stalks of grass were whipping by in front of them. Triska unsheathed her sword while Squeak kept pushing Daniel back behind her, acting as a shield for the boy as she watched the centaur continuing to advance on them.

“Wait, can’t we talk about this?” Daniel cried out. Another strike from Kroanette’s whip sliced through the grass in front of them, with Specca holding onto Daniel’s back and shaking her head.

“I don’t believe she wants to talk right now,” she pointed out nervously.

“Hey, knock it off!” Alyssa yelled as she held her hand towards the centaur. A distorted ripple of air wavered and vibrated around Kroanette, with Alyssa watching in surprise as her magical energy was deflected around the monster. The ground was carved up slightly in an arc around the centaur and loose pieces of grass fluttered away, however the monster girl remained untouched by the magical force. Kroanette turned to Alyssa with a grunt then galloped towards the witch with her whip held back.

“Thieving scoundrel!” she yelled as she struck her whip at the witch. Alyssa screamed and dove to the side of the charging centaur, with the grass behind her being sliced apart from the snapping flail before the monster girl charged on past with a mighty shout. Alyssa rolled back onto her feet and waved both her hands towards the centaur, watching as all the grass in front of her swayed and bent outwards from the magical force plowing through. All the plants parted and swayed around Kroanette as the centaur skidded to a stop, the monster looking back to the witch with a glare while all the magical energy parted around her.

“What the hell? I can’t even touch her with my magic!” Alyssa cried out.

From nearby Triska raced on out from the overgrown grass with a yell, having her sword held back as she charged the centaur. Kroanette turned to face her while gearing back with her whip, striking it towards the teen who rolled to the side to avoided the cracking lash. Triska dodged another strike then another before rushing forward and thrusting her blade towards the monster, stopping just short of striking through the girl’s neck. Kroanette stared at her with frustration while severed grass slowly fluttered and dropped around them from the scuffle. Alyssa kept on guard while Daniel and the other girls came out from the grass and watched as Triska kept her blade held at Kroanette while the centaur had her whip held in hand down at her side.

“Would you please stop doing that?” Triska yelled out. “We’re not trying to rob you, we don’t even know you or what you’re doing out here, so knock it off!”

Kroanette watched her carefully as the teen slowly stepped back and then sheathed her blade. Triska glanced to her friends then to the centaur with annoyance.

“Before we say anything further, know that if you ever attack Daniel like that again I will not hold myself back, do you hear me?”

Kroanette glanced over to Daniel as the boy was watching her worriedly while Squeak kept him and Specca behind her. Triska snapped her fingers twice to get the centaur’s attention again then crossed her arms with discontent.

“Now, all we were doing was making sure you were alright after
you
ran into
us
. That’s it. We’re not after your belongings or anything, we just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“You’re not after my treasure?” Kroanette asked cautiously.

“No, we never were.”

The centaur looked at her carefully then glanced back to her carrying bag.

“You’re not trying to rob me?” she asked looking back to Triska.

“We’re not bandits, we don’t rob anyone,” Triska said shaking her head.

“We stopped because we were worried about you when you got hit, that’s all,” Daniel said with a small smile. Specca and Squeak nodded in agreement while Alyssa continued to watch the centaur carefully. After a moment’s hesitation Kroanette slowly coiled her whip up and hooked it back on her belt.

“Very well,” she plainly said. “If that is truly your reason for being here, I suppose I can forgive you for getting in my way this one time. I am a fair centaur after all.”

“Again,
you
ran into
us
,” Triska corrected with a raised eyebrow.

“However,” Kroanette warned. “Please do not interfere with my work again, I am a very busy centaur with a strict schedule to keep. I don’t have time to waste with anyone.” She dusted off her shirt and arms then fluffed her hair before looking to the group with a slight smile.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to be going. Good day,” she said before dashing into the grass with a fast gallop. The group just stood there as the sound of grass rustling away from them was heard, followed by a scream and some sticks snapping. Triska looked over to the others with bewilderment then ran after the centaur, with everyone else then following closely behind her. They made their way through the field of tall grass before coming to an abrupt drop-off into a ravine that was also filled with tall grass. And below the drop-off they saw Kroanette sticking out of some crushed and bent grass, or at least her rear end with her two hind legs twitching a bit in the air. A weak groan was heard from the centaur as everybody just stared at her with troubled expressions.

“Um, are you okay?” Specca called down.

Kroanette slowly got back up while wiping dirt and grass off her face, spitting a few times before shaking her upper body to get the bent foliage off of her.

“I’m fine,” she snapped. “A little fall won’t keep me from making my delivery on time.”

The centaur then raced off into the field, with Daniel and his friends watching the parting line being created through the tall stalks of grass as the monster girl plowed through them.

“What was that about?” Specca asked.

“Who knows,” Alyssa said carelessly with a shrug.

“Centaurs are couriers?” Daniel asked.

Alyssa nodded as the group watched Kroanette racing off through the field of grass before vanishing from view.

“In the monster communities they’re hired for deliveries and used as messengers. They’re some of the fastest monsters out there, most of them can even outrun horses.”

Specca nodded while looking out to where the centaur had ran off.

“Yes, although their services don’t come cheap,” she mentioned. “They are very quick and prompt with their jobs. I believe if a centaur is hired for a delivery it can almost be assured that it will make it to its destination on time regardless of where it is, however they charge quite a lot for their reputable speed.”

“Really? How much do they charge?” Daniel asked.

“A man,” Alyssa answered solemnly. Triska and Daniel looked to her with surprise while Specca nodded in agreement. “They are offered a man’s seed in return for their services. After that centaur finishes her assignment she’ll return to whoever hired her and be given a man to mate with.”

“They’re given
men
for their work?” Triska questioned.

“Yep, monsters hire them to do their deliveries, and in turn offer the centaur a free go with a man. Whether the man wants to or not.”

“That’s horrible. They’re treating men like currency,” Triska said with discontent. Alyssa sighed and glanced to her.

“To some monsters out there men
are
nothing but that, Triska,” she pointed out. “Breeding tools, currency, even slaves, there are monsters out there that treat humans like commodities to bargain and trade with.”

Triska showed disgust to that as she looked out across the field at where the centaur had ran off. Daniel shook his head then looked to Alyssa.

“She didn’t seem like an evil monster though, do you think they can be reasoned with?”

Alyssa and Specca looked to each other then to him with shrugs.

“I’m not sure,” Alyssa answered. “They’re not known to kidnap or steal away men, there are worse monsters out there to try to talk to.”

“Yes, it may be possible,” Specca pondered. “However I’m not sure what you could propose for them. Centaurs actually like to run around everywhere, they don’t like being cooped up in one place for too long. With their arrangement in getting to run from monster village to village and then be rewarded with a man for their efforts, they actually have a good way of breeding already.”

Daniel nodded slowly as he looked out across the field, watching as the tall stalks of grass swayed in the wind.

“Well, hopefully we’ll get the chance to see if they can be reasoned with,” he said distantly. “She didn’t seem like a bad monster to me.”

“She tried to cut us all down with her whip a few minutes ago,” Triska reminded.

“She was a bit defensive about coming across strangers like that,” Daniel admitted. “But she saw that we weren’t going to cause trouble for her and left peacefully. I’d say there’s a good chance they can see that we can live together.”

Squeak looked around then pointed back to where they came from while squeaking at the group, with the others looking to her curiously. Daniel smiled and nodded then started walking back along with the girls.

“Alright, nothing more to do here, let’s get going. She’s got her work to do, and we have ours. We have a lot of ground to cover still.”

Alyssa nodded and looked down to her hand curiously, with Triska glancing to seeing the witch showing a confused expression.

“Alyssa? What’s wrong?”

“My magic, I couldn’t move that centaur or push her around at all. I don’t understand how she was able to stop my power like that,” Alyssa said curiously, with the group looking to her with wonder from that.

“Is that what you were saying earlier?” Daniel asked. “That centaur managed to stop your magic from touching her?”

“Do centaurs know how to use magic themselves?” Triska asked as they waded through the tall field of grass together.

“No,” Alyssa said shaking her head. “They have no magical power at all. But somehow that one was protected from me, I just don’t understand how.”

“How strange,” Specca commented while looking up thoughtfully.

The group came out of the tall fields of grass onto the worn path again, walking towards the caravan and where Lucky was still waiting for them.

“Okay,” Alyssa giggled. “So how about I drive now? No need for Squeak to run over another monster on the road.” Squeak looked to her with a flustered expression and squeaked while shaking her head, with Alyssa looking to her with an amused smile.

“Calm down, Squeak. I’m just joking with you,” she said holding a hand up defensively.

“I wouldn’t mind a lesson on how to steer Lucky as well, I’m rather curious what it’s like,” Specca mentioned with a small smile. Daniel chuckled and glanced back to her.

“Sure, you and Squeak can take turns for a while,” he said, with Squeak and Specca looking to him with bright smiles.

The group got over to the caravan and started climbing onboard, with Alyssa and Triska entering the cabin along with Daniel while Squeak and Specca sat down on the front seat. Squeak picked up the reins and squeaked with a happy smile while Specca examined her posture and handling of the straps with a curious eye. Before the ant girl could snap the reins however Kroanette suddenly shot out ahead of them from the other side of the field of grass, the centaur skidding to a halt then looking around with an uneasy expression before staring at the group with surprise.

“What the? Kroanette?” Specca exclaimed with a jump. Daniel, Triska, and Alyssa quickly looked out the doorway of the cabin to seeing the centaur watching the group with confusion.

“She’s back again?” Alyssa asked.

“Wait, but, how?” Triska wondered while pointing to the right and then left with confusion. “She was running off in the other direction, how did she get ahead of us
and
come from the other side of the trail?”

“Kroanette?” Specca asked. “What are you doing here again?”

“What am
I
doing here?” Kroanette shouted at them. “I think a better question is why are you following me?”