At long last, the rag-tag group stopped walking. Eden was thankful to leave the swamp behind. He had not held one form since he was created. It reminded him of the walks that he took with Sheehan and Grommet. If they were still in the swamp, the group would not have escaped. Thinking of Sheehan’s murder made his chest ache equal to the time that he transformed into Genevieve’s mother in front of a horrified Genevieve.
Dawn took charge of the ragtag group; ordering Greenwood and Randolph to forage and hunt for food while she and the females in the group tied up their Nightmares, bathed, gathered firewood, built a campfire and dried their clothes beside said fire. “Don’t come back until you have enough food for everyone!”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqc6PMPqV0
The ‘men’ didn’t seem offended by her tone or implication. Greenwood shrugged out of his coat, threw said coat over Florimal, clenched his rusty Magi between his teeth and dived into the river. He sped away from them beneath the gentle current of the stream using his paddle-like tail. Randolph rolled up his sleeves, waded out into the shallow water and started to forage around for any vegetation that he could cook into a meal. Compared to the human foods that he tasted, the dishes in the Other World were bland.
***
Suki lost track of the time before Randolph emerged from the river with a shirt full of aquatic vegetation. Greenwood emerged from the water after Randolph. Dragging a Nightmare by its tail. The creature was one Suki had only heard trilling from the marsh. The upper half was that of a regular Nightmare, but from the waist down it had a scaled body with long, flowing fins in every colour imaginable. The Nightmare was killed by a single curse to the temple. Greenwood had slit its throat to bleed it before he started skinning it. Suki had no problem with the sight of blood trailing behind Greenwood. He sat down next to the fire and pulled the head up into his lap, relieving the skull of the thin layer of water-proof fur in swift strokes from the blade of his rusty Magi fit snugly in his palm. Daisy whimpered and buried her face in her Nightmare’s neck fur. The exhausted Nightmares shifted their hooves anxiously seeing (and smelling) the blood.
Florimal and Dawn set up a campfire and rolled out the bedrolls in the shelter provided by one of the crumbling brick walls that was partially overrun by grass and weed roots.
Eden, under the guise of Tenderfoot, mimicked Snowfire and Excalibur’s unease to avoid revealing his identity to the ragtag group. Looking like someone else was only half of the battle. Blood didn’t bother him. He didn’t have blood of his own. The only times that blood bothered him were the times that he met up with Suki and Genevieve. Randolph threw the miscellaneous vegetation into a cooking pot to simmer.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MH5NuZvzM
“Can I pet your Nightmare?” Daisy asked Suki.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6sxpWtdeC
Suki shrugged and looked to Eden. “Sure. Whatever. Why are you asking me?”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsEX10QOcp
“I don’t know if she’s okay with being petted.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBMYjWFYcl
Suki was disgusted that this kid, about her age, spoke as eloquently as her own sister.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzseD3lrgvL
“You think she put that braid in her own hair?”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfsapWnC89
“You can braid?”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKONRTKdPl
“Haha! No. Braiding is girly.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OmCSVePkd
“You’re a girl though.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKVo7ylsqt
“That was my sister’s doing.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBWIyl29UX
“Your sister?”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSOPZzd97n
“Yeah, my sister.” Suki sighed, “The one in the pink dress and hair bow.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8FIhLgfW6
Daisy only knew one fairy in a pink dress and matching bow. How could she forget? In her defence, Suki and Genevieve were polar opposites, unlike herself and Dawn. While Suki struggled to interact and bond with someone who was not only her own age, but someone who didn’t want to kill her; Randolph, Florimal and Dawn had a lot to discuss. Greenwood listened despite the intensity that he skinned and hacked the Nightmare’s flesh into cookable and consumable pieces. Arthur’s school had looked after them.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1PCBpmxwf
They were not completely lost. All they had to do was figure out where they were. Genevieve had entrusted Randolph with the maps and instructions to increase the number of Mana Majors in their party and warn as many Mana Minors as they could to prepare for the worst. The calm before the storm was over. Their first destination was the Dead Forest. Before the genocide, the Dead Forest was known as Fairfield. Fairfield was protected by a population of Arachne. However, during the genocide, the Arachne revolted and overthrew their Silver Tongue rulers. There was also the matter of bandits wherever the group travelled. Originally, bandits attacked travellers to steal their valuables to sell and leave them injured, but alive on the roadside. Now, the bandits realized there was a demand for body parts, and it would be easier to kill their victims.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVRrMrqCWj
“I feel really bad for the kid.” Greenwood said finally taking a break from carving up the carcass to wash his hands. “The kid in pink packed us these little bundles of sweets.”
“They’re not sweets. They are foods of basic nutritional value. See? All of our rations are different.” Dawn huffed. “Humans are simultaneously the easiest to pack rations for and the hardest. They are like Silver Tongues. Most humans can and will eat anything, but there are humans who cannot or will not eat everything. Centaurs and Minos require proteins to sustain their large, muscular frames, but they are herbivorous-”
“I never thought I’d find your insufferable tone comforting. I wonder where Gen is now?”
“If she escaped.” Dawn sighed glumly. “We’ll meet up with her soon.”
“And if she didn’t?”
“There is no worse fate.”
“What do you mean?” Florimal interrupted.
“Killing her would be a mercy.” Dawn bowed her head.
“But they won’t. She’s too smart to be a corpse.” Greenwood shook his head.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tJE4lb9nt
“Regardless, you should all get some sleep. I’ll take the first watch.” Randolph spoke up, breaking the melancholy silence.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3AbgeGTz0
Randolph’s ear fins were extremely sensitive. Dawn tucked strands of his golden hair behind his ear fins and blew on them. His cheeks flushed a darker colour in his species equivalent of blushing. His ear fins waggled as he gently tapped her on the ass, slowly pushing her aside to avoid creating public displays of affection in front of their friends.
Florimal leaned in close and smirked knowingly at Greenwood.
“Don’t even think about it. It won’t work on me.” He rolled his eyes, palming her face.
“Hey!” She laughed. “You’re gonna smudge my makeup over my face and your hands.”
Florimal felt naked without her heavy eyeliner and eyeshadow combination. In their current situation as refugees, getting her hands on makeup was not a priority nor easy. She did not want to know how either was made if it was anything like ink production. In her modern world inks were synthetic, but it was probably a process that would make even a carnivore choose veganism – like crushed proxies for bugs, shellfish and blood.
“Dawn’s boytoy is right. I’ll take the second watch.” Greenwood nodded affirmingly.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLRTeTLgXf
Every splash from the river and twig snapping in the darkness made Randolph jump to attention and face the encroaching darkness with his Magi grasped firmly in his hand. If they were fortunate, his father would not send Fomorians after them. Between all their skills and knowledges; Graham Greenwood, Florimal Young, Dawn Nuage, Daisy Nuage, Pan, Suki Lamb and Randolph Tranter could survive until their mana ran out.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUZUNda2TK
Randolph did not realise he passed out until he lifted his head. He had fallen to the ground. He picked himself and his Magi up from the ground which had shrunk down to fit in the palm of his hand, noticing Greenwood standing beside him. With his back to the tree line, Greenwood stared at the others as they slept.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFwZG8EiTd
“You looked tired. Go back to sleep. It’s almost sunrise. I won’t tell them if you don’t.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRWOj4vF88
“I won’t.” Randolph smiled. “Thank you, Greenwood.”
and then Add to home screen.