*Samhara*

 

A gust of wind whispered through the trees as the needles of out spread limbs shifted against each other. The potent smell of pine assaulted my nose and I crinkled my muzzle to ward off the sneeze. My muzzle, such an odd thing to be saying. My mates would laugh to see my now. I was always the tough one, well tougher than most anyways, of the group. Never cared for the girly things, dresses or makeup or all that shite. Not that I dislike being a woman mind you, rather I'm happy with who I am. Just hate all the frilly nonsense. 

 

A muffled sneeze went off on the branch next to me. Speaking of frilly shite…. I shot my companion a look filled with daggers that screamed 'I'll rip out yer bloody intestines and feed em tae the pigs', he just returned a smirk as if to say 'sorry'. Bloody….whatever he is. The game translates languages, so it's hard to tell where someone might be from or if they're even speaking the same language. After holding my glare several more seconds until he returned to watching our target in shame, I rolled my eyes with an inward sigh. 

 

John. Nothing like our leader he is. He seems to prefer lacy outfits, all pampered up and right proper all the time. Quite different from our leader's casual disregard for propriety what with her barely acceptable coverage of the naughty bits. I smiled considering how horrified John had looked when she was named the leader of our class. He looked like a dying fish. And red too, just gasping for air and unable to look at her. The idiot tried to confirm with me that she was 'terribly inappropriate. Ugh. Then we were both assigned by her to come out here and investigate the bloke below us. Something about him being the 'top tracker' according to her new best friend Mr. Stickler the NPC. 

 

He looks so….unsolid. Like he couldn't handle a lass proper let alone with any….swordplay. I poked his flabby midsection. It bounced back while he flinched away and looked at me with questions. I met that gaze with another stare and a half shrug. He returned to observing and after a few moments so did I, observing him that is. He chose to be a human, a rather boring choice. I scuttled across the branch and onto his back. From there I sniffed his head. A benefit of this body was keener senses, a tangy, acrid smell met my nose. Fear. And something musky? Sharp and energetic, potent. I realized he had tensed considerably and climbed down from him. His face was beat red and he was wiping his palms off repeatedly on his thighs. Which given their armor clad nature wasn't very effective. Ah. So that's the smell I couldn't place. Sorry John, I don't think you're the man for me but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun flirting with ye.

 

We sat side by side,  hidden amongst the boughs. According to Mr. Boring the NPC,  the target was supposed to be coming by here in the next few days. I might kill frilly John before then… or have some fun maybe. John was seated across two branches, leaving some rather vulnerable pieces between the branches. I started wagging my tail in wide sweeps and after several moments adjusted the angle to brush past the split in the branches. It didn't take long to find success as John gasped in surprise and tried to reposition. Honestly. Men. He could just say something! Instead he fidgeted for several more brushes of my tail but was unable to escape. I lolled my head towards him and when I caught his eye I gave a smokey stare….I hope.  I'm not exactly practiced ya know. But it paid off as his face turned beet red. 

 

"Your um...ahem. Samhara your uh...tail is kind of…."

 

"Kind of what?" I stared at him innocently. "Fluffy?"

 

"Bo, er yes but that's not what I mean to say."

 

"Ah bollocks! Is it matted again? Ye'll have to lick it clean…."

 

"No it isn't mat….lick it?" Ah, the wee fuck can turn more red! I nodded softly to him. He finally succeeded in shimmying further down the branch. "I-no! Samhara, your tail was brushing my….uh…."

 

Fortunately for him his embarrassment was given a reprieve as a twig snapped nearby. I bounded through the trees silently and found our target approaching. A lithe boy by all appearances, lightly armored and moving quickly in our direction. I followed just ahead, careful to cause no noise. John saw me coming and moved into position to drop if needed. When the target reached the ambush point, I launched myself from the trees like a little ball of floofy, angry, cute malice. Lithe boy never stood a chance. We tumbled across the ground and I slammed him against the base of a tree. 

 

The smell of hot butter and ammonia assaulted my nostrils, I glanced down and was met with a growing spot of darkness on lithe boys trousers. Ugh. 

 

"P-p-please don't k-kill me." His voice was high. Like a child just entering adolescence. Fuck.

 

"Aye, I dinnae want to do that lad. But that's up to ye." I unsheathed my blade, he might be a wee lad but that didn't mean he wouldn't try to kill me. 

 

The lad stared at me with no apparent understanding across his face. "Wha…?"

 

Sighing, "Listen laddie. I have questions fer ya. Ye just answer them and ye'll be free tae go. Understand?"

 

He nodded slowly at me, I opened my mouth to progress in my line of questioning when a series of snapping branches interrupted. I sprang to my feet and hefted my blade to meet whatever threat had come to interrupt me. It would feel the fury of a Scots woman!

 

I looked at the bundle that had fallen, dark skin showed through, neatly trimmed hair, frilly armor. Cursing, I dismissed my weapon. "You alright there scunner?"

 

He rose with a moan, "Scunner? I'm fine, a bit bruised I guess but nothing's broken…"

 

I snorted as I returned to the lad, "Hell mend ye…"

 

I knelt before the kid again but he wasn't focused on me. My gravity bound companion was hovering next to me. This should go well… The lad spoke first, "do you speak english?"

 

The question seemed to be directed at John. "Yeah. Is there a reason you'd think I wouldn't?"

 

The lad shrugged, "I can't understand a word shes said. She sounds like that movie, Brave."

 

John suppressed a laugh, poorly… "Merida. Brave is the movie, Merida is the princess. If you really can't understand her well, then maybe I can help?" 

 

Oh. So John wants to Die Die. My fingers tensed until the knuckles popped. Yeah I could arrange that ye bawfaced bassa! 

 

"Oy! Dinnae teach yer Granny tae suck eggs!" They both stared at me and seemed to struggle with understanding. Fuck them!

I strode at the cunts, I was getting my answers. Frilly boy moved to block me but wilted out of my path when I shot him my sternest glare. I looked over the kid and, with my fists clenched, spoke slowly and as clearly as I could.

 

"I got some questions. Ye will answer them. Then, ye can leave. Do. Ye. Under. Stand. Me."

 

He nodded rapidly. I needed to stay calm, so I took a deep breath and closed my eyes a moment. I heard a shout of alarm and opened my eyes to see the lad stabbing a knife at me chest! Years of training from back on the real world kicked in and before I could process the situation I found myself lurching to the outside of his knife hand. My arms shot forth and one connected with his wrist as the other struck above the elbow. My grip tightened on his wrist while the other hand put pressure on a pressure point, locking his arm in place. Rage took hold and I pulled his wrist to me while pushing suddenly and without mercy on the pressure point. With a crack his arm suddenly bent the wrong way and the knife fell from his grip. 

 

I sprang on him, claws bared for him to see. "Ye want to kill me lad? Dinnae mistake me kindness as weakness. Now where is the lad call 'Impervius'?"

 

His face contorted with rage even as tears streamed down his face, "Fuck you!"

 

My claws slashed across his face, splitting flesh and rending bone. "Fook me?! Fook you ye wee cunt!"

 

Before I could slash again, I was sent flying. I tumbled across the ground and with a twist of my body (and some aid of my on game fox instincts) I slid to a stop on all fours ready for a fight. John stood over the kid and had his hands raised like some pugilist from old pictures. I'd of laughed were I not so pissed.

 

"Oy, get tae fook chancer!"

 

"I-no. No, I can't let you hurt the kid more!" Right words to piss me off those are.

 

"The cunt tried tae stab me! I ain't done with him yet."

 

John shook his head, "and you disarmed him. He's no longer a threat,  we can ask our questions."

 

"Can I now?"

 

"Yes! But I won't let you hurt him, if you mean to hurt him then...then you need to go through me."

 

Hey. "Whit's fur ye'll no go by ye…."

 

"....what's for me….what?" Taking advantage of his confusion, I bounded forward on all fours. He tracked my approach and readied himself for me to strike. Instead I jumped onto a nearby tree and dug my claws in. I appeared on the other side of the tree and sprang at his face.  I knocked his hands out of my way, he was just a bit slower than me. I grabbed onto the leather straps holding his chest plate on and twisted my body in an effort to throw him over my shoulder as I shifted the momentum to him. As my legs came down I swung them between his legs. With my momentum and weight forcing him backwards, something had to give. His back couldn't, so his legs did. He tumbled across the ground and struck a tree. His moans let me know he was fine.

 

I turned my attention back to the lad, "Just you and I now…"

 

"You tried to kill me!" His face was a mask of blood.

 

"Hell slap it intae ye." I ignored his renewed confusion and brandished my claws again. "Now. About this 'Impervious'..."

 

The kid broke and gave me the information. Some city named Redemption, pretty sure they changed the name though… He answered a few more questions and I told him to stay put while I think of what to do with him. I scurried over to John who had propped himself against the tree he hit and had been watching. I looked him over with a more respectful eye, standing up for what he believed took baws. He better not do it again though….

 

"Gonna kill him?" Ah, so he was pouty. Definitely reduces the points he'd earned…

 

"Aye. I could. Zet only said tae do what I knew was right…"

 

"And that is…?"

 

Aye, what is that? I looked at the kid. I considered that he had helped a group that had killed thousands, at least. Who tried to kill me. He deserved to die. But...some distant part of me. A part long buried since those first days when I lost… that old piece that remembered mercy and second chances….

 

"I'll take care of it." John opened his mouth to respond but seemed to think better of it.

 

I walked the kid onto the path and had him kneel as I drew my sword. To do what is right… He blundered and cried and begged. I swung my blade and embedded it into the dirt next to him. He jumped at the near miss. I knelt with him and turned his face to mine.

 

"Lad. Ye'll not be going back tae them. Find a small village, hide. Murdering others because they're different is no way to save yourself."

 

"You're… not killing me?"

 

I laughed, "Aye. But. If ye ever take up arms against another player again save in self-defense, I'll know. And I'll find ye to finish what I started today…"

 

"How would you find me…?"

 

"Legendary skill. I wounded ye, I can always see what ye've done since. And where ye are." I was very much bullshitting but he didn't need to know that. "The end is nigh laddie. Listen for the call and if ye would help free this world, commit on good act tae make up for the harm then answer it. Soon, we will fight the god of this world and gain freedom. Now get on with ye!"

 

The kid ran, I thought I felt eyes on my back but when I looked back I saw nothing. What a turn to today. From flirting frilly John to fighting a few people and seeing a likeable trait in John to sparing a sworn enemy. I can't wait to see what's up next. After meeting with John and telling him things were taken care of, we opened a portal back to the base. Zet stood waiting to hear the information we'd gained. When she heard that we had the name of the city, I swear she was grinning from ear to ear. Whatever she was planning, I wanted to at least see the death and destruction she would bring…