"That was close, far too close! How long was he waiting there?" Janette asked, looking to Reta with a worried look.
Reta leaned against her armrest staring ahead of them, her mind deep in thought as she remained quiet. The carriage traveled down the main road leaving Farmer's Den, with Janette speaking to Reta out of concern once they were several blocks away from her shop. They were passing by numerous flags, each repeating the same symbol that those soldiers carried on their armor. It wasn't lo
A moment had passed before Janette repeated herself again.
"Reta?"
"Eh?" She blinked, snapping out of her trance.
"Are you not worried about the hunter being here? He was right there in front of us!"
"Ehh his presence was alarming yes, but we succeeded in thwarting his suspicion for now. Nothing we can do aside from returning to warn the others. It would seem that our hunter has arrived far sooner than they anticipated." Her gaze grew narrow as she hummed in deep thought, something Janette took notice of.
"What, something's on your mind. Out with it."
"Just a feeling, recall that the girl made no mention of the other men coming after KuliKuli, only this hunter. Yet when the hunter spoke, he failed to mention something most crucial."
"And that is?"
Reta turned to her with a raised finger. "It is clear that Hunter's are summoned by call, signal, or messenger. He did not say who summoned him to the village, only that your opposition prevented the others from sending a call to him. Would you say it is possible that whoever his employer be, this mystery figure might be the same one that funny man with the mustache mentioned before?"
"Arcaye, Master of Magic's Most Mysterious?" Janette made a gesture of waving her hand in the air in a dramatic fashion, imitating his voice in the process.
Reta hissed in disgust and looked away. "You remember his theatrics and silly name."
"Oh you mean the guy who sent a living slime to kill us when we refused to give KuliKuli to him? I tend to remember people who want us dead, but I suppose it would be strange to remember a guy who came close to ending my life. Silly me." She replied, sticking out her tongue. "But since you mention him... hmm, I think I see where you're going. Wait a minute."
Janette twisted the reins gently, signaling the horses to slow down. Down the main road stood a small group of stationary men, positioned at opposite sides of the exit with spears in hand. They had stopped what appeared to be a caravan with one man in discussion with the owner of the vehicle, their speech growing easier to comprehend and follow as they drew closer toward them.
"What do you mean ya gets to see what I got, this wasn't here earlier this morning. What's the meaning of this?"
"It's a simple process really, just kindly step out of the caravan and me and my boys will have a gander at what yer bringing. It's fer yer own safety." The guard answered him in a straight tone, tapping the butt of his spear against the vehicle steps.
"Listen lad, I'm just a simple bloke trying to make ends meet. I just want to go home."
"And ye would be going home, the sooner you follow along the sooner ye can get moving. Now please, step out of the caravan sir." The man raised his voice, turning his head as he caught wind of Janette and Reta. He pointed at them and raised his voice. "We be with you two in a moment, do not go anywhere!"
"Shit." Janette muttered to herself, shifting in her seat.
Reta seemed equally unsettled, looking back in time to see another wagon behind them. "Kuso..."
Nervous, the two looked ahead. The man was growing restless with the owner's retort, his voice raising to a tone that sounded more like shouting. His voice echoed down the road as a crowd of pedestrians took notice of the growing dispute with the caravan and the guard. It seemed that this gathered the attention of the other two guards, with one of them making a signal to his friend who nodded in return and hurried away out of sight.
"Mate, it's too early for me to get me breeches in a bundle with ya. Just make this easy for both of us and step down."
"No I don't think I will, I already explained myself. I followed yer directions and answered yer questions as honest as a man of faith could. I don't mean no harm but I'm an old man for goodness sake. ye really suspect an old man could be causing any harm 'round here?"
"Old man or not, it's our duty to keep the people safe so they may live comfortably without fear of any foul beasties lying around. Be it as it may, we still need to search your possessions just in case. Look, you're making this a grand big deal when ye could have walked away had you followed directions sooner. Kindly step out of the caravan."
"No."
"For the last time and I shan't be repeating this further, get out of the bloody vehicle now!" The guard's face had turned red, tossing his spear to his partner before climbing up the caravan himself. A struggle could be heard as the owner's voice began to pant and wheeze. Suddenly, an old man was thrown out on the ground, landing face first on the dirt path as he lay on his side. By this time, one of the guards had returned with a pair of bloodhounds on a leash, as they were eagerly scratching and pawing toward the direction of the halted caravan. The pair of stallions on the front reins whined and shook their heads, anxious around the armored men as they climbed into the vehicle and began to rummage around the back.
Janette stepped to her left and stretched her neck out, leaning in for a closer look at the old man. She gasped and covered her mouth, sitting back in shock. It was the same old man from before, the herbalist who owned the shop next to hers. He was clutching his side, curled on the ground and wheezing as the heavy boots of the many soldiers flocking around his caravan were kicking up a dust cloud. He fanned away and struggled to sit up, looking around helplessly as they began to throw out several potted plants from the back of his trailer. Piles of shattered clay pots began to grow as more and more plants were added to them, with none of the men caring about the pained expression on his face as he hung his head in defeat. They didn't stop there as the two bloodhounds were led to the back, sticking their noses around the mess of herbs and plants before they hopped inside to sniff around.
One of the armored men hopped out and calmly approached the old man, recognized to be the same man who argued with him before. He kneeled down and wiped his nose, shaking his head before glaring down at the poor man. "This would have gone a lot better if you just followed along." He muttered before planting his gloved hand on the mans face and pushing him back down.
Some of the villagers watching them gasped and recoiled, with the guard standing up and glaring at them. "Let this be a lesson to all of ye watching this. Ye take a bloody damn good look at this!" He grabbed the man by the collar of his tunic, holding him up while locking eyes with a whimpering child clutching his mother's leg. "You, kid. You see this poor sight right here? Tell yer mum that if she knows better, she follow along when we ask nicely the first time, ey?"
One of the guards whistled as he climbed out of the caravan, pulling the dogs with him. He waved for the man's attention before cupping his mouth and shouting, "All clear!"
Satisfied, the man nodded back before returning his attention to the old man. "There, was that so hard? You keep a lid on that smart mouth of yours, ye hear? Now get the fuck out of my sight."
He tossed him aside like a used rag, wiping his hands and spitting off the side of the road. With a spin of his finger, the guards stepped back from the vehicle as the old man limped and climbed back to the front, carefully taking up the reins. The guards had scooped up the pile of dirt and pottery back into the caravan like trash, waiting for him to leave. He winced and closed his eyes shut, his hand squeezing his side as his tired face scrunched up and twisted in pain. It was only a moment until he found the strength to whip the reins, the wheels groaning as the horses started to pull the weight of the caravan forward.
The guard looked to Janette and her carriage before crooking his finger for them to move forward as they were next for inspection.
"Hells, what now?" Janette whispered, keeping her face forward to avoid drawing attention.
"Hn, our hands are bound at this moment. We've no choice but to follow along, do as they say for now, unless you wish to eat dirt as that man had before."
She sighed and moved the carriage ahead, reluctantly agreeing with Reta's words. The guards started to talk amongst themselves, their voices sounding rather familiar to her ears once they settled to a stop.
"Bit waste o' time 'ere, we already got the man digging around to find 'em so what they needs us for? I don't think-"
"I don't ask ye to think, I ask ye to follow. Last time ye tried to think, you used your little head over the big one." The guard grumbled back, dismissing his friend.
"Or was it the other way around?" A third guard added with a heavy snort, causing his friend to roughly push his head, causing his helmet to turn. He adjusted it back around so that the visor was pointed forward, allowing him to see through it as the first man stepped slowly to meet the women.
"My my, what we got here?" He spoke with such confidence as he leaned against the front bench, his hand leaning close to Janette's foot. His silver helmet left a glaring reflection off the sun, nearly blinding Janette as she raised her hand to shield her eyes. "Didn't think I'd be seeing you again."
Janette squinted her eyes and leaned back, nearly turning away as the guard laughing in return. "My mistake, the blasted thing gets in the way sometimes. Allow me."
He cupped the sides of his helmet and pried it off, turning his head to them with a smirk on his face. Janette nearly choked upon recognizing the man, feeling her skin turn pale as he scratched his head and ran his hand around his dirty buzzed hair.
"How's the shop doing for ye, find any more books about Monster Girls lately?" Yohan asked.
"Who is that?" Reta leaned in with a scowl directed to him.
He took her expression with amusement, whistling in return. "I've heard of yer kind, I thought you people keep after yerselves in yer own paper houses. Yer from that tribe with the blue and purple hair, right? Damn, never thought I'd meet one face to face and live to tell the tale."
"Janette!" A hoarse voice called out from the opposite side as another guard removed his helmet, revealing a crooked toothy smile. "Oh fuck, I see you brought another with ya. Love the look on her eyes-"
"Hands off, Larson! We treat them the same as the others, no exceptions." Yohan reminded him, looking up to meet Janette's frightened eyes with a grin. "Pardon me miss, but I'm gunna 'ave to ask ye to step out of yer little carriage for some inspection. Should be a quick and easy process, no trouble unless ye make any for us. And you know Lars, he'd be itching for ye to give him trouble."
Reta leaned in ready to respond when Janette squeezed her thigh, preying silently that she got the hint. She hissed and smacked her lips, crossing her arms and falling back in her seat. Relieved, Janette looked to her friend and offered a slow nod, with the two stepping off the carriage. Yohan reached out and offered her a hand, to which she pretended not to notice. As she stepped out, her eyes followed the pile of dark soil and crumpled roses on the ground, a fleeting memory of how they treated her friend only to see them trampled on as another guard approached them with the bloodhounds on a leash.
One of the dogs whined and sneezed, shaking its head. It turned toward Reta with a strange look before sniffing her feet as she stepped back. Larson chuckled in amusement, watching the bloodhound follow her steps before raising its front paws to her with a whine as she watched in disgust.
"Seems yer friend caught our hounds attention." Yohan said, glaring at Janette. "Something you'd like to share with us, miss Janette?"
"Wait, n-no." She replied, looking at her friend as Reta nervously retreated only to bump into another Guard. He reached for her arms to hold her steady, with her pulling away and cursing in her native tongue.
"Easy miss! Give us a reason to fight back and we will." Yohan barked, pointing to his men. "Be wary of her, ay? She may be a woman but her kind are fighters, don't go easy on her. That goes double for you, Lars!"
"I think we got something here, something's got ole Todd's nose here running!" Larson called out, prying the dog away from Reta's feet. He turned his attention to her. "Ye some kind of Monster Girl yerself, ey? What are ye, another pussycat? Oh, please tell me yer one of them."
"Back away, unless you want me to widen that gap in your teeth!" Reta cried out, with three more men grabbing hold of her arms.
"Stop, please! Leave her alone!" Janette tried to rush in, only for Yohan to hold her back. "Hey!"
"Tell us what's going on here miss, and no one get's hurt." He whispered to her ear, his foul breath clogging her nose as she tried to pull away from his hold around her waist.
Janette felt her throat constrict as she began to gasp and pant for air. She struggled to break from his grip but his arms wrapped around her waist, pressing her body against his. Panic was beginning to overwhelm her as she started to fear the worst, her eyes glancing and her head turning feverishly from one villager to another, desperately pleading for help.
"Please, please somebody help!" She cried out, squeezing her eyes shut. "Let me go!"
"Stop it, that's enough!"
Everyone froze as both dogs began to bark furiously, baring their teeth and kicking up dust with the guards struggling to restrain them. The villagers gasped in shock as all eyes were focused on the woman stepping out from under the carriage, her silver hair parting away from her eyes as they glared angrily toward Yohan. At first, Janette was shocked to see KuliKuli there as she recognized the Nekomata by her silver hair, but there were some noteable differences. No brown fur was present, her height was a bit shorter, and in Janette's shock she realized those green eyes belonged to someone else.
"S-Syri?" She whispered with a puzzled look on her face.
"That was close, far too close! How long was he waiting there?" Janette asked, looking to Reta with a worried look.
Reta leaned against her armrest staring ahead of them, her mind deep in thought as she remained quiet. The carriage traveled down the main road leaving Farmer's Den, with Janette speaking to Reta out of concern once they were several blocks away from her shop. They were passing by numerous flags, each repeating the same symbol that those soldiers carried on their armor. It wasn't lo
A moment had passed before Janette repeated herself again.
"Reta?"
"Eh?" She blinked, snapping out of her trance.
"Are you not worried about the hunter being here? He was right there in front of us!"
"Ehh his presence was alarming yes, but we succeeded in thwarting his suspicion for now. Nothing we can do aside from returning to warn the others. It would seem that our hunter has arrived far sooner than they anticipated." Her gaze grew narrow as she hummed in deep thought, something Janette took notice of.
"What, something's on your mind. Out with it."
"Just a feeling, recall that the girl made no mention of the other men coming after KuliKuli, only this hunter. Yet when the hunter spoke, he failed to mention something most crucial."
"And that is?"
Reta turned to her with a raised finger. "It is clear that Hunter's are summoned by call, signal, or messenger. He did not say who summoned him to the village, only that your opposition prevented the others from sending a call to him. Would you say it is possible that whoever his employer be, this mystery figure might be the same one that funny man with the mustache mentioned before?"
"Arcaye, Master of Magic's Most Mysterious?" Janette made a gesture of waving her hand in the air in a dramatic fashion, imitating his voice in the process.
Reta hissed in disgust and looked away. "You remember his theatrics and silly name."
"Oh you mean the guy who sent a living slime to kill us when we refused to give KuliKuli to him? I tend to remember people who want us dead, but I suppose it would be strange to remember a guy who came close to ending my life. Silly me." She replied, sticking out her tongue. "But since you mention him... hmm, I think I see where you're going. Wait a minute."
Janette twisted the reins gently, signaling the horses to slow down. Down the main road stood a small group of stationary men, positioned at opposite sides of the exit with spears in hand. They had stopped what appeared to be a caravan with one man in discussion with the owner of the vehicle, their speech growing easier to comprehend and follow as they drew closer toward them.
"What do you mean ya gets to see what I got, this wasn't here earlier this morning. What's the meaning of this?"
"It's a simple process really, just kindly step out of the caravan and me and my boys will have a gander at what yer bringing. It's fer yer own safety." The guard answered him in a straight tone, tapping the butt of his spear against the vehicle steps.
"Listen lad, I'm just a simple bloke trying to make ends meet. I just want to go home."
"And ye would be going home, the sooner you follow along the sooner ye can get moving. Now please, step out of the caravan sir." The man raised his voice, turning his head as he caught wind of Janette and Reta. He pointed at them and raised his voice. "We be with you two in a moment, do not go anywhere!"
"Shit." Janette muttered to herself, shifting in her seat.
Reta seemed equally unsettled, looking back in time to see another wagon behind them. "Kuso..."
Nervous, the two looked ahead. The man was growing restless with the owner's retort, his voice raising to a tone that sounded more like shouting. His voice echoed down the road as a crowd of pedestrians took notice of the growing dispute with the caravan and the guard. It seemed that this gathered the attention of the other two guards, with one of them making a signal to his friend who nodded in return and hurried away out of sight.
"Mate, it's too early for me to get me breeches in a bundle with ya. Just make this easy for both of us and step down."
"No I don't think I will, I already explained myself. I followed yer directions and answered yer questions as honest as a man of faith could. I don't mean no harm but I'm an old man for goodness sake. ye really suspect an old man could be causing any harm 'round here?"
"Old man or not, it's our duty to keep the people safe so they may live comfortably without fear of any foul beasties lying around. Be it as it may, we still need to search your possessions just in case. Look, you're making this a grand big deal when ye could have walked away had you followed directions sooner. Kindly step out of the caravan."
"No."
"For the last time and I shan't be repeating this further, get out of the bloody vehicle now!" The guard's face had turned red, tossing his spear to his partner before climbing up the caravan himself. A struggle could be heard as the owner's voice began to pant and wheeze. Suddenly, an old man was thrown out on the ground, landing face first on the dirt path as he lay on his side. By this time, one of the guards had returned with a pair of bloodhounds on a leash, as they were eagerly scratching and pawing toward the direction of the halted caravan. The pair of stallions on the front reins whined and shook their heads, anxious around the armored men as they climbed into the vehicle and began to rummage around the back.
Janette stepped to her left and stretched her neck out, leaning in for a closer look at the old man. She gasped and covered her mouth, sitting back in shock. It was the same old man from before, the herbalist who owned the shop next to hers. He was clutching his side, curled on the ground and wheezing as the heavy boots of the many soldiers flocking around his caravan were kicking up a dust cloud. He fanned away and struggled to sit up, looking around helplessly as they began to throw out several potted plants from the back of his trailer. Piles of shattered clay pots began to grow as more and more plants were added to them, with none of the men caring about the pained expression on his face as he hung his head in defeat. They didn't stop there as the two bloodhounds were led to the back, sticking their noses around the mess of herbs and plants before they hopped inside to sniff around.
One of the armored men hopped out and calmly approached the old man, recognized to be the same man who argued with him before. He kneeled down and wiped his nose, shaking his head before glaring down at the poor man. "This would have gone a lot better if you just followed along." He muttered before planting his gloved hand on the mans face and pushing him back down.
Some of the villagers watching them gasped and recoiled, with the guard standing up and glaring at them. "Let this be a lesson to all of ye watching this. Ye take a bloody damn good look at this!" He grabbed the man by the collar of his tunic, holding him up while locking eyes with a whimpering child clutching his mother's leg. "You, kid. You see this poor sight right here? Tell yer mum that if she knows better, she follow along when we ask nicely the first time, ey?"
One of the guards whistled as he climbed out of the caravan, pulling the dogs with him. He waved for the man's attention before cupping his mouth and shouting, "All clear!"
Satisfied, the man nodded back before returning his attention to the old man. "There, was that so hard? You keep a lid on that smart mouth of yours, ye hear? Now get the fuck out of my sight."
He tossed him aside like a used rag, wiping his hands and spitting off the side of the road. With a spin of his finger, the guards stepped back from the vehicle as the old man limped and climbed back to the front, carefully taking up the reins. The guards had scooped up the pile of dirt and pottery back into the caravan like trash, waiting for him to leave. He winced and closed his eyes shut, his hand squeezing his side as his tired face scrunched up and twisted in pain. It was only a moment until he found the strength to whip the reins, the wheels groaning as the horses started to pull the weight of the caravan forward.
The guard looked to Janette and her carriage before crooking his finger for them to move forward as they were next for inspection.
"Hells, what now?" Janette whispered, keeping her face forward to avoid drawing attention.
"Hn, our hands are bound at this moment. We've no choice but to follow along, do as they say for now, unless you wish to eat dirt as that man had before."
She sighed and moved the carriage ahead, reluctantly agreeing with Reta's words. The guards started to talk amongst themselves, their voices sounding rather familiar to her ears once they settled to a stop.
"Bit waste o' time 'ere, we already got the man digging around to find 'em so what they needs us for? I don't think-"
"I don't ask ye to think, I ask ye to follow. Last time ye tried to think, you used your little head over the big one." The guard grumbled back, dismissing his friend.
"Or was it the other way around?" A third guard added with a heavy snort, causing his friend to roughly push his head, causing his helmet to turn. He adjusted it back around so that the visor was pointed forward, allowing him to see through it as the first man stepped slowly to meet the women.
"My my, what we got here?" He spoke with such confidence as he leaned against the front bench, his hand leaning close to Janette's foot. His silver helmet left a glaring reflection off the sun, nearly blinding Janette as she raised her hand to shield her eyes. "Didn't think I'd be seeing you again."
Janette squinted her eyes and leaned back, nearly turning away as the guard laughing in return. "My mistake, the blasted thing gets in the way sometimes. Allow me."
He cupped the sides of his helmet and pried it off, turning his head to them with a smirk on his face. Janette nearly choked upon recognizing the man, feeling her skin turn pale as he scratched his head and ran his hand around his dirty buzzed hair.
"How's the shop doing for ye, find any more books about Monster Girls lately?" Yohan asked.
"Who is that?" Reta leaned in with a scowl directed to him.
He took her expression with amusement, whistling in return. "I've heard of yer kind, I thought you people keep after yerselves in yer own paper houses. Yer from that tribe with the blue and purple hair, right? Damn, never thought I'd meet one face to face and live to tell the tale."
"Janette!" A hoarse voice called out from the opposite side as another guard removed his helmet, revealing a crooked toothy smile. "Oh fuck, I see you brought another with ya. Love the look on her eyes-"
"Hands off, Larson! We treat them the same as the others, no exceptions." Yohan reminded him, looking up to meet Janette's frightened eyes with a grin. "Pardon me miss, but I'm gunna 'ave to ask ye to step out of yer little carriage for some inspection. Should be a quick and easy process, no trouble unless ye make any for us. And you know Lars, he'd be itching for ye to give him trouble."
Reta leaned in ready to respond when Janette squeezed her thigh, preying silently that she got the hint. She hissed and smacked her lips, crossing her arms and falling back in her seat. Relieved, Janette looked to her friend and offered a slow nod, with the two stepping off the carriage. Yohan reached out and offered her a hand, to which she pretended not to notice. As she stepped out, her eyes followed the pile of dark soil and crumpled roses on the ground, a fleeting memory of how they treated her friend only to see them trampled on as another guard approached them with the bloodhounds on a leash.
One of the dogs whined and sneezed, shaking its head. It turned toward Reta with a strange look before sniffing her feet as she stepped back. Larson chuckled in amusement, watching the bloodhound follow her steps before raising its front paws to her with a whine as she watched in disgust.
"Seems yer friend caught our hounds attention." Yohan said, glaring at Janette. "Something you'd like to share with us, miss Janette?"
"Wait, n-no." She replied, looking at her friend as Reta nervously retreated only to bump into another Guard. He reached for her arms to hold her steady, with her pulling away and cursing in her native tongue.
"Easy miss! Give us a reason to fight back and we will." Yohan barked, pointing to his men. "Be wary of her, ay? She may be a woman but her kind are fighters, don't go easy on her. That goes double for you, Lars!"
"I think we got something here, something's got ole Todd's nose here running!" Larson called out, prying the dog away from Reta's feet. He turned his attention to her. "Ye some kind of Monster Girl yerself, ey? What are ye, another pussycat? Oh, please tell me yer one of them."
"Back away, unless you want me to widen that gap in your teeth!" Reta cried out, with three more men grabbing hold of her arms.
"Stop, please! Leave her alone!" Janette tried to rush in, only for Yohan to hold her back. "Hey!"
"Tell us what's going on here miss, and no one get's hurt." He whispered to her ear, his foul breath clogging her nose as she tried to pull away from his hold around her waist.
Janette felt her throat constrict as she began to gasp and pant for air. She struggled to break from his grip but his arms wrapped around her waist, pressing her body against his. Panic was beginning to overwhelm her as she started to fear the worst, her eyes glancing and her head turning feverishly from one villager to another, desperately pleading for help.
"Please, please somebody help!" She cried out, squeezing her eyes shut. "Let me go!"
"Stop it, that's enough!"
Everyone froze as both dogs began to bark furiously, baring their teeth and kicking up dust with the guards struggling to restrain them. The villagers gasped in shock as all eyes were focused on the woman stepping out from under the carriage, her silver hair parting away from her eyes as they glared angrily toward Yohan. At first, Janette was shocked to see KuliKuli there as she recognized the Nekomata by her silver hair, but there were some noteable differences. No brown fur was present, her height was a bit shorter, and in Janette's shock she realized those green eyes belonged to someone else.
"S-Syri?" She whispered with a puzzled look on her face.
