Chapter Fourteen: The Alpha

Chapter Fourteen: The Alpha

Over the next few days I fell into a rhythm. Wake up and help pack up camp, grab some breakfast, spend the day walking and chatting with whoever I ended up near, help set up camp at the end of the day, train with Serena for an hour, eat some of whatever Korey was offering, find some time to spend with Rhallani, then either spend an hour honing [Dark Sense] on my own or do it during whatever watch I picked up.

We didn’t come across any bodies, but I figured that was because of the snowfall. I tried not to think about how many corpses we might have passed that were buried under the thick white sheets. My only solace is that I didn’t think we’d passed anyone who might have been dying and not dead. There were few fears as potent as the one felt in the last moments of life. My skill would have picked up anyone close enough for us to save.

I got plenty done during those days, though. Serena was rapidly improving every night, and it seemed she was getting more and more excited for our training sessions. I also made plenty of headway in learning a little about the caravan we were traveling with.

Korey’s father had earned some property in the war, and he’d inherited it as his father’s last living kin. Mihrel owned the property next door, and the two ended up moving in together before getting married and starting a business. They’d gone north to collect some rare materials to get their shop up and running, and they’d run into Pierce almost by chance while in Listone.

Jezal was a longtime friend of Mihrel. A gifted yet eccentric artificer that had a minor explosion-related falling out with the artificer’s guild in Amesseria and Korey had scooped her up to work for him. She’d brought along Mai, a Nekomata who’d been used as a test subject for some years before Jezal used her savings to buy out Mai’s contract and transfer it to Korey.

Vaze was a merchant with a head for numbers, but she’d been screwed out of a deal by a partner she’d trusted and ended up in the crosshairs of some nasty people. Garm saved her life and brought her to Korey after hearing what he’d done for Mai, who’d apparently been a friend from his childhood. Korey hired Vaze and became Gram’s Patron after that.

Jalan, the not-very-talkative Mountain Dwarf, had a number of mending skills. Once he’d heard what Korey was doing he convinced the man of his usefulness. Thanks to him, Korey could buy damaged merchandise, fix it up with Jalan’s help, and resell it at a profit. Jalan knew Cilrien, who was apparently from this area of the world originally, and convinced Korey to bring him along for the trip. Cilrien was even less talkative than Jalan, though, so I didn’t know much else about him.

I hadn’t noticed any marked change in Scarlet, but Rhallani assured me she was growing more and more comfortable. Already she was looking leagues better than when we’d found her. Not all of her injuries were completely gone, though, which made me wonder just what her health pool looked like. If her former masters spent time torturing her for fun, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. I’d seen her around Serena fairly often, though I wasn’t sure which girl was responsible for seeking the other out. Either way, Serena was always more than happy to keep Scarlet company anytime I wanted to get some alone time with Rhallani.

It was four days after we’d found the body that something finally happened. We sat around the fire enjoying Gram’s latest vat of delicious stew. Spirits were higher than they’d been. Even Rhallani couldn't help but curl up into my side, leaning her head on my shoulder while nursing a half-empty bowl. It had been a few days since the last snow, and I thought the sun had done a lot to improve morale. The clouds had rolled in around sunset and, though no snow was falling, there was no light other than the flickering orange of the flames.

It was then that fear stabbed me like a hot iron. Sharp and frantic and immediately close by, which meant it was strong. I’d barely even felt the boost to my agility before I’d tossed my bowl aside and was hurtling towards its source. I left the glow of the firelight behind and my senses exploded. I guided them forward as I conjured a single tendril that whipped in front of me to clear my path while I sprinted through the dark as fast as my legs would carry me.

I heard the bloodcurdling scream and the snapping of teeth. It was Mai, alone and surrounded by three blightwolves. I didn’t know what she was doing out here alone but that didn’t matter. She yowled in pain and the smell of blood hit my nostrils. She cried out, begging the gods for help. There were no gods here, but there was one very pissed off Shadowborn.

I slammed into one hard enough to knock it into another and my tendrils lashed out at the third, marring its snout. I twisted back and scooped up Mai, who had blood pouring from a deep gash in her lower leg. She screamed again—it was pitch black, so she probably didn’t know what was happening—and nearly blew out my overtuned eardrums. I just conjured one of my backup swords and wrapped it with a tendril.

The cut on her leg was deep and it bled heavily. “Sorry about this,” I whispered. Then she screamed bloody murder as I activated [Shadow Stitching]. She fought against me, her sharp nails cutting into the skin on my arms and neck, so I conjured a tendril at her hip and shoved her back towards camp. “Run!” I shouted, turning back to face the beasts.

I threw myself at them while she started limping away as fast as she could, sobbing hysterically. I reigned in my senses so that I could sense everything within ten feet of me and went on the offensive. Tendrils lashed and my shadow-wrapped sword bit into fur and flesh. I didn’t bother keeping track of the wolves, I just hit whatever was in front of me. The boost from my [Horde Slayer] coupled with my tendrils and [Dark Sense] made me a force of nature. The wolves would have had an advantage over anyone else in the dark, but not me.

I hamstrung one but the other slammed into me hard enough that the third slipped free, charging after Mai. I cursed and chased it, but even with my boost from [Predator’s Pursuit] the wolf was faster than I was. My tendrils kept the wolf behind me at bay, but the one I was chasing would still reach Mai before I did.

Luckily for Mai, I wasn’t the only one nearby.

Mai screamed for help again when the wolf lunged at her. My tendril lashed out, keeping the jaws at bay for just a second longer, and help arrived in the form of the small angry form that was Scarlet. She slammed a log into its jaw hard enough to shatter the wood and the wolf went flying. I was right about her strength, so I conjured a long metal maul. “Scarlet!” I hurled it at her, and she grabbed it out of the air with ease.

The wolf tried to snap at her, but this time the metal of the maul shattered its jaw. She didn’t relent and slammed the weapon into its body again and again. Her third strike split skin and a spray of green acidic blood hit her in the face, arm, and body. She hissed, and when she struck again it caved the wolf’s head in.

I felt the tendrils on my back give their last few withering strikes and turned to fight the last wolf, but I never got the chance. Scarlet shot forward with a scream and hit the wolf so hard its crumpled form sailed through the tree it impacted against. The strike was much stronger than the ones from a moment ago, and when I took stock of the blood and burns on her body everything went into place.

Fuck. If I was right, I wasn’t going to stop until I found the owner of that brand and put him in the fucking ground.

I could see lanterns running towards us. Scarlet stood with such indifference I knew she was going to be okay for at least the next few minutes. Mai recoiled with another frightened cry at my touch, but when I assured her she was safe she threw herself at me and sobbed into my chest, thanking me over and over. Just before the light of the lanterns stripped my senses, I confirmed my hunch with a quick sniff. It wasn’t just blood from her injuries that I smelled.

Yen and Rastra came running up. It was their watch, but they hadn’t been near this side of the camp. “What’s happening? Where are they?” Yen demanded.

I jerked my head back behind me. “Dead. There might be one more limping around back there, but it won’t last much longer. They caught her alone, but I got there in time.”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Mai cried. “I just wanted to relieve myself and get away from the fire and everyone else for a minute but—”

“It’s alright,” I told her, rubbing her back softly. “You’re okay now, and that’s what matters. Come on, let’s get you back to camp.”

I lifted her slim frame easily and she clung to me with shaking arms. I looked to Scarlet, who was covered in burns. I conjured a health potion, holding Mai with one arm and a tendril around her waist, and held the vial out to her. “Here. You did good tonight.”

She took the vial hesitantly. “This one has no need for healing. This one has plenty of health remaining.”

“All the same. Please.” There would be time to talk about my revelation later. Right now, I had to—

The light had dampened my senses too much, so I was too slow to react. Rastra never stood a chance when something lunged out of the shadows and slammed her into the ground. Her head bounced once, then she let out a scream and was ripped into the dark with her fingernails gouging deep grooves in the dirt.

With a curse, I dropped Mai as gently as I could mange. “Stay with her!” I yelled at Yen and Scarlet, then I hurtled after Rastra. I heard her screams, then saw the flames being thrown in the distance. Good, I was going to need her to buy me time to close the distance. I heard the fight, but the heat from the flames and her screams made it hard to make out what was happening. I knew her attacker had torn into her side, but with claws and not fangs. It didn’t move like a blightwolf, especially when it lashed out and swept her legs out from under her, then lunged forward and sunk its jaws into her neck. Her cries went silent just when I arrived.

It wasn’t a blightwolf. Not exactly. It moved around on all fours, but its front limbs were built more like arms than the forelegs of a canine with claws rather than paws, complete with a thumb. Its chest was broader, and when it turned to me it rose on its back legs until it stood nearly ten feet tall. I wasted no time in hurling my sword at it. The attack was more of a distraction than anything else, as it gave me the chance to dart in and tap Rastra’s body long enough to conjure a tendril then cast [Shadow Stitching]. It would only work on living allies, so at least when the skill took hold I knew she was still alive. For now, at least.

Her body twitched, but she made no sound. I’d have to hope it would be enough to save her life, because something told me I’d need all my mana to handle whatever the fuck this beastman was. It circled, growling when I conjured a battleaxe from my storage. Big bastard would need a big weapon. I curled the tendril at my wrist around it, then conjured one on either shoulder and another on my hip. It was most of my mana, but I was Rastra’s best hope for survival right now.

The beast circled, and I knew I couldn’t let it make the first move. In a one on one fight like this one, I was at a disadvantage. My current skill set was better suited to disadvantaged fights, not duels. To make matters worse, Rastra’s magic had caught some nearby foliage on fire, lighting the area enough to make my [Dark Sense] obsolete as well. The fire was spreading, too.

It dodged my first swipe easily, but my tendrils were quick enough to leave a few shallow scratches on its chest. Just enough to show that it had the same green blood that would not be good for my health if I got any on me. I pressed forward to try and push it away from Rastra, but this one was smarter than the others. It used its claws for defense, then it tried to use the same trick on me as it did Rastra. I managed to avoid getting my leg swept, but I wasn’t ready for the second attack to follow it up so quickly.

One of my tendrils withered to keep me from getting sliced to ribbons, but it was still like getting hit with a battering ram. I went flying, but my tendrils came in clutch once again. They softened the impact when I slammed into a tree and even managed to push me so that I fell on my feet. It’s jaws missed my throat by inches, and I managed to sink my axe into its hide. The blade stuck fast, and the beast spun. Since the axe was tethered to my arm, I found myself sailing through the air again.

I held on for dear life until the wide blade finally dislodged and I was sent tumbling to the ground. I barely had time to recover before the beast was on me. My tendrils stopped his jaws from tearing my throat open, so they were a little too occupied to stop its claws from raking into my side.

My tendrils exploded into spikes in the beast’s mouth and it jerked back, spraying me with acid blood. I jammed the shadow-wrapped haft of my axe into the beast’s mouth and tried to hold it back, but the beast must have weighed four times as much as me. Its claws dug deeper into my torso, but I started stabbing all my tendrils into its forearm. Its grip finally loosened enough for me to wriggle free and I rolled away, but not before it used its other claw to slice deep into my calf.

I slammed my axe into its body and left it there, retracting my tendril from the weapon I used it to pull myself away while the beast ripped the melting weapon out and threw it aside with a snarl. I hooked one of my remaining tendrils to a tree and pulled myself to my feet. If I wasn’t certain before, I was now. The blightwolves were being used for a very specific purpose. To draw out whoever wielded the cursed blade. It was my only way out of this, even if it was a risky move so soon after using it before.

I didn’t get the chance before Serena came flying out of the flames with the sword I’d thrown a moment ago. She wore no armor, but that only meant she was faster than usual. With the element of surprise, she was able to use [Flurry Strike] to land three rapid blows on its hind leg before darting between us. She cursed when she saw the blade was already melting and tossed it aside.

“Serena!” I thrust my hand out and conjured a halberd, holding the bladed side. She grabbed it and I used it to pull her close so I could wrap my hand around her wrist. I conjured a tendril there and wrapped it around her blade as I wrapped my own, then I dragged my hand across her hips and conjured two more. “The shadows will protect you from the acid, but don’t get hit. Buy me thirty seconds, and don’t you dare die.”

She spun away from me without another word and I summoned one of the two mana potions I’d been able to afford and downed it. Once it took effect, I used [Shadow Stitching] on myself. Once the searing pain of the skill was finished, I limped over to Rastra. She was still alive, but barely. I used another [Shadow Stitching] on her just to be safe to close the wounds I’d missed the first time, then summoned a health potion and poured it down her throat. After that it was time to help Serena.

“Thanks to you I gained a level. I’m nineteen now, just one away from my secondary class.”

Your level was an intimate thing to share with someone else, so I was touched at her confession. I figured it was only fair to tell her my own. “That makes two of us. The level up, I mean. I’m level eleven now.”

She jerked, but she made no move to comment about how low it was. Rhallani, who nestled into my other side, leaned forward and said, “nineteen is really good! I’m level sixteen myself.”

A soft smile spread over her face. “I’m the highest level here?”

“Seems to be that way.” I lifted my arm enough to ruffle her hair before dropping it back to her shoulder. “A few more weeks of training and it’ll start to actually look it.”

She smiled wider, but didn’t say anything until we got to where Mihrel was treating Rastra. She had bandages over half her face and most of her body, but at least she was alive. Mihrel nodded to me, respect in his gaze, and I looked to where Mai sat curled up in Jezal’s lap. Her long black tail was curled around both of them.

Jezal stroked her hair softly with a film of tears in her eyes. “There are no words I know that can express my gratitude,” she said to me. “If there’s anything at all I can do for you, name it.”

A debt from a skilled artificer was no small thing. “I’ll keep that in mind. I gave Korey some info on how to keep her safe, so I’d talk to him when you can.” Better not to air out Mai’s condition in front of everyone.

“Of course. Thank you again.”

I turned to where Scarlet sat nearby with her legs crossed, the half-melted maul sitting on her lap. “This one did as ordered, Sir.”

I took a leap and reached slowly for her head. I saw her eyes widen a fraction at the approach, then her pupils quivered when I gently patted her head. “You did good. Thanks for the save. I’ll make sure to find a suitable reward for you.” I had one in mind, but it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about tonight. “Now let’s go get some sleep, alright?”

She stood without another word, but Serena cleared her throat. “Um, actually, I was wondering if maybe Scarlet wanted to stay the night in my tent. I don’t—I mean, if she wants—”

The encounter had freaked her out more than she let on, it was no wonder she was still clinging to me. I wondered if this was the first time she’d faced a magical beast of that caliber. Scarlet, however, looked to me.

“If Scarlet wants to, then of course that’s okay.” After a fight like that, it was only natural to not want to be alone.

Scarlet made a humming noise. “This one has no objections, Sir.”

“Then by all means. I’ll find you in the morning.”

After a quick nod, Scarlet started towards Serena’s tent. She paused, then held the maul out to me without looking in my direction. I banished it without a word, then looked down at Serena who seemed much more relaxed than she had a moment ago. “Thank you again. See you tomorrow.”

She slid out from under my arm with some reluctance and I gave her the extra bedroll from my storage for Scarlet. After that I let Rhallani be the one to half carry me to our tent, though I put less weight on her small frame than I had Serena. We were barely through the flap before she’d tied it shut and removed my clothes.

After, she commanded me to lay down and enjoy myself. For the next hour, she took it upon herself to take care of me, and we both fell asleep nestled happily into our bedroll.

# # #

You are so pathetic, Serena scolded herself silently. She was happy Scarlet would be joining her since being alone after looking up at that horrible monster was an image she saw every time she closed her eyes, but what she really longed to do was share Ren’s bed. It was a stupid, foolish impulse, she knew. Rhallani loved him greatly, and Serena could tell that Ren loved her right back. That knowledge did nothing to stop her heart from hammering when he’d playfully run his fingers through her hair or her breath catching every time their bodies grew close during training or the heat that threatened to melt her every time he told her how amazing she was or—

Enough! Someone like him would never look twice at someone like her. She was nearly twice his level and she could still barely touch him in a fight. He was tall and amazing and dark and brooding and kind and very attractive and no matter what she did she just couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to trace each and every one of his scars with her tongue.

Goddess, she was such a fool. She shook the thoughts out of her head before they made heat start to spread in a different area. One she couldn’t exactly tend to currently like she had every night for the last few days. Not with adorable little Scarlet sleeping just a few feet away.

At least, that’s what she thought until she rolled over and saw Scarlet’s unnerving red eyes staring at her in the dark, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. Her eyes practically glowed in the dark, and her vertical pupils always seemed to be so piercing. They were such a contrast compared to the rest of the adorable girl Serena had come to know, and they fascinated her.

“I’m sorry if I woke you,” Serena whispered.

Scarlet didn’t answer right away. “Does Serena like sex?” she asked finally.

Adrenaline raced through her. Could Scarlet read minds? Why had she asked that? Was Serena that obvious? “W-wh-why would you ask something like that? Do you like sex?” Immediately Serena cringed at the idiocy of the question. She wasn’t completely naive, she knew what kinds of things the crueler Patrons did to their servants. From how Scarlet looked when Serena had first met her, whoever had been her Patron must have been a monster.

But Scarlet didn’t seem bothered by the question. Just thoughtful. “This one did not like sex. It hurt, but so did everything else. But when this one sees Rhallani do it...” She made a humming noise. “Rhallani says Sir makes her feel very good with sex. Could that be true?”

Dear goddess, this was not a conversation Serena wanted to be having right now. Especially not since that last comment had made her lower region start to feel a bit damp. “I wouldn’t know. He seems very caring, so I would imagine that it might be quite... pleasant.”

Scarlet made that same humming noise, which Serena realized meant she was thinking. “Sometimes, during sex, there was more than just pain. Sometimes, there were moments where this one felt good, but this one always hated those moments. It was easier when everything was just pain.” Her head slipped out of the bedroll and touched the top of her head. “But when Sir touched this one today, it was...warm. There was no pain, just the other thing. Is there something wrong with this one?”

Serena wanted so badly to wrap her arms around Scarlet and hold her close, but Rhallani had impressed upon her the other day of the dangers of just that. “Yes, Scarlet,” she said softly. “Something is wrong with you, but that isn’t your fault. You were mistreated and abused, and that left scars that might never fully heal. That doesn’t mean you have to stay like this, though. If you liked the way him patting you felt, then you should tell him that.”

Serena reached out and, moving slowly just as Ren had earlier, gently stroked Scarlet’s hair. The corners of the Seraphim’s mouth twitched downwards slightly, which is the most emotion Serena had ever seen on her face. “Not every touch is sexual, and they shouldn’t cause pain. It’s natural to want more of something like this.”

The corners of her mouth twitched downward more, so Serena started to pull away. Like lightning, Scarlet’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, then gently pulled it back to her head. Serena went back to gently stroking her uneven hair. “Rhallani said that Sir would love to hold this one tight someday if this one wished it, but what if Sir did and this one didn’t like it?”

“Ren wouldn’t be bothered,” Serena said confidently. “Or, rather, he wouldn’t be bothered by you. I guarantee he’d be angry with the monsters that hurt you though.”

Scarlet began humming again, and Serena kept gently running her fingers through Scarlet’s damaged hair until her arm started to ache. Finally, Serena asked, “do you want to feel what it’s like?” The humming stopped. “You don’t have to, but if you want I can hold you for a bit and you can decide if you like it. That way you won’t have to worry about whether or not you can do it with Ren.”

Sure, there was a bit of selfishness in her offer. She wanted very badly to hold the adorable girl tight, and if Scarlet agreed then she’d finally have her excuse. She only hoped she hadn’t frightened the strange yet cute Seraphim off by offering.

Scarlet didn’t respond for what felt like an eternity, but finally she nodded her head once. Serena retracted her hand and Scarlet slid from her bedroll with startlingly silent movements. Serena held her own bedroll open, not sure exactly what to expect. She was surprised when Scarlet slid in so that they were face to face, lowering herself until she could rest her head on Serena’s breasts. Serena held her with one arm while she continued gently stroking her hair with the other.

Scarlet shivered, but remained stock still otherwise. After a while, she slowly started to relax into Serena’s body. Just when Serena was starting to drift off, Scarlet said, “This one—I like this very much.”

It was enough to bring tears to Serena’s eyes. She pressed her cheek into the top of Scarlet’s head. “Then you’re welcome to it any time.”

Scarlet hummed again, but this time the tone was different. Softer. At some point she fell asleep, and Serena felt her own eyes drooping. She didn’t want to go to sleep just yet though, not while she was enjoying this so much. Scarlet was just so adorable and every time Serena looked at her it made her heart break a little more. She wanted to help the girl so badly. She wanted to be there when Scarlet learned how to smile and laugh again. She didn’t know if that would happen by the time this journey was done, though, and afterwards there would be no reason for Ren to continue to train her every day.

She knew she was a fool for doing so, but before she drifted off she did what she did every night before bed. She wrapped her hand around the pendant she’d worn since she was a little girl and prayed to the goddess she’d worshiped in secret for most of her life.

Allura, please, I’ll do anything if you just give me a reason to stay in Ren’s life.