Chapter 8

The Aftermath – Part 2

“Well, that makes this difficult,” Olivia said. Given the danger she had already faced, heading out into the forest at night would just result in a quick death for both of them. She knew that the only option was to find a place to camp, get some rest and head out in the morning, to which Ameril agreed completely.

Thankfully, they were already at a campsite, meaning it would be a shame not to use it. The problem with it was the dead body, which they needed to deal with, lest it draws any wildlife to the camp.

Knowing they needed to get their hands dirty and do this, Olivia took the head and Ameril grabbed the legs. They then proceeded to carry the body as far from the camp as they could, where they then dumped him.

The best thing to do was to probably dig a hole and bury him, but lacking the equipment this was not possible. They could have dug with their hands, but neither of them was going to go that far for this man.

So they moved to plan B. They rolled him into the nearest ditch and covered him with leaves and branches from nearby. The way they saw it, it was better than nothing. Once done, they turned around and headed back.

A light conversation arose between the two as they ate. Ameril told Olivia some history and the recent event around the world, as Olivia stated she was a bit foggy on all of that given the amnesia. Olivia, listened intently, wanting to get as much knowledge as she could about her new home. When they exhausted all of that, it was Olivia’s turn to talk. Due to the ‘amnesia’, she decided to ring off stories from Earth, fictional tales and scenes from her life, mainly films and TV shows, adjusted to make sense in a world without technology. She said these were tales she had heard about long ago, or things she had dreamt, which is why she still remembered them. Ameril was fully engrossed in what Olivia was saying, hanging off every word of the fanciful tales of heroes fighting strange monsters.

As they spoke about anything and nothing, Olivia thought about how grateful she was that she met Ameril. Here she was, part goblin and part orc, both species that are at odds with the elves and other sapient species that they are seen as monsters to be exterminated, yet they were able to have a civil conversation with each other. While the whole saving of her life probably had more to do with it than her charming conversational skills, Olivia was sure this was a first in the history of this world.

They may even eventually become friends.

.....

But while possible, there are still a few hurdles to overcome.

…

As the sun set, the next order of business cropped up. Sleeping arrangements.

While they did have a good evening together, Olivia knew that being saved and one night of good conversation would not be enough to remove the years of hatred the sapient species had against orcs and goblins. So, while Olivia had not done anything to Ameril, the idea of falling asleep and being completely defenceless with her around was probably still a frightening prospect for Ameril.

This was also very evident on Ameril’s face, as when she looked at the tent to wonder how they would go about turning in the for the night, she started fretting, trying to figure out what to do next.

It was clear to see she was conflicted. Olivia had saved her twice and had done nothing to show any aggression towards her. But she was still an orc and a goblin, two monsters elves had been told should be killed on sight. The stories about all these species had done didn’t help either.

Olivia could see all this on her face and knew she had to do something to make her feel at ease. There was a time for teasing and jokes, but now she had to be serious, as anything like that would probably just stress her out further.

“I know what you’re thinking. You can sleep in the tent, and I’ll stand guard nearby. You can… restrain me if that makes you feel more comfortable. If something happens, I can call out and wake you. When it reaches the middle of the night, I’ll call out to you to change over the watch.”

Ameril looked at Olivia stunned. All she could think was how selfless Olivia was to suggest letting herself be tied up outside the tent in order to make her feel comfortable. A part of her wanted to say there was no need to do all of that, but another part, ingrained from the many, many stories she had heard, told her it would be best if she was tied up.

The emotions Ameril was feeling, showed on her face and Olivia decided to jump in to help her out again.

“Really, it’s ok. I don’t mind. Now come on, tie up my wrists. Leave my legs though. Might need them if something does happen.”

Still speechless, Ameril did just that. As she bound Olivia’s wrists behind her back, she whispered a quick thank you and then headed off to the tent. Olivia stood and then took her position guarding the camp.

The wrists being tied up was the only real practical thing they could do. She would need her feet to run to or away from a monster in the night, so they couldn’t be bound. Being bound to a tree wouldn’t help either as like with her feet, it would stop her from moving. With her wrists bound, while this meant she couldn’t really fight, she could still move, and kick should the need arise. It also brought some peace of mind to Ameril, as from stories, orcs and goblins generally needed their hands to attack women.

…

For the first half of the night, Olivia spent her time patrolling, checking to make sure nothing approached the camp. This was also interspersed with some exercises, wanting to improve her body’s strength and stamina. There wasn’t much else she could do while tied up.

Thankfully, nothing attacked them during the night. There were sounds of rustling and howls all around them, but that was the extent of any problems.

Then as the moon reached its pinnacle, Olivia stood near the tent and called out to Ameril.

It took a few tries, but she finally saw rustling in the tent. Grogginess was evident on her face as she left the confines of the tent and looked to see who had called her name. Upon seeing the half-orc half-goblin girl, she almost cried out for help but managed to stop herself as it all came flooding back to her.

Switching over, Olivia took her place on the ground and laid down to get some rest. She was sure that it would be better that she remain outside, where Ameril could see her, rather than hidden in the tent, which may cause her some distress.

Even with the cold dirt floor and the breeze, it didn’t take too long for her to drift off.

…

As the sun rose, so too did Olivia. Looking around from her spot on the ground, she saw Ameril sitting by the tent looking around and still guarding the area.

“Good morning”

The sudden greeting startled Ameril, who jumped a little at the noise.

“G-good morning Olivia.” She was able to reply once she managed to calm down.

With the start of the new day, Ameril removed Olivia’s bindings and they both got to work.

They had themselves a quick breakfast using the provisions the man had to make themselves a very simple meal. Hardtack and jerky were the specialities for the start of the day, but it in no way tasted special. You could easily tell this was the food you only ate if you had nothing else.

Next, they were up and about and dealing with the camp. They dismantled the tent, which was still pretty decent and could be used again. There were also some odds and ends lying around, a few pots, cooking utensils and a tinder box, which they all bundled into the large bag that was in the tent, which very quickly replaced her makeshift one. The coin pouch was at Ameril’s hip, given that she would be the one to enter the town and actually buy things. The sword was placed into its scabbard and placed on Olivia’s hip, given that she was the only one who could actually lift it.

While Ameril still had some worries about the half-orc half-goblin, most of these had dissipated due to the whole, night time selfless bondage episode. Plus, it was clear that Olivia would need the sword if they were attacked.

One final check of the campsite area for anything they missed and they then headed out to reach the town.