Chapter Text
Arrow and Armor
"What are you looking at?" The gruff voice echoed into his body. Shocking him briefly
"Nothing just admiring your armor like usual." He responded smoothly.
"I will never understand you Dorian. Always looking at me when you're the one supposed to be keeping watch while I try to get my beauty sleep." She chuckled dryly.
Dorian laughed at her comment and focused back on the surrounding forest around their camp. The woods were dark and damp from the rain earlier in the day. The humid air made his lightweight leather armor rather sticky and uncomfortable. The smell of wet bark and soil was suffocating.
"At least it's still better than the stints and escorts I had to do in the deserts to the south." He thought to himself.
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud rumbling sound.
He instinctively reached for his dagger ready to unsheathe it and attack all in quick succession.
The grumbling stopped, and started again.
Dorian laughed as he came to realize the loud rumbling was nothing more than Rina's snores echoing in her armor. However, if he were to awaken her and complain of her snoring, she would swear to the gods above that she does not snore.
Dorian calmed his nerves and rested his back up against a nearby tree. The blanket beneath him protected his butt from the wet ground but was still rather itchy even through the garments and leather. As if caught in a trance he couldn't help but find himself staring at Rina again. She was an odd one for sure. She was a beastman, a part human part animal hybrid who usually walked upright. Well to be more apt she was a beast woman. He could barely tell her gender but assumed so from the sound of her voice and the simple and subtle curves of her chestplate. He had never seen her face before as she rarely takes off the wolf shaped helmet she wears. He had only seen her without a metal chestplate a handful of times mostly on their scorching desert adventures. One way he would describe her body was powerful and very “healthy”. There were also some more, male centric words he could use to describe her but figured now wasn't the best time to think of such things. Either way, Dorian wasn't even quite sure what type of animal she was under all that steel. She had digitigrade feet like a dog or something, but her hands were closer to a human but still had paw pads and claws. It had been a running joke between the 2, about him guessing what type of animal she was. So far, he had crossed off most of the known animal kingdom with no luck, so Dorian came to accept that she probably doesn't want him to know what she is.
He rested his head back against the tree sighing quietly. Trying to block out her incessant snoring he looked up towards the stars. It had been a couple days since they started this retrieval mission and they were making good time. Mindol to Denneth was usually a week's walk, but they walked for 5 days and had already crossed the river. With the way things were going, the pair should reach Denneth by noon tomorrow.
Dorian was curious what they were retrieving this time. Of course, the rules he and Rina abided by were more of a don't ask, don't tell situation. Knowing what they were transporting usually led to more death and destruction than necessary. It was best to be kept in the dark. That way even if they had something dangerous or illegal they could always argue they are just paid to move stuff nothing more, nothing less.
"Ignorance is bliss." He quietly muttered to himself.
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The early morning orange sun began to rise. The various rays broken up by the canopy above them shone down stirring them from their slumber. Dorian didn't quite remember falling asleep. He quickly tapped all over his body checking for his weapons and coins. Luckily, nothing was amiss and all his belongings were where they were supposed to be. He glanced over in Rina's direction as she began to stir. She stood up slowly stretching her limbs and back with a few painful sounding cracks. He heard her groggy yawn echo into their surroundings.
She glanced down and broke what was a comfortable silence.
"Did you fall asleep on watch again?" She asked with a hint of derision.
"Uhh.... No." He smiled.
"Right, sure you didn't" she chuckled.
"I swear on my children's lives, I was just resting my eyes." Dorian responded.
"We both know you don't have any kids." She cackled.
"Oh.... Then yeah I fell asleep." He smiled warmly.
He couldn't see her eyes but with that obvious head movement he assumed that's what she did.
"One of these days we are going to get ambushed or robbed while we sleep and when I wake with no clothes or money, I'll rip you limb from limb." She spoke almost sounding too serious.
"Relax, relax, we are fine this time. Maybe next time you'll let me take the early watch instead of the late?" He jokingly asked.
"Ehh yeah maybe." She begrudgingly agreed.
She had always been rather cold but amicable to him with all the various missions they do together. The emotions didn't matter because they worked well together and they so far have a 100% success rate with any jobs below A rank. Their names were rather well known and they were a sought after duo for escort and retrieval missions. When Rina was alone she was known for taking ambush and mercenary style missions. Dorian on the other hand enjoyed the recon and assassinations that provided steep difficulty but paid the best. However, together they were nigh unstoppable. He had her back and she had his, no matter how often the other messed up.
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They broke down their camp and snuffed out any of the remaining charred embers of their fire that remained. Dorian tightened his leather bracers and gauntlets, and secured his bow and quiver to his back. Double checking the various arrows for damage and making sure he had enough in case of emergency.
Rina did somewhat the same. He watched as she tightened her chest plate and made sure her bracers and helmet were fastened and secure. Her armor looked heavy but maybe due to her beast blood that it felt like nothing. Her leather-like pants hugged her thighs with a bit of chain mail draped over them. Her hands and feet were exposed and the only real piece of her that was visible was her bicep areas and her fluffy tail. Her fluffy tail swished back and forth as she reached down and picked up the large claymore from the ground. She lifted it upwards and rested it in her armored shoulder. She looked far cleaner than Dorian even though she slept all night in the dirt as well.
He finally broke his graze.
"Let's get a move on. We should reach Denneth by lunch." He claimed.
"Yeah yeah. Let's go." She uttered with a yawn.
She began walking. He watched as her heavier body forced her feet to sink into the soft earth as she stepped. Leaving behind adorably paw prints.
As he trailed a safe distance behind her he began formulating once again on her beast race. He had already tried wolf, fox, cat, dog, and even some rare ones like hyena and jackal. But her response was always: "nope". Her tail alone posited she was at least a canine style animal. Her tail was long and bushy like a fox. The way it reflected her mood was reminiscent of a dog.
"Checking me out again, are we?" She spoke with a sultry yet playful tone.
"Haha maybe, maybe not." He chuckled.
She didn't respond.
Dorian picked up his pace pulling up to her side. They walked side by side for a time until Dorian heard a crack from the surrounding trees. He paused. Focusing entirely on the noises. Rina stopped her movements looking back at him.
Dorian heard the birds still. The grasshoppers stopped chirping. The wind still whipped through the canopy and swayed the various branches. Another crack to his left. A fainter snap of twigs to his right. Rina reacted as well now hearing the faint noises. Dorian reached for his bow slowly, tightening his grasp around the grip. Gently threading his free hand's fingers through the bowstring. Rina lowered her claymore from her shoulder to a more stable battle ready position. The thing looked like it weighed a ton but she easily held it with one hand, where any human would need both.
The forest grew silent again. The wind died. The agonizing silence was threatening. The trees stopped moving. Time felt as if it paused in this moment. The only sounds were of the gentle breathes of the duo. The steady rise and fall of their chests. Their bodies bracing themselves for the impending fight.
The tranquility of the moment was shattered as a whistle of arrows from different directions assaulted their location. Dorian pushed Rina away from the path of one arrow headed for her helm. While he himself dodged an arrow headed for his thigh. The adrenaline started pumping. Dorian had a rough idea of where the archer to his left was at due to the trajectory and angle of the shot.
"Thanks for the save" Rina uttered before dashing off head first towards the archer to the right of the wooded path.
"No problem. Don't die." He yelled at her receding figure.
Dorian thrust his back up against a tree. Putting firm cover between him and the assailant. He carefully used a free hand edging it towards the side of his tree. revealing it to his attacker slowly but surely. His entire hand was out in the open until an arrow whipped above his fingers and planted itself deep into the dirt on the path. Dorian gazed at the arrow. It was at a 45ish degree angle, so he assumed the archer was up above nestled in one of the trees. That was helpful info but not nearly enough. He needed at least a glimpse of where this person was so he could properly counter. Dorian decided to expose that free hand again to one side of the tree while he would peek his head the other way to get a glimpse of the arrow or even the ambusher. He did as he planned. He peeked and saw a faint black blob in a tree approximately 30 yards away. An arrow whizzed towards him, almost grazing his hand.
Dorian quickly dashed to the other side of the tree. He drew his bow in a flash, nocked an arrow, and let it fly all within a fraction of a second. His aim held true as his arrow disappeared into the canopy and the black mass wobbled until it fell from the tree top. They smashed loudly into several tree branches before hitting the soft dirt with a loud thud and a few painful cracks.
Dorian slowly approached the wheezing and broken mass. It was just a simple cloaked bandit. Blood began gushing from his eyes and mouth. He examined the dying man, noticing the arrow wedged to the left of his sternum. It no doubt pierced and possibly collapsed one of his lungs making breathing near impossible for him now. Dorian came to a quiet knee next to the man as he wheezed and coughed up blood. He slowly drew his dagger from its pommel. Dorian raised the blade to the man's throat with a blank and empty expression devoid of any remorse. He covered the man's eyes with his left hand as he sunk the sharp blade into his attacker's windpipe. The metal sunk into the flesh like a hot knife through butter. He hated admitting it but always partially enjoyed taking a life. The end of something was always something to celebrate after all. The metal glided past his pharynx and esophagus until his blade was ground to a halt by the man's spinal column. The blood did not spurt, but bubbled up like crude oil from virgin ground all around the knife. He pulled the dagger from the man's body. Dorian stared at the man's now calm and relaxed expression. He broke his trance and used the dead man's clothes to clean the steel. He took a small simple breath before he wandered back to the beaten path.
He saw Rina approach from her no doubt eventful excursion as well. Her claymore was smeared with blood, it dripped onto the leaves and grass of the area staining them red. She carried the upper half of a man's torso.
"Souvenir?" Dorian teased.
"Well, I thought there might be a bounty but I can't really be bothered to carry this mess all the way to town..." She states plainly. She drops the upper half of the poor soul. The ground squelches in a disgusting gory mess as his upper intestines fall out of him.
"Yeah probably for the best..." He trailed off. Watching the oozing mass.
Dorian watched as Rina raised her claymore and a cloth. She positioned her arm face up and placed the cloth at the bend. She placed the claymore over the cloth and bent her arm completely sandwiching the blade between her bicep and forearm. She then drug the sword out and away from her, completely cleaning the blood from her weapon. She threw the cloth away and it was swept away by the wind.
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The pair finally continued their walk in a comfortable silence leaving the corpses for the wild animals and monsters.
"Thanks again for the save." Rina spoke, breaking the silence.
"Ahh no problem, your helm might have saved you anyway but better safe than sorry." Dorian shrugged.
Rina nodded in quiet approval.
"Look there's Denneth..." Dorian stated pointing to the distance.
Rina followed his gesture to see the town of Denneth.
Dorian and Rina had been to Denneth before but the more seedy and dangerous parts. As well as several taverns and weapon shops. After all, that was where she had found her favorite weapon so far, her claymore.
"Haha, remember what you used to use before that sword?" Dorian snickered.
"What of it? That great club treated us well in several ambushes and even saved us from being caught in the military crossfire between Mounthal and that other place." She stated.
"Great club? It was a huge tree branch, and two: it was Mounthal and Drydenn.
"Yeah whatever, tomato, tomato." She said, saying the words differently.
"But man was that a great weapon." She mutters with nostalgia.
Dorian chuckles to himself.
As they approach closer and closer to Denneth the subtleties of the town become more and more apparent. The outermost section of the town was more for farming with plentiful and arable land. The homes were small and quaint made of all wood. Many were in need of new thatched roofs and many fences could have used some mending. The road was dirt and well worn but eventually turned to a cobbled stone road further into the town. The various townsfolk scowled at the peculiar duo making their way into town. Many hid from the imposing pair while many muttered and whispered rumours and ideas for what they could be doing in their small town.
As they tracked further into the town the town became dirtier and busier all at once. The stone road began and the various taverns started popping up rapidly. There were various large opulent homes no doubt owned by nobles or at least very successful merchants or knights. Many back alleys were visible to Dorian as they walked by. The homeless and drug addicted resided in them at all times of the day. Cheap powder and sex ran rampant in this town and Dorian was surprised this town was still able to function. The only real saving grace of such an undesirable town was the market.
The market usually contained the finest fabrics, weapons, armors, and freshest foods on this continent. Denneth's central location made it quite the hub for commerce and trading. However, such a designation led to the drug, plague, and homeless problem. The various unsavory characters kicked out from nearby castles and cities found a home in Denneth.
"Gods, I forgot how terrible this place was. I hadn't realized it had been so long since we had last been here. It's been about a year at least." Dorian muttered to Rina.
"Year and half is about right. The alleyways and taverns are unsavory and unclean as ever but the market seems to be bustling like usual."
Well duh... With the only normal thing to do in this forsaken place being the market, of course everyone would visit." He sighed.
She huffed in agreement.
"You spoke to Talia with the adventurers guild, which one of these stalls are we supposed to pick up our quest?"
"Hmm. It was supposed to be some slave trader. Possibly a large payment we need to return to Mindol." She postulated.
"Let's keep the assumptions to a minimum. We don't need to know what we are picking up, remember?" Dorian huffed.
"I know, I know dad." She said sarcastically.
"Well excuse me for being safe." He teased.
"Let's just get on with this." She said with a hearty laugh.