User blog:Rexis12/Hunter and Huntresses: Chapter 4

Sarah watched the small camp of monsters cautiously. Succubi and Lizardmen were the majority while there were also a few Ogres. From the position they were in they look as if they were going to fend off an attack or something.

The war against Order wasn’t exactly an issue Sarah was concerned with and would be grateful that she would remain neutral, mostly because of her father. He was an odd man, he was very clearly a male that chose to be with the mamonos yet he still holds some sort of devotion to Order.

Shaking herself out of her memory she watched the camp. Inwardly she sighed, the camp would prove to be large trouble soon. Not only would food be scarcer, if she was unlucky she could run into skirmish and potentially lose her life. Sometimes there was a disadvantage in living in her mother’s territory.

“So, what’s going on here?” She turned towards the voice and shot her arm out, the blade sprung out towards it. The attack was blocked by a wooden shaft of a familiar pike. Her eyes narrowed as Gerald smirked “Hello to you to Sarah” he said casually.

The Mantis rolled her eyes and retracted her scythe, before turning her attention back to the camp. “Is that a monster camp?” the hunter beside her asked, her eyes glance at him for a moment. He was sitting on the branch they were on, his pike held loosely in his left hand as he let the spear like weapon dangle underneath him.

‘He’s far too relaxed’ she thought to herself. One small push and he would be sent plummeting to the ground below. Afterwards he would be helpless as she would descend down and m-

Sarah’s eyes widened as the sudden thought came out of nowhere, softly she shook her head to clear away the… unsettling thought. Instead she focused on the question Gerald had asked her “Yes” she answered. She saw him scratch his head “Why? I’m pretty sure the nearest Order settlement is probably nowhere near here.” He said, mostly to himself.

Sarah herself didn’t know, nor did she care all that she needed to care about if she could handle even more interruption in her hunting. Gerald was bad enough, with his annoying tendencies to just pop up out of nowhere and swoop down to catch a deer she had tracked for hours, an entire camp would be torture for her. As much as she wanted to move deeper into the forest, in hopes that the deeper parts would be undisturbed by a possible battle field, she was (embarrassingly) afraid of leaving her mother’s territory.

A hand snapped its finger in front of her face, literally snapping her out of her thoughts, as well as nearly causing her to fall of her perch. She turned to glare at Gerald, but stop when he saw the genuinely worried look on his face “Sorry Sar, but I really need to know if they’re doing anything” he started “They might be planning to attack the city near here”. The Mantis raised an eyebrow “So?” She crossed her arms “What does that have to do with me?”

Gerald clasped his hands together, “Please, can you maybe, possibly, go down and ask them” he pleaded “If I go down there they’ll probably jump me, and I’m barely human already ” he murmured the last part. If she wasn’t a Mantis, she probably wouldn’t have heard that. “Besides I have a very dear friend in that city, if he gets hurt I don’t know what I do.” His voice was almost desperate, if she was another kind of monster she would’ve already agreed.

An annoyed hiss escaped through her teeth as she thought about her options. Most of them aiming towards just simply leaving the hunter and resuming her day. Before she could say anything, Gerald pushed something into her chest. Two bleeding sacks met her gaze.

“It’s what I got today” Gerald informed her “Please, just go down there and ask them, that’s all I need.” Sarah’s eye flicked towards Gerald, before it went back to the sacks. She opened her mouth but Gerald quickly interrupted her “Rabbits, both them, freshly skinned, freshly caught, you can ration them for an entire week if you can manage your food that well” suddenly he placed right hand on her shoulder “I will do anything for this please!?”

He was practically begging right now. While he wasn’t on his knees and his hands weren’t clasped in front of him, his eyes shone with desperation. Frankly it felt weird to see Gerald act like this, normally he would always be so cocky and annoying, she didn’t think she see him as anything other than the aforementioned qualities. She always thought that he would be the type of person to have things under his control, now it looked like he was simply grasping at little events to steer it his way. How important was the friend of his, to be able to change the annoying hunter’s personality so easily?

“How important is that friend of yours to you?” Deciding to move away from examining Gerald’s inner workings she asked her question. Hey if she was going to go into a potential political situation, in which her mother would have to deal with the consequences, she might as well find out why Gerald is so fixated on this friend of his. Plus she would be pissed if she had simply accepted and found out that the ‘friend’ was just an acquaintance.

Gerald quickly averted his eyes and took his hand off of her shoulder, he backed away slightly and pursed his lips. “He’s a… comrade in arms” he told, avoiding her gaze.

That made Sarah lift an eyebrow in surprise “You were a soldier, for what?” She asked. The question made Gerald sputter out an excuse “N-not a soldier, uh mo-more like uh, a mercenary friend, yeah” he said unsurely.

<p class="MsoNormal">His answer was vague. She didn’t like it when things were vague “So you knew him personally?” She questioned, earning a somewhat half-hearted nod from the hunter “Yeah, sort of. I mean my brother knew him more though b-but still, he’s a very dear friend” he clarified hastily, before he sucked in a deep breath of air while running his hand through his hair “I-I know this is a big request” sighing he fixed his eyes back to the Mantis, those black irises held a strong amount of determination “But, I couldn’t live with myself if I let a friend down. So please, can you do this for me?” He literally begged this time.

<p class="MsoNormal">A small unnoticeable blush appeared on Sarah’s face when she heard those words, both the hunter and the huntress were unaware of it though. Gently Sarah smiled, it was a very tiny smile, but it was smile. She had heard those kinds of words before, her parents did not hesitate to show their love and devotion for each other, sometimes it would be ridiculous when her father would scream to heavens on how he wouldn’t let his wife leave, when all she wanted to do was go out hunting. Though Sarah being the Mantis she is didn’t know it was supposed to be a joke.

<p class="MsoNormal">Those words convinced her enough. With reluctance she nodded slowly, making sure to wipe away her smile “Very well Gerald, I will ask them about their intentions” she sighed, she is going to regret this. Any traces of the begging Gerald disappeared as a very relieved smile appeared on the hunter’s face “Thanks Sarah, I really owe you one” he said sincerely.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yeah, yeah” Sarah rolled her eyes. Easily she leapt from the branch and landed with similar ease. Startling some of Lizardman in the distant camp, some of them moved to direction where Sarah was approaching them from. One of them, young with red hair drew her straight sword and pointed it at Sarah when she got close.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Halt Mantis” her words sounded cold and harsh. It didn’t even faze Sarah as she moved closer until she was in talking distance. Before any could say anything Sarah, with the bluntness of a war-hammer, spoke “Will this camp attack the nearby town?”

<p class="MsoNormal">The silence was so thick that it would take a great sword to scratch it, if the Lizardmen weren’t so stunned by the tactlessness of Sarah they would’ve heard the sound of palm meeting face behind her.

<p class="MsoNormal">One of the Lizardman, a mature woman with black hair and green eyes, snapped out of her shock and replied to the Mantis’ question “We cannot reveal that sort of information to civilians.” The other Lizardman recovered from their shock as well and nodded. The first Lizardman with her sword drawn looked at Sarah suspiciously “Why are you asking those kinds of questions anyway?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Emotionlessly she jabbed her thumb behind her, pointing towards Gerald “He wishes to know because of an acquaintance of him resides in a nearby town” she was ignorant of the look of shock that appeared on Gerald’s face, apparently she was oblivious that the reason he wanted her to go was so that they wouldn’t be aware of his presence. Though in reality to expect a Mantis, the assassin of the forest as well as a monster well known of being emotionless besides being in heat or with their husband, to catch up on a subtle hint wasn’t exactly a bright idea on his behalf.

<p class="MsoNormal">Immediately they snapped their heads towards the hunter, who could only watch with wide terrified eyes. Hey he was still on a tree branch, one false trip and splat no more Gerald. Sarah on the other was slightly confused by the smiles the younger Lizardmen that suddenly grew on their faces, weren’t they supposed to be more cautious?

<p class="MsoNormal">“Then why won’t your acquaintance come down here and ask us himself?” One of the older Lizardmen said suspiciously. Now a normal person would play around Gerald’s words of him being afraid them ‘jumping’ on him as the hunter being shy. Unfortunately Sarah wasn’t that, living her life ‘sheltered’ by her protective mother and eccentric father led her to saying “He’s afraid that one of you might attempt to mate with him.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Once again there was silence, which was sort of broken by the sound of two palms hitting their owner’s face, causing some of the Lizardmen to snort in amusement. “I can understand his paranoia?” one of them said unsurely.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Indeed” Sarah deadpanned “Anyways, will you answer my question?” The older Lizardmen looked at each other, while the younger ones still had their gazes fixated on Gerald, who had retreated back so he could hide away from their stares.

<p class="MsoNormal">Sarah noticed that unless they weren’t going to reveal such important information, so she did what came to mind “Yes, or no works. No needs for explanations” she clarified. There was a few tense seconds before one of them sighed “No, we’re stationed here just as scouts, said something about a merchant town or something” she crossed her arms and gave Sarah a lazy glare “There you got you answer, now please vacant the area.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Sarah didn’t need another order, immediately she turned and left. Heading towards Gerald, the hunter looked at her expectantly “So, what they say?” He asked. “They’re scouting a merchant town, that’s it” she answered.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-attachment:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial;">As those words were uttered, a smile broke out on Gerald's face. A smile that could not be more sincere if it tried, there was no teasing smirk, or a mocking grin. Just a smile that held nothing but pure relief. Sarah felt a sudden rush inside of her at the sight of the smile.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-attachment:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial;">“Thank you Sarah, I really really appreciate this.” She felt her heart soar for a moment when he said her name, she was confused why she did as he had said multiple times during their encounters and she wouldn’t feel a thing besides annoyance. So why did she feel light-headed?

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-attachment:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial;">Before she could answer her own question, Gerald hugged her, it was a small one, a tiny pat on the back, no more than two seconds, yet it felt as if an eternity passed by before he turned around and sprinted through the forest. Her grass green eyes followed the hunter’s retreating figure almost possessively, as if she would be worried something could happen to the man.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-attachment:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial;">Then as quickly as those thoughts came they vanished as Sarah shook her head. Something didn’t feel right with her, she needed to talk with her mother.

<p class="MsoNormal">[Scene Break]

<p class="MsoNormal">Gladys looked around the bedroom, her aquatic blue eyes scanned it with fascination. It was yet another human thing that Gladys would never understand. To her, having an area mainly for sleep seems oddly wasteful. Sleeping on the go was how Sahuagins did it, picking a safe spot after hunting and merely resting their eyes, before waking up to continue hunting. Gerald had generously told her about beds and bedrooms, afterwards he laughed when he told her that her face resembled a fish out of water.

<p class="MsoNormal">It was painfully obvious how oblivious she was to human behaviour and that she needed to learn much more before she could even think to acquire a husband, preferably Gerald.

<p class="MsoNormal">She needed to be thorough in her learnings, she needed to make sure she knew as much as she needed to about humans and their culture. Many things baffle her about humans, but the one thing that still makes her reel back in confusion is that some human marriages don’t last. She should know, after she saw one end right in front of her.

<p class="MsoNormal">She was merely nine at the time, her sex drive hadn’t even woken up yet. Her curiosity however was just as powerful then just as it was now. Swimming from place to place, meeting new people, seeing happy couples. It was all so sweet to her child mind.

<p class="MsoNormal">Then she ran into them.

<p class="MsoNormal">It was nothing major, she travelled to a nearby beach and spotted a shack connected to a pier. The inhabitants were a male and female, both human, and were married to each other. So it was confusing to Gladys when they did nothing but fight. Their fight wasn’t the type of fight she had seen in past where it would work simply to rile themselves up. No, the fights she witnessed were brutal and made her more and more scared of humans each time she saw.

<p class="MsoNormal">Most of time, they disagreed to each other. One would say one thing, the other would say something completely against it. Other times they ignored each other, not responding when they are called unless they shout really loudly, in which another disagreement would break out. Then came the fighting, the horrid fighting.

<p class="MsoNormal">Gladys lived underwater and as such wasn’t that exposed to the kind of violence most land mamonos would experience in their lives. The fight between the married couple was the first of taste of violence she had seen in her life. Truthfully, she didn’t want to see what happened to the two, but she couldn’t seem to pull away. She was in shock and terror when she saw the first punch the man threw at the wife, that was then followed by intense screaming that made her cover her ears and flee. The next time she caught them, it was the wife who had hit first, the husband was ignoring her as she screamed and yelled, then when she suddenly punch him in the back of his head he retaliated. Again and again she saw the two fight, each time she would flee as soon as the first punch was made.

<p class="MsoNormal">It worried her mother and father whenever she returned home sniffling and seeming frozen.

<p class="MsoNormal">Then for once, she decided to stay and maybe find that maybe there was a secret why they stayed together. Oh how she wished she hadn’t. When she got there they were screaming and shouting, before the husband suddenly went silent, his wife however did not and kept shouting. Then suddenly the man screamed out in rage and yelled out at the top of his lungs that “HE COULDN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE” before declaring that their marriage was over.

<p class="MsoNormal">Those words struck Gladys harder than the women. Ending a marriage, why would anyone do that? That was the question that floated through her head, as a monster marriage was a deeply engrained instinct inside of her. Even as a child as innocent as a baby the Sahuagin had always dreamt of being with a kind-hearted hunter to smile and snuggle up with, to have a warm comforting man to hold her when she felt sad, one that would sate her curiosity without question, to put up with her creepy emotionless face. Her mind was a lost for moment, before it found itself just as she heard the woman angrily accept.

<p class="MsoNormal">At that moment she swam, heading right towards her mother and father. She practically barrelled into her mother, bawling out words at about losing marriage and that she was afraid that it could happen to her too. Though at that time, what she said wasn’t understandable, all she could cry out were babbled words and sniffling sobs. Even when she felt the comfort of her mother and father soothing her to sleep, her heart continued to cry.

<p class="MsoNormal">Afterwards she didn’t dare return there, one heartbreak was enough for one lifetime.

<p class="MsoNormal">One time she brought it up to Gerald. Nonchalantly he told her all he knew about ‘divorces’ as he had called it. He told her that usually not knowing something, or saying something at a bad time or even knowing too much are usually the cases for divorces.

<p class="MsoNormal">That was why she was here right now. So that she would avoid anything similar to happen. It was the main reason she did not claim Gerald the moment he had (Unknowingly) won her heart. The part of her being in heat was mostly an excuse, while it did also play a factor.

<p class="MsoNormal">So the Sahuagin waited patiently for Gerald to return, to ‘socialize’ as he had put it. When two were closer to each other their relationship would grow even faster and she would learn more of him, while he would learn more of her. Sooner or later she would happily copulate with him to fully solidify their marriage.

<p class="MsoNormal">The door to the bedroom creaked open slowly, revealing a haggard looking Gerald who looked quite tired. Said hunter scanned his room before his eyes found themselves on Gladys.

<p class="MsoNormal">It took a few seconds for the sight of the (slightly damp) Sahuagin sitting on his bed to register, when it did…

<p class="MsoNormal">“Holy shit!!” He exclaimed in shock as he stumbled back and fell. The hunter continued to lie on the ground, all the while he letting out a continuous groan of pain. The groaning stopped which prompted Gladys to approach the hunter carefully. “Why, are you in my house and on my bed no less?” He wheezed out in exhaustion.

<p class="MsoNormal">Gladys crouched down and looked at the hunter in the eye “To deepen our relationship and to know more about each other” she said softly. A moment of silence passed between the two, before Gerald broke it “No, what I mean is why were you waiting for me in my house” he clarified.

<p class="MsoNormal">Understanding sparked in her eyes “Because it could help deeper our relationship” she explained. Gerald groaned “You could’ve at least waited outside and entered after knocking.” Tilting her head at the odd the request the Sahuagin nodded “Very well” she stood up and went to the door.

<p class="MsoNormal">Gerald watched with both amusement and confusion as Gladys stepped out of his house, closed the door. After a few second Gladys knocked on the door before she stepped inside again.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m gonna need a drink after this” Gerald said to himself as he sat up to properly speak with Gladys.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">A/N Right so I thought I might need to get the plot started, also sorry of the wait.