User blog:Nuka Kazan/A Fake Wolf: No-Win Situation (Part 2)

'THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS COMBAT, ALBEIT IN LIGHT DETAIL. REST ASSURED THERE WILL BE NO VIVID DESCRIPTIONS OR GORE, BUT UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WILL BE A FIGHT.'

If you're okay with that, please enjoy this chapter :I

---

"Yours? What do you mean, he's yours?"

Standing in front of me and staring down Nolte, the most unexpected ally came forward to prevent what could have been my death. That flowing brow ponytail and green Lizardman tail, I'd recognize in a heartbeat.

"E... ...Emelyn?"

"I mean exactly what I said, human." the Lizardman spoke. "He and I have unfinished business, and I cannot let you take that from me. Especially not like this!" To emphasize her point, Emelyn gestures to the broken arrow on the ground.

While listening, I could still feel the tip of the arrow still in my back. As I sit up, I instinctively reached back to try and pull it out. But so much as touching it sent a jolt of pain all throughout my back. Nolte clearly couldn't care less about how I got that arrow in my back.

"Hmph! 'Tis his own fault for leaving himself open!" Brushing aside the assist from his archers, Nolte points his sword towards Emelyn. "Now, stand down or I will let you join him in death!"

Emelyn merely brandished her own sword in response to Nolte's threat."Oh? And you're fine with a tainted victory like that?"

"Silence, you!"

"So much for honor, huh? You coward."

"I said, silence!"

With a massive downward swipe, Nolte tried to split Emelyn down the middle. Without batting an eye, Emelyn easily parried his sword with her own. His blade blown back, Nolte staggered with it, confusion in his eyes. His opponent, however, would not capitalize. She merely glared at him as if scolding an impudent child. This only served to anger the prideful knight. Nolte rushed in again, swinging a bit more wildly. The outcome was the same; a quick swipe from Emelyn to knock Nolte's blade away, followed by a disapproving glare.

Slowly getting to my feet, I put a hand on Emelyn's shoulder to get her attention. When she peeked at me, her fierce glare suddenly melted into a worried gaze. It was... ...surprising, to say the least.

"Nuka... ...?"

"This is my fight. Please, just... ...remove this."

"Nuka, blood will flow, and fast--"

"Please. This won't last long..."

"Filthy savage." Nolte spat in my direction. "You really do serve the Demon Lord, do you not? Siding with a Monster--"

"Shut. Up."

I was sick of hearing this talking. I was sick of feeling this arrowhead in my back. I was just sick of it all. My inner aggression was starting to well up within me, and I needed to let it out.

It was like an unopened bottle of wine having been shaken, hard. The cork only needed to be removed. I stepped forward to Nolte, and with a quick glance to Emelyn, gestured for her to remove the cork bottling in my aggression: The arrowhead.

"You want the savage, Nolte... ...?"

"... ..."

"Then I will let you have it. Emelyn! Pull it out!"

"But it's g-- oh, fine! But, make this quick!"

With that, Emelyn quickly shot her index and middle fingers, along with her thumb, into the wound. Those fingers gripped the sharp metal in my back and with a quick pull, snatched it right out. The wet sound and noticeable splash heard behind me told me how deep that arrow went it. It mostly likely was made worse when Nolte had thrown me onto my back.

Now, free from the restrictions of that obstruction in my flesh, and fully aware that I was bleeding out, I throw my head back in a vicious howl. I knew I only had one shot at this, and so I dashed forward with no blades in hand. My hands, my claws, would be my weapons in this last attack.

Nolte, he sword still at the ready, was not intimidated.

"Hmph! You would throw your life away? Then, so be it!"

As Nolte raised his sword to swing wide at my midsection, I crouched low in my run and leaned my upper body back just a touch. Nolte noticed I was looking at the ground right between his feet again. Expecting me to slide through the opening again to take his back, Nolte shuffled his heavy legs together to close the gap. With his position shifted, he swung down lower than he originally intended, expecting to behead me after failing to slide in between his legs.

But, that slide never came.

While listening to Nolte and Emelyn exchange verbal poison, I ran many plans through my head to figure out the best way to get Nolte on his back. I figured in his fatigued state, he would not be able to get up so easily in that massive armor of his, and I could end this fight quickly. If I could trick him into leaving himself open... ...

And so, I put my chances on the idea that maybe Nolte would be wary of that trick that almost resulted in his defeat.

Only this time, it did.

As Nolte swung down, expecting the slide, I instead jumped up towards him, my right hand aimed right for his face. The sound of metal scraping brick from right to left echoed in my ears, barely masking the screams made from Nolte as my index and right fingers met his eyes.

Rearing back and dropping his sword to clutch his eyes, Nolte was defenseless. I took this opportunity to quickly scramble the ground for my blades. After I found them, I immediately rushed to the blinded Nolte, and slashed into the knee joints of his armor, one of the only parts not covered in metal. The leather joints, made to allow free movement of the limbs, offered little resistance to the cut of my blades. Same goes for the flesh underneath.

As Nolte fell to the ground, his knees too weakened to let him stand, I push him onto his back and let him open his bruised eyes to see the blurry image of this superior. I could only hope he could see my face and blades clearly. The anger, the adrenaline, the pain from my bleeding wound, everything was pouring out. I was losing control. I was going to drive these blades right into his throat.

"You want the savage?! Then I wil'l let you have it! Join your friend in death!"

"No, Nuka! Don't!"

Emelyn grabs me and pulls me off of Nolte, a sense of urgency in her voice.

"Let go! Let Go!"

"Don't do this! Now is not the time!"

As I'm dragged off, I see the soldiers up ahead. I wasn't sure if it were the ones here from the start of the attack, or reinforcements. Either way, they were coming, and fast. I looked at Emelyn, my vision starting to blur, and reluctantly nodded.

We began to retreat, one of my arms around Emelyn as she notice me starting to stagger on my feet. Behind us, I could hear what sounded like the villagers calling out or maybe attacking. I'm not too sure, as my concentration started to wane at this point... ...

"... ...ka? Nuka? Stay with me, you will be al... ..."

---

My back is killing me.

I suddenly notice myself stirring from a deep sleep. The view was familiar. It was the same bed and same room I was using back at the inn. However, there was one view that was quite new, and quite a shock.

Right beside me in this bed was Emelyn, sleeping peacefully. No longer clad in her armor, I could see Emelyn's toned, powerful figure. I didn't mean to stare at her as she slept, but I couldn't help but be impressed at her physique. Her forearms and shoulders, while slender, were very well-built. Her core muscles were quite pronounced. She had barely any body fat on her. I coudn't see beyond her waist, as her lower body was covered by the bed's sheets.

Finally coming to my senses, I slowly try to get up. As pull the sheets back, I realize that I am only wearing my pants and the wound on my back is patched up. But as I attempt to slip out of my bed, I felt a warm, scaly sensation all around my left leg.

"Mmn... ...Nuka...lie back down. It's too early for you to move..."

Emelyn's tail had me stuck in this bed. I couldn't get out if she had anything to say about it.

As I Now Write...
It turns out that Emelyn had helped assist the villagers in driving out the invading soldiers. Moreso, they lost most motivation to fight after seeing Nolte fall. Claiming to be a "friend" of mine, Emelyn was allowed access to my room while I recovered. She tended to my wounds and assured me that despite having climbed into bed with me, she had done nothing while I was asleep.

However, she has taken this opportunity to place me in her debt. In exchange for saving my neck back there, she is entitled to a rematch when I've fully recovered. She has not forgotten losing to me some time ago, and she still has marriage on her mind. I'm not really interested in either, but I'm not in much a position to negotiate. So, we came to an agreement:

For now, we travel together. We will see whether we part ways once we reach the seaside city, where I will find a way to cross the sea to Zipangu. If I escape this continent, I will escape persecution from the King and attacks from Nolte. But, once we reach this city, Emelyn and I are going to fight once again. If she loses, she will accept defeat and (hopefully) abandon this chase. But if I lose this time, she will accompany me to Zipangu... ...

...as my wife.

Out of one life-threatening situation and right into another... ...

May the Spirit of the Wolf guide us always.

-Nu-Ka Ka-Zan