††† Siegfried †††

Siegfried was still caught in his own world, imagining an unrelenting onslaught of enemies coming at him. His sword was a blur, his body moving at speeds far beyond the human limit. He had adapted perfectly to his newfound abilities during the past four hours, and apart from the sweat covering his body, he did not feel any indication of exerting himself. He felt as if he could go on for days, and it felt great.

While pivoting back to parry an imagined strike, he caught sight of movement from the far wall, breaking him out of the trance.

Haylee, transformed into her partly feline form, sat on a long bench with her long legs crossed, wearing a smug grin. “Don’t let me distract you,” the cat-girl purred. “It’s been a feast for the eyes,” she admitted observing him with hunger in her eyes.

Siegfried laughed heartily, shaking his head. “You’re not the least bit ashamed, are you?”

“Not since I know that you accept me as I am,” she answered, smiling.

Sieg loved that part of her. The confident, funny and straightforward personality she showed him on the first day they met. He sheathed his sword and walked up to her.

“You look good,” Haylee offered with a smile.

“I know— you’re not that bad yourself.”

“Pff, not what I meant!” she laughed, and the melodious sound was balsam for Sieg’s heart. “You seem balanced after training.”

Siegfried knew that she had meant his mental state but had no desire to delve deeper into that topic. “I’m doing fine, Haylee,” he assured her. “I was conflicted about my actions, but Sally helped me a lot with that. She’s got a lot more mental baggage in that regard and found a way to go on. I almost felt silly for my own issues compared to hers.”

Haylee looked like she wanted to say something but stopped herself as she thought better of it. Instead, she stood up and stretched her body lazily, as a cat would do after a nap and winked at him. “Care for a stroll through the caves with me? I spotted some kind of community shack where people come together for drinking and other fun.”

“You mean like a bar?” Sieg asked curiously.

“Not exactly, I guess. It seemed like everyone brought their own food and drinks— just a place where they come together.”

Siegfried thought about it for a moment. He wasn’t sure if they had the time to fool around. After all that happened in the past weeks, it sounded enticing but also surreal.

“Bahsah needs a week to recruit new people for managing and defending our faction,” Haylee added as if she had read his mind. “Cmon, we finally have some time to enjoy ourselves!” she insisted, bouncing energetically on the balls of her feet.

“Okay, okay,” Sieg chuckled. “Just let me wash off the sweat, and I’ll join you.”

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Clean and comfortably dressed in fitting cloth trousers and a new shirt, Sieg met up with Haylee at the front doors of the fortress. The young woman had also changed into a thin, black garb. It was a one-piece that hugged her body tightly and was tailored to accommodate her feline leg joints and angled hips. There was even a hole for her tail at the perfect height.

Sieg whistled, “You look dangerous… in more than one way.”

Haylee beamed at the suggestive compliment. “It feels nice to wear fitting clothing for once. Bahsah said it’s a common outfit for feline women, but it’s the first dress I’ve ever had for a non-human form.”

She spun around, enjoying Siegfried's gaze on her with a smile. Haylee took his hand and guided him towards one of the tunnels. The shaft carried upwards until they came out on a broad plateau. Broad stone braziers burned without the crackling of wood. A clear liquid was used as fuel instead.

To his left, Sieg could spot the alley they had traversed earlier from above and behind that were more sleeping quarters worked into the stone. Several walkways bridged the lower level in front of them, and he heard the distant sound of chatter and laugher.

Haylee led him over several such paths and through more tunnels— how she could ever find her way was a mystery to him. Before long, they arrived in a big, circular chamber with several smaller shacks and single-room caves along the walls. A fenced-in area occupied the centre.

The wooden was just high enough to block his vision but spacious and loud. When they reached the open gate, Sieg had to grin broadly. Simple stools and tables littered the ground in completely random arrangements. He saw no bar or other furniture, but the merry, drunken atmosphere was that of a tavern with happy customers.

Men and women of different species were conversing, shouting and laughing. The thunderous guffaw of a massive boar-man made several people wince and curse before they picked up their drink again. Yes, they were different. But not by much.

A table with two older lizardmen and a furry mountain of muscle and fat became aware of the newcomers first. Haylee waved excitedly, and they beckoned her over.

“Good evening to you both,” one of the scrawny lizardmen rasped. “Haven’t seen you around here yet— would have remembered that sight,” he winked at Haylee.

“Keep your shrivelled dick in your pants, Fitz,” his companion laughed. “You’re scaring the girl away!”

“If anything scares her, it’s your ugly muzzle,” Fitz retorted, much to Haylee’s amusement.

“Very charming,” the beautiful cat-girl snickered. “You’re right— we haven’t been here for long, but it’s nice to see some merriment and friendly faces.”

“Aye, you have to take the joyful moments wherever you can find them,” Fitz said. “Please, take a seat.”

The other lizardman introduced himself as Fin and the bear-like man as Gromph. The latter wordlessly slid a cup of alcohol to the younger couple.

“Thank you for the warm welcome,” Siegfried nodded. “Not everyone we met was so accommodating.”

“Ah, you’ve run into the Shadow Claws first, I guess,” Fitz shook his head. “Ever since they took over, life became worse down here.” He absently traced a scar on his neck. “Still, it’s not all bad. Everyone you see around here is pretty much alright. Bit rowdy at times, but nothing that can’t be resolved with a friendly brawl,” he laughed.

During the next hour, Sieg and Haylee got a broad rundown on how things work and what they should avoid. News of the Shadow Claws’ demise had not gotten out yet.

It seemed that most of the older folk was part of the previously reigning faction, and the conversation slipped into stories of their past. Gromph didn’t talk at all, but Fitz and Fin were a wellspring of funny stories that got more fruitily with every cup of highbrand.

Siegfried was slightly tipsy by the time their hosts bid them good night. On the way back, he slung his arm around Haylee’s waist and just enjoyed the closeness in the serene quiet. When they reached the fortress, he yawned loudly. “Sorry, I think I’m ready for bed. Thank you, Haylee,” he kissed her forehead. “After the past weeks, it’s almost unreal how normal today felt. I really enjoyed that.”

“I feel the same. And we deserve a few days of peace once in a while. I still have some things to discuss with Bahsah.” Haylee touched his cheek and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. “Sleep well, Siegfried.”

This night Siegfried went to bed with a smile.