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“Thank you for saving me handsome warrior, hee hee!”
“Hi, I didn’t save you, you were fine but please just answer me. You said If I get this “Key” thing I can go back home to earth, right?”
“I suppose earthman,” her eyes locked on his strange weapon, “But before you leave you and I should fuck!”
“Whoa!” he yelped and backed away from her, but she pulled him closer and gripped his weapon.
“Ok! Listen to me, where I’m from there are laws against sleeping with children and I’m sure I can’t sleep with an Elf, or whatever you are,” he swore.
“Yes, I’m an Elf, but I’m not a child, I’m sixteen,” she cooed and pulled him in for a kiss.
“Right!” he nudged her back with his rifle between them, “That’s my point exactly, now if you can just tell me where in this world I can find this Key?”
“Haha!” she laughed clearing her long white hair from her ice blue eyes, “Earthman, or was it “soldier” you called yourself?”
“Reid, no, just call me Captain..”
“Captain Reid? Hmm? Well Captain two things, you won’t get that key without my help, and even if you do who says the key will let you leave this world?” she hummed, stroking his rifle. “Dimensional keys can be fickle that way~”
Expressionless he gazed out the window of her small tree house. How she built a house in the equivalent of a ten story high tree he wouldn’t ask. The dark green forest and land he gazed at from her window were strange enough.
“Fuck you and Kansas, Dorothy,” he muttered to himself.
“Excuse me Captain?”
“Nothing, do you have a name?”
“Yes I have a name you fool! But if I tell you my name will you use it to say goodbye to me or will you take me with you on your journey to-” she stopped talking as her pointy ears perked up.
“What is it?” asked Reid.
“Oh? Seems he wants you. Hmm, and if he wants you then that makes me want you more, hm hm!” she chuckled, then something moved outside the house.
“There’s someone outside,” said Reid raising his rifle.
“Not someone, it’s a cimex. The warlock knows you’re here,” she smiled, pulling him tight and cuddling his warm body, “But I won’t let him have you.”
The thing outside smashed the tree house front door, “Get down!” Reid barked, pulling the elf girl behind him and firing his M110 Battle Rifle, point blank. Six rounds struck the creature’s face before it entered the house. It fell dead in the doorway and Reid gaped at it.
“It’s a giant bed bug!” he shouted.
“Disgusting creatures!” yelled the elf girl, pulling a short sword from nowhere.
A second creature forced its bug body into the doorway and Reid raised his rifle, but not before the elf girl spun toward the door with her sword and lopped off the creature’s head with one slice.
"Ya! how bout my moves, Captain?" she boasted, flailing her sword.
The elf girl continued her charge, attacking a third cimex outside the house, but it fought back. The defensive creature spun and smacked the elf girl with it’s iron hard shell, knocking her back into the house.
“Yow!” she cried hitting the wooden floor. Captain Reid fired three rounds at the cimex. But this creature blocked the shots with its armor plated shoulder. No damage, but enough to push it back from the elf girl.
Reid charged and struck the bug’s face with his rifle butt-stock. The creature screeched and sliced at Reid with its pointed arm, ripping his uniform blouse and cutting him to the rib.
“Gaaaah!” Reid screamed and backed up in front of the elf girl. He wouldn’t let that thing get her. But that’s what it wanted.
The cimex dropped on all six legs and rushed at Reid in a bull charge. The captain flipped his rifle to fire again.
“You goddamn-”
A blur...The elf girl hopped over Captain Reid in a blur. She landed on top of the cimex and drove her short sword through its armored neck, staking it to the wooden floor. The giant bed bug squealed and collapsed dead.
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The elf girl’s eyes shot an innocent gaze at Captain Reid and she leapt in his arms.
“Captain, you saved me again!” she declared.
“No, you saved m-”
She stuck her tongue in his mouth, shutting him up.
“Mmm! Whoa! Naja...please I…” he stopped, and caught himself, “Wait, you’re name is Naja. How did I know that?”
“Because I told you my name while we kissed, lover,” she answered, kittenish.
“Umm..first of all you kissed me, we are not lovers, and you didn’t say a word..you...oh my god...did you use telepathy?” he asked, not believing his own question.
“Te-le-pe-thy? I don’t know this earth word, but if you mean I told you in your head, then yes. It’s called sending, and only elves send...but you heard me didn’t you earthman?”
Reid paused, but refused to answer, “Naja I need.. no. You said you knew how to get me home to earth, is that true?”
“I don’t lie Captain.”
“Everyone lies Naja.”
“I have no need to lie to you...but if you’re asking what I want in exchange for helping you...hmm..well that’s a different question. A question I won’t answer now, lover,” she answered, opening a bottle from a shelf and pouring the cool liquid contents on his open wound.
“Arrgh!” he flinched as the substance burned and disinfected. In a moment the wound sealed to no more than a scar.
"That's..wow, that's something!" He faced Naja, "Now, I’m not a fool, I know you’ll expect payment for helping me and when that day comes I’ll keep my end of the deal,” he vowed.
He strapped his rifle to his shoulder and donned his soft-cap. A small insignia sewn inside the cap read, USASF, the acronym for U. S. Army Special Forces.
Naja tugged him by his belt and buried her face in his chest.
“Yumm, Captain so handsome in your armor, and you say sweet words to me...I do hope you mean them,” she purred.
Catching herself, she ripped away from Reid and sheathed her gladius (short sword), to prep for the journey.
“Let’s go, we can’t stay here. Those cimex were merely scouts sent by that damned warlock. He’ll send more soon.”
“A warlock sent those bed bugs?” he asked.
“Ya, he’s no good! The people want to rise against him..I’ll tell you about his evil on the way~”
After ten minutes of packing, the strange duo climbed down from the tree house. Naja dressed in slim black leather armor, something Reid never saw her put on, whistled loud and far.
“Did you just whistle for someone?” he asked.
“Of course, you don’t expect us to walk all the way there do you?”
“I don’t know where ‘there’ is, and yes I did,” he mumbled before the ground shook and “it” emerged from the forest.
“Sweet tap dancing Jeezis, you gotta be kidding me,” cried Reid.
Naja grinned.
“Its” head stood fifteen feet off the ground, and its antlers...
“Alce! I need a ride and some muscle ya big baby!” yelled the teenage Naja up at the monstrous elk beast who towered before them and growled a thunderous roar in reply.
“Who him? He’s an earthman and he’s not afraid of that warlock!” she yelled and the beast roared in disbelief at the tiny earthman and his foreign armor. The elk then lowered its head and neck for them to climb on.
“Were you guys talking?” asked Reid
“Yeah! Alce’s a friend of mine, come on,” said Naja, extending her hand to help Reid.
“Are you sure he won’t bite?”
“Of course he bites!” she laughed and helped him sit behind her before adding, “Captain, this world is called Cionis, and on Cionis everything bites, and everything wants to kill you, remember that, hm hm hm! Heeyah Alce, let’s go!”
The great elk took two steps and leapt into a crisp stride, Reid cursed and held Naja tight.
Naja chuckled as they set off on their journey.