Suggested Listening

They took their time to redistribute their sarite, with Lemia trading out her lesser nature shard for a much more powerful nature element from one of the slain grabbers. She took a breath, adapting to the new senses and power granted. Minor scrapes and bruises vanished on her skin began to fade, as if days of healing passed in mere minutes. "I don't think I need to sleep at all, with these shards," she said.

While they were sorting through equipment, Elruin thought about the problems ahead. As much as she wanted a warm place to sleep, she didn't want to put more people in danger like they were when at her cousins' farm. "I think we go to the dwarves. It's safer than taking my dollies near people, and you can keep watch in the night."

"It's probably the safest route," Cali agreed. "If not for us, then for the rest of the empire."

The quartet set off, each taking advantage of their respective sensory magic while the grabber followed behind. It would have made an excellent scout with its speed and prowess, but now it was starting to look dead in addition to smelling it. Besides, even if it did encounter something, it wouldn't be able to communicate this fact to Elruin. So instead it took the role of the rear guard.

"Hey, we haven't talked much," Lemia said as she approached Cali. "I wanted to say sorry about earlier. The whole crisis of faith thing, I mean. I get it, I was where you are once, years ago."

"Since you have a pulse, I'm going to guess you're talking about something else." Calenda kept her eyes forward, surveying the landscape with her magic.

"I made a few, let's say, career choices when I was younger." Lemia, too, kept her eyes forward. These were bitter memories she was dredging up. "The churches were less than thrilled by my decision. Ecross and Enge, worst of all. Didn't stop the people who condemned me during the day to visit me during the night, coin in hand."

"I see." It wasn't quite the same, but the woman had been cast out of society, just as she had. "I misjudged you."

"No, you probably got me figured out," Lemia said. "I'm not a good person. Not 'Scratch' bad, but I prioritize what's good for me, first. At the same time, I'm not so far gone that I can't recognize love when I see it. That little girl back there adores you, and you love her, too. Enough to defy logic, self-interest, society, and Divine Law as we know it. I admit, I'm a little jealous."

"That so?" Cali smirked to prevent her deeper emotions from showing. "Well, I'm sure if you ask, she'd give you 'the treatment' and you can be just like me."

"Not that jealous." Lemia dropped the other subject; she'd made the point she wanted to make. "Maybe in a few years when things start to sag, but for now I'm content with what I've got. But, I know my life's not as safe as it once was. I think I'd rather cheat death Ell's way than with resurrection magic. I've heard stories, none of them good."

Cali thought back to Crela's fainting spells, emotional outbursts, and inability to eat red meat without getting ill even weeks after recovery. "Some have it worse than others, but I don't think anyone's ever walked away hours after revival." Crela wasn't even one of the worst examples; many turned around and killed themselves after being resurrected.

"I'll take your version, then," Lemia said. "But I wasn't just here to make casual conversation. We need to talk about disguises, especially your scent."

Cali gave an involuntary sniff, testing the air for anything that might come off her. "I don't smell bad, do I?"

"Better than I do, that's the problem."

"Ugh, I feel like a rookie." Given what they'd been doing the last couple days, Lemia and even Elruin were becoming a little unpleasant, while she smelled of dry dirt and the metallic scent of monster-blood spatters. It was a notable scent, but not a living scent.

"So I was thinking, time for some cosmetic changes to go with everything else." Lemia extracted a metal box from her pack. "And I've got everything we need right here. There was a time when I imagined working cosmetics, but the poor couldn't afford them and the rich didn't want me."

"What are you thinking?"

"Well, first, your hair. That red screams 'noble blood'." Lemia brushed her fingers through Cali's hair. "We can't afford that attention. Then there's your skin. You are too beautiful, better to have you look like someone who's less beautiful and is trying to look prettier, than to have someone who's got such natural beauty that she doesn't need tricks to look better."

"That's an awful lot of attention paid to what I look like." Cali smirked. "Am I going to have to put up with propositions for you, now?"

"Tried it, not my thing." Lemia pulled a vial of black ink from her pouch. "This should get you about the same shade of black as Elruin. Really sell that 'foreigner' illusion, if we get the chance."

Elruin's hair color was exotic, that was certain. "Wouldn't that stand out more?"

"Thought of that, but her magic will cook this stuff away." Lemia began dragging her fingers through Cali's hair, spreading the dye in long, uneven streaks. Magic took care of the rest, spreading the chemical from tip to follicle evenly. There was a time, just weeks ago, when this would have tired her. "But If Claron's got his people looking for everyone with black hair, he'll be burning a lot of manpower. It's a popular and cheap dye for the less wealthy girl looking for a husband. See it all the time, even in girls as young as Elruin."

Calenda tried not to think too hard about those implications. "And so you're painting me in colors that will invite men to approach me?"

"I don't think dwarves find human women attractive." Lemia had met a few over the years, not one of which had shown any interest in the 'entertainment' those in per profession offered. "Their courtship seems tied to scent, they've got a crazy sense of smell, I was never brave enough to ask the particulars. If we ever return to Arila, welcome to the poor side of town. Don't worry, it won't be nearly as bad for you as for the girls doing pink or purple."

"Then we need to worry about scent all the more," Cali said.

"I've got some lye and chamomile, to perfume and lighten your skin. This stuff burns like hell, but it lasts until your skin dies and gets replaced. It won't trick people into thinking you smell normal, but."

"It will explain why I don't," Cali concluded. "Can't say I like making people think I'm so desperate for attention that I have to paint myself, but it's better than being hunted down and burned to ash for being an abomination against all that is holy."

"That was my thought." Lemia dipped her finger in the lye, then another in the chamomile extract, then drew her fingers along Calenda's neck, dipping down along her chest, then up behind her ears. She frowned at the soft patches of orange amidst the black, then pushed the inking spell a little harder to cover that remnant as well.

Cali grit her teeth, fighting down the pain which arose from the chemicals spreading across her skin. "Are you sure you're not hitting on me?" Humor, the last refuge of those who need anything else to think about.

Lemia continued tracking Cali's neck, then as much of her back as she could reach."No offense, but this has confirmed I definitely do not. Even if I wanted a woman to warm my bed I'd like her to have warmth. Touching you feels unpleasant, in ways that have nothing to do with your sex. You feel like you're made of wax instead of flesh. I've got no way to hide that."

"I need new armor and some gloves, anyway." Now that it wasn't an option, Cali took a moment to regret how she'd avoided intimacy through her life. "Won't have to worry about getting undressed often, without those pesky distractions, like sleep, and toilets, and monthly visitors."

"Ugh, maybe I will take Ell up on the chance to convert."

"Never mind, we got more immediate bloodshed to worry about." Cali stopped walking until Elruin caught up. While she hesitated, she felt outward with her botanical magic, tracing the damage done to the trees as men climbed them, and the sensation of those hiding in the underbrush. It wasn't a perfect map, but it was a hard one to hide from. "This is what a real bandit ambush looks like. Ell, I count eight men and three horses, you?"

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"Also eight men," she said after a moment. "Two in the trees, four together on the path, two hiding in the bushes."

"That's what an ambush looks like." In matters such as this, Cali was the expert. "Enough men up front to intimidate, nobody pretending to be a woman to lower anyone's guard. Anyone who looks dangerous comes through, they'll claim they're just hunters looking for deer. Wouldn't be surprised if they do hunt, while waiting for more valuable game."

"Do we go around?" Lemia asked.

"They're weaker than us, and bad men that try to hurt innocent people," Elruin said. "We should tell them they have to stop."

"As if that would work," Lemia muttered. She'd never met any bandits, or at least none that had told her what they were, but she knew some dangerous people and couldn't imagine they would ever quit. A life of crime was far too lucrative, for those willing to take the risks.

Cali smiled her first genuine smile since her death. "It's so devious, I love it."

"Huh?"

"Scratch, take the monster, go around behind and get ready to scale the trees to take the archers. A good bow can get through Ell's defenses, maybe mine. With everyone focused on us, you'll be poised to strike before they realize there's a threat. Lemia, you've got the camouflage, stay hidden, get close, and use Elruin's death magic to snipe. Since we're all immune to that sort of magic, it doesn't matter if you hit us."

"And what will you be doing?" Scratch sounded less than impressed.

"Exactly what Elruin suggested. We walk straight to the center of the ambush and tell them not to be bad men."

Suggested Listening

Soon, they were in position, with Scratch and his puppet near one tree, while Elruin and Calenda walked down the path until they found the men. These four did well to hide their lack of surprise or suspicion as the pair approached. "Who goes there?" One of them held a long skinning dagger that would work just fine as a weapon.

"Just me and my sister," Cali said. She tried not to laugh at how absurd the situation was. "We are heading north, to dwarven lands." She kept her head down, pretending the necessary politeness for conversation between men and women. No questions, no requests, simple statements of fact in as few words as possible. Normally, she despised it.

"The dwarves are many days travel from here." The man in charge took a cautious step forward, to avoid startling the women until the trap was closed. "I'm afraid I can't imagine what would drive anyone to travel so far in such dangerous terrain, without the safety of a caravan."

Cali walked forward as well, keeping the timid but clueless act for as long as possible. "Acheria is in danger. A terrible warlord conquered Arila, and killed hundreds. I fled with my sister, but his men are all over the countryside. I fear the dwarven lands are the only safe place remaining."

She didn't know whether stories of Arila's conquest were becoming known yet, but the story would explain their dirty appearance and lack of protectors. Half of the risk these bandits sought to avoid was stumbling across some dragonslayers out looking for a fight rather than an easy victim. Thus this conversation, which would remain innocent until the moment they felt confident they were dealing with helpless targets. In this situation, their lack of armor and limited weapons helped push the illusion.

"I'm afraid we've been hunting the woods for some time, so we hadn't heard." Now was the time when the awkward barrier between sexes became annoying. He wanted to ask questions, but such was impossible without causing insult.

"It was recent, just days ago," Cali said. Another meek step closer, Elruin right behind her playing the role of a proper child who did not interrupt while adults were speaking. "He's taking all the nobles' wealth and having them butchered or worse." She was glad her new body didn't show emotion easily, or she might have cringed as she finished her line. "I feared for me and my sister's purity."

At least she could take comfort in the knowledge that Elruin was the only one who'd hear those words.

"Dark news, indeed." Now that he was looking, the bandit could tell that beneath the dirt, the two girls were wearing expensive garments, though not opulent ones. They weren't the best of prizes, but the clothes would fetch something and the older woman would at least serve to bolster morale. Besides, he did want to hear this news about an invading warlord. He motioned them inward, to the camp. "I'm sure you're hungry, and have much more news to share. We can spare some of our venison if you tell us everything."

A bit of breach from social protocol, the offer. The final test. A dragonslayer would have too much pride to accept at the cost of adhering to the demands even if it was only for information, but desperate, hungry refugees would be willing to suffer far worse humiliations for food and safety. "I wouldn't want to impose on you."

"Nonsense, a deer has far too much meat for us to eat before it goes bad. I must insist you keep up your strength, for your sister's sake."

So many lies rolled into one that Cali had trouble counting all of them, and another command. This one more blatant. "You're right." She brought a hand up, to touch her stomach, then put both over her chest. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"I'm glad you feel that way." He smiled the smile of a man getting everything he wanted from a woman. He stepped closer to Calenda, and pointed his knife at her chest. "Now, do everything I say and I promise you and your sister will walk away alive."

Cali didn't even need her magic to spot that lie. "First, my little sister wants to say something to you."

"And what is that?"

"You're bad men." Elruin stood up tall, and looked the bandit in the eye. Her glare was wasn't too intimidating, until her purple eyes turned solid black. "You tried to hurt my sister." She gestured at the bandit, using her death magic to make him sorry.

He took a step back, even blocked the attack. As strong as he was, his arms were numbed rather than completely disabled.

An arrow streaked from the trees, catching one of the other men in the torso a moment later. Scratch's contribution to the war effort.

Calenda acted next, by kicking up a cloud of mist around them. She felt the whistle of the other arrow, from the other archer, which she blocked with her hand, rather than taking the risk of dodging and it hitting Elruin. The arrow stuck, but didn't manage to penetrate more than an inch before her hardened, dead flesh stopped it.

Soon, a scream came from that tree, no doubt the result of Elruin's "dollie".

Elruin walked forward, able to see fine with her lifesight as she picked off a fleeing bandit, leaving Cali to deal with the leader. He might even have been a difficulty fight, if he wasn't half-crippled by Elruin's surprise attack. He was skilled, remarkably so, and even managed to drive her back with a series of wild, chaotic swings from his knife.

I don't know if I'd have been able to keep my arms working that well after taking Elruin's attack. Still, speed and power were both on Cali's side, and she had the benefit of ranged options. She gripped a rock, chucked it hard at the man's head. He tried to block, suggesting some sort of combat magic, but his arms were too slow and his head rocked back.

To her surprise, he still remained standing. He ducked away, covering his head with his arms in time for his armor to stop an arrow from the sky. Cali rushed in, punching low while dodging swings. He blocked her, then had to dodge an arrow from Scratch's new host.

This was the definition of frustration, but in a way it was exhilarating to face an opponent that could hold up under these circumstances. Pity, he could have made a fine Guard if he'd had any human decency. She got in close, and much to her surprise took a hard blow when he stepped in and kneed her in the stomach. At least two of her ribs had to have been broken, and the force sent her flying back.

She landed on her feet, surprised for a moment before she remembered that she didn't need to breathe, her heart didn't beat, so as long as her torso was in one piece she would be able to function fine.

A stream of necromantic energy shot past her, going wide. It never had a chance to hit him, and he didn't try to evade. The second bolt came closer, forced him to step aside.

Cali charged forward, got another couple jabs in before getting kicked back again. Worse, she was beginning to tire herself. Her body could withstand punishment that should be fatal, but it did so by drawing on her magical reserves. Didn't Elruin estimate this guy was weaker than us?

"Block this, you son o-" A cracking thud ended Scratch's battlecry, as his puppet- body landed atop their mutual foe. He did block in time, for what little it mattered against a man slamming into him from a forty foot fall. The puppet had to have died on impact, but was still able to grip the leader, grappling him long enough for Elruin to get a second death-bolt on him, then a third.

Cali joined, gripping the man's legs in an attempt to hold him still while Elruin's magic finished the job.

Soon he stopped struggling, and Cali could hear his heart cease.

"Well, that one took a beating," Scratch muttered.

Cali bid the fog to clear, leaving them to look at the damage they'd inflicted.

"Let me go!" One living prisoner, held in the grip of three monster-hands while the thing scaled down the tree. "Enge Protects! I'm sorry, please, let me go, I swear I'll go straight! I have a family!"

"No can do," Scratch climbed out of his dead host-body. "You know too much to be allowed to live. Which must be a novel experience for you. Your choices are quick and painless with her, or slow and horrible with me."

"Me?" Cali looked at him. "Why me?"

"Because you're both feet and half that perfect ass in the grave," Scratch answered. "If you don't get healed now, we'll be carrying you the rest of the way to the dwarves."

"You can't!" Held the way he was, he could do nothing more than scream for help. "You're monsters! Demons!"

"That's right," Scratch retorted. "We're monsters. What's your excuse?"

Elruin walked up to them, her eyes focused on Cali's injuries. "He's right. I think I might be able to repair you, but it will take time and power."

"Which we don't have."

"Please! I'll do anything! We have money! I'll show you where our stash is, where we keep all our- mmph!"

Calenda's hand had snapped out, latching on to the bandit's mouth. She wasn't much for having a crisis of conscience, and if she was, she wasn't going to waste it on this waste of humanity who helped murder and possibly rape any number of people who deserved to exist. With a dip into her vampiric shard, she stole strength from his body like taking a deep breath.

The sensation of her body mending itself, bone stitching back together, and lungs reinflating, was indescribable, but amongst the most decadent experiences of her life. "No need, Ell. Your strength is more important than a bandit's life."