Days ago….

  Sarraleah woke and stretched out her arms and legs as the sun came into her little room in the Rosebridge Cottage Inn. She hadn't known the village's name until she asked the innkeeper when she got here. She needed new clothes and armor again or maybe she would have gone somewhere else. Rosebridge had a few outfitters that could do what she needed, but she needed the guild man to return with her reward money for all the hunts she had completed while out in the wilds.

  She had remembered to bring all the proof this time too. No need to send a confirmation agent or do a difficult little ritual when you brought in the heads of the creatures depicted on the notices in on a string made of animal tendons inside a hide bag. She shouldn't have dragged them so much though. She had to argue with the guildsman about that.

  She rolled from the bed and popped one of the unhatched larva that fell from the sheets into her mouth for a little snack before she got dressed. She ruffled her messy, but silky pitch black hair. It had gotten a good rinsing being out in that storm, and her ragged clothes and armor looked at least a little dry from where they hung next to the clean fireplace. Her skin was a little pink still and she felt warm and vibrant from that last fight. Who knew her guild fellows would miss so many orcs? It wasn't their fault really, she had read the posting and it had just been wrong. That's why they should really leave those kinds of missions for her.

  People didn't always like having her around though. Even after she was trained to be nice and friendly to people by Theradin, she always called him Therry, and learned how to better control and use mana from Jak-Jak, that was Jakcova, people were still afraid of her when they saw what she could do. She wanted to travel with friends again, but Therry and Jak-Jak had gotten old and busy, and her other friends had all died after...after....she pushed the thoughts from her mind before the painful memories could come back.

  She flexed high in the stuffy little room. She had gotten in late and this was the last room they had. The ceiling leaked a little in the corner by the window, but it had a bed, fireplace, a little stand with a dull mirror, and a window. It was good enough for Sarraleah. It was better than sleeping in the mud or in a tree again.

  She felt her flawless skin, yes it was still very pink, no wonder the lady at the Inn had been worried she had a fever, but that was okay. She liked that the lady worried, but she had shut up when Sarraleah opened the bag of heads and gave it to the guild man. She settled back into the bed in a sitting position and looked at the little mirror.

  Her reflection showed a messy bed headed girl that wasn't all too clean. There was a little mud still on her cute face, but her wounds had all healed really well. She felt her warm delicate skin all over her naked body brushing off the mud dried on in places. She didn't have to crouch to use the mirror. She was short just like the people in the village, but she wasn't like the women here. She almost giggled thinking about the real truth, but giggling like that made people uncomfortable and she tried not to do that.

  Her body was fit and muscular all over. She had wide shoulders for a girl her size, but her cute face, bouncy breasts, and curvy hips made up for that. If she cleaned up she would be cute! She just had to remember all the things she had to do to do that. There was brushing and combing, and she had ways to clean her teeth that were much better than using a brush so that was already fine. That usually happened in her sleep anyway. Still she smiled at the mirror showing her teeth and then practicing a few faces while she had the chance. She had to remember what other women and adventurers like her did, but she thought she managed a good number of extra smiles today once she finished her practice.

  Right! A bath! That's what the adventurers at the bar had asked for when she came in. Hot soapy water! It made her shudder a little, but she had to do it. She was back in people territory again with all her missions done! The people would be safe from the big monsters out in the wilds for a little longer. She hoped she could find some friends to travel with soon. Being alone with no one to talk to for so long made her worry she would forget how to talk. Luckily she hadn't but she hadn't really gotten the sound right when she came in. Maybe that squawking noise was part of why the lady thought she was sick.

  A knock came at the door.

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  Sarraleah made her way to the door and opened it wide to reveal the Innkeeper lady. Her eyes went a little wide at her nakedness and it was only then that Sarraleah remembered she was supposed to dress before opening doors like that. It really had been a long time out in the wilds.

  “Oh my dear.” She said coming into the room and pulling the door shut behind her. “You're alright aren't you?” She said feeling Sarraleah's forehead with the back of her hand.

  Sarraleah watched her touch her head and felt proud that she hadn't done like her instincts told her to and bit the woman.

  “You're warm alright.” The woman said. “Here I'll get you a robe and draw you up a bath. We'll get you clean and feeling nice and right again.”

  Sarraleah was happy to hear that. She made the smile that Therry said was her best.

  “That would be very nice Mrs. Innkeeper.” She said in her most pleasant voice. “When the guild man comes back will you help me around town to commission my new armor? Mine is in a bad state of affairs.” Sarraleah watched the lady react, she just kind of stared at her looking sort of confused and worried, and she dialed back the sweetness on her voice a little, and used the line Therry said might work when people thought she was speaking strange. “I am sorry. I come from far away and Ruldian is sometimes hard for me to speak correctly.”

  The lady nodded with a strange blank look suddenly on her face and went to the rack near the fireplace to inspect her armor. There were lots of places where she had used hides or tendons instead of proper leather to hold the battered pieces together, and the once white and red cloth was ripped and stained brown from her blood and the blood that got all over her when she fought with their father's lucky hammer. The lady actually looked at the hammer and back to Sarraleah too, but she made sure just to smile back at the Lady and not growl or hiss at her.

  “We can do that little Miss. Don't you worry yourself. You just cover up for a moment and ill bring you a robe you can wear until we have the bath ready. After that we'll get you a little breakfast and talk about what you want to have made.” The lady said with a patient smile on her face.

  Sarraleah kept herself from mocking the smile, and used one she saw the other day.

  “Yay.” She said happily with a tilt of her head. “You're making this so easy for me. Thank you so much.”

  The lady nodded and left quickly to return only a few moments later with a thick woolen robe that Sarraleah slipped into, but didn't bother to tie shut. She was strangely looking forward to the bath. Her hair felt a little scratchy. She felt a little squirming inside, but she made it calm down so nothing would show on her nice new skin during the bath.

  When the guild man returned several days later Sarraleah had worked with the Innkeeper lady to make her cutest outfit yet. Sarraleah knew it had been a good idea not to bite the woman just like Therry had said would be the case with most people. She had pink ribbons on everything. Even in the wrap of her new handle for the lucky hammer. Ribbons dangled with weighted studs from her knee guards over top the heavy steel of her heavy plated boots. Pink bands covered up the leather that made up the tassels on her heavy pleated tasset that hung to her knees and protected her thighs. It was an open skirt at the bottom just like she wanted and the breeze was nice between her legs as much as it made it easy to stop and use the potty.

  Her new brigandine cuirass was flexible and covered in a matching thick pink cloth, and its matching shoulder pads barely felt as heavy as her old plate ones. The new chainmail hauberk hung to her knees under her tasset and fit nice and snug around her breasts when she wore the new fitted harness over it. It had nice loops for her belt and lots of new pouches for her to put things. Best of all her helmet was heavy and thick, it would protect her head from the worst blows and that was the most important. The padding inside was thick and her linen and wool lined coif that attached to her hauberk fit nicely inside. Maybe best of all the leather working man made all her straps and padding wide and soft so they wouldn't dig like the hide ties she had made to fix her armor out in the wild.

  It took a whole four days for the guild man to return by horse. By then the craftsmen the Innkeeper lady had put to work were finished and though it took almost half her money to do it she was able to pay them all in full like she was supposed to. Therry said paying people was important and that they wouldn't do very good work or work at all if she didn't pay them so she did. Everyone was a little worried about how easily she could move in the new armor, but it felt so much better than regular clothes she actually giggled when she had it all on. Its extreme weight comforted her, and stopped her from feeling like she would accidentally jump up into the air like a bird.

  Sarraleah hefted their father's luck hammer on her shoulder using one hand, her armor donned and ready, but they still didn't believe her! So she challenged a boy to a race who looked the same age she did. Naturally she won even while carrying her hammer, and that convinced them though some of them looked a little afraid. She smiled with her visor up and waved to them as she left even though the guild man had said there were more orcs in the area. She hoped she would find them, and maybe this man she was suddenly hearing about. He had tamed a Bear Dog! Any man who could face down an angry Bear Dog and make it his friend would want to be her friend. She knew it! She just had to find him.

  Her insides squirmed with excitement. She wanted to feed to be ready, but she also didn't want her new and cute armor to get all bloody right away. She would kill the orcs if she found them, but she wouldn't use all her powers just this once. Just her hammer. No need to leave dead hives behind to worry people so close to all the roads. Maybe she would drink up their tasty blood when she caught one or two of them by themselves though... Sarraleah hummed and skipped in her heavy armor as she made her way down the road. The sun was bright and shiny now, all the angry clouds had gone away, and she was going to make a new friend!