Master's Journey: Tales to Astound! #5

Author's Note: Boop. Feel like this one's finally starting to get "rolling," hoping to have some cool action next time around.

[story] [light F solo]

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‭Considering your options for a moment,‭ ‬you finally come to a conclusion:‭ ‬this place‭ ‬--‭ ‬this island,‭ ‬or greater land,‭ ‬whichever it may be‭ ‬--‭ ‬is too dangerous and too unknown to you to want to traverse alone.‭ ‬Better to get your bearings and spend some time with these three travelers before you make any bullheaded choices and lose what slight advantage you’ve managed to gain.

‭“‬I must clean myself,‭ ‬first,‭” ‬you say,‭ ‬glancing up at the sky.‭ “‬I should not be long.‭ ‬But the sand and grime of my oceanic resurrection wears on me,‭ ‬and I would be refreshed if we’re to undertake a long journey.‭”

“Entirely fair,‭” ‬Ozrik nods,‭ ‬his eyes following yours to the two suns above,‭ ‬watching them gradually drift apart in a final farewell before the darkness of night closed both celestial eyes.‭ “‬We shall wait here,‭ ‬then.‭ ‬Try not to be long‭ ‬--‭ ‬wouldn’t want the sky to rush off without us,‭ ‬would we‭?”

You nod back,‭ ‬inhaling deeply and making your way away from the camp,‭ ‬bringing your scavenged blade along with you in the case of an attack‭; ‬be it by animal or worse.‭ ‬Walking up along the river a short distance,‭ ‬you quickly find a pocket of clear,‭ ‬rippling water free from the steam’s intense rush,‭ ‬blocked off by a massive,‭ ‬moss-slick boulder to create the little shimmering oasis.

Memories flicker back to you in an instant‭ ‬--‭ ‬of vast arbors,‭ ‬and grape-laden vines crawling intimately along the open marble bathhouses of Kalt.‭ ‬Your homeland.‭ ‬The memory is fleeting,‭ ‬and the next moment you find yourself back in the middle of the river,‭ ‬setting your cutlass down by the bank and stripping away the tattered wrap of cloth you’ve been using to cover your breasts.‭ ‬Setting it carefully in the shallowest part of the water so that it,‭ ‬too,‭ ‬can be cleaned,‭ ‬it’s quickly followed by the torn sail-scrap that had been wrapped around your waist.

Now nude once again,‭ ‬you glance over your shoulder as a strange sense of vulnerability suddenly grips you,‭ ‬a feeling of being watched,‭ ‬though you cannot see or hear who.‭ ‬You sink slowly into the water,‭ ‬feeling the fresh,‭ ‬light current cascade across your sore body like the caress of a long-lost lover,‭ ‬melting away the salt and sand that’s caked you since you woke up this morning.‭ ‬You slip in down to your neck,‭ ‬but never let you eyes close,‭ ‬not all the way.‭ ‬Still,‭ ‬that feeling of being watched nags at you,‭ ‬makes you feel like you’re beneath the watchful eye of a hawk‭ ‬--‭ ‬especially as your cleansing becomes more private.

Trying to ignore the sensation of intrusion,‭ ‬you gently rinse the sand from beneath the firm swells of your breasts,‭ ‬from under your toned arms,‭ ‬to the delicate creases between your pelvis and your smooth,‭ ‬olive thighs.‭ ‬You caress your palm over your womanhood,‭ ‬then,‭ ‬too,‭ ‬being careful to use to even more tender touch to the sensitive area‭ ‬--‭ ‬easing along your slit,‭ ‬then cautiously slipping a single finger inside yourself,‭ ‬using the warm water to wash yourself.‭ ‬You bite back a moan as both the sensation of the warm liquid immersing you,‭ ‬and the feeling of gentle penetration,‭ ‬send spikes of pleasance arcing through your muscles and nerves.

You spend a while in the water,‭ ‬but not as long as you might have liked were time not an obstacle.‭ ‬Once you’ve done what’s necessary,‭ ‬you take a moment to carefully scrub your tattered garments in the river,‭ ‬then rise up out of the rushing water.‭ ‬Your slender,‭ ‬dusky figure is naked and dripping as you don the makeshift garments once more,‭ ‬then grab onto the haft of the thick half-oval that whatever oaf wielded it once called a sword.

Steeling yourself for the short trek back to camp,‭ ‬you keep wary as you go,‭ ‬trailing the minor landmarks you kept track of on your way out.‭ ‬You see no clear sign of what,‭ ‬if anything,‭ ‬was watching you,‭ ‬with the exception of a brief rush of deep red darting from behind one tree to another.‭ ‬A bird,‭ ‬maybe‭? ‬You’ve seen all manner of exotic plumage on those inhabiting the canopy of this jungle,‭ ‬though you surmise it would be a large bird indeed.

If that was the culprit,‭ ‬though,‭ ‬it’s gone now,‭ ‬and you go back to warily tracing your steps back to the phyrai hunting camp,‭ ‬finding it quickly.‭ ‬Less than an hour,‭ ‬you assume,‭ ‬has passed since the time you set out to wash up,‭ ‬giving your group plenty of time to travel by Oyeph’s long,‭ ‬dim shadow.‭ “‬Apologies for keeping you,‭” ‬you say softly,‭ ‬announcing your arrival before taking the risk of startling the three phyragians,‭ ‬who you see have just finished packing up their tents,‭ ‬food stores,‭ ‬and what they carried to trade.

Most startling to you,‭ ‬however,‭ ‬is the beast of burden they seem to have ushered in from a more secluded part of the jungle‭ ‬--‭ ‬a massive beast,‭ ‬tusked but with neither trunk nor snout,‭ ‬its low head giving you a clear view of its flat face and narrow,‭ ‬suspiciously intelligent eyes.‭ ‬The thing must be the size of three horses or more,‭ ‬its shaggy coat a deep brown with a thick mane of dark,‭ ‬grayish blue covering it from scalp to shoulder.‭ ‬You find yourself entirely unquestioning of how it managed to be kept in the jungle unmolested‭ ‬--‭ ‬it is‭ ‬far larger than any shape or shadow you’ve seen lurking on this accursed isle.

‭“‬No sorries necessary,‭” ‬Kinna smiles to you,‭ ‬rushing over to wrap her hands around both of your forearms,‭ ‬something you understand as a familiar greeting among her flame-haired people.‭ “‬We’ve just finished readying our things,‭ ‬aye‭? ‬I should warn you,‭ ‬of course‭ ‬--‭ ‬there be many many of beasts and dark things between here and the city,‭ ‬and shall be only more when Oyeph rests.‭ ‬You’d be wise to carry a weapon you’re familiar with.‭ ‬I have an old bow you can borrow,‭ ‬and Ozrik has a spare axe as well,‭ ‬if you’d prefer that.‭ ‬Or you can keep that hunk of sailor’s metal,‭ ‬of course,‭ ‬or....‭”

“Or‭?”

“Hah,‭ ‬nothing,‭ ‬friend‭!” ‬Kinna chuckles nervously.‭ “‬I was just going to say you could,‭ ‬perhaps,‭ ‬ask Shie,‭ ‬though she tends to be...‭ ‬guarded,‭ ‬with her things.‭”

1‭)‬ Keep your cutlass.

2‭)‬ Take Kinna’s bow.

3‭)‬ Take Ozrik’s axe.

4‭)‬ Talk to Shie.

5‭)‬ Other‭ (?)