Outside Influences

“You know, I always complained about how noisy they were, but I think I actually miss their banter.” Beth gestured at the dead spearhead. “I’m sure James would be sharing some nonsense about flying lizards from the Old World, and Bel would be, I dunno, complaining that she had too much sand stuck in her snakes.”

With a grunt of effort, Beth pulled her favorite dagger free from the spearhead’s face. She frowned at the wet, squelching sound it made on the way out. She quickly wiped it dry on the sandy soil and then cleaned it with a small cloth so she could inspect the pointed blade. “It’s meant for pushing through gaps in someone’s armor,” she explained, “but it’s usually just as good at slipping through gaps in skulls and ribs. There was a lot of resistance with this thing though.”

She tapped the large, pointed bill of the spearhead. “Either it’s getting dull or these are particularly tough.”

She glanced at her travelling companion, but only received a slow nod in response.

Beth returned her favorite dagger to its sheath and pulled out her third-favorite dagger, a nice parrying dagger that she’d lifted from a particularly annoying knight. She tested its edge against the corpse’s hide.

“Same result. I guess these are pretty tough.” Beth grinned. “I’m glad there isn’t something wrong with my favorite dagger.”

She sheathed her third-favorite dagger, pulled the essence from the corpse, and looked around. Then she looked at her companion, Seth, the ever-taciturn scorpion boy and lifted her eyebrows. She’d learned that just because he wasn’t speaking it didn’t mean he had nothing to say.

“Are you wondering why it’s my favorite?” she asked, patting her dagger.

He was still for a few moments before nodding, his sandy colored hair flopping against his sun-darkened face with the motion.

Beth smiled as she looked into the distance. “It’s my favorite because I used it to kill a very bad man.”

She looked back at Seth and grinned, showing off her teeth. “It was my first act of revenge, actually.”

Seth paused for a few heartbeats before nodding.

Beth nodded back and turned to walk up the hill. Without any talking to fill the air, the only sounds were the crunching of the ground beneath their feet and the wind whispering through the scrub.

Halfway up the incline, Beth patted her third-favorite dagger, which was resting near her ribs. She’d had to rearrange all of her weapons after losing an arm, and everything still felt slightly off. I should move this one back a few finger widths later, she told herself.

She tapped her fingers against the hilt and arched an eyebrow at Seth. He met her gaze with a blank expression.

“This one,” Beth explained, “is my third-favorite. I pulled it from the corpse of that bad man.”

She pulled it from its sheath and flicked it through the air a couple of times. “I didn’t actually plan to survive that encounter, but amateurish desperation can make someone dangerous. And then, Once I’d done the deed I realized that I wanted to accomplish more. I grabbed this little guy and put it to good use.”

The dagger was built for parrying. It had a wide, sturdy blade and a guard that bent at a right angle to trap an opponents weapon. She remembered some of her desperation as she fled the stables where she’d ambushed her first victim and laughed.

“Ah, I was young and foolish back then.”

She smiled at Seth. “Just so you know, I was born into a rich family. I was being raised to be a merchant’s wife – you know, handle the books, appraise goods, keep a house in order.”

She looked at the scorpion. “Actually, maybe you don’t know any of that stuff. Have you ever met a merchant family in the Golden Plains?”

Seth shook his head. “Nope,” he whispered.

“Yeah, I figured. You guys have it rough out here.”

He nodded in response.

“Well, let’s just say that I was young and spoiled. I fell in love with a guy, and then my grandfather decided that I should become a nun at Technis’ temple.”

She looked at Seth. “Do you know nuns? They’re a specialized kind of… well, just imagine if the Dark Ravager kept female acolytes who wore weird clothes.”

Set tilted his head and pursed his lips.

“Whoah, not that kind of weird clothing!” Beth teased. “Get your mind out of the gutter!”

Seth snorted with bemusement.

That’s three reactions today, Beth cheered internally. I think I’ve just about got this guy figured out. It’s only taken a week of walking.

“Anyway,” Beth continued, “we decided to elope so my grandfather had my lover killed. So then I went and killed the guy who killed my lover. Pretty basic story, right?”

They reached the crest of the hill at that moment, so they both went silent for a few moments as they surveyed the valley on the other side. Beth whistled as she admired the view. “That’s a little slice of paradise, isn’t it?”

Seth nodded.

Beth’s eyes roamed over the valley. “Somewhere in there, hopefully, Bel dropped my second favorite dagger. It’s not a great weapon for assassinations, but I keep it around for the sentimentality.”

She gestured to Seth to continue. “You’re the guide.”

He nodded slowly and started picking his way down the slope. The area on this side was much more verdant than the uphill walk, with thick clumps of grass and wildflowers carpeting the landscape. There were even proper trees swaying happily in the breeze, and Beth could make out light flickering from the surface of a small river running through the center of the valley.

Beth didn’t usually think of herself as very talkative, but a combination of missing her siblings and the temperament of her current companion seemed to draw it out of her. Beth found herself opening her mouth again after only a few steps.

“I’ve always taken revenge really personally. I’ll kill Technis, change the world, and then I’ll feel like it was all worth it. That’s probably why I’m so made at Hanti and her desperate need for glory.”

Beth snorted. “Not that it matters – Durak only promised me that my actions would lead to Technis’ downfall, not that I would be the one twisting a dagger in his back. James probably convinced me to take this trip because he knew that I just need some distance to settle my emotions.”

She gestured at her stump. “I’ve probably been a bit off-balance since I lost my arm. I guess James is just looking out for me. He's a good kid.”

Beth frowned. “Bel though; she’s a troublemaker, just like me. I’m going to scold her damn hard when she gets back.”

“Ah.”

Beth’s eyebrows rose when Seth made a quiet sound. She pivoted slightly and saw that he was gesturing at a nearby tree.

“Something interesting?”

He nodded and jogged over to the tree. Beth followed after him, scanning their surroundings for threats as she went. She’d barely glanced at the tree, so when she finally walked under its branches she was surprised to see that its limbs were weighted down by a bounty of deep, purple fruits that hung from its limbs.

Seth tested a few of the deep purple fruits by gently squeezing them with his pincers before twisting one free and handing it to her.

Beth accepted it and brought it to her nose to sniff.

“Smells nice enough I guess.”

She watched at the scorpion-boy quickly found another fruit, which he greedily devoured. Beth lips curled up at the sight.

I guess he does get excited about some stuff.

She lifted her own fruit to her mouth and took a bite. The fruit burst the moment her teeth punctured the soft skin, and she was forced to slurp in a very unladylike manner to keep the juices from dribbling down her chin.

She laughed with delight. “This is so messy!”

Seth glanced at her, concern written all over his face.

“Oh, don’t worry, I like it,” she reassured him. “I just haven’t had such a juicy fruit before.”

Seth’s eyes shifted to a point behind her. “Ah,” he muttered.

Beth turned and burst out laughing at the strange creatures that were approaching. There was a group of five, all hopping on their hind feet, bounding over the loose soil as they closed in on Beth and Seth.

“Are those really predators?” she asked.

Seth shook his head. “Just territorial.”

Beth had already heard about the odd beasts that roamed the edges of the valley, of course, but seeing them was something else. James called them giant kangaroos when he heard their description, but the people of the Golden Plains called them something that translated at “hop bears.” Their name wasn’t so important to Beth, just that they were something new and interesting to fight.

Beth grinned and ran towards the nearest of the group. She tensed her muscles, preparing to duck under a slash from its clawed hand, but it surprised her by leaning back on its tail and lashing out with its large back legs. Beth back flipped, kicking off of a large root to give herself solid footing for the maneuver. The size of the legs and feet gave the attack more range than she’d been expecting.

That silly tail is almost like a third leg, she mused. I wonder if it can pivot on it?

Beth spawned a shadow clone to race to the right while she cut to the left. With her first step she kicked a stone along her clone’s path and then took care to step as quietly as possible on rocks and roots as she moved. Any creature with a pinch of fighting instinct would be able to pick out a fake if it didn’t make any noise or disturb the soil, so proper use of her shadow clones required a little subterfuge.

The hop bear, it turned out, didn’t have much fighting instinct. It hesitated for a moment, but when her kicked rock landed near her clone’s feet it committed to that direction. Beth easily reached its side while it kicked her clone into shimmering dust. Then she punched it in the leg.

It wasn’t a fatal strike – it probably wouldn’t do more than bruise the beast – but Beth had been warned that the true rulers of the valley didn’t like it when visitors went around killing things.

While the hop bear was braying in pain and confusion, Beth jumped up grabbed one of its arms, and hoisted herself onto the back of its neck.

That’s harder to do with one arm, she winced. Before the creature could react to her presence, she wrapped her legs around its neck and slammed the pommel of one of her heavy daggers into the back of its skull. The hop bear staggered before collapsing, and Beth jumped free of it and pranced back to Seth.

The scorpion boy had been clicking his pincers and holding his tail aloft, threatening the rest of the group as they warily circled him.

“They probably want the fruit,” he muttered.

“Well they can hop their furry selves to a different tree. I don’t feel like giving this one up.”

Everyone – Beth, Seth, and the hop bears – turned slightly as something landed upon one of the fruit tree’s limbs with a series of loud flaps. The limb bent dramatically from the weight and an annoying voice announced the arrival of the valley’s true threat.

“What on Olympos are you doing, attacking our little fuzzy bears,” the nasal, whiny voice complained.

Beth scoffed. “They started it, and we didn’t actually hurt them.” She gestured at the one she’d hit, now shaking its head in confusion as it pushed itself upright.

“Ah, visitors are the worst,” the new creature drawled. She had the body of a small, four-legged creature. A cat, according to the locals, with the head of a small girl. Her dark eyes twinkled with mischief as she leered at Beth, but then she frowned when she turned to look at Seth.

“Oh,” she said, her disappointment clear.

A second one landed on another branch, setting off a shower of delicious fruit. Beth bent down and caught one of them as it fell. If they’re falling then they must be ripe, right?

Beth took a bite and closed her eyes with pleasure. Lempo’s left tit, that’s good.

“Visitors,” the second cat-girl sang, “messing with our pets? Let’s have some–”

“It’s this guy,” the first interrupted.

“Oh. He’s back!”

“Don’t be so excited.”

Despite being under the little sphinxes protection, the hop bears didn’t seem very excited to be around them. The quickly hopped away, content to look for a different fruit tree.

Beth eyed the girls with curiosity. They were the source of the valley’s deadly reputation. People said that they would pester visitors with riddles and then kill anyone who answered incorrectly.

The valley also happened to be where Seth had grown up, so he’d had an entire childhood to adapt to their ways. He claimed that the cat-girls wouldn’t actually hurt anyone unless they answered a riddle incorrectly, so he’d survived by staying quiet for days as he pondered their questions, only speaking once he’d figured out a solution. Beth was pretty sure it had given him some kind of fear of speaking too.

A third branch dipped as a third cat-girl arrived. This one had the same dark hair and eyes as the first two, but she wore a small tiara one her head. “Him again. But he’s brought a friend! We can totally ask her some questions.”

“Yeah!”

“Totally!”

Beth rolled her eyes. “How about I ask you three a riddle first?” she challenged.

“Ugh.”

“Gross.”

“Lame.”

They each turned their heads with disinterest, but Beth could see their tails quivering with excitement.

Beth grinned wickedly. James had actually recognized the cat-girls from myths that he’d heard in the Old World, and it seemed that they’d had a weakness for riddles even there. He hadn’t heard of them being on the receiving end of them until Seth shared some details, but James had provided her with plenty of riddles that had never before been heard in this world.

“I’m here to look for a dagger that my sister dropped,” Beth explained, “so how about I give you some riddles as we walk?”

“I’m sure your riddles are nothing special,” the first one replied haughtily.

“Yeah, they’re probably just the one about people walking with canes,” the second added.

“Don’t give away our own riddles,” the third scolded.

Beth’s grin grew wider as she stuffed a few fruit into her travel bag.

The best thing about James’ riddles is that they make no sense and take hours to explain.

Beth cleared her throat. “A king has a thousand bottles of wine. An assassin sneaks into his cellar and–”

The first girl’s nose wrinkled and she interrupted quickly. “Bottles of what?”

“Wine. From grapes.”

Beth started walking.

The second girl flapped her wings and soared ahead, landing on another tree.

“What’s a grape?” she asked from her new perch.

Oh, this is perfect, Beth cackled to herself.

“What do you mean, entropy?”

“It’s a measure of the information in a system,” Beth explained, copying what James had said about the English. Beth didn’t understand it either, but she’d memorized his words anyway.

“I don’t like your riddle,” one of the cat girls moaned. “Riddles are supposed to play with words, not numbers.”

“Yeah,” another drawled, “my head, it’s like it’s full of sand now. I don’t like it.”

Beth ran her hand through the loose soil, but only came up with a slightly shiny rock. She sighed.

“I agree with my sisters. I don’t think we can count that as a proper riddle.”

“Fine, I’ll give you a simple word riddle,” Beth agreed.

“Ugh, finally.”

“What do you get if you cross a snowman and a vampire?” she asked, speaking the strange foreign words in English.

The cat girls looked at one another. Beth looked around and spotted another shiny object a few hundred strides away. She stood and walked towards it rapidly.

“Hey, you can’t just say gibberish and wander off,” one of the annoying girls called after her.

“They’re real words,” she shouted back, “it’s just in another language.”

“That’s, like, cheating.”

“Yeah!”

“You have to translate it!”

Beth rolled her eyes and glanced at Seth. He shrugged – this apparently wasn’t something he’d had to deal with in the past.

Beth reached her destination and bent down quickly. Her hand closed around her prize: her second favorite dagger, abandoned by Bel when she’d run from the annoying cat girls. Bel hugged the beautiful stiletto to her chest before examining the long, gleaming blade for signs of weathering. The metal handle had a wave pattern running along its length and the cross guard had small, blue gems set in it. It wasn’t the kind of thing she would pick out for herself, but it hadn’t originally belonged to her.

“Hello Henry,” she whispered to the dagger before giving it a kiss.

“Gross,” one of the cat girls gagged.

Beth scowled. “I don’t want to hear that from you. Do you even have males? Do you know what love is?”

“Ugh, so typical.”

“She’s one of those people.”

Beth tucked the dagger back into its traditional place at her side. “I guess you cat girls don’t much care about human problems, huh?

“Nope, just riddles,” they replied in chorus.

“Now translate the one you told us,” one of them demanded.

“Fine,” Beth huffed, “what’s your word for fluffy bits of solid water that fall from the clouds?”

“Uh…”

The cat girls shared a confused look before the one with a tiara sighed.

“That hardly ever happens,” she said with a dismissive tail flick. “We don’t have a word for it.”

“Well damn,” Beth replied. “Feel like making one up? I’ve got what I came for by the way, so I’m heading out.”

“Ugh.”

“Good riddance.”

“Finally.”

The one with the tiara waved her paw dismissively. “Just go. And, for next time, we’ve decided that questions involving math don’t count as riddles and foreign riddles need to be translated ahead of time. Do this again and we’ll blast you.”

She opened her maw threateningly. Or maybe she was yawning, Beth wasn’t sure.

“Wow, so testy,” Beth muttered under her breath.

The cat girls narrowed their eyes angrily and Beth decided to stop pushing them. She’d seen the holes drilled into the mountainside from their powerful abilities; messing with them was fine, but pushing her luck too far would just be stupid.

“C’mon Seth,” she beckoned.

He lifted his hand and waved at the cat girls. “Bye,” he murmured.

“Ugh, we didn’t even get to ask him any riddles,” one of the girls moaned.

“He always gets them right anyway.”

“It’s still fun though.”

Beth shook her head as she strode away. Maybe James is right. Maybe this world really is strange.