NOVEL NEXT 27. The day before
Abigail sat in the courtyard alone. None beside her save for the worms and the dirt. Her eyes cast up at the sky. Staring at the hanging teeth of the cavern roof above in wonder. In half awe aimed at the beauty of this world.
And across from her, Sarill entered the courtyard.
The sound of his steps, pulled her. The crunching of boot on grass. The song of his spear dragging through the dirt, leaving a gash in the green. And the unmistakable presence of his person. But he did not come alone.
There was another elf with him. Tall and lithe. His head covered by a hood. Eyes dark with shadow.
He was no bandit. None that she'd seen at the least. But the way he walked, eyes glancing every which way. Flitting about without rest. Never holding still, as if searching for something or someone.
He was.
And it was her. Or that was what she thought. A conclusion pulled from the lull in his steps when he finally spotted her. The way he slowed for a second, glancing toward Sarill and then back at her.
They had business. Of some sort. Arranged by Sarill, she was sure.
And when they were finally close. Less than ten steps away, Abigail stood. Her eyes never leaving the elf.
"Do you need something with me?" She asked.
And Sarill grinned. "Not unless you're ready for me to fulfill my end of our little bargain."
Right then, pieces fell together.
This elf, the way he was dressed, and walked, and looked. He was the infiltrator Sarill had promised. And knowing that, Abigail looked at him differently.
He know longer looked quite as suspicious. But noble, in a way. Like a honorable man forced to do deeds in the dark due to circumstances. Someone perfect for exactly what she needed.
"Is that him, then?" She asked. Walking around to get a better look at the elf.
"That is indeed." He said. "Calad, introduce yourself!"
And the elf, Calad, stepped forward. Hand reaching out towards her own, quick and swift like a predator lunging for it's prey.
"Ah, yes, and you must be my new client."
She nodded. "I suppose I am. And you do know where we'll be going, right?"
"Grimsell." They both said.
"Yes. I'm familiar. Broken in a few times, escaped even more. But are you, outsider?"
Abigail frowned, grip tightening. "What do you mean?"
"Your human. Almost black hair. Square ears. Blue eyes. Almost as if you've been pulled from a storybook. So, forgive me if you may, but I doubt your experience with our world."
"You're not wrong. But I think I'm sufficiently prepared for what's ahead. At least, I hope so."
Calad chuckled. "Hope will only carry you so far, my dear."
"Yes." Sarill added. "Hope is a... Fragile thing. I find it far better to only try tested odds."
Abigail nodded, and that was the end of the conversation.
Sarill left them. Calad stayed a little while, told her he'd be ready 'soon'. And Abigail remained. Sitting back down and picking up where she had left off.
Staring up at the ceiling above and wondering. Her thoughts drifting to what next and what was left.
To rescuing her mentor and the issue of the aftermath after. Like how she was going to escape back to her own world. Or return her figure back to normal. Issues that she couldn't actually afford to think too much about now. Things that she would deliberately ignore until they were relevant.
And right now, they weren't.
Right now she needed to rest. Relax. Until Calad was ready and they left. But as soon as she tried, laying her head down in the grass, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she was pierced with a sudden thought. A nagging worry.
An image of Esbern in pain. Tortured while she rested here. The very idea of which she couldn't tolerate. Bringing her up to her feet and sending her striding out the courtyard. Her body jiggling along as she made her way down and out the fort.
Into the wide open of the cavern. Where she was free to walk and think and worry as much as she wanted.
Instead, she focused on the lack of a breeze. The stale air. The foreign nature of everything around her. And that was just down here. While the world above, whatever it's name, was just as weird. Confusing in different ways.
Alien still. No matter how she looked at it.
And in all honesty, if it weren't for Esbern being a slave somewhere, she probably would've liked it. Took it as a chance to explore someplace new. To do something more than just pretend to study for tomorrow. A chance to go on an adventure.
Just without the risk of losing the closest person to her.
And as she thought about that. Really dwelling on it for a second.
She realized that she needed a distraction. To do something else. Less stressful. Less worrying. Something she could smile about.
What better then to go out on an adventure. On her own terms. If only for a little while. No longer than an hour at most.
And so, after a second of thought picking a direction, she went. Taking off in a sprint and a run. Jumping once she was far enough from the fort to shout without being heard. Whooping as she accelerated through the air. Hair trailing behind her like a black cape.
Then she hit the ground with a bang. The heft of herself greater than it had ever been. The weight, heavy enough to actually feel no matter how strong she was, cascading down. Rippling. Chaining together in a string of waves again and again as she jumped.
And for the first time in what felt like too long, Abigail felt free.
She felt like her old self. Unburdened. Looking for adventure every turn.
And a little irresponsible.
Acting on impulse, pulled by childish instinct, she scanned her surroundings for something, anything, interesting. Spotting a few caves. Barely revealed by the underground suns light. Buildings sinking into the dirt. Shadows that could only belong to true monsters lurking in the farthest recesses that she could see.
And above her, bright and brilliant, flora hung from the ceiling. A mix of giant mushrooms and upside down trees. Stalactites that looked like teeth, and the ceilings many eyes - holes letting in tendrils of light.
It was amazing in so many ways. And just as horrible in almost equal measure. Not for any fault of its own, that is. It just wasn't her home. It couldn't be and never would. It was a world that almost seemed like a fantastical mockery of the one she knew. As if it were it's twin.
Lost and forgotten and grown up. Different in so many ways. But also the same. Keeping her from where she belonged. A prison that she wanted to enjoy. To embrace. To smile at as she took in the scenery.
But even now, she couldn't.
Instead she could only narrow it down into a temporary thing. A distraction to be enjoyed for a day and forgotten tomorrow. As if she was just passing through...
And that was when she found her target. A little cave on the wall of the cavern. Tucked up under a ridge of stone, it's mouth an open eye beneath it's very own lid.
She pivoted towards as fast as she could. Kicking off the ground. Launching herself upward like a catapult slinging stone. Fast and furious and without a care in the world about the landing.
Unfortunately, Abigail wasn't a catapult or a boulder.
And when she landed, it ended with her rolling. The unfortunate circumstance of her body's transformation revolting against her. Breasts sliding and slapping against her and the ground. Heft and mass pulling her. Spinning her.
But they also stopped her. Like fleshy blockades, they brought her momentum to a complete halt. Body going still, stiff as a plank of wood in only a few seconds. With only the slightest hint of lingering movement. Unsurprisingly concentrated in her rear.
Her hips, thighs, and cheeks wobbling for a few seconds without end. Reminding her - confirming really - that she was just as 'jiggly' down there as she thought.
And now that she knew, without a doubt, she couldn't ignore it. No, she was painfully aware of every motion her body made as she continued on towards the cave.
Though, at a much reduced pace.
Still she made good time. Arriving at the cave only a few minutes later. And it was only one that she was close, that she realized it was probably bigger than she had first thought.
Like the maw of some great beast. It's jaws wide open. Little jagged bits of stone hanging from above like teeth. It's throat a tunnel of pure dark.
Just in case she lit a fire. Ardin coalescing into a wisp of flame at the tip of her finger. The silent cries of her mother crackling out of it. If only for a few seconds. The pained memory dying as she took a step inside. Slow and careful.
And the rest of her smacked into her. Curves descending, reverberating, like an avalanche at her back. Great lakes of roiling water at her front. A sea of cleavage, that for a moment, she couldn't snatch her eyes from.
That moment quickly passed. Thanks, in no small part, to the sound of... Something deeper in the cave.
Something that was slowly getting closer. Stomping towards her one step at a time. Shaking the cave. And when it revealed itself. Head coming into view, the light of her fire peeling away the darkness.
Abigail came face to face with a monster.
It was a tall, vaguely human shaped thing. Three claws on each hand. And a body covered in thick brown fur. Not to mention massive. So big that when it moved, and it moved fast, that the world seemed to cave in around it. Her vision distorting as it charged at her.
On pure instinct, she threw herself out of the way. Flying to the left, and bringing her curves with her. They bounded about her dress. Tossing and turning like a child tortured by a nightmare. So much that it almost through her off course.
But all the inconvenience hardly mattered when she landed chest first on the two softest pillows in the world. And for a moment, she almost forgot about the monster.
But only for a moment. In the next she was turning. Twisting around to face it, already bracing her body with Ardin in case it was faster than she thought. And to her surprise, it was.
A paw the size of her torso bolted out of the dark. Red claws scything for her chest.
Abigail met it with a wave of conjured water. It materialized as a raging stream, a blast aimed up at the ceiling. Something uncontrolled, wild, and hasty.
But it did it's duty. Successfully deterring the beasts claws. At the same time, it brought the ceiling down on the both of them. Stone and dust falling on their heads. A temporary cloud that she used to put some distance between them.
Which did her little good. The monster followed her through the dust. It's ruby red nose poking through the cloud as it roared. Spittle flying out it's mouth along with one of the worst scents Abigail had ever had the displeasure of smelling.
And it's claws, an extension of it's wrath, reached for her once again. Somehow, she was glad to see them. To block the blow. Even if it launched her back into a wall and left three bloody marks on her forearms.
There was something about it. Something exciting that set her blood boiling. And at the same time, it was a breath of fresh air.
But it didn't stay fresh long.
Her little monster roared again. It's horrid breath befouling the air. The stench a near living thing, grabbing at her senses, tempting her to recoil at it's touch.
Instead, she slammed her fist in the monsters face. Driving her knuckles between it's eyes and sending it stumbling back. And before it could recovered, she wrapped her hands in flames, and pressed her attack.
A jab to it's side. A solid blow to it's chest. Ducking under a blind retaliatory swing, leading into an uppercut that knocked the beast off it's feat. Onto its the ground and on it's back. Too slow to stop her from stomping it's legs. Bones breaking with a sickening crack.
Then it screamed. Going silent a moment later when Abigail brought their little fight to a conclusive end. Kicking the beast in the head and snapping it's neck.
After that was silence. The stillness that came after battle. Where she felt like throwing up and celebrating at the same time. This time, she just chose to walk away. Leaving the corpse where it lay in the cave and starting back towards the fort.
Her thirst for adventure quenched. The drive to save her mentor taking the reins once more.