Perversions of the Flesh

“We didn’t wake you, did we?” Ann yawned, flashing her sharp canine teeth as she stretched in the light of dawn. Her tail shivered, floofing out. She’d just tamed the thing and sat down to get it back under control.

“Uh…” Minnie stuttered gracefully. The woman looked tired, bags still under her eyes. They needed her to get some proper sleep before she fell over. “Sorry,” she said after a moment. “Mornings. Got coffee?”

“I have tea that does just as well,” Bren offered.

“Or my infinite mug of coffee. Take your pick,” Ann said, cradling the warm cup and sipping happily at the life-giving liquid. Maybe Alruna could make health potions taste like coffee? That’d be awesome.

Minnie held out her mug to Ann. The coffee flowed. She took a long drink, slurping to cool it down a bit. “That’s good stuff. How’d you wind up with that thing?”

Ann shrugged. “God. Beat the Seed, this was his gift. I belong to Orenous, but I thank Tym every morning.” Ann raised the mug to the sky in a toast.

“Praise be,” Minnie laughed.

Kat, who’d been out helping Bren with breakfast, passed them their meals as Rosalyn stumbled out of the tent. She was bedraggled, and her hair looked a bit flat from Ann sleeping on top of her. As soon as her butt hit the rock, Kat was there with a comb, teasing the wool hair back into its normal fluff. The Druid took the offered tea and sat there swaying slightly.

“Good night?”

Ann almost jumped out of her skin as Lucia walked past her. The Huntress tossed the six sound beetles to her. Ann impressed herself by snagging them all with ease. Deft Hands was an awesome skill. Maybe it got better with more Dexterity.

“Aye,” Kat said absently. “Was real cosy. Haven’t had a night like that in a while.”

“We snuggle all the time,” Rosalyn mumbled.

“Not while fuckin’. I liked that.”

“Mmm, me too.” Rosalyn’s face split in a dopey grin that melted Ann’s heart.

Lucia scoffed. “Gross.”

“Says the woman who prefers to be the small spoon in the sack,” Bren muttered over his tea.

Lucia glared. Her feathers actually stood up, making an impressively intimidating display. “Tusks. Practical.”

“Mhm.” Bren’s reply was smug, and the grin told Ann all she needed to know while keeping details that would bother Kat quiet.

Lucia huffed. “Hmph, no sex. Mad.”

“Yup.” Bren remained placid.

Ann watched as Lucia’s ears got much darker green. Something must have been sent through that bond, and Bren was winning this exchange. The Huntress just sat down, making frustrated noises and glaring at Bren.

Rosalyn reached over and smoothed back her feathers. Lucia didn’t protest at the contact. “Shh. He’s teasing you. Let him have it later when you two are alone.” The Druid leaned in closer, whispering so only Kat and Ann’s keen hearing could pick it up. “You can totally pin him down and ride him for all he’s worth as an apology.”

Kat snorted, holding back a laugh while Ann just tried to keep her kilt from getting a tent. She loved it when Rosalyn fell into that seductive streak she’d learned to weaponise. Giving tips to Lucia was sure to bring only benefits to Bren.

“You all are really open about all of this,” Minnie commented, staring at them.

Bren sighed and shrugged. “When you have her,” he pointed at Ann, “in the group, boundaries need to be set firmly and maintained. Her being Orenous’s Chosen, though, does come with a level of familiarity I would not be comfortable having with others.”

Rosalyn got up and started taking care of Keit, making sure the goat got her food and water.

“He means we’re all fucking, and we all know it,” Kat whispered very loudly.

That got a giggle out of Minnie. She was looking a bit better now that she’d gotten a cup of coffee in her and was slowly sipping through a second while she ate. “You and them, too?” Minnie asked, pointing between the two groups. “I thought Bren and Lucia were a couple? Was I wrong?”

Kat made panicked noises while Ann took over. “No! No, no. Bren and Lucia are their own thing.”

“He’s me blood brother. No way!” Kat protested, her voice an octave higher than normal.

“Oh! Okay! Sorry!” Minnie said, raising her hands. “Got it. Now I get the dynamic. Three girls, one couple.”

The rest of the meal was small talk. What the weather would probably be like, if they’d see any Warped, or even any Mulsfar. The alarm from last night was still fresh in everyone’s memory, and Ann was itching to see some of what had made Remmi such an awesome person.

Once the camp was broken down, they all started the trek north. Keit was slower today, but the poor thing was hard pressed the previous stretch. Her legs had an interesting pattern. Instead of the normal clop-clop, clop-clop, it was a repeating pattern of threes that never seemed to pause. Ann couldn’t tell if that was extremely efficient or took more energy. Either way, as the countryside passed them by, Keit showed no sign of tiring or frustration. Her shaggy white coat seemed to keep her exceptionally warm as well.

Ann patted the girl, who nuzzled into the touch without skipping a step. “You don’t even need skills to keep warm, do you? Hey, Minnie, do you have to shear these mountain goats?”

Minnie jogged up, hiking her backpack on her shoulders. “Only if they’re too lazy or injured to deal with their wool themselves. Sometimes the moulting in the summers doesn’t go well, so you’ve gotta help out. Normally, other goats would come up and eat it off them, but that can get… bloody. Heard that sometimes they forget what they’re doing and keep biting. Not exactly the smartest animals.”

“Some things never change.” Ann smiled down at Keit and scratched her behind the ear, earning a happy bleat.

Not too much later, Kat held up a hand. They all stopped, waiting to see what she’d noticed. Ann hadn’t heard anything, but Lucia had her nose in the air, inhaling deeply.

“Smell musk. Heavy. Not… hm. Sort of human. Northeast. Two mile,” the Huntress reported.

“Oh? Sounds like a Mulsfar to me,” Minnie said. “Guess we’ll get to meet someone before we get to the village. Maybe we can get some news about the horn last night.”

“Not anythin’ tae worry about? Territory is territory.”

Minnie looked around. “Shouldn’t be. We should get to the village come nightfall if things go right. We should go say hi.”

“Alright, follow the nose,” Kat ordered.

Lucia squinted at her, but took the lead.

They were in the foothills of the mountainous area Minnie had identified as their destination. Stone outcroppings broke the rolling hills regularly. Hills could turn into rocky fault line cliffs, and gravel slopes without warning. It made travel a little slower and also significantly reduced visibility. If the Mulsfar was within a mile, they couldn’t see them with the hills.

Well, that’s what Ann had thought until what she’d thought was a rock moved. It went up and up and up, revealing a heavily bearded face. The person’s shoulders were massive, but not in a way a human could get. The Mulsfar’s neck existed in theory, but it was supported by muscles that made it nearly irrelevant. They looked like arches extending from the sides of the head down to the shoulders. So smooth was the transition from shoulder to arm that it looked like their shoulders hung lower than normal. From below the shoulders, the person was covered in leather and furs from some gargantuan creature. Despite the obvious strength, the person’s gut bulged in an impressive beer belly. Their weapon was a stone blade slung on their back, and they wore a stone helmet, rough and like they’d just picked up a rock and hollowed out enough space for their head. It even had lichen on it.

Minnie ran up ahead, waving, and cupped her hands to her mouth. “HAIL! HONORED MULSFAR! WHO DO YOU CALL FATHER?”

The hulking person stopped, turning their gaze to the party. Their voice shook the stones much like Eldest. It was smoother than the old dragon’s voice, though. Like a tuba blaring its lowest note. “Hail child of the small ones! I claim my father to be Vikstan, great warrior of the frozen north!”

“Oh, good. Vikstan has a history with Godrin’s Cliff,” Minnie said, a look of obvious relief on her face.

“What woulda happened if it was someone else?” Ann asked nervously.

“Well, either the same thing or we might get into a fight.”

“With that!?” Ann gaped.

“We still might. He is from warrior parentage.” Minnie raised her hands again and took a deep breath. “I KNOW THE TALES OF VIKSTAN! HIS PRESENCE IN GODRIN’S CLIFF WAS ALWAYS A TIME OF CELEBRATION AND COMRADERIE. I AM MINNIE, SMITH OF THE TOWN. I CLAIM EDWIN AS MY FATHER! A DUTIFUL AND GREAT FATHER!”

“Well met, Minnie Edwindottr!” the Mulsfar replied. His hand that was resting on the hilt of the sword relaxed. “I am called Orfal. Do you speak for your companions?”

“IN THIS MATTER ONLY! THEY ARE WARRIORS BRAVE AND TRUE! MIGHT WE MEET CLOSER, SO I DON’T HAVE TO FUCKING SHOUT LIKE THIS?”

The mulsfar let out a thundering laugh. “Approach. You will come to no harm from my blade.”

As they did so, Ann came to realise that the Mulsfar she’d seen in Graven Keep might have been a small example of the race, and that one was probably twenty feet tall! This was a true giant. Immense to a ridiculous scale that Ann had a feeling physics nerds would be arguing stretched structural capabilities of the heart and bones. He’d even sat down, and Ann was forced to crane her neck to look up at his face when they finally got to him. Hell, her head barely cleared his calf horizontally.

“Holy shit.” She couldn’t help the words said under her breath. It literally struck her with awe. Her eyes were dancing over the thick beard hair, the glittering golden irises peering down at them, and the thick skin wherever it was bare.

He moved quickly, too. Orfal extended a hand in welcome, and it was the same speed as if Ann were to do so. A giant would not be handicapped by its own weight, it seemed. That just made them all the more terrifying if they ever had to fight.

When Orfal next spoke, it was far quieter than his last words. It was likely he was keeping quiet for their sake. “Greetings, fine ones. I bid thee welcome, but must respect tradition. Name yourselves and your fathers before you.”

Kat raised her eyes to stare confidently back into Orfal’s. “I am Katlyn, Daughter o’ Orlana, current Matriarch o’ Clan Farragher, rulers o’ the Kingdom.”

Ann hadn’t expected Kat to just come right out with that. Something was clearly important here besides names, but all she knew about was the treaty. Maybe Kat needed to make them aware of who she was because of who she was?

Orfal’s eyes went wide as he whistled. “It is an honour, Katlyn Orlanadottr, daughter of the Farraghers. By the accord of eld, you are welcome in these lands. Woe befall any who raise their hands against our alliance. Make your companions known.”

Ann stepped up. She’d played her share of RPGs and read plenty of fantasy. She had this. “Greetings, Orfal. I am Annita Kronforst, Daughter of Sven, Chosen of Orenous. Well met, and may your life find love and joy.”

Orfal beamed, then gave her a quizzical look. “Well met. We shall discuss that last claim shortly. Please, the rest of you.”

“Um… I uh… I’m Rosalyn? R-Rosalyn Losenska. M-my dad is… um, Dad’s name is,” she fell into mumbles. She wasn’t even trying to look up at Orfal.

“May I,” Orfal asked with surprising gentleness in his tone as he offered his massive hand to Rosalyn, palm up.

“Can they come with?” Rosalyn asked, glancing nervously at the palm and squeezing her grip on Kat and Ann.

“But of course, small one.”

Rosalyn tugged them forward, and they all clambered up into Orfal’s palm. They barely fit, but managed as he lifted them up to face level.

“There we are. Much easier to speak eye to eye, no?”

Rosalyn’s death grip didn’t slacken, but she at least looked the giant in the eyes. “I’m Rosalyn. My dad’s name is Grollor. These… these are my g-girlfriends. I’m a Druid.”

“Oh?” Orlaf asked. He leaned in closer. “What route has your Path taken?”

“S-storm?” Rosalyn squeaked, wilting under the scrutiny.

Orfal beamed. “Aha! Well met indeed! We are of kindred spirits! I am of the sky, and my body ever reaches to heights it will never attain.” He leaned in and whispered, “It’s why I’m so tall.”

That got a half laugh out of Rosalyn and relaxed the atmosphere immensely. “Didn’t know Mulsfar had… well I knew they claimed that stuff, but didn’t know… you know?”

“That it makes us as varied as you puny things? It does, it does,” Orfal chuckled as he lowered them back to the ground. “And the last three?”

“Bren Hedera, son of Irving. I have no grand claims to my name besides my fast friendship with Katlyn here,” Bren said.

“Ye’re too humble,” Kat grumbled at him, shoving him gently with her shoulder.

“Humility is a fine trait. Well met, Bren Irvingson.”

“Lucia Simourgh. Pell father. Huntress of Bryltia.”

Orfal seemed to sense what Lucia was about and simply nodded.

“And the last of your fine companions?”

The six of them looked at each other, trying to figure out who he was talking about. Ann felt her stomach fall. Had someone been following them? Was it the fucking Pursuer?

“The six-legged lassie there,” Orfal pointed at Keit.

Ann almost fell over with relief. A laugh bubbled from her heart. “Oh! That’s Keit. I have no clue who her dad was. We rented her from the village,” she wheezed.

“Now that we are all properly introduced, the ceremony is complete!” Orlaf clapped his massive hands. The deafening boom that resulted would have made Keit bolt if Minnie wasn’t firmly holding onto her harness. Seemingly not noticing the distress he’d just caused, Orlaf relaxed completely, slouching a little as he sat cross-legged. “Ah, that’s better. Apologies for some of the stiff speech there. It is custom, and custom is what we have of our ancestors. It must be respected. Now, Chosen of Orenous? Quite a boast, I must say. Do you have any proof?”

“Uh… shit. All of my proof is that I can do this stuff and I’m still not crazy because she’s protecting me.” As she spoke, she shed her hair, grew in the purples, then switched back. “I can do some emotional stuff, too, but it’s kinda invasive, and I don’t like using it if people don’t know about it.”

“Well, it would be less frightening than that,” Orfal rumbled.

Ann latched on to that and Stoked his fear. She watched the man’s face blanch as he stared down at her. Ann released the spell. “Sorry, it only works on strong emotions, and fear was all I knew you were really feeling there.”

“I… Gods above the skies. A fearsome skill in the wrong hands. Truly worthy of someone related to the Goddess of Emotion.”

“Hold on,” Ann interrupted. “Goddess of Emotion? Isn’t she love and the mind?”

“We Mulsfar have a more holistic view of the Gods,” Orfal explained. “Nylir and Orenous are reflections of each other. One and the same, but opposites. The good, and the bad.”

“Huh. She seems pretty damn distinct when I’ve talked to Her.”

“You have… Chosen. Right. I guess you would have further insight into Their realm than us. Still, do not be surprised if beliefs contradict reality. We mean no offense, and the Gods have not harshly objected.

[Annita Puppy]: Hey, that true?

[Annita Puppy]: God damnit, Orenous.

[Bestest Goddess]: Truth is malleable. One’s truth may be another’s falsehood.

[Bestest Goddess]: Rude!

Ann guessed the Goddess was busy.

“Orlaf, we need to go through the whole ritual of requesting permission to harvest some ore I got a tip on,” Minnie said, wresting the conversation back to the main point. “Mind giving us an escort? We heard the horns the other night.”

Orlaf stood, shaking the ground. “Of course! There was a pack of Warped not far from here. The horns were sounded in caution. Great beasts, they were. Caution is being taken this close to another Swarm.”

“Aye, best idea,” Kat nodded. “Hate tae ask, but ye’ve got much longer strides than us. Ye mind givin’ us a lift? Don’t mean tae slow ye down.”

“Ah, it’s not much of a bother. I think your cart and Keit will be more trouble. Tie your gear down more securely, please, just in case.”

A few minutes work with the ropes later, and Ann was reasonably happy with the job they’d done. It looked like the top of their van when her family had gone camping. Or when they’d had to pack up her dad’s stuff for a booth for some random expo.

With Orlaf giving instructions, everyone found their places. Keit and Minnie were held securely in the giant’s forearms. Rosalyn and Kat took one shoulder, while Bren and Lucia took the other. Ann was stuck hanging out on the giant’s back. At least the sword kept her secure.

“Off we go!”

A giant’s gait was not gentle.