John’s Training I
About two weeks after splitting up to train in the Jungles of Naturia John and Martin are currently hearing quick footsteps around them.
“I think we’re here,” Martin says as he puts his hands up.
“Great, so what do we do now?”
“How would I know? This is my first time here as well. Let’s try to not seem like invaders for now.”
A bit reluctantly John puts his hands up then hears multiple whooshing sounds as needles enter both of their bodies and they pass out.
They both wake up again to the cold feeling of water being splashed on their faces. Looking around, they find themselves tied up on the ground in front of a group of fierce looking Woodelves wearing furs of dangerous animals and one is even wearing the carapace of a spider. They all seem to have white tattoos over their bodies depicting the bones beneath their skin, they seem anatomically accurate. The only place that doesn’t seem tattooed is the face, where they instead use some sort of white paint to paint a skull on.
Walking down from what looks like an altar covered in partially dried up blood a woman that looks like their leader asks, “Who are you?”
Martin answers first, “My na-”
Hitting him over the back of the head with what looks like a club made from bone the leader says, “Monkey, don’t talk,” pointing her club at John she asks again, “Who are you?”
“My name is Amsa.”
There is a chuckle going round the group as he says his name.
“The ancestral ghosts tell me you have said no lie but it is not your only name.”
“I’m also called John.”
“Good, honest you are, Halfling. Keep it that way and I will hear you out. Why are you here?”
“To learn from you and get stronger.”
Another chuckle goes around the camp as he answers.
“So, you seek power? Are you willing to sacrifice your life for it?”
“No. I intend to live on, there is someone I wish to protect.”
“Hahahaha, Good answer Halfling! I will allow you to prove your worth. Free him!”
Two warriors come forth and quickly untie John.
“How long do you intend to grovel on the ground? Are you a man or a beast!?”
Standing up, John dusts off his clothes a little and says, “I’m a man.”
“Good. Remember that. You are a man, not a beast.”
The woman then pulls out a bag of bones and says, “Let us see who will be a foe to prove your worth.”
Throwing down the bones she mutters something while her eyes go white.
“Your foe will be the man-eating beast that lives in the cave of dead flowers.”
There is a murmur going around in the crowd and a particularly well decorated man asks, “Are you sure?”
“The bones do not lie. This man has the capability to perhaps finally rid ourselves of it.”
Looking back to John, the woman hands him a bone dagger with runes engraved into it of an unknown school of magic.
“Use this dagger to strike the beast in the heart. Only if you do that will it truly die. After you have killed the beast you must eat its heart and return to us.”
“Can I cook the heart fi-”
“No! It must be eaten raw, while it is still warm! Here, take this and drink it before you do.”
Looking at a small vial made from an animal skull he asks, “What is it?”
“It is a poison to numb your taste. It will make it easier.”
“I see…I understand.”
“If you vomit up the heart you must not let it leave your mouth. Swallow it until it stays down if you wish to survive.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Also take back a trophy from its body, it will make things easier.”
“Don’t worry I’ll bring you proof I killed it.”
There is another chuckle going through the crowd.
“We will know whether you did or not with or without the trophy. Go now, Halfling. Teke Teke will lead you to its territory.”
“Alright…Before I go though, what about him?”
“The monkey? It is your property, no? We shall keep it safe in case you return. If you do not, we will find a use for it.”
“I see…Thank you…Chief?”
“Hahaha, just call me mother.”
“Alright…’Mother’ I hope I will return victorious.”
Teke Teke, the well decorated man from before, then leads John through the jungle until they find what looks like a beautiful path surrounded by flowers, devoid of any animals or sounds usually present in the jungle.
“Follow the path and you will find the beast.”
“What do I do if it’s not there?”
“It will be there. The beast wants to be found. Its hunger is insatiable and its favorite food is warriors trying to challenge it.”
“Right…Okay.”
“I will go now, Halfling. Make sure to always remember that you’re a man not a beast.”
“I’ll keep that in mind thanks…”
Teke Teke nods, then leaves John who quickly crouches down and puts his hands on his head, “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!!! This was a huge mistake. I should have never followed that idiot here. I’m not a combatant, I’m a support mage! SUPPORT! Do I run? No…I have no idea where the green hell I am so I’d die before I could get far. Damn it…I’ll actually have to fight don’t I? At least this dagger seems to actually be enchanted but this is still a horrible situation if I don’t get the drop on that thing.”
Taking a deep breath John mutters, “At least this beast likes flow-Fuck…”
Looking in the row of flowers, John notices they are all growing on a bed of Elven bones. Looking ahead the beast must have killed hundreds of people already.
“Don’t think about it John…Just go straight ahead and think of normal flowers…Like a Rose, yeah let’s just think of Roses instead of the evil bone flowers. Do it for the Roses, John…”
Walking along the flower path John eventually comes upon a cave that has arms of dead people in front of it arranged to point towards the entrance.
“Well…This thing is either pretty intelligent or the tribal people have a sick sense of humor. Minor boost endurance, moderate boost speed.”
Quietly, John enters the cave with his dagger in hand ready to cast a spell at any moment. Then, from the dark parts of the cave, a woman’s laugh echoes loudly.
“Welcome warrior. Have you come to slay me~ Why don’t we do something more fun instead?”
Having lost the element of surprise, John slowly starts walking backwards and answers, “Oh? The same kind of fun you had with the people outside?”
“That’s right~”
With the voice coming closer, John now sees two glowing, purple circles coming closer as well. Most likely its eyes.
“So how about it? Let’s indulge in the pleasure of flesh together until you stop working.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Oh~ I am a very pretty lady, you know?”
“Pretty ladies don’t tend to hide in the dark, they strut around in bright daylight thinking they’re better than everyone else.”
“You sound like you have experience being around such women before me…You’re starting to make me jealous~”
“Yeah…Well jealousy is quite normal for ugly broads to have towards pretty women.”
“Hiahiahiahiahia! You’ve done well resisting my charms with your sharp words warrior, but…”
Without warning the glowing circles disappear and in front of John appears a beautiful naked woman with purple skin, horns and a tail with a heart shaped tip. Putting her hand around his waist she finishes,
“...Once I touch a man, they can’t resist me anymore. Now…Take me! Let us delight in the pleasures of- Ugh.”
Striking the dagger into her heart, the demon seems shocked as she falls to the ground with an almost betrayed facial expression.
“Thanks for coming close to me. To be honest, I didn’t have the confidence to come to you.”
The light slowly fading from her eyes she asks, “How…How did you break the charm?”
“I was never affected by it in the first place.”
“Why…?”
“Because I’m gay,” he answers as he pierces down the dagger further and the demon breathes its last.
“Whew…That was lucky. Thank fuck it wasn’t an incubus, hahaha.”
Looking down at the corpse, John cuts out the heart and picks it up, it is dripping green blood.
“Am I actually going to do this…I guess I’ll have to if I don’t want those tribesmen to kill me. Now where is that potion…Gulp…Yep…Tastes just like the thing I had before to eat the wyvern shit.”
Disgusted, John looks at the oozing heart and psyches himself up, “Come on, John. Scarlet and Rose eat this stuff all the time. If you can eat literal shit you can eat a heart…It’s a delicacy, it’s a delicacy…”
Biting down on the heart he swallows a big chunk and almost instantly vomits it back up into his mouth. Remembering the leader’s words he forces it back down and takes another bite, repeating the process until he has eaten it all.
“Oh…Holy shit, I feel horrible…I’ll never complain about any food I’m served again…Ah right, the trophy.”
Cutting off one of the horns, John puts it in his pouch and slowly walks back to the camp. His skin slowly turning purple the closer he gets. By the time he reaches the gates of the tribe he is already looking more like the succubus than he looks like himself. Inside the village a ritual seems to be already prepared.
“What the hell…Is happening to me?”
“You have proven yourself and become one of us. Brave warrior, step inside the circle.”
“One of you!? Hiahiahiahiahia! I’m not like you savages! I’ll fuck your men to death and have the women watch as I burn your houses down and-”
The warriors suddenly transform into beasts and pin John down. The leader then approaches him and yells, “Remember who you are! You are no beast, you are a man!”
“A man!? Look at me honey I’m more woman than you’ll ever be~”
“Remember who you are. You came here to protect someone. Someone dear to you.”
“Protect…Someone…”
“Yes. Remember, who was it you wished to protect!?”
“I came here to…Rose! I need to protect Rose!”
“Good, who are you? What is your name?”
“I’m John!”
Slowly returning to his original body John feels himself become weaker by the second as he is propped up by the beast soldiers and put into the circle.
“Begin the carving!”
Loud drums start to play as John slowly fades into unconsciousness and the leader begins to sing in a strange language as she dances around him, singing the same thing again and again on repeat,
“Nanda tata, nanda tata, nanda nanda nanda tata, dabudabu DAH, dabudabu DAH, nanda tata, nanda tata OHM! Weheeeyah weyaaaama, nandata OHM, weheeeyah weyaaaaama. Nanda tata, nanda tata…”
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