Asher's Futa Chronicles

***

Asher must literally fight for the opportunity to sacrifice herself. How messed up is that? Luckily, she inadvertently pulls in backup from afar.

Enjoy!

PS: Yeah, this one ended up being smutless...you'll see why. But I'll be pushing the next chapter out as soon as this one is published, so you'll have another exciting chapter of smut hopefully within the day!

***

Chapter 29

ASHER

"No, you can't leave," the Reeve said with finality. "The rules are explicit; only the village warriors can leave."

"Then drop the barrier," Brooke said. "Just long enough for us to leave. Then bring it right back up."

Way too early the following morning, I'd gathered Brooke, Alistair, and Rachel to go see the Reeve. We'd only stopped long enough for Rachel to drop her boys with their village nana.

The phrase, "It takes a village," was literal here. Everyone took care of the children as they were the most precious thing in the village.

While the old lady skunk wasn't their real nana, she might as well have been, with how much she loved those two boys. Not to mention the boys adored her. It helped that she was one of the village teachers as well.

I still couldn't believe how fast the boys had grown. In human terms, they looked about twelve, but in reality, they were only a few months old!

Oh, as a side note, I guess Rachel had left her new choker lying around, and the boys found it. They'd been running around the house ringing the bell that morning to Rachel's utter horror.

"It takes two days to bring the barrier back up, that's if our mages can even do it," the Reeve said. "It nearly killed two of them in the first attempt!"

"Then make us warriors!" I argued. "We'll take the test, pledge allegiance, become blood brothers, pinky swear, whatever it takes. Just let me go kill this thing!"

"I can't do that," the Reeve said and looked pained at having said it.

"Why?" Alistair asked cautiously. "Is it because we're not Fierce?"

"No, that has nothing to do with it," the Reeve started wringing his hands.

"Out with it already!" Rachel said, her patience coming to an end.

The Reeve seemed to know more than he was letting on, and he was being stubborn about it.

"You have to understand, we've evolved with the times," the Reeve started.

"Go on," I said cautiously.

"The old magics that are protecting the village haven't," the Reeve said, now pacing the floor.

"Continue," Rachel said, her teeth grinding together.

"Modern magics aren't anywhere near as powerful as the ancient rites," the Reeve said. "That's why we use them in real emergencies. Nothing can counter them that's not just as old and powerful."

"What's that got to do with us not being able to become warriors?" Brooke asked.

"It's because we're women, isn't it?" Rachel growled.

"It's not my fault!" the Reeve practically shrieked. "When the magics were created, it was a time when women were not fighters. They stayed and protected the young while men went out to face the monsters."

Internally, I was laughing my head off. The highest power in the land back then was the Daemons. Creatures that were exclusively female...at least in appearance. Maybe that had something to do with it? Something against Daemons? That was a scary thought on its own.

"We're trapped by ancient sexism?" Brooke asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry, really I am!" the Reeve pleaded. "You see, even if I made you village warriors, the barrier still wouldn't let you pass," he said, collapsing onto his stool in defeat. "Believe me, we've tried."

"I'm not a woman," Alistair said, breaking the silence that had fallen on the room.

"Absolutely not!" Brooke ordered. "There's no way in hell you're going out there to face it without me, let alone on your own!"

"I'm sure there are others who could accompany me," Alistair started, but even I could tell he wasn't confident in his words.

"There aren't," the Reeve said, shaking his head. "We've lost all our true warriors to the creature. Many of them went out there against my wishes and got themselves killed, such as you're suggesting now.

"Look, you've seen the leftovers," the Reeve started in earnest. "Children and farmhands that have never swung a sword in their lives are all that remain." The Reeve sighed. "I'm not trying to belittle their courage. But, before this, there was no way any of them could have passed the right to become a village warrior."

"See, you're not going, and that's final!" Brooke said, stamping her foot down for emphasis.

"You couldn't help anyway," I said, shaking my head. "No offense intended, Alistair. But this is something only a Guardian can do." I didn't say it with airs; it was just a fact.

"What is this thing, really?" Alistair asked.

"It's a mistake," I said, remembering my studies at the Wright's Temple. "It's an administrative error," I couldn't help but chuckle darkly.

Everyone in the room looked at me like I was nuts.

"The previous creature appeared around a thousand years ago, yes?" I asked.

"That's right," the Reeve said. "But, I never told you that, how'd you know?"

The time frame fit. The temple closes, and the Daemons disappear. A mistake happens, and there's no one left to fix it.

"A Tempest B is a creature the Administrator created that went wrong," I started, staring at the floor. "Normally, the Administrator would erase these mistakes. But they can sometimes get distracted, you know, running the entire Bio Hab. They leave it to the Daemons and Guardians to take care of.

"Since there's no Daemons running around here, that leaves only me," I said flatly and tapped on my chest for emphasis.

The magical Guardian emblem blazed to life, lighting up the dim room and causing the Reeve to gasp. I had a feeling up until that moment that he still doubted I was really a Guardian.

If this really was a Tempest B, then we're talking a true act of God. How the hell was I supposed to defeat something like that? Maybe if I had the Gestalt here, we could handle it together. But they weren't here, and I couldn't stay here for another six months, hoping the creature would go away.

An army was marching on Remmi and the rest of my family right now. I was already behind schedule. Even if I left right now, I doubt I'd make it before the fighting started.

"But," the Reeve started softly. "You're still a woman."

"There," I pasted a grin on my face and looked up at him. "There, I have some good news."

I nearly had to drop my drawers to convince him, and by the end, I was pretty sure he still had his doubts.

"What's the worst that can happen?" I asked finally. "It doesn't work, I can't leave, and you've got a new warrior to stand guard for you."

That finally broke his reluctance.

"You're right," the Reeve said with honest remorse. "Follow me."

The Reeve led the rest of us out of the building and to a small corral that held several beasts of burden. It took a few minutes to get all the animals out.

While this was happening, the Reeve walked to each post and touched it with a small jewel hanging from his neck.

It was then that I noticed each post he touched wasn't wooden. Every fifth post or so was made of ancient rock worn smooth by time and use.

At the touch of the Reeve's jewel, the top of the rock post began to glow.

"You wanted to see me, Reeve?" Vern said, appearing out of breath. Then he looked at the glowing rock posts. "New recruits sir?"

"Something like that, Vern," the Reeve said as he continued to light the posts.

I'm sure Vern's smile was at the thought of fresh subordinates under his command. It was then that I realized Vern was the actual captain of the guard. They really had lost all their fighters.

"Who is it then?" Vern asked, not able to hide the smile on his face.

"Me," I said and took a step towards him.

"You?" Vern asked incredulously. "But," he glanced at the Reeve. "But sir, I don't understand."

"You don't need to, Vern, just prepare for the rite," the Reeve said.

"Y...yes, sir," Vern said, swallowing loudly. His normally smug face didn't look so happy as he sized me up in my kit. Before, I'd just been some kid passing his checkpoint. Now I was about to cross swords with him.

Part of the rite to become a warrior protector of the village was to fight the captain of the guard. They would evaluate the new recruit's abilities and decide if they had what it took to do the job.

The now glowing posts were the old village magic that also evaluated prospective candidates. The village had to agree with Vern, or else it wouldn't recognize me, and I'd never get through the barrier.

The Reeve finished lighting the posts and approached me as Vern entered the corral.

"This," the Reeve started, speaking from rote. "Is our ancient proving ground. You are to enter and stand your ground against the captain. Even if you lose, the captain may still find you worthy to stand as one of the village's shields."

Upon completing his portion of the rite, the Reeve took off the jewel around his neck and pressed it to my forehead. There was a blinding flash of light, and my Guardian symbol flared to life. It began flashing accusingly as if to ask, "What the hell are you thinking?"

The Reeve was momentarily taken aback and stood there staring until my symbol faded.

"I take it that hasn't happened before?" I asked.

"No," the Reeve said quietly, looking down at the jewel in his hand.

"Alright then," I said before turning and entering the corral. Someone shut the door behind me.

I glanced at Vern and appraised him properly this time. It took but a moment.

*This isn't right,* I told myself. Maybe if I'd fought Vern when I first arrived on this Bio Hab, he would have stood a chance. As I was now, there was no comparison.

I turned to the wooden plank wall of the corral and began to strip out of my heavy armor.

"What are you doing?" Vern asked as I stripped down to my warskin.

"Is that sword a family weapon?" I asked without turning to face Vern.

"No," Vern said cautiously. "It's from the village armory."

"Should I also fight with one from the village armory?" I asked.

"No, of course not," Vern said. "You fight with your own equipment. The village armory is only for those who don't have their own."

I found it curious that the captain of the guard didn't have his own kit. Then I realized, this wasn't the captain of the guard, just a man standing in because no one else wanted the job. This gave me pause. No matter what I thought of the man, he still volunteered to put his neck on the line for his village. That, if for nothing else, deserved my respect.

"Captain," I said, turning to face him. "I seek appointment as a warrior to protect this village. Will you judge me?" The words were part of the rite's script. The Reeve had told me the words on the walk over.

"All are welcome to try, come then," Vern said, drawing his sword. It cleared its sheath on the second try.

I'd planned to fight him with my sword still sheathed, but it would have been rude and, more importantly, disrespectful.

No one here knew who I was or what I could do. All they'd heard was that I claimed to be a Guardian and that I was a friend of Rachel's. If they truly understood, I wouldn't be going through this farce.

But, I chided myself, this is their village. Who was I to mock their rites? Plus, they had a magic protecting the village. I had to play nice with it if I wanted to get out of here.

"Does the village have a good blacksmith?" I asked.

"He does good work," Vern said, nodding his head.

Then Vern's sword fell to the ground in pieces. All that was left was the grip and brace that hadn't even moved as my sword sliced the weapon apart.

I'd drawn, struck and recovered without him being able to see any of it.

"Throw it at me," I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for Vern to hear.

The problem was that Vern was still in shock. I had to say it again before he heard me. At my third utterance, he tossed the hilt at me half-heartedly. I had to duck into it to make sure I was hit.

"I yield!" I bellowed, dropping to one knee in front of the astonished crowd. Thankfully, all that was there to see were a few stable hands tending to the animals.

With any luck, the story would ripple until it told the tale of how Vern defeated a Guardian using nothing more than his cunning. It cost me nothing to be generous. Besides, I might be dead in an hour, and Vern would have to continue to lead the warriors of the village.

"Your verdict, captain?" the Reeve asked from outside the corral.

"Hmmm?" Vern said, still not having a clue what had just happened.

"Do you accept her?" the Reeve asked with a touch of impatience.

"Oh, yes, of course!" Vern managed and then remembered the words. "Rise and take your place between the village and those wishing it harm."

With that, the lights of the stone pillars flashed twice and faded, marking my official acceptance.

Vern offered me his hand, and I took it, standing up from the mud.

"Thank you, captain," I said, patting him on the shoulder. "Now I'm off to do my duty."

"Right," Vern said, oblivious to what was going on.

I grabbed my gear and redonned my armor before turning to the Reeve.

"Which way?" I asked.

"Follow me," the Reeve said, leading my friends and me to the weak point of the barrier on the edge of the village.

There was still nothing to mark the barrier's edge, nor the weak point for that matter. I wondered how the Reeve knew where to go, but then I saw him hold up the jewel from his necklace. A tiny beam of light, barely perceptible, lanced out and stopped in midair about fifteen feet away.

I turned and glanced at the Reeve.

He nodded and held the beam steady for me.

"DO NOT," Rachel started, taking hold of my arms, "get yourself killed. If you do, Remmi will never forgive me."

"I'll do my best," I said, giving her a brief smile, then leaned in and kissed her deeply. She returned the kiss with enough gusto to make everyone else uncomfortable. We still hadn't found a way of kissing that really worked, but at that moment, that didn't matter.

"If anything goes wrong, come back, and we'll figure something else out," Brooke said. After a moment, she glanced at her husband and then back at me. "This once, you may kiss him if you so desire."

I managed to catch myself before I laughed out loud.

"I don't think he'd like to kiss his Granddaughter's beloved," I said with a smile.

"Just so," Alistair smartly nodded. "Now go, and may nature's own fury strengthen you, keep you, and protect you."

"Thank you," I said and turned back to the barrier. "Hopefully this works, otherwise we're all gonna feel pretty silly about what just happened."

"Speak for yourself," Rachel said.

I didn't have to turn around to see the smile on her face.

I stepped forward and continued to walk, waiting for that feeling of resistance and tingling I'd felt before. When I didn't feel it, I stopped and turned around.

The beam from the Reeve's gem now stopped two feet in front of me.

I was on the outside.

I probably would still be staring at the tiny beam if Rachel hadn't spoken up.

"Return with your shield, or on it!" Rachel called out in an amused tone.

This broke the spell, and I looked at her.

"But I don't have a shield," I said.

"Well, I guess you've got your work cut out for you then," Rachel said. "Now get out of here. You've got work to do."

I nodded, pulled my helmet's visor down and headed for the treeline.

***

"Whose dumb idea was this, anyway?" I grumbled to myself two days later.

I'd been circling the village, slowly expanding my search. I'd gone without sleep, too afraid I'd be snuck up on, and was feeling the effects. My stomach hurt, a reminder of my sleep deficit. Nothing I put in it made the pain go away.

I'd already stumbled into more than one tree as I made my way through the underbrush. You'd think a forest wouldn't have much clutter, but these forests were just thin enough to allow ground vegetation to fill in all the gaps between the trees.

On the plus side, every time I nearly fell, it woke me up for another half hour or so.

I'd already run through all of James's tricks for staying awake and was going cross-eyed from trying to use Rhi's tracking techniques to find signs of the creature.

I'd figured the creature would have stayed close to the village, hoping to find some moron who was stupid enough to leave the barrier. Effectively volunteering to be a free lunch. But apparently, I was wrong.

Either I was dead wrong, or it had such a short attention span that it didn't hang around in one place long enough. If this were normal, the village should have been able to send out patrols a lot easier than I'd been led to believe.

I'd circled the village enough times now that I was at least five miles out. I'd already passed most of the outer ring of village farms; the ones first abandoned when this all began. Without anyone to tend to them, they were falling into ruin.

I felt bad for the owners whenever they were able to return. It would probably be easier just to start from scratch than rebuild.

I was searching one of the last remaining barns, praying I wouldn't find yet another collection of desiccated remains, when I heard it.

I've never heard a tornado before, aside from the ones in the movies. But they say they're a symphony of sounds you'd never think to put together. A train roaring past mixed with the chattering of a chainsaw while an angry bird shrieked in your ear. That sort of thing.

Well, none of it compared to the insanity of sound that came tearing at me from behind.

Throwing myself to the side, I clawed for my sword even as I tried to turn and face the thing. " A thing" was a good description of it.

From a distance, it had looked like a shadowy blob. But up close, the images that appeared on my visor almost made me close my eyes.

It was like one of those old movies that just strung together a collection of horrible things to freak you out. You know, spiders, snakes attacking in slow motion, maggots on rotting meat. All the classic "ick" moments most of humanity have come to be repulsed by.

All these things and more flashed inside this creature. Sometimes it took the form of one thing; other times, it seemed like a collage of nastiness.

Looking at it hurt something deep in my head that I didn't understand.

I tried pushing it all aside and focusing on the feel of my sword's grip. I was gripping too hard. I could feel my skin rolling up on the palm of my hand, and I forced myself to relax as I spun in to attack.

The creature was fast and easily slipped out of my sword's reach. Again, I attacked, and again after that. I tried to focus on the ground beneath the creature, avoiding looking at it directly. It didn't really help.

Now I knew how Perseus felt.

A meme I once saw flashed behind my eyes. It was Perseus fighting Medusa; only Medusa was wearing something low cut, and Perseus was entirely focused on her boobs. Medusa told him, "My eyes are up here." All Perseus said was, "Not a chance, lady."

I chuckled, wondering if this thing had boobs for me to stare at. The image of a pair of breasts flashed on the creature for the briefest of moments before it was gone again.

"What the?" I said and rolled to the side as the thing lunged at me.

Fire spread across my back as it hit me with something I couldn't see. I nearly dropped my sword at how intense the pain was. I fought through it, trying to ignore it and regain my feet.

I knew what it was like to get too close to a candle's flame, or a campfire that flared up. But that kind of pain flared and faded to a dullness you could deal with.

This was as if someone had stuck a flaming sword in my back and left it there. The pain didn't diminish; it didn't fade or even change. It just continued to hurt.