Needle and Thread

A Link Between Worlds

[@2D3D4D]

Benny looked cautiously at the approaching enemy ship from the protection of his rowboat-- if the flimsy raft could be called protection, or a rowboat. He sighed. He was getting tired of pirating, and spying on others. He just wanted to find Roxy. He'd tried telling Nereida, but she'd just said that she needed a home base before she could do anything.

"Oi, cap'n!" A voice cried. "Some wreck survivor or somethin'!"

"Take him aboard!" Another voice, that Benny could only assume was the captain, shouted back. A rope was thrown towards Benny's small raft, and he grabbed onto it, pulling himself towards the huge ship.

"Could you help me up?" Benny called. "I'm, uh... weak. From lack of sustenance." He was embarrassed to admit that, though his time on Nereida's ship had helped, he was still a gamer. Strength wasn't his thing.

"Aye," The captain called, and immediately Benny felt as though his arm was being pulled out of his socket as the rope was jerked up, towards the deck.

"Many thanks," he said, landing in front of the captain. "Is there any way I may serve my debt to you?"

"Y'already know the answer," the captain replied. Benny looked up to see a giant of a man, with metal arms and a toothy grin. "Ah, looks like you're a perfect fit for my crew, too!" As Benny looked around, he saw that the captain was correct. Every single member of the crew was male and missing something, which had been replaced with a cyborg-like attachment. "We'll get you fixed up soon."

"No," Benny said hurriedly. "I've, ah, gotten used to it. And I like my ability to swim."

"Are you sure?" The captain asked. "It's not as bad of a handicap as it sounds, having a thirty-pound metal arm. You get used to it."

"I'm really good," Benny replied, backing away a little.

"Very well, m'boy," the captain said at last.

[$^$]

Winter and Ananda followed Gus past the next few trees,to a small group of tents pitched in the spaces between the tree trunks. Gus led them through the encampment, looking around curiously. "Where'd everybody go?" He wondered.

"It's not normally this quiet?" Winter asked.

"No," Gus replied, scratching his head. "Normally the kids are out playing or exploring. We set up camp here only a few days ago..."

Ananda stiffened, and Winter looked ove at her, cocking his head to one side. She nodded, and Winter's twin swords appeared in his hands.

"Gus?" He said. "You might want to let us handle this." He handed one of his swords to Ananda, who held it with the steady grip of someone who'd done a lot of fighting.

"What?" Gus asked. "You guys? Fight? I mean, I get that you're the Player... but I thought that the deerkind were pacifists."

"I used to be very afraid," Ananda replied grimly. "But I needed to protect my friend." She walked ahead of Gus. "Hide," she added. "Wherever your people have gone, it could not have been for a good reason."

The two watched as Gus nodded and retreated into a tent.

"You already know where it is, don't you?" Winter asked.

"I think so," Ananda replied, pointing her nose towards the air. "There is a foul aroma in the air, at least."

"Great. Which direction?"

"That way," she said, pointing.

"Let's hope we're in time." They headed off into the woods. Sure enough, just beyond the edge of the tents, a monster sat, holding a bloody, unidentifiable carcass. "Oh, God," Winter said, bile rising up in his throat. "Oh, God."

The monster turned towards them. Its staring, lidless eyes seemed to fix on Ananda like searchlights, freezing her. Its face was stretched into a permanent grin as its gray, scaly body undulated hypnotically, propelling it towards Winter's guide.

Ananda, with her usual speed, dodged the long rope of gnashing teeth and spindly, grasping arms, as Winter held out his sword with both hands. Even so, he nearly lost his grip as the monster tore past. It whimpered in pain, looking at the long gash that Winter's sword had left on its side. It turned towards him, trying to perform the same attack on him as Ananda, but never got the chance. A brown blur streaked behind it, sending it rolling over with pain and leaving a long gash on the other sde of its body. The creature's blood began to leak out, a pale pink oozing river of suffering.

Winter ran in close and plunged his sword into the scaly predator's lamp-like eye, which faded and glazed over.

Ananda reappeared from wherever she had been hiding and shoved hers into the creature's remaining eye. It gave a deep sigh, and its lengthy torso relaxed.

"Good job," he said. "Do you know what this one's called?"

"No," she replied. "Though it looks almost like a crossbreed."

"That can happen?" Winter asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Yes, though it's extremely rare," Ananda replied. "I'm surprised it lived this long."

"Dang." He turned back towards the village. "C'mon. Let's go check on Gus... and tell him about whoever that was," He said, nodding towards the few shreds of Echidnakind that were left.

"Agreed," Ananda said, pulling both the swords out. She tossed them to Winter, who caught them, the blades vanishing into whatever otherworld they were kept in.

Once they arrived back at the village, Wnter called, "Gus?! Are you alive?"

Gus appeared. "You're alive," he remarked surprisedly. "That's... interesting."

"Why?"

"Because of her," Gus said. "She's a-- er, she's kind of, well, I made her out to be--"

"Weak," Ananda replied. "Pitiable. Stupid."

"All that, yes," the echidna boy said reluctantly.

"Well, now you know that I am not," she replied. "Where is this loreteller?"

"Dead," Gus said.

"Let me guess," Winter said. "You killed him... because you're a monster of some kind."

"Ha ha," Gus said. "Funny, right? I was just going to say the same thing. Ah, well. Why don't you come in and have some tea? I like his body, and you aren't ready to fight me yet."

"Just one question, before we go any further," Winter replied. "Did you kill anybody else?"

"How do you think this village came to be empty?" Gus asked pleasantly. "Now, do come in for some tea."

Winter's swords appeared. A few feet away, something else appeared too, which Ananda picked up, but he was too angry to notice.

"Do you really want to do this?" Gus asked. "Don't bother speaking. You're far too angry to do that. Just put down your swords if you agree with the gigantic monster that you're outmatched."

Winter didn't move, and Gus sighed. "I hate it when this happens. Very well. I'll try to kill you as painfully as possible, rook."