Crusade Gone Awry Ch. 02

"That doesn't make any sense." Talia snapped.

"Doesn't it?" Renard asked, shrugging. "We've gotten here much faster than I ever remember any of my people's parties. On top of that, we saw pigmen far closer to the coast than usual. Now we come to a fertile oasis. There's nobody else here, the trees are full of fruit, unpicked and there doesn't seem to be any activity. It's highly suspicious."

"Is it a trap?" Talia asked, concerned.

"No, pigmen aren't that clever and I doubt the Demon King could prepare for you guys in a day. Something else is going on, something natural."

"Natural?"

"Nature has all kinds of cycles. Often if there's an infestation of an animal, say locusts, there's a cause. The previous season was probably a good one for their breeding. The fact that the pigmen showed up so soon and that this place is untouched must have a natural cause. Perhaps something is pushing the pigmen out. Perhaps there's a reason this oasis is abandoned." Renard scratched his ear again. "Maybe a new species is in the desert that I don't know about. The Demon King could have started having children again. If there is some species I don't know about and people die your colonel will blame everything on me."

Throughout his entire explanation, Talia stared at him. He abruptly started spouting very intelligent analysis of the natural world. Up until then all he had done was flirt with women and ask if anyone had any wine. Perhaps he was far more intelligent than she thought before. The two of them were silent as Renard kept scratching his ear. He finally shrugged.

"Maybe it's nothing." he admitted. "It's been a while since I was in the desert, maybe I'm worrying too much." He turned to Talia and grinned the same smile he had before. "Care to help me put up my tent?" The captain didn't respond. She merely walked away. Then again, perhaps he was just a dumb wannabe player. Regardless, she didn't have time to deal with any nonsense. "Jeez, you could have at least said goodbye."

Two of the army's soldiers were walking around the oasis. They were searching for oranges, which they had heard existed in the desert.

"See anything Hector?" One of the male soldiers said to the other.

"Nah, just more of these brown, hairy things that look like balls." Hector replied. "I don't suppose you know what these things look like James?"

"No, my fiancee just said they were a light green or a dark yellow." James explained. "She said you could sell one for at least fifteen gold coins back home."

"Fifteen? We should get a bushel." Hector said. He used his sword to cut part of the brush away. There was a small forest around the oasis and they were in the thick of it. "Holy...what are those?" James lifted his head before following his friend. When he looked through the clearing he too appeared surprised.

"Those are...giant flowers." James said. In the middle of the small forest were massive flower buds. They had thick roots that spread over a large area on the ground. Apart from a short, fat stem there was only a massive, closed flower. They were well over seven feet tall and had to be ten feet around. The giant pink petals occasionally twitched, as if something was stimulating them. There had to be dozens of them.

"What do you reckon those are?" Hector asked.

"No idea. I bet we could get a bundle for one though." James replied, grinning and stepping forward.

"Uh, wouldn't do that. That fox said we shouldn't touch anything." Hector said as a warning.

"He's a monster! He's probably working with the Demon King anyway." James drew his sword and began marching towards one of the flowers.

"James! Don't do that! I'm serious!" Hector sounded desperate, but James didn't listen. James crept forward silently, as if he expected the flower to jump out and attack him. Just then, First Lieutenant Eliza Bevens came through the trees.

"There you are!" She cried. Hector turned his head to see his commanding officer. "Come back to the camp! You can't go wandering off!"

"Private James found this weird flower." Hector said. The lieutenant, always interested in odd things, walked forward to gaze at them too. James had stopped his walking and waited to see what the officer thought. She knew about all kinds of wild species, perhaps she could tell him how much it was worth.

"That...is an odd flower." she said as her expert assessment. "You guys hang back, I'm going to get our guide." She turned and began jogging back through the forest. Both men were still for only a few moments.

"I'm not waiting for that monster." James said, turning back to the flower. "He'll probably tell us to leave it alone and keep it for himself."

"Lieutenant Bevens told us to hang back!" Hector said, beginning to sound a little desperate.

"Yeah well, she's a nut anyway." James resumed his slow march to the flower.

"James, seriously! We shouldn't be messing with it!" Again, despite Hector's panic, James didn't listen. Hector fell into nervous silence, watching his friend move forward. When James was only a few feet from the giant bud, someone came through the woods again. This time, Lieutenant Bevens returned with Renard, Colonel Lionheart and a few soldiers. When Renard peered through the thicket, his eyes widened and he gasped.

"No! Don't go near that...!" Renard shouted. James turned his head around. Just as he did, his heavy foot hit one of the flower's roots. The flower suddenly shot out a cloud of pink haze. It blew into James's face and he fell backwards.

"James!" Hector shouted, attempting to run forward. Renard grabbed him by the back of his armor and, with surprising strength, jerked him back onto his ass.

"It's too late! Stay back!" Renard shouted. Everyone then watched as James got to his feet. He was wobbling on them and his eyes were glazed over. Everyone's eyes widened as the huge flower bloomed open. Sitting in the center, was a woman. At least, it resembled a woman. Her green hair had a stem coming out of the back and was attached to the flower. Her skin was blue and her eyes were reflective and completely black. She was also nude and had an ample body. James's eyes set on her. She smiled wide and held her arms out, beckoning him. James then began desperately taking his armor off, doing it with surprising efficiency.

"What are you doing!?" Colonel Lionheart shouted, trying to rush forward and save his man. Renard held up his arm and held the colonel back by the chest.

"Don't be a fool." the fox man said bluntly. "It's too late! If you go over there you'll just end up like him!" They all turned back to see that James had removed all of his armor and was now in his thin underclothes. He leaped onto the flower excitedly. Lieutenant Bevens covered her mouth as she saw a large erection through his thin clothes. The woman in the flower giggled with delight as she enveloped him in an embrace. The petals of the flower began to close. James desperately ripped his shirt off and began to fiddle with his pants. As the petals covered the view up to his chest he apparently managed to get them off. He then threw his head back and moaned in sexual ecstasy. His body gyrated against the woman in flower. The last view they had just before the petals closed completely was the woman pressing their lips together. There was one final moan of bliss and the petals closed completely.

Hector stood up and drew his sword. He took one step towards the scene before Renard grabbed him again.

"Stop being stupid! Don't go near those things!" the fox shouted.

"We can't leave him in there!" Hector said, turning around. "He has a fiancee! He'll die in there!"

"He'll outlive us all." Renard said bluntly. "Plus look at the other flowers, they're hyper-stimulated. If take one more step they'll probably all spray." Every eye turned to see that he was right. The other flowers were quivering excitedly, as if they were about to burst. A few of them were already spraying the pink dust.

"Besides," Renard continued. "You couldn't get him back if you wanted to. Look." The flower that had swallowed James was turning a different color. It was dull gray, and looked as if it had the consistency of granite. "It's hard as a rock now. You couldn't get it open with a catapult. We have to leave, now." Renard dragged Hector away, as all the other soldier followed him reluctantly.

The moment they were clear of the trees, Renard threw Hector onto the sand. The soldier jumped up and reached for his sword.

"At ease private!" The colonel shouted. Hector stopped, his sword in mid-draw. He growled for a moment before putting it away.

"I said to touch nothing!" Renard shouted. "Did you not hear me!? You got your friend captured! He's gone forever now! Are you happy!?"

"I told him to stop!" Hector shouted, complaining.

"Did you drag him back?" Renard asked. "Did you go get the colonel? Did you shout for help?"

"I..I..." Hector gripped his fists tight as his eyes began to tear up. "He just...wanted some money...so he could buy a house for his fiancee..."

"Private, go back to camp." the colonel ordered. "Talk to no one. Go straight to your tent and stay there until something comes to get you." Hector saluted quickly and marched away. His hand came up to his face, attempting to hide his eyes as he went away. The moment he was out of earshot the colonel whirled around to Renard. The fox man beat him to the punch however.

"Let me guess, you blame me." he said quickly. The colonel glared at him, contemplating hitting him.

"What the hell was that?" the commander asked, pointing into the woods.

"It was an alraune." Renard replied.

"And that is?" Lionheart asked.

"A plant. It captures people and uses them for nutrients." Renard stated bluntly.

"Nutrients!?" the colonel shouted, turning red in the face.

"He's not being digested and I can assure you he's in no pain. He'll live for decades in that thing."

"Can you get him out?"

"No. Even if I could, I doubt you would want to."

"Why not!?"

"His brain is probably already gone. Did you see that kiss when the flower closed? The flower began pumping him full of mind-altering substances. Pretty soon, he's going to be like an organ." The colonel's eyes were twitching as his closed fists were shaking.

"Why...did you not tell us about those?" the commander said through gritted teeth.

"I've only seen two in my entire lifetime." Renard replied, sounding offended at the commander's anger. "I've never seen that many before and I've never seen them in groups. It's unusual."

"Any other threats you...failed...to mention?" the colonel asked.

"Do you literally want me to go through the entire list of species I can name off the top of my head?" They both glared at each other angrily. The soldiers still with them looked back and forth between them, wondering if they were going to fight it out.

"Take care that we don't lose any more soldiers to ignorance." the colonel said.

"Certainly will." Renard said, smiling insincerely. The colonel marched away grumbling under his breath. Most of the soldiers following him. "Maybe you could remove that stick from your ass first." The fox turned to see that Lieutenant Bevens was still standing beside him. "Uh...uh...you didn't hear that."

"Tell me more about those alraunes." she said, sounding excited. There was a special twinkle in her eye. She looked as if someone were about to give her candy. Renard blinked a few times, a little stupefied. She didn't seem bothered by the loss of a soldier. She just wanted to know more about the flowers.

"Well...they appeared over a thousand years ago." Renard began, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Up until today, they've only appeared alone, near water sources. That pink mist they send out stimulates sexual urges. The flower then opens and a female appears to lure the person in. Regardless of male or female, the person jumps into the flower and starts having sex. The petals close around the prey, the plant pumps them full of chemicals and the petals harden." Lieutenant Bevens had taken out a notebook and began writing in it with a charcoal pencil excitedly. She gazed up at him with a wide smile.

"Go on, go on." she encouraged.

"Ahem...well." Renard said, coughing. "The person inside is transformed through the chemicals and the sex. Instead of producing normal fluids they begin to produce nectar that the flower feeds on. The chemicals that are given to them sustain them and they live for decades inside the flower. They never stop having sex. In olden times, people would wonder out into the desert, purposefully looking for an alraune to get caught by so they could enjoy it for the rest of their lives."

"What happens when the person dies?" Bevens asked, almost looking like she's going to drool.

"The petals open up, the flower releases seed spores to germinate elsewhere and it dumps the body. It then waits for a new person."

"Fascinating." The lieutenant said happily. "How could such a thing have come to be?"

"Uh...we assumed the demon king had a funny offspring. Don't you have stuff to do?"

"Sure, whatever. What else can you tell me?"

"I'm a little uncomfortable and I'm going to leave."

"Oh come on! Aren't there any male alraunes? Is it just humanoids? Do they come in different colors? Where are you going!?"

"You're creeping me out!"

*

The camp of soldiers fell silent as night approached. Many stayed up late, muttering about man-eating flowers and men that looked like pigs. One by one, all of the fires went out and the soldiers fell into sleep. The winds began picking up during the night, sending sand through all of the tents causing restlessness. Restlessness was soon the least of their problems.

The colonel was awakened to yelling, screaming and sounds of blades. He instantly sat up, seized his sword and ran out of the tent. For a few moments, all he could see were people running around, swords in hand. Then came another scream, or more appropriately, a squeal. A pack of creatures rushed into the area, throwing soldiers in all directions. In the pale moonlight, the colonel's blood ran cold.

Pig-like faces with the bodies of men were swinging clubs and axes at his soldiers. The colonel rushed forward, with his sword at the ready. He cut down one across the middle and parried with another. The terrible pig people had no form, style or structure in their attacks. He only had to block two swings of the club before he was able to get a clear stab at its chest. Apparently inspired by their commander, a huge group of soldiers rushed forward and swarmed the invading monsters. In a matter of moments, they were all cut down, squealing like slaughtered pigs. Once the commander was sure that they were all dead he looked around his camp.

"What the hell is going on!?" the colonel shouted.

"We're under attack!" one of the soldiers shouted.

"I can see that!" the commander shouted back. "Where are the ones who on guard!? Where's Renard!?" There was ear-piercing squeal. A pig man jumped up from the ground, swinging his stone ax. It was to the colonel's back, and he didn't have time to fully turn around. As he rose his sword to block the ax from the mangled creature an arrow darted past the colonel's head and struck the monster in the forehead. It gasped before collapsing back on the ground. Lionheart turned to see his savior and instantly felt a sour taste in his mouth. Renard walked forward, a bow in his hand.

"Pigmen." The fox man said. "What the hell are they doing?"

"Attacking us!" the colonel replied, as if it were obvious. Renard gave him an incredulous stare.

"Pigmen don't attack larger armed forces like this. We slaughtered them." The fox began stepping over the pig bodies, examining them. "Why would they be so desperate? Unless..." Renard's head popped up, as if the circuits in his head connected. "Colonel, do a head count!" The commander was going to do that anyway, so he didn't feel the need to argue with the fox.

"Unit commanders! Report!"

It took a few minutes for the soldiers to get organized and recount exactly what happened. The entire time, Renard was undressing the pigmen, apparently studying them. Lieutenant Bevens was hovering over him, making his uncomfortable. The colonel decided that was the best place for her then. When the unit commanders approached the colonel, Renard approached as well.

"The guards on duty were rushed by the monsters." Major Ackler began, summarizing what he had been told. "Ironically, since they were fully armored they were uninjured, just merely knocked over. The monsters then rushed into the camp. Little damage was done. There is one fatality, three injuries, and one missing."

"The one that is missing," Renard began, interrupting. "It wouldn't happen to be a young woman would it?" Major Ackler glared at the fox man and said nothing. He was intent on not answering the beast man.

"Was it?" the colonel finally asked.

"Yes." the major said, turning to his commander. "A Private Helena Burks." Colonel Lionheart turned to Renard, who didn't appear very pleased.

"Well? Care to explain?" the commander asked, already sounding annoyed.

"They do what pigmen usually do." Renard replied. "They raided the camp to capture a female."

"You didn't tell us this they do this why?"

"Because there were eight hundred of us and like five of them, at least there were. Pigmen don't ally, so I don't know why we have thirty bodies here. None of this makes any sense."

"What are they going to do with Private Burks?"

"What do you think they're going to do?" Renard's latest sarcastic response made the colonel off-set his jaw. He turned to his new second in commander.

"Major Ackler, organize a party and..."

"Don't bother." Renard interrupted. The colonel clenched his fists so tight that it hurt through his armor. His teeth were ground together and his eyes were wide and bloodshot.

"Why not, pray-tell?" the colonel said.

"Pigmen run twice as fast as you and it's windy. The wind will fade their footprints and scent. I can't even track them and my sense of sight and smell is much better than any of yours." The colonel waved his men away. They instantly scattered, knowing that the commander was about to blow his stack.

"You saw fit to not explain how those creatures behave, even when we encountered them?" the colonel asked. His eyes were as wide as they could go.

"This isn't in their behavior." Renard said, defending himself. "They are little more than wild animals. Wild animals don't attack other animals that are stronger than they are."

"It appears you were mistaken." The colonel said angrily. "Now, because of you, one of my soldiers has been sentenced to a fate worse than death!"

"There are a lot of fates worse than death in this desert." Renard said, cocking his eyebrow. The colonel marched forward and put his face right into Renard's. The fox man didn't budge. They were eye to eye, both apparently furious.

"You aren't doing your job." Lionheart spat.

"On the contrary." Renard said, lifting his finger. "I led you to the oasis, I warned your soldiers about the alraunes and drove off the pigmen the first time. This desert is unpredictable. Even if this attack was my fault, you still owe me for two things."

"Do you honestly feel no remorse for the woman who is now lost?"

"This place has no room for moping or weakness. The moment you stop and cry is the moment it eats you." Apparently finally having enough, the colonel put his hand on his sword with one hand and seized the collar of Renard's clothes with the other.

"It's been two days and I've already lost four soldiers!" the colonel growled. Renard reached up and removed the commander's hand from his clothes. He took a few steps away before bursting out laughing. He reached up and scratched his ear as he gazed at the ground. He seemed very amused. It took every ounce of willpower from Colonel Lionheart to not draw his sword and cut the fox down. Renard finally looked at the colonel again.