Evergreen Forest Ch. 01

There was no water.

Close to the heart of the Evergreen Forest, Snatch narrowed his eyes. The forest was picturesque. The trees (deciduous, despite the forest's name) were thick enough to keep the ground below in a perpetual twilight, the grass was tall and green, and there were flowers everywhere. The place was obviously well-nourished.

So where was the water?

Snatch was not one for the outdoors, of course, but he'd worked with a druidess once. In his experience, it was very hard to spend a month fighting alongside a nature-lover and not learn a few things about ecosystems. Forests needed water. And flowers needed sunlight.

Oh, and leaves needed to fall. So why did the grass cover everything but the road?

He supposed he was lucky. At least the path was clear. He'd heard nasty things from those who were fool enough to stray in the Evergreen—or, more accurately, he'd heard absolute silence. The path was his only chance at survival.

He heard a crunch from behind him. Hissing, he spun, reaching back for his scythe. Was it one of the Gray Wraiths? Had the guards caught up to him? Was it—

The rabbit looked up at him with wide eyes, then turned and hopped away, vanishing into the forest gloom.

He rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. I hate this place.

Still, it beat the noose. And after what he'd tried to pull off back in the barony, the noose and the forests were going to be his only options for a while. Once he was on the other side he'd be in Duke Horacio's territory. Horacio was an old friend. The Baron wouldn't be able to touch Snatch once he cleared the forest.

Snatch reached into his satchel. The little bag was packed full of various devices mundane and extraordinary, and it took him a minute to find what he sought. He pulled out his waterskin and shook it.

Empty, as he'd expected.

He reached back in and pulled out his water purifier: a 'gift' from a water nymph. More accurately, a gift given to his druidess friend, but she wasn't exactly in a position to miss it now.

He gave a grim chuckle as he looked at the glowing blue stone. The purifier wouldn't be of much use if he couldn't find a water source to put it in. There were plenty of plants, but nothing he could drink. Not even fruit trees, which had been the one thing he'd been sure would be in the Evergreen.

He put the waterskin and purifier back with a sigh. The forest was not his home. The city was. Failing that, the ancient world of abandoned (or not-so-abandoned) underground passageways would do. As long as there was stone. He knew stone. His druidess friend had sworn he was part dwarf (though mostly to annoy him, since she'd known Snatch couldn't stand folklore).

Still, he was pretty sure he was approaching the center. The forest was supposed to take five days to pass through on foot, and he'd been traveling three days (Snatch didn't walk very fast, so that got him about halfway). At the center, according to a certain demolitions expert Snatch knew, was a cabin maintained by an old ranger. He'd be able to resupply there, though it would probably be expensive. Ranger rates were exorbitant.

Snatch decided to stop and rest. He was approaching the end of the third day, if the darkening forest was anything to go by, and it was time to make camp. He reached behind and took off his backpack, setting it on the ground. More accurately, dropping it. His arms were not especially strong.

Making camp was the one outdoorsy thing Snatch was good at, fortunately, and he was soon seated on his open bedroll trying to get a fire started.

"Ahem."

Giving a jolt, Snatch turned. There was no one to be seen.

"Who's there?" he called, frowning, as he turned back and—"Oh, hm. Good day."

Standing right off the path was a beautiful young woman. She was dressed in loose-fitting green robes, and Snatch could tell just by looking at her that the robes were all she was dressed in. She had long, green hair and oddly bright green eyes.

She gave a charming smile, raising an eyebrow. "Hi! Are you passing through this forest?"

Snatch stared at her. Something about her unnerved him, and he was one to trust his instincts. Still, no sense in making enemies. Besides, she obviously wasn't a Gray Wraith—her hair was the wrong color. "That's right."

He went back to his increasingly frustrating quest for fire. After a moment, he sensed a presence looming over him. He looked up and let out a yelp.

The woman was right in front of him now. She grinned, pointing at the two sticks he was rubbing together. "They're too green."

"Hm. No shit." Snatch glared at the sticks, then at her. Except she'd moved now—she was digging through his backpack. His eyes widened—she hadn't made a sound. "Hey! Get out of there!"

She looked up and giggled. "Oh, sorry." She reached over, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm just really curious. You're out of water, by the way."

Snatch's eyes narrowed. Great. Another freak. Well, this one can fend for herself. I've got my neck on the line this time. "Yes, I know." He brushed her hand off. "I'm going to restock at the ranger's cabin."

"Oh." She looked a little confused. She glanced between him and the pack, a little smile forming.

Snatch rolled his eyes. "And what's so funny?"

She shrugged, clearly trying to contain a giggle. "Oh, nothing."

"It's something." Snatch's eyes widened. "Did you put something in my bag?" His hands flew to his scythe.

"Oh, no..." She put her hands behind her back, still giggling. "It's nothing like that!"

Snatch stared, mind racing. "...did you take something out of the bag?"

"Nope!" She winked. "It's nothing to do with the bag."

"Hm." Snatch crossed his arms. "Then what is it?"

"Well..." She sat down cross-legged, giving him a clear view to see that she was definitely not wearing anything under the robes. She leaned over, giggling louder. "The ranger's cabin is in the middle of the forest, silly boy!"

He blinked. "No dragonshit. I'm headed for the middle, you lunatic!"

"Nope!" She brushed her hair out of her eyes. "The road goes right past the middle! The ranger's cabin is off the path."

"What? That's ludicrous. My friend—"

"Was wrong." She leaned closer. Uncomfortably close, in fact. Snatch leaned away. "Or you misunderstood."

"Aw, you're crazy." Snatch waved a hand. "I can't go off the path for my water."

"Why not?" She leaned closer. "I can lead you there."

Doesn't she understand the idea of personal space? Snatch thought, leaning even further back. He was starting to lose his balance. And something about the woman...smelled wrong. "The...the Gray Wraiths..."

"Oh, they don't come around here." The woman's eyes seemed abnormally green, now that Snatch had such a good view of them. "This part of the forest is..." She took a deep breath. "...completely. Safe." She enunciated the last two words very...slowly...and...convincingly. Snatch caught himself about to repeat them back to her.

She leaned closer. Snatch leaned back and fell over onto the dusty road.

Immediately, she was sitting beside him and leaning over again. This time he couldn't lean away, and she smiled down at him. "Careful."

Snatch shook. She was far too close. Snatch did not like people being so close to him. "You...swear by the Reality that there'll be no danger."

She blinked down at him, her green eyes and innocent.

At first, it didn't seem like she was doing anything. She just stared at him, through half-lidded eyes, giving him a chance to breathe in what smelled like some exotic perfume. Snatch realized she was putting her hand over her chest, as was customary for the pledge.

The weird bit? She was doing it under her robe. On her most definitely naked breast.

Her eyes half-closed, and he could tell the hand was not just lying still under there as she spoke. "May the...mm..." With that contented moan, it was plain her other hand wasn't lying still, either. Snatch noticed movement further down, between her legs.

...the Reality come bef—ooh—" She paused, losing focus as her fervent masturbation became faster. "Before me and show me...me-e-e..." She took a deep, shuddering breath."...where our gods have gone, should I lead you-u-u-u...ohhh...oooh!."

"Stop that!"

She ignored him. "...into! Oh! Into...into da-a-a-anger. Oooh..." After a long moment, her arms slipped back into the robe's sleeves. She gave him a weak smile. "Mmm...satisfied?"

He didn't like the way she said that word.

"Fine," he muttered, getting to his feet. His every bone told him this was a bad idea, but nobody swore by the Reality unless they meant it. Even demons had gods they'd held dear, and to learn what had befallen them was regarded as the worst way to die.

"Yay!" she whispered, getting to her feet.

He gave her a long look, already regretting his choice. But she didn't appear to possess any sort of deceptive instinct, and...well, something about her felt trustworthy. And she had sworn. "Well, fine." He offered a hand. "But I'll need a name. I don't travel with anybody unless I have their real name."

She shook his hand eagerly, and he regretted giving it. Her fingers were still slick from her little blissful vow. "Esca," she said, beaming. "And you are?"

Snatch caught himself raising his hand to his mouth and quickly lowered it. He instead wiped it on the right leg of his gray trousers, grumbling. What in Prophecy's gotten into me?

Some part of him—the part still in control—suspected that the strange smell he detected had something to do with it. But Esca wasn't a Gray Wraith, and she didn't plan on letting him come to harm. Why worry?

"Snatch," he said. "It's not my real name, but it's not my job to be trusted. If you want to travel with a scythe-swinging lunatic, that's your choice." Again, he felt a bit of disquiet. What young girl obviously barely past twenty would travel with someone like him? Snatch wore patchy leather armor, had a notched scythe strapped to his back, and had—among other little goodies—a deactivated Ring of Tears in his backpack which would be easily recognizable to anybody who hadn't spent their entire life in darkness. Snatch was not a very trustworthy-looking man.

But the green-haired girl clearly wasn't all there. There was no sense in analyzing her reasoning. Snatch got up, grabbed his backpack and satchel, slung them over his shoulders and waved an arm. "Lead the way, Esca."

She grinned. "Okay, Snatch!"

She took him by the hand—to his dismay—and ran right off the path. He struggled to keep up—she was very quick in that robe of hers, and it was hard to avoid tripping over tree roots and brier patches.

As they ran, Snatch began to feel a strange tingling in the hand Esca was holding. At first, he shrugged it off as her just holding him too tight. She did seem to have an oddly firm grip. Then, when the tingling started to spread to his wrist, he tried to pass it off as nerves.

Then he realized he was rationalizing it.

Why? he wondered. Snatch had never been especially quick—though definitely not dim, either—but he prided himself on being able to resist most compulsions. He remembered a particular time when his druidess friend had gotten in a 'fight' with an insane succubus...

He blinked. He'd gotten distracted reminiscing, and now it was too late.

Esca had stopped.

The forest was dark—or maybe it was nighttime, Snatch wasn't sure. They'd been running for about ten minutes, and he was exhausted. He looked around, frowning. "Where's the cabin?"

They'd come to a dark meadow. The only light came from a sparkling pool at the center, and that only really gave enough light to see some silhouettes.

There were three, to be precise. Two nubile female forms were between them and the pool, lying over a third.

Esca let out a laugh. The laugh sounded more worldly than her ordinary giggle. No, not just worldly.

Cruel. She turned to him, her wide, innocent grin now tinged with just a hint of malice.

Oh, there was another light source now. Esca's eyes had begun to glow.

She looked at him with shining green orbs. The whites and pupils were gone. Twin lakes of green fire burned into him as her grin widened to positively ecstatic proportions. "Oh, the cabin? I lied about that."

He stared at her. The eyes caught his gaze and made him look right at them. Something about them was...drew the...

...attention. He blinked. How long had he been staring? Definitely too long, because she was definitely too close. Her lips were almost touching his.

He leaped back with an incomprehensible shout, drawing his scythe. "Stay back, Wraith!" he snarled. "That is what you are, yeah?"

"Oh, no." Esca giggled. Snatch heard two identical giggles from the pond, but didn't look away from Esca's hands. He couldn't look at her face, after all. "No, I promised no harm would come to you!" She reached forward. "Even we Evergreen nymphs have to respect the Reality."

Snatch flinched away, swinging his scythe. She flinched back as well, letting out a hiss. "Nymph, eh?" His eyes narrowed. "I guess I forgot to mention this is a blessed blade, then."

"Hmph." She pouted. "We're Evergreen nymphs. Maybe that doesn't work on us."

"Maybe not." Snatch jabbed the scythe forward, and Esca leaped back. "But I'm thinking you touch this and you aren't moving for a long time."

Snatch was bluffing. He was pretty good at that. Blessed weapons were extraordinarily rare, given the current lack of gods to bless them, and they were well outside his ordinary price range. The scythe was silver, though, and fey had trouble telling the two apart.

Esca took another step back. Snatch took a step to the side, slowly circling so that she was between him and the dark meadow. He didn't want the other nymphs getting the jump on him.

To his surprise, though, the others were still by the pond. Indeed, they hadn't even moved. One was still lying in the tall grass; the other two were still lying over her. Except now the two on top were looking up at Snatch. All he could make out were their gleaming green eyes, which he tried not to look at too long. They had a predatory look.

He took a deep breath. He was fine. They couldn't get him.

He could relax.

He lowered the scythe, though only a little. "What of that oath?" he snapped.

Esca grinned. "I meant it. We would never harm you." She spread her arms. "This is a place of sanctuary."

"Is that right?"

"Oh, yes." She gestured behind her. "She can tell you as much."

He looked past Esca, confused. She appeared to be indicating the third nymph.

At that moment, the 'nymph' let out a loud, torturous moan. Snatch realized she was not a nymph, but a young human woman. The two nymphs above her appeared to be toying with her with their fingers. From the sounds of the woman's moans (which were becoming more and more frequent), she was being teased. And had been teased for a very long time.

He looked back at Esca, who gave him a disarming smile. "She's where she always wanted to be, deep down. You should join her. We...love...new arrivals." Her arms slipped out of her sleeves once again. Her eyes half-closed. Snatch was both horrified and—little as he liked it—incredibly aroused by the realization that she was masturbating. Again. "You can...mm...just lie under us...ooh...and...scream for us...and...ooh...oh...oh... She let out a whimper.

Her eyes became even brighter, and then they closed completely. Snatch could tell that, beneath her robes, Esca's fingers were driving furiously towards climax. In and out.

In and out.

In and...

"...an'...an' you'll be so so happy...ooh...eeee...'cause everyone's ha...ha...ha-a-a-ah...happy...'cause we'll jus' hold you an...oooooh...make you scream. again an again just never..."

She whimpered again, her speech becoming more and more slurred. And then her robe was gone, and he could see her fingers driving desperately into her cunt.

Snatch could only watch, mesmerized. Some part of him realized he needed to stop looking, to get away, but...it just didn't seem...just never ending, and he would...he would beg... "youll just beg for us touchin you," she whispered, voice barely a hiss, "an ill be yours cause you...oooh you cant...youll be OURS!"

She let out a squeal of ecstasy, her eyes still tightly shut. She shook, nearly falling, letting out a loud moan as the orgasm overtook her.

He dropped the scythe.

Esca's eyes opened wide.