Medusa: Fate's Game Ch. 09

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~~Darian~~

He waved after Medusa, and once she'd disappeared into the dark wood, he looked up at Chimera, and started walking.

"Feel like having a bonding moment?" he said.

Chimera grunted, and crouched low. For a moment Darian thought he would say something, but the beast returned only silence once he started prowling.

Darian shrugged, and started to walk down one of the cliffs. Steep and sharp rocks meant using his spear as a staff. "I'm surprised you didn't say anything, when Otrera and I had that fist fight."

Again Chimera said nothing. Damn he was quiet too, but when Darian looked back, the giant was indeed walking behind him, claws on the rocks bracing himself. Quiet as a stalking lion.

"I figured you wouldn't care about Philonoe. But about my brother, I... I thought you'd say something." Because even an animal understands family. Chimera had said as much.

"We are scouting."

At last, dialog.

"I'm being quiet. Besides, you know no one's around. You'd smell it."

Chimera sniffed the air, and frowned at him with an exposed fang. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. The fog grows, and blocks my senses." He raised the arm with the snake tattoo on it and showed it to him; where its eyes once glowed red, they no longer did. "And now I have only my senses to follow."

"Right... right." At least Chimera was proving dependable. Darian, on the other hand, couldn't keep his damn mind off of the fight with Otrera.

During the fight, when the need for violence and some aggression started, the white glow was as comforting as a sword in his hand. A weapon, protecting him, arming him. But when the fire in his skull exploded and buried his thoughts in red, it wasn't the same. He looked down at the shield, remembered how he had buried it in a tree when he was yelling at Medusa about Proetus. A reflex, an impulse? He hadn't told his body to do it, it just did it.

He looked at his free hand and squeezed the air a few times. When the only person in his life was a warhorse content to go to battle with him, it was never a concern. But now with Medusa, it was fucking terrifying him.

Pain. A root caught his toe; Greek greaves were woefully inadequate at protecting the feet. Wincing, he stabbed his spear shaft down into the dirt and blinked a few times to try and focus on his toes in the dark.

He only had enough time to take a breath before Chimera put his fingers around Darian's neck, and threw him backward. Pain, again. Back and arms collided with a tree, and the small warrior spun around before planting into the dirt on his side.

"What in the—"

Roars. Screeches of fury, animal fear, and a loud, crashing thud of weight on the ground. Darian forced himself up, drew his sword, and ran over to find Chimera wrestling with a giant cat. A giant cat? Darian did a double take to make sure the horned one on Chimera's back was still there; it was. The new cat lacked horns, but made up for it with a scorpion tail that it stabbed into the ground by Chimera's neck.

Darian readied a dive jump, but stopped himself short. Ignoring how the cat was biting into him, Chimera grabbed the creature by the tail, and yanked on it hard. Very, very hard. The tearing of muscle and skin earned a wince, but it was the splatter of blood over Darian's chest that made him step back when Chimera ripped its tail off.

The cat jumped off the beast and started rolling on its back. It couldn't understand what'd happened to it, only the overwhelming pain of having a limb ripped off. Blood poured over the grass as it screeched and rolled in a lost frenzy, and Darian again took a step back to avoid the chaos of its massive talons and claws shredding everything around it.

Chimera got up, walked over to the huge beast, and slammed his foot down against its skull. Bone gave way and brains exploded outward from the imploding mess, and the creature's death throes lasted a few more seconds than they should have before they stopped.

The giant panted a couple of times before his breath steadied once again, and he looked at the tail in his hand. A giant scorpion tail.

"Manticore," the beast said, and he dropped the huge tail to the ground. "The sting is paralyzing to giants. Deadly to humans."

"Manticore?"

"An older creature. Not of the old ones, but old still. I did not realize they would have survived here, this far South." Chimera nodded toward Darian, and continued their walk. "Where there was one, there will be more. We should be cautious."

"I expected scouts," Darian said. "Not beasts."

"Perhaps they are both?"

He nodded, sheathed his sword, picked up his spear, and got down to a knee to inspect the dead animal. Not much left to inspect with its head missing.

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~~Medusa~~

"I think there's something on its head." The Amazon walked up to the statues. "Wow."

"Wow?" Medusa said. Exhaustion took her, and she held onto the tree while she panted. It was tough, recovering from the gaze; it made every use a gamble. And the result was not one she wanted to repeat, with more dead growing in numbers around her, and the petrified, horrified faces she was forced to stare into when she turned them.

"Stone. Actual, real, solid stone." Squatting, Otrera sheathed her sword, poked one of the giant cats in the forehead, and flicked her fingernail on its exposed fangs from its open mouth. "Hey, there's some kind of symbol on the forehead. Can't see it well in the dark, but it looks like a brand of some kind."

"A brand, why would... perhaps they are Andromeda's creatures?" Deep breathes. Her vision cleared and energy returned. But with awareness and the calming of adrenaline came the flood of pain of torn open scales, deep gashes, and bruised flesh. It'd take longer than a couple days to fully heal, and Darian was going to see and fret about it. Damn.

"Maybe?"

"Did she not tell you much about her army or forces?" Wincing, she slithered over to the Amazon, and lowered herself down to her so she too could examine the monsters. Giant cats with scorpion tails, flat faces with large under jaws. Disturbing faces.

"She has lots of secrets. Perseus and I kept to her secret nymph island for the most part. The ritual room though, where she used the mask to change me, that wasn't on the island. It was probably here, but I was blindfolded for the trip." With a groan, Otrera stood up and started walking again. Limping, but walking.

"You ok?" Medusa said.

"... what?"

"Are you ok?"

Otrera turned to face her, rolled her eyes, and pointed at the scales on Medusa's side. "Shouldn't I be asking that?"

"I... I um—"

"Like a typical mom, can't think about herself for one second. Yes, I'm fine you stupid woman. Take care of yourself first, then you can worry about me. So you ask about me, I assume it's because you're fine, because you'd have to be really, really stupid to ask me if I'm fine when you're injured. I must have made a mistake and exaggerated your injuries. Did I?"

Medusa raised a hand up to her lip, and looked down. So cold. With a pained whimper, she shifted her scales about to show Otrera where the giant cat had cut into her.

"I am injured," Medusa said, "but I'll heal." And she would of course. What would have killed someone, she could heal in a matter of days. Poor Gallea.

"Less concerned with whether you'll heal, more concerned with whether you'll be a liability. But..." Otrera gestured to the the statues. "I should learn to trust you. Hundred years you said?"

Finally, progress. Medusa nodded and slithered closer. "Yes, but nothing like this. I fought men, not monsters."

"Well, considering this"—Otrera pointed at the symbol on the creature's head—"I worry that no one's fought anything like this. I'm guessing this is Andromeda's doing, putting these creatures out there. But what, how, why, I don't know."

The symbol was nothing much, she'd seen cattle brands just like it. A circle with a cross through it. Hard to tell from the stone remains, but it didn't seem like it'd been done with hot iron.

Humans did love to brand things. Poor Darian.

"What do we do?" she said.

Otrera shrugged, got up, and started walking. "Let's find your bow. You good to keep going?"

"I... I am. A bit slower though, but yesss, I can keep going."

"Good." With that, the Amazon queen resumed their patrol.

Medusa took a deep breath and slithered after her. Darian would have been in a panic about her wounds, but Otrera only gave her as much concern as necessary. If she said she couldn't keep going, Medusa was sure Otrera would have helped her to their rendezvous early. Would Otrera become the leader of their little group given time? It was possible, and it sort of fit, but then, how much longer would their journey last?

Mind wandering and unfocused, Medusa winced when rock and twig scrapped against her rapidly closing wounds. "Do you think Andromeda will notice two of her creatures are missing?"

"Maybe. She plants a lot of seeds, that sorceress, but she's not omnipotent. I'm thinking if she's getting sacrifices from this city, she doesn't want people to leave. She really, really hates this place."

"Do you know why?"

"No. But she... yeah, she really hates this place. Putting monsters outside the city to kill anyone who tries to leave? Sounds like something I'd do. But, that's just a guess."

It was a good guess though. They'd fought raised skeletons, and pieced together that she was the one who'd sent the colossal sea creature after them; pets seemed to be her thing.

Otrera shrugged. "Or perhaps she summoned them recently, to patrol in case we came here. She knows I know she got her sacrifices here, and maybe thinks you guys tortured the information out of me."

"Torture? I would never!"

The Amazon rolled her eyes, and brought up a finger to her lips again. Medusa was trying to be quiet, but torture? Horrible.

The rest of the night went by without incident. Trying hard to hear or see any more attackers through the fog, Medusa eventually shut her mouth completely and kept quiet. But the forest brought no more creatures upon them, or at least, the part they managed to explore. As the sun came up, and they approached a section of forest that opened over the end of a cliff, the futility of their task became apparent.

From their new perch, they could see out to the ocean, to the bay, its arms, and the city that lined the shore. They could see the strange rock that rose from the bay, a monolith of size big enough to hold an acropolis. And they could see the land and cliffs that surrounded the city's outskirts.

They were endless. High rising cliffs, falls and canyons covered in harsh wood and jagged rocks, and but one road through the mess of terrain. It was not a city an army could assault from land, only by sea. In one sense, it was good for them that their terrain was perfect for hiding, and perhaps sneaking into the city, but in another, it was horrible that there was no way they'd be able to explore it all. They would be hiding and sleeping in the enemy's backyard, both blind to their surroundings, but protected by them at the same time.

A strange, deadly circumstance, and Medusa shivered as she looked down the cliff edge. The rocks were not climbable, without even a branch or bush to provide grip, and smooth rock for dozens of feet before it came to a harsh cut, several times over, hundreds and hundreds of feet down.

"Long drop," the serpent said.

"Yeah. We might as well be harpies, trying to survive out here. We might be able to find some bird or goat to eat, but that's it."

Nodding, Medusa turned and started to slither toward the other cliff, the one Darian had said to meet at. The slope down in that direction was much less perilous. "Perhaps we should circle around to the base of this, and meet up at the meeting spot?"

"Yeah. Makes sense."

"Ssso... you and Chimera."

"You too?" Otrera said.

"Me too?"

"You and Pinna. Little girls obsessed with gossip and sex." The Amazon rolled her eyes and started to work her way down the forest slope. Trees made for grips, but even with branches to hold, the climb down the mountain was difficult.

"I was... I don't know, it's been so long since I've had friends, I—"

"Friends?" Otrera chuckled quietly, and looked over her shoulder at her. "You think of me as a friend?"

"I do!" Medusa slithered after her, and when the slope of the mountain got steep enough, she layered her coils onto one tree trunk, and then slithered to the next tree trunk. "You don't think so?"

"Didn't really put it into words like that, no. I had a tribe, Medusa. I had battle sisters, and family. We lived and ate and breathed together."

Medusa frowned. The poor woman. "But that's not what friends are. Your tribe were your family, and your sword and shield. But friends, they... they tell each other secrets, just for the fun of the other knowing. They pick on each other, but only because they know the other knows it's not serious. They share food and water not because it's expected, or the right thing to do, or even good for the group. They share food and water because it brings them joy to see the other person have it."

Otrera stopped, one leg raised to brace herself against the slanted trunk of a tree.

"And... you want to do that for me?"

"Of course! You made nice with Darian... sort of. You're helping us because you want to. You're a nice, if stubborn person. Why wouldn't we be friends?" What was so hard to understand? Why wouldn't the Amazon embrace friendship when it was there?

Because she lost everyone she ever loved, Medusa, you idiot. To Darian no less.

"Otrera... I—"

"Stow it, Medusa. It's in the past. You want to ask questions about me and Chimera, ask away. You want details too, like Pinna?"

So cold, this Amazon. But Otrera gave Medusa a small smile before she hopped down more of the cliff slope to find a branch to stop upon. Cold about the past, but comfortable with it, Medusa guessed.

"Not details! ... ok, maybe some details." Otrera was so small! How could she have sex with someone so huge?

The queen chuckled again as she continued down. "Remember the werewolf story?"

"... I do."

Otrera shrugged. "Some girls like it big."

Not that big! "Ok, but... what about other things?"

"Other things?"

"Like... do you talk about stuff? Personal stuff?"

"Nope."

"No? What about... cuddling. Do you cuddle when you're done?"

"Nope."

They both paused. Medusa tilted her head and looked at Otrera, and Otrera looked at her with a smirk.

"... are you enjoying the sex at least?"

"Gods yes."

Otrera was worse than a man. No romance? No cuddling? She had a hard time imagining the giant brute enjoying those things either, but that just meant Chimera would enjoy it even more when he finally did it. Because. Romance.

"How did you two realize you wanted to sleep together?" Medusa said.

Shrugging, Otrera jumped down onto a rock, and took a moment to scan the valley of cliff, boulder, and bushes. Birds flew overhead, and Medusa took a moment to eye them. They could only hope Andromeda was not so powerful as to command the birds of prey above.

"He's hot, I'm hot, he's tough, I'm tough. That was it." And like Darian, the tiny woman jumped down a rock and tree and branch and onto another steep ledge. Light and agile.

Medusa on the other hand had over thirty feet of heavy, thick snake body to worry about, not to mention her human half.

"Is that it? I was kind of hoping you two would... I don't know. You are similar in many ways, aren't you? Pinna and Gallea are together, Darian and I are together, it'd be great if you two were together."

More chuckles came from Otrera, and the Amazon threw her more than one smirk.

"Matchmaker, trying to hook up your friends?"

"... I guesss I am."

"You met Darian what, several months ago, and you're already trying to help other people see the light?"

With a hiss, Medusa slithered down with a half-leap to drop half her body onto the same ledge Otrera was on. The Amazon jumped a bit, and Medusa reached out to keep her from falling.

"That's not what this is about! I know I... that... I know Darian and I aren't normal, and I shouldn't be silly about it and try and play matchmaker for you just because I'm in a relationship. That's not what this is! I want my friend to be happy."

Otrera stopped, squinted at her, and nodded. "Well, you're more self aware than your typical airhead, I'll give you that."

Medusa smiled, frowned, then smiled again. She could work with that.

Perhaps giving in, Otrera started talking as they moved.

"Chimera doesn't talk about himself, and I don't know where to begin to ask. Last of his kind, gods killed them all centuries ago, he's been alone for so long with only a dead cat on his back for company. We have no way to communicate really, no common ground, despite what it looks like. He's ancient, practically a force of nature. What could I say to him?"

Well, apparently the Amazon had been giving it some thought at least.

"You could ask him what he likes to do with his spare time?"

"You want me to ask a thousands-of-years-old giant, a known man-eater, and hunter, what he does with his spare time?"

"You have to start sssomewhere, right?"

Finally, ground. Medusa could handle trees well enough, but big as she was, if a tree broke it meant her landing and landing hard. She felt much better on the ground where she could throw her weight around.

The trip to their chosen rendezvous point wasn't as bad as the rest of the area. Winding canyons between dense bush and flat rock, but no sudden changes in elevation. No attacks either; whatever those creatures were, if there were more of them, they must have stuck to the dark.

And when she spotted Darian and Chimera in the distance, her heart started fluttering like the first time he'd smiled at her.

"Darian!" She slithered up to him as fast as her snake body could manage in the dense mess of rocks and sharp trees, but once the small man was in striking distance, she snapped him up in her arms and squeezed him.

The small man didn't fight her or protest or tease. He put his head in the nook of her neck and hugged her in return.

"Good gods, you two have been apart for... what, eight hours? Get a grip." Rolling her eyes, Otrera walked through the canyon and stood beside Chimera while looking up. The great cliff was dotted with huge holes where hundreds of birds perched.

"You two alright?" Darian said. "You — hey, you're injured."

"I'm ok, they didn't get me deep." She set Darian down, and her lover walked over to inspect the gashes the cat claws had left.

"They?"

The Amazon walked closer to stand beside Darian. "Weird, giant cats with scorpion tails."

"Manticore," Chimera said, body leaning back against the flat rock of limestone. "I thought them extinct, but perhaps they still exist in this land."

"Manticore." Medusa rolled the word around in her mouth a few times, before curling back over her snake body to follow where Darian was still inspecting her wounds. "We were attacked by two of them. I had to stone them."

"Two? We were attacked by one and that was scary enough." Darian gestured to Chimera as he set a hand down on Medusa's scaled body. "Their sting is deadly, but Chimera crushed its skull."

"Did he?" The Amazon chuckled and gave the giant beast a tap of her knuckles against his leg. "Then you missed the symbol on its head?"

Chimera rumbled in his belly. "... yes."

"Symbol?" Darian said.

"Yeah. Didn't recognize it, but I'm guessing Andromeda summoned the cats, or is controlling them somehow. So, here's praying they didn't report back to her directly." Otrera rolled her head over her shoulders until something cracked, sighed with relief, and walked toward the cave entrance. "Found a place we can hide?"