Of Fiends and Misfortune Pt. 01

Shit... spiders, thought Jack as he approached a section of the forest, encased in masses of thick webbing. Weighing the options, he considered his current predicament:

- It was rare for spiders' territory to span more than 1/2 mile in any direction

- He was roughly an hour from sundown

- The last split in the trail was a half day's walk back

- He was running dangerously low on rations, as well as bolts to hunt for more food.

Jack took a deep breath and stepped through the first wall of meshwork, becoming enveloped in the damp air and the stale smell of rotten wood. As he carefully navigated around the thicker strands of weave (lest he become stuck and alert the weavers of his presence,) he kept an eye out for any prey that had not yet been exsanguinated. A boar, fawn, or even a squirrel would keep for a few days after its charred over the fire. Jack's astute eyes met nothing but empty webs intertwining within the understory and shrubs of the woods, much to the dismay of his growling stomach.

He felt his foot catch on a protruding root, sending his weight forward. He spun into a pirouette, landing safely and softly in place. "Gods be damned," he hissed between sharp teeth. Jack took this moment to catch his breath, glancing skywards as the moon revealed itself from behind the clouds. Third Quarter tonight, meaning he'd been hopelessly lost for two weeks.

Jack had been given the task of shaking down a traveling Halfling merchant who recently passed through Hillsfar. "Seems jumpy enough. He should just cough up any goods without spilling blood. Less than a three days' journey out to the south. Just follow the guide written here." His Helmer curtly ordered. It wasn't an unusual contract. Hillsfar, being a large metropolis nestled between the Moonsea and the Cormanthor Forest, hosted its fair share of wealthy and loose-tongued merchants during their tours. However, the guild of the Cloak and Dagger took special interest when these merchants revealed their travel plans, sending skilled mercenaries such as Jack to intercept the routes. Unfortunately, by his second day in the Cormanthor Forest, Jack found the written guide for this job to be nothing short of nonsense. It was unclear if his Helmer had misguided him out of ignorance, or malice.

Jack was a Tiefling, or Devil-touched as some called him. An unfortunate soul whose fiendish bloodlines, previously dormant along his linage, decided to rear its quite literally ugly head. Over the course of his life, Jack figured out how to hide his horns and long tail under coats and hats. Although, there was little he could do to hide his red tinted skin, solid black eyes, or sharpened canine teeth. Despite having all the other traits, thoughtfulness, and needs of a man, the general populace regarded him as monster, far more so than the other thieves or trained killers. He did not know of any other Tieflings that called Hillsfar home, and those that passed through never stayed long. He couldn't blame them. Few businesses allowed them to even enter, requiring any transactions to be conducted outside and within the presence of several Human liaisons.

Even among The Cloak and Daggers he was looked upon with wariness, if not outright disgust, despite a nearly perfect performance over the past eight years. Regardless, he tried to treat all his associates with civility. It was a balancing act of maintaining a level of self-respect, while receiving nearly none in return. He could count on less than one hand the number of people willing to share a table with him for a meal and a pleasant conversation. But that was still better than the zero. Though at times he questioned if their amicability was based on comradeship or fear. Jack excelled at most of the unsavory duties required of a bandit, which included navigation, yet here he was...

As he stood there, paused among the spider webs, he questioned if it was even worth trying to find his way back to Hillsfar. He had no real friends there, or, more notably, someone special share his bed. And, at the age of 25, his complete lack of experience involving carnal pleasure was becoming increasingly shameful. Hells, he had yet to even witness a woman's unclad beauty laid out before him, outside of etchings or particularly expensive and dark showings at certain theaters. If he had known he would be alone in the woods for weeks, he would have brought some etchings with him...

Jack shook his head, attempting to shake the images from his mind. He surveyed his eerie surroundings, desperately searching for the nearest exit point of the labyrinth. It was too late to seek out unfortunate game caught in the spiders' weaves. Nightfall was approaching quickly, and he would have to accept going to sleep hungry tonight.

-Movement, 50 feet to his left. His head spun as he reached for his dagger. Something was wriggling within the webs, something larger than a fawn or a boar. Even in the growing darkness, Jack could make out the outline of a person, completely cocooned, but still alive and struggling against the bondage of the sticky strands. Another person, dead or alive, meant gear, or rations, or maybe even a map. He swiftly, but cautiously, made his way over to the squirming mass, dagger in hand.

As he got closer, he heard a voice calling out from the figure. "Hello! Is someone there? I hear something on two legs coming this way! Hurry up and cut me down before more spiders show up!" It was a woman's voice, bright, yet wobbly. She writhed and twisted, attempting to turn and face him.

"Keep your voice down! Or they'll show up sooner rather than later." Jack whispered. He wondered how this woman could speak at all when she appeared to be completely mummified.

His curiosity was answered when she finally managed to completely spin herself around as he approached. She was hanging upside down, well above the ground. Her face, which was level with Jack's lower ribs, was uncovered. She must have chewed it free, based on the bits of silk fibers that clung to her sharp canines, which showed a devilish smile behind her full lips. He quickly noticed her solid gold eyes, which flashed in contrast to her lilac-colored face.

"About time you made your way over here," her voice was no longer loud or panicked, but rather smooth and expectant.

"Are- are you a Tiefling?" Jack stammered.

"...Yes?" The mysterious woman replied with confusion. "And we'll have plenty of time to discuss our many other similarities once you Cut. Me. Down."

"What's in it for me?" He responded, after taking a moment to swallow his initial surprise. He was still thief first and foremost, and a pretty face wasn't about to change that.

The encased woman paused before her devilish smile returned. "Well, help me get down and find out," following up her sultry words with a flirty wink.

Jack sighed. He was hoping for the promise of supplies, or at the very least gold. But this woman was the only possible friendly face he'd come across in weeks, and he couldn't very well leave her to die. Particularly when his own mortality may not be so far behind. He replaced his dagger with the machete from his pack and got to work cutting the cocoon down.

"Oh, Sweet Asmodeus's Ass! Thank you! Thank you!" the woman cried out.

"I told you, keep your voice down." He growled as he began methodically cutting each strand suspending her in the air. "If spiders show up because of your screeching, I'm running."

She responded in a whisper "First off, I'm not screeching, I'm loudly projecting my gratitude. Most men find it flattering. Secondly, if you take off at the first sign of danger, well then, I'll just have to save myself out of sheer spite, to ensure that all across the land will hear of your cowardice."

A stifled laugh escaped from his nose. Was this woman really joking with him when they could both die at any moment?

She chuckled quietly. "I'm Adria, by the way."

"Jack." He spun the cocoon around, preparing the cut the last of the support strands near her feet "Hold on, I just need to get a grip on you or you're going to fall."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Jack. And really, thank you. I'd been hanging since mid-day. Thought this was the end for me." She let out a small squeal as Jack knelt and unceremoniously gripped her by her mid-section, supporting most of her weight on his shoulder and back as he stood back up.

He quickly cut the last few wisps connecting her to the surrounding trees, letting her legs fall into his chest. She was light, and slender, and had her voice or face left any doubt of her femininity, it was immediately resolved in the shapely form Jack could feel over his shoulder, despite the layer of spider silk separating them. He was tempted to let his hands wander past by the back of the knees and lower back, suddenly curious about the specifics of the reward she promised earlier. He also suddenly felt extremely self-conscious, realizing it had been nearly a week since he'd wash his clothes, and the poor woman's face was currently buried into the small of his back.

He carefully laid her down, eyeing as best he could for any sensory webs on the forest floor. It was dark now. Although Tieflings could see in the dark, it was less sharp than in day light, adding more difficulty for safe passage through the spiders' jungle.

"I keep a dagger in my right boot. Fish it out, and free my right arm first. Then I can help you cut the rest of these off. And switch back to that little knife you had! Or you'll end up splitting me in two with that big machete. And not in a good a way." Adria flashed that devious smile again.

Jack said nothing, unsure what she meant by the last sentence, and began working his dagger towards her right boot. Typically, he was neither keen nor dutiful being commanded in such a way, particularly when the commander was so vulnerable. Yet, he found himself robotically obeying her orders. Afterall, she wasn't wrong.

They worked together in silence to free Adria from her silk prison. An efficient process, as she was just as dexterous with a dagger as he. It wasn't long before Jack was helping Adria to her feet, and she brushed the last bits of web off her body.

"Fuck, that feels better! Hold on, just need to get some feeling back in these bones." She grabbed Jacks forearm, putting her weight on him, and jostled each foot, as if trying to shake them dry. Then, she took two paces forward, raised her arms to the sky before finally completed the graceful demonstration by spreading her legs and folding forward.

Jack took this short time to discretely observe the previously imperiled Tiefling. She was a good deal shorter than him, with the top of her head barely reaching the top of his shoulder. Her height was accented by her horns, which started just before an unkept mop of thick purple hair and tapered into curves tucked behind her ears. Her slim waist was accentuated by a tight, tanned leather bodice. While the armor looked lovely on her body, Jack couldn't help but wonder the practicality. It left Adria's chest completely unprotected, only covered by the thin linen tunic underneath. While she folded forward, Jack quickly realized he had the perfect vantage of her backside. Not wanting to make his new travel companion uncomfortable, Jack tried to become fascinated by a leaf next to his left foot. However, his eyes couldn't help but follow her lifted elegant tail down towards her buttocks. It was surprisingly round and pronounced, considering her narrow waist and hips. The fabric of her breeches strained against its firmness as she fell deeper into her stretch. As her head hung upside down between her legs, Adria flashed a wink before Jack managed to cut his gaze back to the intriguing leaf on the ground.

She flipped her head back up, and her purple waves fell just short of shoulders. She turned towards Jack "Well, what are you waiting for? Stop gawking and let's get out of here. C'mon, this way!" Before he could respond, she grabbed his wrist and took off at a full sprint, nearly yanking his arm out of its socket.

They ran, high stepping over brush and ropes of webbing. "Don't step on the thicker strands, it will attract the spiders," she called back to him as they weaved between the trees and brush. Within a few minutes they burst through the final layer of meshwork of silk. They found themselves in a spacious meadow, like an island within the perilous sea of timbers.

"Holy hells..." Adria panted, leaning over with her hands on her knees. She looked paler than she did in the forest. Her brow furrowed as her long lashes started to bead with tears.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, in between catching his own breath. He wished he hadn't smoked his last cigarette 10 days ago, she seemed like she could use the cloves.

"Yeah, I'm fine... just... I really could have died back there..." Her voice trembled through quivering lips before she caught it with slight smirk. "Then I really would've been a lot less fun for you to find."

"True. But at least you would have kept your voice down." And for the first time in weeks, Jack broke into a smile.

"Oh! He has jokes! And he can do something other than scowl!" She beamed, wiping her face on her sleeve.

They both paused, soaking in the calm of the dark but peaceful meadow.

"Well, we might as well set up camp for the night. I assume we'd both want to be well rested for the Festival, and Alyssim's still a bit of a walk from here." Adria, now seemingly unfazed by nearly meeting the Raven Queen of Death, walked towards the center of the 100-foot field and began flattening out the knee high brush.

"Oh, is there a township near-by?" Jack asked as he searched for suitable firewood.

"Yes... Why else would you be out here? Oh hey, come here and help me get this log over to the middle." Jack trotted over and helped Adria roll a hefty block of timber towards a make-shift fire pit. "Ah, perfect." She sighed, then mounted the log with one leg on either side giving it a hard pat. "You know, I find resting my ass on a nice hard piece of wood is just what I need before a good night's sleep."

Jack didn't look up at her, instead intensely focusing on stacking logs above the kindling. In his mind flashed the thought of Adria's lovely ass while she was bent over in front of him in the forest. He thought of what would have happened if, instead of just standing there, he had grabbed her by the hips to pull her into him. Then, he could have slipped his hands into her breeches, exploring every curvaceous inch of her bottom. His fingers would then begin to slide forward, following the arc of her hips. He wondered if she was wearing anything thing underneath her trousers right now.

No. He needed to stop. She was clearly just trying to have a normal conversation, and he was interpreting it like an absolute degenerate. Besides, no woman has ever wanted to be intimate with him. Why would Adria, who was quite striking by all accounts, even consider touching him that way, or vice versa? Just because she was another Tiefling did not mean she was blind.

He realized several seconds of silence passed since Adria's remark, and Jack was swapping places between the same two pieces of firewood multiple times.

"Yeah. Better than sitting on the ground, for sure." He took some flint and steel from his pack and lit the tinder. He stood up wiping his hands together, as the fire quickly caught. "Well, I'd say that's a damn good fire." He walked over to the large log and sat on the edge opposite Adria.

"Would you like to slide a little bit closer? The wind is already blowing smoke in your face from that seat." Once again, she wasn't wrong. Jack nodded and slid to the middle seat of the log.

Adria leaned back, resting on her elbows, and stretching her shoulders. Her feet were now lifted slightly off the ground, and she lazily kicked them back and forth as she hummed an aimless tune.

Jack picked bits of incongruent bark off the log and threw them into the fire, watching as each one turn to charcoal.

"So," Adria broke the lull, to no one's surprise. "Where else would a handsome, mysterious Tiefling be going, if not Alyssim?"

Jack gave a brief overview of his plight: The three-day tracking quest that has now lasted over two weeks (while carefully leaving out the stipulation involving bloodshed,) and the concern of his guild mates intentionally sabotaging his written guide. As Adria leaned in, listening with fervor, he began to feel unabashed by his personal history. He discussed Hillsfar itself, with its overwhelming Human population and repugnance for anything outside of their norms. He explained his shock, but relief, upon finding another member of his race after two weeks of wandering the wilderness.

"Well, generally it's going to be either Tieflings or the native Wood Elves out here, we rarely see many Humans coming this way." She went on to describe her home village of Alyssim, which was still a two hour walk from their camp site. She explained how the village was founded deep within the Cormanthor Forest, built up from the ruins of an abandoned town many generations ago. She described a village designed to serve as a safe haven for Tieflings, whether they are just passing through or seeking permanent residency. Adria bragged of her scouting prowess and her skills as a hunter for the village.

This led Jack to divulge his favorite methods for tracking and trapping, of which Adria had hardline opinions on. They talked for a long while, discovering they had no small number of similarities, and an even greater number of stark differences. The last light on the horizon disappeared, and soon they were illuminated by only the dying fire, and the hint of the moon spying from behind the clouds. Jack seemed to have lost his concept of time while engaged with such a charming individual. He felt a flutter in his chest when she laughed, and a stone in his stomach whenever she grazed him with small, incidental, touches.

"Oh! I can't believe I forgot to tell you!" Adria clasped his upper arm, cutting off one of Jack's stories about a particularly drunken Highsummer festival. "You're visiting Alyssim at the perfect time, today was the first day of the Fuck Festival!"

Jack choked on the last bite of stale bread they had been sharing. "-Come again?"

"Yes, that's the idea."

"What?" He stared at her in confusion.

"It was a joke, Jack." She rolled her eyes. "I believe the Festival is officially known as the Founder's Festival. But everyone from Alyssim just calls it the Fuck Festival, because, well, that's the central activity. ...You're looking at me like I've grown another head, let me explain. So, the Festival was originally supposed to be a three-day celebration honoring the originals founders' intensions for the Alyssim: freedom from expectations, subjective constraints, and all that bullshit. But really, you gather up a bunch of 'evil' and 'hedonistic' Tieflings, who all happen to be infertile and immune to contagious diseases, and we're going to do what Tieflings do best. So now, the village embraces it, and we have the present-day Fuck Festival."

Jack stared at her with disbelief.

"I'm surprised this is new information for you. Many come from places past the Moonsea or even further.

"You don't have to participate if you don't want to, of course." Adria said, shrugging her shoulders. "And, I'm not sure how long you'd even want to stay in Alyssim. I mean, two weeks away from home with no word. Your wife must be missing you terribly."

"Um, I haven't got a wife." Jack chortled awkwardly.

"Girlfriend then."

"Don't have one of those either."

"Okay, then the prostitute who drains your coin purse every weekend, but unbeknownst to you, would gladly gargle your cock for free."

Jack let out a loud laugh. "I-I don't have one of those either, and that's so oddly specific..."