Chronicles of Eden - Act VIII Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Artwork

  Copyright

  Chronicles of Eden

  Author:

  Alexander Gordon

  Illustrations:

  Nuciferyne

  Copyright © 2016

  All rights are reserved to the author. No part of this ebook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  www.agordonpublishing.com

  Chapter 1

  Rest Stop

  In the world of Eden it was common for travelers to pick up supplies from passing traders or even small outposts between the larger towns and cities in The Outerlands. Maybe rations were running low, medicine was needed, or they wanted to fix their armaments, there were some things that couldn’t wait until they got to a larger marketplace. If luck was on their side they would find the right merchant for the right goods, otherwise they would have to make do with whatever was available to them. Many traders that relied on passing travelers for business would try to offer what was generally wanted by their customers. Items such as food, medicine, clothing, tools, and weapons.

  And sometimes even special services, either of the peaceful kind or the violent.

  *****

  Flying through the air a bird made its way over The Outerlands below, passing by fields of wheat and corn before swooping down and snatching a small mouse from between the tall patches of grass. It carried its lunch off into a wooded area near a large cottage that was built next to a wide dirt road. The two-story building of stone bricks and smooth pinewood had a cozy appeal, with its white chimney letting off smoke from a stove inside while the windows were clean and glimmered in the sunlight. A swinging sign mounted on a post next to the road had an emblemized sword and pitchfork crossed over each other, the words ‘Trixton Pass’ written in bright white letters below.

  Next to the cottage was a young boy, dressed in dirty blue overalls and working up a sweat under his straw hat as he lifted a heavy axe up before swinging down with a grunt onto a stump to split a piece of wood into two. His messy brown hair matched the color of his eyes along with his boots while the pants he wore had rips on the knees and smudges from his daily chores.

  “I wonder what normal boys do for fun in the big cities,” he muttered to himself before placing another piece of wood on the tree stump. With a quiet grunt he lifted the axe up and swung down again, hacking the lumber into smaller pieces that he then tossed into a growing pile to the side.

  It was quiet all around the cottage as it normally was, the boy showing no fear or even caution to living in the middle of nowhere in The Outerlands. He casually glanced around to seeing nothing out of the ordinary, a tired sigh coming from his lips before he placed another block of wood onto the stump.

  “Those three get to have all the fun while I get stuck doing the chores. This blows. I hate being the youngest.”

  After striking the wood cleanly down the middle he noticed something further down the road, the sight of three figures slowly coming up over the bend towards the cottage. He squinted to make sure he was really seeing other people approaching and not just imagining things out of sheer boredom then smiled brightly.

  “Holy shoot, customers!”

  With a swift motion he struck the axe down into the stump then raced into the cottage through the front door. The large front room was arranged like a shop with a sales counter and shelves stocked with trading goods and supplies set all around the main floor. The boy sprinted over and leapt across the counter before sticking his head in behind the back curtain.

  “Hey, there’s- what the heck are you doing?” he exclaimed before quickly turning around and covering his eyes with a blush forming.

  “What does it look like?” a playful girl’s voice replied. “I’m working back here.”

  “You’re half naked! Why are you strutting around like that?”

  “I’m not naked, I’m wearing some new leather armor Mika’s been working on. It’s called a fitting, dummy.”

  “Hold still, Milly,” another girl ordered from behind the curtain. “Max, what are you doing in here anyway? You’re supposed to be chopping us some more firewood, remember?”

  “Did you get another splinter?” a gentler female voice asked. “I keep telling you to wear gloves when you’re chopping wood.”

  “No, I didn’t get a splinter, Mae,” Max groaned while rubbing his hands on his face. “I came in here to tell you that there’s some travelers coming our way, they could be customers.”

  “What?” the three girls exclaimed.

  Max heard a loud ruckus from the backroom as the three girls scrambled around, pots and boxes banging around while footsteps quickly pattered about with the girls moving in haste. The boy sighed and rubbed his eyes before hopping back over the counter.

  “I’m going to go greet them. Make sure Milly is at least dressed properly before she comes out.”

  He walked out the door and brushed down his overalls then removed his hat and tried straightening out his hair. With a bright smile he put his hat on and walked over to the signpost, leaning against it and waving to the three approaching figures on the dirt road.

  “Hey!” he called out in a cheery tone. “Welcome to Trixton Pass. Anything I can help you fine people with today?”

  Walking towards him Daniel was eyeing the large cottage with a curious smile, dressed in clean clothing with his vest’s buttons giving off a small gleam in the sunlight. To his left Triska watched the young boy waving them over with an amused smirk, hand leisurely resting on her sword’s handle at her hip while her hair gently flowed down where her yellow shirt was now open in the back. At Daniel’s right Clover was glancing around with a careful eye from under her hood, her cloak gently fluttering behind while her long pigtails dropped down her front out of her cowl.

  “Hello there, young sir,” Triska greeted as they came up to the boy. “We read on our map that there’s a trading station around here. Know where we can find it?”

  “You’re looking at it,” Max presented with a proud wave to the cottage.

  “Here?” Triska asked curiously. “Um, isn’t this your house?”

  “You betchya. It’s both our home and our place of business. We offer any kind of services you’re looking for. What is it you’re needing? We’ve got food and drinks if you’re hungry, any and all tools you could need for any situation, weapons if you want to be prepared for danger out here in these parts, or if you’re in the need of other services my sisters are trained professionals and are always available for the right price.”

  Daniel and his companions blinked then turned to Max with bewilderment as he watched them with a confident grin on his face.

  “I’m sorry, what was that last part?” Triska asked with a weak smile.

  “Trained professionals?” Daniel repeated.

  “You got it,” Max agreed with a wink at him. “Mika, Milly, and Mae are the best in these parts. If you got the gold they got you taken c
are of.”

  “Is this kid whoring out his own sisters or something?” Clover dryly asked.

  “Must be desperate for business out here,” Triska reasoned with a raised eyebrow at the boy.

  Max looked at them confusedly before they heard the door to the cottage opening. Triska glanced to the three girls that were walking towards them while Clover merely looked over to them without any interest. Daniel kept a bewildered expression on his face as Max’s sisters came over to them while the young boy smiled proudly.

  “These are my sisters. The eldest here is Mika,” Max presented with a wave to the girl. She stood taller than Triska and appeared a little older, the woman having a daring smile on her face with dark blue eyes and long brunette hair tied into twin pigtails down her back. She wore a leather vest with a studded shoulder guard on her left, her bosom being tightly squeezed into the chest piece that appeared durable enough for protection yet just barely sized to contain her large assets. Dark leggings with a leather combat skirt were worn along with white boots that had dark furry tops on them. Her hands were clad with fingerless gloves while her elbows had plated guards on them with small fins raised up along her arms.

  “Welcome,” Mika greeted with a wink at Daniel, the boy smiling nervously while Triska’s hand gripped her sword’s handle slightly.

  “And this here is Milly,” Max continued as the second sister waved to the group. Her long blonde hair was curled down to her shoulders while her green eyes going over Daniel in a playful manner didn’t go unnoticed by the travelers. She appeared to be the same height as Triska, sporting a white and blue summer dress, a belt that had a few pink and white pouches at her hips, and a breast size that Daniel and the girls thought could rival even Kroanette’s. On her feet she wore black shoes with tall white socks, though that wasn’t really noticed by anyone as the girl giggled with a hop that bounced her real assets a few times before the travelers.

  “Nice to meet you!” she welcomed, with Clover baring her teeth slightly in ire of the girl’s development over her own.

  “And finally the youngest, Mae,” Max finished with a wave to the last sister. She was a little shorter than Milly, her short brunette hair curled around her ears while her hazel eyes were hidden behind her rounded glasses. She wore a long-sleeved black shirt with a leather vest, her bust size being around the same as Clover’s which eased some of the travelers’ tensions with the sisters. Wearing baggy brown pants and having a large satchel slung around her shoulder at her side her figure was mostly obscured by her clothing, her feet clad in leather boots which she lightly tapped one behind her in a timid fashion.

  “Nice to meet you all,” she spoke in a gentle voice.

  “Um, nice to meet you too,” Daniel replied while Triska and Clover remained quiet.

  “And I’m Max,” Max mentioned with a smug point to himself. “I help run the place with them.”

  “So what brings you out to these parts?” Mika questioned crossing her arms.

  “Just passing through, and we were hoping to purchase a few things as well,” Daniel explained, and then glanced to Triska and Clover as they just stood beside him in silence. Clearing his throat the two girls looked to him then to the sisters with Triska showing a smile again and Clover having the same dull expression on her face.

  “Yeah,” Triska agreed. “We read that this was a trading post we could pick up some things. So what all do you sell here?”

  “You name it, we got it,” Milly declared with another giddy hop.

  “Really?” Clover mockingly replied as she crossed her arms in discontent. “Alright. I’m looking for an elven-grade bow, finely polished, with a sturdy quiver, and as many steel tipped arrows you can shove into the darn thing. You got that or what?”

  Max and his sisters looked to each other curiously while Daniel and Triska turned to Clover with dull stares.

  “Clover, they’re not going to have that,” Triska dryly pointed out. “Elven-grade bows are really rare.”

  “I’m sorry,” Milly replied at Clover with a saddened frown. “But we only have half a dozen arrows at the moment, would that be alright?”

  Daniel and the girls jumped with surprise before Clover stepped forward and pointed to the cottage.

  “Hold up, you’re saying you do have an elven-grade bow in there?”

  “We’ve got three,” Mae answered with a happy smile. “Well, we did have four but one was sold with many of our arrows a few days ago to a nice man.”

  “What?” Triska exclaimed. “How did you get three of those things way out here?”

  “We collected them,” Mika explained as she waved the group towards the building. “Please step inside and take a look at our wares. I guarantee we’ll have what you’re looking for, no matter what it may be.”

  The three sisters made their way back with Max following after, the young boy waving the group after them before the four entered the cottage. Daniel and the girls exchanged curious glances then walked towards the building while eyeing it over questionably, the three entering the front room and looking around in wonder at the shelves stocked with various items while Max was sitting on the front counter waving them in. The three sisters were going around the room examining the goods while Daniel and his companions saw the inside of the first floor was setup like a large store.

  “Got your bow right over here!” Milly called out with a wave.

  Clover quickly ran over to her and gasped as she saw three finely crafted elven bows hung in a cabinet, one of which Milly took out and handed to her with a happy smile. The elf gently took hold of the weapon and carefully ran one hand along the sleek wooden frame, admiring the work that appeared identical to the ones her kind made. She held it upright and pulled back on the wire, feeling how taught and firm the bow was while it felt perfect in her hands just like her old one did.

  “Holy fuck, you weren’t kidding,” Clover said in awe as she looked at the other two longbows.

  “Hehe, you’ve got a dirty mouth,” Milly giggled as she leaned back against a shelf and smiled amusedly at Clover.

  “Wow,” Triska marveled as she saw a large polished broadsword resting on a rack. “That looks like a very sturdy weapon.”

  “It’s a reptile girl-grade sword,” Mika boasted as she walked over and patted the handle. “It’s heavier than it looks, but if you’ve got the muscle it’ll cut through steel like a hot knife against butter.”

  “A reptile girl’s sword?” Daniel questioned. “You mean that’s a monster weapon?”

  “Yeah, most of what you see here is,” Mika replied with a gesture around the room.

  “If you like weapons, miss, then please do look at this one,” Mae spoke up. Triska and Daniel turned to see the girl gesturing at a long spear that was mounted vertically next to a few others against the wall, the finely sharpened weapon having engraved steel and sturdy wood with a fine polish for its handle.

  “That looks incredible,” Triska commented as she and Daniel walked over to it.

  “Centaurs do make very durable spears,” Mae explained as she gently ran a hand along the weapon. “It’s actually lighter than it seems, even I can lift this without any trouble.”

  Daniel eyed over the monster weapon in wonder then slowly glanced around, noticing that half the store was setup with food and travelers’ wares while the other half had armaments of a wide variety.

  “That’s a lot of weapons for a trading post,” he commented with a cautious look to Mika.

  “We sell what we collect,” Mika reasoned with a shrug. “Yeah, food and water is nice, and everyone can use some new boots or clothes from time to time, but what any good and smart traveler out here needs is a trusty weapon to defend themselves with.”

  “Check out the rapier over there,” Max suggested pointing to another shelf. “That one’s my favorite. It used to belong to a troll.”

  Daniel and Triska slowly looked around at all the weapons while Clover’s eyes went from the bow in her hands to the ones ha
nging in the cabinet.

  “Where did you get these?” she carefully asked.

  “We collected them,” Milly giggled.

  “Elven bows don’t just grow on trees,” Clover sharply retorted.

  “Yeah they do, they’re made of wood.”

  Daniel slowly looked over to Mae as she was setting a morning star into a rack with a gentle smile on her face. She lightly flicked one of the spikes with a chuckle then began arranging various pieces of leather and steel armor on the shelves. Mika patted Triska on the back as she passed behind her, having more force from the gesture than Triska would assume a casual pat to have, and made her way over to the counter where Max was kicking his legs playfully about while sitting atop it. Daniel’s eyes then rested on Milly as the girl picked up a large double-sided axe from a rack, merrily spun it around using only one hand at her sides, then set it back on the rack with a happy giggle.

  “She’s strong,” Triska quietly mentioned as all of this began to seem very off to her.

  “Where did you get these?” Clover demanded again, only getting an amused smile out of Milly.

  “So what all you looking for?” Mika asked while going through some boxes behind the counter. “I’m only seeing one of you being armed, that’s not too wise. Lots of monsters out there you know.”

  “For now,” Mae giggled as she arranged a few steel gauntlets on the shelf.

  “For now?” Triska slowly repeated.

  “If business keeps up for us they’ll all be gone in no time,” Mae answered her with a wink.

  “Business?” Daniel questioned. He slowly glanced around at all the weapons and armor the store had while Clover marched up to Milly and held the bow up between them.

  “Where did you get these bows? Only elves make them,” Clover said through her teeth.

  “Yeah, elves made them,” Milly agreed with a nod. “And then we got them.”

  “You traded with the elves for these?” Clover asked in confusion.

  “Traded? Haha, no. That’s silly. You’re silly.”