Chapter 10: Isekai Life & Safe Haven

I sat up in the moonlit darkness, careful not to disturb Calliope where she had cuddled up against me, and leaned from our tent to glance around, looking for the source of the noise. The campsite was mostly still, and I could see where Yua was curled up in the fetal position, cocooned in her blankets.

I caught movement from the corner of my eye, and when I realized what I was looking at, my eyes went wide.

Voss was sitting with his back to me, leaning against a fallen log. Three completely nude girls- elves, I noted by their ears- with long, unkempt hair surrounded him. One was sitting in his lap, riding him- presumably with his pants down, although I couldn’t see from where he was sitting. Another was to one side, licking somewhere on his chest (his nipple?) and another was nuzzling his neck.

I had no idea where they had come from. Immediately, my mind went to possible threats- were they vampires? Succubi?

I scrabbled my way out of the tent and stood, pondering my options. Voss was tough, but with his injuries I didn’t want to hose the whole area with Burning Hands and apologize later ... also, that would be a dick thing to do. I was calling to mind the words to the Sleep spell when a gentle hand touched my arm.

Standing behind me were two other elf maids ... except they weren’t. A sweet scent, like that of tree sap, invaded my nostrils, and this close I could see the rough texture of their skin, striated with subtle lines here and there. The girl on the left had hair down to her waist, small, pert breasts, and her large eyes appeared almost luminous in the moonlight. The girl on the right had her hair in a shorter bob, and her body was curvier and more womanly, with more pronounced hips and bust.

They were also completely naked.

The slenderer of the two elf-maids tugged on my elbow. “Come, we have things to discuss,” she said, in the lilting, musical language of the elves.

Still wary, I let myself be led away. I suppose, if they really turned out to be dangerous, I could always just yell and wake the girls.

They lead me to a tree at the edge of the camp, and sat me down, resting my back on the trunk. The two girls knelt on either side of me, looking at me curiously while the sounds of Voss’ lovemaking continued in the background.

“What is it?” I asked, looking from maid to maid, “What do we have to discuss? I don’t even know who you are...”

“We are the fey spirits of the trees that shelter you,” said the curvier one, “I am called Asitrise. This is my daughter, Melica.”

Dryads, I immediately thought. In the dim light I couldn’t see enough colour for the green of their hair or the bark-like duskiness of their skin, but that’s the only thing that fit the description. Although, they were a departure from the Dryads I was used to in AD&D. In any version of D&D, Dryads are largely solitary creatures, not keeping to family groups or any sort of organization- if they appeared together, it’s because they just so happened to inhabit trees near each other. Also, the category “fey creature” didn’t really exist until fourth edition ... but nonetheless, Corgiel’s version of the creatures would seem to incorporate that element into the older edition.

“Uh, I am called Theodore,” I said in reply, “You’re what we call Dryads, right?”

Asitrise nodded. “Yes. The birds and the buzzing insects have brought us word of you, and your quests, Prince Theodore. You need to know, the goblin tribe you seek to destroy is a danger to many, but it is not what caused the disappearances of so many humans.”

I blinked in surprise. Well, that was settled quickly. “So, if that’s the case ... what is, then?”

“Something very old,” Melica replied this time, “Something ancient beyond imagining. We Dryads have lives as the trees do, and even so this enemy was old and it’s origins forgotten in the days of my grandmother’s mother, you understand?”

That had to be close to a millennium, damn. I nodded.

“The Lakelands ... or something in it ... hates humanity,” she continued, “Every few centuries, all human life is wiped from this area. That is why the land is ripe, and fertile ... but no kingdoms have risen here. No ancient empires have their roots here. Once it was part of the Misty Kingdom, long ago, but the elves have long since entered the autumn of their race, and they can no longer claim this land.”

Ah, so that’s what the Misty Kingdom is. “But the goblins have no part of it?” I asked.

“Only that the humans being destroyed occasionally gives them room to thrive,” Asitrise replied, “These goblins are taking advantage of the fear spreading among the human communities, but they themselves are not responsible for the disappearances.”

“Well, alright,” I said thoughtfully, “But if that’s the case, why tell us?”

“We do not want to see death on such a scale,” Asitrise replied, “Even if these people are not our own, we are still creatures of empathy, and we cannot ignore such suffering.”

“The goblins threaten us, as well,” Melica continued, “For now they fear our magic, but in time they may come in numbers, with fire and axes. But they are a distraction from your goal.”

“So, you planted those arrows, to lead us here?”

The two dryads looked at one another, surprised. “We do not carry weapons,” Asitrise said carefully, “It was you who chose to camp under our boughs, although we do thank you for not making a fire.”

Now it was my turn to be surprised. I had assumed from the start that the dryads had lead us here for this discussion, now...

“Who could have lead us here, then?”

“There are other powers at work in the Lakelands who know of our grove,” Melica replied, “Druids, the elves of the Misty Kingdom ... perhaps it was one of them.”

A mysterious friend who saw how slow our progress was, how injured and tired we were. If only this person or persons would help us feather a few more goblins, we might start making real progress.

I couldn’t help but notice the way Melica was playing with the belt to my robe. She began to undo it, gently pulling open my clothing to expose my underclothes. “Uh, what are you doing... ?” I asked. After such dire warnings, I wasn’t exactly in the mood.