Champions Vol. 01

*** Chapter 7: Savior? Right. Where do you get your meds, and what's their refund policy? ***

102235MAR13 DW

Mountains, Somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, Maybe?

After nearly half an hour walking along the narrow goat trail, they arrived at a shallow draw in the mountainside. David motioned for her to wait while he walked up the draw a short way, looking for level ground and a safe way to get the horse to it. In a stroke of great fortune, he found a small cave hidden in the draw, with a narrow path leading up to it that would be difficult for the horse, but not impossible.

Returning to her he pointed out the path, and helped her guide the horse along it. It seemed to take forever to convince the poor horse to walk the short distance. Finally arriving at the cave, he powered off his NODs, flipping them up and out of his way. Next he switched on his Surefire white LED helmet light. He knew it would be visible for some distance, but the mouth of the cave opened to the opposite wall of the draw. As long as he didn't use it outside the cave they would remain hidden.

It was a shallow cave, no more than twenty feet deep, ten feet wide, and sloping from eight feet tall in the front to barely four feet near the back. But it was enough for the night. Dropping his rucksack next to the wall, he pulled out an MRE and the two bottles of water. He also grabbed his wet-weather jacket, woobie, and sleep system. Removing his helmet and setting it on top of his ruck so that the light would still illuminate his workspace, he set the Mk 48 aside and removed his IOTV, placing it next to his ruck and groaning with relief to be free of its weight. Without its added layer of protection, the moisture in his combat shirt reacted to the chill air, causing him to begin shivering rapidly. He quickly donned his wet-weather top. It was barely more than a waterproof windbreaker, but its plasticized material trapped his body heat easily. If he started to get too cold he could always throw his IOTV back on.

Now that his immediate needs had been addressed, he put his helmet back on and turned to help Laurena with her horse. She had already begun to remove the saddle bags, and was carefully unbuckling the saddle. He moved over to help her. The saddle was lighter than he expected, but given her size he figured it had to be for her to be able to put it on and take it off every day. Helping her tend the horse was relaxing; he had not been able to work with horses since his mother sold the farm a few years ago.

"What's his name?" David asked Laurena as he helped her feed and brush the horse.

"His name is Meadowgrass. He's been a good horse, for the most part, these last weeks. I hope the temple will let me keep him when my travels are finished," Laurena explained.

Figuring now was as good a time as any to figure out where he was, David began to question her.

"Where are we right now?"

"We are near the Snow Gap Pass. It cuts through the southern Abatinus Mountains."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with that name," David stated. He figured he needed to start broader and then work down, "What country is this?"

"This is Erosius. The Abatinus Mountains bisect the land. To the east is the coastal city of Sanctuary Port; the capital of our lands. To the north east is the forest kingdom of Hiefesgaden, and to the far east is the Sterilis Desert. To the west lies the nearest town, Wolfsvale. It's a crossroads town at the edge of the Dracian Forest. The Dracian Forest is to the northwest, and to the south west is the road to the city of Lexia on the southern coast. To the far west is the port city of Calavius. It was where I was heading before I met you," she explained to him as they worked.

He had no idea what she was talking about. He had never heard of any of these places she was describing, and as he focused on her speech, he noticed she had a very peculiar accent. It wasn't quite Italian or Greek, but had similarities to both. Her accent was sexy as hell, and her sweet voice made it even more so. Adding to the power of her seductive voice she had a body and face that could stop traffic, and he hadn't seen a woman in six months. He was struggling hard to remain a gentleman.

Deciding to try a different approach, he started with common ground. "You speak English fluently, and without a British accent. Did you study in America?"

Looking at him questioningly she responded, "I have never heard of English, British, or America. You and I are speaking Aeolian."

Both of them now thoroughly confused, David focused on Meadowgrass until he could decide on a new line of inquiry. Once her horse was tended to, and covered with a blanket for the night, he offered Laurena the MRE that he had removed from his rucksack.

"What is it?" she asked hesitantly.

"It's called an MRE, which stands for Meal Ready to Eat. They don't taste great, but just one has enough calories and essential nutrients to get a soldier through a tough day."

Unimpressed by its appearance, and less impressed by his description, she tried to think of a polite way to refuse.

"What will you eat?"

"I'm used to skipping meals, I'll be fine," he lied. He was hungry as hell, but he doubted she had any food with her that she could eat uncooked. There was no way he was letting her start a fire.

"I have plenty of food in my bags. Please allow me to share it with you, in gratitude for saving me from...them." She hoped he would accept her offer; the 'M-R-E' looked dreadful. She had no idea what it was made from, but it gave off no smell. It couldn't possibly taste that good if he was willing to give it away and go hungry, rather than eat it.

Shaking his head sadly he replied, "I'm very sorry, but without knowing who is out there I can't let you build a fire to cook with. This doesn't need a fire."

Realizing his intent, she smiled at him. "Most of my food doesn't require a fire. I have never been a very good cook, so my travel foods always require very little preparation. Please, share what I have. You can save your 'MRE' for the morning."

Realizing he didn't have the energy to fight this battle, he agreed. He hoped what she had would taste good. 'Southwest Beef and Black Beans' may have been his favorite MRE, but it was still an MRE.

Laurena crouched over her bags, and pulled out her waterskin, bowl, and a mixed bag of dried meat and vegetables. Pouring a measure of the mixture into the bowl she added water until it was half full, then focused her will on it. Chanting softly she pushed her magic into it, warming the water quickly and soaking the meat and vegetable mixture. It was not a very complex spell, but it taxed the limit of her control. She had spent little time during her magical studies practicing thermal change. Once the spell was complete, she reached into her bag for a spoon, handing it and the now steaming bowl of soup to David. As she pulled a second bowl from her bag to prepare her own meal, she checked to see if he liked his.

David was amazed. She had been crouched with her body blocking his view of her bag, so he didn't she what she did; but in less than two minutes she had handed him a steaming bowl of amazing smelling soup. He had to find out what she used to heat the water. The chemical heaters in MREs took forever, and the small Sterno camp stoves he had while camping in the States would have taken at least five minutes to heat up this much water. Blowing carefully on the bowl, he gingerly ate his first spoonful of soup. It was wonderful! He was really glad she had talked him out of the MRE.

"Laurena this is great, thank you."

Smiling at his words, and the expression of enjoyment on his face, Laurena was pleased that he had agreed to her meal. If he was that easily impressed with such simple fare, that 'MRE' must be truly ghastly. Finishing the preparations of her own meal, she exerted more of her will to heat her soup's temperature to where she liked it. Sitting down to eat on a rock that was a comfortable distance from David, she wondered how to discuss her assignment with him.

Did he know that she was now his guide? Did he already know what was at the Field of Woe, and just didn't know where it was? He seemed rather determined to understand where they were right now, but he didn't seem to know anything of the places she had described. His confusion, strange accent, odd manner of dress, and unique devices suggested he was from somewhere far away. She knew little of other lands, but she had heard many stories from ship's captains that attended services in the Great Temple. They spoke of far off lands to the west, where people with darker skin lived. She had hoped it was possible to meet some of these unusual people during her visit to Calavius.

Uncertain if it was polite to ask, but deciding she had to start somewhere she turned to him and inquired, "What is it like to be a Champion?"

Not expecting the question in the silence that had fallen over them during the meal, David was surprised, and took a breath to answer her at the wrong moment; breathing in part of his soup as well. After a few moments trying and failing to cough the broth from his lungs and stop his eyes from tearing up further, he finally mastered himself enough to answer her in a hoarse voice "What?"

Seeing his obvious surprise at her question, and assuming the worst from his response, she began to worriedly beg his forgiveness.

"I am sorry for offending you with my impertinence Champion, but no one has met a chosen of Eros since the last one perished a generation ago. Please forgive me, I was unsure what to say to one such as you, and I was curious."

Waving away her concern, he was finally able to gather enough breath to speak, "It's fine. It's fine. Nothing wrong with the question, I just had some of your delicious soup go down the wrong way."

As she sighed in relief at his comment, she noticed he had complimented her soup a second time. The soup really wasn't that good. It was quite standard fare. A dawning realization struck her. It was only after he had seen her mostly naked form that he offered to help her; offering to take her with him, and giving her the light and the jacket. Thinking on her circumstances further, she came to understand that he had helped with Meadowgrass as an excuse to be close to her; and he was paying her false compliments about her cooking to keep her happy. Like so many others he was enthralled with her beauty. Smiling at this insight, she realized this was an excellent turn of events.

Why wouldn't he be drawn to her? After all Eros had blessed her with greater beauty than any other. It must have been why she was chosen by her god, so that she could better guide his Champion. After all, every man she had ever known had done whatever she asked just to receive Eros' Blessing from her. Why should Eros' Champion be any different? And in return for her diligence and guidance she would finally be recognized for her worth by the rest of the clergy. So what if her healing magic was a little weaker than others. Her performance during worship was twice as popular as anyone else. No man in all of Sanctuary Port would refuse Eros' Blessing if she gave it. This could be her path to priestesshood, and all she had to do was what she excelled at.

She began to plan her seduction of the man. In her current state she was certainly at a disadvantage. Her once immaculate robes were a soiled tattered mess, her hair was a dirty rat's nest of tangles, and she feared her pristine face was marred by the beginnings of a bruise. Self conscious, she turned from David to hide her imperfections until she could fix them.

"I wish to cleanse myself and change into more suitable clothing; can you give me some privacy Champion?"

Confused by the title she was using for him (Champion? Of what?), but wishing for her to be comfortable after her traumatic ordeal he readily agreed.

"Certainly. As long as you stay in the cave you can use the white light on your headlamp; it won't show outside. Let me turn it on for you and I will wait outside as long as you need," David told her soothingly.

Moving towards her, he reached forward as she turned to him, and changed the light she wore from red to white. It was much brighter, illuminating the whole of the cave to her eyes. Next he took up his bowl, and walked to the cave entrance. Before exiting he reached upward and switched the light on his helmet back to red. Waiting for him to walk around the side of the cave mouth, away from direct view of her, she moved to her bags and pulled her second best set of robes out. If her magic were more accomplished, she could simply repair the robes she wore. However, her ability to conjure, craft, and repair items was very limited. The mirror she quickly summoned with a chant was by far the most elaborate conjuration she could manage, and she had worked for many winters to master it.

Looking in the large mirror, she was less than impressed with her reflection. The light on her head was glaring, and made it difficult to see anything of her face and hair. The strange coat he had given her was bulky and unflattering on her figure. What she could see of her robes beneath them were torn, and disgustingly soiled. Removing the light from her head, she focused her will. Concentrating her magic she sent it into the edges of the mirror, infusing it with a soft glow. Much better, she thought while returning to the inspection of her form.

Finally able to see the condition of her face and hair, she became further distressed. Her hair was worse than she feared, infused with dirt, tangles, and even a few twigs. It was disgusting. And her jaw sported a massive red mark; what was certain to be an ugly bruise forming already. Realizing the enormity of the work before her, she quickly stripped out of the coat and her tattered robes. She chanted her spell of cleansing while concentrating her magic on the task. The copious dirt and minimal sweat on her body disappeared while her hair untangled and shed the unwelcome dirt and twigs. Drawing on her spare robes she continued chanting, focusing her magic to remove any dust and wrinkles they had accumulated while stored for travel. Lastly she focused her attentions to her face.

The bruise was unacceptable, marring the perfection of her beauty. She was truly weary now, having used more of her magic today that she was comfortable with. But even her poor healing skills and rapidly depleting magic would fix this. She refused to allow this mark to remain. If she had to use every bit of her magic, and more, she would not allow her beauty to be marred in such a fashion. Staring intently at her reddened jaw, she focused the entirety of her will upon grasping every last remaining scrap of her magic; pushing all of it into her injured jaw while steadily chanting a spell of restoration over and over again. The bruise quickly darkened, and seemed to go through an accelerated recovery, changing color from red, to purple, to a splotchy yellow/green. The longer she focused the slower the changes occurred. Her magic was nearly depleted, and the bruised skin still had an ugly yellow tint. Steeling her determination and clamping down on her magic with her will; she forced what magic remained to work harder. She was not going to walk around with a yellowed bruise on her face. Finally, as the last vestiges of her magic waned, the discoloration disappeared from her face.

More exhausted than she had ever felt before, Laurena smiled proudly at her restored beauty. This was sufficient for now. Folding the torn and soiled mess of her old robes, she carefully stowed them at the bottom of her bags while pulling out her warm traveling cloak and drawing it on. She left the hood down and the front open, adjusting it to keep her warm but still display her flawless beauty and impressive cleavage.

Feeling much better about her appearance, she banished the mirror and moved her saddle and bags to a spot closer to David's gear. She was desperately tired, but she needed to begin her seduction of the Champion at once. She could lay the groundwork tonight, and continue to tease and arouse him during the day and half it would take to get to Wolfsvale. By the time I'm done with him, she thought to herself with a smile, he'll pop the moment the first Blessing begins.

*** Chapter 8: Discoveries ***

102313MAR13 DW

Mountains, Somewhere

Staring up at the moon, David was dumbstruck. More specifically, it was the second moon that had rendered his mind blank.

When he had walked from the cave to give Laurena privacy, he had decided to seek out a few of the constellations that he could remember. He was terrible at celestial navigation, knowing of only a few easily identifiable constellations in the night sky. If it wasn't the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, or Orion he couldn't help you. But he had a Drill Sergeant in Basic show him how to find all three one night he was on guard duty. If he could find the Big Dipper (by far the easiest for him) then he could follow it to the Little Dipper and the North Star. That was usually enough for him to orient at night.

However, when he started searching the night sky for them he noticed something far more significant. The moon that had begun to rise earlier now had a friend. Looking back and forth between the two moons, he compared them to the single moon he had known his whole life. Higher on the horizon, the white moon was bright and full, similar but slightly larger in the sky than the moon he was used to. But the second, blue-colored, moon hanging low in the eastern sky was very different. It seemed to have an atmosphere of some sort from the wispy clouds floating across its surface. He thought it resembled pictures of Earth taken during manned space missions. Except he couldn't see any land masses on its surface.

Holy shit Toto. Fuck Kansas, I'm not on Earth anymore!

He didn't know what to think. He reviewed everything he had learned after waking up; the unexpected terrain, the movement of the sun, his compass, and his GPS. No wonder he couldn't get a signal from any satellites. There were no satellites. He also thought back to the men he had killed, the girl he had saved, and the conversation they had about the region. None of those places sounded familiar because none of those places were on his planet.

Not sure what to do with this realization and his head still pounding from the explosion and rifle wound, he began to question what to do next. Getting back to US Forces was out. There were no US Forces. There was no United States. What the hell would he do? Try to get back to Earth? He didn't even know how he got here. Maybe the girl would have some answers, or possibly know of someone who would have the answers.

Deciding to sit her down and get some kind of damn explanation from her, he walked determinedly back to the cave entrance. Striding around the corner he saw her horse standing patiently next to the cave wall, eating from its feed bag. Further in he saw her and stopped. She was standing in front of a large mirror that he hadn't seen there when he left. The edges of it were glowing, and it was floating in mid-air. She had changed clothes, and was now wearing a dress that looked similar to a toga, with sleeves and a low-cut front. She had cleaned and brushed out her hair, and was now inspecting the bruise that was on her jaw. David had seen it earlier, but had nothing with him to treat it. Her bruise began to discolor as he watched, changing shades as though undergoing a week of healing in moments.

Healing magic. Earlier she said she cast healing magic on her wrists. This world has actual magic?

As this alarming thought continued to bounce through David's beleaguered brain, he watched her bruise finish healing. Then she packed the remains of her old dress into one of her bags, pulling out and putting on what he could only describe as a cloak. Checking her reflection in the mirror again, she chanted something softly and it disappeared. The mirror just frikkin' disappeared.