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canid-slashclaw · 5 years ago

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The Outliers - A Guildwars Love Story

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

The following week, Kaleb was assigned the task of managing the supply line. As he was busy offloading some crates, Brad and Cynthia were off the distance observing his actions from afar. Both were currently taking a short break from the grueling task of maintaining the fortifications.

"That boy seems to go non-stop. How does it do it in this heat?" Cynthia asked as she unwrapped a sandwich then split it between her and Brad.

Snatching the piece from her hand, Brad quickly wolfed down his share. "You got me. Something seems to keep him going. But whatever it is, I'm not complaining."

"He's so eager to take assignments whenever they involve going into town for supplies. Each time he comes back, he's always coming up with some new recipe for the cooks," Cynthia noted.

"Like I said. I'm not complaining. But it does seem a little odd that he enjoys going to that butcher shop so much."

"I second you on the odd part. Somehow I just can't imagine a guy like him being interested in frequenting an establishment run by a couple of charrs."

Brad flung his hands up in the air and grinned. "He's his own fellow. Even though we've known each other since we were knee-high to grasshoppers, that boy sometimes acts like he's a thousand miles away from everyone."

Hours later, after the work had been completed, Kaleb joined up with his two closest comrades in the mess hall. Shuffling between the tightly packed masses of sweaty troops, he managed to find an open bench slot just opposite of Brad and Cynthia.

"What's up?" Kaleb scooted towards the edge of his bench nearly pushing a much smaller soldier off his seat.

"Sorry about that."

The solder only grumbled then proceeded to eat, pretending that the incident never happened.

"Glad you could join us on this fine occasion," Cynthia commented.

"Occasion? Do tell!"

Brad chimed in. "Haven't you heard? Centaurs are pulling back. Supply lines from other routes are now open. That means we won't be needing to make trips into town all the time."

Kaleb looked up rather stunned. "Nobody ever told me about this. When did this happen?"

"Captain announced it yesterday. Starting next week, our supplies will be coming via the east road directly from Divinity's Reach," Cynthia stated.

"So I'm guessing that means we won't be needing that meat market for our supplies anymore," Kaleb said in a downtrodden voice.

"The market was used due to a wartime emergency. Now that emergency has been lifted and the Queen’s gold can be spent financing our own people. Don't try to burst with too much excitement," she quipped.

Brad looked at his friend. "You oughta be happy, bro. All this shuttling back and forth plus putting your time in on the front lines is going to catch up to you sooner or later."

"Don't worry. I'm fine. Besides, that means there is still one more supply run left for me to make before the changes take effect."

"I'll come with if you would like," Brad offered.

Kaleb shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but no. I can do this run myself. You just see that Cyn is taken care of."

"Um, excuse me?? I'm a big girl yanno. If anyone needs taking care of it's you two losers. Oh. And congrats on making corporal, Kal... you deserved it!" Sergeant Waterstone smiled as she gave him a salute.

The newly minted corporal returned the gesture then quickly chowed down on his rations. Realizing just how bad army food tasted whenever anyone else did the cooking, Kaleb would make it a point to put in some extra KP time whenever possible. Since he no longer had to make the forty mile round trip to Triskell, he would now have more time to put towards satisfying the stomachs of his unit.

As the trio was in the process of departing from the mess hall table, one of the field operatives approached the sergeant then handed her a folded envelope. "Ma'am. Scouting reports indicate that centaur activity has increased along the roads during the past two days. Advise extra caution for all convoys that travel the south roads."

"Thanks corporal. I will relay those orders. Dismissed."

Cynthia then grabbed Kaleb by the arm then looked him in the eyes. "Hold up. I know you are scheduled for a supply run today. But due to the centaurs, I would feel better if you had an escort."

"Sarge. Having someone else would put an extra person at risk. I'll bring some extra pistols along just in case things get hairy. Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Sergeant Waterstone let out a heavy sigh. "As much as I am tempted to order you an escort, your logic does make sense. Our troops are stretched thin and having one extra person would really not make much of a difference anyway. Okay. Fine, then. Move out, but be sure to carry some extra shots and powder for good measure."

"Will do, sarge."

As Kaleb left to prepare his supply wagon for another run, Brad approached Cynthia with a questioning look on his face. "So are you just going to let him go out there by himself? There are bands of centaurs roaming those hills. If Kal happens to run into one, he's done for."

"Don't worry, corporal. He's not going to be alone."

"What do you mean?"

"Get your quiver ready and make sure your axes are sharpened for battle. You and I are going on a little reconnaissance mission."

"Spying on a friend is more like it," Brad chided.

"Not exactly. We are just going to hang back near the edge of town just to make sure he doesn't run into any unpleasant surprises. Trust me. Whatever business he has with the shop owner is his own. I just want to make sure he's safe, but I also don't want to have him watched over like a mother hen either."

The corporal nodded in agreement then gave Waterstone a swift salute before leaving.

Kaleb had loaded up the supply wagon with an extra box of powder and shot. Tucked under his jerkin were four pairs of nine-inch muzzle-loading flintlocks. He was hoping the trip would go off without a hitch, but wanted the extra firepower just in case.

***

By the time he arrived in town, the midday sun had begun to shine intensely overhead. The moisture from the lake-effect air helped him cool off a bit, but it also made him sweat even more.

When he arrived at the meat market, he reached around the back of the supply wagon and lifted up a large, ten-gallon tin container. Milk supplies were beginning to run low and having a few buffer rations was never a bad thing.

When he opened the door, the familiar steam whistle went off letting the owner know that a patron had entered. As usual, Ludrick was standing behind the meat counter busily setting out various fresh cuts of meat.

"Hi, Kaleb. What's it gonna be today?" He asked in a seemingly cheerful tone.

"Good news and bad news, sir. Good news - it's a light order. I only need some fresh milk. Bad news - supply routes are now open and the army has decided to take their supply line business elsewhere," Kaleb said with a frown as he set the empty tin container on the floor.

"Bah. That doesn't surprise me. Sooner or later the crown was going to favor a supplier that was governed by your people," Ludrick said as he finished up with the last of the meats in the display counter.

"I do hope the Queen has paid you handsomely for all the goods you supplied our troops. Even though I'm not an accountant, I still have receipts from every transaction that was made on the armys' behalf," Kaleb said as he pulled out several copied bills of sale.

"Queen Jenna was true to her word. We have been paid in full up to last week's shipment, but I expect that one will clear also within a matter of days. For what it's worth, thank you for giving us your business," the old charr veteran said with a respectful bow of his head.

"Glad to do business," Kaleb returned the bow, "anyway, where's Amalthia?"

"Funny thing you should ask... she's out back milking the cows."

"Mind if I go say hi?"

"Suit yourself. Just watch where you step. If you track anything in, you get to clean it up."

Kaleb nodded then proceeded to work his way through the hallway adjoining the door that led out to the back of the lot. When he opened the door, he noticed a large cow pen and a row of stalls just off to the side. Further out lay a field lined with a row of straw-thatched dummies. He deduced that it must be a target range of some sort.

Only charrs would have gunnery ranges in their own backyards, he thought musingly.

"Kaleb! Over here."

He heard Amalthia's pristine voice coming from just behind the furthest stall. When he saw her poke her head out from the wooden barricade, he immediately rushed forward. She was sitting on a milking stool, her hands clasped on the bovine's udders moving them in an alternating fashion. As she was performing the procedure, streams of the pearly white substance spurted down into a large metal tub that rested between her feet.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you. I just needed to pick up an extra order of ten gallons of milk."

Amalthia stood up then wiped off the excess milk from her silken fur hands. "You have a knack for being at the right place at the right time. Because, I was just in the process of gathering a batch for purifying."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Kaleb asked.

"Have you milked a cow before?"

"Never."

"Well, there's always a first time. Go ahead, give it a shot." She got up then gestured for him to have a turn at the udders.

With trepidation, Kaleb carefully grabbed hold of the elongated appendages and tried a series of gentle squeezing motions. To his dismay, nothing came out. Undeterred, he hunched over then pointed one of the udders towards his face hoping to see if any milk would be forthcoming. But as he was massaging the teat, a long stream of pearly white liquid spat directly into his face.

Upon seeing the event, Amalthia let out a long laugh. Kaleb then turned to her as streams of raw milk ran down his face then onto his collar.

"You pathetic little mouse, that's not how you do it. Oh my. That look is just... priceless!"

When he saw Amalthia laugh, something hit him inside like a hammer. He couldn't quite explain it but the pitch of her voice and the nature of her fanged smile just made his heart skip several beats.

She grabbed one of the sanitary towels that she had brought out during the milking session then walked over to Kaleb and began to dab it across his face. With fluid strokes of her hand she wiped the offending milk off of his face.

"I gather you are too civilized for farm life," she said as she tossed him the now dirty towel.

"Uh. Like I said, I've never done this before." Kaleb used the towel to wipe up some of the residue that managed to work its way into his dark brown hair.

"That's obvious. Come sit down and I'll show you how it's done."

Amalthia gestured for him to sit on the stool and to use his feet to stabilize the milking pan. She walked to the other side of the cow then knelt down as she opened her large clawed hands.

"Grab hold of the two longest udders. Now, follow my motions."

She gently clasped hold of his hands, and then began a slow rhythmic massaging motion. The leathery pads on the palms of her furred hands felt pleasantly warm when they met the backs of Kaleb's own hands. Her warmth felt soothing, comforting even.

Within moments, jets of the pearly white liquid began spurting out. Along with the cyclic motion of the udders, he could feel Amalthia's warmth coursing through his hands. The undulating motion caused his body to tingle with pleasure. And to his chagrin, he could feel a pleasurable sensation in another part of his anatomy as well.

Oh gods. What's happening? What am I thinking?

"Kaleb. Are you alright? Or is feeling cow tits giving you the willies?"

He choked on the question for a moment.

"No. I'm fine. I think."

"Your face is red, I know. What causes that anyway? And what's that smell coming off of you?"

Kaleb immediately pulled his hands away then quickly wiped them with the towel. He took a few deep breaths then ducked his head down trying to get the blood rushing back into his brain.

"I'm done with this for now. I just... I just wanted to get some milk and be on my way that's all."

"It will take at least an hour to purify. So, in the meantime, what will you be doing then?" She asked as she stepped around to see him.

Kaleb quickly rose up from the stool while turning away from her. He didn't want to embarrass either of them by revealing what was going on inside his pants.

"Sorry. I just felt light-headed that's all. Hey! I still remember my promise. Did you want to...?"

"You have my permission..." She interjected.

"Permission? Whadda mean?"

She gave him a fangy smile while he was still turned away hoping his raging manhood would subside.

"You may call me Amalthia."

Upon hearing the news, the rage in his southern region came back with a vengeance once more.

"There you go emitting that funny odor again."

After they had gathered all the pails of un-sanitized milk and placed them in the purifying vat, Amalthia beckoned for Kaleb to come around the side entrance. Leading up to a door on the second story, was a flight of stairs.

"Would you like to come up?" She asked.

"Is that your place? Where you live?"

"No. It's a dungeon. Just remind me to kick you down the stairs once you reach the top for asking such a stupid question!" She said in her typical laconic fashion.

"I thought you didn't want me to go up there. You know - personal stuff, not business-related."

"We have over an hour to kill before the milk's even ready. In the meantime, what are we going to be doing? Trading insults and driving my sire to our last keg of mead?"

When she opened the door to her room, Kaleb was immediately blown away at all of the military equipment that was lying about. He could see suits of armor, mortar tubes and various types of weaponry that adorned nearly every square inch of space. Next to her bed was a heavy wood table with a variety of welding torches as well as other soldering tools strewn about on its surface.

"Wow. This stuff is amazing!"

He walked over and saw an emblem of a gear cog on a large spiked shield. From its design, he immediately knew what it represented.

"So you were Iron legion, right?"

"Still am and proud of it too!" Amalthia said beamingly.

"So where's your warband?"

"I no longer have one. I'm currently a gladium."

Kaleb was taught enough charr history to know what that meant. "Sorry to hear that."

"I'm not. Like I said, there are some things about me you would not want to know. Now what was it about that dessert you had promised?"

"You don't mind going out? I mean... to get a bite to eat, that is."

"Of course not! The fresh air does me good every once in awhile. Just give me a few to clean up and we'll be on our way," Amalthia said as she began removing some of her outer garments.

Kaleb saw what she was doing and started to blush profusely. When he watched her removing all of her clothing, the lump in his throat made it very hard for him to breath normally.

Amalthia removed the last pieces of her clothing then crouched on her bed covered only in her luxurious pelt. Like an overgrown feline, she began to groom herself, contorting her body in ways no ordinary human could possibly manage.

When he saw her graceful feline form managing itself, his heart pounded hard against his ribcage as the base of his jaw began to ache from the muscle tension. He could not take his eyes off her.

"Was there something you wanted? You've been staring at me since I started taking a quick bath."

"So sorry... it's just I'm not used to anyone...uhh." Kaleb immediately turned around hoping he didn't embarrass her too badly.

"Let me finish it for you - taking their clothes off? What is it with you humans and clothing anyway? It's like stripping is an invitation to screwing. For your sake, I hope that's not the impression you're getting." Amalthia said as she gracefully bounded from the bed then reached into her dresser for a fresh set of clothes.

"I'm sorry, Amalthia. I didn't want you to get that impression. It's just being around one of your kind is a new experience for me. There is so much about your people and culture that I don't understand. But I would like to know... I would like to know you more," Kaleb said with a heavy exhale.

"As I would like to know more about you and your people. Granted, it's been historically at the point of a blade, but there are things both of us could learn from each other. I know a good pastry shop and cafe located just down the road. We can go there if you like," Amalthia said as she put on a mauve crop top and thigh-hugging miniskirt.

The pastry shop lay just a couple of miles from their location. Amalthia and Kaleb walked together side-by-side as they both took in the sights and sounds of the local atmosphere. Along the way, they received the occasional odd stare from people walking by. The prospect of seeing a human and charr tagging along together was a very unusual sight indeed.

Kaleb and Amalthia sat across from each other over a wrought iron table. Soon afterward, a waitress walked over then handed each of them a menu of the daily specials.

"Hoelbrak Hohos? Brazen butter battered bunt cake smothered in legendary lava chocolate. So where's the cream filling?" Kaleb questioned as he looked over the menu.

"Are all humans as picky as you? Isn't it true that your women go into murderous rages if they don't eat sufficient amounts of chocolate?" Amalthia said while perusing through her own menu items.

"No hun. We kill if our men don't give us any during special occasions," the waitress commented.

"And here I thought your mere presence would scare off all the customers. She even called you 'hun'. See, there still is hope between our peoples," Kaleb jested.

The waitress looked at him with a dumbfounded. "Listen sweetie. This is a port town. We get all kinds. Besides, she's a regular here. So if you know what's good for ya, you had better treat her with respect."

Amalthia stuck her tongue out at Kaleb then closed her eyes in a fangy grin.

"Fine. I'll take the Durmond Priory Dumplings. Easy on the cinnamon, it gives me acid something terrible."

Kaleb folded the menu then handed it to the smarter-than-he-expected waitress.

"And for you, darlin?"

"Azuran blintzes with Krytan puree and Maguuma nuts on the side; shells on, please."

"Drinks?"

"Latte, please," said Kaleb.

Amalthia handed the waitress her menu. "Ascelonian coffee - black."

The waitress wrote their orders down then promptly darted out.

"I heard Zaitan used that stuff to make the risen. How do you drink it and still have any taste buds left?" Kaleb asked jokingly.

"When you do battle with a ninety-proof hangover, it's not the best option; it's the only option," Amalthia replied.

"I never took you for a drinker. The only ones I know who soak in suds are norns and very unhappy humans."

"I'm neither, so it doesn't count."

"So why do you drink?"

Amalthia let out a sigh. "Let's see - one of only two charr in this entire town; exiled from my warband and now a gladium; my mother; a sire who is chronically disabled and drinks too much; my mother; a talented engineer who is waiting for an Iron Legion warband to take her under their wing, but thus far, nada... oh... and did I forget to mention my mother?"

Kaleb sighed too. "I'm so sorry, Amalthia. That's gotta be hard not having any of your people around. I guess I can understand why you stay holed up in your room so much. There aren't many people here you can relate to."

"Now you understand the reason why I need coffee to counteract the strong drink. Welcome to my life."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Sure. Grow horns and fur, act real mean so we can start our own warband and make litters of cubs in the process." Amalthia smirked.

"That stung, Amalthia. I didn't expect that to come out of your mouth."

"Well, it is what you've been thinking, right? Look, even though I don't know your peoples' courtship rituals, it didn't take much for me to figure out what was on your mind."

The waitress came back with their orders. Amalthia immediately dug into her meal while Kaleb just sat for a moment staring at his plate.

"Eat, you!"

"I'm not that hungry... now," he replied as he shoved his dish to the center of the table.

"Look. If it makes you feel better, I honestly do wish we were both the same kind. It would make life so much easier for both of us. But the fact of the matter is, we’re not. We can still be friends. And yes, I do consider you a friend as you have earned that from me. But this other thing you desire simply cannot happen."

"Cannot or should not? There is a huge difference between the two. Anyway, I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself. You are a really amazing person, for lack of a better word. I've never met anyone quite like you and I would never willingly do anything to jeopardize that."

Kaleb then extended his hand. "Friends?"

Amalthia reciprocated. "Friends!"

"Now eat your meal before you get a headache," she said with a smile.

While he was eating, Kaleb suddenly felt a sharp sting to his right forearm. As he looked over his arm, he saw a Maguuma nutshell zing across the table, landing straight into his lap. Less than a second later, another one flew by, only this time it smacked into his Adam's apple then rolled down his shirt.

"Why you fleabitten..." Kaleb said in a mockingly angry tone as he attempted to stoop over to recover some of the husks in order to return the favor.

Amalthia just laughed as she flicked more shells at him. Her aim was impeccable as each one pegged some sensitive part of his body.

"Dang, woman! You could put somebody's' eye out with those things. This means payback, you know!" Kaleb said as he attempted to return fire with the shells he had scavenged from under the table.

"Get it straight, mouse. I am charr! Cower before the ferocious fusillade of my mighty Magumma nut barrage!"

"Hey! What you're doing isn't helping. This is the kind of stuff that turns me on even more," Kaleb responded with uncontrollable laughter.

Upon those words, Amalthia immediately stopped. "Okay, okay. Treaty signed. Ceasefire in effect."

Kaleb looked at the angle of the shadows and realized that time, once again, had passed all too quickly.

"I think we had better get back. Judging by the length of the shadows, it's a little more than an hour."

"That's fine. I'll go on ahead and get your milk prepped. Don't try to kill yourself trying to match me at full gait. It'll never happen," Amalthia said just seconds before she dropped to all fours then bounded off towards the shop.

Kaleb saw her graceful gold and white form glide across the cobblestone pavement. He thought to himself how could such a savage creature be so beautiful at the same time. For the first time in his life, he knew exactly what he wanted... and more importantly whom he wanted.

Her father's shop was just around the corner as she bounded across the sidewalk. Her mind raced thoughts of the human she left standing at the cafe.

Be patient with me, Kaleb. There is so much I want to say to you. If the world cannot accept us for who and what we are then maybe we should just not accept the world with all its stupid rules.

As Amalthia headed to her father's shop, she saw two humans in Seraph battle armor standing in front of the doorway. When she stood back up to greet them, one of them took off their helmet revealing the face of a female.

"I am Sergeant Waterstone of the Thirty-first Brigade. Do you know the whereabouts of a Private Kaleb Grimwald?"

"He will be here within a matter of minutes. I went on ahead to prep the supplies for him in advance," Amalthia responded.

"Centaurs have been raiding our caravans. We've been assigned to act as his escort," Cynthia stated as she placed her helmet back on.

"Those dingleberry fly farmers? Give me five and I'll have his supplies ready... plus a whole lot more!" With the speed of a cat, she dashed through the door.

Within less than five minutes, Kaleb was sprinting towards the two soldiers. As he approached, the taller one gave him a hearty wave.

"Do you ever stop running?"

"Brad! What are you and Cynth, I mean, Sergeant Waterstone doing here? You promised that neither of you were going to be mothering over me," Kaleb said gruffly.

"Change of plans - caravans are getting hit hard by centaur raiding parties. Roaming without an escort is not an option," Sergeant Waterstone said flatly.

The door to the shop suddenly opened followed by a loud clanging noise. As she stepped out, everyone noticed that Amalthia was clad from head to toe in charr battle armor. Slung diagonally across her back was the longest rifle Kaleb had ever seen. Affixed to the advanced weapon, looked what appeared to be a sniping scope.

"Would someone mind giving me a hand with this milk container?" She said as she tilted the container on its side then rolled it towards the cart.

With Kaleb's help the container was hoisted up. Soon afterward, Amalthia herself loped up into the back of the wagon.

"I'm sorry, miss whoever you are, but we aren't allowed to transport non-combatants," Cynthia said in an irritable tone.

"Um. Better brush up on those history books some more, human. Charr are combatants by default."

"She's got a point," said Brad as he fastened his sword around his waist.

Cynthia looked at Kaleb as she pointed to Amalthia. "Are all her people this snarky?"

"She is in a class by herself. Trust me on this one," Kaleb said with a laugh.

Moments later, the shop door opened and another much larger charr stepped out.

"Amalthia. What the hell are you doing?!" Ludrick roared as he tried to steady himself on his cane.

"Just getting some possible shot practice in, sire. I've been meaning to perform a live-fire exercise using this new scope anyway."

"Don't worry about a thing, sir. I'll make sure your baby girl gets home safe and sound," Kaleb said as he opened his overcoat revealing the several pairs of pistols that he had concealed.

"You had better!" Ludrick said as he rested his massive paws upon his sturdy wooden cane.

Be safe, cub. Please come home safely, my most precious treasure.

With the tug of the reins they were off. The soldiers knew that if centaurs accosted their wagon, their only hope would be to fight their way out. Even at top speed, a pack dolyak could only manage fifteen MPH tops; centaurs, on the other hand, could manage twice that speed.

Within the span of an hour they were at the halfway juncture when they reached the crest of the road that led towards the base camp. But as the wagon lurched over the top, Kaleb noticed a large bonfire in the middle of the road.

As the dolyak got closer, the stench of burning flesh pierced their nostrils. To their horror, the bonfire was not a wood bonfire at all but a smoldering mound of corpses from a recently ambushed convoy.

Observing the gruesome scene, Cynthia told Kaleb to swing the cart around the burning mass and to not stop.

"Those poor souls," Kaleb commented as they slowly rode on by.

Within seconds, Amalthia's sensitive ears began to twitch.

"Something is coming this way. I can hear it coming from the ground."

"I can't hear a thing," said Brad who was in the process of stringing up his bow.

"Charr can hear low frequency sounds. We can't," Cynthia commented.

Kaleb looked to the side then noticed movement.

"Forget what she can hear. I see 'em over on the east ridge. Centaurs, incoming!"

Scores of the quad-footed beasts surged over the crest descending upon the hapless travelers like angry locusts. Their battle cries echoed across the plains as their hooves shook the very grown beneath them.

With lightning reflexes, Amalthia loaded then primed her sniper rifle for firing. When the first centaur came into her sights, she rested her longarm upon a bipod, held her breath then gently squeezed off a shot. Within a fraction of a second, the round found its mark then detonated inside the creature's skull causing it to explode like an over pressurized balloon.

"Nice shot!" Kaleb shouted.

"Don't thank me just yet..." Amalthia replied.

Two more high-velocity explosive rounds found their mark on the vanguard chargers. Like the one before them, their craniums also met grizzly, fragmented ends.

"Okay. Now you can thank me," the charr smirked.

The three human soldiers were amazed at the charr's impeccable marksmanship. But in spite of Amalthia downing an impressive number in such a short amount of time, there still remained at least a hundred more of the marauders to contend with.

Brad Pendragon knew his turn would be up next. As soon as the first wave came within range, he lofted several arrows into the air in rapid succession. Seconds later, three more centaurs crumpled over as their broken bodies rolled down the hill.

The gap closure was rapid. It would be only a matter of seconds before they were in range of their shortbows. Sergeant Waterstone told them to abandon the cart then ordered them to tip it over using it as a barricade.

Out of the group, the drum of milk was the first causality. Upon looking at the spilled contents, Kaleb commented. "I promise not to cry."

"Stay behind cover and try to lay down as much suppressing fire as possible. I have an idea," Cynthia said as she looked at the contents that were trickling from the narrow spout at the top of the container.

"Centaurs, fifteen meters. Kal, get ready!" Brad said as he nocced another arrow in his bow.

Kaleb unbuttoned his overcoat revealing six pairs of pistols he had tucked away.

"Spot me, bro. Cynth - get ready to catch load," Kaleb said as he cocked the hammers on all his pistols then pulled the ones from his uppermost pockets.

"Right flank, clear. Go!"

Like a crazed norn charging towards the last keg on a battlefield, Kaleb feinted to the left of the cart. Catching the closest centaur off guard, he fired point blank right between the creature's eyes. As soon as his pistol's only round had been spent he quickly tossed it to Sergeant Waterstone who promptly began repacking it with a new round of shot.

Kaleb fired off his second pistol, felling another of the six-limbed beasts. Each time he finished a shot he repeated the process with Cynthia. Like a deadly ballet dancer he whirled in amongst the clamoring herd dispatching them one by one with carefully choreographed shots to the craniums.

Amalthia was completely mesmerized by the level of agility displayed by the human. In spite of the incredibly inefficient weapons he had been given, he was able to turn them into a deadly work of art thanks, in no small part, to his teammates.

For the moment, the hoofed beasts had fallen back. Obviously in shock by the number of casualties they had incurred at the hands of such a small group.

As soon as a break in the battle occurred, Kaleb made a mad dash for the partially empty milk container.

"Kaleb! What the hell are you doing you witless human! The next round of milk will be for free. Just get back here!"

"No, Amalthia. I think I know what the sarge's plan is. It's all about the fire."

Cynthia then tossed him one of the burlap blankets that had been folded up in the overturned cart. Suddenly, she noticed the centaurs were regrouping for another assault.

Adrenalin was surging through Kaleb's muscles as he made a mad dash towards the blanket while still carrying the half empty container across his back. As soon as he grabbed the burlap item, he headed towards the smoldering wreckage then began pouring the rest of the contents onto the fire.

Almost immediately, the smoke became thick and black from the burning milk. Kaleb threw the blanket over the pyre then rapidly pulled it away using a series of choreographed movements.

"It's okay, miss charr. He's using the milk and blanket to create a smoke signal to alert our troops to our situation," Cynthia said as she saw the centaurs rapidly closing in once more.

Amalthia understood the situation as she unleashed another volley upon the advancing attackers. Brad fired off several more arrows as well.

"Swords everyone. Swords!" Cynthia shouted the command to draw melee weapons as she un-holstered her short sword.

Within moments the hoofed fiends were overrunning the group. One centaur bore down on Amalthia with a heavy hatchet but just as quickly, the beast realized its arms had been reduced to flailing bloody stumps courtesy of Kaleb's longsword.

"Amalthia. May I introduce you to my old friend, Bob. Bob - say hello to my new friend, Amalthia," Kaleb said as he waved his sword around.

"Of all the heroic, glorious names there are in Tyria and you had to call your weapon, Bob??"

"Well, everyone I know names their favorite weapon something. I heard even your people do the same. Me - I just figured I'd pick something out of thin air."

Several more centaurs fell to Kaleb's might (and Bob's sharp edge).

The melee attackers fell back, but the centaur archers advanced. Once they were within firing position, they unleashed volleys of arrows that nearly darkened the sky. Instinctively, Brad and Cynthia grabbed their shields then hunkered down to brace for the arrow storm.

As they were pinned behind the now-heavily arrowed cart, Kaleb noticed that Amalthia's lower back was not covered by any armor. The sky darkened once more and with no time to think things through, Kaleb acted on instinct and threw his body over her vulnerable region.

Just then, a flurry of warhorns sounded. As their noises trumpeted throughout the land, a crescendo of panic began to arise from the centaurs. Within a matter of seconds the remaining herd of marauders galloped in full retreat.

Brad was the first to emerge from the aftermath. He saw a land littered with broken and bloody corpses from all of the centaurs the four of them had slain. He then immediately checked to see the condition of his friends.

"Is... is everyone okay?"

Sergeant Cynthia Watersone coughed trying to clear the dust from her throat. "Fine here. How about the rest of you?"

"I'm alive. Wait..." came Amalthia's voice as she felt an eerie warm sensation running down the right side of her neck.

"Injured? Hold on... It's not me. Oh no... Kaleb??"

She craned her massive neck muscles to see Kaleb resting on her back as blood poured from his nose and mouth. With an agonizing wail of anguish, Amalthia immediately, but carefully pulled him off.

"Oh gods no. Kaleb!" Cynthia said as she helped Amalthia lay him down.

Amalthia cried out as she pulled off part of her jerkin to wipe the blood from his face. When she reached around to put her hand on his back, she could feel the shafts of at least three arrows that had gone into him.

"Oh man. This is so not good, Cynth. We gotta get him to the infirmary now. Otherwise he'll bleed out," Brad said.

"Our boys are here! Brad, you and her try to stabilize him. Use the fire over there to cauterize those wounds. I'll try and find a medic. You hang in there, Kal. Y'hear?"

"He... he didn't have to throw away his life for mine," Amalthia said as she found that she could no longer hold back the tears.

The medics soon arrived as they bound Kaleb's wounds and made sure he lost no further blood. Off in the distance, Cynthia could hear some of the other soldiers in the unit commenting as they saw Amalthia weeping over Kaleb.

"Is that thing actually crying? I didn't know charrs had feelings, especially for humans."

Furious with rage, Sergeant Cynthia Waterstone confronted the two heckling soldiers. "That 'thing' has a name. Her name is Amalthia and she was responsible for saving our lives. Kaleb risked his own to save hers, as any good soldier would have done. Can the same be said for either of you??"

She was only greeted with silence.

"I didn't think so! Get back to your posts and be thankful I don't assign you two to cannon fodder duty."

Brad walked over to Cynthia to give her some more promising news. "The doc said the wounds aren't as bad as they appear. He's got a partially collapsed lung, hence the blood in the mouth and nose, but they said that's easily fixable thanks to some of the Asuran alchemy remedies."

"That is good news. Brad - I'll take Amalthia back into town. You may come with me if you'd like."

Her friend and lover nodded then smiled as he gave her a reassuring hug.

"I'd like that very much."

Amalthia spent her time grooming her body in an attempt to clean off as much of the blood as possible. Even though her fur was clean, for the most part, her gear still was a bloody mess. At this point, she was too tired to even care about what happened with it so long as she wasn't constantly reminded of the horrors that had just transpired.

"Are you ready to go back?" Cynthia approached as she placed a hand on the charr's left shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

"I am leaving my armor. Do with it as you wish. But otherwise I'm ready whenever you are."

As they headed back to town, only this time under the protection of a heavier escort, Cynthia turned to Amalthia and asked, "I hope your father will forgive us for what happened. Try not to blame yourself for what happened to Kaleb."

Amalthia drew in a deep breath then exhaled. "I am to blame, partly. But I also blame the inferior technology your people possess. I blame the centuries of senseless bloodshed our people had wrought upon each other over issues that could have been worked out through logic. But most of all I blame the one thing that I wish to say but cannot..."

Twilight was approaching by the time they arrived at Amalthia's home. Without further words they dropped her off then waited until she had made her way to her upstairs abode.

Brad looked over and commented. "What a world we live in to see the day when a human would be willing risk his life for a charr."

"Did you see the look on her face, Brad?"

"Of course I did. I've never seen one of them up close. Well, alive that is. I finally figured out what differentiates the males from the females. It's the size of their teeth. Y'ever notice that?"

"You men are as dense as ever!" She shook her head as she prodded the dolyak forward.

"Yeah. So what is it that I'm missing?"

Without saying a word, she turned to Brad and smiled.

She’s in love with him, you idiot!

#gw2 fanfic #tyriaslibrary #the outliers #charr and human #kaleb and amalthia

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