Triska watched him go then looked to the fluugher with remorseful eyes, the flower monster’s faint wails and cries being heard from under its flora covering.

“Ok,” she said quietly before walking after him towards the caravan, her eyes looking down at the book in her hands with regret as she felt guilty for what she did to the helpless monster behind her.

*****

Inside the cabin everybody was quiet while Lucky was pulling the caravan along a trail of grass and dirt, the single white horse having no trouble pulling the larger ride at all while sitting at the driver’s seat Daniel was holding onto the reins. The girls were all gathered inside the cabin as usual, with each of them sitting back against the walls while Triska was looking down at the monster book in her hands with remorse still. Sitting next to her Specca was reading another book, her tail curled up beside her while she was engrossed in the story she was reading, while across from them Squeak was picking some dirt and blades of grass off her pickaxe, the ant girl seeming to take extra care in making sure her weapon was in good condition and looking clean. Next to her Alyssa was sitting on a pillow while levitating an apple in front of her with a bored expression, her eyes glancing from the floating fruit to Triska who had been silent ever since the fluugher incident.

“You know, now that I think about it, Specca’s the only one you haven’t threatened with your sword,” Alyssa commented. Triska glanced to her with annoyance as the witch gently flicked her fingers, causing the apple in front of her to spin around in place.

“You threatened me with your sword when we first met, if you had it with you at the time you would have been pointing it at the ant girls when we met them, you tried to attack a Darker One with it, which was incredibly stupid by the way, you threatened that nightmare we came across even though your sword couldn’t do anything to it at all, and-”

“SHUT UP!” Triska yelled as she grabbed her sword and yanked it out with a swift pull, swinging it over to point it at Alyssa as the other girls watched her with worried eyes. Alyssa however just stared at Triska with a dull expression as the apple continued to hover in front of her.

“I use my sword to protect Daniel, to keep monsters from taking him away! I pointed it at you when you stole him from me! I would have pointed it at the ant girls back then because they kidnapped him from us! I attacked that succubus to save your ungrateful life when you were being strangled! And I struck down the nightmare in my dreams with my sword! I haven’t had to aim it at Specca; she never tried to steal Daniel away!” Triska yelled out. Daniel at this point was glancing back to her with a worried eye while Specca had scooted further away from the loud teen.

“Triska, no swordplay in the cabin, you know the rules,” Specca reminded nervously. Triska growled while keeping her blade aimed at Alyssa still.

“You want me to apologize for trying to keep him safe? You want me to say I’m sorry for fearing that he was going to be raped and killed earlier? I’m out here to protect him, I love him more than anything, and I’ll be damned if I let his quest come to an early end because of some lustful creature he comes across!” the teen shouted out. Alyssa merely waved her finger up, causing the spinning apple to float over to the blade and push against it, carving the fruit into a spiral while Triska narrowed her eyes at the witch.

“The only thing that stupid sword of yours is good for is cutting up our food,” Alyssa mocked before a piece of her sliced apple floated over into her mouth, the witch chewing it casually as the rest of the apple hovered over into her hand.

“Again, put your sword away, Triska, right now,” Specca insisted. Alyssa leaned back against a pillow and watched Triska with a raised eyebrow while eating her apple casually.

“You can’t threaten me with that piece of metal,” she said simply.

With a furious yell Triska thrust her sword forward in the blink of an eye, striking the blade into the wall of the cabin with a sharp strike. Alyssa twitched on reflex as her hand jerked, dropping the sliced apple onto the floor as Specca and Squeak stared at the sight with wide eyes.

“Alyssa!” Daniel called out as he turned to see Triska’s sword struck into the wall next to the witch’s head, with Alyssa staring at Triska with wide eyes while the blade had grazed her cheek. A small trickle of blood dripped from the cut onto the steel as Triska glared at Alyssa with anger.

“I’ve had it with you criticizing me at every turn, I’ve had it, Alyssa!” Triska yelled out. Alyssa slowly lifted a hand up to her chin as she felt blood dripping off it, the witch glancing to the blade in the wall next to her then to Triska with shock.

“Lucky, stop!” Daniel shouted out as he snapped the reins. The horse neighed and started slowing down as Daniel entered the cabin and stared with surprise at the sight.

“You… you…” Alyssa stuttered before glaring at Triska with anger, her purple eyes giving off a soft bloom as she clenched her fists.

“Triska, what is wrong with you?” Specca cried out.

“All you ever do is say my sword is stupid, that I’m stupid. Well guess what, this stupid piece of metal could have killed you just now if I hadn’t aimed it to the side of your head! I don’t care if it’s a witch, a Darker One, or whatever, if any monster tries to take Daniel away you can be damned sure they’re going to be answering to my blade, you got that?” Triska yelled out.

Alyssa growled with anger as she prepared to throw Triska out of the caravan again before Daniel grabbed Triska’s hand and blade and yanked it away from Alyssa, the boy holding Triska by the arm with a stern expression.

“Drop it, now!” he yelled out.

“But, but, Daniel-” Triska started before the boy shook her hand and his head.

“I said drop it now, Triska!” he yelled out. The girl stared at him with surprise then let go of the sword, the blade dropping to the floor with a clank as Alyssa held a hand to her cheek and cringed.

“Ah, that stings,” she whined. Triska glanced to her then to Daniel as the boy was watching her with a stern expression.

“Triska, you just broke three rules in one go. You used your sword while inside the caravan, you threatened our friend with it, and then you hurt our friend with it,” he scolded firmly.

“But, Daniel, she’s always-” Triska started before he grabbed her sheath and pulled it up off of her, the girl watching with surprise as he took her blade and slid it back into the sheath before pointing to Alyssa, the witch glaring at Triska while holding a hand to her bloodied cheek.

“Apologize to her right now,” he demanded.

“What? But, Daniel…” Triska pleaded while shaking her head.

“Right now!” Daniel repeated. Triska looked at him with growing concern then to Alyssa, the witch flinching with a scowl at the teen.

“I… I’m sorry, Alyssa,” Triska said softly. Daniel then glanced to Alyssa with a stern expression still.

“Alyssa, you too, apologize to her,” he ordered.

“What? But she was the one who broke the rules and hurt me,” Alyssa whined.

“You were the one heckling her, that cut came from you pushing Triska into a fight,” Daniel stated.

“But… Daniel,” Alyssa whined with an innocent frown.

“Alyssa,” Daniel repeated sternly. Alyssa glanced to Triska then to the floor with a pout.

“Fine, I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“To her, not the floor,” Daniel ordered. Alyssa flinched then slowly looked to Triska, the teen watching her with a dull glare.

“Sorry,” she said quietly. Daniel shook his head then looked to Triska with discontent, the girl watching him with worried eyes as she could tell he was really angry with her. Alyssa flinched again from her cheek hurting before Squeak gently pulled the witch over to her, with Alyssa then watching as the ant girl held her in her lap. Squeak gently turned Alyssa’s head to the side and started licking the witch’s cut, with Alyssa feeling her mind going numb in waves as the euphoric sensation of the ant girl’s saliva rippled across her face.

“Squeak…” she said softly before collapsing in Squeak’s arms, the ant girl holding her carefully as she licked and cleaned up the girl’s wound with quiet squeaks.

Daniel glanced to seeing Squeak taking care of Alyssa then held Triska’s sword out to Specca.

“Specca, hold onto this for me,” he asked, with Specca nodding and reaching out to take it.

“What? Wait a minute, why does she get my sword?” Triska asked shaking her head.

“Because you’re done with it for the night,” Daniel scolded her. Triska looked at him with a stunned expression then to Specca as the nixie took hold of the blade. Specca set it down beside her with her tail wrapping around it, the girl then glancing to Triska as she adjusted her glasses.

“I warned you, those are the rules,” she reminded. Triska stared at her with disbelief then looked to Daniel as the boy was shaking his head at her.

“You’ll get it back tomorrow, until then hands off, you’ve lost the right to hold it today after you attacked Alyssa like that,” he lectured firmly. Triska opened her mouth to protest before the boy pointed to her.

“If you argue with this or try to take it back before tomorrow, then you can skip your ‘turn’ tonight,” he added. Triska gasped then shook her head quickly.

“Wait, please don’t say that, I’m sorry, really, it won’t happen again,” she pleaded.