Monster Girls Book 1: A Tale of Tails!

Chapter 164: Uphill Battle!

KA-BOOM!

The combined blast sent out chunks of soil into the air, the shockwave sending the elves back against the carriage. The wagon itself was knocked back several feet, the horses lifting their heads, eyes wide and frantic as they neighed loudly and shook their heads left and right. Janette managed to slip aboard the carriage in time, yet the impact threw her against the other door, knocking it off its hinges as she clung at the seats to stay inside. 

Two of the Rangers slid to the ground, dazed from the sudden impact, their weapons nowhere to be found. The third member was sent ten feet back, crashing into the trunk of a nearby tree. Felix glanced around, realizing that the explosion cleared some of the fog away. One of the two Rangers slipped his hood back, revealing his dirty brown hair tied back and his pointed ears. Plucking the mask off his face, he folded over, gasping to fill his lungs with air. He staggered to his feet, hand resting on the passenger door to balance himself before he yanked the door open and settled his glare on Janette. 

"HAAA!" Felix cried out, lunging forward and planting his knee into the Wild Elf's side. 

Nyitzcha made a run for the carriage, alarmed by how panicked her horses grew from the blast. Jumping over the fallen Ranger, she approached the two horses and tried to comfort them, only they were having none of it. They stood up on their hind legs, kicked their hooves and dragged the carriage with them as they raced forward toward the ravine!

"Oh no you don't!" She grounded her teeth, her small fist grabbing at the harness before being yanked off her feet. Felix watched helplessly as Janette reached out for him, pleading for her life as she watched him slip away. 

"FELLLLIIIIX!!!!" She yelled out, turning around and seeing them head directly for the ravine. Her pupils shrank and she felt her heart at her throat, digging her fingernails into the doorframe. 

Unbeknownst to her, her dwarven friend managed to make it at the front bench and grab hold of the reins. Wrapping them around her forearms, she turned her body to the right and threw her weight back, eyes flared as a vein throbbed on her forehead, seeming red-faced. What strength she had was enough to steer the horses to the right, with Janette feeling her body being pushed forward by the change of force. The carriage slid back, digging its wheels into the dirt and skating at the edge with her facing over the drop, her screams echoing throughout. The horses made the turn, but still panicked, they set out and ran into the forest this time, stomping their hooves as they began to climb up hill. 

Felix tried running after them when an arrow zoomed by, dropping him. He rolled around, realizing he wasn't hit and watching as his female assailant threw her hood back and aimed a poisoned arrow at him. 

Fwoo!

He kicked his feet up, spotting the arrow aim for his gullet when a blur rolled by and caught it. Reta rolled to her feet, standing upright and revealing the green-tainted arrow clenched in her fist before casually tossing it over her shoulder. The female elf glared back, dropping her bow and retrieving two curved daggers off her belt. Both fighters clashed with Reta grabbing the Ranger by her wrists, twisting her hip and tossing her headfirst into the dirt. The elf rolled around, keeping a dagger in hand only to see Reta kept the other. 

Now the pair were on even grounds. 

"Reta!" Felix called out to her, "The others!" 

Back at the carriage, Nyitzcha was shaking her head as the horses forced them up the hill despite her pleas. The carriage squeezed between two dense moss-ridden trees, its rough bark scratching at the wheels as it struggled to heave through. The wounded Elf, the third one sent back, had recovered enough to spot them making their escape. He yelped and held his arm, folding over from the pain. But once he heard Janettes cries for help, he ran towards them, grabbed his dagger, and jumped onto the backside, stabbing his knife into their bags to keep himself anchored on. 

Reta noticed and faced forward in time as the elf woman swung at her neck. She jumped back to dodge the attack, just as the Ranger kicked forward another step and swung her dagger to her stomach. 

Chink! 

She angled her own dagger to parry the blow, meeting the Ranger with a palm strike to her face. It hit, knocking her to the ground with a bruised cheek as Reta abandoned their fight. She hurried after Felix, both of them struggling to keep pace with the carriage due to the rough terrain. Felix stumbled back, gasping and looking around, acting quickly when he spotted the other male elf climbing up the vines and onto a branch before hopping from one tree onto the next. 

Reta watched this man make a grab for the vine and clumsily make his way up, something she wasn't prepared to see. It was obvious he was new to this, but his persistence and grip was enough to carry him toward the branch with Reta right on his tail. They kept an eye out, following this Elf as he hopped from one branch onto the other like if nature was his playground. Felix jumped onto a near branch, swinging his arms out to keep himself balanced. His instincts kicked in as he composed himself, feeling a tickle surge through his body when he jumped onto the next branch. 

"Whoa-oh!" He shouted, his feet sliding off the moss as he fell over. 

"Uhn-mph!" Reta fell over, keeping one arm over the branch and the other catching Felix's hand in time, saving him from the fall. Though his weight left a burning sensation creep up on her bicep as she grew red-faced trying to hold him. 

She gestured for a nearby branch for him to grab hold of, just out of arms reach. He picked up on this as she bit her lip and managed to swing him closer to it by a foot, just enough for him to let go and dig his claws into the wood. Kicking his boots off, he swung his feet over and managed to climb upon the branch, pausing briefly to acknowledge that his nails had turned into claws in the heat of the moment. 

"Hurry!" Reta reminded him, "Before we lose sight of them!" 

"Right!" He called out, both of them managing to hop over to the neighboring trees while listening to Janette's cries to guide them. 

Back at the carriage, Nyitzcha continuously pulled the reins back, urging for the horses to stop in their tracks, but they didn't listen. They pushed through low hanging vines and thorny bushes, splashing through puddles and barreling into mud. The further they went into the forest, the more damage their carriage took from impact.

Janette clung over the edge, keeping herself inside the passenger cart with just her arms and head poking out to scream at her friend. "Nyitzcha do something!" 

"Hold yer horses," She sneered, digging into her pouch. "I got me an idea. Hya!"

She hurled a fistful of beads to the left side, then aimed her hand over and snapped her fingers. "Ignis!" 

Boom!

The horses whined and turned the opposite side, still creeping up the hillside.

"D'at didn't work." She muttered in disappointment, much to her friend's annoyance. 

Janette rolled her eyes, looking behind her in time to spot the other elf climbing over the roof of their carriage. "AAAAAHHHHH!!"

Nyitzcha looked back and tossed a single bead over at him. "Ignis!" 

The elf caught the little marble, staring at her when a spark shot from her fingertips. His eyes widened as he dropped the marble in time, slipping between his legs and igniting into an explosion just at the rear of their vehicle, setting their bags on fire. He fell forward, keeping himself aboard with just a few parts of his gear left singed from the blast. 

"Ah crud." The dwarf muttered, watching as this man approached her with a dagger in hand. She dug around her belt, realizing she brought just her powder with her and no weapon around. The carriage came to an abrupt stop, a raised vine clinging onto the rear wheel preventing them from climbing further. The sudden stop flung them both back, with the dwarf falling atop the carriage and the elf flung overboard, rolling into the dirt. 

Felix and Reta managed to spot them further ahead, but not before the elf they were following had arrived first. He was looming over their carriage, gazing for his advantage point before grabbing a makeshift whistle and blowing into it. 

Twwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

It sung like a cry from a bird, echoing through the woods and leaving the two stunned. Felix had a feeling what that meant, his heart sinking as a few whistles sung further up the mountain, answering his fears. He and Reta hurried as fast as they could, sometimes stopping to keep their balance before parkouring over to the next tree. Reta jumped forward and missed, slamming into the tree instead and sliding down before landing into the lower branch. The impact hurt, leaving a few scrapes on the side of her face and tearing at her clothes a bit. 

"Reta, need help?" Felix called out to her. 

"I'm fine, now go!" She hissed, jumping up and latching onto the branch she had missed before. He nodded and hopped over, sprinting down the branch and catching the elf by surprise as he tackled him down. The pair fell over, crashing through the roof of the carriage and shocking the life out of Janette. Their crash was enough to force the wheel to rip the vine off, freeing the carriage once more. She threw herself back against the bench as the elf picked Felix up and slammed him onto the set beside her, raising his fist and throwing a punch. But Felix caught his hand, recovering in time to shove his foot onto the elf's chest and kick him away. 

"Hey," He panted, turning to his worried friend with half his face scratched and bruised. "Doing well?"

"Are you insane!?" She cried out, jumping back as the elf swooped in and struck him in the chin. 

By this point, Reta managed to catch up to them, perched atop a high branch. She looked back, seeing the wounded elf recovering behind the carriage while Felix struggled with the other man inside. 

Fwoo!

She swung her fist in a swipe, knocking the arrow away from her face. It was the woman she fought before, she had managed to trail behind them on the trees with her bow in hand, reaching for her quiver and readying another arrow at her. Acting fast, Reta planted her back against the tree for cover as another arrow whistled past her ear. Looking down, she saw the carriage began to move forward again and realized this was her last chance to make it. Feeling her hand was forced, she ran across the branch and dove forward, hearing an arrow zoom behind her as she grabbed a vine in mid-air, swinging forward and landing atop the front bench beside the dwarf. 

"Oy!" Nyitzcha cheered out, having watched the whole thing. "Nice!" 

Their carriage pulled forward again, leaving the two elves behind. The archer dropped down to tend to her wounded friend, both of them watching the carriage flee uphill. 

Felix looked back, watching the distance grow further before turning his attention onto the last remaining elf they had aboard. The two held hands, competing to shove the other off the carriage first. Felix winced as a sting of pain flashed through his shoulder, a lingering reminder of the knife he took into his arm weeks before. That scar resonated with a pulsating pain, forcing him to buckle under the elf. His attacker took notice, freeing his hand and punching at Felix's shoulder. 

"Argh!" He grunted, falling back and clutching his arm. Looking up, he saw that not only were they moving up the forest, but he spotted shapes following them. Reta pulled the elf back by his ear, forcing his attention onto her instead. It allowed Felix the moment to look around, realizing those shapes were somewhat familiar. He squinted his eyes, hoping he could make out what was following them. They resembled those same Rangers answering the cry for help. 

"Oy, guys!" Nyitzcha cried out, staring at the carriage shafts begin to tear apart. "We go a problem!" 

"Fix it!" Reta shouted, parrying the Elf's attacks. He swung at her head; she ducked below and landed a blow to his chest. He retaliated with a swing from his bow toward her feet, tripping her down. Now he stood over, using his bow to pin her down. She reached out and covered his eyes with her hand. Her fingers traced around, squeezing onto his long brown hair and pulling back. He wouldn't budge, gritting his teeth through the pain when to their surprise, Janette planted her satchel over his head and pulled back hard. 

He was blinded, unable to breath and fishing for the dagger on his belt. It gave Reta the breathing room to launch him back with both feet, knocking him beside Felix. The two men traded looks as the elf rolled his eyes, then swung his elbow toward Felix's face. He caught it in time, but the fighting stopped when they heard a sudden roar off to the side. 

Everyone looked to their right as a large Bear came rushing through the forest straight for them!

"Nukka!" The elf cried out with a wide smile, though it began to fade as he saw the bear didn't slow down. "No-no-no wait, it's me-!"

The bear slammed its weight against the carriage side, sending them sliding left. The blow was enough to split the shafts, freeing the horses as the carriage veered off, spinning around. Reta was thrown off to the side, her friends trapped in the carriage alongside that elf. She watched as the wheels began to rotate back, the carriage now sliding downhill, bouncing off a tree trunk and scurrying left. Felix, Janette and Nyitzcha held on, screaming loudly as the carriage slid down before wrapping around another tree, sending everyone flying. 

Felix reached out to grab Janette when he bounced off a trunk, rolling onto the ground. Janette clung onto her book in her arms, landing into some bushes. Nyitzcha stuck to the carriage remains, keeping herself on the detached front bench with just a few scratches around her arms and face. Janette was the first to open her eyes, sitting up and panting loudly. 

"We're alive?" Her smile stretched across her bruised face, throwing her hands in the air. "We're alive!!!" 

She drew her hands back down in the blink of an eye as several Rangers surrounded her with bows in hand. "I-I take it back, we're dead." 

Felix opened his eyes, unable to feel his arm. Rubbing his eyes, he turned and realized he couldn't move his arm either, inspecting himself to see that his arm was still attached. 

Well, partially. A shattering pain shot across as he sat up, yelling out in pain. A female Ranger landed nearby, putting her bow aside and holding his lifeless hand up. 

"Dislocated." She explained, instructing another Ranger to hold him still. Felix glanced up as the same elf he was fighting earlier knelt before him, shoving a piece of bark into his mouth. 

"Bite." He instructed him, his pretty boy face offering a sincere smile behind those teal blue eyes of his. "This is going to hurt so brace yourself."

The other Ranger planted a hand on his shoulder, raised his arm, and-

POP!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" 

The pain was enough for him to roll his eyes back, passing out in their arms.