45th of Searing, 120
The road was long, incomplete, and covered in dangers of all kinds. More than once on their journey had the trio encountered some beast that needed to be dispatched before they could proceed. Khan had made her buy a weapon; a large two-handed ax, but she had yet to use it on any of the creatures she faced... or used it at all. Every time they encountered an enemy, Khan would have to step in with his longsword, despite only having one arm, then dispatch it himself.
Pacheco and Magna were virtually useless in combat, but Pacheco had at least carried the small Rathari as far as Loras... Almost. Furthermore, Maga new of the various wild berries she could eat in the wilderness, and that was helpful for the chameleon, too. With her limited survival skills, they managed to cut back on ration usage between towns. They were still empty-handed going into Loras, but had saved some money. Both of them had their uses outside of combat, but even Pacheco needed to be able to handle himself in a fight in the harsh wilds of Atinaw.
The day was fair; few clouds and plenty of breezes to break the scorching heat of the searing sun. It allowed them to travel further without stopping for water, but even so, Magna was tired, and so was Pacheco.
It didn't help that Khan had been giving her exercises to complete whenever they stopped to rest. All of them focused her arms, so she wasn't burning her strained legs. But that still drained the energy she sought to keep and shredded her body fat. She'd lost a lot of weight on the trip as a result of Khan's efforts.
Part of him felt cruel to subject the giantess to such strenuous activities while traveling, but he knew it was for the best. She needed to be stronger.
Magna, however, knew naught of the expectations of strength in Atinaw. All she knew was that Khan had taken it upon himself to show her some exercises and that she'd become a lot more toned, lighter as a result. She didn't mind, but sometimes the little lizard was bossy and upset her to some degree. Especially considering that they were walking thirty miles a day on top of everything else.
It didn't matter though, Khan had told her that the next village was close and that she would be allowed to rest a day there before proceeding elsewhere. Because of that, the fur-dressed giant was eager to move on and complete the journey, but Khan called her to stop. With a sigh, she slowed to halt on her weary feet, and Pacheco did the same with his worn hooves. She'd have to get him new shoes, soon.
"Whyyyyyyy..." She whined in Vithmi.
"I hear something," returned the lizard in the same tongue.
Magna simply furrowed her brow, then dropped to sit on the floor where she was. "Like what? Breeze?"
"A breeze*, and no." Corrected the lizard. "Just, wait here a moment," instructed the chameleon as he dismounted the horse and used his one arm to hook the saddle as a pivot before he dropped to his feet. "Actually-" he added with a grunt. "Why don't you do some sit-ups until I get back? You haven't worked your core since yesterday."
Magna cried in pain, a pitiful wail of laziness and exhaustion. "Okay, I will," she spoke regardless, then got into the position a short distance from Pacheco. As Khan wandered off into the woods on the side of the road, Magna lowered to her back with her knees pressed together and bent at a ninety-degree angle, then lifted her upper body with her hips as the sole hinge of movement. "One-" she grunted, then lowered and lifted again. "Two-."
While Magna worked, Khan closed in on the sounds of clashing metal and masculine grunts. There were two of them, from the sounds of things. By the time the one-armed chameleon broke the tree line, the two were probably already aware of his presence. He was dressed in chain mail with a few plates on her shoulder and chest and carried a sword at his hip. "Friends!" Called the lizard in common, then repeated in Vithmi as he waved to the older and younger man alike.
Whichever language the two replied in would be what he spoke the rest of his sentence in. "I have a favor to ask. I've made friends with an outsider, and she can't grasp our customs in Atinaw, namely the need to be able to handle one's self in combat." He pointed with his stump arm, which was just a few inches from his shoulder in length, to the forest he'd just emerged from. "If one of you could attack her, rough her up a bit without permanently wounding her or worse, I'd be grateful."
Despite his forwardness, Khan wasn't dull. He understood that such a request was strange. "I just want to scare her, help her realize the dangers of Atinaw. A few cuts and bruises should do the trick. Would you help me?"
The road was long, incomplete, and covered in dangers of all kinds. More than once on their journey had the trio encountered some beast that needed to be dispatched before they could proceed. Khan had made her buy a weapon; a large two-handed ax, but she had yet to use it on any of the creatures she faced... or used it at all. Every time they encountered an enemy, Khan would have to step in with his longsword, despite only having one arm, then dispatch it himself.
Pacheco and Magna were virtually useless in combat, but Pacheco had at least carried the small Rathari as far as Loras... Almost. Furthermore, Maga new of the various wild berries she could eat in the wilderness, and that was helpful for the chameleon, too. With her limited survival skills, they managed to cut back on ration usage between towns. They were still empty-handed going into Loras, but had saved some money. Both of them had their uses outside of combat, but even Pacheco needed to be able to handle himself in a fight in the harsh wilds of Atinaw.
The day was fair; few clouds and plenty of breezes to break the scorching heat of the searing sun. It allowed them to travel further without stopping for water, but even so, Magna was tired, and so was Pacheco.
It didn't help that Khan had been giving her exercises to complete whenever they stopped to rest. All of them focused her arms, so she wasn't burning her strained legs. But that still drained the energy she sought to keep and shredded her body fat. She'd lost a lot of weight on the trip as a result of Khan's efforts.
Part of him felt cruel to subject the giantess to such strenuous activities while traveling, but he knew it was for the best. She needed to be stronger.
Magna, however, knew naught of the expectations of strength in Atinaw. All she knew was that Khan had taken it upon himself to show her some exercises and that she'd become a lot more toned, lighter as a result. She didn't mind, but sometimes the little lizard was bossy and upset her to some degree. Especially considering that they were walking thirty miles a day on top of everything else.
It didn't matter though, Khan had told her that the next village was close and that she would be allowed to rest a day there before proceeding elsewhere. Because of that, the fur-dressed giant was eager to move on and complete the journey, but Khan called her to stop. With a sigh, she slowed to halt on her weary feet, and Pacheco did the same with his worn hooves. She'd have to get him new shoes, soon.
"Whyyyyyyy..." She whined in Vithmi.
"I hear something," returned the lizard in the same tongue.
Magna simply furrowed her brow, then dropped to sit on the floor where she was. "Like what? Breeze?"
"A breeze*, and no." Corrected the lizard. "Just, wait here a moment," instructed the chameleon as he dismounted the horse and used his one arm to hook the saddle as a pivot before he dropped to his feet. "Actually-" he added with a grunt. "Why don't you do some sit-ups until I get back? You haven't worked your core since yesterday."
Magna cried in pain, a pitiful wail of laziness and exhaustion. "Okay, I will," she spoke regardless, then got into the position a short distance from Pacheco. As Khan wandered off into the woods on the side of the road, Magna lowered to her back with her knees pressed together and bent at a ninety-degree angle, then lifted her upper body with her hips as the sole hinge of movement. "One-" she grunted, then lowered and lifted again. "Two-."
While Magna worked, Khan closed in on the sounds of clashing metal and masculine grunts. There were two of them, from the sounds of things. By the time the one-armed chameleon broke the tree line, the two were probably already aware of his presence. He was dressed in chain mail with a few plates on her shoulder and chest and carried a sword at his hip. "Friends!" Called the lizard in common, then repeated in Vithmi as he waved to the older and younger man alike.
Whichever language the two replied in would be what he spoke the rest of his sentence in. "I have a favor to ask. I've made friends with an outsider, and she can't grasp our customs in Atinaw, namely the need to be able to handle one's self in combat." He pointed with his stump arm, which was just a few inches from his shoulder in length, to the forest he'd just emerged from. "If one of you could attack her, rough her up a bit without permanently wounding her or worse, I'd be grateful."
Despite his forwardness, Khan wasn't dull. He understood that such a request was strange. "I just want to scare her, help her realize the dangers of Atinaw. A few cuts and bruises should do the trick. Would you help me?"
