The Island of Wonder

Nicole stood on the beach. The morning was slightly cold but at least not windy—perfect for throwing things. Currently, she held a pair of sleek knives and spikes in one hand, throwing them one by one at a wooden dummy approximately three meters in front of her. Nicole had taken some time to ask Tora about details and general information on the topic, but in the end decided she simply had to try many things herself.

When her hands got empty, Nicole headed out to gather the weapons. Only two projectiles had hit the target good enough—a spike and a thin needle. The others she had to pick up from the sand. Damn, it’s way harder than I thought.Earlier, I only threw things during fights, and I guess adrenaline helped back then. But it’s not constant or reliable enough.

She looked at what she had on hand. Shurikens and chakrams suck ass.They feel the hardest to master. After some more throwing, Nicole nodded. Even when she could hit, neither of those two seemed to have enough effectiveness or damage. Yep, fuck these. She absorbed them back and made a knife and more needles.

Over the span of the next hours, she tested different throwing techniques and angles to see what worked and what didn’t. By the time Nicole’s arm was aching and her fingers were cut here and there, she came to the decision to continue training with spikes and needles only, as those were the ones she could hit most consistently. The bad thing is, Soi said there was no one in the village who was really good at throwing weapons. Most of those who reached the second tier of their ability went into the elemental path. Even Vyrik, who I remember having throwable claws, is said to rarely use them and instead stick to his bow and arrows. Ugh.

With nothing else to do, Nicole continued trying to master her ranged weapons. I should get at least some skill and consistency with my hits before I start training Mignon.

After some time, she saw a Bee Tribe man approaching her. He was tall and muscular beneath his armor and clothes. Nicole noticed he had two large double-sided axes on his back—and four arms surprisingly. A guard? What does he want from me? "Hello. Master Jathun asks you to come see him." The man stated in an even, calm voice.

"For what?" Nicole asked cautiously. Did they find the destroyed beehive in the forest and suspect me? Or is it because of the gems? I absorbed them—they have no way of proving it was me.

"I don’t know. He didn’t specify."

"Alright, fine." Let’s see what he wants from me.

Jathun was standing next to his caravan. As Nicole approached, the older man turned to her and nodded to the guard, who stepped aside with a bow.

"Thank you for coming, Nicole," he began. "I will be brief. After some thought, I came to the conclusion that you are an interesting person—interesting enough to be considered a potentially strong ally. So I would like to give you a unique opportunity to come with me to the Mother Hive and meet our Queen. I am convinced that both our tribe and you could find this partnership highly beneficial."

WHAT?! Meet their queen…I could strike the deal of the century with her. And if I get on their good side, having a good relationship with a tribal leader could be insanely helpful. She might even have information about Annie…

Nicole fake-coughed to hide her surprise. "Hm, that’s an interesting proposition. But what’s in it for you? The Hive and I may benefit, yes, but not you. You’re a merchant, after all—not a charity. A little strange that you want to help me without getting anything."

He smiled. "Oh, don’t worry about that. We bees always try to help our tribe. And do you really think the Queen would leave me with nothing afterward? I may be rewarded if you two get along well enough. And then, you may need a merchant with connections all around the island, right?"

Since he sees me as a potentially strong ally, he wants me working with him and not other merchants. "Alright, then. But only if you don’t mind my friends coming with me. And when are we leaving?"

"As long as you don’t plan on bringing the whole village with you, I don’t see why I should stop your companions. We will leave tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow?! Ugh, fine… If that’s all, I have to go."

Nicole returned to her hut and initially planned to wait for Soi to come talk about the upcoming trip, but realized she could visit Iloe in the meantime. She quickly headed to the catgirl’s home.

Nicole stopped in front of the door. I wonder what her decision will be. She knocked. Iloe opened it quickly. Her eyes looked tired, her hair was messy, and her tail hung low, barely moving.

"Oh hey, Nicole. You know you could’ve just come in? Friends don’t need to knock." She said before stepping aside and heading toward the main table, which was even more chaotic than usual.

Nicole stepped inside. Friends? Is that her choice? "What are you working on?"

Iloe sat slouched in her chair, elbows on the table, hands holding her head. "The same old cure for my mother. Same as before." She sighed, her cat ears flopping. "I’m trying to stay positive, but it still feels like I’m not doing enough."

Nicole patted her on the back. "Do you at least sleep? You can’t go on without that."

Iloe’s head dropped onto the table with a thud. "How am I supposed to rest when I have to save my mother?" She straightened up. "But why are you here?"

Fuck, what am I supposed to do now? "Well, first of all, I was wondering if you’ve decided about our… situation. You know what I mean. I don’t want to force it, but there’s a reason I need your answer soon."

"A—a reason?" Iloe licked her lips and swallowed hard. "Nicole, listen. I—I don’t know. What if my feelings end up harming you or someone else? But on the other hand, I really want to be with you…" Her gaze dropped to the floor.

"You still haven’t decided? Okay. Let me help you." Nicole grabbed Iloe by the arm and pulled her to her feet. She held her close, their bodies pressed together, faces inches apart. Then she kissed Iloe hard, her tongue slipping effortlessly into a willing mouth. After a few seconds, Nicole pulled back. "Do you want this to happen again? Then tomorrow morning, come to the Voru’kai caravan before it leaves the village." She turned and left, leaving Iloe stunned.

This may be selfish, but I don’t want her to leave my side. And I feel like if she stays alone and fails to cure her mother, she might lose the will to live entirely. With me, she’ll be safer. Nicole tried to justify manipulating her friend, silencing the whisper of guilt in the back of her mind.

Back home, Soi and Merik were chatting when Nicole entered. "Oh, good. I won’t have to look for you," she said. "I have something to say to both of you anyway." She nodded at Merik and sat down. "But first come on—you promised to tell me more about the other human on the island."

Merik pulled a small stack of blue papers from his pocket and straightened them. "About three weeks ago, when the caravan and I were visiting a village belonging to the Wolf Tribe, some hunters told me about something they saw. A strange girl was running wildly through the forest, chased by several Zanokai men. It happened on Pig Tribe territory. The girl had no ears, tail, or other traits indicating her tribe. The hunters didn’t intervene to avoid starting a conflict."

Nicole’s eyes widened and her pulse quickened. Was that Annie? "Did they say what she looked like?"

Merik shuffled through the papers. "Here." He read aloud. "Rather tall, pale skin, long black hair, small chest. Sorry—that’s all they noted."

Oh fuck. The thought lodged itself in Nicole’s mind. She bit her lip until it bled, holding back panic. And what then?Please—if any deity exists in this world—let her be safe. She swallowed hard, harder than ever before. "O-okay. Now tell me more about the Pig Tribe. If they caught her… what are the chances she survived?"

"That depends on why they chased her, but…" He sighed. "Zanokai are not a welcoming tribe. They’re usually avoided due to their barbaric and wild behavior. They sometimes attack caravans or travelers and kidnap people from other tribes. Men are enslaved for labor, and women…" He paused. "Women are usually nothing more than breeding stock. I’m sorry—I don’t want to give you false hope."

Nicole leaned back in her chair. "It’s alright. There’s no point clinging to comforting lies. But that doesn’t mean I won’t do anything about it."

Soi’s brow rose. "What do you mean? Don’t tell me you plan on attacking their village. The two of us don’t stand a chance!" Her tail swished nervously.

Nicole smirked as a plan formed in her mind. "Of course not. At least, not as long as we’re just two. The issue is strength, not impossibility, right?"

"What do you have in mind?" Merik asked cautiously.

"Hehe. What if I told you I’m going to meet the ruler of the Voru’kai Tribe? Transported straight there by caravan, too!" She grinned at their stunned expressions.