Sexy Warriors, Episode 13

Velpanie looked up in fear at four thuggish men staring down at her.  They had the most evil smiles on their faces.  This was not good.  "W-what are you go to do to me?"

"Heh, heh," one of the men laughed.  "I don't know.  We might rob ya.  We might kill ya.  We might...heh, heh, heh."

"N-n-no," Velpanie whimpered.  She was so scared she couldn't move.  "Someone...please help me..."

"Heh, ain't no one gonna help ya out here," one of the men said.  "Ain't nowhere to run.  Ain't nowhere to hide.  Ain't nothing ya can do.  We're gonna have a lot of fun with you."

She still couldn't move.  Try as she might, her body simply wouldn't respond.  "Is this the end?  No...I don't want to die."

"Back away from the girl while you have the chance," a female voice warned.

Velpanie knew that voice.  Hope welled up inside of her and erupted as looked back and she cried out, "Shallista!"

There she stood, her red-hair savior, flanked by two women.  One of the women was hay-haired and had a loaded bow trained on one of the men.  The other was a curvy black-hair goddess of a woman with a staff.  They all looked, "So cool..."

One of the men whistled.  "Ooh-we, we done hit the jackpot tonight.  Get a load of that redhead."

"That black-haired one is a tall drink of water," another man said.

Yet another of the men said, "That one with the bow has pretty eyes."

"Admire us all you want," Shallista said, "but you will let the girl go."

"Or maybe we could beat the crap out of you and have all four of you for dessert," one of the men said.

"Very well," Shallista said.  "Velpanie, close your eyes."

She did so.  The next thing she knew, there was a bright flash of light.  After that, she heard men screaming and butt getting kicked.

About a minute later the light dimmed and Shallista said, "You can open your eyes now."

She did so.  The men were all knocked out and Shallista was standing tall.  She felt her heart skip a beat.  "Shallista…"

The woman with the staff walked over to her and knelt down.  "I'm a light wizard.  Do you need healing?"

Her heart skipped another beat as their eyes met.  "I-I'm fine  H-how did you find me?"

Shallista gestured to the woman with the bow.  "Cordelia's eyes are the best.  Even in total darkness, she can see for miles.  She deserves all the thanks here.  If not for her, we might not have found you until morning."

Velpanie shuddered at the thought of not being found for so long.  What condition would she have been in?  Would she have even survived that long?  She shook her head and the thought along with it.  She had been saved.  That's all that mattered right now.  "Thank you, Miss Cordelia."

"Just Cordelia is fine," Cordelia said.

She turned her attention back to the woman with the staff.  "And you are?"

"I'm Wendy."

Velpanie looked her over.  "Wendy, huh?  Mind if I call you Double Stack instead?"

"Double Stack?" Wendy asked.  "Why do I get the feeling a hamburger restaurant chain somewhere in the universe is filing a lawsuit right now?"

"Okay, that's enough of that," Shallista said.  "Let's hurry and get you home."

All the energy drained out of Velpanie's body.  "No..."

"What?" Shallista asked.  "Why not?"

"She's going to yell at me again.  She might even hit me."

Shallista shook her head.  "I don't believe that will be the case.  She's worried about you.  So worried that she begged me to rescue you...after punching me in the face and calling me a slut."

"That should be the proof that she will do again," Velpanie said.  "I'll never go back.  Take me to the next village.  I'll start a new life there."

"That is insanity," Shallista said.  "That's not how a child should be living.  And if I did something like that, it would make my guild look bad.  There's no way I can return without you in tow."

Velpanie was silent for a moment.  "I'll return if you let me join your guild."

Shallista shook her head.  "This isn't a negotiation."

Velpanie grumbled.  "Fine, I'll get there on my own."

"Yeah, because you were doing such a good job of that before we got here," Shallista said sarcastically.  "Stop arguing and come along, child."

Velpanie felt her heart break.  "I can't believe I actually looked up to you.  You make me want to vomit."

Cordelia and Wendy gasped as Shallista grumbled and headed her way.  "Milady..." Wendy said.

Shallista walked right over, knelt down, put a hand on her shoulder, and...smiled.  "It's going to be okay.  She won't hurt you again.  You can trust me."

This woman's smile was comforting.  She felt like she could trust her.  "O-okay."

With that, they all stood and headed back.

*

Shallista and the others returned to the guild hall to see the mother sitting there.  She looked anxious until she saw them.

"Velpanie!" she said, jumping out of her seat, running over and embracing the girl.  "My precious daughter.  I'm sorry.  I'll never do it again."

Velpanie returned her embrace.  "I...I...mom!"

Shallista and her guildmates were about to leave them so they could have a private moment.

Then, the mother looked at her with tears in her eyes and said.  "Thank you, Sexy Warriors.  I'll never forget this.  How much do I owe you?"

"Just make sure you don't forget your promise and we'll call it even," Shallista said.

The mother nodded.

*

Shallista was headed up to the front of her building to finish painting over the negative words someone painted there yesterday.  Upon getting there, however, she saw someone had already done it.  She also saw Velpanie right in front of the door, sleeping with a paintbrush in her hand.  It was a cute scene, but she couldn't just let her stay like that.  She clapped and said, "Wake up!"

Velpanie shot up, startled.  "Oh, hey, Shallista."  She stretched and yawned.

"Why are you here?" Shallista asked.  "Your mother said to stay away."

"Yeah...she let up a little after what went down last night," Velpanie answered.  "So I decided to come back and finish the paint job."

Shallista looked her work over.  "It's well done.  I suppose thanks is in order."

"So you'll let me join your guild?"

"No," Shallista said.

A look of absolute shock came across the girl's face.  "What?  But I stayed up all night to get this done."

Shallista shook her head.  "It wouldn't matter if you saved one of our lives, I'm not letting a kid join my guild.  Have you forgotten that talk we had?"

"I haven't, but after last night, I knew beyond any doubt that I want to be one of you.  I saw first hand what it really means to be a Sexy Warrior.  Please, make an exception just this once."

"I'm not changing my mind on who I'll let join my guild" Shallista said.  "I will, however treat you to breakfast.  What'll you have?"

Velpanie was silent for a moment.  Then, she said, "I'm going to train hard for the next two years.  I'm going to train so hard that I'll be even better than you.  Then, you'll be begging me to join your guild."

Shallista smiled.  "Is that so?  I look forward to seeing how far you'll progress."