Kativa, The Desert Rose Ranger – Ch. 1 by AverageInstinct

Kativa, The Desert Rose RangerCh. 1 – No Good Deed

…

“How goes the hunt Kativa?” An Innkeeper asked the patron who just entered his establishment. The patron was Kativa Swift, a young half-elf Ranger girl who had spent the last three months clearing bandits from the trade routes north of Shutaku, an isolated Merchant city located between viscous mountain range and even more viscous desert. The ranger had just gotten back from her third lone expedition out against them. The rest of the Inn’s patrons all looked at the girl with hush anticipation.

“Let’s just say the Ghanzan bandits will have to change their name soon.” Kativa answered, referring to her success in her latest expedition in pushing the bandits out of the Ghanzan Mountain Range.

“Hazaaah!” One of the patrons cheered and was soon joined by the rest of the inn. Kativa smiled and laughed, feeling a sense of warmth from the adoration.

“Thank God for Kadysia to send such a talented Ranger in our time of aid!” Another commented.

“And a real beauty too!” commented another with others agreeing. Kativa blushed. The patrons at the Inn were constantly giving the Ranger similar compliments. The half-elf was used to it. If most of the Inn wasn’t made up of traders, Kativa may have been a little uneasy, but it was mostly harmless traders. Most of the Inn was made up of traders who have been waiting for someone to help them with their plight of the Ghanzan bandits.

Kativa was sent by her country of Kadysia as a token of good faith and good will to the merchant city. Her skill and talent made up for the lack of numbers sent. It did not take long for Kativa to become a folkhero among the traders as she made progress against the bandits.

“Thank you friends! Thank you! Your support is what makes this possible” Kativa said emphatically to her admirers. They cheered.

“Kativa! The Desert Rose comes back Victorious once more!” A large man who had just walked into lobby from his private room in the back cheered, hands in the air. The man was Phillip Goldstone, one of the richest merchants in Talencia. Kativa did not like this man. To her, he epitomized the worst merchants had to offer. Fat, smug, and always scheming. A cost to and for anything.

“Mr. Goldstone!” Kativa said with feigned enthusiasm. As much as Kativa didn’t like the man, she did enjoy the payouts he gave for his contracts and quests. “Wild Delphi Way is bandit free, and should be clear for your wagons to move in the morning.” She explained to the mogul.

“Ah! Perfect! Outstanding work as always, your payment.” Mr. Goldstone replied, handing a bag of coin over to the young ranger girl. He leaned in and whispered into the girl’s ear, “Have you had thoughts about my earlier proposition?”

Kativa almost froze with disgust and anger. The fat rich merchant had referred to when he had proposed that Kativa sleep with him for double the payout. Kativa knew that she was quite the stunning little half-elf girl. Petite, tight, young body with a pretty face and dark red hair, and her Ranger Bern Uniform enhanced what were already assets. The tight dark brown jerkin hugged her perky B-cup tits perfectly while tantalizingly left her sexy midriff exposed. Tight light brown cloth pants that squeezed and highlighted her tight little round butt, not to mention how the pattern of the pants teased a lot of her long slender legs. Her heeled knee-high leather boots that made her ass just pop that much more. Kativa was quite the redhead. She knew she could capture the attention of a room, and she did at that inn.

Unlike most of her other admirers in the Inn, Mr. Goldstone was bold and unapologetic about his approach. He had wanted to fuck the little half-elf ranger since he had first seen her when she arrived to the city.

“I assure you Mr. Goldstone, my answer from before will remain the same.” Kativa replied to the scumbag merchant with a hint of snark and walked away from him to talk amongst the other patrons of the inn. Mr. Goldstone was left fuming and livid about being so coldly turned down.

Kativa continued to talk amongst the traders until midnight, she then made her way to her room and let herself rest after a long day of fighting bandits.

…

“You weren’t at the inn.” Kativa said to an older elven man sitting across from her in the small room she was in. She was in the Kadaysia Shutaku Embassy, though one wouldn’t be able to tell by the appearance of the building. The man she was talking to was Maus Silvermoon, the Kadasyian ambassador to Shutaku, and effectively, her boss. She had stopped by while she was on her way out to continue her campaign against the Ghanzan bandits. It was standard procedure that she went over her plans and strategies with him before stepping off. Maus Silvermoon was essentially Kativa’s only lifeline

“My apologies,” Maus replied with a grin on his face, “I didn’t think the Hero of Shutaku, Shutaku’s own Desert Rose Ranger, would have time for an old friend.” He teased.

“Oh hush. You were missed.” Kativa reassured him, “I could have used your help. That creep Goldstone was there again.” She told her one true confidant in the city. Maus felt a little bad when she told him, he knew what a creep the fat merchant could be.

“I’m sure you handled him.” He replied, “Plus there isn’t actually much I can do.”

“Yes, yes… ‘Your position is shit and you don’t have any actual power. Your job is to sit here and look pretty in this run down, piece of shit, building.’ Blah blah blah… Heard it all before” Kativa quoted him back at himself from all the times he had bitched and moaned about his job as an ambassador before.

There was a lot of truth in what Kativa mocked the ambassador for. The job was to essentially just exist, the appearance of good faith and good will, none of the resources. Before Kativa had arrived, Maus had accomplished virtually nothing because he couldn’t.

“Yeah. So you get it.” Maus said dryly in jest. “But I get it. I promise I’ll be there next time and make sure he leaves you alone.” Maus assured her, “Honestly, not a bad deal though. I’d take it if he gave me that deal.” He added, teasing the young half-elf. She rolled her eyes.

“He probably does have a deal like that for you.” Kativa joked, “I bet you’d like sucking his gross fat cock.” She teased. Maus frowned.

“Enough joking.” The older full-blooded elf replied, suddenly serious. Maus had felt as if the young half-elf girl had cross a line with him with the joke, disrespecting him in a sense. “Let’s go over your plans so you can get going.”

“Uh… Okay. Yeah.” Kativa murmured back, feeling uneasy with the sudden tension in the room. “Hey, uh, Mr. Silvermoon, sir, it was just a bad joke.” She said, trying to ease the tension.

“Yes yes, a bad joke, no worries.” Maus replied in a cool monotone voice, walking over to the table where Kativa usually laid her map out. Kativa walked over soon after and did exactly that.

The map was of the immediate area surrounding the city, focused on the various roads and routes used for training. Littered throughout the map were symbols representing the location of the various bandit camps that terrorized the traders of Shutaku. Most of the symbols had a X over them, showing that they had been taken care of. The information was based upon what the traders told her, other informants, her own reconnaissance, and activities in the area, and Maus’s own intelligence he had gathered over the years he had been there.

“This one.” Kativa said, pointing at the north most symbol, deep in Ghanzan bandit territory. It was one of four symbols that hadn’t been crossed out yet. “This is their last recorded supply camp. It supplies these three other camps. If I take this one out today, then these three will collapse. They’ll have to pull out.” The ranger girl explained, confident in her planning, hoping that the ambassador liked the plan to.

“Looks good. Simple plan but makes sense. I like it.” The ambassador commented as he scanned over the map a few more times. He was still uptight, but less so. “If I don’t hear from you by the time the sun comes back, I will go and search for you myself.”

“Ha. Ha.” Kativa gave a fake laugh, “I would hate for you to get up to leave your little palace here, so don’t worry sir, I’ll see you at the Inn tonight.” She teased, careful not to cross any lines this time. “Biiiig hero here…” She jested

“Kativa.” He said with a firm sincerity. “Shutaku and the people here may claim you as their ‘Desert Rose Ranger’, but you were Kadysia’s Red Fox first.” Maus added, referring to the first nickname Kativa had earned herself while she attended the Ranger Academy in Kadysia. She hadn’t heard that nickname in a long time. Kativa stood up to leave and then rendered a salute to the ambassador.

“We may travel upon the wind whims of the Goddess, but we must always know that home is carried in the heart.” The Ranger recited the last line of the Kadysian Ranger Creed. Kativa dropped her salute, gave a respectful bow, then left the embeassy.

Upon her way out of the city Kativa stopped by the Inn one last time. Her merchant guild fans had left her a medium pack full of food, potions, and elixirs.

“Good morning Ms. Kativa” The Innkeeper, Mr. Bell, greeted the girl when she walked through the doors into the building.

“Good morning, Mr. Bell.”

“Off to the hunt this morning again?” Mr. Bell inquired

“The hunt never ends.” Kativa answered with a traditional Kadysian Ranger saying.

“The Merchant Guild dropped this off this morning.” Mr. Bell informed the ranger, lifting the supply pack from behind the desk he was at. “Best of luck, Ms. Kativa.” The innkeeper added, giving a small bow when Kativa grabbed the pack from the desk and left the inn.

Kativa threw the pack onto the back of her golden stallion, Glint, the fastest, most reliable steed she’s ever had. The proud half-elf ranger girl conducted her last checks and then departed the city.