This one's done a little differently. Two linked stories are put together, alternating chapter style. The voter thought they should have been posted separately but I think they work well together. Plus, Cameron and I helped with Aleena's part.

Dash and Konall continue to battle each other as Aleena is far, far to the north.

 
"I'm going to kick your ass, Kwadlin!" Aleena screamed at the sky. In a flash of light, she had been teleported away from Dash, away from one of her best friends and allies since coming to the Kingdom. Her longing for him only multiplied as she thought about him, his perfect physique, his... Aleena stopped herself.

"What has happened to me? Can I not control my own thoughts?" It was then she noticed the magic collar around her neck. She ran her gloved fingers across its surface as her suit told her about its form. It bore no seams, nor could her nanites harm it. They could not identify its obsidian-like substance, other than it, and the attached rope, seemed impervious to harm.

"Leash?" Aleena asked rhetorically. It was silvery, draping from the front of the collar to the sand beneath the elf's feet. She picked it up and coiled it around her left shoulder, then turned to survey the territory. Sand as far as her eyes could see. Some places bore rocky outcroppings, or even boulders that randomly exposed themselves as sand blew over them and then covered them up, only to be uncovered by the frigid wind moments later. Off in the distance she spied what could be a town - a collection of dilapidated, sand-blasted wooden shacks, likely huddled around the only water source for leagues.

She suddenly felt alone, yet somehow in danger. "Dash!" she called out. Her voice shouted her desperation and her mental call carried her fear. A muttered response she didn't quite understand was all she got in return, and then "Think I got trouble here.. where are you?"

"Gotta keep this short because transmit power is too much. I'm fifty leagues to your north west. I can see some ramshackle town, I'm going to go there for supplies before making my way back to you." Aleena tried to project soothing thoughts, but felt more worried than ever. "Stay safe. I love you."

With that, Aleena set out towards the mysterious town, unsure of what she would find. And yet, her need and frustration began to eat at her almost immediately.

* * *

Konall stumbled after being teleported onto an incline. Odin-be-damned magic. It was cold here, barren. What plants were in the area were covered in thorns and spikes to make themselves as hostile as possible. In fact, everything in the area was either passively or actively threatening to him. It made him feel at home.

Konall slowly turned. "Where did that pansy-livered rogue scamper off to?"

"Three guesses," a voice came from behind Konall but seemingly out of nowhere. "And the first two don't count."

Konall turned around, expecting to see Sebastian Dash, but Sebastian was nowhere to be seen. Konall didn't see the punk, but there were three boulders in the area that the rogue could be hiding behind. He took out his haxxor and used the hammer end to smash one. He hadn't even chosen to berserk yet, but the drugs in his system made him feel like he was already berserking. With three blows, the first boulder was reduced to gravel and he turned to the next.

He moved to the next one, raining blows and shattering it. Nothing. Then it had to be the third. This time, Konall simply lifted it up with both hands and threw it at... nothing. Then he felt something tap him in the back.

He spun, striking blindly with a roundhouse punch. "You scuffed my armor!"

Dash ducked and punched him again, before backing off, holding his fist. "Go down, Boris damn you!"

Konall flexed his spine, readying to fight again. "Get out a weapon and fight."

"Shut.. UP!" Dash swung, connecting with what should be a debilitating blow to the face. Konall simply stood there and headbutted Dash's fist. The rogue's hand connected with the Viking's helmet and left him grasping his hand in pain.

Konall took advantage of the pause to shove Dash backwards. The rogue landed with a roll and ended up on his feet. Dash blatantly pulled out a bola with his right hand, distracting Konall from the flash paper in his left. The paper went off and Konall's vision cleared just in time to see the bola headed towards his face. It smacked his nose and wrapped around his head. Konall tore the nuisance off with one hand. He was starting to get annoyed.

The seal clubber picked up a rock as big as his head, tossed it in the air, and batted it at Dash with his haxxor, ignoring two more glancing blows from bolas as he did so. Dash dove under the rock and turned the move into a sliding tackle, attempting to knock Konall off his feet. The berserker tumbed, directly on top of Dash.

"Get off me you, stupid oaf!" said Dash, though it came out more as "Gff fff me u stpd off."

Konall lifted slightly and tried to elbow the rogue, but the man had already rolled out from under and jumped on Konall's back. Dash put the Viking in a stranglehold. "Give it up, already. I've got to get to Aleena, and I'm sure you've got a distant cousin somewhere you could be kidnapping."

* * *

As Dash tried to choke the life out of Konall, Aleena choked on the smoke as she approached the quiet, cold town. It stank of coal. Yet, to the centre of town she strode. If you could call it a town. To the water well. She was observed. They saw a toned, athletic woman with pointed ears. Her auburn hair was tied in a ponytail and she was clad in a black catsuit. She wore a collar, and her leash was coiled around a shoulder.

"Oi, look. It's one of dem pleasure slaves." Men whispering. Aleena could hear it, even if they did not think so. It set her nerves on edge.

Act tough. Don't look at any of them. "Wait a minute, I am tough. I'm the Queen of the space elves, for Fireblade's sake! Why do I feel so afraid?" Aleena asked herself.

She made her way to the well and lowered the bucket. Instead of a splash, she heard a thump. It had run dry.

Okay. Alternatives. There was a bar nearby. How bad could it be?

* * *

Maxim watched the strange woman in the catsuit, collar, and leash stride through the door, walk up to the counter, and talk to Mac. He didn't hear what she said, but Mac gave her a glass of water and went back to the kitchen. Maxim heard something sizzling on the range. And Mac hadn't even charged her. Hmm...

The girl seemed confident, but Maxim could see the slight shiver in her. He followed her catlike stride as she sat down at a table in the corner, putting on a good show of being relaxed.

No weapons, and she was dressed like a pleasure girl. Was she insane? Was she actually prepared for a fight? Did she belong to someone else? No, the last wasn't an option. No one would send his girl into this place alone. It was just asking for someone like Maxim to take her.

Maxim strode over and put one foot on the side of her chair. "Haven't seen you around before."

"Just passing through, stranger."

"Don't have to be strangers. What's your name?"

She paused a moment before responding. "Aleena."

The catsuit intrigued him. How would you get it off? "Never met an Aleena before. You got a place to stay for the night?"

"I'll just be going..." She did not understand why she felt so terrified. With her suit, she was for all purposes invulnerable to anything these humans could try... unless they were mages. That was a terrible thought, given how easily mages seemed to have been abusing her lately.

"Why don't you spend the night at my place." He grabbed her arm. "I insist."

The elf pulled away, rising to her feet, though Maxim stayed with her. "Please go."

"Not likely." He moved to twist her arm behind her back.

The girl closed her eyes. Swift, graceful movements covered her blow that kicked her attacker into the air, only to land face-first on the wooden floorboards.

Maxim straightened up. "That's gonna cost you, Missy. Boys!"

Half a dozen of Maxim's gang members stood up and moved toward the girl.

"I am weakened, but I can still take the lot of you."

The men didn't reply. One came up behind her with a chair raised to strike while another charged her from the front. She dodged between them and kicked a third in the face while the first two collided.

Maxim pulled out his truncheon but let a couple more of his guys have a go at her first. What was he up against?

The thing he was up against leapt into the air and delivered three rapid kicks to one thugs chest and then turned and elbowed another in the face. She kicked the remaining attacker onto two of his comrades who were just getting themselves up off the ground.

Two more of the men were coming at her from the front, and Maxim took the opportunity to hit her from behind. But it wasn't an opportunity at all. The girl did a backflip, kicking him in the head, and landed on her feet. He turned around only to get a series of rapid blows to the face. As he sank to the ground she proceeded to pummel the rest of his crew.

Finished, she took one step toward him then changed direction, heading for the counter. "Ah, you finished my meal. You have my full gratitude." She strode back to the table, sparing one kick to his head and sending him into blackness.

* * *

Aleena set her food down, pulled one of the thugs off her table, moved the food back over, and sat down. Apparently the collar was making her stronger. Suit diagnostics showed a 53% increase in strength, with lesser increases in resilience, agility, and energy.

Aleena slapped herself in the face with the palm of her hand. "Of course. Now I understand. Aggression is rewarded." In more ways than one, apparently. The bar patrons had given her some distance.

When she finished she strode out of the bar and, with her energy replenished, took off into the sky. As always, the feeling of flying took her breath away.

* * *

Konall struggled to regain his breath while Dash maintained his hold. The seal clubber was running out of air. He could try smashing the monkey up against the boulder... except he'd smashed all the boulders.

He reached behind his back, but his armor wouldn't flex that way.

He began seeing tiny spots in his vision. Hatchet! He pulled a hatchet out of his belt loop and swung blindly at his back. The angle was crap; he barely had any leverage. And Dash was still agile enough to dodge the blows. Finally, Konall connected with the back of Dash's skull.

Dash spotted the longsword in the distance even as his eyes started blurring and going dim.

"Need some medicine..." he said, pulling out a pouch.

Konall snatched it violently, which if it had contained healing herbs as Dash had implied, would have been a good idea. Since it contained enough flash paper to blind Konall with twice the power of the sun, well, not such a good idea.

Even wisely shielding his eyes, the flash had left Dash dazed. He took advantage of Konall's temporary blindness and pulled an actual healing Isle herb out of another patch as he limped away. He'd have to come back from a different angle... later. He grabbed his longsword off the ground and moved out, his soft footsteps covered by a barrage of swear words.

Without being able to rely on his trademark flash papers, Dash had serious doubts if he could survive another fight with Konall.

I always seem to love the results of Cameron and Aleena getting with me to write and I get to do plenty more writing with them and others for this mission. Next up, however, is Xodus the wanderer. After his solo, it's his fellow Ireacan's turn. Summer and Wildfall.