"Are you nervous, Penny?"
Penny flicked up her eyebrows. "I mean...yeah. I'm glad you're with me."
She and Oola were led into the council chambers. The three members of the Synod of Wisdom were seated behind their large table, the Pillar of Light burning behind them.
"Come forward," commanded the lone female on the synod. Penny walked forward and stood alone while Oola stayed near the back of the room.
"You have been summoned to fulfill the first of the Four Feats," the female member of the synod continued. "The first selected is the Feat of Cunning. You must prepare for a long journey to Mount Obris. There, you must deactivate the sentient computer, Arbratax. The computer has made self-repairs, and will soon pose a threat to the planet if not stopped."
"Can I take a guide?" asked Penny.
"You are permitted one companion for this journey," one of the male synod members stated. "It will be arduous, taking several days. There are many dangers in the vale."
Penny turned to the back of the room. "I'll take Oola with me."
"She will be a fine companion," the other male synod member agreed. "However, as she did not have to face Arbratax for her own feat, she will be inexperienced with this assignment."
Penny turned back to the synod. "She'll be a great companion." She waled over and took the electronic map to the mountain, then gave a graceful bow as taught by the current queen. Penny and Oola exited.
"Thank you for your confidence, your greatness," Oola commented.
Penny gave a playful slap on Oola's large bicep. "Just don't lose me out there. No one will believe you didn't kill me."
The two of them got in a good meal that night, then got to bed early. They needed to get enough distance going before the hot sun would take its toll on them.
Penny had arranged a land vehicle for them, a treaded lightly-armoured car with a domed front. There was a small laser cannon mounted on a turret on the roof.
Oola came out in her own armour, a pair of leather pauldrons and a chain mail covering her breasts. She also had some knee-high boots and leather gauntlets. Oola believed in the leather of the alligator-like beasts of the southern swamps, since they were almost as tough as steel but were lighter.
Penny looked at Oola's body as it glistened in the sun. The orange of her skin showed off her sinews and muscles nicely. "Hey, how come you don't cover up your belly?"
Oola rubbed her hand over her taut abs. "I want my enemies to know how powerful I am. Besides, they will never have a chance to kill me."
The two of them loaded up the last of the provisions into the landcar, then headed towards the vale.
"How is a computer supposed to be a threat to the whole planet?" asked Penny. "Just turn it off or whatever."
"It was designed nearly two centuries ago," Oola explained as she focused on driving the car. "Nobody knows who made it, but he--maybe even a
she
--must have been a titan of intellect. The computer was designed not only to self-repair, but to grow."
"Grow how?" asked Penny.
Oola shrugged. "Would you like to listen to some music?" She switched on the music file player, and on came what sounded like a series of conch shells playing. "They are the palace's own symphony! Is that not wonderful?"
Penny winced. "Something else, please!" She pushed at the buttons until another song came on, this one sounding like a string quartet. Penny tried again, until she heard some synth music. It sounded hypnotic and soothing. "Ooh, that's better."
Penny and Oola chatted and laughed as they went along. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, they were ready to kill one another.
They stopped after several hours of driving to have dinner, then Oola had Penny do several muscle exercises. Oola also trained with her heavy sword, while Penny practiced her boxing.
After a while, Penny noticed large figures in the sky. "Those look like dragons!"
Oola took time from her push-ups and gazed at the sky. "Those are
harshafs--
reptile gliders. They do not fly, but they are able to soar for a great deal of time."
"They look so cool!" Penny wandered out into the open, holding her hand above her eyes. "Do they breathe fire?"
Oola scratched her shaved head, save for the brown ponytail at the top. "A creature that breathes fire? Ooh, Penny---please be warned! Those creatures can be dangerous."
Penny sputtered. "What can they do way up there?"
It was just then that Penny was knocked to the ground, unsure of what hit her. Her head felt heavy and she was having trouble seeing. She stumbled up, then went and touched her head. Whatever it was felt like tar, and it was mashed into her hair.
Then the smell hit her. It was like rotten fish and pickle juice. She was feeling nauseous the second it hit her nostrils. She managed to turn her head to Oola, who stood there with her hands over her mouth.
"Oh, Penny," Oola started. She was fighting back the laughter as best as she could, then it just came out of her. "I am afraid," she managed, "I am afraid that the harshaf has...relieved himself all over you."
Penny looked at her hand, coated in a green and white slime. She started to let out a loud moan in agony. "This is dragon shit! Fuck! FUCK!"
Oola had brought along her special cleanser, a full jar of it. Luckily there was a nearby pool of water with lush green grass growing nearby.
"Get into the water, Penny," ordered Oola. "I shall follow."
Penny tried her best to wrestle off her tunic, as it was almost fused to her skin. The dragon poo was like tar, and it pulled at her roots. She finally got fully naked and waded in, feeling gross and tired.
She finally got deep enough to dunk her head under, then tried her best to get the goop off of her. At least now the smell was subsiding, but the gunk worked into her hair was still stuck there. She popped out of the water, some of the shit still stuck in her wispy blonde arm hair. "Fuck. I mean...fuck!"
She turned to find Oola, who had slipped out of her armour. She was completely nude as well, and it was at this point that Penny realized what a massive, strong woman she was looking at. Oola's tits were almost like a man's chest, but she had large nipples poking out. She had nice rounded shoulders and well-defined biceps, and her leg muscles had great definition.
Oola headed to the water with her jar of cleanser. "I normally use this to take stains out of my armour," she mentioned, still getting a small chuckle in at poor Penny's expense.
Penny swallowed her pride and found a spot in the lake where the water came just below her shoulders while she sat on the lake bed. She turned around as Oola opened the jar and poured a generous amount on Penny's head, then worked it in. The cleanser felt gritty and smelled a bit like oranges. "Ooh, this isn't bad," Penny said.
Oola worked away on Penny's blonde hair, getting down to the scalp. Penny felt relieved getting the heavy slop off of her head, and the wash was doing its job well.
