Monsters and Maidens (151 to 157) (Patreon)

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Last Monsters and Maidens update before starting the break.

With next week introducing the first 8 chapters of Void-Song!

[151] [Barry]

The room was dimly lit. Only a single streak of light made its way through the window and inside, leaving the area entirely gloom and dark. Barry stood near the entrance, peering inside and feeling the tension in the air as the guards at either side of him and at each corner of the bed were doing their best not to focus on him too hard.

In the middle of the bed lay a lone figure, her skin so dark that within the poor lighting of the room she appeared more a silhouette. The woman, the Warlock, breathed shallow breaths. There was a tremble to the sound with each exhale. Barry could feel the air wavering with every inhale. His eyes moved from Embla’s mother towards the four maidens that sat each at a corner of the room. They didn’t glow, but the young human could feel as if their bodies were emitting a force of some sort, a palpable pressure that was forcefully saturating the air and making his ears feel stuffy.

Not daring to step further in, he turned towards the door, stepping back outside and nearly stumbling against Embla’s imposing figure. The Dark Lady had a stern expression. Barry had been growing able to read past the stony look, though. The maiden’s entire body was tightened as if ready to jump into combat in a split second. The way her eyes kept bouncing back down to his shadow spoke of the reason for her tension.

“Why… did you let me see her?”

“You need to know the gravity of the situation.” She replied, turning around so he could follow. “Because I cannot wait any longer. We will find a healer and I will need for you to ensure to bond her.”

“What’s… what’s your plan?” He had to hurry his steps to keep up, trying to ignore the dozen guards standing at either side of the corridor as they moved to leave the over-sized oak-tree that was the ‘infirmary’ of the Court.

“There are several human settlements around the area that have been weakened thanks to the feral rush. We will find a healer from one such place.”

Barry froze. “Are you going to attack a village?”

The words made Embla frown slightly. “Not if we can avoid it. Doing so would be not bowing to the Dragoness.”

“Wait, Dragoness? What?”

Embla’s shoulders twitched as her brows rose. An edge of humor came to her lips in the barest of upward twitches. “It means to cause ire from a foe that can end you with little effort. Our Court cannot afford to become openly antagonistic to the Kingdom.”

“But… you have prisoners.”

“And as far as the Kingdom is concerned, they are dead. Lost to a feral rush or in the wilderness. To them we must not exist, and if we do, it must be as something not worth the effort to deal with.” Her lips thinned. “One day we may gain the strength for them to fear our retaliation.”

“But you’re strong. Crazy strong, and your mother… with both of you combined…”

“It would take them three royal knight units.” The answer stopped Barry in his tracks. He noticed a dark glower in Embla’s face, a dark shadow that certainly carried with it far more than she was letting on. “Four if they wish to ensure we stand no chance to retaliate.”

The certainty with which she spoke her words made Barry’s steps slow down. He couldn’t read it from her face, but he was sure he could sense a great deal of concern from Embla. Reaching out, he grasped her calloused hand, meeting her dark gaze and squeezing slightly.

There was something in those troubled eyes. The maiden shook her head and turned away, her hand still within his grasp despite how easily she could have pulled it away. “I will have to ask for your help in this.”

“I’ll lend a hand, though I’m not sure how I’d be able to do so.”

“We…” Embla began to walk faster before coming to a complete stop. She turned to look at him. “…” Her focus turned to his hair before her scowl deepened further. “One of my women told me of a possible way for you to use your power to bond. It would make for the easier way to complete the mission if… done properly. But it would also put you at risk.”

“How so?”

Taking his hand, the taller woman pulled his fingers, so they’d brush against her throat. “Break their bond and impose your own immediately after. Sex would be one of the easier ways to do this.”

“Oh, su-.” He blinked. “What!?”

“It allows the proximity to remove the collar and the emotional intensity needed for a human like yourself to create a new one. Most importantly, they wouldn’t expect a bond to form under such circumstances or so quickly.” Embla’s grasp moved his fingers down her throat, shuddering as she left, his palm pressing against the mound on her breast over the layer of leather armor she wore. “Once bonded, you would need to impose your will on them. Insist they remain quiet and still, to not move, to not scream or raise alarm. We would be able to extract you discreetly afterwards.”

The young man could only gawk at that proclamation of such a plan. “Are you… serious? You want me to seduce some girl so she can be kidnapped?”

“Freed.” A harsh rebuttal. “They live in a world where they are little more than glorified objects. Some are treated as better objects than others, but as things all the same.” A growl followed. “It is a life where service is all there is to be had, a maiden’s value only going as far as their powers and their ability to bear human children.” Her free hand touched her stomach and her brows knitted tightly, letting go of Barry’s hand as she stepped ahead. “Prepare yourself, Barry, you will be a key element in this plan.”

“Embla, wait!” He called out, rushing forward and grabbing her hand again. “I’m not some sort of Casanova. Can’t this be done with a maiden with some powers like Orion’s using shadows to sneak inside or something?”

The woman’s face became abruptly unreadable. She leaned forward and grasped his shoulders. “This is how you can help us, Barry.” The woman lowered herself to a knee and leaving herself only looking slightly upwards at him. “We need you.” Fingers brushed down his arms until they reached his hands, cupping them between her palms and grabbing tightly. “I need you.”

The proclamation struck like a hammer. Barry felt his knees weaken under the weight of the words. He gulped. How could he possibly consider turning her down? It was just that… “I…” His lips tightened, the image of himself walking towards some unknown girl to try to get her to… he could only feel a knot of dread in his gut. “There are other ways I could help.” There was no way in hell he’d be able to pull such a thing off, not when just looking into Embla’s eyes was taking so much willpower. “I just don’t think I’m meant for this.”

She shook her head. “No, you are exactly who we need, Barry.” Letting go of his hands, she stood back up to her imposing nearly three meters tall height. The softness left her features as she turned to look somewhere in the distance. “I will send some of my most trusted for you to bond.”

“I don’t-…” He gulped, going quiet.

“The time to hesitate is over, Barry.” A quick nod. She raised her voice. “Consider it training for the mission.”

Watching her march off, he felt as if the only thing missing from those words had been ‘dismissed, soldier’. Scratching the back of his head and trying to fight down the emerging blush he’d been holding back this whole time, Barry became aware of exactly where the conversation had unfolded.

Out, in the open, within the Court and where dozens of others had been able to see, even hear, their shared words. A pang of nervousness and something else made its way through Barry as he noticed the hungry eyes that were focused on him.

Things felt like they were going to become complicated. He had the sudden urge to go speak with Lala.

[152] [Barry]

“I am confused. Is this some weird attempt of seduction? I’m not going to complain if it is, just curious.”

“I-.” Barry could only sigh and sit back dejectedly on the chair, rubbing at his temples. “Could we talk about it a bit more seriously? I don’t know who else to turn to.”

The shorter maiden raised her gaze from the metal filament she’d been holding onto. “You said you want to fuck me more often. I fail to see how that’s not an attempt to get me all hot and bothered. My pants are already falling off. Feel free to finish the process.” She wiggled her hips as she smiled up at him, the worn cotton trousers she’d been wearing slipping nearly to the edge of her rump.

For better and worse, though, Barry was seated opposite to her, so her face occupied the majority of his field of view. “I said that I don’t think I can handle that many relationships.”

“So don’t make it romantic. Bam, in and out, in and out, in and out, someone cries, someone moans, naughty fluids all over. Done, presto, that’s that.” She shrugged. “The itch gets scratched, your balls get empty, the girl gets her bush ruffled.” Lala paused for a moment, glancing back down at the filament, her glowing finger reaching out to caress the metal. “Speaking of bushes, I noticed you kinda kept gawking at mine, so I shaved it. It’s a bit of a strange feeling, but I hope you’ll like it.”

Stuttering, his face lit up like a firework, Barry made a point to look away. “A-anyway, I don’t think I like making things so… casual. Impersonal.”

“Then don’t? Just make it fun. Tell them about them having to earn the bush-scratching, ask them to romance you or impress you or whatever. Guys do that all the time, nothing weird about it.” She didn’t raise her gaze from her work as she rubbed at it slowly up and down, the dark gray material slowly shifting into a bluer tone. “Maybe have her tie you up, maybe play some spank games, maybe stuff her butt, whatever you want to experiment with. Oooh! Maybe make her call you Papa, heard that one makes some men hard like a Quartzal’s wing. Are you into that? Papa?”

“No, wait, stop, just… stop.” He shook his head emphatically.

“But it’s fun.” Lala pouted, putting the filament down on the stained cloth once the blue had started to glow softly. “Do you know how having a guy just look at you like you’re a Succubus makes a gal feel?” She leaned forward, a finger dipping into the neckline of her shirt and pulling it down. Barry saw her modest naked breasts underneath, unable to look away fast enough, and his reward being Lala’s face lighting up with a smug grin. “Do you like them?”

“I… said I do, repeatedly.”

“I still like hearing it.” She raised a knee on to the table, raising herself until she was crawling on its hard surface, getting closer to Barry with every swing of her hips. Until their faces were so close, her hot breath tickled his lips. “Well?”

“…I like your breasts.” He mumbled, and her smile lit up as her cheeks turned slightly red.

The maiden leaned forward, leaving a peck on his forehead. “Careful, I might ravage you if you keep talking all sexy like that.”

“Work, you have work to do.”

“And you keep interrupting me so you can vent how awful it is that you have maidens fawning over you and wanting to jump your bones.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re acting like this is strange.”

“It is!” Barry replied. “For me it is, a lot.”

“Here it isn’t.” Lala flopped on the table, using her elbows to prop her head as she stared at him with a bored roll of her eyes. “There’s something like ten maidens for every human male, and not all guys out there are open to having more than a handful.” Her face stilled for a moment as she shook her head. “Look, I know ‘wildling girls’ get a fame for…” Another pause, then a chuckle. “Right, you’re an otherworlder, almost forgot.”

“It’s hard, you know? I’ve…” He shook his head. “I’ve never been popular, or, well, desired like… that… I’m not that sort of guy. I… want a connection.”

Lala hopped off of the table, dusting herself off and shrugging her shoulders a bit. “Then don’t be that sort of guy.”

“What?”

“You don’t want to be a sex-nut, then don’t be.” She leaned against the table, looking at him critically up and down. “Though with those soft arms and round face of yours… oof, it’s already a miracle no one’s jumped you yet.” She let out a giggle, turning into a laugh as Barry’s face turned beet red.

“I’m… I’m trying to be serious.”

“And so am I, Barry.”

“Then what should I do?”

“You’re asking a Doggirl to meow.” Lala shifted, wriggling her hips as she moved to a workbench at the side. “Best I can offer is to help you split the problem into smaller parts. You want to bond these maidens, right?”

“Embla said I have to.” He nodded along, absently glancing at the glowing blue wires she’d left at the original spot she’d been working at.

“And does it matter how you do it so long as you do it?”

“I… think not.”

“Then you just need to find a way to get a maiden to bond you without fucking her.” Lala tapped her chin. “Gee, if only there were some way to do that.”

“Lala…”

“I know, I know, offworlder, you’re not aware of all the details or customs.” She shrugged her shoulders, bringing a clay jar and some vials to the table. “The way bonds are usually formed, over at the Kingdom I mean, is that the maiden gets her collar taken off, kneels, pledges allegiance, and gets her collar put on.” Pouring the first vial onto the jaw, the green liquid sizzled softly as she began to drop the pieces of blue metal into it. “They need some training to get their own emotions aligned just right for it to work, but we’ve all escaped the Kingdom, we know how it works.”

“And how do you… made bonds with the new collars?”

Lala grimaced slightly. “I don’t know the others, it was different for each one, I just… stepped on them.”

“What.”

“Step on them. The human I’d been bonded to was a slaver, I kept stepping on him and stomping on him, riling myself up for all the horrible things he’d done, pushing to feel like I was in control of him… until the bond… clicked.” Lala shuddered, shaking her head. “Now that I’m bonded to you, I can see there was something twisted about the whole thing.”

A slight nod. “I’m at least sure I don’t want to be stepped on.”

“Well, there goes THAT item from my list.” Lala sighed, shoulders slumping dejectedly as she reached into the jaw and pulled out the wires. They were now slightly yellowish, the glow having died down.

“What are you doing, anyway?”

“Hm?” She caressed the yellowish metal now that she’d dried it off. Slowly, she was starting to make it glow again. “Just making a batch of earrings to test some things on.”

“What sort of tests?”

“Oh, you know, this and that.” She chuckled, glancing at him with a smirk. “By any chance would you happen to have a favorite color?”

Barry felt like her eyes were focusing on his ears, and the urge to run began to surge within him. He pinned it down. “When you did the bond, what do you do?”

“It’s just a concentration exercise.” Lala replied simply. “You just focus on things that remind you of the emotion you want to feel. There're some tricks to it, personally I just like to make them into a chain.”

“Chain… a chain?”

“Just put new links as you go.” She paused, putting down the wires and turning to look at him. “It’s really easy once you get used to it. All maidens in the Kingdom have to train into it to avoid accidents. Like this. I’d approach you and kneel.” She did this, lowering her head, enough that the nape of her neck was exposed, though no collar was to be had. “I’d start thinking about Lady Embla, and how much I trust her to keep me safe. I’d focus on the trust as you’d touch my neck and remove my collar… pretend you’re doing that.” She gasped as Barry caressed her dark chocolate-colored skin, right near the hairline. “Then I’d move into something more specific about you, about how the Lady gave you an important position, how she trusts you in turn, and how easy it is to believe in that.” Another slight shiver. She raised her gaze. “I’d look up at you and focus on how handsome you are with the light shining above, how much I want to put myself in your arms, how-.”

She crossed the distance, silencing herself with his lips. The kiss came with her hands reaching under his shirt, caressing his chest and stomach. Barry hugged her close, and she sunk into his embrace.

With a deep breath, they took a step back from one another.

Lala’s eyes fluttered open.

“And I’d be bonded to you.” She spoke with a slight whisper, smiling from ear to ear, touch lingering on his hips. “Did that help?”

He blinked and nodded.

“I… think I have an idea.”

[153] [Alice]

Alice glanced at Helga as the Valkyrie nervously shuffled towards the tray. “Please don’t, just… take a seat.”

The maiden turned towards the only thing they could sit on in the room: the light green cambroile sofa. She hesitated as she looked at it and then at Alice. “Yes, ma’am.” Her proclamation was soft, almost passive as she approached, leaning to the side so her wings wouldn’t become squeezed against the back of the sofa. She leaned slightly forward, trying to get comfortable with the extra pair of limbs shuffling over the armrest uncomfortably.

And Alice mentally berated herself for what clearly was the first screw-up. She made a bigger mental note to remain mindful of the maiden’s wings. “Would you prefer a chair, or…?”

“No, ma’am, I’m perfectly fine… ugh, like this.” Helga’s smile didn’t waver as she ruffled her wings a little until she’d found a comfortable position. “Most importantly, you wished to talk to me?”

“Yes, it’s about the whole ownership thing.” Better go straight to the point. “I’m going to take you in, I think, it’s just that… I need to clear some things out first.”

She’d apparently only focused on the first part of the proclamation. The maiden’s face lit up with a wide smile. “I am honored, my Lady, I will do my best to-!”

“Before that, just… calm down.” Raising her hands slightly, Alice took the best professional expression she could summon. She waited for Helga to stop giddily vibrating on the spot, but it looked more like the Valkyrie was about to explode into sunshine and rainbows.

So she quietly waited, keeping her expression calm and serene, smiling softly and meeting Helga’s gaze until the maiden had started reasserting herself over her emotions. A quiet minute of shifting and her wings bouncing lightly until the physical ticks, and only then did Alice speak up again.

“I would like to first reiterate I am an offworlder. That means I do not subscribe to many of the lines of thought that people have in this world.” She reached out to touch Helga’s warm hand, meeting her gaze meaningfully. “You will never be admonished for asking questions or stating your opinions. I don’t know many things, and having clear communication with you is important. Is this clear?”

“Of course, my Lady.”

“Call me Alice, please.” She said. “I… don’t want to consider this situation as me being your owner.”

“But you would be, ma’am.”

“I know, it’s just that I don’t believe in slavery.” She replied. “I want you to know that if you ever wish to leave, I wouldn’t stop you. I consider you a person, an equal.”

Helga frowned. “But we’re not.”

“We are, it’s just that the culture of this kingdom hasn’t been very kind to maidens.”

“But…” She hesitated. “May I ask a question, ma’am?”

Alice pipped up. “Yes! Of course, ask away.”

“Would… you go insane if you were alone?”

That caused her to wince. “I know that the feral state is a very big concern for maidens, it’s not what I meant.”

“Ma’am, if… if I were to ever go feral, I’d kill those I love. I would likely even attack you. It’s because of this that we need humans to serve, otherwise…” Her smile tightened, eyes glimmering. “I might look like a human, but I’m not. No maidens are. If I were to be treated like a human, others would get hurt.”

“I started on the wrong foot.” Alice quickly put up a reassuring smile, grasping Helga’s hand between her own. “I understand that you are a maiden, and that you have different needs than a human would. I just want you to understand that I firmly believe that you should have the same rights a human should have.”

Alice shifted slightly as she saw her companion’s troubled expression. The maiden was holding back a grimace.

“You… have something to say?”

“I mean no disrespect, ma’am, but… I don’t think that would be fair.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Rights are earned, we prove our worth, the ways we can help each other and the kingdom.” Her head shook slightly. “And no matter how much I would like to, I cannot help other maidens avoid going feral.”

“There are things called inalienable rights.” Alice quickly replied. “They are rights that belong to every individual. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are among them.”

“I am alive, and I am happy.” Helga declared. “But I am a maiden, and I cannot live without having someone to protect me from myself. Am I not free for what I am?”

There was a long pause. The teacher closed her eyes and carefully considered her next words. “I want you to be aware that I do not desire to dictate or control your life.” She grasped Helga’s hands once more. “I want to consider this to be a… business arrangement.”

“Ok.”

The simple and easy nod she gave her was almost startling. “That’s… it?”

“I do not mind if my services are as an official thing. That sort of was the point.” A little squirm and she scratched her cheek, smiling slightly. “There might be some talk about how some nobleladies have a preference to share their beds with maidens, but you didn’t seem to be that sort, ma’am.”

“Definitely not that sort.” Alice almost jumped, her hands pulled away from Helga as if she’d been touching a red-hot stove. “Nope, no, I am not looking for that sort of thing, at all.”

“That’s what I thought, ma’am.” A cheerful energetic nod, relaxed shoulders. There was even a slight hint of amusement on Helga’s smile. “It’s a bit reassuring. It means I can focus on being your guard and guide.”

“Yes, about that.” A small cough to clear her throat. “I don’t expect you to die for me.”

“What do you mean, ma’am?”

“If or when danger comes, I don’t want you to die. If things come down to it, running away is acceptable.”

She straightened at that. “I would never leave you in danger’s way. Ever.” The harshness with which she spoke startled Alice.

“Could you at least promise you would consider… strategic retreats?”

“Of course.” Another harsh nod and a look of determination. “I do not wish to die.”

Sighing, Alice nodded, rubbing her wrists as she moved to stand up. Helga followed instantly after. The woman had a thing or two to complain about that gesture, but held it back. She’d have to rein things in and be patient about this. “I think this about covers the more important aspects.”

“Does that mean…!?” A happy smile. “Will you let me serve you, my Lady?”

“Please call me Alice.” She wriggled on the spot a bit. “And… yes.”

Letting out a shout, Helga jumped slightly on the spot. Her wings burst outwards and spread out, nearly covering the room end to end as she proceeded to very quickly fold them back and lower herself to her knees right as the door opened in a burst of movement. Two startled maidens had stepped inside, swords drawn, looking wildly from side to side and then at Alice.

“Ma’am?”

“Everything’s alright.” She quickly replied. “Helga just got a bit excited over the good news.”

Both maidens looked at the kneeling Valkyrie and her bright red face. Shaking their heads, they stepped back outside, the doors shutting with a soft click.

“Sorry.” Helga whispered under her breath, squirming on the floor as her hands kept themselves firmly on her knees and her wings were trembling as they remained tucked tightly.

“Is this… that important to you?”

“I always wanted to serve a noble Lady.” She was looking straight at the floor, her ears glowing red. “Could I-? Could we-?” A pause, her hand reached into her pocket, trembling slightly. “If it’s not too much ask, could you use this collar?”

Helga pulled out a strap of leather, a dark blue that was so worn out the color was faded. Some of the spots had lost so much it was far darker. Alice hesitated as she saw this. “Wouldn’t… people potentially mistake it for a black collar?”

“I don’t mind if you don’t, ma’am.”

The teacher reached out to hold the collar, feeling the worn out edges. “Who… did this belong to?”

“My sister.”

The weight of the simple strap felt like it multiplied itself within Alice’s grasp. “I’ll use this, then.”

Raising her gaze, Helga quickly closed her eyes, exposing her throat to the chemistry teacher. A loud gulp followed as Alice reached around her throat, removing the clasp that kept the green collar in place.

“I hereby vow my life to you, my Lady.”

She knew what came next, and though the words felt wrong, she couldn’t bring herself to keep them unspoken. This moment was clearly far more important to Helga than she’d given credit. “I accept your vow. May you serve well… Helga.” She latched onto the worn blue collar as she spoke.

Alice shuddered, a jolt running through her whole body from head to toe. Helga did the same, becoming very still as she kept her face looking at the ceiling of the room. “Thank you, my Lady.” She whispered under her breath, a lone tear running down her cheek.

The teacher squirmed, feeling left on the spot, but not wanting to disrespect Helga’s feelings. She quietly remained in place as the Valkyrie waited another minute before drying her cheek and moving to stand up.

Their gazes met.

Alice did not expect Helga’s gasp, nor how her eyes widened in shock.

“What?” she asked, startled. “What is it? Are you alright?”

A quick bow. “No, it’s nothing, my Lady.” Her ears turning red once more. “The bond is just… stronger than I expected it to be. I…” She straightened up, swiftly turning around while avoiding Alice’s eyes. “I will patrol the area!”

The maiden hurried out the door.

And Alice was left far more confused as to what had just happened.

[154] [Rick]

Rick had cooked the monster boar.

All of it.

Because Monica would not let anyone else handle the edible meat once it had been cut off from the carcass. She almost even complained over them throwing away the inedible (for humans) guts.

So it became Rick’s job to be the one in charge of rotating slabs of meat on a stick over the fire until it was cooked at least enough for Victor to swoop in with a considerable amount of honey to lather the thing in and to have the twins disappear into their storage space. This way, they could make the meat last for longer.

The process took almost a full day. Especially with Dia pouring over the thing and using her powers to remove parasites and toxins from its flesh, a rather standard practice when the wild game reached a certain age and size.

The first three chunks had gone and vanished, with Monica being none the wiser. The fourth she realized something was up. Everything after that point meant she stuck to his side and glared at each chunk of meat as if daring them to turn into thin air like the previous ones had.

And as soon as her portion was done, she ate it. And the two portions after, and the two after that. And another one as they hit the road once more.

Half an hour later, Monica began to groan.

“What is it?” Rick already knew the answer. She was cupping her gut and her face was slightly green. “Feeling bad?”

“Bad.” She patted her belly. It was ever so slightly less ‘perfect abs’ than she’d had the morning prior. “Hurt.”

“You ate too much, dumb dumb.”

“Rick bad.” Monica glared him, the intent clear in her eyes. ‘I know I overate, and it’s your fault’.

He burst into laughter, earning a shove out of her that nearly knocked him to the ground. The feline walked with one paw firmly grasping the ruck-sack where she kept the remainder of HER meat, and the other on her tummy. Her gaze turned forward as she sulked on. Rick for the most part, held in the amusement as they moved, noting that despite the lack of a handsy cat, a handsy nurse had quietly taken the Sabertooth’s place.

“My hand’s never going to be free, is it?”

“Not if I can help it.”

Not particularly disheartened, he carried on.

“People ahead.” Mr. Gabriel interrupted the otherwise mostly idyllic walk down the dirt road. The centaur he was riding tightened her stance and moved slightly to the side of the road.

She was clearly intent on making a run for it with the old man if things got hairy.

It was a shift in the air, Rick noticed it quite easily enough. All of a sudden, the maidens had changed positions, moving towards the perimeter of the group. Even Dia tensed and held his hand more firmly, also looking just about ready to yank him towards her and out of harm’s way.

The only two that barely moved were Monica and Lizzy. The reptile remained trailing behind Kat. Monica just snorted and let out a grumble as she walked ahead of Rick, effectively in the lead of the whole group.

As they moved forward, Rick caught sight of the group the older man had spoken of. It was a caravan of some sort, no less than twenty or so carts, most with improvised cloth roofs and at least forty or so maidens and some humans walking along. Each cart was being pulled by either a centaur or a normal maiden, and Rick quickly noticed most of them looked like they were one missed meal away from collapsing.

Victor quickly walked ahead of Rick and Monica, waving towards the caravan as one of the maidens broke off from the security perimeter and approached. The woman clearly had seen better days. There were bags under her eyes and she froze the moment she’d spotted Monica. It was clear her focus was on the black collar the Sabertooth wore before it moved towards Rick and Victor.

“Hail.” She straightened up. “What do you seek?”

“Hello Cadix, I’m Victor. I have wares if the people wish to buy.”

“We have no coin, only trade.” The light of recognition never made it through her soured expression. “We also do not allow blackies to join.”

Rick took the turn to step forward. “I’m not sure what issue you have with Monica, but we’ll just move ahead of your group and continue on.”

“Traitorous feralborn bitches, that’s what our ‘issue’ is!” Cadix flicked her hand forward, fist clenched tightly as she twisted it in place before she put it back on the hilt of her sword. Some sort of gesture Rick had not seen before.

“We have no ill will.” Victor quickly spoke up, glancing at Rick and then at the rest of the group. “We will be on our way if you let us pass.”

Cadix didn’t have any complaints to add to that. She merely walked back to the caravan, speaking with various people along the way. And the whole thing slowed down, which made it easier for them to circle around and just continue down the road. Every step of the way, Rick could feel open glares directed towards Monica, some even at Lizzy. More than a few of the maidens even repeated the gesture Cadix had made.

And the feline had not cared a single bit, more focused on her aching tummy and that Rick wasn’t too far off.

“What’s up with them?” Kat whispered in a low voice as soon as the caravan was a good hundred meters behind them.

“Survivors.” Victor shook his head. “Some from Seledo, even. I’d considered traveling with them, but caravans like these aren’t the safest bet.”

“They’d have surely killed us and taken our things along the way.” One of the twins hissed under her breath.

“Where are they headed?” Tomas wondered. “Can’t they just… stay in Seledo?”

“It’s the law.” Rick glanced at Dia, the pink-haired maiden squirmed a little.

“She is correct.” Freya added. “Any who lose their home are to travel towards the nearest large city. If the local Lord deems it as a possibility, they will be given provisions, coin, and sent back. If not, they will be employed and given a place to stay in the Lord’s city itself.”

“That sounds like theft and abuse.” Mr. Gabriel snarled as Rose kept clopping her way down the road from the side of the group.

“Dad said the law came about because of the raiders and Wildlings.” Ginny muttered as she walked next to Kat. “After a feral attack, smaller villages are too weakened to be able to sustain those that can’t pull their weight. Having survivors come could very well result in everything crumbling down as people fight for food or shelter when things break down.”

“People who lose their homes in such a way have turned to banditry many times.” The elf nodded, looking over her shoulder towards the caravan as it was slowly increasingly further away. “The Wildlings emerged out of exactly that. And it is something the Kingdom has little interest in fomenting.”

“So Wildlings are people who just opted to live off the grid, huh. Cool.”

“Wildlings are those who have forsaken the kingdom and its laws.” Dia spoke under her breath, grasping Rick’s hand a bit more tightly as her gaze became lost in something only she could see. “Many Wildlings are run by sadistic monsters, trapping and torturing humans.”

“That…” Tomas hesitated, glancing at Freya.

The Elf shook her head. “We once found a human who’d escaped a Wildling group that lived in the frosty peaks at the edge of the kingdom.”

“Noah.”

Ginny tensed, expression souring as her face lowered and looked towards the ground with clenched fists. “Papa adopted him, to keep him from having to be sent to Balet.”

Rick frowned slightly, quite sure he’d heard of the name before. “I take things didn’t go smoothly.”

“It was the normal kind of drama amongst humans.” Freya shook her head dismissively. “Major Huge had several people in the village that didn’t get along well with the way he did things. Eventually it escalated, and after a feral wave had left the village rather tight in resources, the Baron sent Noah off along with the others that had lost their homes.”

“The group was ambushed by ferals somewhere along the way.”

With a strong shake of her head, Ginny sighed, azure claws relaxing as she turned to look away. She only hesitated as Kat reached out to pat her shoulder.

“At least the Baron’s dead now.”

Somehow, Rick got the impression the gesture had not been as reassuring as Kat had intended it to be.

[155] [Mark]

Mark walked down the sunny road, taking the chance to adjust the straps to the rucksack. Next to him, Shery walked while easily hefting five times the weight he was lugging. Plus Noah. The mouse had stopped struggling entirely. Gagged, blinded and bound, Mark still kept a watchful eye over her.

Brye had meant every word when she’d said he was on his own with the mouse unless he asked for help. The fox had remained near Noah every step of the way until the village, but now that they’d left the place, she’d vanished entirely.

“She’ll be back in a day or so.”

Shery’s words startled him, Mark frowned as he glanced at the gray-skinned maiden as she thudded her way down the road. “What?”

“Brye always did this when given the chance. Just up and leaves for a couple days.” A slight frown. “And no, I don’t know what for. Never asked.”

“And never will.” He rolled his eyes.

“So long as it can’t fuck shit up, why poke the Panthress?”

Mark just absently nodded, not really caring about the explanation and turning his focus towards Noah. The mouse’s tan skin around her wrists was slightly redder, the maiden would’ve looked asleep if it weren’t because her ears and ropey tail kept twitching every so often.

“I think we should take a break.”

“At this pace we’ll take a whole month just to get to Aubria.”

“Yeah, not my fault you guys keep taking every side-route in the world.” He snorted loudly, reaching out to grasp Noah and heft her off of Shery’s shoulder.

The mouse squeaked slightly, inhaling sharply as he moved to bridal carry her towards the nearest tree. She grew tense, but otherwise didn’t move, waiting until Mark put her down against the tree before she relaxed slightly.

“You plan on giving her food?” Shery asked casually, dropping the sacks to the ground and grasping the heavy wooden club she had for a weapon as she moved towards the forest.

“Might as well, her stomach’s been rumbling for a while now.”

“Don’t untie her feet at least.” The maiden replied, stepping away and into the foliage. “Will check the area.”

A slight nod, Mark focused on the remaining maiden. His hand reached out and grasped at the edge of her ear, tightly enough she winced. “I’m going to remove your gag. You will not bite.” His command was met with a nod. “Don’t scream either, or you’ll regret it.” Another quick nod.

With the ritual out of the way, he used his free hand to slowly remove the wire and cloth gag that had kept her mouth tightly covered and shut. She’d slobbered most of it, not that he hadn’t expected it.

“Water.” She gasped as soon as she’d spat some of the flavor out. “Please.” Her voice was raspy and dry, a slight squeak of a cough following it.

Keeping one hand on her ear, he reached for the water-skin and pulled it closer to her mouth. Noah drank greedily, barely breathing as she took every drop until Mark pulled it away from her. A slight complaint left her as he did so. The human knew that he couldn’t afford to have her being at her top shape. So now that he was ‘in charge’ of Noah, he’d opted to keep her supply of water and food tight. She’d survive, that he was sure of, she’d just not be able to be at her best.

Reaching into the pouch on his belt, Mark pulled out a familiar purple berry. Brye had said its name several times already, but he hadn’t really bothered to remember it. He slowly moved the berry close to Noah’s mouth, watching her nose twitch as she sniffed. “Do you want to eat?”

Blindfolded, Noah’s mouth closed, and she gulped, cheeks flushing. “I…” She flinched as Mark’s fingers on her ear tightened slightly. “No.”

“So you don’t want to eat?”

“I…” She gulped, and leaned forward, mouth opening as he very carefully placed the berry on her tongue. She closed her mouth, not chewing, becoming still as if unsure how to proceed.

“Chew.”

She did, a sharp gasp and a quiver, goosebumps trailed over her body as she flushed. Her naked body squirmed as she swallowed. Opening her mouth again, she breathed heavily. “Still… hungry.”

Mark pulled a second berry, pressing it against her lips. The blindfolded woman didn’t wait this time, taking it in, chewing, squirming, and swallowing. Her tanned skin gained a touch of the blush all over, her thighs tightening against one another as she began leaning forward.

With her hands still tied to her back, Noah’s face pressed against Mark’s chest, inhaling sharply. She sought to press her exposed small breasts against him, but he moved out of the way so she’d fall face first on the dirt.

Not waiting a moment, he straddled her hips, feeling her tail lashing underneath, and worked to untie one of her hands. He quickly held her ears firmly, watching her squirm and gasp as he did. “Just get it over with.”

Noah nodded quickly, moving the freed hand to her front, raising her hips and putting her fingers to work. The movement of her body as Mark straddled her ass made Mark all too aware of the position they were in, doubly so when her tail whipped from under him and wrapped around his waist.

The human inhaled sharply as Noah ground her ass against his crotch.

He pulled away immediately after, letting go and standing up before his libido opted to step in. The maiden didn’t stop as he did this, moaning into the dirt and thrusting her fingers into her needy sex.

“If it bothers you having her like that, you could give her some different food.”

Mark almost jumped out of his skin when the tall gray skinned woman had spoken. She looked at Noah and then at him, pulling out a couple blue berries from the pouch she was carrying and taking them as a snack.

“I know that.” He replied harshly, growling and moving nearer to Noah. “This is part of her punishment.” With a huff, he crouched, grasping her ears and pulling her head slightly so she’d be staring up at him. He proceeded to remove the blindfold.

Noah winced from the light, pupils shrinking into pinpricks, she closed her eyes tightly and looked back down. Not that Mark let her, pulling on her ears once more until she was turned to face upwards. Her hands plunged into her pussy, her breath short and trembling, and a moan escaping every other second.

Waiting for a very long second, Mark stared at Noah until she slowly opened her eyes again, meeting his gaze. Slowly, he pulled out another berry, pressing it against her lips. “Swallow.”

Noah opened her mouth, taking the berry, barely chewing on it as she swallowed again. Her pupils dilated, a breathy moan escaping her, hand working more fervently against her sex. The scent of her arousal was becoming easier to notice, as was the wet rhythmic sound of her fingers.

“Can’t say you’re doing anything new, though usually the girl gets some cock stuffed up their cunt along the way.” Shery only quirked a brow as she glanced at him.

“I’ll tell you if I ever give a shit about what others do.” He let go of Noah’s ears, stepping away from the maiden as she kept furiously masturbating.

Snorting in amusement, the gray maiden popped another berry, looking at the bound maiden as Noah trembled and went all the harder. “I think I’ll have a round with her later.”

“No.”

The brief brusque response made Shery freeze, turning slowly to stare at Mark with a scowl. The air of neutrality about her was gone. “You might think getting her horny is punishment enough for what she did to you, but I’m still due some payback.”

“I don’t care.” He stated flatly. “You had plenty chances, now I’m in charge of that rat. Not you.”

“And what if I do it, anyway?” She snorted, stepping forward and shoving him back ever so slightly.

“I won’t try to stop you.” Mark replied. “But if half the shit Brye’s said is true, I could very well end up being the one in charge of you once I meet your ‘Boss’.”

It was like a slap, the maiden stopped cold. Her gaze turned towards Noah, the mouse too lost in the fog of arousal, and then at Mark. “And what do you plan to do to me then? It doesn’t look like you’ve got the guts to do half the shit Noah had done to me.”

“You saved my life. Once.” He stepped closer. “Is getting some extra kicks into that rat worth me forgetting about that?”

Shery hesitated, once more looking at Noah and then at him. There was a sharp look on her eyes as she took a step back. “Alright.” She finally proclaimed, nodding at some thought that she’d appeared to latch onto. “I think I’ll just call it a day, Noah died back at the waterfall. Mouse’s yours, do whatever.”

She turned towards the sacks to pick out some rations from the sacks.

And Mark realized there were a pair of eyes still looking at him sharply. Noah, flushed and panting, had not stopped focusing on him the whole time. It gave him a slight shiver, but he just suppressed it.

Better blind and gag her again once she was done working the berry’s effects out of her system.

[156] [Captain Eustine]

Captain Eustine walked down the corridors of the ‘palace’ with a sense of inevitable doom and tedious hassle. She felt her upper lip stiffen as she noticed that the usual Drow guard had been replaced with Dark Elves from Lady Embla’s personal unit. She could understand the desire to protect this human pet of hers, but there were surely better uses for these maidens than to stand around a room and do nothing all day?

There were still predatory ferals within the Court’s safe zone! How was one human worth more than the increased security for everyone!?

“Captain.”

The Dark Elf gave a lazy salute to her fellow, and Eustine could only stiffen her upper lip, returning the salute in turn. “I’ve come to meet… the human.”

“Yes, the Lady gave clear orders.” A firm nod.

The following silence had been meant for Eustine to use and step into the personal chambers the human was currently inhabiting. She, however, didn’t. Her eyes glared at the wooden door as she inwardly desired to blow the whole palace into one gigantic fireball.

“He is not like the humans from the kingdom.” The comment startled her slightly into looking at the guard who’d spoken up.

“And I should take that comment how exactly?” The maiden’s cheeks lit up slightly. “You… should remove your collar.”

Eustine stiffened. “I will do that when I deem it adequate.”

The two guards shared a look and a knowing smirk. There was something there Eustine was not privy of. She scowled. “I will have you know, the human I am bonded to is not a prisoner.”

“We are very aware, ma’am.” Both nodded quickly, showing proper discipline and stiffness as they did.

Content on having seen at least that much, Eustine took the impulse and knocked on the door twice. Inwardly she wished there would be no answer, but she could easily pick up on the rushed steps and the door swinging open.

She’d seen the human from a distance, but this was the first time seeing him face to face. The first and most immediate word that came to mind was ‘fairer nobility’. The man looked like he’d been plucked out of some myth of a fair man who’d lived in lavish opulence and excess. His skin was pale, and freckles adorned his face. There was a slight homely plump edge to his features that spoke of having never starved, and his fiery red hair was lustrous and vibrant in a way that should only be possible for someone born out of a fire-wielding maiden.

“Captain Eustine.”

The man spoke with slight surprise and that little edge of breathlessness that betrayed a life devoid of physical strain. Though she turned her focus elsewhere. The young man was actually wearing clothes, a set of black pants and a sleeveless shirt. His arms were thin, unblemished save a freckle here and there.

It presented a soft allure Eustine could see herself enjoying under different circumstances. “Mister Dodson.” She reminded herself to greet back, nodding at him and noticing his outstretched hands. “Yes?”

“Your weapon.”

Eustine almost blushed in embarrassment, had she really forgotten to remove her weapon? Was she that wary of the human? She berated herself as she removed the two swords from her belt and handed them to him.

Seeing Barry nearly fall from the sudden weight he was holding added a tiny amount of amusement. She eyed him as he placed the two sheathed blades next to the door and closed them behind her.

“I hope you don’t mind the dim lighting.” Barry spoke hurriedly. “I heard Dark Elves are more sensitive to light than humans, so…”

“I don’t mind.” Eustine took a look around the room, she spotted the royal-sized bed and was about to note how odd it was that it appeared to be littered with what looked like excessive pillows, blankets, and some other items she couldn’t recognize, when her attention was drawn to the table between herself and the bed.

“I was wondering about how that worked, though I was never given much of an answer.” The young human had moved towards the table. It was small, enough it could only really had enough room for three to eat tightly side by side. “Here.”

“What?” Eustine looked at the table, the white blanked covering it, and what appeared to be pillows underneath.

“It’s a massage table.” Barry said, patting the lumpy mantle. “It’s meant for you to lay face down on, and I give you a massage.”

“You give me a massage.” Well, the guards were certainly right that Barry did not follow the local kingdom-bred standards.

“Yes.” A nod and a slight blush, and Eustine abruptly realized she couldn't see his aura.

Frowning, she stepped closer, and the young man froze nervously. Her eyes lingered over his figure. “Are you ill?”

“I’ve… heard that a lot. I’m alright.”

He didn’t look it. His aura was so tenuous, weak, barely even there. And Eustine couldn’t detect any enchanted items on his person that might have been suppressing it either. Was this what a pure-blooded human looked like? It certainly explained why the Lady coddled the young man, he looked as if a stiff breeze could knock him over.

Better get back to the matter at hand. “So do you plan to bond me after you’ve given me a massage?”

“I just… wanted to talk first.” He gestured at the table. “You’re stiff, and I just think that it would be better to get to know each other before we decide on the bonding.”

His excessive softness was not something Eustine was enjoying. Should she press on and just get done with it? “I’d rather not waste time.”

“Please?” He asked, holding onto a bottle of what appeared to be oil. “Have you ever gotten a massage from a human? Is the novelty not worth at least some patience?”

He had a point there. Eustine shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. She reached up to the straps of her leather armor and didn’t waste any time in stripping all the way down to the nude. Lady Embla hadn’t really left much room in the interpretations of her orders, something about training him.

Seeing how the young man had turned his back towards her and made an obvious effort not to turn her way, Eustine had to wonder if the Lady was going about things the right way. “Face down?”

“Yes.” Barry nodded even if he didn’t turn to look her way. “You… have a sheet there.”

“For what?”

“Covering up.”

Eustine rolled her eyes, just moving towards the table and doing her best to lay down on its surface. It wasn’t exactly something she’d experienced before, the pillows were arranged under the mantle in such a way that it felt as if she were sinking into it. And she discovered a hole for her face, convenient. “Like this?”

She held back a huff as she felt a mantle covering her ass. Her focus moved towards just closing her eyes and pushing herself to will this whole thing to come to an end.

The Dark Elf shuddered as she felt something warm pouring on her back. It was the oil, only a little of it. “Please do relax.” His hands pressed against the liquid and Eustine had to stop her thoughts for a moment as she felt how soft his hands were.

“Sure.”

His fingers remained on her shoulders, his touches weren’t strained, or at least she didn’t feel like he was straining himself. He was lathering her back with the warm oil, a soft scent of… pine-needles? It was subtle, enough so she was sure the human himself wasn’t able to pick up on it.

“Do you happen to know why Dark Elves are called that?”

The question stirred her thoughts. “It’s what we’ve always been called.” She muttered, the silky smooth sheets around her were drawing her in. “Drows shift into Dark Elves if they’re strong, and if Dark Elves become strong enough, they become a Dark Lady.”

“And Warlocks?”

“The Lady said that it is only possible if a Dark Elf fulfills a ritual of sorts, a very dangerous one.” She muttered, rattling off the old memory.

“Do you think the Lady is strong?”

“Lady Embla? She’s our strongest fighter.” Eustine sighed, feeling the hands moving their way down from her shoulders. Barry wasn’t going to be undoing the knots she could…!

A sharp gasp followed as something cold and hard pressed down on her back. The coldness cause for greater alarm than any actual discomfort or pain. It took half a second to warm back up though, and Eustine gritted her teeth for another second to push herself to relax. The metallic object was pushing down on a particularly sore spot on her back, there.

“Just relax.” Barry whispered, putting more of his weight into it, his voice coming out as a strained grunt. “You were saying about the Lady being strong?”

“She’s our Lady after all, she leads the Court.” Eustine grunted in turn as she could sense her body going limp right as Barry moved the pressure slowly further up. “Oh, that’s…”

“Have you ever gotten a massage?” He was slightly out of breath, though not slowing down. “It feels like you have more knots than a tree.”

“Massages are for…” A sharp breath as his hands moved down her spine, shifting slightly and holding her waist for a moment. Eustine hesitated, sensing his fingers dig into her skin in a way that was definitely for something else, right before he moved them back up and to her shoulders. Had she imagined it?

“Yes?”

“Maidens don’t need massages.”

“You’re tough, right.” Barry’s hands were moving down her back again, carefully and softly caressing every scar and curve of her muscles as if memorizing every inch of her. “Very strong.” His voice lowered again to a whisper, his hands moving back down towards her waist.

His fingers returned to her waist, this time only temporarily, shifting slightly further down towards the cloth covering her ass. Eustine tensed again, but only until his fingers left her body and reappeared on her calves. For a fraction of a second she’d expected something else.

“Not necessary.” She nodded slightly, breathing to relax back into the soft sheets, the lingering scent of pine feeling slightly stronger, her body slightly warmer. “We can survive without it.”

“True.” Barry acknowledged. “Maidens like you can just about survive anything. It’s why Embla trusts you so much.”

The way his voice had shifted as he spoke caused a slight swell of pride inside Eustine’s chest. She nodded as his fingers moved to the other calf. “That’s right.”

“And… and you trust Embla, right?”

“With my life.”

A slight silence followed, and Barry’s hands moved up to her thighs. She drew a sharp breath as his fingers began to squeeze at her muscles, the touch might not felt intentionally erotic, but her body was certainly feeling that way.

“You have very pretty skin.”

The offhanded comment made her pause. “You’re joking, right?”

“No. The gray color is exotic in a way I hadn’t expected.” His fingers were definitely lingering close to her ass. “And…”

Frowning, Eustine turned around, pulling herself up enough to move and lay face up on the table. Her gaze locked onto Barry’s blush and the way he’d pulled his hands away instantly. She noticed how he looked at her, how he couldn’t avoid staring at her breasts, at her bush. The pride from earlier grew slightly.

“Go on.” She declared, laying back down though not looking away. “What else do you like?”

“I, um, I…” He blushed harder, looking upwards. “I was supposed to, um, this isn’t going how I expected it to.”

Eustine quirked a brow. “And what were you imagining would occur?”

“I… wanted to guide you, a bit? Kinda, just walk you through the emotions.” He said. “And then see if it was enough to trigger the bond.”

“How would you hope to do that while I am…” Eustine’s eyes widened as she reached up to touch her throat. The collar was gone. Alarms rung on her head, she whipped to look around, and found the strap of leather on the bed. “I didn’t notice it?”

“You might have been a bit too relaxed.” Barry muttered, finally having gathered the courage to meet her irate eyes. “If… since this… is sort of a mess, would you let me try one last thing?”

“One last thing before I fuck you the normal way and hopefully be done with this?” She scowled at him, holding back the glower.

“Y-yes.” He stepped closer, reaching out towards her. “It’s… um, it’s the thing that Lady Embla enjoys the most.”

That perked Eustine’s interest, though she didn’t stop the frown. “What is it?”

“She… talked about freedom.” His fingers moved to slowly press her shoulders back onto the table. His expression serious as he met her gaze with a sudden seriousness that felt out of place in his otherwise soft features. “She talked about how she never really noticed how maidens are always in a cage of their own making, that… everyone grows blind to the shackle they wear every day.”

His fingers brushed against her throat, and Eustine drew in a sharp breath at the ticklish sensation. Barry’s hands traced gentle lines up and down either side of her neck, making it all too apparent she was entirely devoid of her collar.

“Lady Embla said that she loves this the most. The reminder that she’s free now, that she’ll never have to wear a choker ever again.” The image became vivid in Eustine mind’s eye. Her neck bare, devoid of the slight tightness that would always remind her of its existence every time she strained herself during a fight or training. “Lady Embla kept saying that I freed her from it, that she’d never truly felt like she was herself until she could walk without it and not fear going feral.”

“That’s… that’s nice.” She agreed softly, closing her eyes and focusing on those fingers.

“Don’t you want to feel that every day? Feel this?” His touch was becoming bolder, touching her neck and shoulders. “Why wouldn’t a beautiful powerful woman like you want it?”

Why wouldn’t she? Why ever wear the collar ever again if she could go without it entirely? Had she ever truly been devoid of it?

In that moment, in that instant, Eustine felt naked and exposed in a way she couldn’t even understand. The emotion welling within her and growing until her cheeks began to grow hot.

A sharp gasp followed, goosebumps running down every inch of her skin. Something within her clicked, and the realization hit her like as if she’d been struck by lighting. She wanted this, she’d always wanted this. This… this… liberation. The emotion swelled and burst as an odd giddy smile appeared on her lips. When was the last time she’d ever felt so… so…

Was this hope? Joy? She opened her eyes and looked at Barry, truly looked at him, for the first time she realized what the Lady saw in him. Not a weak human or meaningless symbol.

He was to be their wings.

[157] [Barry]

No sooner had Barry finished the words that the maiden’s eyes had snapped open and looked at him with a smile that sent all sorts of different shivers through him. She moved to sit on the table, not looking away from him for an instant as her fingers reached up to his hands.

“I’ve never felt like this.” She declared with a slight nod, moving his hands from her neck down to her breasts.

He pulled away. “I… sensed the bond, so that’s that, I guess.”

Eustine’s expression went from slightly eager to disappoint, whatever bubble she’d entered had popped and the smile that had crept on her face was gone. The scowl from earlier returned. “Why?”

“Why… what?”

“Why would it have to be over?” She looked at him with a calculating serious look. There was something going on in that head of hers, because she proceeded to nod as if in self-affirmation of some idea. “My orders had been to have sex with you, I don’t see why this would be over after just some foreplay.”

“I’d… not intended it as foreplay.” Barry took half a step back. “I really really didn’t. I just wanted to test making a bond exactly without it being… well, that, and whether it was possible to do it quickly, you know, for the mission, and all that.” He gulped. “I definitely think Lady Embla will understand if things stay as is, no need to push yourself.”

“I’m not, I want to fuck you.” The proclamation was bold and straightforward, her gaze slightly serious. “Don’t you want to fuck me too? I’m mostly sure you were trying to grope me back then.”

“Again, a misunderstanding.”

“So you were lying about me being beautiful?”

The way she pushed her chest forward snatched his gaze as if magnetized. She wasn’t as stacked as Embla, but her proportions were certainly generous. “No! No, I most certainly was not.” Barry realized his mistake when he noticed her smirk.

“Then what’s the problem?”

Try as he might, the words failed him. Barry opened his mouth to speak and Eustine hopped off the table, stepping closer to him. That alone made her body shift in ways that caused his eyes to return to her curves. He could only gulp as she took another step. “The bond is… probably messing with you. I mean, I didn’t-.”

He realized he reached the wall, his back pressing against it as her hand moved forward, pressing against his chest. The Dark Elf leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper. “A pretty face like yours? If I were raiding a village, I’d take you and leave you chained up in my room so I could have my way with you. All. Day. Long.” Her hand moved down under his shirt, her touch was oily. “I’d probably have to fight some of my subordinates to keep them away from you.”

Though that did answer his previous question, Barry’s alarms were ringing quite loudly. He attempted to step to the side, and she now properly pinned him against the wall, her other hand touching his stomach, there was a tingle in her caress, one that flared heat within him.

“No spells.” Barry quickly spoke, breath growing ragged as Eustine froze.

“It’s just a little something to enjoy-.”

“No spells.” He repeated, gulping for air. “I don’t… I don’t want to lose myself.”

“I’m not some charmer, Barry, it’s only to make sure you’re nice and hard.” Her hand dipped under the edge of his pants, finding his throbbing cock and wrapping her warm fingers around it. Eustine cooed. “Though I think you have a point, there’s no need for spells. You want this?”

“I’d… rather stop.”

“Why?” She squeezed tenderly, slowly stroking him as she did. Barry’s knees became weak, though Eustine was more than happy to hold him in place with her other hand, leaning in to kiss his neck. “Do you really want me to stop?” Her oily slick fingers were causing shivers all over his body, her touch on his cock firm as she pumped him. “Just tell me to stop, and I will.”

Barry drew a breath and moaned immediately after. His attempt at vocalization faltered and his hips thrust slightly into the maiden’s touch. Eustine used the hand pinning him to the wall to pull him closer instead, kissing him in full and stroking him harder. She was working him up, aggressively invading his mouth with her tongue and overwhelming him with her dominant touch.

It was impossible to hold back anymore. “More.” Barry whimpered slightly, breath short and knees bucking as he couldn’t really see the sense in stopping anymore. The moan left him and he felt himself reaching the edge. A whine of complaint followed as Eustine gripped his shaft more tightly, abruptly stopping his ability to achieve release. “Wha-?”

“Not yet.” The arm hugging him moved lower, gripping his ass firmly. “I want you to say it again.”

He had no clue what she was talking about, his hands clenched into fists, despite the tightness, she was still stroking him, still teasing him with an orgasm he couldn’t quite achieve.

“You said I’m beautiful.”

“You are!” A short grunt and raspy breaths, eyes tightly shut and thrusting into her hand. He was so close…

“I want to hear it.”

“You’re beautiful.” Breath drawing out in a whine, he clenched his jaw. “You’re sexy, I-.”

“What? What do you want?”

“I want to cum.” He grasped at her shoulders, finding the strength to pull her into a hug. “I-.”

“Then cum for me.”

The quick pumping action sped up, her lips claimed his own, and she released his cock just enough for him to finally find release. With his throbbing cock exploding within her grip, Barry moaned into her mouth and eager exploratory tongue. His jizz served as lubricant, coating her fingers as she did not stop stroking him, earning louder moans and pulling him closer into her oil-slick embrace.

Gasping loudly, he collapsed, heaving for air and feeling his face burn bright red. The Dark Elf slowly eased him to the floor without much complication, her face practically glowed with a pleasant smile, pulling her white-coated hand up and giving it a slow lick. “Tasty.”

Barry’s face might as well have turned into a nuclear reactor, he looked away, feeling the blush running down his chest and all over. A shiver coursed through him when she finally let go of his ass and paused, glancing at his cock analytically as it slowly softened. “You’ve had a long day, haven’t you?”

“You… this is the third one.” He muttered under his voice. “Really didn’t think it’d lead to sex again.”

“I think you’re too cute for that.” She replied, kissing his flustered cheek. “Do you… need anything?”

He shook his head. “I’ll catch my breath in a minute.”

“If you ever want more, call for me.”

A slow kiss, this time gentle, taking her time to taste his lips before pulling away. Eustine shot him a hesitant look as she stepped away, clearly wanting to stick around. But since Barry didn’t speak up, she took her leave. It left him feeling wrong, almost used, he could only sigh.

The human just remained slumped there for a very long quiet second.

His shadow shifted, and Orion emerged. The black-haired Hound regarded him with that ever-present impassive look before leaning down and picking him up into her arms. Barry complained, but she paid little attention to that, carrying him over towards the massage table and deftly dropping him there.

Orion looked at him, at his naked body, and Barry quickly moved to cover what little dignity there might be left. Her clawed hands stopped him, soft puffy pads that pushed his hands against his chest. “Orion?”

Acknowledging her name, she just looked at him as she leaned down, licking his stomach. There was a slow methodical touch to the gesture, while his hands remained pinned, she moved down, licking his hips, then his thighs, finally moving to lick his cock. He twitched, and Orion’s tail wagged exactly once before she moved to keep licking her way back up. She licked his chest, tickling him with her breath, and then licking his shoulder and the side of the neck Eustine had kissed.

Slowly, she moved to hop onto the table, straddling his hips.

She laid her head against his chest. “Barry.”

He hugged her, and her tail wagged exactly once a second time.

Barry did his best to ignore how nice and warm Orion’s naked body felt against his own. One of her canine ears was laying firmly on his chest, the other stood pointed at the door.

His hands wrapped around her hips, and Orion let out a small sigh, relaxing further into him.

“I really need to find a better way to do this.”

-------

Preview Part 23:

“If I may.” Freya spoke up, drawing attention as she stepped forward. “I received instructions from the Major to relay a report to the city Hunters. It includes details of Monica’s and sir Rick’s special circumstances.”

“Sir Rick?” Kat barked out a laugh, moving into a fit of giggles.

He just rolled his eyes and continued walking. “One step at a time, let’s… see how Monica handles this.”

“Catnip?”

“She’s already figured that one out. If you’re feeling brave or curious about what she’ll do with it when you offer, go try.” He shot an unamused look at Tomas. The young man paled slightly and vigorously shook his head.

“Wus.” Kat elbowed him with a little smirk.

They continued approaching the city, watching the line of people at the entrance slowly grow. By the time they were reaching the stone walls and stepping into its shadow, there was a gathering of people in front of the wall, and it was growing larger by the looks of it. Many a caravan and traveler were denied access to the city and sent to wait at the side. By the looks of it, Rick could spot the guards asking for papers, running into the wall, and then coming back out. Whatever verification procedure these people were having, it didn’t seem that their system was fast enough to keep up with the influx of people.

“This is going to be… stressful.” He muttered as the two plate-wearing maidens approached the cart in front of them.

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