Hello Readers!
For a while I've played around with the idea of writing a monster girl story. So, with that said I've gone ahead and written this chapter. Depending on reception, # of reviews, etc I will either keep it going, or stop after a few chapters to get it out of my system.
Please enjoy! :)
-Bladewing265
To Love A Lamia
Chapter 1
The sun had not risen, and the stars shone in the night sky like countless shards of glass. The air was frigid and still as it hung above the lands dotted with plowed fields and small, miserable huts. Through them, like a gash upon the earth, ran a large river that fed the crops being grown. In the distance one could make out a large castle that stood upon an elevated hilltop - the regents residence from where he ruled his lands with a fist of iron and a heart as equally cruel.
But all of that didn't matter - not today. For one man who stood by the banks of the river, kneeling in front of a small child, all that mattered to him was the escape of his young son. He hurriedly filled a small bag with bits and pieces of food he had looted from the castle's stores. The boy, a look of fear on his face, stood shaking despite the layers of clothing he wore. Every gust of wind sent a piercing cold that chilled him to his bones.
His father finished packing and secured the pack to his son's back. He knelt down in front of him, looking his son dead in the eye. The boy would never forget the look in his father's green eyes.
"Reynold," he said hurriedly, "That food should last you for a few days. Run as far away as you can from this place - the sleeping elixer I laced in the lord's food will not last for long. Everyone will awake soon and you must be gone before then."
"But father!" protested the young child in fear, "I don't want to leave! Please come with me!"
"I cannot my son." The man stood up, smiling sadly and gently patting the boy's head of brown hair. "They will hunt me down for what I have done. My presence will only endanger you. You must survive this place - you must find your freedom."
"But if that means leaving you behind I don't want it!" Tears began to stream down the boy's cheeks as he began to sob uncontrollably.
"I know," said the man softly, "But there are other reasons you must leave this place. Do you remember?"
The boy tried to stifle his tears, wiping them on his sleeve. Yes - he did remember.
"My gift?" he asked. "The one given to me by the gods?"
"That's right my child - you have the gift of magic running through your veins. The way you heal others simply by laying your hands upon them, they way your hands glow when doing so, is a sign that you have been given this power. But there are those who would use it for their own ends - you must not allow that to happen."
The man embraced his child for the last time.
"Be free my child - and use that power to help those who suffer."
12 years later
Reynold awoke from the dream with a start, bolting upright with his arm outstretched as he tried to reach for his father. He was still for a moment, before dropping his scarred arm to his side, cursing himself for the immature response to his dream.
It had been 12 years since he had been forced to flee the only family he ever had, and the scars all along his body told of his less that pleasant journey since them. He looked around his small camp, noting the embers of what was left of the fire he had built to keep wild creatures away, among other things. He took in a deep breath of cold morning air to wake himself, before standing up to eat a small breakfast of wild mushrooms and berries.
Despite the fact that over a decade had passed, he was still wanted by the lord he had fled so long ago. His father, one of the cooks in the castle, had been executed for heresy and witchcraft upon his discovery, or so he had been told. But though he had died, his words forever echoed in Reynold's mind - Use that power to help those who suffer.
He had made it his life's mission - to free other slaves who had been bound to servitude. That is why he had honed not only his skills as a healer, but also as a fighter. Reynold sat down and pulled an item wrapped in cloth from his few belongings.
The wrappings dropped, revealing a staff inscribed with ancient runes along its side. But the most prominent feature was the the hooked blade at the end, etched with those same runes and embedded with an emerald that seem to give off an unnatural glow.
Battlemages were rare due to the fact that only a handful of out of every thousand or so humans could wield magic and even less chose to use those powers for combat. The general preference was to study healing magic or other, less noble crafts. The most prominent of the latter were those who used their magic to study and enslave human/animal hybrids known as musume.
One of the first things he had learn as a wanderer was that in order to survive, he had to learn how to evade capture by these creatures. All of them were female, and sustained themselves by preying on men's vitality through sexual intercourse. They were feared a creatures who possed unnatural abilities, both magical and physical. They came in all forms, from insect like to giants who towered over even the tallest of men. But if there was one thing that connected them, it was the intense desire to find a mate and proliferate their species. Their skills as lovers could break even the strongest of men, and occasionally women.
While there was debate as to whether they kept their "husband" alive or devoured him after mating, Reynold had decided it best to avoid the whole issue entirely and stay away from areas known to contain these monsters. He would concern himself with human lives, and human lives only.
It was for that very reason that he found himself here in these woods, staying close to a well traveled road just two miles north. It was a route commonly taken by slavers on their way to large, rich cities intent on selling their captives for a hefty profit.
His goal clear in his mind he raised himself up, securing his staff to the his back and made off to his destination.
Two hours later.
It had only been half an hour since he had arrived, and already he could see a slaver in the distance. The carriage, really a cage on wheels with a ragged brown cover over it, was a dead giveaway. But something was... strange.
From the size of the carriage, there couldn't have been more than three slaves back there. Anymore and the slavers would risk damaging their "goods". Yet for all that, there were about nine guards riding on horseback protecting it. Such a large number was unusual for such a small number of captives.
Reynold unsheathed his weapon, setting himself for the battle at hand. The number of second-rate mercenaries didn't matter to him - they would prove of little consequence.
The slaver and his guards came closer. Thirty yards... twenty-five... twenty... fifteen.
As they came within ten yards of his hiding spot, the lead mercenary's mount stepped on a lightly inscribed circle on the ground - a magical trap. The ground erupted a large pillar of stone shot out from the ground, throwing both man and horse into the air and into the woods, out of sight. At the same time, a second pillar erupted from the rear, throwing another two mercenaries off and into the wilderness. They were now trapped - like animals.
Reynold rushed forward, taking advantage of the confusion. Raising his staff he aimed for the closets mercenary, a man wearing dull gray armor with a skull inscribed on the breast plate. He swung with all his might, his target only having a chance to yell is shock before he was thrown with unnatural force off his steed and into the dirt.
The other five mounted guards wasted no time and surrounded him. Their swords and lances at the ready.
"You fucked up, you godless bandit!" sneered one of the men angrily, his lance painted at Reynold's throat.
But it was a mute point. Reynold pointed his spear down, and buried the blade into the earth, sending waves of energy rippling through the ground. The five men lunged their weapons at him, only to be met with solid earth and stone erupted around him, encasing him in as protective cocoon.
He felt the earth molding to his body, as it had many times before. Pieces of the outer shell fell off, piece by piece, until all that was left was an armor of earth upon his body. The helmet upon his head covered it entirely, save for a slit at the front for the eyes and mouth. His shoulders, forearms, and even the top of his hands had plates on them. His torso had a breastplate that extended all the way down to his waist, were it was met by other layers of armor extending down the length of his legs.
The five soldiers of fortune gaped and Reynold, taking advantage of their stupor, lunged forward and with his armored fist, punched his foe clean off his mount, slamming against a nearby oak with a thundering crack.
He turned menacingly to the others, eyeing them like a predator of the wild. Their morale broken, the men cried out in horror before riding away as fast as possible into the distance.
The threat gone, he turned his attention to the slaver driving the carriage. He had remained quiet the entire time, but now he whimpered in fear as Reynold approached him. Disgustingly, a small foul puddle had formed under where the man sat.
"The key, or your life. Choose" Reynold extended his hand out.
"W-wait a minute!" stammered the slaver. "You don't understand! Thi-this cargo! I-it's-!"
"Your life then." Reynold raised his staff up and above the man's head, the blade ready to crash down on his skull.
"N-no!" The coward threw the keys at him, jumping from the carriage and running down the path.
"You'll regret this!" yelled back the slaver as a silver of courage returned to him before he disappeared from sight around a bend in the road.
Reynold took the keys and made his way to the back of the cage, pulling the aside the tattered cover and peering in. The sight he saw caused him shocked him.
A woman, or what appeared to be one - the most beautiful he had ever seen, laid unconscious in the cage. Even covered in a hole riddle brown shirt, dirt, cuts, and bruises, he could tell she was gorgeous. Her bright pink hair fell down the sides of her face and past her voluptuous breasts. Her skin, fair and light, almost radiated despite her condition. But what made him stop and gape, was the lower half of her body.
From her waist down, her body turned into that of a snake. The scales were a deep red color, extending all the way down until they ended in a tip at the end.
A lamia, he though to himself.
His first instinct was to back away and leave. Musume could be dangerous, and one who had been beaten and abused so badly could lash out at the next human they see.
Besides... there was the issue of them looking for mates and capturing men they fancied. It was said they would trap their mate, and feed on his vitality without end until he was a shriveled corpse.
But if he left now - what would happen to the miserable creature? At worst, it would starve without no one around.
Before he could decide, the creature's eyes slowly opened. It let out a small groan before it's blue, cat-like eyes fell upon him. It let out a stifled gasp and pushed itself away to the other side of the cage, as far as it could get from him.
"W-wait a minute-" he stammered.
But all he got was a long hiss, the lamia bearing its fangs at him in anger.
"I need to you to calm down." He put his hands up, to show his sincerity. "I'm not one of your captors - they're gone. I free slaves and the ones who hurt you stumbled into my area. Here - let me show you."
He showed her the key to the cage, and slowly inserted it into the lock. He looked up and saw the creature was no longer bearing her fangs, but eyeing him with suspicion. He turned the key, unlocking the cage. To be safe, he kept his weapon at the ready, should the creature decide to lunge at him.
The cage opened with a long creek, and suddenly he found nothing standing between him and the Musume. They stared at one another in awkward silence, Reynold noting the rapid rise and fall of the creature's chest.
"You are free - do as you wish Musume."
Slowly, he backed away, never taking his eyes of the creature until he reached the treeline. As he saw her exit the cage, her eyes firmly upon him with perplexity, he ran back into the forest and out of her sight.
The next day
The following morning, Reynold awoke at his camp, once again the words of his father echoing in his mind. His eyelids heavy, he tried to move his arms to rub them open but his limbs felt even heavier, along with a pressure in his chest.
No - his arms felt like they were bound!
He opened his eyes with a start, and found himself looking at the gorgeous face of the captive he had freed the day before. Her large breasts were pushing against him, explaining the pressure he felt. His heart skipped a beat, hammering in his chest so hard it might burst it open. He glanced down, and saw his entire body coiled up in the musume's lower body, making him panic.
"What the hell!?" he shouted as he tried to break free.
The creature's eyes flickered opened before letting out a yawn. It took it a few moments for it to acknowledge Reynold's figure struggling in its embrace.
"Oh!" it said in a sweet voice with a smile. "Good morning! Is something the matter?"
Reynold only stared at her both in wonder and fear, as he pondered what his fate would be.
"I - I am wondering why you're at my camp," he said as calmly as he could. "And why I'm like this." He nodded down to the coils around his torso.
"Well, I need heat in order to survive and you being the warmest thing here..." She stuck out her tongue playfully. "I couldn't resist."
With that, the creature loosened her embrace. Reynold took the opportunity and pushed himself away at full speed, dashing to his staff and grabbing it in his right hand. He turned around, pointing the blade at the creature.
"Out with it!" he barked. "What do you want from me?"
The lamia look at him in shock, before looking down at the ground in shame and embarrassment.
"I - I only wanted to thank you for saving me yesterday," she muttered. "There's no need to point that thing at me..."
Reynold hesitated, taking in the situation. There was no deception in her voice, but he couldn't be sure. He lowered the weapon, but kept it at his side.
"You're welcome. But hunting me down, and wrapping yourself around me without a word is a bit... much for a show of gratitude. Don't you think?"
"By human standards, I guess" it scoffed. "But for lamias, there is no shame in doing so once they've found their chosen one."
Reynold dreaded to ask, but did i anyway.
"What do you mean chosen one?" demanded Reynold as he tightened the grip on his spear.
"Oh - I forgot to tell you!" The lamia's eyes brightened and her mouth broke into an excited smile, her hands clasping in front of her. "As per our customs, I've decided I am to be your bride! We are to be married!"
Reynold looked at her in a stupor, his mind seizing at what he had just heard.
"I... what?"
I hope you enoyed! Let me know what you all think!