"Sh, she became a wolf!" Priestess uttered in a panicked whisper.
"I see, she's been bit by a lycanthrope…a werewolf." Dwarf Shaman carefully studied the situation as he stroked his beard. "I can see why the big guy wanted to keep this secret."
"Wouldn't it make more sense to ask others for assistance?" High Elf Archer was confused by the statement.
"Think about it Long-Ears, if the others found out she could change into an uncontrollable beast, rumor would spread, and it would tarnish their career as an adventurer. People would shun them, possibly try and kill them out of fear."
"But I have come across werewolves who could control their animalistic instinct before, though the ones I met were on the side of chaotic evil." Half-Demon Thief added her own experience.
"I too have come across those who are able to control their bestial instincts and continue on as adventurers in my journey's before joining with my party. Perhaps we may be able to offer this insight to our comrades?" Lizard Priest then noticed the wolves and the werewolf seemed quite agitated. "Something is amiss, perhaps they have caught wind of our scents?"
"No, above us, look!" Half-Demon Thief pointed toward the sky above them.
The others looked up to see a small figure flying around the sky, Half-Dragon Daughter circled around the party below intrigued by the new wolf with the blonde mane.
"Is it an enemy?" Scout Boy quickly placed his hand upon the hilt of his sword as he looked up to see the winged creature circle them.
"No. It is my little sister." Goblin Slayer looked up and motioned for the young girl to come down.
Half-Dragon Daughter smiled as she descended where she happily greeted Wolf and Snow before looking toward her big brother.
"You…your little sister?" Druid Girl looked at Goblin Slayer then back toward the young dragon girl before them. "They look nothing alike."
Off in the woods, the others looked on nervously, Lizard Priest immediately wished to rush to his daughter side on the off chance they might scold her.
"You don't suppose Orcbolg is mad at her?"
"I…I don't think he'd yell at her." Priestess nervously looked on as well.
"Let's wait just a moment, with her there this means we haven't been discovered yet." Half-Demon Thief cautiously continued to look from behind the trees.
The werewolf growled and snarled at this new figure before her, and although Half-Dragon Daughter was a bit scared she felt better knowing it was locked up and her big brother was there to protect her, though she knew the others were around as well.
"Why did you come?" Goblin Slayer's tone was as mechanical as ever but did not seem to carry any hint of annoyance of anger.
"I wanted to see what you were up to. You disappeared almost immediately this morning." Half-Dragon Daughter did her best to put on a pout to make him feel guilty.
"Is that so?"
"Sure is, that and Papa said he was going to come out and make sure you were alright."
"And just like that we've been discovered. Curse her innocent and honest nature, remind me to teach her how to lie better." Half-Demon Thief placed a hand over her eyes before looking toward Lizard Priest.
"I'd prefer if you left that part out of her education young demoness." Lizard Priest smiled before looking back toward the group in the clearing. "I think it best we make our presence known as my little one has already informed them."
The remainder of Goblin Slayer's party slowly emerged from the trees and calmly made their way over toward the others. Half-Dragon Daughter happily rushed towards her father who in turn scooped her up and placed her upon his right shoulder as he continued on.
"What's…what's the meaning of this?" Heavy Warrior was rather annoyed to see these others here then looked back toward Goblin Slayer. "I told you not to involve the others."
"Begging your pardon, Milord Goblin Slayer did not summon us, we came of our own volition." Lizard Priest set his daughter down, then bowed his head before turning back toward his daughter. "And my little one, what are you doing here?"
"I heard you all say you'd be coming to check on big brother so I decided to tag along."
"Does your mother know you are with us?"
"I told her I'd come to check on you and big brother, she said to leave if things looked dangerous. She wasn't happy at first but said it would be alright since you were here."
"I see, but back to the matter at hand." Lizard Priest turned back toward Heavy Warrior's party then looked toward the snarling wolf in the cage. "It would appear that that your comrade has met with a most unfortunate event."
"How much did you see?"
"We saw her transformation, though it did see very painful. Again, I must apologize for our intrusion, we only wanted to make sure Milord Goblin Slayer did not need our assistance."
"I asked Goblin Slayer to aid me due to his knowledge of wolves, but also due to him being a very silent individual. The less people who know of this the better." Heavy Warrior frowned as he looked back toward his comrade, no his lover, in the form of the white wolf.
"Rest assured, we don't plan on saying anything. You are comrades of ours as well." High Elf Archer frowned as she looked back at the werewolf that had been Female Knight.
"Then while you're here, I don't suppose you might know of some way to help her. No elvish or dwarfish remedy to help with this kind of curse?"
"Sorry to tell you lad, but I'm not aware of any cures for something like this."
"It's the same with elvish lore, in the 200 years I've been around I've known of anyone who had to deal with a curse such as this."
"The only thought that might come to mind might be an exorcism, but I don't know it myself and I don't believe that Mother Superior is familiar with the spell either."
Half-Dragon Daughter looked around as the adults spoke then looked back toward the werewolf in the cage and slowly drew closer. She made sure not to get to close as she carefully studied the creature all the while Wolf and Snow stayed by her side.
"Be careful." Priestess moved toward the young dragon gently placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I fear that our former comrade may not be of sound mind."
"Why doesn't she speak with us? The other wolf people we met spoke with us in that village."
Despite the werewolf growling and snarling at them, everyone turned their attention toward the young girl.
"They spoke to…what other wolf people?" Heavy Warrior moved to kneel as he spoke with the young girl.
"There were wolf people my mother and I met in the village. There were a bunch of different races there, but that was a long time ago." Half-Dragon Daughter frowned as she tried to think back to the village they had visited. "Mama would know a lot more than me."
"Then perhaps it would be best to ask your mother then." Lizard Priest then pondered how to go about asking the question as he closed his eyes.
"Don't you mean your wife Scaly?"
Lizard Priest did his best to clear his throat, thankful the darkness partially hid the blush on his face.
"You're married, just what happened in the two months we've been away?" Scout Boy looked toward the young dragon girl then back to the lizardman.
"I really don't want to involve any others, this is already more than what I was ready to accept." Heavy Warrior sighed as he looked over all of Goblin Slayer's party.
"I understand your concern, but if none of us are any closer to aiding your partner, then perhaps seeking further help will be most beneficial." Lizard Priest smiled as he looked toward Heavy Warrior. "Rest easy that she will not expose the unfortunate curse that has befallen your comrade."
Heavy Warrior finally relented and nodded his head in his willingness to accept any help he could get. The rest of Goblin Slayer's party slowly made their way back to town, while Heavy Warrior's party opted to stay out in the field with the Female Werewolf. Before he could leave, Heavy Warrior placed a hand on Goblin Slayer's shoulder.
"Just a moment."
"Yes?"
"You said before the interruption you had a possible idea, do you mind sharing?"
"I'm told that silver can be used to purify evil, if stabbed with a silver weapon will cause death, then perhaps a silver fixture could suppress the evil."
"A silver fixture?" Heavy Warrior was slightly confused by the comment.
"A ring or medallion, if worn maybe that will prevent the change. A thought anyways."
"A silver ring…that might be something to try. I'd also like to think about that "trust" you mentioned earlier. Thank you again for your aid and understanding."
"We are comrades are we not?"
"That we are."
Heavy Warrior smiled as he watched the group of adventurers and two dire wolves departed, he then frowned as he looked back toward the now werewolf Female Knight who continued to thrash about in the metal cage.
"I swear we'll find a way to help you."
xxxx
"A werewolf huh? I don't know of any cures myself other than silver to slay a werewolf, but my little one is right we did meet some Wolf Tribe Padfoots in the village of Crossroads." Half-Dragon Mother smiled as she stroked her sleeping daughter's head.
"Crossroads?" Lizard Priest pondered.
"A hidden village where various races, prayer and non-prayer, are able to live in peace. Very few are able to even glimpse it, most even think of it as nothing more than a myth. If you don't mind a few days travel southeast of here, we can go and see if anyone there could help your comrade."
"I am forever in your debt, you truly are far wiser than I."
"Shh, keep your voice down dear, you'll wake this one." Half-Dragon Mother smiled warmly as she looked toward her daughter then back to her lover, tail swaying slightly. "While I appreciate the praise, perhaps a bit later, when we are alone, you can show me how grateful you are."
xxxx
The next morning, Heavy Warrior and his party gradually arrived back at the guild hall to meet up with the others. Female Knight was present with them, though back in her armor, she had a tired expression about her face. Once a seat in the tavern, Padfoot Waitress was quick to rush over and take their order.
"Morning, a pleasure to see you all back again. My you look exhausted…I wonder what activities you two have been up to?" Padfoot Waitress smiled sheepishly as she noticed the slight embarrassment on Heavy Warrior and Female Knight's face.
"We're ready to order. I'll have…"
"Roast Meat…raw, I mean rare." Female Knight was quick to interrupt Heavy Warrior as she found herself salivating at the thought of food.
"Roast coming up, will that be all for the table?"
"The roast is just for me. Bring me beer as well." Female Knight grunted as she looked back toward Padfoot Waitress and found herself slightly growling.
Padfoot Waitress was indeed surprised by this, but Heavy warrior was quick to then order some food for the table and they continued about their business. Female Knight had a ravenous appetite as she devoured her food and beer in a rather uncouth manner much to the surprise of the others around them. The others soon went about their own meal, waiting patiently for Goblin Slayer and the rest of his party to join them, in the middle of her meal Female Knight's ears began to twitch, she paused and closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath through her nose.
"They're here."
Her reply was calm as the others looked toward her then a glance toward the front showed them Goblin Slayer's party, minus their leader, slowly approaching.
"She was able to detect them so easily despite how loud it is in here. This must be a side effect of the werewolf's curse." Heavy Warrior was in surprise of all of this as he turned his gaze from Goblin Slayer's party to his lover.
"Good morning." High Elf Archer was as energetic as ever as she joined the party by the nearby table.
Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter were down as well, she took their order before leaving while the rest were able to discuss their plans for this coming trip.
"She has confirmed that there is a hidden village we can visit which should allow us to inquire further." Lizard Priest made sure to keep the details to a minimum so as not to draw attention toward Female Knight.
"Oh thank goodness, how far away are we traveling?" Heavy Warrior smiled at the thought of seeking out any help.
"Six days southeast of here. We'd best gather supplies for a week, we can resupply at the village before our return." Lizard Priest
"Then that gives us time to prepare, hopefully we'll find something to help." Heavy Warrior had a smile on his face as he thought about what might be of possible method to help his partner.
Soon enough Goblin Slayer came in with Cow Girl and the two dire wolves, Priestess was quick to greet them and get him caught up with Lizard Priest had explained, though making sure to keep the werewolf curse hidden from Cow Girl.
"I see."
"So you're going to be helping another one of your friends? Be safe on your journey and be sure to take Wolf and Snow with you." Cow Girl happily smiled before going to greet her little sister.
It was some time after lunch when all supplies were gathered and the two parties were ready to depart, the younger party members would ride in the wagon attached to it was the cage used for the werewolf while the other members would journey alongside it. Prior to leaving, Heavy Warrior had put in a request with the blacksmith to forge a ring made of silver, the blacksmith teased the adventurer that he was not in the fashion of making an engagement ring but would do his best.
The journey toward this village had been enjoyable, as night fell though, Female Knight would once again fall victim to the curse. As per the suggestion of the others, rather than trying to fight through the pain, she would calmly tell herself that those around her were friends. The first two nights showed no significant change as the werewolf continued to snarl at the group, doing its best to break the cage. The third night however, the werewolf was rather calm, though it continued to grip the bars of its cage it quietly growled as it looked over everyone from the cage.
"Look, she's calm." Druid Girl was in shock of seeing this.
Heavy Warrior and the others looked on with wide eyes as the werewolf was no longer snarling at them as it had for the last two months. Wolf and Snow were the first to move toward the cage, cautiously smelling the wolf in the cage who looked down at them. The werewolf tilted its head toward the side and studying the wolves, its mind a mix of human and animal trying comprehend everything around it.
"Are…are you okay, do you recognize us?" Heavy Warrior cautiously approached the cage, still keeping his hands towards his side.
The werewolf turned its attention towards him and started to snarl, but once again did not lash out. He hesitated for a moment, then continued forward slowly extending his arms towards her.
"What…what are you doing?" Half-Elf Light Warrior was nervous as he watched his leader approach the cage.
"Trying to establish trust." Heavy Warrior continued forward slowly extending his arm out. "Goblin Slayer said he didn't train his wolves, just showed them he could be trusted. Hopefully she'll remember me."
In his mind, he was worried she might try and bite him, but fortunately with his armored gauntlets that might provide some form of protection. He let out heavy sigh before he calmly stretched his arm out and gently patted the werewolf's right paw, the werewolf's eyes were wide as this, but strangely it did not growl or snarl, just stare at the human.
"She…she didn't attack." High Elf Archer was indeed surprised by this as a small smile crossed her face.
"Yes…she didn't." Heavy Warrior too smiled as he moved his hand away from the werewolf's.
The next night was similar, the werewolf would slightly growl at the adventurers from time to time but continued to remain rather calm within the cage. Scout Boy suggested showing her weapons of choice and brought forward her sword and shield. The werewolf once again looked curiously at the items, in its mind it was able to recall using the items and slowly reached for them. Its right clawed hand reached for the sword while its left went for the shield and as it held them remembered using them. It struck the cage with the sword, which made many of the adventurers jump from shock, but soon enough the werewolf dropped the items before growling as it walked about the cage.
"It's a small step, but I think she's closer to remembering who she was." Lizard Priest remarked with a light smile.
"We'll be by the village soon enough." Half-Dragon Mother added as she took hold of her lover's hand.
xxxx
That night, back amongst the fog-filled streets, Elder Animal Tracker and Animal Wrangler finally brought forth the last two wagons of their promised cargo. It had taken quite a while for them to round up enough men to aid them in this venture, and even longer to disposes of them to save themselves as much money as possible. Necromancer smiled as he saw the last of his required prey before then gasped with delight at the additional cage brought in as well.
"Are those Arachne?" He marveled at the two large spider-like creatures.
"I figured we'd bring you something extra since we were so late on our last delivery." Elder Animal Tracker smirked then quickly changed his expression back to a frown. "With this, are you satisfied?"
"You've brought me all I asked for and more, I am truly hopeful that after you have dealt with this Goblin Slayer we can continue to do business." Necromancer chuckled to himself as his followers pushed the large cages into the sewers. "Do you know where to find him?"
"I already have a location to start with, it's only a matter of time before I have him where I want him."
"And what shall you do to him when you have caught him?"
"Prolong his suffering as much as I can." Elder Animal Tracker sneered before he too started to chuckle.
xxx
Within two days later, the party arrived at the village, or rather they would have but all they saw before them was the entrance to a cave, covered by several rocks with a strange black mist emanating from within. Everyone looked toward the caved-in entrance with unsure eyes then turned their attention back to Half-Dragon Mother.
"We're here." Half-Dragon Mother had a small smirk on her face.
"But, there's nothing here. I only see this ruined cave entrance with a strange miasma present." Lizard Priest curiously looked from the cave entrance to his lover.
"It's a trick papa." Half-Dragon Daughter took hold of her father's hand.
Half-Dragon Mother walked forward and vanished into the cave entrance, much to the surprise of everyone there. Half-Dragon Daughter began to walk forward pulling her father behind her and the two also vanished into the cave entrance. Slowly the others walked forward, leaving the wagons behind, and entered through the cave entrance. The party found themselves not inside a cave, but the entrance of a large village, even bigger than Frontier Town. Inside the town were several individuals of different race who then turned their attention toward the large party.
"Incredible, a hidden village." Lizard Priest looked around, above them was a clear blue sky as what they had seen but he was sure they had seen nothing but forest and hills before they entered.
Before they could go any further, six humanoid figures encased in armor walked forward with weapons at the ready. The adventurers immediately reached for their own weapons, but Half-Dragon Mother motioned for them to stop. As the figures drew closer, it was clear that these figures were figures composed of wood and metal with bright shining green eyes.
"What, what are these things?" High-Elf Archer nervously watched as they drew closer.
"I'll be, Warforged." Dwarf Shaman smiled as he marveled at their construction. "Constructs made of wood and metal but they possess souls and intellect. They were created for battle and defense long ago, this my first time seeing one."
"Be calm, they only mean to ensure we will not cause any problems for the village." Half-Dragon Mother smiled as she looked back toward her friends.
The Warforged soldiers examined the party members, they moved around them only stopping to carefully examine two of the party members, Goblin Slayer and. The Warforged leaned in, their glowing green eyes making Female Knight feel quite uncomfortable; Goblin Slayer however calmly looked back at them from within his dark helmet.
"They seem to sense me beloved, not that they can do anything about it."
"We seek to inquire about a potential cure for our friend there." Half-Dragon Mother motioned toward Female Knight who the Warforged examined.
"And this one?" The Warforged nearest Goblin Slayer commented as he could sense the menace radiating off the man.
"Oh, please don't mind Goblin Slayer, he may seem…evil, but he's quite nice." Priestess was quick to defend her teacher.
The six Warforged looked over the group one final time before moving aside to allow them entry into the large village.
"I assume that means were good to enter?" Half-Demon Thief curiously looked back toward the strange figures.
"Yes, those are the guardians of Crossroads." Half-Dragon Mother happily took her daughter's hand as they walked into the town.
"Wait, if that means they're looking at individuals that might be problematic, how come they passed over the demon?" Scout Boy was curious until he felt a pain in his right shoulder, turning he saw the angry stare from Half-Demon Thief
"Half-Demon you idiot! And evidently I don't have quite the menacing aura that Goblin Slayer does." Half-Demon Thief sighed a little as she turned back toward Goblin Slayer then towards the rest of her party. "How far I've fallen, a once feared assassin now not even worth bothering with."
"I wouldn't think of it as losing your touch, but you becoming more sociable." Priestess was quick to smile and try to cheer up her friend.
"Can you tell us about this wonderous place? A hidden entrance to protect it, yet what we see would be no different from our own Frontier Town." Lizard Priest marveled at the town hidden within this magical envelope.
"I don't know all of the details myself, but from what I was told, long ago during the age of the gods, there were those who were tired of the constant battle and wars that raged across the land, so they decided to create a sanctuary to hide away from the conflict. Thus, with the aid of the gods of light and order, the magical deizens created this place where individuals could live and work in peace regardless of race…Crossroads." Half-Dragon Mother motioned to the town around her.
"What produces this magical barrier, I can't help but feel it would strain magic users to constantly enchant the whole area." Dwarf Shaman looked at the size of the village, or town rather, noting it was even larger than frontier town, more akin to Water Town.
"There is a large stone within the center of the village that acts as the power source for the magical barrier that enshrouds this place."
The party walked through the village seeing all the various races that would normally be absent from the populated towns they visited. Within the market place they could see several familiar races that would be normally present in any town such as elves, dwarves, humans, centaurs and padfoot, but there were also other races not normally be absent. Near a fruit stand was a leopard-like figure, a Tabaxi, conversing with the merchant, a humanoid turtle figure, a Tortle.
Elsewhere, was three avian-humanoid figures walking down the road conversing with one another over past adventurers. The first had a body structure of a human but was covered in feathers, the head was like that of a hawk with large taloned-feet with massive wings attached to their back, these were the Aarakocra.
"This place is amazing." Half-Demon Thief smiled as she took in the sight. "My brother and I had heard of such a place, but thought they were but mere rumors."
"Here we may find some individuals who can aid the knight with her curse." Half-Dragon Mother looked around the busy marketplace then smiled brilliantly as she caught sight of a friend she had met a while back. "I see someone that I haven't seen in quite a while, why don't you all look around the area while I go visit. This will allow my daughter to see her young friend as well and allow me the opportunity to introduce my husband to her."
Quickly taking the surprised Lizard Priest by the hand, Half-Dragon Mother and her daughter rushed off to go and speak with a female harpy and her own daughter. The rest of the adventurers were still a little shocked by everything around them, so slowly broke into smaller groups to explore the area around them.
xxxx
Goblin Slayer and his party casually strolled along the street taking in the sights and smells of all the various stalls around them. Goblin Slayer paused momentarily in front of a certain stall which housed numerous vials, the merchant of the stall was a well-endowed woman who's bright yellow eyes stared at the man like a carnivore stalking prey.
"Hmm…these vials, gasoline?"
"No…aphrodisiacs." The woman smiled as something behind her started to move.
Just as Goblin Slayer set the vials down, he felt something wrap around his ankles. He looked down to see a red reptilian tail curling around him, moving rather quickly as it bound his legs and arms at his sides, squeezing him tight enough to keep him from moving. He then looked up to see the rest of the woman's body emerge from behind the stall, the bottom half of her body was snake-like while the top half looked human. This female beauty had long red hair, three red scales on either side of her face and two, golden decorative hair pins as she moved and lustfully placed her arms around him. The rest of his party could only look on with wide eyes at the sight before them.
"She's a lamia." Half-Demon Thief watched this feeling rather jealous watching her drape herself around Goblin Slayer.
"My, my, what a fine specimen of a man before me. Hidden behind your armor, quite mysterious, aren't we?" The Lamia gazed upon this man with lustful eyes. "Can I convince you to return with me to my village and be our tribe husband? We lamia are all female and unable to reproduce on our own. Come with me and I'll help you with anything."
Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment as he looked toward this woman, his first time having seen a lamia, then he finally replied.
"Do you know of techniques to kill goblins?"
"Huh, kill goblins?" The Lamia was completely shocked by this man's comment.
"Mama, don't make me use the ladle with cold water!"
A new voice drew everyone's attention, and off to the side were four individuals of different race, but around each of their necks were guild tags of emerald color. There was a young lamia who resembled the one around Goblin Slayer, but had only two red scales on either side of her cheeks and two golden hair pins atop her head. The next was a young woman medium-length messy blue hair and bright orange eyes, stop her head was one strand of hair standing upright. Her feet were large talons and in place of normal arms were blue feathered wings, a harpy. The next was a large centaur with long blonde hair, much like Female Knights, and indeed the buxom beauty's upper body was clad in armor. The final figure was a human male with a kind face and bright brown eyes, he was dressed like any adventurer with a sword hanging from his side.
"Oh hello dear, I was just greeting this fellow adventurer." The Lamia Mother smiled as she uncoiled herself from Goblin Slayer.
"Liar, you were trying to steal another tribal husband!" Lamia Priestess puffed out her cheeks in annoyance of her mother's actions then looked toward the armored man. "I'm sorry for her behavior."
"It's fine." Goblin Slayer's response carried no emotion to it.
"It is far from fine beloved! How this bloated cow in snake's skin try to ensnare you! She's almost as bad as the Archbishop from Water Town! I won't let anyone take you free me! Hissss!"
"Hmm."
"I can't help it my dear, after all you have you're precious darling there by your side." Lamia Mother smiled as she teased her daughter.
"Well that is true, Darling is always…" Lamia Priestess was suddenly caught off by one of her fellow party members.
"Hold thy tongue serpent! My Master does not belong to you!" Centaur Knight was quick to jump in and interrupt Lamia Priestess. "Come Master, ride upon my back and we shall flee this wretched temptress!"
"Hold it right there you horse-ass, you're just trying to steal Darling all to yourself!"
"Then if you're fighting, I shall take Boss for myself then." Harpy Scout smiled as she snuggled the young man's arm.
"Stay out of this Chicken-Wing!" Centaur Knight and Lamia Priestess quickly turned their attention toward Harpy Scout.
While the three girls were fighting, Human Swordsman was quick to move away and apologize to the others for his party's actions.
"So sorry about that, my party means well, they're just a bit…animated at times."
"That's your party huh?" Dwarf Shaman remarked as he looked over the three girls then back towards the young man with a smirk. "Are you sure that's not a harem you have there lad? Not that I'd blame you."
"I get that a lot, but no we are all adventurers I can assure you." Human Swordsman laughed then looked back toward Lamia Mother. "We're on our way to see the Mermaid Queen, apparently her Daughter may have been taken captive by a Sea Witch. While on the way, we wanted to drop by and say hello."
"How sweet of you Darling, you know, if need be…I'd be more than happy to take you for my own." Lamia Mother's tone was as seductive as ever.
"I'm fine but thank you for the offer."
"You're no fun Darling." Lamia Mother pouted for a moment before becoming more serious in her demeanor. "Be careful on your journey, there are tales of slimes that can assume human form and Arachne roaming the forest. There is even rumor of a female dullahan riding through the forest, a female grim reaper as it were."
"Thank you for the warning, I will keep them all safe I swear." Human Swordsman commented with a stern expression about his face.
"I can see why my precious daughter is so taken with you Darling." Lamia Mother smiled then turned attention back to the other adventurers. "My apology for my earlier actions, only teasing. Was there anything I could get for you? Perhaps you fine young ladies would enjoy some of the lamia tribe aphrodisiacs, there quite effective on the men you desire."
For a brief moment, Half-Demon Thief, High Elf Archer and Priestess had each considered buying this magic elixir, their faces turning red as they thought about it, but knew they'd never hear the end of the mocking laughter of the others if they did.
"W, we're fine, thank you." Priestess smiled as she bowed her head in an attempt to hide her blushing face.
"Good luck on your quest." High Elf Archer smiled and nodded toward Human Swordsman.
"You as well." Human Swordsman returned the smile before turning back to his still squabbling party members.
xxxx
Elsewhere, Heavy Warrior and his party also traveled around the town, happily taking in the sights. As of late, Female Knight had not been so tired or stressed being out and about which brought a smile to Heavy Warrior's face. The continued to travel around the town but soon heard the sounds of cheering and yelling, they looked around the area and soon found a large crowd gathered around what looked like an open stage. Upon further examination, they noticed it was a square raised platform with poles at each corner, around these poles were three sets of ropes going around the perimeter. In this "ring" were individuals, grappling with one another while others were jumping off the corners to drop down upon their opponents.
"Most bizarre." Heavy Warrior was confused by what he was seeing.
"What in the world are they doing?" Half-Elf Light Warrior was also confused by what he was seeing.
"It would appear they are engaging in hand to hand combat, but it does not seem as though they're trying to kill their opponents. Perhaps some form of training?" Female Knight suggested as she watched a lizard place a padfoot girl in a choke hold.
"It's called wrestling." A young feminine voice called out to them.
The party turned to see a slender young girl with bright blue eyes and greyish hair, but what was most striking about her was her dog-like ears above her head and fluffy tail behind her.
"You said wrestling?" Heavy Warrior asked with a slightly puzzled expression.
"I don't quite understand it myself, but my master seems to enjoy it and has convinced the residents of the village to take it up as a form of entertainment." The Wolf-Girl paused suddenly as she started to sniff this new party, looking carefully at Female Knight. "It's strange, you smell like a wolf?"
"You can smell that on me? Are you part wolf too?" Female Knight was immediately surprised to find this young woman.
"Yes that's correct, a member of one of the Wolf-Padfoot Tribes."
"Then maybe you can help us. My partner was attacked by a werewolf and we're trying to find a way to undo the curse that will not force us to kill her." Heavy Warrior was quick seek the guidance of this wolf-girl.
"Hmm. I only know of silver being used to slay a werewolf, the only other way to rid yourself of the curse is to slay the one that bit her. I take it you haven't been able to find that one?" Wolf-Girl asked as she allowed her gaze to wander back and forth from the party to the ring.
"Unfortunately no." Female Knight sighed as she looked defeated in hearing this.
"Listen, before you start giving up, there are a couple of other wolf-padfoots around here, from a different tribe, they might be able to help you where I wasn't." Wolf-Girl carefully sniffed the group once again. "I smell others scents from you…other wolves."
"Those are probably the dire wolves our comrade has with him." Druid Girl remarked as she looked toward Heavy Warrior.
"Dire Wolves? You'd best leave then before my master finds out."
"Why, does your master not like dire wolves?" Scout Boy was worried this might cause a problem.
"Oh no, in fact he loves all animals, but has a bad habit of attacking other he thinks are using animals for their own purposes. If he finds this friend of yours with the dire wolves, he'll assume their being mistreated and attempt to "free" them." Wolf-Girl smiled before waving toward the adventurers. "I wish you luck in finding a cure for the curse."
xxxx
Half-Dragon Mother and the others quickly rushed to meet up with the other mother and daughter pair she had spied from a distance. Upon seeing one another, both mothers smiled and embraced each other while the two young daughters happily held hands and smiled. The other mother was a harpy with long dark blue hair but maintained a mostly human appearance save her tridactyl feet and white feathering around parts of her body, primarily her bright green eyes almost acting like a mask. Her wings were hidden behind her lower back. Her daughter shared the same white feathers are her mother but had medium length teal hair.
"It has been far too long, I am glad you are doing well." Half-Dragon Mother was surprised to find her friend here.
"You as well, but oh…your wing." Harpy Mother was concerned as she noticed her friend was missing one of her wings.
"Lost in a battle, but if it meant saving my little one, it was a worthy sacrifice." Half-Dragon Mother smiled even as she placed her hand upon her scarred shoulder.
"To save you, what happened?" Harpy Daughter looked from Half-Dragon Mother to her friend.
"Men came and attacked us. They hurt mom and took me captive."
"That sounds horrifying, did you go and save her by yourself?" Harpy Mother quickly turned her attention back toward her friend.
"No…I found someone to help me, someone very precious." Half-Dragon Mother smiled warmly as she looked back toward Lizard Priest.
Harpy Mother and Daughter looked to see the tall lizardman walk forward with hands pressed together and smiled as he bowed his head toward them.
"He's my papa!" Half-Dragon daughter smiled as she rushed forward and took hold of her father's large hand.
"A pleasure to meet you."
"Thank you so much for saving my friend and her daughter." Harpy Mother returned the smile and bowed toward him as did her daughter.
"It was nothing at all, what kind of adventurer would I be to have turned my back on someone in need, especially a noble dragon and her daughter."
"Was it just you?" Harpy Daughter was in awe of the mighty lizardman.
"Not just me, I am part of a party that aided in her recovery."
"A party…of lizardmen?"
"A mixture, elf, dwarf, demon and human." Lizard Priest replied with a proud smile.
"Human? I thought you hated the humans after what they did to your last love?" Harpy Mother asked her friend with puzzled look.
"I did, I even doubted the humans here, but those that came to aid me, have been nothing if not supportive. They've given me shelter, purpose and now I have a new love too." Half-Dragon Mother took hold of Lizard Priest's other hand and squeezed.
Half-Dragon Daughter released her father's hand to quickly rush toward her friend to brag about all the new things that had happened.
"Along with a new papa, I now have a huge family. There's grandpa, a bunch of older sisters who help me and allow me to help them, and I even have a big brother!"
"A big brother? Lucky." Harpy Daughter puffed out her cheeks.
"He looks a little scary at first, he's always wearing armor, but he actually very nice. He even has two big dire wolves and lets me pet them."
"You get to pet dire wolves? No fair, I want to do that."
"Big brother is here with Wolf and Snow, if you ask him I'm sure he'll let you pet them too."
While the young girls were talking, Harpy Mother continued to speak with Half-Dragon Mother and Lizard Priest.
"I'm glad that you were able to get away safely, there have been troubling rumors going around and it may relate to what you had to endure."
"What kind of rumors?" Half-Dragon Mother was not sure she wanted to hear this, but it might clarify things for her.
"Rumors of various creatures of different races being abducted, sold into slavery, for entertainment at a blood sport arena, and rumors of someone looking to experiment on them." Harpy Mother clenched her hands as she thought about it and was thankful for the safety of the magical barrier.
"You believe these men we dealt with were part of that group?" Lizard Priest frowned as he heard the troublesome revelation.
"I can't say for sure, but I would exercise caution. Even with the Demon Lord dealt with, these are still troubling times we live in."
Half-Dragon Mother frowned as she turned toward her daughter, even more thankful that her love and his comrades had come to their rescue.
"I appreciate the concern; I shudder to think what might have happened if we had not received any help." Half-Dragon Mother then remembered the whole reason she had come back to the village. "With that said, perhaps you can help us?"
"I'll certainly try, what do you need? If it's aphrodisiacs, you'd best talk to that lamia." Harpy Mother smiled as she looked toward Lizard Priest and then back to her friend.
"While it does sound tempting, a comrade of ours was bitten by a werewolf, we're hopeful to speak with someone of the wolf tribe that may know of a way to remove the curse."
"I don't know about removing a curse myself, but I do remember seeing a pair of wolf-padfoots earlier, they were here gathering supplies for their tribe. I'll help you look for them and get the opportunity to meet the rest of these people you speak of."
"Thank you."
The three parties soon meat up once again and began their search for these two members of the wolf-tribe. Soon enough, Harpy Mother caught sight of one of the wolf-padfoots she had seen earlier, it was quite easy to pick her out due to how tall this wolf girl was and her bright pink fur, beside this tall wolf-girl was a second wolf-girl of same fur, but much shorter in size. Both were in the process of buying meat when they picked up on the scents of the dire wolves and something else that had a wolf-like scent to it. They turned to see the large group of people made of different races, the taller wolf-girl was hesitant as a frown crossed her face, but her younger companion was happily wagging her tail at the sight of these people.
"Hi there, you want to join my pack? Just know that I'm the boss!" The young wolf-girl with bright pink fur and orange-yellow eyes smiled at them.
Author's Note: Here's the chapter I mentioned would have some cameos here and there, hopefully I made them easy enough to spot (there were four animes I pulled from). It's a bit of a slow chapter, but I'll try to pick that up in the next one, the next chapter will move us closer to the next arc, I'll drop the title for it in the closing line. I wanted to try and make this village a diverse place so I pulled from D&D sections on races that would exits in this world.
Next chapter will have us try some new techniques to aid Female Knight, have Elder Animal Tracker find Goblin Slayer and…I'll leave that last part a surprise.
