Hello everybody! it's me Anima! Sorry about the wait as usual, but I finally got done with this, so I hope you all enjoy it when you read it! Anyway, lets get to the bit I like, the reader reviews! lets tear into that shall we!
Notstudying: good to see your still enjoying the story even after all this time, I look forward to continued support from you!
MGEobserver: I hope you enjoy the latest chapter then!
Astrogamer: one has to be a certain kind of deviant to be really into monster girls like me. lets just say that my list of fetishes will continue to be whittled down as this series continues onward!
Karharot: if there is one thing I have learned its that one should never coddle an OC or main character. Needless to say, Andrew has had it easy for maybe a bit to long...
Anyway, lets get to it shall we! Chapter 16 is a go!
Chapter 16
Labareda smiled warmly to herself, the content look on her face followed by the nuzzling she was doing leaving any who watched her with something of a warm and fuzzy feeling in there chest… if they were an outside party. To all those present though, not one was an outsider, thus her antics were irritating to Unoma while leaving Serena just a little bit jealous, though she was doing a good job of keeping it hidden. Andrew, who currently had Lab in his lap while the girl nuzzled warmly into his chest, couldn't help but fondly stroke the top of her head.
"Praise me and call me a good girl Master. I did good did I not?"
Andrew only chuckled to himself as he used his other arm to scratch under her chin.
"Yes yes, you're a wonderful Familiar and the best I could ever ask for."
The annoyed huff indicated that Unoma was none too pleased with that remark, however, she couldn't complain on account of having gotten a mana refill not but an hour or so ago. The reason for the groups current mood was on account of Labareda coming back and telling them she had managed to secure a cart going to Dragonia. However, she was not willing to divulge details until she got a reward for her hard work and effort. Thus leading to the current situation.
Andrew continued to pet and stroke his adorable familiar as he continued to speak.
"I'm more then willing to keep doing this for you for a good while longer, but why don't you go ahead and fill us in on the details? Obviously getting a cart while at the Adventurers guild means we have some strings attached to it."
Lab wrapped her arms around her master as he continued to pet, though she stopped nuzzling her face into his chest so she could speak.
"That would be correct master. We happen to be escorting a merchant cart. A raccoon woman of sorts named Kuroi, she called herself a Gyoubu Danuki, asked me to escort her cart to Dragonia and requested me to keep her and her merchandise safe."
Andrew nodded his head while he moved his other hand away from her chin and started to rub her belly, getting a soft cooing noise out of her.
"I see… did you inform her of our numbers and the potential for an ailing girl?"
"I did. I informed her that we would have one magician, one swordwoman, myself, you, and Aruma. She said that it would be fine so long as we get to Dragonia in one piece along with her merchandise."
Andrew nodded in understanding.
"Alright… anything else we should know?"
Lab had to think about it for a moment, Andrews rubbing and petting leaving her with a bit of a foggy mind. However, she shook it off momentarily to answer her master.
"Apparently we will be traveling with a large group. Along with ours, she told me that she had two more groups coming with us, one being a monster hunting squad, and the other a hero group."
Unoma, who had been silent this whole time, spoke up at the mention of the hero group.
"That doesn't sound like a good thing for us. Dear Masters energy is still leaking, so won't they cause issues for us."
Labareda simply shook her head.
"I informed the merchant that Master was an ex-member of the Noir. She didn't seem all that perturbed by it, and Kuroi said she would take care of it."
Serena let a low hum escape her lips.
"I don't know exactly what she plans on doing in regards to Andrew… but I guess we don't have a choice in the matter. By the by, when do we leave?"
"She said that she had been looking for one more group. With us tagging along, we'll be leaving as early as tomorrow morning. I told her we would be good for that. Of course, I only said that in hopes that you managed to get everything we needed Serena?"
The red head only huffed smugly at Labareda.
"Of course I did, and a good bit extra as well. We should be able to take care of a group of eight or more for a month with the amount of stuff I got."
Unoma, who had been sitting next to Serena, reached up and gently caressed her cheek, leaning in and gently whispering into her ear.
"That's a good girl… you deserve a reward for your efforts."
Serena ended up shivering from the touch and the insinuated meaning. Though as eager as Andrew was to watch some girl on girl, he had to speak up.
"Alright. Since it seems we have everything in order rather quickly, I think we can safely leave tomorrow. In the meantime though, I think I'll go and head out for a bit myself. I won't go far mind you, but I want to be able to get a bearing on things around here."
Lab, who was currently sitting in her masters lap, looked up at him with a partially annoyed expression.
"This is a bad idea on grounds of your bad habits, and of what the world currently thinks of your type of power Master."
The both of them looked at each other for a moment, Lab looking annoyed while Andrew had a neutral expression on his face. It only lasted a moment longer before she felt a hand start to scratch behind her fluffy ears, instantly turning her annoyed expression into a fluffy content one. Andrew could only smile at her while he did this.
"Relax, I'll be fine alright? I won't go very far and it's because of this power of mine that I need to get a handle on how people will treat it. It'll show me how I'll need to act or behave."
Unoma, who had managed to pull Serena into a lap pillow and was currently stroking the girls head, looked over to Andrew and nodded at him.
"I think it would be fine if you did so. So long as you didn't cause trouble. Just keep your presence and ability in mind while you explore and I think you'll be fine."
Andrew smiled at Unoma before he stopped petting Labareda, the demonic familiar finally able to think coherently without being assaulted with chin scratches and head pats.
"So, that's that. I won't be gone for very long, maybe an hour at most."
Lab only looked at her master for a moment longer before she simply sighed in resignation.
"Very well. Just be safe, don't do something stupid, and get into contact with myself or Unoma of anything does happen to go wrong."
Smiling at his familiar, Andrew hugged her close before he gave her a kiss, Labareda not expecting the feeling of lips on her mouth so suddenly. Just as quickly as he initiated though, he broke off.
"Will do."
Putting aside a stunned Baphomet, Andrew got to his feet and made his way over to Unoma, the Dark Mage a little confused before she to was also lip locked for a moment. However, she was much less stunned then Lab was, though she was still just a little surprised. Before either of them could really react to this, Andrew had already made his way out the door, leaving two of three people curious about what just happened. Serena couldn't help but smile at them both.
"Surprised to see you both so flustered."
Lab only looked to the other red head with minor annoyance.
"He normally doesn't do that. So it's very surprising when he does."
Unoma smiled before she looked to the door Andrew just left from.
"I suppose it means he's getting more comfortable with being the initiator. I certainly don't mind."
Labs annoyance levels went from minor, to escalated.
"I bet you do you damn slut. I smell his mana all over you."
Unoma only smiled smugly at Labareda, the red haired demon girl grinding her teeth in frustration. However, Unoma stopped smiling at her and spoke up.
"Speaking of Mana…"
Instantly understanding what she was talking about, Labareda stopped grumbling at her, and with perfect unity, both the Baphomet and Dark Mage turned to look at Serena. Needless to say, the sudden diversion of attention to herself weirded her out a little bit, causing Serena to sit up from Unomas lap and fidget uncomfortably.
"Um… why are the both of you looking at me like that?"
For the next few tense moments, neither one of them said anything, the stares of the other two boring a hole into her soul. However, one low sigh from Unoma put a stop to that.
"I want to apologize to you."
Lab raised her paw in the air.
"Likewise."
Now going from uncomfortable to straight up confused, the twin tail could only look between the both of them for an answer. One in which Unoma was glad to give.
"Myself and Labareda… we were well aware of what was happening with you when we had first met. Honestly though, we didn't think anything of it at the time because we didn't expect you to stay around for long. But then you made an indication that you would be traveling with us, and even then though we where happy about having a new body for master to be around, we didn't think anything of your transformation."
Lab spoke up next.
"Yeah… we kinda don't have the same values as a normal human would, so we honestly thought it was an okay thing for you to transform like you where. We never gave thought to the mental aspect behind what was going on with you, and then we began noticing your interest in Master and it was pretty much just ignored."
"Or at least it was until Dear Master informed us that he had told you of what was happening. We figured you would have understood the longer it went on, but… honestly, we should have been taking your feelings as a human into consideration on the matter like Andrew did."
Serena was mentally rather shocked at the two of them. She wasn't angry or anything, but more on the fact that on one hand, they had been treating her issue like no big deal. But on the other, they where apologizing for not taking her feelings into account on the matter. Which kinda left her in a weird place not sure how to feel right that moment.
"Um… well… It's not really a big deal or anything… we'll not anymore."
Unoma cut her off there.
"But it is, if we had been just a little more understanding, then you wouldn't have had to go and sleep with another man to confirm what we already knew about you."
If she had water in her mouth, Serena would have done a spit take. However, she went with the next best thing in that she jumped at being called out on that.
"Wha?! Slept with- no! No, no! I didn't-"
Lab cut her off next.
"It's alright. We don't blame you for it, it's easy to tell from the scent on you and the other mans mana on your body that you where with another man not too long ago. Honestly, Unoma had the right of it it that we should have stuck with you earlier, but I said that you would be fine. For that, I'm really sorry."
Serena was now beet red at this point, the woman floundering about for words for the situation.
"No! No no no! You don't understand! Yes, I was with a guy, and there was nudity and light petting, but it didn't go anything beyond that!"
For a moment, the other two women looked to her, then to each other, then back to her.
"It's alright darling. We don't judge based on that. I mean, I'm no saint in regards to sexual chastity myself, having lost my own virginity well before I was even thirteen."
Serena felt that was a pretty crazy thing to admit right then and there, but it wasn't the main point of there current discussion.
"I'm telling you, I didn't have sex with the guy! You can use magic or what not to check yourself if that's what it takes!"
Both familiars looked at her before some grins crossed there faces, and suddenly, Serena felt like she had walked right into a trap. Both of them stood up quickly.
"Well…"
"If you don't mind us checking…"
Serena tried to stand up as if to run away, but the moment her hindquarters left the bed, she felt something get under her arms and restrain them followed by a pair of legs wrapping themselves around her midriff. She looked behind her to see that Labareda had her restrained while forcefully pulling her back down to the bed. She attempted a momentary struggle before she remembered who it was exactly that had her in an arm lock. This in turn caused her to look at Unoma, who was standing over her with a smile on her face.
"Alright then… let's get these pesky clothes out of the way shall we?"
Serena was going to say that getting her armor off without Lab removing herself would have been impossible, but the next moment and her gear just magically vanished from her body, leaving her as bare as the day she was born. A moment later and she heard all her armor and clothing clatter to the floor off to the side, indicating that Unoma must have warped them off. Now she was fully exposed, leaving her bright red as she stammered out her words.
"W-w-w-What the hell are you doing?!"
Unoma put a finger to her cheek in mock puzzlement.
"Oh? I thought we would go ahead and do an examination of your body to prove the validity of your claims. You even gave us the go ahead for it."
"I meant in a magic sense! Not this clear invasion of personal space!"
Unoma only bent down between Serena's legs, the girl unable to close them on account of some force keeping them wide open for her.
"But I am about to use magic to test your claim. It just needs actual physical touch to work is all."
Serena would have called bullshit on that claim, but before she could even begin that protest, she felt a very familiar touch on her lower lips. Unoma began to trace her finger along Serena's pussy, the feeling of being touched causing the girl to unintentionally feel amorous.
Unoma continued to play with the red heads pussy, the woman smiling at the girl as she looked right up at her.
"So… what all did this man do with you? You can't say he did nothing seeing as I can feel a foreign energy on you."
Serena didn't respond immediately, the girl a little too lost in the feeling of her cunt being played with. However, her mind did register the question a moment later, and she only shifted.
"N-nothing much really… like I said… it was just some petting stuff…"
Unoma smiled slyly to herself as her fingers worked themselves away from the outer lips and directly onto Serenas opening.
"Just petting you say? None of… this?"
She punctuated that point by gently pushing one of her fingers into Serenas drooling sex, the red head letting out a loud moan as the feeling of Unomas finger entering her. Unoma grinned devilishly at the sound, the woman slowly pushing her finger further and further in until she couldn't go any further.
"My my… it seems awfully wet in here. Is the memory of being touched like this turning you on?"
Serena bit her lower lip, the girl not willing to answer the Dark Mage. However, this resistance only caused Unoma to pull out and push back in, Serena unwilling to talk, but most definitely willing to let out her cute moans and gasps of lust. For the next few minutes, this was all that was done, Serena restrained by Labareda while Unoma simply had fun using her finger to penetrate the young woman and making her squeal. However, Labareda opted to speak up a few moments later.
"So? Is she a virgin?"
Unoma, almost having forgotten the whole reason for this, started for a moment before she sheepishly smiled.
"Ah right… we where checking that weren't we…"
Putting her own amusement aside, the woman extracted her fingers from the twin tail before she put both hands on either side of the girls wet sex. She then slowly opened up the little heavens hole and inspected closely with both her eyesight and magesight. For Serena, this was even more embarrassing then when the silver haired mage was molesting her. But a quick hum later caused the Dark Mage to look up at the other Familiar and shake her head.
"Looks like the hymen was ripped already."
Serena was slightly surprised by this, but she felt Lab release her arm and instead give her a hug instead.
"Oh you poor thing, losing your virginity to some man outside of our knowledge. It's alright, myself and Unoma will tenderly love on you to erase the discomfort you felt."
All of this was said in a somewhat teasing tone, causing the other red head to flush even more before she loudly spoke up.
"I don't even know if I was a virgin before I lost my memories!"
The feeling of something wet on her pussy caused her to tingle and look down at the Dark Mage currently licking her pussy.
"Oh we know. We both just enjoy teasing you is all. But we are sincere in our apology. And for that apology, both Labareda and myself are going to give you the tender love you so deserve amongst women."
Serena wasn't sure what Unoma meant by that, but the next thing she knew, she felt a gentle bite on her neck, the girl turning in enough time to see Labareda begin to line her nape with kisses. The next thing she felt where soft and fussy velvet pads dancing across her naked nipples, the girl letting out yet another loud sexual moan. Unoma herself went back to licking the red heads pussy, all of these sensations bringing Serena to the ecstasy she was used to. Even now, this felt so much better then when Sergio had done it, and she still wasn't sure why. She wasn't going to question it, her loud moans starting to echo out in the room. Unoma and Labareda knew that this was going to be a long thing, so they opted to keep it slow and sensual for until Andrew got back. Sadly, Serena was not aware of that, thus she was in for a long and pleasant rest of the day.
Meanwhile, Andrew had made his way outside the inn and had begun walking around as he had intended. Mostly so he could get a feel for the city lay out should it be important to know where to go, and to also gauge the reactions of people who could feel his energy. Just as he had expected though, when he started making his way into town and started to pass larger crowds of people, he got many an uncomfortable look as he would pass by. Though some just outright tried to ignore him. However, those that did look at him he opted to smile and wave at in a hope that it might lessen the amount of distaste people might feel for him. He wasn't sure if it was effective though. However, he wasn't one to let it get him down and continued walking. Soon enough though, he had found himself standing on the edge of a beach. Obviously a port side town would have a beach, and it didn't look any different from any other beach he had ever been to in his home world, but he still found it rather interesting to see on account of the aquatic mamono that seemed to be all over the place.
Despite not really being dressed for a dive in the ocean, Andrew opted to walk along said beach if only for the novelty of doing so. The sound of surf was a calming noise after all. Though just like in the rest of the city, he was met with some uncomfortable gazes as he would walk past. Again, he wasn't going to let it bother him. However, that wasn't to say he wasn't doing some looking of his own. There where many varieties of sea based mamono along the shore here. Many were mermaids as he would have expected, maybe a mershark or two if he was guessing, but there where also some he wasn't familiar with. Like a woman with tentacles like an octopus for a lower half, nor a blue skinned woman with flippers for feet, or some kind of jellyfish woman. It was fascinating to say the least, but he knew he couldn't idle around and people(?) watch all day.
Taking one last look out onto the beach, Andrew was about to make his way back into town when he couldn't help but notice a small girl. She looked about the same age as Aruma, though she was most definitely human, so it wasn't her looks that had caught his attention. It was more her look and the way she was holding herself, like she wanted to come up to someone and say something, but looking far to nervous and afraid to do just that. She looked like a child who had done something bad, but didn't want to be caught. However, Andrew couldn't help but feel that maybe she might want to talk and thus made his way over to the little girl. She was surprised when she saw him coming toward her, but the bright and gentle smile he was giving her caused her to relax a little bit. By the time he got there, the girl was looking up at him with a nervous fidget in her step and a defensive stare. Andrew, still smiles, opted to start off the conversation.
"Well hello there little girl. Is everything alright? I couldn't help but see that you looked nervous about something."
The girl didn't say anything at first, her eyes seemingly looking at him, but at the same time would look off to her side. Noticing that occasional glance, Andrew looked off to the side that she glanced at, but he didn't see anything that might cause such a nervous reaction from a small child. Deciding to see if he could perhaps get her to talk, Andrew got on his knees and met her at eye level. He had learned that talking at the same height as small children opened them up more.
"I assure you that I can help with whatever the issue might be. And if I can't help, then maybe I can find someone who can."
Andrew tried saying all of this in a calm and soothing voice, the girl somewhat relaxing at his tone. For a minute or two, she didn't say anything, though Andrew kept up his smile and patiently waited for her to do something outside of staring at him nervously. Thankfully his patience was rewarded when the girl grabbed him by the sleeve and started to try to pull him, as if to lead him. Getting the cue, Andrew stood back up and started to follow her, the girl pulling desperately on his sleeve in an attempt to get him to hurry. Not sure what this was all about, Andrew quickened his pace as the girl pulled him along. They continued along the beach for a good distance, the amount of people and Mamono growing more and more scarce as they continued along. After about fifteen to twenty minutes of walking, or so Andrew assumed, they had finally come to a stretch of beach that wasn't inhabited. He could see that the beach seemed to stretch well outside of the city limits, and they had obviously bypassed those. It was here that the girl finally let go of Andrews sleeve and ran off a distance ahead. Opting to follow her, Andrew made his way after the girl until he saw her come to a halt by what looked to be an indent in the sandy shore. He became even more curious when he saw her drop to her knees and look out over the edge of it. Opting to not remain in the dark, Andrew walked up next to her and looked down. All he could do after that was whistle to himself at the depth of the hole in front of him. What he had mistaken for a mere indent in the sand turned out to be a hole about seven or so feet deep. Or that's what he guessed the depth to be, however, his concern with the depth was turned secondary when he saw what looked to be a young child in said hole, sprawled unconscious in the wet sand. They looked to be a young lad, maybe the same age as the girl who dragged Andrew here, and maybe sharing some of the same features.
Andrew could only guess that they where siblings or something of the sort and turned to the young girl who was now looking at him.
"I think I see what the problem is now… you need me to hop down there and help him right?"
The girl was almost in tears at this point while she nodded her head. Andrew didn't need to hear another word before he simply nodded in answer. Standing up and looking over the edge for a moment, Andrew moved himself as close as he could before he sat himself down on said edge and pretty much scooted himself off. Thankfully the edge wasn't a sheer drop, it being more of a steep slope. Thankfully he had some control of himself as he slid down until he hit the bottom, thankfully right next to the young boy. Not even taking a moment to wipe the wet sand off, Andrew crawled up next to the boy and immediately checked for a pulse to see if the kid was breathing. Just holding his hand up to the kids face informed him that the boy was breathing, and checking for a pulse got Andrew a positive result.
"So… alive… but I can't tell if he has a concussion or not. Let's check and see if he broke anything…"
Doing just that, Andrew delicately examined and prodded the kids body for major lacerations, bruising, or breaks. He didn't find any places that looked cut or broken, but he did find a rock under the boys head that may have lead to his present state. Thankfully the boy had a very thick head of hair, else Andrew was sure the kids head would be split wide open. Sadly though, this was the best he could do at the moment in regards to his rather limited medical knowledge and looked back up at the lip of the hole. The girl was still there, looking incredibly nervous. Andrew nodded at her once before he stood back up.
"He appears alright for the most part. However, I'm no medical expert, so he might be suffering from something internal. I'm going to pick him up and try to hand him up to you Alright? He can't stay down here, and I think it would be best to get him out of the hole so someone can look at him. After we get him up, run and find someone else to take him to a medical professional Alright?"
The girl didn't appear to fully understand, but she understood enough. Seeing that, Andrew turned back around and gently picked up the boy. Thankfully he was quite light, so Andrew didn't have any real issues lifting him up. The more pressing issue came when he had to lift him as high as he could go. He couldn't just toss the boy like a sack up over the edge, thus he had to rely on the girl for some help. Thankfully she was able to get a hold of the boys shirt and with a great effort, was able to drag him out the rest of the way with Andrews help.
"Now make sure you lay him out flat with his face up okay? Once you do that, go and find someone who can either cast healing magic, or someone who has decent medical knowledge. If you can do it on your own, find someone who can help."
Andrews only answer was the girl looking over the edge one more time and nodding quickly with a desperate determination in her eyes. After that he watched her vanish again to what he hoped would be a quick run to find some help. For a few moments, he could only look up at the clear blue sky above him as he tried to think of his next move.
"Alright… let's hope she finds someone… in the meantime… let's see about getting out of here."
Humming to himself, Andrew looked up at the edge and couldn't help but notice that he might be able to run up. Though it was steep, he still could potentially crawl up if the running gig didn't work. The major issue with that idea was that the sand was wet and rather loose, so it would easily slide if he tried. However…
"Won't hurt to try."
Was all he said before he took a few steps back before dashing with as much of his strength as he could. He was very surprised when he took off much faster then he was used to, his body feeling very light as he dug the first footfall into the loose sand. What he failed to realize was that he was putting an enormous amount of power into his feet when he did this, and the rigidity of the wet sand was less then desirable for such force. Thus his foot sunk itself right into the slope up to his knee, practically causing him to trip over himself and right into the side of the wall. He didn't get back up immediately, his body trying to take in what it was that had just happened. However, he wasn't one to think about it for very long on account of the answer being very simple. He couldn't run up like he planned with the amount of power in his body. Thus this left him with the next thing to pop into his head.
That being to try to slowly crawl his way up the slope. As one might have guessed, when he tried to do so, mother nature's slippery and sandy cunt proved too much for him to work his way out of, the sand only pushing him back down when he would get a little too high. He tried a few other things, but they didn't avail him much either, thus leaving him to lay flat on his back and staring up into the deep blue sky yet again.
'Welp… looks like I'll need to be rescued… I was kinda hoping that I wouldn't need to call Labareda or Unoma for something as silly as this… but I guess now is as good a time as any.'
Before he could go about doing that though, he found his attention wandering to the lip of the hole he was in, where he was slightly confused, then surprised when he saw a face looking down at him with a smiling expression on its face. Said face was one that he had no recollection of ever seeing, a young looking woman of what he surmised to be mid teen with long platinum blonde hair looking down at him with nice blue eyes. Odd thing though was the slightly pointed ears on her head and the long satan like horns coming out of the side of her head. He didn't say anything on account of him being a little surprised, but he couldn't get a word in seeing as she started talking first.
"Well hey there handsome. Happy to see you finally noticed me."
Andrew didn't say anything for a few moments after, only opting to stare at the rather attractive woman looking down on him. However, his mind wasn't coming up with anything for the situation, thus he opted for default.
"Nice to meet you. Sorry it took so long, but I am in the middle of a conundrum at the moment, so I hope you would forgive me for that."
The girl only smiled at him as she continued to look at him.
"No problem. But ah… if you don't mind my asking, do you need some help getting out of this hole?"
Andrew only chuckled.
"I would if given the choice, but before anything of the sort is done, do you mind taking care of the boy that happens to be up there? He took a nasty fall as far as I could tell, and I sent what I assume was his sister to find some help."
"Actually, I already took care of that. The girl having found me a little ways up the beach. Thankfully I happen to be rather adapt at white magic, so I came along and healed the boy. I just sent them on there way actually."
Andrew took a moment to process that, but when he did, he couldn't help but smile.
"Well that's good… thanks for the help… Ah… Ms…?"
Andrew left that question hanging, but the blonde girl answered.
"Zizou. You can call me Zizou."
"Ah. Got it. Nice to meet you Zizou, and thanks for the help if the offer is still on the table. My name is Andrew by the way."
The girl kept on grinning, but she stood up rather then keep leaning over the edge of the hole.
"No problem! And I'll be right down!"
Andrew watched her stand up, but she vanished over the edge when she did. Though the sound of something large and almost leathery beating the air could be heard next. The next moment and Andrew saw Zizou come over the edge of the hole, her large black demonic like wings beating from just behind her back. Even more impressive was the rather thick tail that seemed to help her maintain her balance as she descended, though it was more like a demon tail with a heart shaped tip. Her body was waifish to say the least, though it was still rather nice to look at. Though her article of clothing was several levels of erotic and rather unusual in regards to functionality. She wore what looked to be a micro sling bikini with a very heavy emphasis on the micro portion. It was practically string with thumb sized cloth hiding her nipples and a slightly larger cloth about as wide as two fingers covering her lower lips. Even more unusual was the armored gauntlet and greaves on her arms and legs. Andrew could only attribute her to some kind of succubus.
Touching down gently next to him, Zizou looked up at Andrew as she curled her wings around her hips, acting somewhat like a wing skirt. Andrew couldn't help but admire the look, though he found that the girl not even being half his height was something of an amusing point. That was neither here nor there though, and Andrew only hummed to himself a moment later.
"Alright then… I guess if you're going to be helping me out… how are we going to go about doing that?"
"Easy. I'll fly you out!"
Andrew only looked at her for a moment with a neutral gaze, though she seemed able to read his mind.
"Don't worry, I'm stronger then I look. I am a lieeeeeeeeee… an archsuccubus after all!"
Andrew was slightly curious about why she seemed to try to correct herself halfway through her sentence, but he opted to not worry about it.
"Alright, that's fine then. Take me away then."
The girl only smiled ear to ear before she spread her wings and took off again, only she grabbed one of his free hands and pulled him up rather easily. Andrew felt he should have been surprised by her strength, but at the same time, he really wasn't on account of Labareda and how strong his familiar could be. Not even thirty seconds later though and the both of them where above the lip of the hole with Andrew touching down safely and Zizou landing in front of him.
Dusting himself off quickly, Andrew then turned his attention to the succubus girl.
"Well, Zizou, you certainly helped me out of a rather uncomfortable situation there. I was afraid I would have needed to call one of my familiars to come pull me out, and funny enough, we had just gotten done talking about me not getting in trouble again."
The girl only smiled again before she raised her hand and gave him a V for victory sign.
"Glad to help!"
Only smiling at her in return, her grin was infectious, Andrew opted to speak up.
"Again, thank you, and since you did help me, is there anything I might help you with or do for you in return? I'd be willing to do something in my power for your help."
For a moment, the succubus looked at him curiously before she started to think.
"Hum… really? I was mostly doing it to help you out since you helped that little boy and girl… but if your willing to offer a reward… mind if I ask you a question?"
"Sure, go right ahead."
Zizou nodded in affirmation of his words.
"Alright… are you perhaps one of the Montre Noir? You give off the energy of one of those guys after all."
Andrew had to think about that for a moment before he spoke up.
"Ex member actually. I left in order to pursue my own life after a point. Though sadly I'm bound by oath not to speak of it or anything that we happen to do."
Zizou only let out a small huff as she crossed her arms.
"I should have figured. The last guy from the Noir I tried talking to pretty much told me the same thing."
Andrew felt he really lucked out on that one, not actually having known anything about the Montre Noir at all. A lucky break for him in that regard. Zizou only shrugged her shoulders before she dropped her arms.
"Oh well. That wasn't my real question anyway. My real question is, how many women do you have? Besides that foul energy, I can detect a few other energy signatures on you as well."
That certainly wasn't a question he was expecting, but at the same time, Andrew felt he was obligated to answer.
"Well… if we're talking how many women I travel with, it would be four. As for how many of them I've actually slept with. That would be two of them, and they just so happen to be my familiars from long and convoluted circumstances."
Zizou's eyes lit up at that, though Andrew was not sure why.
"Really now… that's fascinating… also, can I take it that your actually pretty strong? Your energy is very potent looking after all, and such a strong energy gives rise to a powerful body."
"Eh… not to sure, haven't explored the depths of what I can and can't do. My first familiar tells me to watch myself all the time, only she can really handle my physical strength if I go all out with it."
The girls eyes only lit up further at that. However, Andrew felt his eyes turn away from her face, and more toward the rest of her body.
"It's rather rude of me to do so since I haven't really done anything for you… but do you mind if I ask a question of my own?"
"Sure! I don't mind at all!"
"Alright… if your okay with that… how do you not have a wardrobe malfunction? That sling bikini of yours looks like it would slip away from your tits super easy."
The girl looked down at her article of clothing before she looked back up at him and did a little twirl.
"Magic!"
Andrew felt that would have been the answer to come out of her mouth, but he couldn't help but ask that particular question anyway.
"Cool… anyway, can I see what's under it?"
The girl didn't react to his words at first, but her smile went wide when she was able to register what he said.
"Maybe… maybe not. Tell you what. Next time we meet, I'll totally let you see my nude body… maybe even let you touch it."
"Just touching? Not any further?"
Zizou could only giggle at him.
"Oh I like you. Anyway, I need to get going. I have a place to be, and this proved to be a decent distraction. If you ever happen to visit Makai, hit me up there Alright?"
Andrew nodded at her, though he wasn't sure where Makai might be. He would have to ask Lab or Unoma about it when he got back to the inn.
"Sure thing. See you then Zizou."
"Later Andrew!"
With that said, Andrew watched her take off into the air and glide away into town, leaving him with a big grin on his face.
"Huh… nice gal… and body. I'm going to have to keep her in mind… Makai huh…"
Those thoughts quickly fell away though when he remembered what time it was getting to be.
"Ah shit. I need to get back before Lab gets upset with me."
With that thought in his mind, Andrew quickly made his way back to the inn. Thankfully the scolding was mild at best, though Andrew couldn't help but notice that Serena looked absolutely blissed out when he got back. He could only think that was compliments of Unoma and Labareda. The rest of the day was spent double checking that they had everything and that they wouldn't be needing anything else before they set off tomorrow. Andrew then spent a little time trying to control his power, followed by some cuddling before the group quickly went to bed. The next day came rather quickly for the group, though thankfully everything had been prepared the day before. So all they had to do was clean themselves up, pay, and then check out of the inn they where at. After they got done with that, they grabbed a bite to eat for everyone before Labareda showed them the location that they needed to meet Kuroi at.
Thankfully the location was beyond the gate out of town and a little up the main road a ways. They managed to find the location when they saw the large canopy top cart being pulled by what looked to be a massive demon boar of sorts. Oddly enough though, the only person there was the Danuki herself, who had a smile on her face when she saw the group. Or more specifically Labareda.
"Ah, there you are. The first group to arrive. I applaud you on your punctuality in this case. Though I don't believe we will be waiting very long for the rest to show up."
Labareda nodded in understanding before she stood off to the side and used one hand to indicate the rest of the group.
"Good, the earlier we get moving, the faster we get there. Anyway, here is the rest of the group as I indicated yesterday in our talks. The silver haired looking bimbo and the red head twintail will be the rest of the guard from our group."
The Danuki looked to the other two before she nodded approvingly.
"Excellent. They both look very strong, which puts me quite at ease… and thus I take it that you are her Master?"
That question had been directed at Andrew himself, thus causing Andrew to nod his head in answer.
"That would be correct. Though I'm not gonna be very good in a fight sadly, so I hope you won't expect much from me. I will try to do my best to help out though."
The Danuki simply nodded.
"I'm sure you'll help in your own way… also, I take it the small celestial child on the swordsmans back is the one who is ill?"
Andrew looked over to see Serena, who in turn had carried Aruma the way here, the poor girl still out. Andrew turned back and simply nodded.
"You would be correct. Is there any chance we might be able to let her rest in your cart?"
Kuroi looked to the girl before she looked to her cart.
"Hum… I'm sure I can find some room for her in there. Far be it from me to force you to carry the poor girl all the way. However, I will find and make space for her, and you all will not rummage in my cart understood? I have a lot of precious merchandise in there, and I would rather it not be stolen or damaged."
Andrew agreed with a nod of his head.
"That's fine."
The Danuki smiled at him before she she turned on her heels and made her way for her cart, where she disappeared behind the flap and started to rustle around.
For a moment, Andrew didn't say anything, but a thought crossed his mind as he heard Kuroi moving items around.
"Hey Labareda… it might be rather late to be asking this, but what exactly is she transporting?"
"She didn't specify on what exactly it was she was peddling, but she said it was a lot of rare herbs and spices from across the sea. She said she also was transporting other rare items as well, though she didn't indicate what exactly."
Andrew simply nodded before the sound of Kuroi's voice brought his attention back to the cart.
"I have made some room, so you may bring the child here."
Not wasting any time, Serena headed for the cart, where she then helped Aruma get situated in a bed of what looked to be furs. Though Serena was slightly curious about what all the other items were, she didn't bother asking seeing as it wasn't her business. After that, both Serena and Kuroi hopped out of the cart, where Andrew spoke up.
"Excellent. Sorry for the trouble."
"Not at all. I have a fondness for children as many Mamono do."
Andrew smiled at her.
"Still, thanks. Or would you prefer if I said Arigato gozaimasu."
For a moment, Kuroi was a little surprised, but she only chuckled a moment later.
"A somewhat butchered pronunciation along with a rather heavy accent in your thanks, but I still appreciate your attempt at thanking me in my home tongue. And don't worry, you may simply speak in common from now on rather then that of Zipangu."
Andrew simply nodded, but he had honestly been just throwing that phrase out there cause she had looked Japanese. He wasn't expecting her to actually know what he had said. However, he had heard the term Zipangu before from Alyssa in the Shadow Labyrinth, so he was starting to draw a comparison here. However, he didn't spend anymore time on it as the group started to get itself situated while they waited for whoever else was supposed to show up. It wasn't until about an hour later before they had seen the next group show up. Unlike his own group, Andrew noted that they only had two people with them, and that they both looked to have come from the same place Kuroi had come from. Zipangu if he recalled correctly. The group consisted of two women, with one of them dressed in Shrine Priestess garb while the other wore a Yakuta. Andrew along with Serena couldn't help but eye them curiously as they started talking to Kuroi in there home language. Though the only one doing any talking with the merchant was the long black haired young woman dressed in shrine maiden clothing. The silver haired woman in a Yukata was looking at the rest of who was here, her eyes lingering on Andrew for a moment longer before she turned back to the black haired girl. Andrew watched on for a moment longer before the two women got done talking with Kuroi, though oddly enough, the Danuki pointed at Andrew for some reason, causing the two women to look at him before they went back to talking. Thankfully this went on for only a few more minutes before some kind of agreement was made and the two Japanese styled women broke away and went to the cart to hang out. However, Kuroi motioned for Andrew and Labareda to come over, something Lab only did when she saw her Master was doing as asked.
When they got there, Kuroi started the conversation off.
"So, I don't know how much of that conversation you were able to pick out, but I decided to let you know a few things in regards to those two."
Andrew only nodded in understanding while Labareda only mildly payed any attention.
"Alright then. So what do we need to know?"
"First and foremost, this is the group of Monster slayers I hired. The young woman with the black hair adorned in the miko garb is Amanomiya Koyoi, a girl from a long line of monster slayers. The women with her is Sazanak Ieyasu. I don't know much about Sazanak-dono, but she has been traveling with Amanomiya-dono for as long they have been in the business. I went ahead and informed them both about your special circumstances, upon which they informed me that it wouldn't be a problem. However, when you get the chance, you should probably introduce yourself along with your group at some point in the near future. We all will be traveling together for a few weeks after all."
Andrew could only agree with Kuroi while Labareda only huffed lightly.
"I'll not try to go out of my way to get to know the both of them, but if Master so wishes to, I won't hinder you."
Andrew acknowledged what Lab was saying and looked to the two women by the cart. Amanomiya seemed to have sat herself down and had pulled out small slips of paper and had begun to write on them with an ink brush. Andrew could only assume she was making some kind of oriental talisman of sorts. While he had been staring, he noted that Sazanak was also eyeing him. However, when she noticed that she had his attention, she smiled gently before waving at him. Andrew waved back at her before he noted that Koyoi had said something to the woman, drawing her attention back to her partner. That was about as much interaction as his group was going to get for the time being, and thus this left everyone to wait for the last group to arrive. It wasn't until almost an hour later that the last group finally arrived. They had seemingly been rushing when Unoma had spotted them first. When she had pointed them out, Andrew found himself looking at them to examine them much as he had the previous two women.
Just like Koyoi's group, this group seemed to be made up of all women who looked to be in the early twenties. Andrew had started to notice that a lot of women looked very youthful in this world. Even back in Gwent nobody looked a day over thirty or so. But that was an important factor right now. The group consisted of three women, and unlike the Japanese looking group, this one was more heavily armored. Though it doesn't take much to be more armored then a group that wore nothing but cloth. The group had been rushing to get here, but even from here, Everyone could hear them.
"Dammit Michele, would it have killed you to at least wake up on time!"
"I said I was sorry dammit! Stop harping on the details!"
The two women who had spoken up where the at the forefront of the group, a long silver haired women yelling at a long blonde haired woman with a brunette with equally long hair pulling up the rear.
The brunette spoke up when she saw the carriage.
"Stop your arguing you two! It looks like our employer is still here, thank the gods."
Legging it the rest of the way before the group of three came to a stop, Andrew and his group looked on in interest as they came to a stop, huffing from the run. Andrew could only internally applauded them for running the whole way in medium armor as they had. However, Kuroi didn't look as pleased.
"Excela. We were meant to depart at a much earlier time then now. Why is it that your group is the last to arrive despite being the first hired?"
The silver haired women, having caught her breath, looked to Kuroi with a great deal of nervousness on her face.
"I apologize. Due to unforeseen circumstances, one of our members ended up rather… disposed last night."
Andrew and Unoma couldn't help but chuckle at that. Normally that was talk for she had either had crazy sex, or she had drunk herself into a stupor. And judging from the way the blonde was holding her head, they could guess who had drunk themselves silly. Kuroi only looked at Excela with a look of annoyance. However, she only let out a sigh.
"Very well. I have taken such a thing into account for our travels. This will only delay us by a short amount. Something we can easily make up if we quicken our pace. But now that you and yours are here, we may begin. I will give you ten or so minutes to get ready to depart seeing as you must have left in a hurry. But we will delay no longer. This goes to everyone here."
Labareda nodded her head in understanding before she spoke up.
"That's fine, our group has long since been good to go."
Sazanaka spoke up for the first time as she spoke in very fluent English.
"Milady and myself are ready to depart at a moments notice. Just give the word."
She had sounded very elegant, like a lady from a noble house or something. He had to admit he liked it, though more perverse thoughts of wondering what she sounded like when she moaned wormed there way in. Waving those thoughts aside, Andrew looked on at the group, the blonde and the brunette having finally managed to catch there breath. Kuroi simply let out an annoyed huff as she went to check on her own things. Everyone somewhat kept to themselves, but the group from Zipangu and Andrews own group where amusing themselves by watching the latecomers.
"Are you sure you grabbed everything before we left the inn?"
"Of course I did, Julietta made damn sure that I got everything."
The brunette, now called Juliette, simply nodded at Excela.
"I did. Even if Michele was hungover, a made sure she grabbed everything from the room before we made a mad dash."
Excela let out a relived sigh.
"Good to see that one of you is on top of things."
Michele huffed at her friend before she simply threw her hands up in the air.
"So I wanted a drink! I think I earned it after we took care of that group of centaurs."
"That's not the point Michele, I don't have a problem with you drinking, it's when you drink so much that you cause problems like this that-"
Before Excela could continue though, the sound of Juliette clearing her throat cause the other two to look at her.
"I think we should discuss this when we aren't surrounded by others."
At the mention of the word 'others', the two women looked around to see that they had managed to get everyone's attention. This caused Excela to stop talking and simply let out a low sigh, Michele also stopped her arguments and opted to look away. Juliette looked back out at everyone before her eyes locked with Andrews, a slightly curious look on her face. Andrew could see that she was eyeing him and simply opted to smile and wave, though she didn't return the wave. However, the staring and the silence came to an end when the sounds of reigns being latched where heard, causing everyone to look at Kuroi.
"Well? If you're all good to go, then I think we can go ahead and get under way."
Excela quickly looked back to her party, the three women all talking in hushed whispers for a minute or two before she turned back around.
"Yes, we're good!"
Kuroi nodded.
"Very good. Excela, your group will be taking the lead. Amanomiya-sama, could I have you and Sazanaka-dono take up either side of the cart?"
The young woman simply nodded before she stood back up. Kuroi looked pleased before she turned to Andrew and Labareda.
"I want you all taking up the rear."
Andrew chuckled to himself before he spoke up.
"Sure, but what do you want us to do about the walking formation?"
The Danuki took a moment to process what he had said, when she did though, she could only grin slyly.
"Apologies, but I try not to sleep with any of my employees no matter how short the term is."
"All I heard was try, I didn't hear a 'won't'."
Kuroi could only chuckle under her breath. Serena however, had to speak up at this point.
"Can you not do that here and now? In the presence of other people."
Looking at Serena, Andrew could only smile sheepishly. Though looking around, he didn't seem to earn the ire of anybody else. Something that was probably very common in this world. With the banter out of the way though, the group began making its way on the road, the trip to Dragonia only having just begun.
Meanwhile, in the city. Sergio let out a low sigh as he reclined back into the bench. He had been searching all throughout Gwent since yesterday all through the night to see what he could find out about that energy surge from a few days ago. However, many had simply proclaimed that it was a quick surge, and that it had felt ominous. Other then that, he could glen no more details from anyone. The only thing he had managed to get through all of his searching was that it had come from the direction of the Shadow labyrinth. This wasn't anything new to him though, so he felt it had mostly been a rather large waste of time. Not only that, but his daughter had come back last night all gleeful and giddy. Her mood had lasted well into the day, the girl all giggling and girlish squealing. He had yet to say anything, but he had grown somewhat curious by his youngest daughters displays.
"Zizou… I'm not one to pry into the business of my children if given the choice… but I can't help but wonder what's got you all happy like this."
Zizou, who had been humming to herself, stopped said sounds and looked to her father for a moment. She then broke into a rather large grin before she clenched her hands and pulled her arms close to her chest like an over eager girl.
"Cause papa, I think I've managed to find my ideal man!"
Sergio looked at his youngest child for a moment before slowly nodded his head, this not the first time his daughter had proclaimed as such.
"I see… so did you learn anything important while on your husband hunting."
Zizou only pouted at her father, the man clearly not believing her.
"Its true! So far he has everything I'm looking for, but I have yet to see everything about him though, so I'm hoping that he'll be in Makai by the time we make it back!"
Sergio could only keep staring at his daughter before he let out a low and weary sigh.
"Zizou… it would take many months for anybody to make it to Makai from here. Have you forgotten that I can warp us right back to the castle at a moments notice? You could be waiting a long long time."
"I know that dad, but don't you think the long wait is more romantic?"
Sergio could only sigh again before he opted to stop. Once his daughter was like this, he knew he wouldn't have much chance to change her mind at the moment. Maybe later, but not now.
"Very well… but my question still stands. Did you learn anything new?"
Zizou, seeing that the earlier conversation had come to a close, she thought about it for a moment before she simply shrugged her shoulders.
"Sorry daddy. I couldn't find anything else out about the miasma."
Sergio simply turned to the sky, resisting the urge to let out another sigh. His wife often told him that sighs let out happiness after all. However, he wasn't looking forward to going back and letting the Overlord know he wasn't able to uncover anything. However, seeing the look on her fathers face caused Zizou to try to think of anything other then Andrew in her mind at that moment. And oddly enough, she did recall one thing she had heard by the harbor yesterday.
"Ah, but I did hear something about a sea crew having slain a Dragon Turtle. Apparently it was in such good shape that it could be sold for a very good price. However, when I checked it out, the creature seemed to be saturated in the same energy that we've been asking about."
Sergio quickly brought his attention back to his daughter.
"Really? What was the name of the ship?"
"Um… I dunno… I didn't really get a name… I'm sure we could find them if we went to the dock though. Apparently the Dragon turtle hasn't been sold off yet."
Sergio looked to his daughter with a proud look on his face before he reached over and ruffled his child's hair.
"Good girl Zizou. It might not lead anywhere, but it's more then we had a few moments ago."
The young lilim giggled to herself at her fathers headpat. Sergio continued to pet his child even as his mind turned to the new lead he had, ideas already starting to form in his mind about this particular scenario.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!