When Stella made me give her a backrub, I was surprised at how she had her buttons in the back, most likely so her wings wouldn't get damaged. But other than that, when she took off the dress, she then covered her chest because she didn't have any bra on, me seeing that she was very blushy and bashful.
"Don't worry, Stella. I promise not to look at them and focus on the backrub. You don't need to be so shy," I said, her tensing up when I started to rub her back with some olive oil that was in the cabin of the ship... but after a few minutes, she loosened up and then lowered herself to the ground and folded her wings.
"Feels so good... don't stop..." she said with a small trill as I continued to rub her back, being careful about the wings. Eventually she stopped cupping her boobs and, after 20 more minutes, she finally outstretched her wings and halted me. "That's good enough... oh, it felt so great," she moaned in content as she then proceeded to put her dress on again, but not before turning around and showing me her bare chest... I blushed afterwards from the sudden change of attitude, especially since they looked small, yet gorgeous.
"Did you like what you saw?" she asked, me pulling at my collar and nodding.
"Uh, yeah. They looked beautiful," I smiled, my face telling me it was my turn to blush.
"Well, when you get all the Fyggs, you can see how they feel, too. And be proud of yourself. You and Crux are the first to have ever seen me like that," she smiled, Crux then speaking.
"Y-Yeah... I won't deny that I liked them too... but I still feel embarrassed," Crux said from my head.
"Heh, you're shyer than I thought," Stella smirked at me.
"Not so much shy as I'm just surprised... surprised that you let me see them," I admitted.
"Well, you should be considered lucky. I haven't even let my sissy see me without clothes on," Stella smiled. We then got a message from a knocking door, me then answering it and seeing it was Carly.
"If you guys are done horsing around, we got to the next continent. Keira said that there are two different areas to travel to. Illugazar Plains due north and the Snowberian Coast to the east," she smiled, me then looking at Stella and her then floating off the ground again and following me to the door, us then disembarking with the others and me looking at our options.
"So, Drake, which way should we go?" Veronica asked.
"Well, how about we let Stella decide?" I smirked, her then blushing at that.
"Um... how about north? I'm not too good with cold air," Stella admitted.
"Maybe we can get you some warmer clothes to wear? I mean, the plains are sure to have some furry beasts," Pavo smirked.
"Ugh... I guess I'll have no choice. And that I'll need to have to stay grounded most likely, since they don't make fairy-friendly clothes," Stella said with a frown.
"I could make it fairy-friendly," I said, her looking at me in confusion. "I used to be a part of the sewing club back when I was in school. I learned how to hand-sew buttons, so I'm sure I could make a fur poncho to be fairy-friendly, as you put it," I smiled, her blushing at that.
"I guess that'd work... just make sure my wings can go into the outfit," she said, me nodding at her. We then trekked into the Urdus Marshlands, where we came across a couple Mandrake Majors and a Wyrtle before we got to the Plains themselves, netting three Dragon Scales from them in the process. And upon arrival to the Illugazaar Plains, Keira sniffed the air and then exhaled happily.
"Ah, home sweet home. The Illugazaar Plains, I've finally returned," she said, me looking at her in surprise.
"You come from here?" I asked, her nodding at me.
"Yes, I do. I was raised as one of their huntresses before I discovered my calling as an Armamentist, thanks to Mistress Windy," she smiled.
"You said it wrong again," Veronica smirked, her cousin sticking her tongue out in response.
"Don't care, I'm just glad to see somewhere I'm comfy at," Keira smiled as we ended up defeating a couple beasts in the form of Brainy Badboons and a Swinoceros before finally arriving to the settlement, with Keira leading the way.
"Welcome to Batsureg, friends. A town where we hunt for our food and look out for ourselves on our own moxie. We never wish for more than we need and we keep to ourselves, never hoping to expand from our humble settlement," Keira smirked as I then asked her an important question.
"If there's a Fygg nearby, the place to go to for questions would have to be the leader of Batsureg. Can you lead the way, Keira?" I asked, her smiling at me.
"It'll cost you," she said.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"A kiss, that's all I want," she said, me rolling my eyes. She was REALLY wanting to hit on me. I then simply picked her small body up and kissed her for a good 3 seconds on the lips before then placing her back down, me seeing she had a heavy blush over her face.
"You okay, Keira?" Dillon asked, her blushing.
"Y-Yeah... I-I'm fine... heaven..." she said with a trill in her voice before then waltzing us to the chief's house at the top of the settlement... but one thing was said by Marionette before we went in.
"Hold it... I smell a Fygg in there," she said, me looking at her in surprise.
"Really? You can smell Fyggs?" I asked, her nodding.
"She's right, big brother! The Fyggs smell like sour milk. And we can smell it ahead of us," Firkle said from Marionette's head.
"Really?... Hmm... now that you mention it, I do smell a hint of that now... so what now?" Keira asked.
"We need to find the source of the smell first. Then we have to hope nothing bad happens," Crux said, us then entering the hut. And when we did, we saw the leader sitting on his small throne along with the faker in the flesh.
"Hmm? Oh, Batkhaan. We have visitors, it seems," the seductress said with a bewitching voice, Marionette tilting her head to me and speaking in my ear.
"The girl. It's all over her body," she whispered, me nodding as I also saw that Stella gawked at the woman in question, eyeing her all over... and apparently she couldn't see her?
"Whatever you are, please stop flying around me," she said, Stella looking at her with a frown.
"Whatever are you talking about, Sarantsatsral? I see and hear nothing by your head," Batkhaan said, me looking at the corrupted soul and frowning.
"That must mean she's got some kind of thing on her that allows her to see those of the Celestial realm, such as fairies and Celestrians. They're invisible to anyone else," I said, that making the seductress look surprised as she looked troubled.
"Look, I'll just cut to the chase. We need a dangerous fruit that's connected to the Celestrians. Anything that eats them has bad things happen to them," I explained, Sarantsatsral looking concerned.
"Um... what bad things?" she asked, me then producing the 5 we had in our bag.
"In the order of the ones we've acquired thus far," I started, producing each Fygg from the bag one by one, holding them in-between my fingers. "Turned the Abbot of Alltrades Abbey into a monster that wanted to rule with fear... transformed a fisherman into a giant whale... created a deadly golem that attacked any living creatures that went to the Heights of Loneliness... made a sick girl even sicker before bringing life to a puppet replica... and this last one? Luckily, we pilfered it before anything bad could happen," I said, Sarantsatsral looking very concerned at me saying those things.
"I... I see..." she said, looking at Batkhaan with seriousness.
"Batkhaan, dear? I wish to speak with these travelers in privacy... may I please ask that you await outdoors?" she asked, me wondering what was going to happen.
"Very well, Sarantsatsral, I shall do that. Please do not be discourteous to my queen," he said, Keira raising her eyebrow at that.
"Um... queen?" she asked after Batkhan left the hut.
"I want to tell you something... I have one of those fruits that you have been collecting..." she said, looking forlorn while saying it. "But... it's effects are... maddening... I'm trying to fight it... but it makes me do things... things I don't want... I fear that, should I get mad enough, it may overtake me entirely..." she said, me being surprised at that.
"You must be a pretty tough mortal to have not fallen into madness," Pavo said with a stern gaze.
"But she ain't a mortal," Stella said, her then looking at Sarantsatsral's face after pulling down her mask. "Yep. Fangs. Which breed of beast are you?" Stella asked, the seductress sighing and frowning.
"Slugger... I'm a Slugger..." she said, that making Carly look at her in surprise.
"You look nothing like one... did you use the fruit to change appearance?" she asked.
"Yes... I ate it and wished to be beautiful... so I became as such... but with it, comes a feeling of not being in control... I've been manipulating the hunters, issuing them orders to prepare for war... to expand to Snowberia and beyond... b-but... I don't want... I can't fight it much longer..." she said, me seeing that she was starting to hyperventilate, me then going to her and then simply doing something daring. I gave her a hug, her tensing up at that. "W-What are you d-doing?..." she asked as I started to hush her.
"Shh... just relax... slow, deep breathing... think positive... think peaceful thoughts," I said, her then trying a couple times, but her breathing was a bit too quick. "Slower... in... and out... in... and out..." I said, her then calming down after a few more, me feeling a couple tears fall on my head.
"T-Thank you... I... I want to be rid of this fruit... but I want to keep my beauty... what do I do?..." she asked, me looking at the others and then at my bag. I simply pulled out three more feathers. The last ones I had left since finding them in Porth Laffan.
"I think I know how. Just eat a couple of these feathers... then give me the fruit. We'll see what happens after," I said, her nodding as she then ate them, barely getting them down from the dryness they had. And afterwards, we all then gawked at how the fruit came out immediately after... And not only that, but Sarantsatsral didn't turn into her Slugger form.
"I... Oh my word... Am... Am I really free?" she asked as I held the Fygg in my hand and then pocketed it. But the others in my group? They were surprised by her sudden voice change. "Thank ya, guv! I'm ferever in yer debt, I am!" she said as she then hugged me again, me feeling a bit crushed from it, but simply hugging her back.
"Um... what's going on here?" asked a younger male voice. We then turned around and were surprised to see the young hunter in the flesh. And he looked as I expected him to in realistic settings, with very small eyes and a timid look to him.
"Uh... nothing?..." I said, feeling very awkward all of a sudden. But Keira?
"Oh my gosh! Brother Batz! How are you?" Keira asked with a smile.
"Sister Keiragan? What are you doing here? I thought you left the Yurts five years ago," he said, Keira smiling at him.
"I found tutelage under Mistress Windy when she saw I was born an Armamentalist... yes, I finally said it right!" she smirked.
"Keiragan?" Carly smirked, her then tensing when she heard that.
"Ugh... yes, that's my full name. Don't tease or I'll punch your guts," she said, me smirking at that.
"Ahem... well, if you want to know the gist, mister Batz-"
"Batzorig," he corrected.
"Batzorig... we helped out Miss Sara with an issue she had. A kind of dilemma involving a dangerous fruit from the heavens," I explained, him being surprised.
"You mean... what exactly do you mean?" he asked.
"We made a small bargain. She wanted to be freed from the influence of the fruit, but wanting to maintain her current beauty. And we need the fruit because they belong to the Celestrians. So, I used the last of my remaining wing feathers to allow her to keep her beauty, which caused the fruit to disperse from her body in the process... and apparently this is how she really talks," I said.
"So... my new name is Sara?" she asked, me smirking.
"Easier than that literal mouthful that was used prior. Seriously, I doubt I could say it right. Sarantas.. Sarantsastar... see? I can't do it," I said, her smirking at me with a blush.
"Uh... may I please ask for a small favor, per chance?" Batzorig asked.
"Depends what it is," I said.
"I wanted to know if you could ask my father to give me a special trial... he wishes for me to become the chief of the village, but he wants me to slay a kindly Badboon that I've found kinship with in Koombish. I ask that you ask him to give me another one and, if possible, that you assist me with it," he said, me nodding at him.
"You guys don't mind, right?" I asked, them smiling at me.
"There's an ulterior motive, I'm sure," Dillon smirked slyly.
"Yes, there is. If we can succeed in doing this, I want to know if Sara can travel alongside us and our travel group," I said, Pavo smiling.
"Heh. Hopeless romantic," she said smugly.
"Well... I do find attraction in the guv... he saved my life, he did," Sara smiled. Her voice as of current sounded exactly like a female Yangus, even more than Stella, as she had the same accent and gruff voice to match. And it made sense, since she was a female Slugger on the inside. We then went to find Batkhaan and I asked him an important question.
"Um, mister Batkhaan, was it?" I asked, him looking at me and the others in my group with confusion.
"I feel that I've been woken up from some kind of spell... but I can't quite fathom what it was," Batkhaan said, Sara sighing and holding her head down in shame.
"Well... it's because of the fruits that I mentioned prior... see, Sara here, previously a Slugger, ate one to become more beautiful and less lonely... but these fruits make bad things happen, and for her, she was going crazy from it. The fruit's effects were forcing her to control everyone of the hunters in the yurts to expand and go to war all over," I said, Batkhaan looking at her and her simply hiding behind me in fear.
"So... why does she look the same? You obviously procured the fruit somehow, so how did you do so?" he asked.
"The power of Celestrian feathers, that is all," Pavo said with a smug smirk.
"Hmm... very well... so you say the fruit was the cause of it and not Sarantsatsral?" he asked.
"That's not even what my true name was... my real name's Larstastnaras... but I just wanna be called Sara now. Guv gave me that name," she smiled, me smirking at her.
"Anyways, we wanted to ask for a bit of a favor regarding Batzorig," Keira said, Batkhaan looking at her in confusion before then smiling warmly.
"It's been quite a while since I've seen you back here, young Keiragan. So what's this favor regarding your brother?" he asked, me smirking at that. Continuity change, but I didn't care.
"He wants to take another test for manhood instead of attacking the Badboon. It's his friend... and now that I think about it, I think I remember seeing him playing with him when mommy was still around... it was just a year before her passing," Keira said, Batkhaan sighing at that.
"Baryamaa must've healed its wounds, then... she came from the town of Gerzuun, which has fallen into shambles from... wait... I know just what you can do to test Batzorig," he said. "There exists a special grass that only grows in Gerzuun, called the Bodura Grass. It is very good at dispersing illusionary magic, but is the only weakness to a horrid living disease that ravages our nation once every 15 years called the Scarlet Fever. And from what our calenders have said, the Scarlet Fever should be arriving in the next week. If you can travel with Batzorig to acquire the Bodura Grass, we can use it to drive it off, or better yet, completely destroy it," he smirked.
"I thank you, father," Batzorig said as I saw he was watching from the doorway to the chieftan hut, Batkhaan smirking and nodding.
"I'll ask that your group travel with him, but make sure that he fights alongside you. Do so, and we'll give you a special brew that will assist you greatly in the future, given to only our finest warriors," he said, that immediately piquing our interests.
"The deal is set! Let's get preparations done and set out immediately! I definitely don't want to lose any of my fellow hunters to the Scarlet Fever! That's what killed mommy, after all," Keira said, us then getting a stock up on items and getting some more weaponry from the shops. I got a stronger weapon in the form of the potshot bow, which I then merged with an Archer Armguard and Hunter Hat to turn into the amazingly strong Hotshot Bow, which the others looked at me with smiles.
"Looks like someone wants to start practicing archery," Carly kidded with me, which made me smirk at her.
"Maybe I do," I smirked right back at her.
"Should I give you pointers? I'm experienced in archery myself," Keira smiled.
"No, I know how to work these things," I smiled.
"Do you really, though?" Crux frowned.
"Yes, I do. I hunted animals in the past and I used bows and arrows to do so," I said with a smile.
"And how many did you manage to fell?" Veronica asked smugly.
"10 deer, 2 elk, 3 rabbits, and 1 turkey, the latter being what we ate for Thanksgiving at age 16," I smirked.
"Thanksgiving? What's that?" Stella asked.
"It's a holiday where you give thanks to each other and the harvest, accentuated with a feast with a turkey being the main course," Firkle smirked.
"Sounds like something you and Marionette would get a kick out of," Stella smirked.
"Well, I do like food. So many different flavors... yet another amazing trait to be a mortal," she smirked blissfully as we then finished up and Sara looked to be waiting for us outside of the settlement.
"So... do you want to come with us, Sara?" Carly asked, her smiling at us.
"I do. I wish to repay the kindness from da guv," she smirked.
"It's still baffling to me about all that has happened as of late... them fyggs are right fierce fruits, able to hurt even monsters that eat them up," Stella said as I then started to multitask on the way to the next area. What was I doing? Altering a fur poncho to be made with buttons on the backside for Stella, just as promise.