tygertyger said: Yeah, Mary Anning deserves more recognition for her awesome work. Ah, new chapter goodness... I love the history lesson in this chapter! I'd never heard of Mary Anning before this, so I had to Google her. Kudos for enhancing the story with some real-world details. Maku_The_Blue said: Ah it might be that my limited English vocabulary created some confusion. What I was referring to with the remark about the marks having been made by a single claw, is the "hand" of some kind of animal and not a single "nail". Which has me now wondering that if a claw refers to a "nail" then what would be the right term for a "hand". Nevertheless, regardless of the interpretation of what is a claw, the larger species of the raptor family like the Utahraptor or the Dakotaraptor would indeed have large enough talons(?).The first thing I found strange is that it was made distinctively clear that it was specifically a 'singular', large claw mark. Not three small claw marks like what any kind of bird of prey might leave. And not four or five large claw marks like what a tiger or bear might leave. That got me thinking a little bit, but as soon as fossils and a "flying reptile" was mentioned, my mind immediately jumped to the only prehistoric animal that was at the very least descendant to avian type creatures, and had an almost famous distinctively large, singular claw on their feet... I'm of course referring to the various types of raptors. It would explain why Aisly and Fiora couldn't think of it as a possibility. I'm guessing they don't know about dinosaurs from Earth that died out billions of years ago. And it might explain why there's only a single, large claw mark. That's the only type of animal that I know of that would even be capable of leaving a large, singular claw mark. |
MetallumOperaturJan 19, 2021 3:21 AM
| Even if we're looking at a claw mark from a dinosaur dromeosaurs (the group that includes velociraptors) aren't the only possible culprits. Baryonyx had large -- as in, shortsword sized -- claws on its forelimbs. BTW, a set of parallel scratches made by a set of claws is usually referred to as a singular claw mark. I don't see how a jinko would have larger paws than a bear, though, and the girls should see that, too. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
tygertyger said: I based that assessment on the picture of the Jinko accompanying the MGE entry. That jinko has massive paws that are almost as wide as her chest and claws as long as large kitchen knives. So way larger paws than their animal counterparts, or even say a polar bears, have. But an argument could be made that Kenkou tends to draw quite oversized paws/claws/talons and that substantial artistic liberty has been taken with those pictures. Though, I did assume for that remark by the girls that there are indeed some mamono species where it is not uncommon for them to have paws/talons that are big enough to create marks that are 30-40 cm wide (roughly a foot) with a single swipe. I tend to think of it that such species can use their demonic energy to morph their paws to a more manageable size or even humanoid hands for the stuff that involves non-violent contact with others or tasks that require manual dexterity e.g. picking up stuff.BTW, a set of parallel scratches made by a set of claws is usually referred to as a singular claw mark. I don't see how a jinko would have larger paws than a bear, though, and the girls should see that, too. tygertyger said: Gotta love dinosaurs :-DEven if we're looking at a claw mark from a dinosaur dromeosaurs (the group that includes velociraptors) aren't the only possible culprits. Baryonyx had large -- as in, shortsword sized -- claws on its forelimbs. |
MetallumOperaturJan 19, 2021 8:28 AM
| Good point. An experienced tracker would even be able to tell if it was a left or right limb, and someone who was trained in biology could even determine if the mark was made by a biped or quadruped. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| Nice update and I see the chapter continues stretching. I'm sure you'll find a way to turn it into a four-part chapter somehow :P Looking forward to the introduction of Anastasia in the next chapter. As far as the mystery of the claw mark, since the topic fossils and the collecting thereof was mentioned, it is entirely possible that claw marks might have come from some kind of fossil, though I don't know why Anastasia or her father might've done that. |
| So having taken the feedback into account, I slightly changed the wording of the description of the claw marks part. Hopefully it is now less confusing. Other than that working on the finale of this chapter. |
Chapter 25 - The Diary of Anastasia: Part 3 “Sor-ry,” Tish apologised with a hoarse, croaking voice. She then hugged me. It had been a while since she had last spoken and it was clear that it took considerable effort. “Don’t be sorry. You could not have known that we were only startled and not being threatened,” I said while hugging her back. She then walked over to Aisly, who was rubbing her sore booby that had cushioned my fall, and hugged her too. After Tish had apologised our attention quickly returned to Anastasia. “She sure looks a lot like her mother. Only younger and even prettier,” Fiora remarked. I clearly remembered her remark from yesterday about how she would have loved to go down on Anastasia’s mom. It did not change the fact that she was right though; Anastasia was stunningly beautiful. She had a friendly face with puffy cheeks, a rounded, slightly up-turned nose, and, also like her mother, she wore her sand-blonde hair in a loose plait. Her body was curvy and feminine, and her skin lacked any imperfections. “Are there any mamono who look almost the same as humans?” I asked. Anastasia seemed a bit too flawless for her to still be human. “A few, yes. Dark mages, kejourous, dhampirs, and kitsune-tsukis can all pass for a human to the untrained eye. Especially the latter two are almost indistinguishable even to those that know what to look for. Typically one needs to bed them to find out they are actually mamono. Unless, of course, they reveal their true nature themselves. Furthermore, almost all mamono can use their demonic energy to hide or retract their non-human features. So many girls can appear like one on first glance if they so wish,” Fiora replied. Then she added, ”But if you are asking this because of her, then no, I don’t think she is one. Even with her being covered in demonic energy.” I still had no idea how she could see that demonic energy sticking to people, but there were some things about mamono that I would probably never understand. “Why do you think that?” I asked. “There does not seem to be any such mamono living here that could have turned her into one. And if she had turned as the result of ambient demonic energy, then she would have transformed into a lesser succubus. Lesser succubae come with impossible to miss physical changes like a tail and horns. But I can see why you are asking though. Maybe the demonic energy has altered her appearance without fully transforming her into a mamono yet,” Fiora speculated. Then she entered the room and headed for the windows. “Keeping the room dark is not going to enlighten us any further. Let’s get some light in here so we can get a better look at what is going on with her.” “There are no footprints.” Aisly noticed almost immediately after she had helped Fiora with opening the heavy curtains. Unlike the mess we had just made in the hallway, the dust on the floor in the centre of this room was unperturbed. “She probably has been in here since before the dust began to accumulate.” “That must have been years if not decades. How has she not starved?” I asked incredulously. As far as I could tell, Anastasia looked healthy and well fed. Her not being covered in dust seemed like a minor detail compared to the fact that she somehow was still alive. “The magic that keeps her in stasis must also be sustaining her,” Fiora replied. I made an attempt at trying to wrap my head around how being sustained by magic would work in practice, but quickly ceased for the sake of keeping my sanity once thoughts about magical poop removal began rearing its ugly head. Thankfully Aisly had noticed something to distract me from that derailing train of thought. “She is lactating.” Now that the room was properly lit, it was an obvious observation. Anastasia’s voluminous breasts were resting on the crystals she was cradling. Two small white streams trickled down her breasts and onto the crystals. “Am I seeing that right?! Is the milk being absorbed by the crystals?” I blurted out in disbelief. Common sense dictated that there should have been “spillage” on the floor, yet the milk somehow never made it off the crystals. “It sure looks like it,” Fiora concurred as she inched closer to take a better look. “Which pretty much confirms that these crystals are not ordinary crystals. In fact, I bet my ass that they are what is sustaining the spell. They make for great magic foci.” The crystals were quite different from what I had expected them to be. Rather than translucent like, say, amethysts, they were opaque but of such a vibrant deep purple colour that they appeared to shine. Several bright crimson veins that almost seemed to pulsate ran through them like branching rivers of blood. Despite them not being translucent, they were exquisite pieces of mineral and I immediately understood why Anastasia had assumed they would be worth a fortune. “I take that it is also magic that gives her the strength and stamina to carry them like that for ages.” “Could be, though it is more likely that it makes the crystals near weightless or levitates them while they are being carried,” Fiora answered. “Is there a way we can break that spell and wake her up? I mean, we can’t just leave her floating there,” I asked. “We could try to move her and hope that breaks the spell, but there is a chance it will backfire and harm her… or us,” Fiora replied. “Hmm, maybe we should use that as our last resort option then. Other ideas?” I waited a moment, but it seemed no one had any. “Hmmm. If she has been floating here for as long as we think she has, then a few more hours should not make much of a difference. We are not in a hurry, so no need to take risks yet. How about we look around some more. Maybe we find something that might aid us with freeing her from her predicament.” The girls nodded in agreement. I scanned the room. Aside from the cleared area in the middle of the room where Anastasia was levitating, the room was stuffed to the brim with all kinds of curiosa. On the wall hung several large dusty portraits of people who I presumed were distant ancestors of Anastasia. A small setup of two chairs with a salon table were placed in front of the hearth. On the table stood some ancient and partly broken pottery that looked suspiciously Roman and a pipe. An richly ornamented walking cane was placed against one of the chairs. A cabinet filled with German beer steins and chinaware was placed against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Atop the mantle of the hearth stood a mantle clock. Which seemed a bit redundant as there were also two large grandfather clocks on either side of the room. I checked and eerily they all had stopped at exactly the same time. I instinctively checked my pocket watch. To my relief it still ran smoothly. Eventually I noticed the fossilized skull. It was tucked away in a corner and not really “on display” as the diary had claimed. It appeared as if it had been moved not long before this place was frozen in time, though. Perhaps it had been placed there when the room’s centre had been cleared to make room for Anastasia. Given that the diary had mentioned the fossil was from a flying reptile, I had implicitly expected the elongated narrow skull of the more famous members of the pterosaur family, preferably with one of those utterly bonkers bony crests that some of them had. This one, however, was much more shaped like a flattened American football. And with the skull being shorter than my forearm it was also a lot smaller than I had hoped. Then again, I knew that the different species in the pterosaur family covered a wide variety of sizes ranging from the size of a pigeon to flying behemoths as tall as giraffes and with wingspans of over ten metres, so this skull had not belonged to the smallest species either. Nevertheless, I was a 90-ies kid who had obsessively collected all the “De Agostini” dinosaur magazines and who had read them all through and through. So, despite the skull not being exactly what I had expected, I was still as excited as I had been back then when a new issue of the magazine had arrived. I moved over and carefully picked it up to get a closer look. While I had seen multiple dinosaur skeletons in various museums, this was the first time I actually held such a fossil in my own hands. It was in a remarkable condition and sported many teeth that looked sharp enough to still be able to cause a nasty cut if one was not careful. “So, that is a fossil?” Aisly asked curiously, as they all joined me. “Yes, it is,” I replied. “While it still looks like a skull, this isn’t bone anymore. That is why we call it a fossil instead.” “It is not bone anymore? How does that happen?” Fiora asked surprised. All three girls were eagerly and excitedly looking back and forth between the fossil and me. I remembered that I had intended to briefly give Fiora the cold shoulder as a disciplinary measure, but given the changed circumstances, I decided to discipline her some other time. “Very, very slowly, over thousands, if not millions of years. To explain what happened, I will have to take you on a tour through the wonderous fields of science that are palaeontology and geology. How they showed us that reality surpasses even our wildest imaginations. How in eons past giant reptiles called dinosaurs roamed the Earth. How both animals and plants, that lived millions of years ago, have been turned to stone, leaving behind these fossils for us to find. And how those fossils eventually allowed us to puzzle together a glimpse into the distant past. So buckle up, because this is going to be a wild tale!” Because of, or perhaps despite of, my theatrical antics I had hooked all three of them immediately. ------------------------- Whitwick, October 6th Anno Domini 1875 The constable visited today to inform me that father’s coach was spotted on the banks of the Soar. Father was nowhere to be found and a search of the area has proven fruitless. They will wait one more week for him to show up, or else they will return the coach to me and sign his death certificate so I can claim the inheritance. His demeanour told me to expect the worst. Having just learned that I am most likely an orphan, one would expect that I am overcome with grief or perhaps that I would travel to Leicester in a fit of hysteria to go and search for him. Yet, I only feel acceptance and numbness. The moment he rode off our carriageway, I knew that I would never see him again. I had made my peace with it. In fact I found it harder and harder to love my father as he became less and less the man I once knew as my father. In a sense you could say that the day my mother died I had not only lost her but I had lost my father too. Now, I am just relieved that I did not also lose the crystals. I realize these are horrible things to say about my own father, yet they are the truth. Does this make me a bad person? ------------------------- Teaching the girls about fossils had been great. While at first it had been quite weird giving them a lecture with a naked, spinning Anastasia floating behind us. But, I had quickly become so engrossed that I had almost forgotten she was even there. The girls must have been genuinely interested in what I had been telling, for they had been hanging on my lips for almost two hours straight. But eventually hunger and thirst caught up to us, so I had wrapped up the story with the promise that more was to come in the future. After a belated lunch we refocussed our efforts back on figuring out a way to free Anastasia. Tish and Fiora would stay in the parlour to thoroughly examine the magic that was keeping Anastasia in stasis in hopes of finding some way to break the spell safely. I had no idea how they would be doing that. Sadly Aisly and I would not be there to observe it either, for we had went back to the library to look for more clues in the diary. “I don’t think she is a bad person. Poor Anastasia. Having to go through so much and not even having a tribe to help her cope with it,” Aisly remarked. “Most of us still have friends and family to help them cope with grief and other adversity. While I would not call it rare, but Anastasia’s apparent lack of support is quite uncommon,” I replied. “It still feels so strange to know that she only had her mother and her father.” She paused a moment before asking, “What is it like to have a father? Are all fathers like him?” “Not at all. I’d say that my feelings for my father are quite similar to the feelings for my mother. Typically fathers fulfil a different role in the family than mothers, but even that can vary from family to family. From what I’ve seen, I would say that Aedelind fulfils the role a father would typically fulfil in our world for your tribe. I, for example, played sports with my father and we made long walks with the dog. While my mother and I often did puzzles together.” “You think Aedelind is a bit like a father to us? I guess I can see that. Her role is indeed quite different from the other elders,” Aisly replied pensively. “But Aedelind has always been there for us, so Anastasia must have had bad luck with her father then.” “Yeah. It’s a shame, for it seemed that she had quite a good relation with him until grief broke him. Had her mother not died, then he might have been a much better father to her. But who am I to judge, I’m neither a father nor have I ever lost someone who was that close to me,” I said. “And you? You never knew your father?” “No. I am the result of a lucky visit to a brothel in Faldarfar. I guess my father might still be there somewhere, after all, I’m only twenty-one. But I don’t know if I would be able to find him. All I know is that he has red hair like me. Mom can’t remember much else. She said the room was quite dark and he was only with her for less than a minute.” It appeared that Fiora was not the only one who had never seen her father. I wondered how many girls in this world had never seen their dad. Also, a brothel visit that lasted less than one friggin’ minute?! Now I am not claiming here that I had never finished within the minute, but immediately leaving afterwards? That was next level harsh. I had a hard time believing that the guy had any say in the matter if he had left that quickly… “Would you like to meet him if you could find him?” I asked. Judging by the time she needed to answer my question, Aisly not had thought about that possibility before. “I don’t know,“ she finally answered uncertainly. ------------------------- Whitwick, October 14th Anno Domini 1875 Today the constable returned the coach to me. Father has officially been declared deceased. Being his sole heir and with no other family members that might have staked a claim, the inheritance was finalized surprisingly quickly by the magistrate. This mansion, and everything in it is officially mine now. Frankly I don’t know what to do with it, nor what to do now. I barely know anyone in town and even fewer that are my age. Financially I should be fine. While funds are running somewhat low, at least I did not inherit any loans nor any mortgages. Besides, without having to buy dozens of bottles of alcoholic tonics each week, my expenses should drop substantially. Eventually these crystals should fetch enough to live comfortably in the mansion for the rest of my life. Though, I have to admit that I am starting to resent the idea of selling them. But, it is a decision I will have to make at a later time. For now, I should check and make sure if they are still doing fine. I should not leave them alone for too long. ------------------------- “That is odd. Why would she need to ‘make sure they are doing fine’ and go “check on them”? She makes it sound like they need caring,” Aisly observed. “Good question. Can’t say for sure, but maybe she is growing obsessed with the crystals?” “Could be…” Aisly’s tone then turned flirtatious. ”I guess we will have to read more if we want to find out whether that is is true. Here let me make you comfortable while you continue reading.” She began massaging my shoulders. “Isn’t the huntress a bit overdressed to be out on the prowl again?” I asked cheekily. While I most certainly enjoyed her massage. I was certain I could get away with asking for being pampered a little more. “Hmm, is she? Seems like Anastasia might not be the only one here with an obsession,” Aisly chuckled. “What can I say? Guilty as charged. So, now to the real question here is, does the huntress mind?” “Oh, she does not mind at all. After all, what is there not to like about boobies? Besides, it is quite flattering,” Aisly purred as she removed her top and dangled it teasingly in front of me before throwing it onto her backpack. Then she pulled me back in her embrace, though despite the teasing it was in such a manner that it implied more reading and not snusnu. ------------------------- Whitwick, October 19th?! Anno Domini 1875 The days have passed by in a blur. I can’t tell anymore if it has been a few days or a week since I last wrote in here. Nor can I fully recall what I have been doing lately. Trying to remember is like staring though a foggy window: the shapes are there, but the details are missing. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why I never mentioned the scarlet veins on the eggs, nor why I called them crystals. I guess their outside does look somewhat crystalline, but there is clearly something nascent inside them. I can sense them. I can feel them. And they feel me too. They call out to me, like a new-born chick for their mother, for they are famished and vulnerable. Without me they will starve. I cannot let that happen. I will not let that happen. <Some intelligible scribbling> Am I descending into madness? Is this what father was going through? What have I become!? ------------------------- My heart was pounding in my chest. It appeared that Anastasia’s story might be finally reaching its crescendo. “What do you think, Aisly? Could those crystals indeed be some kind of weird eggs, or is Anastasia going insane?” “They sure seem a bit big to be eggs. Maybe Fiora can make more of this. Besides I think we should tell them right away anyways,” Aisly suggested. “Yeah. If they are indeed eggs, they should know. Who knows what might be lurking inside them,” I concurred. We snatched our backpacks from the floor—we always brought them with us wherever we went—and then rushed back to the parlour. In our haste Aisly forgot to put her top back on. Though it might have been “forgot” instead. “Hey, Tish! Fiora! You need to hear this. It seems Anastasia was convinced these crystals are eggs! She also mentioned that those crimson veins weren’t there yet when she found them,” I said as we rushed into the parlour. “And apparently they called out to her to be fed,” Aisly added. “Eggs wanting to be fed you say?” Fiora was wearing her goggles which gave her a goofy look; she was madly sexy when she looked goofy. She seemed to think about what we had just said for a moment before facepalming and saying, “Of course! How could I have been so blind? It explains so much. How they can sustain the spell. How they can convert her spirit energy into demonic energy. And why she is covered in demonic energy to begin with.” I still could not see anything on her, but apparently there was also demonic energy on me which I could not see either. Since I was still feeling fine I was not too worried about it. I took another good look at the crystals, or should I say eggs now? “Aside from their shape they don’t really look like eggs though,” I remarked. “But if they are, any idea what species such huge eggs could be from?” “They are indeed unlike any I have ever seen. Given their size they can only be from a mamono, for there is no animal I know that would lay eggs this big. I can rule out the bird mamono and the lamias too, they are not large enough to be laying eggs this size, nor would theirs be crystalline like these, I think. No, my guess is that only the largest of reptiles might have laid these: a dragon or a wurm. They could also have made those marks on the crate, for their claws are indeed huge. As for them being crystalline… Well, I can’t say that I’m even marginally informed on how dragon eggs look. They aren’t particularly forthcoming on that subject. But I do know that many dragons, and wurms in particular, have a strong connection with the earth,” Fiora speculated. “Do you think she laid them while in her ancient form? For else…” Aisly winced as she looked wide-eyed at the crystals. “I sure hope she did. Don’t want to imagine what they would cause if she had to lay these in her humanoid form.” Fiora winced too and so did Tish. It seemed all three girls were painting some horrific pictures in their minds. “Is there any way for us to do some kind of test so we can know for sure whether they are eggs or not?” I steered the conversation back to the problem at hand. “Good question. If they are indeed eggs, then it is highly unlikely that whatever magic they are currently sustaining would be harmful to a human. The humans from your world that are teleported here appear in the most random places, so even the most potent wards usually react differently when it is triggered by a clueless human, no offence, wandering about.” Fiora then pointed at Anastasia. “She might have been put in a stasis but she is also clearly unharmed and well cared for.” “So you’re saying I should be the one to break the spell? How do I even do that?” I asked. “Only if you want to. But yes, our best chance at helping Anastasia might actually be for you to simply touch the eggs and see what happens. Maybe that is enough to trigger the ward and break the spell, or perhaps you might even be able to communicate with whatever is inside of them.” The thought of touching the crystals made me quite nervous since there was clearly some strange magic going on with them. Who would not be? But after having read all the things Anastasia had to go through, she deserved better than to be floating here for eternity. So, I steeled my nerves and said, “If that is what you think is our best shot at freeing Anastasia, then I’ll take the risk. None deserves to be stuck in a stasis forever.” I briefly looked at Aisly and Tish who both nodded at me. I cleared the lump in my throat and stepped forward. “If this goes belly up, I want you all to know that I am grateful that you were willing to come with me.” I swallowed. “Well here goes nothing.” And break the spell it did. The crystals were warm, though not hot, to the touch. Immediately the veins running through the crystal began to glow, emitting rays of crimson light and began to widen. Meanwhile the purple crystalline shell began to vibrate slowly but irregularly. In just a few seconds the intensity of the crimson light increased tenfold as if some barely contained energy source tried to break free from its constraints. But it must have failed for suddenly the veins imploded while emitting a powerful shockwave. It knocked me off my feet and threw me backwards. Remarkably instead of hitting the ground I kept floating in the air, just like Anastasia. Aisly and Fiora had suffered a similar fate and were suspended off the ground too. Tish, however, had been thrown back slamming into one of the grandfather clocks. The clock, and Tish with it, had then toppled over and fallen on top of the cabinet filled with the beer steins and chinaware while also knocking some paintings off the wall. “Tish! You alright?” I worriedly shouted. A groan let us know that she was still “alive” at least. Though, with her being partly buried in the mess it was hard to tell whether, and if so, how badly, she had been injured. I tried to get to her to help, but could not get a hold onto anything, so all I achieved was helplessly flailing around in the air. Fiora and Aisly did not fare any better; it appeared we were trapped by some invisible force. Before Tish could get up, three thundering roars shook the entire mansion on its foundations. In its wake followed the deafening sounds of utter destruction. Something big had crashed into the mansion. The windows shattered, launching a barrage of glass shrapnel into the room. Panicked I tried to shield myself fully expecting to die to a thousand cuts. Yet, moments later there was still no pain nor any blood, in fact, I was feeling perfectly fine. I was surrounded by a faintly shimmering sphere that looked like some sort of forcefield and which had apparently shielded me from the glass projectiles. Fiora, Aisly, and Anastasia were surrounded by similar spheres and thus remained unharmed as well. Tish however had not been shielded, but at least she had gotten back on her feet again. Her dress was completely shredded and dozens of glass shards had cut, sliced, and torn their way into her bare flesh. But she barely seemed to even notice them as all her attention was focussed elsewhere. I followed her gaze. And when I saw what she was staring at “Well fuck!” was all I could say. It could only be described as a purple spherical rift in reality that had opened up and now was pulling in anything and everything around it as if it were a black hole. At first it was fascinating. But when first two of our backpacks disappeared into the hole in reality, and moments later the shredded remains of Tish’s dress were ripped off and followed, the severity of the situation fully sank in. Tish was now physically straining herself to stay on her feet and not share the same fate. It was a battle she was slowly losing as more and heavier things came loose and disappeared into the gaping hole. Even the strange fog began to find its way into the voracious purple void through the broken windows. I wondered how long it would take before I was being pulled into oblivion too. But it seemed that the forcefields also protected us from the mayhem going on all around us or being dragged in too. Not wanting to lose Tish, I stretched out my arms towards her as far as I could and yelled at the top of my lungs for her to grab a hold on to them. I did not know if I would be able to pull her into the protective bubble, but I was damn well going to try to. For a moment I saw hesitation in her eyes. Somehow, I immediately instinctively knew why she hesitated, and what the price for her chance to escape oblivion would be. Whatever was shielding us had clearly opted not to shield Tish. So taking me up on my offer might drag us both to our doom. Yet, with everything she had done for me there was not a hair on my head that even considered abandoning her. So I yelled with all my might, “Do it!” Having made my choice, Tish made hers. Her eyes began to glow a bright violet and she dashed towards me. The spectral claws she had briefly rocked during her duel with Aisly reappeared as she used them to punch through the protective bubble immediately dispelling whatever spell kept me floating and protected. The spectral claws grabbed on to my outstretched arms, instantly draining me of all my energy. And for the first time in my life I blacked out before I had even hit the ground. |
MetallumOperaturMay 9, 2021 8:18 AM
| well, now. That fossil looks like a dimorphodon, which is my first choice if I could have paleofauna for a pet. But of course it's actually something else. I look forward to learning what. And I must agree with Erwin's assessment of Anastasia -- she is freakin' gorgeous! |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
tygertyger said: Do keep in mind I'm not Checkov, nor own guns ;-) well, now. That fossil looks like a dimorphodon, which is my first choice if I could have paleofauna for a pet. But of course it's actually something else. I look forward to learning what. And I must agree with Erwin's assessment of Anastasia -- she is freakin' gorgeous! Do would like to get me a paleopet, though, I'd go with a nyctosaurus. |
MetallumOperaturMay 9, 2021 12:27 PM
| Heh. Nyctosaurus looks like it gets good TV reception. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
tygertyger said: The multi-purpose paleopet :-)Heh. Nyctosaurus looks like it gets good TV reception. |
| Indeed, who'd have thought this would actually have wound up as only a three parter? :D Always nice to see a new chapter, even if this one ends on a cliff hanger. Spaghettification sounds pretty inconvenient, so I'm gonna go ahead and assume that Erwin and the gang will be fine and suffer no adverse consequences :) |
| Welps! I though I had already reacted to your comments a long time ago, but it seems I did not. So this is quite the late reply. mugen91 said: Always nice to see a new chapter, even if this one ends on a cliff hanger. Spaghettification sounds pretty inconvenient, so I'm gonna go ahead and assume that Erwin and the gang will be fine and suffer no adverse consequences :) Maku_The_Blue said: Well, at the risk of overthinking things way too much: The "hole" he saw was about the size of a football. If that had been a black hole that size, it would have contained 12.5 Earth masses, more than enough to overcome any and all magic and destroy the entire setting. So it is more of a black-hole-wannabe thing. Nevertheless, getting gobbled up by it seems like a really bad idea.Also really liked the rest of the chapter too. The sudden black hole was a bit of a curve ball though... Certainly wasn't expecting that. Maku_The_Blue said: Yeah, when magic gets involved conservation of energy is not a thing in this setting. It will bug the hell out of my MC :-PIn few other settings could one say that the spirit energy of a woman's breast milk, leaking onto a pair of crystal eggs, could then be absorbed and converted into demonic energy by the crystal eggs, which then uses said energy to sustain and suspend said woman in time, allowing her to lactate some more (possibly in definitely) unless disturbed. Perfect infinite energy loop. Just like the cat + buttered toast generator. Love it. |
Chapter 26 – And Then There Were Five Part 1 I woke up feeling sore. But at least I was still alive. Which was nice. No glass shards were lodged in my ass, nor had I been spaghettified by that purple black-hole-wannabe that had been gobbling up everything that had not been bolted down to the ground. Around me birds were chirping; a sound I had not heard for a while as the area around the mansion had been eerily quiet. I was lying in our tent. Assuming that tents did not spontaneously assemble themselves this meant that at least one of the others had to have put me in here. I got up and wondered how long I had been out for. Outside I was immediately greeted by more sounds and smells of the forest. Only two of our usually four bags stood under the canvas in front of the tent. I remembered seeing both Tish’s bag and Fiora’s bag disappear into that black-hole-wannabe thing. Those bags and everything in them were undoubtedly gone. Which sucked as Tish had been the one to carry most of our provisions. Thankfully Aisly had been the one to carry most of our tools and the tent which were arguably more important than our provisions. A pleasant female voice with a distinctive Spanish accent interrupted my thoughts. “I see you are finally awake my love.” I stepped out from under the low canvas and had to do a double take. “Tish?” I asked surprised. I didn’t know what had caught me off guard more, the fact that she was speaking effortlessly, the fact that she had just called me “my love”, or the fact that aside from her boots she was fully nude and looked quite different from how I remembered her. Her skin was pale blue and all her zombie wounds were gone as had the wounds from the duel and all the cuts from the glass shrapnel. Her face was a whole lot less gaunt and her lips were fuller too, both sets of them. And finally she had gained at least two if not three whole cup sizes. The only thing that had remained unchanged was her wondrously ladyscaped mons. For the most part she now matched the big tiddy goth girlfriend trope to a tee. With her skin tone being the only obvious inhuman feature she had left. “What happened to you? Where are the others? Are they…” I had so many questions I did not know where to start. Tish gestured for me to calm down. “Don’t worry my love. They are unharmed. In fact, we are now with five as Anastasia has awoken too. She turned out to be quite the surprise. I like her a lot, and I’m sure you will too,” Tish said cryptically. "Right now, they are out foraging. I’m afraid it will be a while before they return, for they have left not that long ago.” I let out a big sigh of relief and then slumped down next to Tish between the roots of a large tree. It seemed that our losses were merely material. Tish offered me a cup of water and a plate with some tubers, nuts, and berries. “I’m afraid no meat today, but this should still help you recover your vitality. Which, admittedly, is something we are all eagerly awaiting. In fact, I will have to test yours later today. You know, make sure everything works as intended again.” That last part was added with a lascivious smile. She then kissed me on the cheek. “I’m happy you are awake my love. How are you feeling?” “A bit sore, but other than that I’m fine, I think. I have so many questions, though.” “As expected. I will try to answer all your questions for you. At least we have plenty of time to talk,” Tish stated. “Why don’t we start with your real name?” I began. “I do not have any memories from before I met you, so I don’t know what my name used to be. So, my real name is Morticia, or Tish for short. I adore that name and I am humbled to have been named after a woman you consider to be beautiful, my love,” Tish replied. “You don’t have any memories from before that burial chamber?” I asked perplexed. “It is quite odd though, as I clearly seem to have retained much of what must have been my skills and knowledge in life. But the earliest thing I can remember is you looking quite spooked by me, my love,” she answered. “Good thing we got over that misunderstanding quickly,” I said. “Well then, Morticia your name shall be then,” I declared. Then I leaned in and whispered, “I’ll let you in on a little secret, you are just as beautiful as the woman you are named after.” Tish was quite smitten by the compliment. But before she could get any ideas on “testing my vitality” right now, I asked, “So, how long have I been out for?” The nookie would have to wait till after the most burning of my questions had been answered. She briefly bit her lip. “About three days.” “Three days? To be honest, I had expected much worse… Seeing how much you and the world around us have changed,” I said. “Oh, but that doesn’t tell you much, or at least not about how much time has passed. My changes are an indication of how much energy I have absorbed, not passage of time,“ Tish clarified. “Your gift changed me within seconds, while I might have laid dormant for hundreds if not thousands of years in the form I had when we first met.” I must admit that I was not too sure how to feel about the knowledge that Tish may have laid dormant in that burial chamber for ages. “So your appearance will keep altering the more energy you absorb? And if so, is there an ‘end’ to that process? Could this be your ‘end form'?” I asked. “I don’t know if there is an ‘end form’, but if there is one I have still a long way to go. So I guess you will have to keep measuring me to keep track of all the changes,” Tish replied suggestively. “You sound like you are really looking forward to that,” I remarked. “What can I say? I’ve grown to get quite aroused by the experience. You might even be able to make me climax merely by measuring me,” she confessed with a smile. I raised an eyebrow at that. “Nothing is more arousing to me than you showing genuine interest in me. Besides that you discovered so much about me just by observing me is quite impressive,” Tish answered my unspoken question. “You getting off on being measured. Who would have seen that one coming? Well I’m willing to put your claim to the test later. After all, if I’m going to continue keeping track of your developments I’ll need to do new zero measurements. But before we get to that I still have some more questions I would like to see answered first. For example, does anyone have any idea where we are right now?” She gestured around. “This is right where the mansion used to be.” I looked around but could see nothing but pine trees, bushes, and ferns. There was nothing that indicated anything had disturbed this place. “Right here is where the mansion used to be? As in the whole mansion is gone? Shouldn’t there be at least some kind of clearing where it once stood then? Heck, this doesn’t even look like the same forest we saw around the mansion.” It was a good thing I was already sitting down, for that was some mindboggling information. “Not only the mansion and everything in it has disappeared, but the forest around the mansion, and worse, the road we used to travel to here have disappeared as well,” Tish clarified. “The road is gone, too? Can we even be sure then that it isn’t us who have been displaced? I mean, it has happened to me before…” “The landscape is more or less what we would expect to find in the Deep Woods and the constellations are still familiar, so we’re fairly certain that we are indeed still somewhere deep in the Deep Woods. Aisly did a bit of scouting and found that this is a densely forested plateau surrounded by mountains, gorges, and cliffs. Leaving the plateau is going to be a challenge given how rough the terrain is. That is why we waited for you to wake up before making any attempts to leave; having to carry you would complicate travel substantially,” she explained. “Yeah, I can imagine. I would not be looking forward to hauling myself up or down a mountain either,” I agreed. “I have to say that while I had expected that we had to have to travel off-road, doing so without provisions is going to be a daunting endeavour to say the least.” “Yes, it is not going to be easy, my love. But I have confidence in Aisly’s ability to navigate us out of here,” Tish agreed. “So, do you have any idea what happened that the mansion is gone now?” “Fiora and I have some theories. We think that both the road and the mansion were part of a different world that was temporarily sewn into ours for the sole purpose of leading someone to Anastasia. Hence it collapsed as soon as it had served its purpose. Who or what caused this to happen we do not know, but I strongly suspect the mist dragon has something to do with it,” Tish explained. “The mist dragon?” “Ah, of course, you have not seen it. The strange fog outside the mansion had coalesced into the shape of what looked like a dragon in her ancient form, though with three heads instead of one. It kept slamming into the mansion until there was no wall left standing. Then it wreathed us in a thick fog that obscured the outside world. When the fog finally dissipated and the protective spells wore off, not a single trace was left that the mansion or the road had ever been there. Anastasia and the eggs being the exception,” Tish clarified. She then noted that I had finished my meal and immediately snuggled up to me. “Permission to sit in your lap?” “For you always,” I answered. She wasted no time and immediately climbed on. With a content sigh she leaned back and rested her head on my shoulder. Still being sore I instantly questioned the wisdom of my choice, but thankfully I could lean back against the big tree behind me. I then asked, “Permission to fondle you while you are sitting in my lap?” “For you always, my love,” Tish echoed with a sultry smile. Not really in the mood for taking it slow today I immediately cupped her breasts and began massaging them. A choice she did not disagree with. “So, a mysterious dragon made of mist destroyed the mansion and some sort of pocket dimension collapsed in on itself leaving us in the middle of nowhere? That sure is an unexpected turn of events. Tell me, how did you even save us? The last thing I can remember is that protective bubble around me dissipating on your touch.” “I wrestled the dragon into submission and made her cast another protective spell on us,” Tish claimed boldly. I called bullshit on that. “Is that so?” I mused sceptically. She laughed heartily. “Aw, you don’t believe me, my love? And what if I told you that I copied the spell immediately sealing us both back in, and then held you tight while clenching my butt in hopes that it would be enough?” “Slightly less epic than wrestling that dragon into submission, but much more believable. And to be fair, immediately knowing how to copy the spell is still pretty impressive. Strange, though, that the initial spell was not cast on you too.” She shrugged. “I saw nor sensed anything malicious that implied it was intentional, so it could simply not have accounted for an undead.” “I guess that could make sense. If it acted on body temperature rather than movement or sight you would have been invisible to it,” I theorised. “There sure is a lot to contemplate, but with the mansion and the road gone I’m afraid we might never get all the answers we would like. Which reminds me, you mentioned that both Anastasia and the eggs were left behind with us. So you are certain the crystals are indeed eggs? Where are they by the way?” “That mist coalescing into the shape of a dragon and then all the other clues we have found do strongly suggest they are dragon eggs. But whatever they are, they lay dormant again, so there is little we can learn from them, for now at least. For now we put them in the backpacks until it is time to break up camp. Fiora said that we will be passing a water temple near Westholm where a ryu lives. Maybe she knows what to do with them.” I recalled from Kayley’s lectures that a ryu was like an Asian dragon. Of all the dragon species they were the most easily approachable. “Talking to the ryu sounds like a good plan to me. But, we’ll have to find our way out of this forest first. So, final question for now, but why aren’t you wearing any clothes? I mean, I saw your dress getting shredded, but we did have… Ow shit! Our spare clothes were still drying in the kitchen, weren’t they?” “Yes they were, as well as your coat, sweater, and hat. I’m afraid this is all you’re going to be wearing for a while. And it gets even worse, since Fiora carried our cloaks in her backpack those are gone too. It would be a fair assessment to say that we are critically short on clothes. Especially after Fiora donated her clothes to Anastasia and Aisly scrapped her skirt to craft makeshift boots for Anastasia. So those two are as well dressed as I am.” While I was undoubtedly going to be enjoying the view with all my beautiful companions wearing nothing but their boots, it did pose a serious problem. Autumn was drawing near and while Tish seemed to be immune to the cold, we mere mortals most certainly were not. |
MetallumOperaturAug 29, 2021 6:10 PM
| Okay... that's one of my theories about the crystals confirmed. And I must say, I approve of Tish's new wardrobe. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
tygertyger said: As long as they have the privacy of being in the middle of nowhere and they're not freezing their butts off, I'm pretty sure the girls sure approve their new wardrobe too.And I must say, I approve of Tish's new wardrobe. |
MetallumOperaturAug 30, 2021 5:05 AM
| One chapter split into multiple parts? Where have I heard that before? :P Nice update. I totally predicted some things, I wasn't already told anything, I swear! Looking forward to seeing the coming parts :) |
mugen91 said: Well certainly not here. **cough**One chapter split into multiple parts? Where have I heard that before? :P Maku_The_Blue said: With having to fit five people in a two person tent, the snuggling up close part should be covered.They should be alright during the day if they're up and moving, but they may have to snuggle up for warmth during the night. |
MetallumOperatur said: With having to fit five people in a two person tent, the snuggling up close part should be covered. Yeah, but I doubt that Tish will be much good for providing body heat. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
tygertyger said: Well she can be quite creative. There are ways she can raise other people's body heat.Yeah, but I doubt that Tish will be much good for providing body heat. |
MetallumOperaturSep 2, 2021 1:22 PM
Chapter 26 – And Then There Were Five Part 2 ------------------------- Meeting Anastasia, or Anastasia Amelia Bloodworth as she had introduced herself, was an interesting experience to say the least. After all, it was not every day one got a chance to talk to someone from the past. Though, I guess, from her perspective she was talking to someone from the future. Anastasia had a posh British accent which contrasted starkly with her outrageously salacious attire. She wore Fiora’s outfit, though the leather under-bust corset was missing. It, like Aisly’s skirt, had been scrapped to craft her boots. The blouse, which had already been a tight fit on Fiora, could not fully keep her bountiful bosom contained. When we talked she was blushing, continuously twirled her hair, and avoided direct eye-contact throwing me quick bashful glances instead. I could not tell whether she was self-conscious about her clothing or whether was she flirting. I tried my hardest to resist the magnetic pull her revealing cleavage had on my eyes. It was remarkable how my brain kept going full caveman for the eye-candy that was a set of boobs even though I already had pretty much an all-access pass to three lovely pairs of tits from my mamono companions. There was always a hunger for more. Slowly Anastasia loosened up, though the hair twirling continued. She was an engaging conversation partner. I had once read that the Victorian era had been the age of geology and Anastasia proved herself a child of her time. We quickly bonded over a common interest in fossils, geology, archaeology, and history. Her curiosity for these subjects seemed to have been carefully fostered by her mother. Who, even after her death, had continued to do so by leaving Anastasia a plethora of books and artefacts to study. For all his faults, her father had been supportive of both his wife and Anastasia pursuing hobbies that were not generally regarded as womanly. She seemed to genuinely miss her father as much as she did her mother, or at least the man he once used to be. While her knowledge was antiquated, Anastasia could still tell me quite a few interesting facts. For example she told how her mother had met a woman named Elizabeth Philpot who had been a friend and colleague fossil hunter of the Mary Anning she had mentioned in her diary. While I had heard of Mary Anning—something Anastasia took great delight in—I had never heard of Elizabeth Philpot. Nevertheless, she was no less an interesting character than Mary Anning. She had discovered that the fossilised ink in the ink sacs of some marine fossils could be revivified and then had used that ink to draw pictures of fossils. How friggin awesome was that!? At the same time Anastasia had been eager to pick my brain for information about the developments in those fields of science, though she did ask surprisingly little about what had happened else in the world since her time. While many of her more specific questions I could not answer—after all I had not studied these subjects in detail—I still got to blow her mind several times with some of the new insights humanity had acquired since the 19th century. While we were talking, the others had stoked up the campfire and had prepared dinner. Since the foragers had arrived back late, it was nearly dark when we finished our meal. Aisly then briefly excused herself and returned a minute later with a tiny barrel I had not seen before. “This was supposed to be a surprise to celebrate our arrival in Westholm, but I’d say welcoming Anastasia into our party makes for an even better occasion. It’s a special homebrew whisky from our tribe. It packs a punch but is surprisingly gentle on the head the day after.” “A drink to lift our spirits? No need to say anymore, I’m in!” Our group’s pointy-eared hedonist was quick to voice her participation. “I am down for a drink as well,” Tish concurred. “Can you even get buzzed, Tish?” I asked. “Only if I want to. Being an undead does have its benefits,” she replied playfully with a wink. It was still strange hearing her refer to herself as an undead, for aside from her body temperature she sure did not feel like she was dead. At the same time the implication of her answer might also explain why she could receive a thousand cuts from shattered glass and not bat an eye, yet at the same time cum merely from my light touch while measuring her. And yes, we had indeed confirmed that claim and more a few hours earlier. “After having had to care for my drunken father for so long, I could most certainly use a drink myself. But just plain drinking is a bit ordinary don’t you think? So, how about we play a drinking game instead?” Anastasia proposed. I had not thought about her father having been a drunkard in his later years and it seemed neither had the others. Thankfully Anastasia was neither upset by the proposal nor adverse to drinking alcohol herself. Curious as to what sorts of drinking games she might know, I asked, “What game you had in mind?” “Well Snapdragon and Blind Man’s Bluff are a bit too dangerous for our current situation, but we could play Questions and Commands. My grandnieces and I used to play it after Christmas when we had the house all to ourselves. We had so much fun.” “Consider me interested. Could you please explain the rules of the game to us?” Tish asked. “Naturally," said Anastasia. "One of us is the commander. The commander chooses a recruit and then must ask a question or give a command to that recruit." "The recruit first has to take a sip from his/her drink before answering the question or following the command. The recruit then becomes the new commander, who then chooses a new recruit, and so on. The previous commander may never be chosen as the next recruit, though. Furthermore, no one can be chosen as a recruit more than twice before everyone else has been a recruit at least once in between." "A question or a command may never be asked or given twice, but any recruit may take an additional sip to also make the commander answer their own question. You may never give a command more than twice in a row, nor ask more than three questions in a row. And lastly, there must be at least two and at most four questions between any two commands." "Failure to answer a question, follow a command, follow the rules of the game, or getting caught lying will be punished with having to take a proper gulp and an ash-mark, which is a smear of ash in the face. Typically getting ash-marked also meant one had to pay a small fine, but, well, that would not really fit here… It was the same with my grandnieces, so we used to spank the ash-marked instead, though that would not really fit either. Maybe…” Anastasia explained. “What are you, crazy? The spanking part is what turns this from a good game into a great one! Oh, I’m so down for that!” Fiora interrupted Anastasia excitedly. “I’m game. Sounds like a fun game indeed,” Aisly agreed. My companions’ quick acceptance of using spankings as a punishment visibly surprised Anastasia. “I’ll have to warn you that a game like this is inevitably going to turn lewd once we all get tipsy. Though, in fairness, even without a game as the excuse, things might still get lewd. But, you are very much welcome to join in on the fun. I hope you are prepared for that,” Tish said. Anastasia seemed conflicted as a strange mix of emotions washed over her face. She needed a few seconds to sort out her feelings and looked at my companions one by one. “I guess so?” she eventually said with uncertainty in her voice. “Sorry for being so poked up. You did warn me you mamono were more open about intimacy and it is truly something I can appreciate, but this was a bit more straightforward than I had expected.” Deciding that was good enough for now, Tish smiled and said, “You’ll get used to it. Besides this should be a fun way to better get to know each other.” “I know this game. We call it truth or dare, so I guess aside from changing the name the game stuck around. Though when I played it, it usually involved slightly less spanking,” I remarked. “Before we start, I do have another question about the rules though: what about commands that involve another person besides the recruit?” While still a bit off her game, Anastasia answered, “Ah, ehm, yes a good question. Most commands that involve other participants are allowed and even encouraged. And they too can be punished with an ash-mark should they fail some kind of challenge or contest. However there is one caveat, the commander may only make themselves a target of their own command if it involves everyone.” “Fair enough, so no ‘indulge me’ commands unless it is ‘indulge us all’,” I said. “That is one way to, put it, yes,” Anastasia confirmed. “We only have four cups, so our humans will have to share one,” Aisly pointed out, as she was filling our cups with the whiskey in preparation for the game. My companions sure were putting an effort into making Anastasia and me happen. “Excellent solution Aisly,” Tish said as she sat down across from us. Despite it being Fiora who drew the longest twig and hence was our first commander, the game started off slow with fairly innocent questions and commands. But as we got more and more tipsy the questions and commands slowly turned more personal and daring. Anastasia showed the largest change as with every sip she let herself go more and more. She had even began to join my other companions in cracking the occasional dirty joke or suggestive remark. With no ash-marks having been handed out yet, I threw the first proverbial punch and gave Tish a command that was not nearly as innocent as it seemed. After all, I still had a score to settle with her for rooting for Nadia instead of me during the stripping game back in Highleigh. “Tish I command you to, from now on, first scratch the right side of your nose before you give a command or the left side before you ask a question.” Unless Tish was near godlike at this game, this command was going to be an insidious harvester of ash-marks. “Huh? That is a strange command, but alright I guess…” Tish said surprised before taking a sip. Excellent! It seemed she was not familiar with student drinking games. Who was I to deny her some first-hand experience? “A clever command, now let’s see how long it takes before she forgets it,” Anastasia whispered in my ear with a mix of respect and flirtiness. Tish scratched her nose before asking, “So Anastasia, have you already thought about whether you are going to join Erwin in his quest to look for a way back to your world?” Anastasia took her sip and then replied, “And return to what? There is not much left for me there, except my grandnieces. From what you told me about this world this place does not seem bad at all. Also it is nice to finally have some friends and not have to worry any longer about the absolute mess my life had turned into. So, no, I’m not in a rush to go back, in fact, I might even chose to stay here even if he finds a way back.” I could not imagine how lonely Anastasia must have been in those last few years. If I had been in her position I would have made up my mind to not even bother trying to find a way back a long time ago. “Alright, my turn to ask a question. Fiora, what can you tell us about someone you have always admired?” Anastasia asked. Fiora’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, I like that question, and would like to hear your answer as well.” She took a sip and immediately another one. Anastasia smiled. “Then tell you I shall. You still have to go first, though.” “Fair enough. I have nothing less than the greatest respect for our tribe’s leader Jillian Stargazer. How she selflessly put aside her own desires and freedom to step up as our leader and our mother after disaster had struck our tribes is nothing short of monumental, especially considering she was only thirty-three at the time herself. Her tenacity is what glued the remnants of our tribes together. I can’t even imagine how we would have ended up were it not for her tireless efforts. The way she remains patient with us as we screw up time and time again is amazing. I know I speak not just for myself but also for all my tribe-sisters when I say that Jillian is our hero.” Fiora’s answer was touching, but Fiora would not be Fiora if she had not added, “Besides she’s really pretty and tastes great.” For once I was not the densest member of our group as Aisly asked, “Tastes great?” Fiora had clearly been hoping for that question, for she immediately got a big lascivious grin on her face. “Oh, yes she does!” She then formed a V with her index and middle finger and stuck out her tongue between them. The look on Aisly’s face when she realised what Fiora meant was priceless. It took a while for the rest of us to calm down from our burst of laughter. Finally Fiora said, “I told you about the person I admire most, now tell us about yours, Anastasia.” “Aside from my mother who taught me so much, I’d say Mary Wollstonecraft.” That name rang a bell, but I could not put my finger on where I had heard it before. “She was an author and I have read much of her work. She was among the first to advocate for the women in our country to be given the same education as men. It was her work that served as an inspiration for my parents in how they have raised me. Sadly many have condemned her for her unorthodox lifestyle, but I admire her for it.” “Unorthodox lifestyle?” Fiora asked, her interest piqued. “I don’t think someone from this world would understand, but among other things she proposed to marry the man she loved even though he was already married. She said she was open to becoming his second wife. Once people learned about that they were aghast and her reputation lay in tatters. Oh, how I loathe our hypocrite society. Countless people have affairs every day, yet they rarely bat an eye at that. But then someone is being honest for a change and suddenly it is a huge scandal,” Anastasia sniffed. “I sure like that Mary Wollstonecraft already,” Fiora said. “Mary Wollstonecraft. I have heard that name before, but can’t remember in what context,” I said as I was wrecking my brain trying to remember. “Her daughter, Mary Shelley, grew up to become more famous than her, so maybe you heard of her through her daughter?” Anastasia tried. “Mary Shelley? Yeah, I have heard of her. She was the author of the Frankenstein novel, right?” “Exactly. A good writer but had less political zeal than her mother,” Anastasia confirmed. “A most intriguing answer. I like learning about your wondrous world,” Fiora said excitedly. “But, we’re also playing a game here, and I’d say it is about time we raise the stakes. So Aisly… Tell us, what is your favourite and least favourite sex position with Erwin and why?” It was amusing to see how she immediately began blushing fiercely. “Eehm… My favourite position… well… eehm… that would be…” Aisly stammered. “Erwin pinning me to the ground as he takes me… My least favourite position… eehm… would be… eehm… Amazoness style…” She winched as she almost whispered that last part. “Whaat?” a baffled Tish and I said in unison. Fiora, on the other hand, triumphantly cried out, “Called it!” She then realised she had interrupted Aisly, “Oh… Eeh… Sorry about that. Please do elaborate.” I did not envy Aisly for having to be the first to share such intimate details. To her credit, and despite her bashfulness, she took her lot in stride. Also with the climactic reveal out of the way, she regained some of her composure and continued, “I don’t think I could ever enjoy riding Erwin Amazoness style anymore. It reminds me too much of my biggest mistake. Him being on top though, brings back memories of the night he gave me a second chance.” I recalled our first time shortly after I had asked her to join our group. Our tumble at the forest’s edge had smoothly transitioned into a different kind of tumbling. It was really interesting to hear that her enjoyment of sex was directly related to the memories she had associated with the position. And, well, it could not hurt knowing what to do next time when laying her either. Aisly then looked at Anastasia, “Can I still take another sip to make Fiora answer this question too?” “As long as you haven’t asked your question or given your command to the next private yet, you indeed still can,” Anastasia confirmed. “Ey, shouldn’t that count as her already having asked her next question?” Fiora argued. “Questions about the rules of the game by first time players do not count,” Anastasia firmly dismissed Fiora’s argument. “Well then, you heard it. Spill it Fiora,” Aisly said as she took another sip of whiskey. “Oh well, it was worth a try... I don’t really have a favourite position nor a least favourite position. So far, I liked every position Erwin and I have tried. But…” She then turned her gaze to me and directly looked me in the eyes before continuing. “I would really like for him to tie me up before doing me rough like he did Aranessa.” Had I already mentioned that the concept of embarrassment was utterly alien to Fiora? “Are you sure?” was my first reaction as I remembered how badly Aranessa and I had messed each other up. “Oh, I very much am. I am an elf after all,” she replied confidently. She stated it as if all elves were into rough sex while being tied up. Which, now that I thought of it, matched my experiences with them quite well so far. Serra had rape fantasies, and Myrra, while being much more subtle about it, sure had let “daddy” know that he could do her however he pleased and how rough he pleased. Then there was Aranessa who liked it downright violent. Which reminded me, “Wait a minute. How the fuck do you know about me and Aran…?” “Ah-ah-ah! You will have to wait for your own turn to be asking me that,” Fiora interrupted me with a teasing smirk effectively shutting me down. But I would soon get my chance, for Aisly chose me as the next private. “Ehm… You don’t have to answer this question if you don’t want to… but Erwin, what are you going to do if… eehm…” Oddly enough she was nervous again, uncomfortable even. Much more so than when she had to share how she liked to get laid. Her eyes darted between Fiora and Tish. Is she looking for support? “… it turns out that… eehm… there is no way back to your world?” Aha, she is afraid the question would strike a nerve. While her question indeed touched upon a sore subject for me, I wasn’t really upset. Especially since a part of me did not want to go back at all anymore. Obviously I had given this question a fair bit of thought already. So, after the obligatory sip of whiskey I answered, “While I would be really devastated that I can’t go back to see my parents again, I would also be elated that I could stay here with you. If you would still want me around that is.” “Have you lost your mind? Why would we not want you around anymore?” Fiora said almost offended. “I have nothing but the greatest respect for your dedication to your parents. Even if that means we are merely your ‘backup plan’. Loyalty to one’s family or tribe is hands down the sexiest trait anyone can have.” “I could not have said it better myself,” Tish concurred as Aisly and even Anastasia voiced their agreement too. It was nice to hear such comforting words from my companions. “Thank you for understanding. That means a lot to me,” I said. Then I continued, “Talking about trust, Fiora let’s get back to how you know about Aranessa and me.” “Oh my, that’s a doozie! You asked the fifth question in a row Erwin,” Fiora was quick to point out with no small amount of glee and schadenfreude. “Ah, fack! You girls are still too sober. Paying attention and all,” I cursed. “Alright, I fucked up, so let’s hear it what is this ash-mark going to do?” “First you get an actual ash-mark,” Anastasia explained as she carefully scraped a handful of ash out of the campfire and put some of it on her fingers. She then drew a smear right across my face while the both of us could barely contain out laughter. “That’s so we all remember how often you have failed to comply.” My companions now began to chuckle too. “Looking sexy Erwin,” Tish teased. “Now we get to the best part where we all get to spank you once. Take care though, for whith each additional ash mark everyone also gets to spank you an additional time. It tends to get out of hand quickly,” Anastasia warned cheerfully. “Ooh, ooh, ooh! May I spank him first?” Fiora volunteered while almost jumping up and down from excitement. To no surprise, my companions did not let the opportunity slip to also do some ass groping while spanking me. Once they all had their fun, I sat back down and asked, “So what about that question I asked Fiora, does it still count or will my turn be skipped?” “No, no, it still counts. So Fiora let’s hear it, how did you know about… What was her name again? Araneesa?” Anastasia answered. Fiora immediately put up her most innocent face, “Aranessa. So, I might have accidentally overheard a conversation between her and our leader Jillian. Let’s just say that Aranessa has a keen eye for detail and that reflects in her reports. I guarantee you that by the time she was done talking not just my panties were wet.” “Accidentally?” I asked sceptically trying my best to ignore her last sentence while at the same time filing it in the crazy elven stuff cabinet in my mind. “Maybe, I gave chance a helping hand,” Fiora said with a devious smile. “Talking about giving chance a helping hand. If I recall, you have asked three questions in a row, Tish.” “Ah, fuck me…” Tish lamented. She had indeed asked three questions and was doomed to get her first ash-mark if Fiora were to give her a command. “So Tish, I command you to get up and kiss the one you think needs it the most. And do put a little effort into it.” “Whoo-hoo, Fioria coming in hot, making sure Tish does not escape the hands of justice!” I cheered. Tish glared at me, and I shrugged back at her with a smirk. All she said was, “You get to go last.” Having to abide to the rules of the game she presented us her bare ass for a well-deserved spanking. As one by one my companions gave it a loud smack, Tish let out some “aah’s and arff’s” that came straight out a porn movie. Is she is into this kind of stuff? When it was my turn, Tish stopped me and turned around. Instead of presenting me her ass, she spread her legs and presented me her pussy instead. “You will spank me somewhere else big boy!” She tried to say it sternly, but the lusty look in her eyes betrayed her desire. Apparently Tish was kinkier than I thought. “Oh my! I sure like the direction this is going,” Fiora commented excitedly. “Don’t expect me to hold back because of it,” I warned Tish. “Oh, but I don’t want you to,” Tish teased. “You asked for it.” And I gave her a firm spank full on the lips. She threw back her head and squeaked an extra loud “aah”. Instead of leaving it at that, I slid my middle finger between her folds and only very slowly withdrew my hand making sure to drag the full length of my middle finger over her bud. This not only earned me more appreciative moans from Tish, the aroused looks my companions gave me told me I would not be spanking many asses tonight. Even Anastasia bit her lip enticingly as she seemed to contemplate whether or not to follow Tish’s example once it was her turn to get spanked. Afterwards it was time for Tish to follow her given command. “I must say that it is a surprisingly nice command you gave me Fiora. I like it.” She scanned around our little group and then got up. “As much as I think Anastasia could use a kiss too, I think there is someone else who needs it even more, even if she does not show it on the outside.” She then walked over to Aisly who seemed indeed surprised by Tish’s choice. “Aisly, you went through a lot recently, much of it by my clumsy hands. Know that we all have welcomed you in our group and that we are all equals here. That includes you! I am honoured to share Erwin with you for as long as we can enjoy his presence.” “I… Are…” Aisly stammered. But she did not get to say anything more for Tish had swiftly straddled her and silenced her with a passionate kiss. Simultaneously she grabbed herself a fistful of amazoness-boob. To say that the yuri action was turning me on was an understatement. By the looks of it I wasn’t the only one aroused by the high quality eye-candy. With Fiora’s command completed, it was time for Tish to assume the role of commander. “Can I now choose whether to give a command or ask a question, or must I ask a question because Fiora gave me a command?” she asked. “Since you just received an ash-mark, you may now choose whether to give a command or ask a question,” Anastasia answered. “In that case…” Tish said slowly as a smirk appeared on her face. “I’m not the only one who had asked three questions in a row. So, Anastasia…” “Ah! Bah humbug,” Anastasia cursed, as she knew she was just as screwed as Tish had been. “…it is about time you get an ash-mark too. I command you to, from now on, moan loudly whenever you get spanked.” Looks like Tish was learning from my earlier command, talking about which… “Just hold on a minute there Anastasia. There is something else we have to do first,” I interrupted. As the girls looked at me questioningly, I looked at Tish with a triumphant grin on my face and then scratched my nose. She facepalmed. “Oh, fuck.” And so, before Anastasia had to collect her ash-mark, we first got to give Tish her second one and it came with a double dose of spankings. Anastasia began by saying, “Thank you.” Oddly enough I was quite certain that she was being genuine. I wondered why she would thank Tish for giving her an ash-mark. My companions, on the other hand, all seemed to understand and simply nodded. Anastasia took a much bigger gulp of whiskey than required and said. “Looks like I am up the flue, so I have no other choice but to…” She then bent over and stuck out her thick ass. The hesitation she had shown earlier had all but vanished. Sadly Anastasia’s memory was longer than the skirt she was wearing, so she did not immediately fail to adhere to Tish’s command. Four loud moans later it was Anastasia’s turn. “Alright Aisly, tell me what is something you want, but have not yet dared ask for or been able to work towards making it happen?” she asked as she straightened up her skirt before sitting back down. “That is a good question,” Tish remarked. Aisly took her obligatory sip, and then immediately another one so that Anastasia had to answer her own question too. “You are not going to let me keep any secrets at all, are you?” While it had been Anastasia who had asked the question, Aisly did not address anyone in particular with her remark. Nevertheless, Fiora was kind enough to answer. “That’s the plan, yes.” “Fine! I really want to experience how it is to breastfeed Erwin like Kayley did. But I was too embarrassed to ask her for the holstaur essence,” Aisly answered with regret in her voice. “What is holstaur essence?” Anastasia beat me to the question. “Holstaurs are a type of mamono with cow traits. They are famous for their large bosoms and the copious amounts of high quality milk they produce. Their milk can make a woman’s bosom grow and even make them lactate. Holstaur essence is a small dose of such milk heavily laced with their demonic energy. It can cause a mamono to almost instantly start producing copious amounts of nutrient-rich milk for weeks. It is a very popular commodity. Amazonesses, for example, use it before going on long hunting trips when they bring their humans with them. It ensures the humans remain well fed, strong, and fit regardless of how successful the hunt is. I presume that is what Aisly was thinking of,” Fiora explained. “I see…” I murmured as some puzzle pieces fell in their place. At least I now knew what Kayley had done to be lactating like that. Aisly blushed at Fiora’s succinct explanation and shyly admitted, “Yes.” “How does that work though? Don’t they weaken themselves even further if the hunt is unsuccessful?” Anastasia asked intrigued. “Some mamono species, like Tish over here, can subsist solely off spirit or demonic energy. Most other species will be able endure much more than what would normally be possible if they are able to feed on spirit energy.” Anastasia shivered. “I still can’t shake the unease that comes with you talking about spirit energy and demonic energy and how you can consume it.” “I can imagine. It does not help that the names are poorly chosen from our perspective,” I agreed. “It is also know as mamono mana, though that is a less specific term, would that sound less ‘poorly chosen’ to you?” Fiora tried. “While generic, that sounds a lot better indeed. Anastasia, do note that it was the Abrahamic religions that gave the word demon such a nasty taste. In ancient Greek the word daimon referred to a supernatural force or being that was more often than not benevolent. Though to be fair, that did not mean they were never malevolent either.” “They were? Oh, the ancient Greeks were so fascinating. How I wish I had been able to travel and see Greece for myself. You know, follow in Lord Byron’s footsteps,” Anastasia swooned. Yet another name I recognised, though if I was not mistaken he was from before Anastasia’s time too. Though it was good to see that he could still make the ladies’ panties drop fifty-odd years after his death, or was it technically speaking nearly two-hundred-odd years already? “If what I have seen so far is any indication, you have just embarked on a journey Lord Byron could not even have dreamed of. You are very much in a position to make a journey that is at least as memorable as his, but you will have to blaze your own trail instead of following someone else’s,” I remarked. Apparently my remark had hit home, for Anastasia fell silent for a moment. “You know, after my mother’s death, the years in Whitwick have been awfully dreary,” she finally said with melancholy in her voice. She briefly fell silent for a second time. Then the expression on her face changed. She snuggled up close to me, put her hand on my chest, and looked up. “You are right, it’s about time I start following my own damn journey. But there is one infamous aspect of his travels I would not mind recreating here tonight.” Her tone turning sultry and suggestive. I noticed that her skin was flushed, her nipples were erect and poked through the thin fabric of the blouse, and she was biting her lip in an enticing manner as she waited for my reply. Could it be that Lord Byron posthumously was going to be my wingman? It suddenly sure looked like it. “Consider me interested,” I said with a wink. “Aisly, you wanted me to answer my own question too. Well, what I want is for us to unleash a storm of heaves until the agony of bliss takes us away!” There was a certain art in how she said lewd things in creative ways. “I don’t know who this Lord Byron is. But tonight I raise my cup to him!” Fiora proclaimed enthusiastically. “I hear you Fiora, I hear you! And Anastasia, I’m sure your wish will get fulfilled before the night is over,” Tish said, as she rose her cup too. Aisly joined my other companions for a toast and afterwards said, “I believe it is my turn as the commander. Fiora, you have quite the reputation. Tell us, aside from Erwin, who were some of your most memorable lays?” “Oh, you are sooo going to answer that too!” Fiora exclaimed as she immediately took two sips of her drink. While it was still subtle, Fiora’s movements were less coordinated than what they usually were; the alcohol began to slowly manifest itself in more ways than just loosened inhibitions. “Oh boy, this is going to be quite the list. I hope you are ready Aisly. First of all, there was my best friend Fiona and I taking each other’s mamono-virginity when we were thirteen.” “Your best friend is named Fiona? That sure is not going to be confusing at all,” I remarked. “Yeah, it is a common problem we run into. Apparently our mothers both wanted to name their daughter Fiona, so they drunkenly decided to hold a target shooting competition to see who got to keep the name. My mom had many qualities, but being able to shoot a bow while drunk was not one of them. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, next we have the foursome with a set of petite dryads twins and their husband—I’m sorry Erwin, but you are not my first—where I lost my human-virginity. Which was about fifteen years ago.” I am ashamed to admit that learning I was not Fiora’s first man stung. Which was quite the selfish thought especially given how open those girls were to sharing me. Though to be honest, deep down I had already known that I was not her first man. Meanwhile Fiora continued, “Then there was me handily beating Jillian at kitsune-harpy-arachne and winning her as my toy-girl for a whole night three years ago. Now that I think of it, that was while we were visiting Highleigh. I’m pretty sure she extended our stay by a day just to buy herself some time to recover.” Judging by Fiora’s lewd facial expressions, Jillian had been through one hell of a night. “And let’s not forget the time I took your mamono-virginity either, Aisly,” Fiora listed with a smirk while Aisly blushed. Why was I not surprised that Fiora had been Aisly’s first sexual experience. I got the feeling Fiora had collected quite a few V-cards already and was not of mind to stop any time soon. I found it quite intriguing that here in Arcadia they considered there to be two different kinds of virginities. “And finally there was the afternoon with governor Irene...” “Whoah, ho, ho! Stop right there! Governor Irene? You slept with governor Irene?!” Aisly almost shouted in disbelief. Fiora smiled triumphantly. “Yes, I did.” “You are kidding right? There is no way you actually…” “Oh, I am not kidding. In fact, I am quite proud of that lay,” a beaming Fiora assured. “But how?” was all Aisly could ask. “Oh, Irene is not some aloof noble that does not have time for us commoners. She is actually quite kind and approachable. A couple years ago I ran into her in the university’s gardens. We got caught up into a conversation and before I knew it I found myself in her private quarters running my fingers down her spine and watching her feminine flower open up to me like a book. After that is was a simple matter of lapping up the sweet nectar flowing from her blossoming core, to make her give herself to me completely for that night,” Fiora passionately explained with explicit gestures. “Impressive,” Aisly muttered. “That was my list, now you share yours,” Fiora said with no small amount of anticipation. “I’m afraid, my list is much less exciting,” Aisly almost apologised. “Of course, there was my first time with you. And I also have quite the fond memories of the nights with Esme, or the kitsune-harpy-arachne game nights back home. But that is also where my experience stops.” “Oh, don’t worry you’ll be getting plenty of experience alright,” Fiora flirted. “Which brings me to… Hold on a second I need to quickly find something.” Two minutes later Fiora returned carrying a small metal container. “Jillian gave me this just in case of trouble.” She opened the container revealing a crude brass syringe. She handed it to Aisly, and said, “There you go: holstaur essence. I would say that our current situation would count as us having run into trouble. And since you just confessed to wanting the experience, I command you to use it, Aisly.” “I’m going out on a limb here and say that you broke the rules on purpose, Fiora. Now I respect the choice, but it does mean you not only get an ash mark for breaking the rules, but also one for doing it on purpose,” Anastasia interjected. Fiora smiled mischievously. “Still paying attention it seems, well done. Fair enough, I’ll take my punishment. I’ve been waiting long enough for Erwin to finally spank me.” A little while later Fiora sat back down with two streaks of ash in her face and a substantially redder pussy and ass. Meanwhile Aisly was staring at the syringe. “How does this work?” “It needs to be injected, but if it is your first time maybe it is better I do the injecting for you,” Fiora said. “Inject?” Aisly asked. “Yes, holstaur essence needs to be injected directly into the breasts for the best and quickest results,” Fiora explained. “Will it hurt?” Aisly asked wearily. I could understand her reservations, this wasn’t a modern syringe but a crude brass one with a nasty thick needle shaft. “A lot. If you like I could ask Anastasia and Erwin to put kisses on the punctures to make the pain go away sooner,” Fiora offered. It did not sound like she was being sarcastic. “That would be nice,” Aisly whispered intimidated. “Well you heard her, you two get over here,” Fiora commanded. Neither Anastasia nor I disobeyed. “Erwin, firmly hold her breast and make sure to keep it still while I inject the holstaur essence. Once I’m done, be a darling and give it a kiss,” Fiora instructed with a wink. She remained a tease even when handing out orders. I nodded and did as I was told. Jabbing in the syringe proved to be easier said than done, and it took Fiora a few tries before she finally managed to get it fully in. Aisly’s high-pitched groans told me that it was as painful as it looked. But, just as with the good things, all bad things come to an end too. That was until Fiora said a tad too cheerfully, “You are doing great Aisly, already halfway there! Anastasia, you hold her other breast.” “You should feel a warm, if not hot, glow spread through your bosom. Don’t be alarmed, for it means they are being put to work. The discomfort should subside in about an hour or so, after which the fun part finally begins.” Fiora sounded as if she spoke from experience. “And now that we’re on the topic of fun, Aisly, you asked three questions in a row,” Fiora pointed out with a wide grin. It appeared she was not going easy on Aisly. After the ash-mark ceremony for the last unmarked member of our group, it was Aisly’s turn as the commander again. “Tish, with how many women are you willing to share Erwin?“ Obviously I was just as, if not more so, interested in Tish’s answer as Aisly. Even though Aisly had been to one to ask the question, Tish addressed me with her answer. “You can bed as many women as you like, especially if you were to let me watch you lay them from time to time.” The more you know. “Proper wives on the other hand?” Tish paused a moment as she thought about it. “You mentioned that your favourite number is thirteen. So how does thirteen mamono wives and one or two human ones sound?” My mouth fell open. “Fourteen or fifteen wives in total! You are joking right? How the heck do I even keep that many women happy?” “I’m not joking. A man taking on a dozen wives is nothing out of the ordinary. As for keeping them happy, so far you have been doing a pretty good job keeping the three of us satisfied and happy, so I’m confident you’ll manage,” Tish replied with a gentle smile. “Keep in mind that relationships where a man has a single wife are rare in this world. So the expectations of what constitutes a marriage are different here. Besides it’ll be likely that you won’t be the only one with multiple partners in the relationship. Odds are that some of your future wives will already be married to other mamono when you meet them.” “But still… Fifteen, that is like a full harem…” I stammered flabbergasted. “I wouldn’t really call it a harem when they are your wives,” Tish replied. “Also we’re in no rush, so how about you practice with four wives first, and we’ll see what happens from there.” “I guess so…” I was a bit too overwhelmed to notice that Anastasia did not correct Tish on her maths. What she did correct Tish on, however, was her forgetting to scratch her nose before attempting to give a command right after. Seeing how this was Tish’s third ash-mark everyone now got to spank her three times. “Okay, attempt number two. But, before we start…” Tish then theatrically scratched the left side of her nose. Anastasia burst out in a fit of laughter and the others soon followed when she barely managed to say, “The left side was for questions, you needed to scratch the right side when giving a command!” It appeared that despite her showing already some clear signs of intoxication, Anastasia’s memory was still on point. “Oh, come on!” Tish cried out in frustration. Provoking even more hysterical laughter. But cry as she might, the fourth ash-mark and the spankings that came with it were inevitable. She then made a third attempt at giving out an order. This time she carefully scratched the correct side of her nose while suspiciously eying me. When I raised no objections, she said, “I had intended to wait a little longer before giving this command, but it seems I’ll have to increase the pace of the game lest I’ll be having a raw ass all the way to Westholm. Anastasia, since you so graciously paid attention and got me two ash-marks, I command you to take off your blouse and skirt and show us those nice full tits, ass, and pussy of yours.” After Anastasia had stripped out of her clothes the game escalated quickly. It did not take long before the barrel of whiskey was emptied and Anastasia and I were ordered to empty a vial of Alraune nectar. Which, despite having lost half our stuff, we still had in plenty supply. I quickly learned that its effects were no less potent on women when the evening cumulated in Tish giving one final command for Anastasia to ride me amazoness-style. A command she followed with a lustful zeal undoubtedly fanned by the alcohol and the nectar. ------------------------- It was still dark outside when I woke up. The faint glow of our smouldering campfire outside was the only source of light. I was lying on top of Aisly who had her tail coiled around my waist and her arms wrapped around my back, which conveniently gave her bosom the push up it needed to serve as a pair of heavenly soft pillows for me to bury my face in. This cuddling position was not unfamiliar to me as the tent was too small for the four of us to be lying shoulder to shoulder. Now that we were with five, Anastasia had to sleep in a similar fashion on top of Tish while Fiora would squeeze in sideways between us. While the two redheads were still asleep, Tish and Anastasia were not inside the tent. I heard them talk quietly outside, though not quiet enough for me not to be able to follow what was being said. While it felt like I was eavesdropping on them, it was not like I had much choice here. “You look distressed,” Tish whispered. “I’m so sorry for seducing and fornicating with your husband like I was some sort of harlot,” Anastasia apologised profusely. “What are you talking about? You don’t need to apologise for that. You’d think that if I had any issue with it I would have said something last night. Besides, I was the one who gave you the command to ride him,” Tish calmly answered. “But, still, I let lust get the better of me,” Anastasia tried. “Aside from misguided feelings of regret over laying someone else’s husband, did you do anything you truly regret last night?” Tish asked. “Well, no; it felt really good, but…” Anastasia began. “If you did nothing you regret, then did lust really get the better of you? I don’t think so. Now tell me, what exactly is the problem then?” Tish cut her off. “I don’t know why I did it. I mean, of course there is something like love at first sight and there was the game too, but does that really make you this wanton? I barely recognise myself. I look different, my bubbies were never this big. I’m just so confused,” Anastasia sounded indeed quite lost and she began to sob. I felt for her. She had been through a lot, and it seemed that she did not fully know why she had done what she did. “Shhh, shhh, shhh. It is ok to let your emotions out. Shed your tears,” Tish said motherly. She waited a moment before saying, “Do you remember what we told you about demonic energy?” Anastasia must have nodded for Tish continued, “You see if a human woman like you absorbs demonic energy she slowly becomes more like us mamono both in body and in mind. That might explain your increased desires and the changes to your body. Eventually it might even turn you into a mamono.” “You think I absorbed demonic energy? But how?” Anastasia questioned between sobs. “Probably the eggs rubbed it off on you,” Tish suggested. “How long will this last?” Anastasia sniffed. “These changes are most likely permanent. This is the new you, both the good and the bad.” Whatever Tish was doing seemed to be quite effective at calming down Anastasia, for the sobbing slowly ebbed away. “So my bubbies?” “They will not be getting smaller nor lighter. In fact, they might even swell a bit more. Talk to Aisly. She knows some exercises to strengthen your back muscles and also how to relax them. That should help prevent or alleviate back pains,” Tish answered. “And the lactating?” “That I do not know. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Does it bother you?” “Not really. In fact, I found the suckling last night quite arousing, especially Erwin. Oh god, what am I saying?! I sure do hope he does not think of me as a wagtail.” “A wagtail?” “Eehm, a promiscuous woman,” Anastasia explained. “Wagtail, I quite like that word,” Tish said. I agreed, it was a nice word indeed. “Anastasia, I have good and bad news for you. The bad news is that he will most likely think of you as a wagtail, simply because you now are one. The good news, however, is that you are now a part of our team of wagtails—which includes him. There is nothing wrong with being a wagtail. So, don’t suppress your feelings and be honest about your yearnings like you did last evening. That is the best way to stay sane. Besides I need you to keep seducing Erwin, for watching him bang other women turns me on just as much as getting laid myself,” Tish chuckled. Then it was silent for a moment before Tish cautiously added, “You know… I noticed something in your eyes last night... Next time… Eehm… Should you ever feel the urge to taunt either Fiora or me while fucking him… don’t hold back. Just don’t do it to Aisly.” Damn Tish! You kinky! “Are you into…?” Anastasia asked. “I neither deny nor confirm,” Tish answered way too quickly. Her expression must have told Anastasia enough, for she answered, “You know what? I just might.” ------------------------- Leaving the plateau proved to be easier said than done. The edges were formed by steep cliffs that went straight down dozens, if not more than a hundred, metres. The views we were served while trailing the edge in search for a traversable way down were breath-taking, though. In the distance, rocky, jagged mountains with snow covered peaks stretched as far as the eye could see, while the broad valleys between were covered in dense forests. It reminded me a bit of the photos I had seen of the vast woods in Canada and Alaska. While I appreciated the raw natural beauty of the landscape, I also felt an oppressive sense of dread, for we had to traverse this land without roads to guide us and with awfully few supplies. Aisly having taken the holstaur essence quickly proved invaluable. It allowed us to dedicate much more time to actual travel rather than to foraging. Every break Anastasia and I latched on to her bosom like hungry babes and every time the fatty milk flowed generously. Meanwhile Anastasia in turn offered her milk to the two red-heads completing a cycle of “infinite” milk production. I found this defiance in the face of logic and nature infuriating, but at the same time I was forced to admit that it was also damn practical. After only one day of walking Anastasia already ditched the blouse, saying she preferred to continue topless instead. Whether her decision was motivated by the blouse being as “uncomfortably restricting” as she claimed it to be, or whether it was to keep up with the other girls, I did not know. Presumably it was a bit of both. But, whatever it was, it did not change the fact that I was not at all complaining about the view. The second day we found a crag that allowed us to leave the plateau and descend into the valley down below. Rather than continue onwards along the bottom edge of the plateau, Aisly instead guided us further into the valley. Which meant the dense forest quickly obscured any and all landmarks we might have used for orientation. When I asked her about it, she explained that the shortest path, quickest path, and the easiest traversable path were often not one and the same route. Simply going due South-West would come at a high risk of running into difficult terrain, like having to cross over one of those mountains. Therefore she lead us towards the lowest point of the valley instead. Her plan was as brilliant as it was simple: find a river and then follow it downstream wherever it would take us. The logic being that eventually all rivers would lead to either civilisation or the sea as the deep woods were entirely landlocked. A solid strategy if you asked me. After two days of slow travel through the dense forest, Aisly’s decision paid off when we reached a fast flowing river that was perhaps five odd meters wide. While it was too wild to cross, finding it was still a huge deal. It solved many of the more immediate difficulties and problems we faced. For example, it provided us with an unlimited supply of frigid but clear water to drink and to wash ourselves with. Furthermore, even inexperienced survivalists like Anastasia or I would be able to easily navigate as all we needed to do was keep following the river downstream. Obviously this find was a huge boost to our morale, and when Aisly returned to camp with two large trout that evening we were all in high spirits. After all, full bellies usually equated to content people. Aside from the fish being delicious, it also proved that the river could provide us with food as well. As if to compensate for the fact that we had found the river, the next day we were confined to the tiny, but cosy, space of our tent, for a near perpetual torrential rainfall made any attempts at travelling further futile. At Anastasia’s suggestion we kept ourselves entertained by telling each other horror stories and playing simple games. Whereas the latter half of the day we spent putting a serious dent in our alraune nectar stock. Her choosing to go topless had already been a clear sign Anastasia felt comfortable in our group. But that afternoon she also showed that she was not going to sit idle while my lustful other companions were making moves on me. In fact, she turned out to be surprisingly assertive, dominant even. Preferring to take the reins during sex and revelling in the lustful gazes of my companions. Tish got more than she had bargained for when Anastasia began taunting both her and Fiora. She made sure to remind them that it was her V that was getting the D while theirs had to make do with “just” their fingers. Then again, the taunts provoked more feverous bean flicking rather than protests, so it seemed they were indeed into it. Kinky! The following days we faced many challenges like dense fog, nipples-ready-to-cut-through-glass temperatures, and more rain. But at least between Aisly’s milk, the fish provided by the river, and an abundant supply of ripe berries, at no point did we have to worry about food or water. As the days passed by and we kept making steady progress, the land around us slowly flattened, causing the river to widen up and calm down. Then finally, after almost two weeks, we found a first sign of civilization, when in the distance a large and heavily overgrown tower came into view. Even though its state suggested it had fallen out of use, obviously it still was where we would be heading next. |
MetallumOperaturNov 26, 2021 2:13 PM
| Well, that certainly was one big chungus of a chapter. Anastasia really seems to be adapting quite well. And playing drinking games is usually a good choice for getting to know each other and lowering inhibitions. I have a slight suspicion that Tish may share a fetish with a certain Kunoichi. I can also only wonder what those horror stories were about. Erectile disfunction? Low libido? Elves turning prude? I shudder at the thought! It's been a long journey through the deep woods, looking forward to seeing what comes next :) |
| Well, now. It seems that Anastasia is smokin' hot, whip smart, and sexually voracious. Totally my kind of woman. Erwin is a lucky man indeed. I had never heard of Elizabeth Philpot! I looked her up after reading this, of course. I enjoyed the references to Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley, and Lord Byron as well. I love details like that. "Wagtail" is now my favorite bit of Victorian slang. In the Black community the equivalent term is "hot-tail" -- at least it was from the 1970s up through the 1990s -- so I understood it immediately. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| So I noticed that I messed up one bit of text where I planned to make an edit, but clearly forgot to do so resulting in an incomprehensible mess. For those who already read the chapter: My mouth fell open. “Fourteen or fifteen wives in total! You are joking right? How the heck do I even keep that many women happy?” “I’m not joking. A man taking on a dozen wives is nothing out of the ordinary. As for keeping them happy, so far you have been doing a pretty good job keeping the three of us satisfied and happy, so I’m confident you’ll manage,” Tish replied with a gentle smile. “Keep in mind that relationships where a man has a single wife are rare in this world. So the expectations of what constitutes a marriage are different here. Besides it’ll be likely that you won’t be the only one with multiple partners in the relationship. Odds are that some of your future wives will already be married to other mamono when you meet them.” |
mugen91 said: Stories about erectile dysfunction or low libido would indeed be scary as fuck. :-P I can also only wonder what those horror stories were about. Erectile disfunction? Low libido? Elves turning prude? I shudder at the thought! mugen91 said: I know this will be a bit of a spoiler, but it probably involves that tower :-PIt's been a long journey through the deep woods, looking forward to seeing what comes next :) tygertyger said: Yeah, my headstrong idea of making Anastasia a Victorian sure has led to some adventurous exploration into Victorian traditions, games, slang, and what was and wasn't scientifically known at her times. While I sure enjoy doing it, it does not help improve the writing paceI had never heard of Elizabeth Philpot! I looked her up after reading this, of course. I enjoyed the references to Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley, and Lord Byron as well. I love details like that. "Wagtail" is now my favorite bit of Victorian slang. In the Black community the equivalent term is "hot-tail" -- at least it was from the 1970s up through the 1990s -- so I understood it immediately. |
venomwolf said: Either way a great read, I enjoy the writing between them all- my only gripe may be that everyone seems to have the same way of speaking. If noticed it in the past, and here there's still the reason of most of the people being "sopheisticated" aisly, seems very well spoken for being a village girl from the deep woods where they're not close to the main mamono body. Typically the language tends to degrade there and become far less formal. To me, though, it seems like she's speaking formally, but it may just be the others rubbing off on me when I read. Either way, great introduction to the series. That is a fair point. While she is not supposed to have a heavy accent like Aedelind, the way she talks should indeed be slightly different from the others. This might also be a limitation of me as the writer not really knowing how to write such speech well. |
| Giving each character a unique voice is one of the more difficult aspects of writing. Good news: when this is the kind of mistake that stands out it means that you have gone beyond rookie mistakes. You are now making journeyman mistakes. And this particular mistake is a really difficult one to shake -- I still catch myself doing it, and I'm a published author and poet. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
StayVector said: He will need it indeed ;-)Good luck, and god speed! Kudos on the explanation of travel. It captures the vastness of the land without bogging down the story too much by explaining every detail of every minute along the way. Yeah, I went through a few iterations before I settled on this. Finding the sweet spot of not too much nor too little is not easy. It is also why I like to include a few pictures. Especially as a non-native speaker, I often catch myself making rather repetitive descriptions due to a lack of specialized vocabulary. |
Chapter 27 – Aristobat Another time, another place “High judge Berylbraids has agreed to adjudicate your case. We are expected to present ourselves before the Teremir high court on the first day of autumn. I expect lord Yara and Dorothy to be sending a delegation too. If they do not show up in person that is,” Michiko stated. She and Hadiza were watching the judge’s carrack clear the narrow gap that separated the caldera bay from the open sea. There it would begin its return journey to Karak-Atau, a sole volcanic island not far from the Kiokan coast that served as Teremir’s only port. “We?” Hadiza asked. Michiko had grown to like her over these last few weeks. Despite her advanced age for a human, the elected representative of New Tarraco was still sharp as a tack. Also in the absence of her patron, Xaviera, she lead her people admirably, even if that meant she was occasionally a thorn in her side. Michiko respected that. After all, Hadiza served the people of New Tarraco and not her. Besides New Tarraco’s representatives having proven themselves unexpectedly capable was much more of an asset to Michiko than an obstacle as their interests mostly aligned with hers. Though the young man, Muunokhoi, sure had complicated matters by not only stealing Nahoko's heart but hers as well. While Michiko was free to pursue him as the time of mourning her late husband had passed well over two decades ago, he had clearly shown more interest in the otohime than in her. And so, not for the first time, Michiko was forced to watch as one of her subjects successfully wooed a man she had feelings for too. As much as it stung, she was not a tyrant and thus would show the same restraint she expected from her subjects when it came to unreciprocated interest. Nevertheless, it had not stopped her from indulging herself with fantasies of what could have been while passionately polishing the pink pearl more than a few times already. “Indeed, I wish to be present at the hearings in person,” Michiko replied. “Not only to support your plight, but it might also be a rare opportunity to learn more about why Yara and Dorothy attacked your patrons.” “You sure seem to be going to great lengths and taking substantial risks while trying to solve this crime even though it was not committed in your domain,” Hadiza observed. “Now don't get me wrong we all greatly appreciate your efforts as well as your generous hospitality, but I can't help but notice that this goes beyond you trying to convince us to settle in your domain. So I wonder, might this also be something more personal?” Michiko smiled wryly as Hadiza put her finger right on the sore spot. Sharp as a tack and occasionally a thorn in her side indeed. ------------------------- Back to the present The river made a wide loop as it snaked around a low hill atop which the turret lay. Crumbled, overgrown remains of what once had been a wall stretched around the foot of the hill. Past the wall and along the hill’s gentle slopes grew an orchard laden with ripening fruits. If smoke coming from the turret had not been enough of a clue, the fact that the orchard was clearly being maintained confirmed that we had finally found other people. The tower was part of a small compound with several other overgrown buildings. We noticed the overgrowth on the tower was not random, rather the plants seemed to specifically shore up damages to the structure, holding together broken stones and filling cracks in the walls. It was as if the tower had been renovated with living plants as construction materials. “Someone is there,” Aisly observed. While I was still trying to figure out where said someone was, she was already waving and yelled, “Hello! We are lost. Could you help us, please?” So much for a cautious approach. A curvy, pointy eared woman, scantily wrapped in a few bandages that left both her bosom and he womanhood bare, appeared from the compound and approached us. She moved stiffly and had her arms out in front of her like an old-school mummy. Her skin was pale yet her lips still had some pink to them. Her bright green eyes shone like emeralds and her long sand blonde hair was braided with long side curls. ”T’ is rare, welcoming travellers here, let alone travellers coming from the Deeps. My mistress is expecting you, please follow me.” Her voice was modulated and pleasant to the ears. She did not wait for our reply, turned around, and headed back to the compound. And a nice full ass too! The five of us stood there for a moment looking at each other in bewilderment. “Well that was weird,” Anastasia whispered. “You can say that,” Tish whispered back. “What is she? A mummy?” I wondered. “Looks more like an elf to me,” Aisly replied while scratching her head. “Yeah, my money is on an elf too. Don’t know why she is dressed up like a mummy, though,” Fiora agreed. “Whatever she is, we should not keep this mistress of hers waiting,” Anastasia stated. She was acting more and more as the leader of our group and it seemed Tish and the other girls were totally fine with that. I did not mind it either. In fact, her showing more and more agency was a major turn-on. The strange mummy-elf led us to the entrance of the turret without uttering a single word. She clumsily opened a large and heavy wooden door. We followed her into a spacious circular storage room filled with dust covered crates and barrels. She closed the door behind us, leaving only a single flickering wall sconce for illumination. We crossed the room to the entrance of a staircase. “Please take off your boots,” the mummy-elf asked politely. She was not at all as stiff as her walk had suggested for she then effortlessly bent over to unwrap the dirty bandages around her feet. We ascended the, thankfully carpeted, stairs into a rather strange room. There were two large and fully overgrown holes in the wall. Vines, ripe grapes, and green foliage filled the holes. The plants had grown into the room where their vines were shaped into furniture; to my astonishment, it even included a canopy bed. Here we were also met by a short, fully nude, green-skinned woman with equally green hair and a pair of massive tits adorned with dark green nipples. Her presence instantly demoted Aisly to the second bustiest woman in the room, and even Serra, the big-titted, obstinate elf I had met in Highleigh, could not hold a candle to this woman’s bosom. The only thing off about them was a large bruise on her right breast that looked a lot like a bite mark. Leaves grew in her hair and a few twigs sprouted from her head like small antlers. Like the elves, she too had long pointy ears, though I was fairly certain she was, in fact, a dryad. Recalling what Kayley had told me about dryads, it suddenly made sense how it was possible the turret was overgrown this way. “Howdy! Name’s Dafne,” the dryad greeted us cheerfully. While I could not say what I had expected her accent to be like, but the possibility that she would be speaking with a heavy rural accent had not even crossed my mind. While we briefly stopped to introduce ourselves, the mummy-elf crossed the room and picked up a brass trumpet that had been standing next to the entrance of a second staircase. Dafne noticed it and said, “Cover yer ears if'n yew don't want 'em tuh ring.” She lead by example and we quickly follow her lead. The mummy-elf then blew hard on the trumpet, before shouting, “My lady, the guests have arrived!” This was the first time in my life that my presence had been made known to the sound of a trumpet. “Thuh mistress is waitin' upstairs. So we kin tawk more later. KnowwhutImean?” Dafne said. One floor higher the contrast could not have been any greater. This room was dimly lit with only candlelight. For a moment I was convinced we had walked straight into a vampire’s lair for the room had a mostly black and crimson gothic-style décor and many of the objects in the room were either adorned with an emblem depicting a pair of bat wings or had said emblem engraved into them. There was only one person waiting for us in this room: a beautiful, tall, voluptuous, and yet again fully nude woman. She had alabaster white skin, long wavy raven black hair, brightly coloured deep dark red lips, and a pair of huge pointed bat ears that stood straight up. Those ears weren’t the only thing about her that was huge, for she was almost as top-heavy as the dryad and on her back she had a pair of large black bat wings. Unlike the dryad and the mummy-elf, who both had went with a full Brazilian, her mons Venus was adorned with a patch of pubic hair carefully ladyscaped to match the bat wings on the emblems—not unlike how Tish had a crow wings pattern there; something that had not gone unnoticed by our most strange hostess as her gaze lingered much longer on Tish’s womanhood than it should. I was not complaining, but I wondered why these women welcomed us wearing somehow even less than we did. She approached us with open arms and spread wings. “Strangers, I welcome thee to my castle. Thou may calleth me countess Zenobia, Zenobia Vespertilio the 3rd. In nameth of lord Elisabeth I ameth appointed as the beatific ruler of these lands. I beseech thee, o strangers, what areth thy names?” Her voice was melodious and she spoke with authority, though not in an unfriendly way. Her choice of words, on top of her speaking in an archaic tongue, was odd to say the least. Admittedly the tower was large, but calling it a castle was overselling it. And who referred to themselves as beatific? Again it was Anastasia who acted as our group’s leader when she first introduced herself and then the rest of our group. After which Zenobia noted, “Not many visitors cometh by our castle. Let alone well groometh ones such as thee.” It was clear she was specifically talking about Tish’s handywork. Then she turned her attention back to Anastasia, “With harvest season here, thou hath cometh at just the right time. Hence I beseech thee to rest thy weary bones and enjoyeth mine hospitality for a while and shareth thy stories with us whilst thou sateth thy hunger and thirst on our bountiful harvest.” “I thank you, for your kind and welcoming words. We humbly accept you generous offer, lady Vespertillio. Though I am afraid we have little we can offer in return for your hospitality,” Anastasia answered. “Thy stories and friendship shall be-eth more than enough compensation. Being able to welcometh visitors in mine castle maketh for a most joyous day and calleth for a celebration! Peasant, bringeth forth the fine wine and prepareth a feast for our guests. Servant, showeth our guests the guestroom and bathhouse so they can unburden their-selves.” The way she addressed the other two women suggested they adhered to some sort of old-fashioned feudal class system. Which I found especially odd given that this place wasn’t exactly crowded. I, at least, would have expected a much more informal bond. But who was I to judge? Both women made a small bow. The dryad went back down the stairs, while we went further up another three floors. The guestroom was furnished in a similar gothic style and equally dimly lit. The centrepiece of the room was a large bed, huge even. The bed was much larger than a modern double bed, and would easily be able to accommodate the five of us, heck even our hostesses could join in and it’d still have room to spare. The mummy-elf showed us around. She turned out to be more chatty than her first impression had suggested. We learned her name was Inga. When I asked her about their species, she stated she was a mummy, lady Vespertillio was a fruit bat, and Dafne was indeed a dryad. After we had dropped off our stuff we followed Inga out the tower to the most overgrown building on the compound; there was even a tree growing on its roof. Its thick roots growing down the sides of the building. The windowless inside of the building had been transformed into what I could only describe as a tiny grotto. A shallow, decently sized pool filled with crystal clear water was dug into the floor of the building. Rock formations had been added to the walls to mimic the inside of a cave. A central rocky column provided additional support for the roof. Which explained why it could support a tree. Countless roots no thicker than a hair and roughly the length of my forearm hung from the ceiling. A constant drizzle of droplets fell from them into the pool below. I had to say, this was easily the most beautiful bathhouse I had ever seen. Inga showed where we could find the soap and towels. For how isolated these women seemed to live, they were surprisingly well stocked on hygiene products. Inga assured us we were welcome, encouraged even, to take our time and use whatever we needed as it would take them at least three more hours to prepare the feast. As Anastasia and I got undressed, Inga lit the end of a piece of rope and made it smoulder. She then gave the rope to Tish and a set of candles to Aisly while pointing out the strategic little alcoves in the column and walls where candles could be placed without being rained upon. She then bade us an enjoyable bath time and left with our clothes so they could be washed. I had to give it to our hostesses their grotto bathhouse was superb, it was not only stunning to behold but also a great place to relax and unwind from the trials the Deep Woods had thrown at us. I noticed that the water dripping from the roots was warm and pondered how that was possible, for the stream we had been following sure was frigid. When I snapped out of my distracted ponderings, my companions were talking about boobs and those of our hostesses in particular. The way they discussed them in great detail sure suggested they were just as much a turn-on for them as they were for me. Nice. About three hours later we returned to the tower wholly refreshed and relaxed. Though, since no replacement clothes had been provided, Anastasia and I were now buck naked too. True to their word, our hostesses had erected a proper feast, though it looked to be a vegetarian one. There were various vegetable dishes, tubers in butter sauce dressing, and a wide variety of fruits and nuts to choose from. The latter two coming as no surprise given the orchard outside. By now I had learned to not question and just go along with the shenanigans, an attitude which Anastasia seemed to have adopted much quicker than I had, and so my first feast in the nude began. Anastasia and I were seated on either side of Zenobia who was eager to hear our stories. After a brief conversation I got an opportunity to ask her a few questions. “So, Zenobia, how many people live in your lands?” Zenobia straightened up and pushed out her chest while beaming with pride. “Already two subjects liveth under mine beatific rule. It iseth only a matter of time before it isteth expandeth to three or perhaps even four subjects!“ She paused for a second while seemingly realising something. Then she added pensively, “I might need to recruiteth another assistant then. Ruling over so manyeth people while also surveyething the land is undoubtedly going to beeth a lot of work.” Anastasia and I exchanged a quick glance. She too seemed on the verge of bursting out in laughter after this rather bizarre revelation by our hostess. Though we bit our tongues as neither of us meant to mock her. I quickly changed the subject, “You said something about you surveying your lands. How does that work, do you make a round by walking through or flying over your lands every day? Forgive my ignorance, I’m still quite new to this world and you are the first fruit bat I have met. I don’t even know whether you can even fly with those beautiful wings.” My flattery was clearly well received by our hostess who immediately splayed out her wings for us to admire. “Thine words areth too generous. And yes, mine wings can carryeth me in flight. Though most of the time I doeth the surveying with a spyglass from the top of mine castle.” My interest was immediately piqued. “A spyglass? I love telescopes and spyglasses. Is it a hand held one, or is it mounted on a frame like a tripod?” I asked. “It iseth a hand held spyglass. I can showeth thee later tonight if thou areth interested,” Zenobia offered. “I would love to,” I replied. We chatted a bit more. When I finally began the full recount of my time here from my arrival to finding this turret, the room fell silent as our hostesses as well as my companions were all hanging on my lips. Zenobia seemed especially amazed with how Anastasia had already claimed the position of leader of our group when she had only been with us for around two weeks. “That waseth a most interesting story thou hast regaileth us with,” Zenobia said. By now we all had finished our meal. She then commanded, “Servant, lighteth the hearth.” One thing I had not expected to find in a tower was a functioning hearth, but it was a most welcome surprise. Zenobia shivered and remarked, “I must sayeth that thy new fashion isteth ill-suited for chilly nights liketh these.” I had the fortune of having a relatively low comfort temperature so I was still fine, but a quick glance around showed the others all agreeing with the “it’s getting chilly” part. “What do you mean our new fashion?” I asked. “The foregoing of clothes,” Zenobia elaborated as if stating the obvious. “Our lack of clothes is not a fashion choice,” Anastasia answered. “It isteth not?” Zenobia asked surprised. Hold on. Did she really believe that not wearing anything was the new fashion trend? Is that why they welcomed us in the nude? “No, we lost almost all of our clothes when the mansion where we found Anastasia collapsed. That weird hole I told you about also claimed all our spare clothes and ripped Tish’s dress right off of her,” I replied. “And Aisly and Fiora had to sacrifice most of their attire to fashion boots for Anastasia.” “Yes, that maketh sense. A human walkingeth through the Deeps without sturdy boots isteth most unwise. Maybe we should not haveth burneth our clothes then, especially when winter cometh in a few months,” Zenobia mentioned. They did what?! These women sure were racking up the crazy points. Before I, or anyone else for that matter, could react to this bizarre revelation however, Zenobia continued nonchalantly. “Let us moveth over to the hearth and alloweth it to warmeth our bodies while we enjoyeth a glass of wine to lifteth our spirits.” The “living-room” hosted two large comfortable crimson velvet sofas and two large matching armchairs all embroidered with the bat wing emblems. They were placed in a semi-circle around the hearth. Zenobia invited Anastasia to join her in the chairs while the rest of us made ourselves comfortable on the sofas. Meanwhile Inga had fired up the hearth and poured us all a glass of wine before taking a seat herself. Zenobia stood up and raised her glass. “I would like to maketh a toast. First of all, to Anastasia and Erwin, welcometh to Arcadia and mayeth thine lips always findeth a full bosom to quencheth thine thirst. And to the rest of us, mayeth our bosoms growth as fat and bountiful as the harvest after a good summer so that we caneth provideth for our friends!” While this was most certainly the weirdest toast I had made in my life, it was, however, one I could get behind, and so could my companions for they raised their glasses too and toasted. As much as I liked my companions and as eccentric as our hostesses were, it was nice after almost three weeks to be able to talk to someone new. So I made it a point to talk to each of them and learn a bit more about their lives for the remainder of the evening. Not entirely unexpected, Dafne was quite knowledgeable on everything plant related. Especially the way she had used the tree growing on top of the bathhouse to siphon water from the river and then use sunlight to heat it was a marvel of bioengineering. But when it came to anything other than talking about plants, she was a bit… naïve. As the “peasant”, Zenobia apparently taxed her daily, which sounded rather excessive to me. Yet for some reason Dafne seemed to think it was totally fair. She even said she was really happy with Zenobia taxing her daily. I wondered if that was because she dared not say otherwise with Zenobia in the room and potentially listening in on our conversation. Who knew what those big bat ears of hers might pick up. I decided not to press the matter and simply let her rattle on about her orchard with great enthusiasm. She told me that she also often collected all kinds of fruits, vegetables, roots, and nuts out in the wild. The fruit of her hard labour quite literally having been presented to us through the wide variety of dishes they had served us during dinner. While talking to Inga, she asked me if she may call me “master”. Baffled at this random request I could not come up with anything better than “sure”. Nevertheless my answer was much to her delight. She clearly adored her mistress. And even went as far as stating that her sole purpose in life was to unconditionally and unquestioningly serve her masters with all her body and mind. A rather weird goal to have in life, if you ask me. She seemed genuinely happy though, so whatever floats her boat, I guess. Given her earlier request and the fact she had used plural, I wondered if it now included me too, but I did not dwell on it. Instead I asked her what kind of things she did for her mistress. She told me that it was mostly maid’s or butler’s work, though occasionally her mistress would send her on various “secret missions”, whatever those might be. The most intriguing part of our conversation came when I asked her how she had become a mummy. She stated that she was born an elf and had turned into a mummy when she was in her late twenties. She claimed that her friends had wrapped her up in bandages as part of a dare and that had been what changed her. I failed to see how getting wrapped in bandages could have had such an effect. My doubt must have shown, to prove her claim she lifted her left breast and placed my hand right under it. I guess the idea was to show me that her heart did not beat, but it was most definitely still beating firmly and rapidly. I failed to see what she had possibly to gain from lying about this, so her insistence puzzled me. Maybe this was one of those weird elven fetishes Jillian had talked about? I made a mental note to ask Fiora to tell me a bit more about elves soon. Nevertheless, it did not change the fact that my talk with Inga had been quite entertaining. Towards the end of the evening I found myself sitting in the chair next to Zenobia. I inquired about her lands. It seemed these women lived really isolated, for she claimed that the nearest hamlet was still a five day walk from here. Seeing as they needed to buy a new wardrobe—I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the logic behind them having burned all their clothes—Zenobia proposed we travel to the hamlet together. An offer I gladly accepted, for we could use some guides. I asked why they lived so far removed from the rest of society. She answered that she really liked her castle and orchard, so she had decided to live here as did her peasant and servant. She added they hadn’t had visitors in years. Which, I guess, explained why they were so excited to welcome us so warmly. At some point Inga brought in a brass spyglass. Fiora joined us as she was interested in it too. We marvelled over the beautiful piece of craftmanship. Judging by Fiora’s remarks it seemed that this was rare equipment in this world. Zenobia beamed with pride at our compliments and interest. Eventually Inga returned the spyglass to wherever they stored it and our conversation shifted towards her two subjects. Now, I really liked these women and I was grateful for their help, but her taxing practices sure were dubious. Oblivious to my unease Zenobia doubled down by proclaiming how she loved taxing them on a daily basis. She even went so far as to invite us to join her on the next taxing session tomorrow as together we should be able to “milk them dry”. It was only then that it began to dawn on me that I might be completely misunderstanding what she meant by “taxing them”. Two questions later and I had learned that she meant that “milking them dry” part literally. It also explained why the other two women enjoyed being “taxed”. It was a huge relief that these women were only pleasantly crazy and not malicious or insane. Besides if Zenobia needed me to suck on some big titties who was I was to deny her plea? Since Anastasia had joined us, I was not the only night owl in our group anymore, though, to be fair sleep was optional for Tish. Today Aisly and Fiora were unusually early with announcing they were going to bed, and even more surprisingly Tish joined them. They bade us a good night and then were escorted upstairs by Inga who returned a few minutes later. Anastasia and I let ourselves be entertained by our hostesses for a while longer. About two hours later Anastasia and Dafne left for bed as well. I could not help but raise an eyebrow when instead of going up, Anastasia followed Dafne down the stairs instead. It seemed she was about to fully embrace the much looser attitude towards intimacy from this world. Then again, I had learned from her that the Victorians were much less prude than I had believed them to be. “I doubt they will sleeping any time soon,” I remarked nonchalantly after they had left the room. Immediately my statement was confirmed by excited giggling rising up from the staircase. “Ehm, it doth seemeth liketh that,” Zenobia said while looking a bit confused. I realised that so far our hostesses had not made a single flirtatious remark. It had been refreshing to talk to people who were not trying to get in my pants from the get go. Yet, it was obvious that at least Dafne was up for some fun, and I sure would not mind following her example and spend the night with either one of the two remaining hostesses or both. But it seemed that for the first time since arriving in this world, I had to be the one to take the initiative. So I said, “My other companions are undoubtedly fast asleep by now, and, well, it would be a bit rude to wake them up, don’t you think?” “Yes, I can seeeth that iseth a problem…” Zenobia said pensively. “Perhaps the servant can maketh an improvised bed for thee?” I raised an eyebrow. Was this what my much more aware companions had to go through when I was being dense again? Thankfully Inga had a bit more insight than her mistress. “With all due respect, but perhaps my mistress could share her bed with master, or if she prefers not to then master is welcome to sleep with me in mine.” It seemed that option had not even crossed Zenobia’s mind, for her eyes grew a size or two when she realised what Inga had just proposed. Yet, she did not seem opposed to the idea. “Areth thine wives fine with thee spendingeth time with other women?” she asked incredulously. “Well, would they have left if they were not? Besides, I choose myself with whom I want to spend my time, and in what manner,” I replied. “And thou would be willing to spendeth a night with one of us?” she then asked. “Yes I would. I am even willing to spend it with the both of you.” So far I had gotten away with being a bit greedy when it came to laying women, so I was feeling lucky again. The two women exchanged some glances. Inga quickly cast down her eyes and began excusing herself, “I would not presume on…” “No, thou shalleth not beeth the only one sleepingeth alone tonight, Inga,” Zenobia interrupted her. It was the first time I heard her address her servant by her name. “Th-thank you mistress, you are most generous… And thank you too master,” Inga thanked us. Zenobia turned to me. “It is decideth then, mine servant and I shalleth welcometh thee in mine bed.” I gently woke both women up. After an intense and happy good morning kiss from Zenobia, she remarked, “I feeleth strange.” “What do you mean you feel strange?” I asked. “There iseth this warm glow in mine belly I haveth never felteth before,” she replied. “Oh, my. Does it hurt? Did I hurt you…” I then realised how those hickeys had been made, so I had almost certainly hurt her a bit. “…in unintended ways?” “Oh, no! It iseth a pleasant feeling. It just feelseth really different, yet strangethly familiar. Maybe it cometh from havingeth lost mine virginity to thee last night,” she speculated. Then she looked over to the mummy elf sausage roll and said, “I thinketh we shouldeth unwrappeth mine servant.” It seemed we had overslept, for when we entered the living room, my companions and Dafne were already sitting at the table, and various fruits and breads were already placed on it. Immediately their gazes were drawn towards the hickey covered bosoms of the two women I was accompanying. The way all three of them bit their lips suggested that those hickeys was more arousing to my mamono companions than that it upset them. But as I sat down Anastasia gave me a questioning look. I tried to play it cool and shrugged as I explained, “I could not let that inconsiderate midnight trumpet assholery go unpunished now, could I?” To which she grinned and gave me an approving nod. Phew… After we had all been seated at the table, our generous hostess stood back up. “We haveth offereth thee already the bounty of our harvest, now we wouldeth liketh to quencheth thine thirst by offeringeth thee the bounty of our bosoms.” An offer we gladly accepted. Time for us to dig in and latch on. The rest of the day we helped our hostesses prepare and pack for the foot journey ahead of us. They had a fair bit of produce to sell, so we helped with harvesting ripe fruits from their orchard. There was a certain joy in simply doing some normal work. When we had finished filling up three large wicker basket backpacks most of the group left for a bath. Dafne and I stayed behind in the orchard simply to admire and enjoy our tranquil surroundings while making some small talk. By the time the two of us headed towards the bathhouse, the others had already finished bathing and had left for the turret. As I entered the bathhouse I noticed a familiar phial prominently placed in one of the cavities of the central pillar. It seemed my companions had left yet again a not-so-subtle suggestion as to how Dafne and I should spend our time in the grotto. Dafne was much more dominant than the other two hostesses; before I fully realised what was going on I found myself entangled in the vines and roots she could control with her magic. She briefly reminded me of the agreement I had made last night with Zenobia and Inga—apparently they had filled Dafne in on some of the details during the day—before she lustfully began to explore my body with her hands. Meanwhile she reassured me with a motherly voice that “mommy” was going to take good care of me. And take good care of me she did indeed. After a simple dinner Zenobia and Inga were eager for a round two, something I was up for too. Though this time we made it not nearly as late as the previous night for we would have to get up early the following morning. ------------------------- It was good that we had our hostesses to guide us, for within the hour they diverted us away from the river and into the forest. They explained that further downstream the river would eventually make a big turn and head eastwards back into no-mans-land. The only indication I had that we were indeed following some kind of path was that our route carefully evaded most of the hills, crags, and rocky outcrops around us. Whenever we came across a small stream there as was a conveniently placed log or large “stepping stones” to easily cross it without getting wet feet. Eventually we arrived at the shore of a lake. We followed the shore for a while until we came up to a small grassy island that even hosted an attractive sand beach. It lay about three dozen metres or so from the shoreline. Zenobia declared that we would be setting up camp here, despite my pocket watch telling me that it was only half past two in the afternoon. She explained that there was a narrow but easily traversable submerged land bridge that connected the island with the shoreline. If we trusted them and were not afraid to wade through thigh deep water then we could camp on the island. Alternatively we could camp between the trees. While Anastasia had some reservations as she admitted that she did not know how to swim, I eventually convinced her to agree to camping on the island by promising that I would jump after her and swim her back to shore should she slip and fall. Following the submerged land bridge sure was an adventure for it did not follow a straight line from the shore to the island making us follow some twists and bends. Meanwhile on either side the lake was deep enough for us to no longer be able to see the bottom. Anastasia voiced her regret over having let herself be talked into this, especially on the deepest part where the water literally came up to her lips, the vertical ones. Nevertheless she pressed on and we made it to the island without any issues. As soon as we had all stepped back on dry land again our hostesses suggestively made us vow that whatever happened on the island would stay on the island. We quickly set up camp and then used the remainder of the day to unwind and enjoy the good weather. Since the water of the lake was still of a manageable temperature, Aisly, Dafne, and I decided to go for a swim. When we came back I gave the others some pointers on what they should do should they ever find themselves in the water. When I claimed that if they stayed calm every one of them would float, they did not believe me. They were even willing to take me up for a bet on that. What they apparently did not know was that the majority of women floated. Given their curviness none of them struck me as particularly low on body fat, so I was confident in my claim. Seven demonstrations later I had proven my point and, since they had taken the bet, earned myself seven blowjobs. T’ was a good day. The following days temperatures began to drop again and our collective lack of clothing became a bit of an issue. Especially the third day was bad when the cold was made substantially worse by a thin mist that simply refused to dissipate. That day we set up camp early and then spent the rest of the afternoon huddled together trying to get warm again. Inga had told me that the hamlet we were heading to was called Mosskeep, and upon arrival I immediately saw why. Frankly, it was pretty straight-forward: in the center of the hamlet—which consisted of around twenty-five wooden houses and barns—atop a rocky elevation stood a small moss-covered keep. After almost 4 weeks of travelling through the woods we had finally found our way back to the civilized world. |
MetallumOperaturJun 14, 2022 8:55 AM
| Nice update, with only slight delay :P I think you definitely conveyed the quirkiness of the fruit bat quite well, which seems to somehow have bled into the behavior of her servant and peasant as well. If Erwin and company keep it up, I expect they will be most welcome in Westholm. |
| !!! ZENOBIA! We have a Name That Mamono actually appearing in a story! I am positively giddy! |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
mugen91 said: A teeny tiny tad overdue.Nice update, with only slight delay :P tygertyger said: And was she more, less, or about as quirky as the NTM entry had suggested?!!! ZENOBIA! We have a Name That Mamono actually appearing in a story! I am positively giddy! |
MetallumOperatur said: And was she more, less, or about as quirky as the NTM entry had suggested? She was every bit as quirky as the entry suggested. I wasn't expecting the accent, but it works as part of the eccentricity. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Maku_The_Blue said: Well, since she has none to return to, unlike the MC, she is under no time pressure. So why not check this wondrous world out first while she is here. And if it sucks, she can always decide to try and return then. But on the other hand I would have thought that the curiosity of seeing how much the world has changed and advanced might have convinced her to try. Maku_The_Blue said: I've been reading up a bit on the Victorians to help with her character, and to my surprise they were a lot less prude than we believed them to be. Especially spanking seemed to have been quite the widespread kink back then. In fact, given some of the games they had, Victorians in general were not too adverse to inflict or suffer a bit of hurt, which evidently also holds for Anastasia.Also honestly would have thought a Victorian era girl would be a bit more of a prude. Then again, her turning into a Mamono is another interesting development for the character... That might also perfectly justify why she isn't a prude. Maku_The_Blue said: Yeah that turned out to be quite the time-, and perhaps even life-, saver for them. I also really liked the idea of the holstaur essence syringe. Maku_The_Blue said: Yeah, it's almost as if oddballs tend to stick togethermy my, what a collection of odd balls we have here. Maku_The_Blue said: To be fair, they are temporary additions to the harem. Sadly in next chapter they'll be parting ways. But I'm sure the fling was nice while it lasted.The harem grows by the chapter! |
MetallumOperaturJun 21, 2022 10:03 PM
Chapter 28 – Anastasia Got Smote It was late afternoon when we finally arrived in Mosskeep. The hamlet was built around its namesake, an old moss-covered keep on a small rocky elevation. A stream ran along the edge of the hamlet and some of the dense forest had been cleared to make room for several farm fields where mainly flax, hop, and wheat were being grown. Obviously, as we entered the hamlet we immediately drew a lot of attention from the women who were out and about on the streets, and not just because most of us were strangers. Our guides waved at some friends of theirs who all looked rather perplexed as we headed towards a wooden two story building with a barn attached to it. They knocked on the door and a buxom light blue haired woman with a rather strange feathery tail answered the door. Upon seeing us her eyes grew wide and she immediately ushered us inside audibly worried that we must be freezing. A bit hyperbolic if you asked me, especially given how much shoulder and cleavage she showed off herself. We entered a homely living room where we were greeted by two other similarly figured and clad women. Both had similar feathery tails but with different hair and feather colours, one being a brunette and the other a blonde. Seeing the state of undress of my companions they immediately got them some plain and ill-fitting spare clothes to put on. I still had my t-shirt and jeans and Anastasia still had Fiora’s skirt and tight-fitting blouse, so we were in less need of emergency clothes. The three women turned out to be sisters and introduced themselves as Anne, the one who had answered the door, Emily, and Charlotte. They explained they were a species called Kikimora that had both wolf and bird traits. The sisters were beer brewers by trade, but they also ran a small tavern from their barn. It served as the primary meeting place for the small community. They assured us that they would be able to provide us with food and improvised lodging for as long as we needed. According to Fiora the fee they asked was modest and she reassured us that we had more than enough coin to pay for both our lodgings and new clothes. Thank goodness she had carried our money on her person instead of in her bag which was now lost to the void. After we had regaled our new hostesses with an abridged version of how we had ended up at Zenobia’s tower in such a state of undress, Anne and Emily began preparing dinner while Charlotte briefly left to inform everyone in the hamlet that the tavern would open an hour late. Zenobia apparently had established herself a bit of a reputation as an eccentric, for when she added how they had ended up nude as well, none of the kikimoras seemed too surprised. Our arrival meant the sisters were in for a busy evening. When the tavern finally opened its doors, I estimated that within half an hour at least sixty patrons had shown up. Given how few houses this hamlet had, I figured that this meant nearly everyone living here had come to catch a glimpse of us and see for themselves what the heck was going on. The barn was spacious enough to comfortably house everyone, which suggested that they occasionally had more patrons than there lived in the hamlet. While her sisters were busy serving the patrons, Emily had drawn the longest straw and got to stay with us for a while and introduce us to some of the locals. The first person she introduced us to was the meowgistrate—it seemed that Zenobia the aristobat was not the only one with a bad taste for titles—a blonde cat girl who nailed the sexy nerdy librarian girl stereotype quite well, the only thing missing was a pair of glasses. Next came the captain of hamlet’s militia, a grey furred grumpy werewolf with one milky white eye who dozed off halfway during our introduction. She was the first mamono I had met who looked visibly ancient. We left the old wolf to her nap and moved on to a pair of most intriguing spider-girl sisters. Emily clarified that their species was called a jorou-gumo and that they were the hamlet’s tailors. After exchanging pleasantries we made an appointment for the following morning to discuss business and have our measurements taken. Lastly, since Anastasia needed a pair of proper boots, Emily introduced us to the hamlet’s cobblers: a tall, white-furred tiger girl who dethroned Dafne as bustiest women I had met so far in Arcadia, and her partner an alluring chocolate skinned lightning weasel girl with indigo and violet hair. Their species were called a jinko and a raiju respectively. Again after exchanging some pleasantries we made an appointment for the following day. Emily then excused herself to help out her sisters with serving drinks and snacks. Slowly my travel group grew smaller and smaller as one companion after another found herself being borrowed by groups of curious locals wishing to hear our story. Many were surprised to learn that Anastasia was a human and merely nineteen years young. Apparently everyone highly approved of our relation, for we, but Anastasia in particular, got plenty of well-meaning and not so subtle compliments on how our offspring was going to be beautiful. Even though Anastasia would be the one doing all the hard work should I ever knock her up, she seemed rather welcoming to the idea and enjoyed all the attention she got. Which reminded me, did the difficulty to conceive that plagued these mamono also apply to humans? I realised that since we had not used any protection, there was a world in which I had already knocked her up. Nevertheless, Anastasia and I eventually found a moment of respite and we sat down for a beer with just the two of us. But our moment of solitude was not to last, as a rather remarkable young woman entered the barn. She had a ginormous fluffy squirrel tail that was easily twice as big as the rest of her. While notably younger she looked otherwise the spitting image of another woman that had already been in the barn for a while. My money was on the latter being the mom and her being the daughter. Apparently the daughter was well-liked for almost everyone turned around to greet and wave at her. She smiled and waved back as she scanned the barn. When she noticed us her smile widened and without hesitation she beelined towards us. With a jovial greeting she sat down at our table. The squirrel woman was wearing a short frilly lace-up off shoulder crop top and a matching lace-up miniskirt. She had wavy and tousled collarbone-length chestnut hair with cream brown highlights and dark green eyes. Unlike many of the other women I had met she was fairly humbly build and had large A-cups at best. Nevertheless she was unfazed by her buxom competition and just oozed confidence and mirth. Two sexy traits if you asked me. She introduced herself as Eawynn and upon learning that we were both off-worlders gladly explained that her species was called a ratatoskr. We immediately connected when we discovered that she and I were the same age to very day. Eawynn was the youngest villager by far as she explained that with a handful exceptions the others had all been sired by only two men. One who had lived here around 500 years ago and the other around 175 years ago. The old wolf was the only one left from the generation before those two. Eawynn herself was another exception, for she was the happy result of a one night stand with a passing traveller like me. Apparently, her being the youngest girl in town also meant she was the most desired. For when we asked her about her profession, she confided in us that her main occupation was using her collection of strap-on dildos to provide nightly company to the villagers who felt lonely. There was no doubt in my mind that business was good. As the evening progressed and we continued making merry with Eawynn, I began to notice that Anastasia was getting a bit touchy. Her hand kept finding excuses to rest on mine or wandered over to my thigh. Furthermore I could swear she was showing off more and more cleavage whenever I had not looked at her for a few seconds. Meanwhile the laces of Eawynn’s crop top and skirt seemed to mysteriously loosen and reveal more and more of her the later in the evening it got. Apparently there had been a tension brewing between the two women, for it was a rather tipsy Anastasia who eventually threw the gauntlet as she challenged Eawynn to bring her strap-ons and have a duel of endurance between the sheets. Overconfidently she stated that if Eawynn were to somehow best her she could have her husband all to herself for the entire next day. I raised an eyebrow. Not only had she just claimed that I was her husband, she also had felt it appropriate to potentially give me away for a day. But what baffled me by far the most was how she ever thought she would be able to outlast someone using a strap-on. The next day Eawynn led us all to the jorou-gumo tailors and afterwards to the odd cobbler couple. Since they needed to take many measurements the two visits took up the entire morning. After a lunch back at the tavern, our group split up. Zenobia and her two servants needed to sell their produce and buy other supplies. I had not seen any fruit trees around here, so I hoped they would be getting a good price for their delicious fruits. Meanwhile, Aisly had been invited by some locals to join them for a hunt, something she was positively thrilled about. And finally, Tish and Fiora had made some undisclosed plans with the kikimora sisters. This left Anastasia and me in the care of the ratatoskr who had plenty of ideas on how we could fill the afternoon with physical activities. It was highly entertaining seeing Eawynn skilfully fanning the flames of envy and desire within Anastasia and then offer to personally take care of her wants. But Anastasia had wizened up, likely her still being sore and walking with a slight limp due to last night had served as a strong reminder to not mess with Eawyn, for she had quite literally fucked Anastasia up. But I had to concede one thing to my Victorian companion, she only acted like a sore loser in the literal sense. We stayed for two more days in the hamlet while waiting for the tailors and cobblers to finish their work. While I would not have minded spending some more time with Eawynn, she politely declined and instead said she wished for me to get a broader sample of the local “cuisine”. I took her advice to heart and added the kikimora sisters, two comely sheep sisters, and some kind of mushroom girl called a myconid to my rapidly growing list of people I had been intimate with. The final night of our stay I spent with Zenobia, Inga, and Dafne for one last round of quirky snu-snu. The jorou-gumos and the cobblers had delivered excellent work. Their clothes were made for comfort, warmth, and practicality, and hence were not the sexiest of outfits. Yet, my companions still looked fabulous in them. Everyone received a pair of black pants. Then my companions got long, dark green tunics that were fastened with a broad leather belt. Meanwhile for me the spider women had made a black blouse and a stylish black vest. Lastly, they presented us with long hooded cloaks to protect us from wind and rain. Again, the girls’ cloaks were dark green while mine was black. While I loved the clothes they had made for me, I was a bit on the fence about dressing in all black. The girls, on the other hand, loved it. Anastasia also received a set of finely crafted proper knee-high chestnut leather boots with cream brown stripes. Their colouring was an uncanny match to Eawynn’s hair. It seemed that the ratatoskr had arranged a subtle yet clever memento for Anastasia as a parting gift. Despite the obvious jab, Anastasia took it graciously. While our time with Zenobia and her servants had been great, as had been our time here in Mosskeep, eventually it was time to say our goodbyes and continue our journey. Saying farewell to friends is never easy, especially when you don’t expect to ever see them again. So, when we left the hamlet we did so with lead in our shoes. ------------------------- I respected how Anastasia had handled the absolute pounding she had received from Eawynn and her strap-on. She had frankly admitted that she had, and I quote, “acted vazey like a driggle-draggle while I was up the pole, and hence I deserved that Alexandra limp Eawynn gave me.” Yes, it had taken me a while to decipher that sentence too. In the end Anastasia’s gracious attitude had ensured there was no bad blood left between the two women and they had even parted as friends. In fact, when the squirrel girl had quipped that Anastasia was welcome to come visit Mosskeep again to try and set a new orgasmic record, I got the impression Anastasia might just take her up on that offer one day. Anastasia was a bit of a madlass. “I did not want to bring this up while we were still in Mosskeep, but why did you claim there that we were married?” I asked. I was not too sure how I felt about Anastasia having claimed that I was her husband. On the one hand, she was gorgeous and had a personality that was equally attractive and hence it had been somewhat flattering, but on the other hand I did not like the deception, even if it had been just a little white lie. She immediately began to blush. “I… eeeh… Maybe, I let the attention get to my head and I should not have said that. Unless, you want to be my husband, of course.” “I think it would be profoundly unfair for me to make such commitments to anyone when I am still looking for a way back to Earth. You, Tish, Aisly, and Fiora all deserve better than that. Besides even if I was to stay here, and I admit that every day I am presented with more compelling reasons to do so, should you not at least get to know some of the other men here before you make your choice who you want to marry?” I answered. Anastasia let out a sigh, “Oh, how I lament the irony, that which I find so attractive about you is also that which prevents me to obtain what my heart now desires so much. While I understand your choice, it cannot stop heart from fluttering whenever I lay my eyes upon you,” Anastasia answered, in a strangely charming declaration of love. “Thank you, Anastasia, for your sincere words. Frankly, I do not know how to reply to such a moving declaration of love I cannot fully reciprocate…” I stammered. She hugged me and looked up. “Not every statement requires a reply, you know.” She then buried her face in my chest and began to sob. I just stood there for a moment completely lost, until finally I embraced her too. I then buried my face in her hair and began to sob too, silently cursing how cruel the choice between staying her or trying to go back to Earth had become. After a minute or so I felt another pair of arms close around my waist, and then another pair until finally a last pair of arms completed the group hug. Eventually after a long moment of catharsis we dried our tears and got moving again. Based on what she had learned from spending a night over at Mosskeep’s meowgistrate’s house, Fiora estimated that we would need roughly four days to reach the main paved road between Blackmoor and Westholm, and another five days to get to Westholm, the weather permitting of course. We also had to visit the Ryu temple in the hope that she would know what to do with those dragon eggs. She would surely be having many questions for us. So we figured that was going to add one more day to our journey. This ironically meant that we would only arrive a few days before Jillian’s patrol was expected to return in Westholm. Nevertheless, without our adventure into the Deep Woods we would not have met Anastasia nor found the dragon eggs, so at least I had no regrets regarding that choice. It was still mid-afternoon when my companions spotted a good place to set up camp. I was about to question why we did not continue travelling for at least two more hours when I noticed the excited and aroused looks on their faces. Realising what was up, I did not ask any questions and simply enthusiastically agreed. Since we had reached the turret, especially my mamono companions had taken a step back and had encouraged me to bed as many other women as I wanted, but now that we were back to just the five of us, they clearly desired to make up for some of the intimacy they had missed out on, and I was not going to deny them that. |
MetallumOperaturJul 22, 2022 3:38 PM
| An update merely 10 days later. Truly, miracles are upon us! It seems Anastasia got acquainted with the good old adage "Pride cometh before the fall" Erwin's companions truly have been quite magnanimous in their approach to sharing, so for their own sake's, I really hope that Tish and Fiora did a good job on Anastasia :) Overall, I think slightly shorter, but more frequent chapters work a little better, though there is always the option to have another chungus strewn in here and there. |
mugen91 said: Well in her defence, tipsy people tend to do ill-advised things.It seems Anastasia got acquainted with the good old adage "Pride cometh before the fall" Erwin's companions truly have been quite magnanimous in their approach to sharing, so for their own sake's, I really hope that Tish and Fiora did a good job on Anastasia :) Stay tuned and perhaps this question will be answered, or perhaps not... who knows? |
| Gotta love kikimora Bronte sisters. And blood and ash, that Eawynn is smokin' hawt! |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
tygertyger said: You might have posted this in the wrong thread :-PWe are now going into the last week of June. I will do final edits and start the voting with whatever entries I have by 12:00 a.m. CDT on Saturday 07/02. |
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