novelraw Chapter 171: Play Nice
Chapter 171: Play Nice
Reta sat up from her slumber, feeling the cool waters drip from behind as the elf maid reached for her hands to pull her up. She gave the maiden a menacing glare, startling her as Reta calmly stood up by herself. Stepping out from the pool, she felt the moist dirt soften around her bare feet as a second maiden approached her with a mirror in hand. Checking her reflection, she spotted no signs of bruising or scratches across her glistening naked body. As the maidens wrapped her around to dry her, she glanced over her shoulder to see Alma experiencing the same treatment.
"Welcome back." Alma greeted her calmly, her arms spread out as the maidens toweled her body.
Reta tilted her head back. "You seem to have recovered well."
"These healing waters make for a fast recovery."
Reta looked back at the glowing pools of water behind them, following the stream that trickled down from the soil above their heads, stemming from overgrown roots.
"You fight well for an outsider." Alma remarked, letting the maidens dress her in simple brown and green clothing. "You've the body for a fighter as well as the skills, and yet your body remains clean and your skin soft."
"Armor does well to avoid deep injuries," Reta replied. "You'd do well to wear it. Anything more durable than wood and grass would offer better protection."
"Elves inherit a leaner physique which enhances our agility and flexibility, but we lack broad shoulders and heavy muscles. We prefer hunting over direct combat. Strike first, strike hard, and strike to kill."
"Like a hunter catching its prey." Reta addressed with awe in her tone.
Alma grinned, intrigued by how quickly she caught on. "Rightfully so. You are named Wolf, yes? How did you gain this title?"
Reta sighed in discomfort, assisting the maidens in getting herself dressed in similar elvish clothing. "A more direct relevance toward its significance. I was casted out from my clan after slaying a werewolf."
"A were-beast?" Alma called out with widened eyes. "That's... all by yourself?" Reta nodded. "It takes a lot to impress me, Reta. We've heard stories about their ferocity and how they travel fast enough that their shape becomes a blur to the naked eye. How on Gods' name you managed such a feat is beyond me. I don't even know if a Monster Hunter could accomplish a battle alone."
"There was hardly a battle, only reflexes driven by instinct to survive. I managed to parry their claws until the wolf lunged at me, and so I aimed my silver blade forward to pierce his heart. But doing so inflicted this in return." She held out her arm, revealing a row of penetrated scars across her arm. The maidens took one look and jumped back, shrieking in high pitched voices.
Alma held her breath, staring at the bite mark imprinted on the warrior's arm. "I-I see. You slew the wolf and took its place, and in doing so you were exiled. A Wolf without a Home. And how long have you lived with this curse?"
The maidens seemed hesitant to draw close to her, until Reta rolled her eyes and snatched the brown robe from their trembling hands. "The curse stays with me and can only be passed when I turn under a full moon. I've had this mark for a handful of months now."
"And you are aware that the longer you have this mark-"
"The more permanent the effect becomes, yes." Reta sighed, tying her blue hair into a knot. "The focus of my travels was to rescue our allies, but a more selfish reason is to learn more about this ritual Perdilius has planned for them. I want to know if it can remove this curse of mine. I've brought studies theorizing on ideas over how this curse functions."
"Learning more about this curse to figure how to remove it is a good start." Alma said calmly, "The only guaranteed method is to pass it onto another. Why not do so?"
Reta stared at her hand, her memories going back to that night when she was chained in the meat cellar, confronted by the farmer boy and his pet cat girl. That moment when he drew close enough to bite, challenging her with his soft eyes and warm nature. It titillated her, her body screaming into her mind for her to bite him then and there. But she could not go through with it, not when he was the first not to see her as a monster, but as the frightened woman inside, lost and alone in a foreign world.
"It would be so easy..." She lingered on that word, clenching her fist and shaking off the thought. "Doing so would not rid me of this curse but instead inflict it onto another. I would rather be the last to fall victim to it, even if the only cure is the blade."
"How very touching." Alma looked satisfied, as if she just had figured something out before needing to ask.
At that moment, the girls heard someone make their way down the entrance in a hurry. Felix stumbled and nearly lost his footing when he saw them standing there. His eyes lit up and his smile grew from ear to ear. "Reta! You're... well, erm."
Reta spun around to face him, smiling softly when they locked eyes. "Alive and well?"
"That too." He stuttered, blushing as he stared at the floor. "Reta, your um, your robe."
"Hm?" Reta glanced down, having forgotten to tie her robe shut. She was inadvertently flashing her breasts to him, although it did make for a warm greeting. She quickly tied it shut, scoffing at his embarrassment. "We've lay together numerous times, don't act so modest."
Alma chuckled from afar, approaching the pair. "Your friend was telling me about her curse. Are there any more surprises I should know about your group?"
"Um, none, ma'am." Felix answered, clearing his throat. His nervous glance changed into a frown when something came to mind. "Actually yea, what the hell? You have us captured then go into this duel even after I told you about us looking for Kuli. And now it turns out you have the cat girls hiding here all along, but you never told?"
Alma crossed her arms. "You believe it would be wiser to inform strangers that I hide monster girls away from a mad priest? That banner in your pocket was enough to convince us that you worked for him."
"It wasn't... hm." He scowled, contemplating her words. "Fine, it didn't look good for us."
"But all is forgiven now, my son has informed me that you have met the girls."
"Yes, he said you guys rescued Na'Vi and Syri. I wanted to thank you for that."
Alma raised her hand to shut him down. "Your gratitude isn't necessary; Emyri's clutter is family to us. I only wish we could have rescued the others in time."
She paused, circling around them to greet a messenger elf who had just entered. "The meeting is about to begin. We must go."
Reta had meant to speak up about her clothing, but hesitated. She held Felix's hand, holding him back when he meant to follow Alma out the exit. He gave her a questioning look, to which she gestured to her robe. He seemed uncertain, the both of them communicating with non-verbal movements about her limited clothing. Finally, he shrugged and gave her the nod, to which she seemed satisfied.
"I would like to change my clothes before we join." Reta informed them.
Alma looked back, eyed her up and down, and shrugged. "As you wish. Don't keep us waiting, the meeting is for you."
KuliKuli looked up as the vines began to retract just as Mesa walked in and looked down on the three cat girls. The eight-foot Golem kept watch as KuliKuli and her sister Dimyri traded looks. Mesa narrowed her gaze, anticipating that they were up to no good. She clapped her hands together, getting their attention.
"Which one of you three is the mommy?" She asked. In truth, she figured out just by observing them alone. Emyri appeared to be the oldest, looking tired as she slumped against the wall with a tired expression accentuating the bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. She also looked to have a bigger build in comparison, to which many soldiers mentioned after a few drinks.
Emyri slowly stood up, raising her chin to lock eyes with the blonde. "I am."
"Good. Boys?" Mesa called out.
Suddenly, a snare pole swept down and snagged Emyri, tightening around her neck. KuliKuli and Dimyri shrieked and jumped in when the Golem fell in and pinned them back against the wall.
"Wait-wait, stop!!" Dimyri cried out, reaching out in vain for her mother.
KuliKuli hissed and slammed her fist against the Golem's arm to no effect. She dug her claws in, hoping to cut its rocky surface, but it did more harm to herself in turn.
Emyri coughed and raised her paws in surrender, keeping her eyes on Mesa pleading for her to stop. Raz had just arrived, alarmed and running up to the mouth of the hole and grabbing Mesa's arm.
"Father said not to harm the girls!" He reminded her, shaking her in his grasp. She giggled nonchalantly as he let her go and turned to the two men holding the snaring pole. "Release her, now!"
"Belay that order!" Mesa snapped, flashing the two men with an icy glare. They seemed uneasy, looking between her and Raz. Mesa directed her look onto Raz in turn. "Father gave us the order to find that cat by any means."
"That doesn't mean harming them, he needs them!"
"Do you see any harm?" She shoved him aside, gesturing toward KuliKuli and Dimyri. "They seem fine to me!"
"Just..." Raz sighed, his shoulders slumped as he looked at Emyri with the snare tight around her neck. "Don't go too far with this, she's their mom."
"Right, she's the mommy." Mesa smiled, jumping down into the pit. She snapped her fingers, the Golem obeying her command and dropping the two nekomata. She knelt down, leaning in close to face the two girls. "She's my mommy now, and she's going to help me. See, your itty-bitty sister has been a baaa~aaad girl, she decided to go off and play hide and seek! It's hard to find a soft wittle kitten out in a biiig forest, so mummy is going to help me find her."
"What?" Dimyri called out, "You can't!"
"Really, I can't?" Mesa pulled back, blinking with a shocked expression. She rubbed her chin while giving it some thought. "Hmmm... I think I can. Mommy says its fine, don't you, mom?"
She skipped over to Emyri, looked up at the pair of men and scowled.
"Are you sure?" One of them asked.
Mesa raised her hand, her middle finger and thumb pressed together ready to snap. The two soldiers gradually loosened their grip, letting Emyri breathe in deep to get some air. She coughed and rubbed her bruised neck just as Mesa leaned in and grabbed her paw. She stared at it, tracing her finger along the ridges of the paw pads. "You're my mommy now, right?" She asked, giving her a pleading look with pouty lips.
Emyri looked over to her girls, seeing them staring in fright. She gave them a small smile before nervously facing Mesa. "Um, yes d-dear. I'm your mother."
"Seeeee? We're family now!" Mesa cheered, looking at the two cat girls before facing Emyri. "And... you're going to help me find your little kitten, right Mommy?"
Emyri gulped. "Y-Yes, s-sweetie. Of course."
"Yayy!" Mesa ambushed her with a tight hug, pulling back and kissing the cat mother in the cheek. She looked back, flashing an evil look at the two girls while her hands slid along Emyri's shoulders. "See? She's going to be helping me find your baby sister. Daddy needs her soon, and what Daddy says, goes. That's what being a good girl means, to make daddy proud. Daddy is going to take you two back home, and you're going to be on your best behavior! He needs you, isn't that right Mom?"
Emyri's lips quivered as she managed to say the words. "Y-Y-Yess, dear."
Then Mesa spun around to face her, hooking her arms behind Emyri's head the way a lover would hold their partner. "But daddy doesn't need you, does he Mom?"
"N-No, he doesn't."
"Which means you should play nicely with us." Mesa twirled in a little dance, pausing to face KuliKuli and Dimyri. "You know, to make him proud! So that Mommy stays safe and happy, understood?"
KuliKuli felt her claws peel through, her fur standing on end as she bared her fangs. Mesa smirked in return, waiting for her to make a move until Dimyri held Kuli down by her arm.
"Yes, we'll be good." She answered, giving KuliKuli a look. "So that mom stays safe, right?"
KuliKuli sucked in her lips, breathing in deep before sinking back in defeat. "Right."
"That's great!" Mesa giggled, clapping her hands. The golem raised its head, offering it for Mesa to climb aboard. She stepped in, pulling Emyri by hand to follow. As the Golem raised them up to the mouth of the pit, Mesa stepped out to meet Raz with Emyri behind her.
"See? No harm done!" She beamed.
Raz shifted around uncomfortably, looking at Emyri's pained expression. "Whatever, just... Father leaves in an hour."
"Okay then, take the girls to him. After daddy leaves, meet me at the main cottage. I've an idea to get out cat girl back and stop these Rangers." She giggled, brushing past him and taking Emyri with her.