Alchimia Rex (023 & 024) (M&M Book 2)

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AN: 8.2K and an enjoyable back in action. I'm back! Fight-on!

[023] [Fire]

Rick’s footsteps traced a circle on the rug, his hands drummed mindlessly against his thighs, his head heavy with too many thoughts. “Eva.” He called out, finally stopping, turning to face the Fledgling.

The pale maiden didn’t react, keeping her gaze locked to a point somewhere near his shoes. There was a strictness about her, something that hadn’t been there before. The martial aspect of it was what gnawed at Rick, like suddenly he’d become some grand general and Eva had accepted the role of a soldier. Where did this come from? Was it because they were in some semi-official setting rather than in private?

“Are you sure you want to do this?” He sent the question out, breaking the silence.

Eva’s neck tensed, her head lowered further. “It is crucial I learn to fend for myself. If I’d been in better control of my powers then perhaps…” Her gaze flickered, just an instant, a slip of the eyes that landed her attention on the scars on his right wrist.

Rick frowned. “Monica will not be very tolerant, of you in particular.”

She didn’t answer, waiting for his cue.

Rubbing at the bridge of his nose, Rick did a quick check to confirm Monica wasn’t anywhere nearby. Through the bond, he could sense she was somewhere near the edge of the tribe currently. “Ears, eyes, and tail. You need to pay careful attention to those.”

The Fledgling raised her gaze with obvious confusion.

“Monica doesn’t do half-attention. Her ears will always point at the things she is listening to. If she points none of them your way, she is not hearing your words.” He pointed at his eyes. “Do not meet her gaze directly, stare at her shoulder or chin. If you meet her gaze and both her ears are directed at you, be very careful of what you say or do.” He then patted his hip. “And if her tail drops, kind of like… like swinging, with a kind of flick at the end. If she does it while looking at you, it means she is angry, but if her attention is elsewhere, then it means something’s making her feel tense.”

“Oh.” The sound came from behind them, Rick glanced over his shoulder at Dia. The armored maiden shook her head. “Please ignore me, sir.”

“Also, she’s not dumb.” Rick turned back to Eva. “Monica doesn’t like talking. Pay very close attention to her words, but don’t assume she’s thinking the way you do.”

With a moment of hesitation, Eva nodded. “Does that mean…”

“Yes, you can go on this hunt of hers to learn. She’s been asking to take some of the tribe with her, but so far you’re the only one who’s volunteered.” His words sent a wave of relief through the Fledgling. The maiden let out a slow sigh. “Talk to the scouts before you leave. I don’t want either of you walking into something entirely blind.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Fledgling placed her hand on her chest and bowed, sharply turning to leave. It was a salute of some sort. The martial overtone of the whole thing left an unpleasant taste in Rick’s mouth, though not as much as knowing something was eating at Eva. Rotating his shoulders a bit. He glanced at the two others in the tent. Yasir and Dia stared back in silence, clearly waiting for him to prompt them.

“Thoughts?”

“Humans becoming maidens is rare, true.” The healer nodded. “But whether it’s from threshold, the curse of Eve, or something else, the new maidens need to become accustomed to the full spectrum of their powers. Fighting some weak ferals is the quickest method to jumpstart the process.”

Yasir stepped forward. “Once acquainted with their powers, it is customary in many places that a more experienced maiden takes the former human under their metaphorical wing.”

“And you think Monica’s the right option?”

“There are no others in the tribe that use elemental darkness.” Dia pointed out. “The problem is that Eva’s variant is blood-energy.”

Rick had read about this, how elemental energy was divided into several dozen types, and each subtype was further divided. Most grating was that the books contradict one another. By the looks of it, there were very intense debates about what made something a “main” kind of elemental energy, and what made something a subtype.

“If I may.” Yasir cleared his throat, stroking his beard and putting on a serene face. “Perhaps, upon their successful return, Fortune willing, we could provide Miss Eva with a task to help her regain a sense of control over her life?”

Dia frowned slightly, but was clearly waiting for Rick to comment.

“I think this hunting trip is part of her attempt to do that. But regardless, she’ll need to help with the tribe.”

“There are plenty of tasks in need of doing.” Dia perked up. “The preparations are coming smoothly.”

“Something I want to reiterate is that we need to change the working conditions in the kitchen and farm.” Rick shook his head. “And I also want to put in place some learning time for everyone.”

“In what way?”

“Classes.” He commented. “From reading to writing, to anything. The tribe has no elders, not officially anyway. Knowledge is important, and it’s clear that things have been running by the seat of their pants for a while.”

“Why would pants…?” Yasir frowned.

“It’s an expression he uses sometimes.” Dia muttered in response.

“Look, the tribe’s going to be heading towards Sinco. We need to acclimate everyone to the potential shift in lifestyle.”

“Learning is a very important virtue.” Yasir nodded. “Though the tribe might not be open to the art of writing just yet. May I propose we start with music?”

Rick perked at that. “Music?”

“I have visited many tribes during my travels. Music has always been something that has been at the heart of their customs.” He made a slight bow. “During my time as a captive, I couldn’t help but notice that the only ones who partook in music were the bandits and not the tribe itself.”

“If you think you can get the ball rolling using that, then let’s go for it.”

A courteous nod. “I will investigate and prepare.”

Rick turned to Dia. “And I’m going to need you to think up some ways that we could incorporate basic hygiene into this whole mess. For the human’s sake if nothing else.”

“Oh, I have many things I’d wish to teach everyone here regarding hygiene.” Her smile had the tightness of a bow ready to shoot. Rick imagined she’d have flashed her fangs had she had them.

Great.

With that out of the way, time to head out.

“Are matters well with the tribe’s Spear?” Yasir spoke before Rick had made his escape, the bearded man’s tone carried a chiding edge to it.

A softly spoken question that had the sharpness of a concealed knife. Rick grimaced. “Hopefully, they will be in about an hour.”

The man perked up. “Is this a joining celebration? Should I start-”

“No celebration, just follow procedure, get the bond, keep on working. We need things to do.”

The expression on Yasir’s face was a mix of shock and horror. But he quickly hid the emotions behind a tentative tone. “Would this have to do with how you came to bond with your current partners?”

“Rick will do things at whatever pace he wants it to be.” Dia dropped with a deadpan, shaking her head. “It’s for the better. Unless we somehow get the ability to eat gold, the tribe’s resources are stretched thin.”

“Exactly.”

Rick didn’t give either of them the time to say anything else and stepped out of the meet-tent. Urtha aside, his biggest concern were all the ferals still trapped in boxes at the edge of the camp. The Vampire had killed some humans and taken just about every collar they could get their hands on. It had left the tribe stretched thin enough some maidens were on collar rotations.

Sinco was not just a hope of conquest. It was a deadline.

He’d agreed to go for Kiara’s approach tonight, but that was something for future Rick to be worried about. Ideally, he’d be able to use Yasir’s and start waking up the ferals by the dozens. But until he learnt how to go about it in that way, something had to be done.

It was with those thoughts in his mind that Rick wandered about the tribe. There was plenty of activity going about. It was clear most of it was in preparation to leave. Maidens packing things, filling out water-skins, and so on. But there were some exceptions to this theme. There were more huts now than before.

Whatever the case, Rick noticed a rather bothersome eavesdropper flying overhead.

“You let the leech leave.” Kiara’s tone was incriminating.

“On a hunt.”

“She’s running away, metaphorically.”

“If all she needs to get her head on straight is some space, I’m more than happy to provide it.” He shrugged. “Your complaint wouldn’t be regarding whatever you did to her, would it?” Rick could almost hear her mouth closing shut with an audible snap. “No comments?”

He could feel her eyes fixed on the back of his head.

Something had changed since the Vampire incident, and it hadn’t been with just Eva. Kiara in particular. Normally, he’d suspect she was only keeping tabs on him, but it was hard to be sure with her.

“What do you know about Succubi?”

Rick glanced back up to her, at the maiden floating, lounging on her own private invisible ride. “The maiden or the myth?”

“You have myths about us?” She perked up.

“Demons summoned out of a hellish plane of existence, beautiful beyond measure, stealing the souls of the men they fuck.” He cracked a grin. “In some interpretations, rejecting the Succubus can cause them physical harm.”

Kiara snorted and rolled her eyes. “And what do you think about the ones of flesh and blood you’ve met?”

“Dunno, I’ve only met one so far.” The shrug came naturally. “And the only thing I know is that she’s a terrible liar.”

She blanched, her body dropping almost a full meter before she caught herself, stopping mid-air and closer to eye-level with him. “If I were to convince you of my ability to lie, you would distrust me.”

He shrugged in response. “I’ll just give you a warning that Eva’s part of the team. Whatever it was you planned, there’s a line now.”

“A line,” she deadpanned. “Do I get a line too?”

“Yes.”

“Like what?”

He considered it for a moment. “Off the top of my head? You can decide when to say no.”

The Succubus snorted, shaking her head. “That is a gift for a weakling. What do you take me for?”

Rick paused, looking at her for a moment. “An ally.”

“Just an ally?”

“What else do you expect?”

That shut her up for a good minute, even though she continued to trail behind him. But silence was golden, and she was expensive. Her feet touched the ground with a soft crunch of dirt. “Tonight, you’ll be bonding with the two ferals your healer picked up.” Her finger pressed against the center of his back, trailing its way down his spine. “Be ready for that.” Her tone was half-way between threatening and alluring.

And Rick wondered why it felt like there had been a question hidden somewhere in her words.

The moment was over when he spotted Urtha. The massive green maiden stood near one of the new huts that had been built over the past day or so. Partially dug into the ground, its ceiling was low for someone of the Orc’s proportions. The green maiden wore an equally green toga that was a size too large.

“You’ve come.” The begrudging acceptance was thick. She gave him a curt nod. “Father.”

“‘Rick’ works just fine.” He nodded in return. “Or is it part of the ceremony?”

“If this ceremony were proper, it would not involve her.” The Orc gestured at the Succubus with her chin, growling.

Kiara stepped forward. “If the human already has others bonded to him, then any of his wives may take part as witness.”

“You’re not…” Rick sighed, shaking his head, turning to Urtha with a questioning look.

She relented, crossing her arms and looking away. “As long as she does not disrupt it.”

The maiden gestured at him to enter the hut, following close behind. Within, he found a large cooking pot, THE large cooking pot. Someone had cleaned the thing and filled it with water. Rick could almost smell the veggie broth, but the water was clear. He could see all the way to the bottom. The thing would have served as a jacuzzi, but Rick had doubts that would be the purpose of its use.

Kiara took one look at the pot, then at Urtha. “You’re missing your fire-keeper.” There was an unnerving certainty to her words.

Urtha growled. “Right.”

The Succubus’ golden eyes followed the green maiden as she stepped outside. “Keep her out of balance and this might even prove amusing.” She chuckled, shaking her head as she moved to lie down at the opposite end of the hut. “Wake me up if things get interesting.”

“You’ve been to an Orc wedding before?”

Kiara shrugged. “Orcs are Orcs. When and where don’t matter to these things.”

They didn’t wait long. Urtha was back again, this time closely followed by a red-headed Hobgoblin, one that looked almost to be Rick’s age. The newest addition to the hut glanced around the dark room until she locked on to Rick and bowed. “Father. It is an honor to be the fire-keeper for the little bean.”

“Little bean?”

“Only Sheel may call me that.” Urtha snarled, shoulders tensing and then easing.

“Her first wedding.” Sheel declared smugly, sitting cross-legged in front of the pot and caressing its surface. Her hands glowed a soft red, a glow that permeated through the walls of the pot and into the water.

Within seconds, the pot had started to boil, and she cut the glow off.

Rick and Urtha glanced at one another. “So…” He awkwardly broke the silence, turning to Sheel. “What am I supposed to do?”

With a growl, Urtha handed him the collar. “Put it on me. And comb my hair.”

“That’s it?”

Sheel laughed, a guttural sound that reminded him of rocks rolling down a hill. “If combing an Orc’s hair was a simple task, I would not be here.” She pointed at the pot. “You will need the water. Urtha has far too much stone and too little grass.” Sheel commented with amusement.

Rick was mostly sure they weren’t talking about literal stones. It was most likely that the elemental energy in Urtha’s body made it so her hair would be too stiff. “So Orcs are stone, and Hobs have fire. What about Goblinas?”

“They are sprouts,” Sheel said. “It is the leaves within us that let us feed from the sun, how we grow our woods.”

“Fire and wood looks like a dangerous mix.”

“More dangerous still when making glow-wood. Too much or too little, too dense or too light, and a human might lose a hand.” She nodded solemnly. “It is easier to learn how to make wood tougher. It is why most Goblinas will grow to become Orcs. Particularly if there are many good fights to be had.” She made a gesture at Urtha. “Not the little pea. She was born an Orc, the strongest the tribe has ever seen.”

Urtha made an affirmative noise, removing her toga and tying it around her waist with little fanfare. The maiden appeared entirely uncaring for the eyes in the room, exposing her thick bush and near spherical breasts to the casual observer.

It was only courteous for him to at least look slightly away and focus on the other aspects, such as how the Orc dunked her head into the boiling water without even a flinch. With a grunt, she used her meaty fingers to work her hair, loosening knots and scrubbing away bit by bit.

“Water’s gonna scald you if you’re not careful,” Sheel spoke.

The words were intended for Rick.

He had little doubt on what’d happen if he wasn’t careful, keeping happy to just watch for the time being. Urtha was moving with experience, dipping her hair into the pot and pulling it back out slowly. Each time, it looked like there was more and more hair, the air in the room slowly growing more humid and hot with every passing minute.

It was a sauna.

“Lots of stone, huh.” He muttered.

“Her head’s full of them.” Sheel laughed, ignoring the glare. “What will be your gift? Do you have any hairstyles in mind?”

Kiara let out a loud snort. “We handle our own hair. Why do you think the cat always looks like she came out of a bush?”

Sheel eyed Rick for a quiet second. “Do you not have familial ties?”

The question brought a somber tone to the room, Kiara was quick to look away, while Urtha eyed him with what looked like… pity?

“I had a large family, and I know several hairstyles. It’s just that we didn’t give hairstyles much importance.” Rick explained.

Sheel and Urtha nodded, relaxing.

Kiara pipped up. “Orcs use hairstyles to distinguish tribal ties. Tattoos and paint wear off quickly.”

“As the Spear, Urtha would be the one to display our tribe’s new style.” Sheel nodded.

No pressure, then. Rick grimaced. “Would you like something short?”

“No.” Urtha declared flatly, eyeing him with yellowed eyes as boiling water streamed down her muscular, green frame. Her black hair was definitely longer than it’d been minutes ago, long enough to be half-way down her back. “If I wanted to look like a man, I would’ve stuck boar-fur to my face.”

“That’s a lot of hair you’ve got there, just saying.”

“Just don’t make it something that will get in my way.”

With a grunt, the tall Orc sat down on a wooden stool, green skin glistening with perspiration. Steam rose from her shoulders and head, giving the impression she’d just come back from an intense workout. Urtha’s hair cascaded down her back and all the way to the ground. Just looking at the thing felt challenging, not just the heat, but the heft. Orc’s hair was dense and coarse.

“This will take a while,” he proclaimed, wary of the heat.

“Use these.” Sheel handed him a pair of thick leather gloves, giving him a rueful smirk and returning her attention to the pot of water, placing a ladle at the edge. “And this.”

Urtha growled. “Get a move on.”

“I wouldn’t anger him if I were you.” The Hob shot an evil smirk as she eyed Rick. “The hair will shrink once it dries. If you braid it really tight, the only way to stop the headaches would be to cut it all off.”

“I will keep that in mind.” He chuckled, sensing Urtha tense, but otherwise not make a move. “Better not squirm too much.”

Was this some sort of mark of pride? There were many things about the culture Rick had yet to unfold. He guessed that an Orc going bald or cutting off her hair was a sign of weakness.

Urtha became still as a statue, her muscles growing taut. It was like touching a steel wall. “Maybe not that tense.”

He couldn’t help but compare the Orc to Monica. Both were incredibly tall maidens, so much so that even on the tiny stool, she was a full head above Rick in height. The two maidens had other similarities, a muscular frame and a lethality about their presence. But that was as far as the similarities went.

Where Monica was strong in a physique similar to a runner, Urtha was closer to a professional wrestler. Where the feline was a body that had grown out of slick curves, the tribal warrior had grown out of a wall of bricks. And though Monica was infested with scars both large and small, Urtha only had a handful, most of her expanse being smooth.

“Can’t take your eyes off of her, eh?” Sheel asked with a teetering smile.

“Leave him to his work,” Urtha let out a grunt.

Rick took the cue.

The gloves were cumbersome; the humidity made it feel like he was inside a sauna, and the Orc’s hair wasn’t just coarse and heavy, but the dryer it became the closer it felt like he was handling metal wires. They had to use a ladle to drench it over and over, the dirt becoming muddy under their feet.

There was one aspect that Rick found interesting, and it was how the hair would shrink and harden like some sort of quick cement, and this process being directly tied to how wet it was. With a couple of attempts, he quickly got the knack of it, and an image started to form in his mind.

“My first scar was against a feral Centaur.” Urtha broke the silence, raising a hand to point at her right shoulder. “The hoof was sharp, it hit at a weird angle. Ripped out bits of bone. The herd got away, and the chief was not happy about it. We fought for hours.”

“Mhm.” Rick muttered, nodding along as he kept his focus on her hair and how it fought against his efforts.

Urtha shifted slightly, letting out a slow breath. She caressed her throat, touching the collar but stopping slightly lower. “My second scar was against the yellow-fang tribe.”

“I remember that one.” Sheel nodded. “You challenged their chief to a fight.”

“I would’ve won if she hadn’t called for her daughter.”

“And in the end?” Rick asked, finding it easier to keep a grip on the hair if he wrapped it around his fingers. How could something so coarse be so slippery?

“She refused to get help.” Sheel chuckled. “An excellent lesson.”

“Do tribes kill in these fights?”

“They tried.” Urtha chuckled darkly, then frowned when she noticed Rick fighting to hold multiple clumps of hair separate from one another. “Do not waste time with pretty things. I do not have the face for it.”

She shook her head, liberating her hair and undoing half of Rick’s work.

He growled, walking around to look at Urtha’s face. The closeness made her tense up. Her jaw was square, tusks giving her an under-bite in contrast to Monica’s fangs, her nose was squatish and her brows thick enough to be bushes. Her skin was the brownish-green color of thirsty grass, her sclera was feverishly yellow, and her irises an angry black. The lines of her face made her look like she had a permanent snarl in place.

But there was a subtle curve to the roguish angles, in her high cheekbones and thick lips, on the way her almond-shaped eyes were large and expressive, in the volume of her lashes. It was a face that hid its expressions behind the naturally intimidating default glare.

“I disagree.”

A thought struck Rick, thinking to Yasir and his wife. Slowly, he reached up to Urtha’s cheek, meeting her eyes as he tucked a strand of black hair behind her clipped ear. There was a tugging within his chest, pulling him closer to her.

This was it, just open up, right? Trust her, love her, just-

TWANG

Like a string breaking in a violin mid-performance, but without carrying actual sound. It only left a sting inside his chest, a sensation that left Rick blinking, while it caused Urtha to tense and pull back. “Finish your work, male.” She ordered brusquely, looking away.

Rick was of half a mind to remind her who was who in the hut, but he was too focused on trying to understand what had just happened. His heart hammered inside his chest like he’d just come out of a marathon. Almost, it had been so damn close. Had he done something wrong? Had it been her? Had it been the timing?

Too many questions, too many variables.

The work with her hair consumed his focus as his mind kept going over the sequence of events. The heat and humidity were chipping away at his temples, his back was drenched, and his lungs felt like they were drowning. Removing his shirt didn’t help, especially when he felt like the eyes in the room were staring at him far more intently.

“You should eat more. Get some meat on you.” Urtha commented under her breath.

He didn’t miss how she made a point not to stare at the scars on the front of his torso. Rather than comment, he just kept fussing over the braids.

“He’s quiet because your tits keep distracting him.” Kiara commented with a smirk. “He prefers them large and perky.”

Urtha’s green face took a slight purplish tone to it. Her focus rose to Rick’s face to read him. There was something the maiden wanted to say, but she blurted something else instead. “Are you done?”

“Just about.” He nodded, glancing at the braid. He was no artist, but he’d made a braid that looked pretty close to a Mohawk. The tail end of it snaked down to her shoulders. It added a fierceness to her features, but in a way that was sophisticated.

After a moment of appreciating his work, Rick decided it made Urtha look a bit like a viking.

“Good.”

The Orc avoided his gaze, shooting to her feet, and slamming her way out of the hut without another word.

“The green giant couldn’t take the heat.” Kiara yawned, amused. She stretched and stood, looking like she’d come fresh out of a spa and beauty salon.

Rick suspected she had a special set of superpowers that were only used to ensure her hair was perfect at all times. It wasn’t even combed, just loosely draping her shoulders and back like a cascade.

He glanced between the two maidens. “Did I do something wrong?”

“I will talk to her.” Sheel looked somewhat cross, but didn’t make further comment.

Kiara waited until the Hob was gone, grasping Rick’s arm and pulling him out into the soothing dry air. “The half-giant’s anxiety messed things up.”

“How?” He asked. “Aren’t I supposed to be some sort of-”

“You can’t do miracles, Rick.” Kiara chided, cutting him off. “For a bond to form, one or both need to feel something towards the other, and the opposite side needs to accept it. It’s why sex makes this entire process so much easier.”

“There’s an entire section of the tribe occupied by ferals that need to be snapped awake.”

Kiara laughed. “So a challenge.”

“It’s not.” Rick was feeling too noodly to stand. He found a shade to rest in while Kiara leaned against the wall of the hut. “So what now?”

“She’s been two days without a bond. I’d say give her three more days, have your cat beat the tusks out of her until her regeneration can’t keep going. And take things from there.” The maiden smirked. “Or you ask me nicely, and I convince her to come to our little bonding session tonight.”

Rick looked her way with a frown. “I need to learn how to form the bond consistently, and quickly.” He brushed his fingers through his damp hair, sighing. “The tribe is important, unity in particular, for the fights to come. But the ferals in the coffins are key to cementing a position in Sinco.”

“Or…” Kiara sauntered over, sitting next to him, soft fingers landing on his knee. “...you ask nicely, and I take care of Sinco.”

With a loud snort, he shook his head. “What, you’re going to put a city on my lap or something?”

“What do you plan to do when the people of Sinco learn of what I am? The tribe knows, word would inevitably slip.” Her tone carried an abrupt seriousness to it, the whimsy gone in a flash.

Rick rubbed his temples. “If they find out and they don’t like it, we punch some faces in. Monica can help.”

Kiara snorted, rolling her eyes. “You truly believe it would be that simple?”

No, it wouldn’t be.

But he had enough to deal with, and not enough information about Sinco to make plans for the future. That lack of information was part of the reason they were going to awaken those ferals.

“We’ll have to handle things as they come, roll with the punches.” With a groan, he stood. “I think I'll rest a bit, and recover my strength for tonight. Take a good long nap.” He glanced at her. “Wanna come?”

The maiden shrugged. “If you want someone to cuddle with, ask your healer.”

Spreading her wings, the Succubus flew away.

She left Rick with mixed feelings over what would await him tonight.

[024] [Safety]

There were several things Rick had learnt about the tribe’s customs over the couple of days he’d been its “leader”. Chief among them was that his position apparently involved a lot more contact with the tribe than he’d originally expected.

“Let me see if I understand this question correctly.” Rick rubbed his eyes, having been woken from a rather pleasant nap with Dia. “You broke into an argument over… the sun?”

“Yes.” Orc and Goblin stood in front of his hut, arms crossed, looking at him expectantly.

“About whether the sun can go out?”

“Yes.” They both nodded.

The Orc stepped forward. “The sun has always been powerful, and gives us life, but in winter it becomes weaker. Even if it gets stronger again, older Orcs say it’s been getting weaker each summer.”

“I say it’s because the older Orcs are old.” The Goblin declared, rubbing her shoulder. “Even if they don’t like to admit it.”

Rick paused for a moment, shoulders slumping. “One sec.” Stepping back into the hut, he gave the half-asleep Dia a peck on the forehead, dressed up properly, and walked out, looking at the two. “I’m going to need a stick to explain this.”

***

“In conclusion.” He underlined the number. “Though it is correct to assume that the sun has a lifespan, the nuclear fusion that fuels it still has about five billion more years before it runs out. At least if it’s anything like I’m guessing it to be. By then, unless civilization has ended itself in some spectacular fashion, then we should have found out some way to get to other places to live in.”

The two tribe-maidens had turned into fifteen, and several of the other maidens had also joined in. The crowd looked at him with a mix of confusion, awe, and horror.

“Questions?”

One of the younger Goblins raised her hand, brown eyes wide, lower lip trembling. “So the sun will… one day go out?”

“The sun is a star, and all stars are born… and die.” His hand pointed at the sky. “It’s just that our sun is far closer to us than all the stars in the sky. So close that its light makes it very hard to see the other stars during the day.”

Another hand. “How large is the sun?”

Rick tilted his head for a moment, considering the thought. He approached the Orc, and picked up a speck of dirt from the ground.

“Do you know how large the world is?” Rick pointed in a random direction. “Imagine you could fly as fast as you could run, and that you could fly without needing to sleep or eat or rest. If you flew in any one direction, how long would it take you to travel through every nation and got back to where you started?”

“About a year, though only so long as they can ignore the weather, and ferals, and things like bothersome border guards.” Kiara’s voice came from above, startling Rick slightly. “So how large is the sun?”

How long had she been listening? He paused for a moment and rushed through the numbers. “If it takes a year to fly around the world… then it would take about a hundred fifty years to fly around the sun. Well, if you can survive the heat, and lack of air.”

“There’s no air!?” someone in the crowd gasped.

“The sun is a gigantic ball of fire, hotter than any natural fire. Were there air, it would burn all that air up.”

Kiara’s golden eyes coursed over him for a moment, then turned to the crowd. “The Father’s wisdom comes from far-away lands.” She smiled coyly. “I am sure his answers have only caused more questions to stir. But the Father has things he must tend to. And so do you.”

The maidens grumbled. Some glanced at the scribbles Rick had put on the dirt with severe attention. The Succubus took hold of his arm, pulling him away from the crowd. “And here I thought you were avoiding me.”

“Why?”

Her tail caressed his hip. “No reason.” She purred. “You know how it is with us maidens.”

Rick laughed. “I don’t think I do.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She whispered, caressing his forearm, drawing circles with a soft touch. “There’s a job in need of doing, right?”

“I… guess?” He frowned. “You’re acting weird.”

“Nothing weird here.” The Succubus cooed, leaning closer, pressing her sizable breasts against his arm through the dress. “Just looking to show some appreciation.”

Was there an angle? Or was he just being paranoid? He couldn’t sense that she was putting up a mask, nor that she was lying. But it still felt like there was something that wasn’t quite right. Maybe it was just him.

He wasn’t about to complain. “Lead the way, then.”

Kiara’s grin broadened.

Her wing stretched out, covering his shoulder and tugged him closer to her. The leathery surface was warm, like a towel that’d been under the sun all day. Rick raised a brow, but said nothing, following along as she meandered through the tribe.

The route she took was a beeline that avoided the other maidens, instead swerving him through the emptier places. “Your smile is dazzling.” She declared with a soft whisper, fingers tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. “You should show it more often.”

Rick blinked at her, not sure whether he felt flattered, but he was certainly confused.

Kiara pulled her hand away, returning it to his forearm. “Your talk about the sun was interesting. Did you study the stars?”

“I did, when I was younger.” He glanced around for a moment.

“I have a privacy screen. No one can hear us.” Kiara reassured. “Why were you interested in the stars?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? I liked fireworks, and stars are sort of the biggest fires in the universe.” Rick shook his head, following her lead. “What about you? What did you do when you were young back in the day fossils walked the earth?”

Kiara scoffed. “I was a princess of a far-away place!” She spoke with a tone of exaggerated grandioseness, like she was performing before a crowd. “I spent every night looking at the stars from my silver tower. My father gifted me with a kijker, just so that I could have a better view.” The Succubus bumped her hip against him. “This is the part where you call me a liar.”

He returned the laugh. “What was the name of the kingdom?”

There was a strangeness to her expression. “The name was lost, long ago.” The tone was whimsical, but there was a forced edge to it. “Conquered, ravished, and erased.” The maiden nudged him to walk. “You look like a man who prefers a book with some good wine.”

“Can’t say I’d ever turn down either of those things.”

At his acknowledgement, she opened the door to a fresh-looking hut at the edge of the tribe, and as they stepped inside, Rick had to pause and blink to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.

Silk curtains covered the hut’s interior, so thin they were almost transparent. Their colors mixed in an array of pigmentation. Red was the predominant thematic, with golden inlays and blueish curtains. There was a singular massive pillow at the center, with a dozen soft lights floating throughout the room.

And in the very far edge, inconspicuously tucked out of the way, were two of the coffins that contained the ferals.

“Where did you get all this?”

“The Vampire didn’t leave just some armor behind.” Kiara clicked the door shut, hands glowing for a moment against the frame. “Do you like it?” Her golden irises were studying him.

“I can’t say I’m used to being the one on the receiving end of these sorts of things… was this the reason Monica refused sex this morning?”

“The healer mediated. We came to an agreement.” Kiara shrugged nonchalantly.

“She still hates you.” Rick frowned. “How in the world did you convince her?”

“Hating someone and doing business with them are two entirely separate things.” She put her hands on her hips. “I’d rather not make you feel you were a transactional prize to be bartered for. Could we move on to the fawning and gawking instead? All maidens love having their efforts appreciated.”

Rick decided he didn’t want to know the details. “You really didn’t need to go this far for… this.”

Kiara let out a teetering laugh, slipping back into script. “The decorations were a spur of the moment. Now that we are talking about the matter, how do your people usually seduce men?”

“It’s usually through little things, a batting of eyelashes, a soft touch, a little more laughter.”

“Your women sound very manly.” The Succubus paused for a moment, then shook her head. “Though if you’re all humans, I guess that makes sense.”

Rick gave her a look. “I think I liked it better when you were trying to seduce me.”

“That would assume I have a chance of failing.”

He stepped closer, meeting her gaze, the aristocratic curve of her nose, the blue hair cascading around her almond-shaped face. “I meant to ask, but have you been changing your appearance?”

She stepped forward, reaching out to grasp his hips and pulling him closer. “You tell me.” Her nails scratched deliciously at his abdomen. Her touch teased its way up, until she’d helped him remove the shirt.

Those golden irises coursed over his exposed chest. The intensity of her gaze softened as she traced the irregular patterns with warm fingers. Her lips curled slightly, regret flashed across her features.

“Apology accepted.” His declaration startled her to look back up at him.

Kiara frowned. “And what would I be apologizing for?” She scoffed. “You’re the one that should thank me. They look good on you, they add a cute maidenly roughness to your-”

The kiss silenced her. She wrapped her arms around his chest, silken fingers moving down his back, honeyed lips laying claim to his own, her tongue pushing into his mouth and invading it, aggressively tasting him. His own focus was on undoing her dress, fumbling with the knots that held it together.

Both of them pulled away, her tongue remaining inside his mouth for a moment longer than he’d expected. The Succubus gave him a sly smirk, forked tongue flicking at her collarbone before retracting into her mouth. “Can’t handle little old me?” With a shimmy of her shoulders, she freed the soft pink skin from the dress.

“More old than little, I’d say.” He shot back.

“You mean these?” She moved back to the attack, using her forearms to push her hefty breasts upwards, increasing the cleavage. “A trick of the eye. These clothes do me no justice.”

He sidestepped, reaching up to grab at the dress, face so close he could make out the black speckles in the gold of her irises. “Then better take it off.” He whispered. She assaulted his mouth as her dress dropped.

The Succubus did not have a stitch of clothing underneath, only creamy silken skin with plump curves. His hands explored her body as her tongue did his mouth. Hers was a figure that had all the curves in all the right places, plump and taut. Yet it was her breasts where the generosity of her figure was most pronounced. They overflowed around his hand, his palms practically sinking into their warm embrace.

“Feel how eager I am.” Kiara smiled as she shifted her hips, pulling his hand to the warmth between her thighs. Rick groaned as she returned the favor, grasping the bulge in his pants and giving it a squeeze. “Do you want me?”

He didn’t get to respond. The Succubus assaulted his mouth once more. His fingers only found warmth and wetness. Kiara let out a soft cooing sound at his exploratory touch, shuddering, pushing him down to the large pillow.

Free from her assault, it gave him a chance to get a better look at her. Where her body felt like a silky pillow, it looked like someone had ripped it out of some horny teenager’s fantasy. A homely figure without a blemish. “Don’t.” He spoke, noting as the maiden had shrunk her wings, horns, and tail.

Kiara hesitated. “What is it?” She wondered tentatively. There was an edge to her words, an uncertainty.

“No need to hide.” He stretched out his foot, trapping the spade-tip of her tail between his toes.

The maiden scoffed, flicking azure locks of hair over her shoulder. “Who says I was hiding anything?” A bump of her hips and the tail escaped his grasp. The maiden floated down to straddle his lap. As she did, her wings flared out, the appendages enveloping their heads and removing the light. Only her glowing irises remained. “Maybe it should be you who hides from the monster.”

Rick reached up, clasping her horn in his hand and yanking her head backwards as he sat up, forcing her wings to move out of the way. “I don’t see any monsters here.” He used the leverage to twist her head so that he could assault her neck with nibbling bites and kisses.

The maiden’s strength faltered, and Rick turned his focus to his free hand, grabbing her ass and pulling her closer. The Succubus adjusted herself automatically, her warm wetness pressed against his cock. They shared a soft gasp.

“Rougher.”

Her voice spoke in a hesitant whisper, and he obliged. Rick bit into her neck, the hand on her ass moved to locate her tail and wrapped the leather appendage around his fist, pulling on it until she moaned. His skin tingled, the air around them becoming thick and charged. Not too far away, he heard ruffling against the boxes. Kiara shuddered in his arms, then relaxed. A soft trembling sigh told him she’d just came.

The Succubus pulled away, looking at him with a hungry smile.

“What is it?”

“You are the first human that can withstand that.” Her wings spread wide, practically twice her height. She almost looked like a dragon, body glowing a soft purple, her touch electric against his skin. “Anyone else would be… well, you will see soon enough.”

Rick squirmed, feeling the Succubus slowly grinding her sex against his cock. “I feel you’ve been holding back some information…”

“Does it matter?” she cooed, a wide smirk on her face as she increased the pressure, humping him. “You want this, I want this. That’s all that matters right now, Rick.” She reached down, caressing his chest. “And we both get to let loose.”

Let loose.

His mind spun through the handful of weeks since she’d “joined” the team.

Kiara derailed his train of thought, reminding him of what his position was exactly, raising her hips so that his cock poked at her entrance. “Let me show you the monster.” She declared, biting her lip and impaling herself on him one delicious inch at a time.

The tightness was agonizing, Rick’s hands grasped at the pillow with a white knuckled grip. The Succubus leaned over, forcing her tongue into his mouth, uncaring of how tightly he clenched his teeth. And as she bottomed out, cooing into his mouth, the maiden grabbed his hand and put it on her ass, at the base of her tail, the other against her chest.

He squeezed, and she pulled up, pussy suckling at his shaft and fighting for every inch, refusing to let go. Rick clenched, gripping at the tender body with everything he had, gasping for air. Kiara took it all with a moan, shuddering around him, cunt rippling and tightening, demanding his seed.

With a supreme effort, Rick pushed off the cushion, spinning them around. If she was going to drive him insane, then it would be under his terms.

The Succubus liberated his mouth just so that she could moan. The maiden wrapped her legs around his hips, preventing escape. Her warm hands caressed his chest, his neck, his face.

“More.”

He met her demands, pushing deeper into her and groaning as her nails dug into his skin.

“Harder!”

Her body was glowing a brighter shade of purple. His skin was crawling, body feeling hot flashes that made him feel like she’d trapped him in a volcano. The human could only pull out half-way before her legs would tighten and push him back inside. The groans turned into moans.

The pace moved from a slow rhythm into an incoherent rush. Desperation pushed him to wildly hump into her. Her tits flopped wildly as they rutted, her tail squeezed his hand almost as tightly as her pussy. Orgasm came and went, a searing flash that washed through them.

And he was no more satiated than when they began.

Rick’s mind spun its wheels with no traction, leaning down to maul her breasts with his teeth, gnashing and biting on those plump nipples with abandon. And all Kiara did was demand, more, more, always more.

By the time he recovered his senses, he was lying on his back, and someone else was on top of him. His vision was blurry, but his cock was hard, his body burned, and a woman with black hair and dog-ears was being lowered onto his dick. The face was familiar, though right now hers was an expression without focus, eyes delirious and weakly humping at the air.

“The first little gift.” Kiara was holding the maiden by her thighs, tail wrapped around the base of Rick’s shaft and aiming at him as she lowered the maiden. “All nice and drained. Practically a puppy, ready for someone to take her leash.”

Rick moaned again, sinking into the pillow. Where Kiara’s pussy was tight, this one was a pulsating wet mess. Trying to get his thoughts in order was fruitless. He could only reach up and maul at the new maiden.

“Here, just like this.”

Kiara’s touch led the maiden to her knees, and Rick to continue fucking her from behind. It was the Succubus’ touch that put one of his hands on the canine’s tail and the other in her hair.

“Harder.” she whispered into his ear. “Bond her, bend her.” Her tail squeezed the base of his shaft, Rick pushed. “Conquer her.”

“Kiara…” He whispered.

A devious smirk followed her momentary surprise. She kissed him once more, caressing his hair with one hand, pushing his hips to claim the maiden underneath. He could feel her through the bond, an impression that washed against him like the gentle waves of the sea.

For a moment, he was certain he heard a voice. It was singing. Was it Kiara’s? Or the Hound’s? His brain was being inundated with alien sensations from every direction outside his own body.

Then the orgasm crashed through him, and something else reached out within him. A burst of emotion that left something new in its trail, something that led to the black-haired maiden slumped on the floor in front of him. It was a bond, weak and fresh, but impossible to miss.

“That’s it…” Kiara cooed, her feelings were exposed, pride and arousal above all others. “Breathe, recover your strength. There is still one more to bend over.”

Rick grimaced a little, flopping to her lap, breathing in the scent of sex. “Damn.” He muttered between gasps.

“Something wrong?” There was only a touch of concern in those words, her fingers caressing him, filling him with… she was using her power to restore his stamina?

He shifted to get more comfortable. “Think I’ll get a chance to try the other way?”

Kiara scoffed.

Now it was his turn to ask. “Something wrong?”

“Yasir is a man that comes from the Golden Sands.” Her finger trailed down his chest, reaching for his crotch. With a flick of her finger, his cock sprung back to life, drawing a groan out of him. “I have been there. It is a land where humans are the pets. It is there that maidens rule with powers that bend minds and hearts.” She grasped at his length, slowly pumping him. “They teach men to cower and fear and obey. A land without kings.”

Rick grit his teeth, fighting to push the words out. “Does that matter?”

“Some lessons are best learned through experience, but you will see my point in time.” The Succubus laughed, her golden eyes shone softly as she took a claim of his lips. “For now, enjoy the night. You’ll have plenty to worry about once morning comes and the two feral bitches wake. You had many questions for them about your next target, right?”

“Don’t remind me.”

He kissed her again, moving to pin her to the floor. Kiara obliged.

It would be a long night.

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