Illusionistquest Chapter 1: Open Minded

Chapter 1

“The mind is a strange and wonderful thing. It’s active all the time, processing information, reacting to what the body sees, hears, smells, etc. Then it tells the body what to do in order to survive, thrive even. But that’s not all it can do, no, the mind is capable of imagination, dreams, the ability to see and feel far beyond what is real, or even possible. The mind, when it works properly, is what makes life worth living.”

The man closes the book in his hands, an old and worn tome, its letters faded from the passage of time. He sighs and sets the book down, staring out the window as he says, “It’s a beautiful quote, don’t you think?”

“You’ve read that quote like, a thousand times already. I’m kind of getting sick of it.”

The man turns his head, his worn face tired and unamused. He isn’t that old of a man, as he is only forty-five, but time has taken a toll upon his complexion, his face strong, yet covered in worry lines, his black hair streaked with gray. He is tall, perhaps 6’3″, and has a sturdy build that isn’t overly muscular, though he does fill in the casual shirt and pants he wears quite well.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he walks up to the other person in the room and speaks in a firm voice,

“You’re an Illusionist, damn it, you should treat this seriously.” He lowers his hand and his green eyes flash cold as he looks down at the poor lad before him, a man of twenty-two years with an average build and a crop of short, brown hair that does nothing to hide his blue eyes.

This young man is an Illusionist, though at the moment an apprentice. This man, is you.

You roll your eyes and lean back in the chair you’re sitting in, resting your legs up on the table for balance. “I do take it seriously, which is why I’m seriously tired of hearing the same thing over and over. I’ve already been doing this for… what, five years with you? Shouldn’t we do more, I don’t know… illusions?”

The man narrows his eyes and you feel the chair under you shift, causing you to lose your balance. You flail your arms, trying to right yourself, but you fall anyway, crashing backward to the floor as a sharp pain echoes up your neck. You cry out from the shock of the fall and glare at the man.

“What the Hells! Why did you push me, Richie?”

“It’s Richard you little shit, and if you couldn’t tell that was an illusion, then let that be the answer to why we shouldn’t do more illusions.'”

You growl and pick yourself up, righting the chair. It hadn’t actually tipped backward, but your mind thought it had and so, in your reaction to such a thing, you actually did tip over the chair. A frustrating prank, but it got the message through.

“Fiiiiiiine Richie, fine I get it.”

Richard sighs before sitting down and shaking his head. “It’s Richard… you know what, no, it’s Mr. Dennerman.”

You roll your eyes. Such a stickler for formality your master is! “Oh very well great Illusionist Dennerman, pray, forgive this wretched apprentice for his transgressions.”

A smirk comes to your face as you feel a tugging at your mind, your master once again trying to cast an illusion upon you. You weren’t paying attention before, which was your fault to be fair, but this time you’re prepared and, with a mental gesture, you stop it.

“Ha ha!” you shout, raising a fist triumphantly toward the floor. Wait, the floor? What the Hells is- oh no.

You flail around again in panic as you drop to the ground, the wood planks of Richard’s home coming for your face. “This is an illusion,” you say to yourself, “Just an illusion!”

A moment later you find yourself standing where you were before, a mild sense of vertigo causing you to stumble. Aww Jackor damnit, he still got you. He always gets you.

As your stomach settles, you shoot a glare toward him but instead of gloating, he just holds his head in his hands and mumbles. You grit your teeth at the sight. Damnit, that didn’t push him that hard, did it? Walking over, you put go to put a hand on his shoulder, but before you reach, his hand shoots out and grabs your wrist. You stare at him in shock as his eyes gaze into yours, his vision unfocused, as if he doesn’t see you in front of him.

“Woah, woah, old man!” you cry out. “It’s me! Your apprentice- hey snap out of it!”

He pauses, vision focusing at your words. Eyes blinking, he drops your hand and sighs,

“Thanks.”

“I was worried there for a moment, that it had finally… you know.” You shuffle about, feeling uncomfortable with the subject.

“That the madness had gotten me? No, not yet boy, not from something like that.”

“It’s not fair you know,” you say, gritting your teeth as you do, an old anger welling within you. “That we would be born with these powers yet have to suffer with the knowledge that using them will drive us insane.”

Richard chuckles, though it is devoid of joy. “Yes well, that is the great joke that Jackor has played upon us, isn’t it? Granting us power over the minds of humans and Monsters alike yet cursing us with the slow degradation of our own minds. The Trickster God plays us like fiddles, and we can’t help but dance to his tune.”

You sigh, looking down as you remember one of the first lessons Richard taught you when you were introduced to him for training all those years ago.

Illusionists are a type of sorcerer, albeit extremely rare. Though they are limited in scope to only one form of magic, unlike a Wizard, the things one can make others believe are nearly unlimited.

Those weak of will or those in a situation to find the illusion believable can fall prey to it, the magic working directly upon their minds to influence their senses. They truly think that they can feel, hear, touch, taste, or smell whatever the Illusionist likes. Of course, making a Hellhound appear before someone under the sea would be so incredulous that most people would easily see through the illusion. But what if a Shark Girl appeared and took a chunk out of someone’s leg? What if their mind felt the agony of the bite and truly believed that it been ripped off, that their blood was draining fast into the water and that the body was dying? Would the person die?

In such a situation, the answer is yes. The mind is so powerful, it could kill itself. No other spell caster, not even Wizards or the Monster Lady herself, can do this level of illusion work. All others are pale imitations.

There is, however, a cost to anything. A sorcerer requires mana crystals, a Wizard uses their willpower and stamina, and a Monster Witch needs the rich semen of men. An Illusionist on the other hand, uses their own sanity. The more complex the illusion, the more they must push against mental defenses, and the more they have to struggle to be believed, the greater the strain it puts upon them. Eventually the madness grows too great and… well.

“You going to be alright?” you ask, helping your master up.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Well, no I won’t be, but you know what I mean, Darcy.”

“That’s… not my name.”

He pauses and cocks his head. “Oh, right, right, that was my pupil before last… let’s see, you’re… Fiora?”

“That’s a girl’s name, and no, she was your last pupil.”

“Ah shit. She was a damn good Illusionist, best pupil I’ve ever had.” He frowns, deep in thought before giving you a quizzical expression.

“Who are you again?”

You open your mouth to reply when you hear a knock at the door. Both of you look to each other in surprise before Richard walks over and opens it. On the other side of the door stands a Crow Girl, messenger bag slung over her shoulder. She salutes to Richard, her disorganized black feathers falling everywhere on her brown flying leathers, embroidered with the words, “Royal Mail.”

“I have a message for Mr. Dennerman!” she says, her words overly formal.

Richard shakes his head. “Clarissa, you don’t have be so professional around me, you know that.”

“Sorry sir, but orders are to treat all customers with the respect you’d pay to your superior post officers!”

You wave a hand to the Crow Girl. “Hey there Clarissa, how’s the weather today?”

Her eyes snap to you and a crimson blush spreads over her face. “It… it’s f-fine!” she stammers, fidgeting with the mail bag over her shoulder. You have to admit, the girl is cute in a childhood friend kind of way. She isn’t overly attractive, not like many of the Monsters whose feminine features are more pronounced, but she does have a certain charm. Maybe if she’d prune her feathers and comb her hair once in a while…

Richard smirks before coughing into his hand. “Anything else, dear?”

Her eyes snap back to Richard and she blushes even deeper. “N-no sir, just another letter f-from Sanctifrond.”

He laughs heartily before shaking his head. “Alright, you better be off before you get so worked up that you lose your balance flying. Tell your mother I said hello.”

“Will do sir!” she says, giving you one last look of embarrassment before turning suddenly and leaping into the air, flying off to her next destination.

Richard watches her before slowly turning a sly smile to you. “She’s a nice girl.”

“Fuck off, you’re not my dad.”

“And you best be glad for that. Anyway, I’m just saying, you know, maybe if you wanted to branch off here and there…”

“Come on, you do this every time she shows up.”

“Well, maybe if you would stop pulling that snide attitude, I’d stop giving you shit.”

You shrug your shoulders. “You know that being a mischievous little bastard comes with the territory of illusions.”

Richard grumbles, conceding the point. Leave it to Jackor, the asshole who gave you your powers, to also ingrain a personality trait to make Illusionists cheeky bastards who looooooove pulling pranks. Seriously, if you ever meet this God you’ll give him a few choice words.

“Well let’s see what we have here,” Richard says, looking the letter over.

“Another informant?” you ask, looking at it curiously as he opens the letter.

“Yes, keeping track of the other Illusionists, making sure no one is causing troub-”

He stops, then re-reads a certain section, his face growing more and more concerned. You furrow your brow as well. You’ve never seen him act like this after reading one of these reports, which he received on a regular basis thanks to either the Harpies of the Royal Mail, or ley-mail. Occasionally he’d leave, never saying why, but you know it’s because he had to perform a rather depressing duty.

As the oldest living Illusionist, it’s his responsibility to keep the others in line, to aid them when they’re in trouble… and to put them down before their madness grows too dangerous.

You’ve seen him look severe, or tired, but never this grave. You lick your lips before asking slowly, “What is it?”

He lowers the letter, eyes haunted. “It’s Fiora, she… she’s succumbed.” He turns his gaze slowly to you, and you shiver in response. He takes a deep breath before speaking softly,

“I don’t think I can do it alone this time.”

 

Chapter 2

The house grows quiet as Richard looks at you, his eyes searching yours. You look down, a tidal wave of emotions flowing through you at his request. Eventually you take a deep breath, calm yourself, and hold up your head to say,

“Sure, sounds good to me. Guess I better get packing then?”

Richard blinks a few times, his expression one of pure bewilderment. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

You nod your head, walking over to the desk and searching for useful items. Should you bring your notebook? It’s mostly filled with drawings of dicks and other bullshit though… You speak while searching, “I said let’s do this, let’s get going!”

A hand grips your shoulder and you turn about to see Richard staring at you with hard eyes. “Boy this isn’t a fucking joke for once, this is very serious.”

He takes a deep breath, “Fiora was my best pupil and she could be very, very dangerous. You could very well die! I could very well die!”

“Then why ask me to come?”

“Because…” He pauses, then shakes his head. “Maybe I just felt it’s time for you to see what you’ll have to do some day.”

“Uh huh,” you say, frowning. He meant to say something else, didn’t he? Well, whatever, he’ll always kept his secrets. That’s the way of the Illusionist, isn’t it?

“Tobias Shady,” he says in that commanding tone of his.

“Hey, you got my name right!”

“Got your name- Jackor damnit, look, I’m asking you to help me kill someone!”

“Yeah, I know. You remind me of the fate of an Illusionist every day, how could I not know?” You reach down and grab your knife from the desk. Why you’d hide a [Hunting Knife] in your desk, not even you know. You’re pretty sure you just left it there one day, which makes sense because you’re criminally lazy.

Pulling the weapon out of its sheath, you look it over before pointing the blade toward your Master. “I’m not exactly thrilled at the prospect of having to kill someone, but… it’s been so long since I came to this little town that the thought of going on an adventure is exciting!”

“Adventure?” Richard sighs, shaking his head. “I told you, most of the stuff in that story is obviously made up.”

You sniff with indignance. “The Grand Wizard’s story is one hundred percent true and you know it!”

“He said that he shit on the Lord Commander of the Order of the Heroic Brotherhood.”

“Yes, and?”

“And that he rode a tidal wave of shit in Feldergrod’s sewers.”

“That was so cool.”

“And that he made a daughter from the head of a Temple Guardian and various chemicals.”

“You know that Saya is real, come on!” you sigh in exasperation. Richard had never believed the more fantastical events of the Grand Wizard’s quest to defeat the Monster Lady. He did, however, have to admit that the stories are based on reality. Without the Grand Wizard and his companion’s triumphs, the world as you know it wouldn’t exist. It’s not an exaggeration to say that those actions paved the way to the greatest peace between humanity and Monsters that Deleor has ever known.

In addition, he found and reinstated the science of magitek, the creation of magical devices, which had revolutionized the world. True, many of these advancements are still too expensive for the common man, but from the magitek limbs he crafted for the Wanderer to the massive leyways, his works spread far past just killing some Dragon. Even if the ending of that battle was super cool. Plasma is just great, right?

Every child these days grew up reading the story of the Grand Wizard, especially you, so the prospect of going on an adventure had always appealed to you. Of course, this is probably nothing like that, you’re just making a quite jaunt to-

“Hey, where are we going anyway?”

“Note says she was seen near Loveura.”

Jaunt to Loveura… wait a second.

“Loveura?” you say, eyes sparkling. “Isn’t that the garden city with all the beautiful waterways, plants, and hotties?”

Richard rolls his eyes. “Yes, but we’re not in for a pleasure trip.” He smirks. “Besides, what would Clarissa think of you saying something like that?”

“Jackor damnit, she just delivers the mail, stop trying to play matchmaker.”

“Heh.” Smug bastard.

You growl and stomp off toward your room. “I’m going to pack my stuff now!”

“Just remember that this is business!” he shouts after you. You pause on the stairs, out of his vision, listening as he mutters, “Just… business.”

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that he isn’t looking forward to this. Of course, why would he? As far as you can tell, this is the second pupil he’s had to put down, and the first time messed him up really bad. What would killing his favorite pupil do?

You look down at the knife again before sighing and entering your room. It’s small place with a simple bed, chest, and writing desk larger than the one in the lecture room. The place is fit for a bright and appropriate student. Of course, you managed to make a total mess of the place, as cleaning is overrated.

A quick search about the room reveals your [Rucksack], into which you toss in some clothing, mainly simple shirts and trousers. Some notebooks and writing utensils go in next since you bet Richard will try to make you learn or something as you travel. You look around, annoyed that you can’t find your- ah, there it is!

You reverently place a well-cared for, signed copy of [Wizardquest] with footnotes by the Ascendant in your bag. Okay so, it’s not actually signed by the Ascendant, but you’d like to pretend it’s her signature. Ah, this book brings back a lot of memories, some better than others. But you’d rather not dwell on the past when you have such an exciting future ahead of you, right?

As you retrieve the book, you find it was on top of your Communion Glass. You groan as you realize that leaving means you’ll lose access to the Communion Matrix. Sure, Port-o-Glass devices are common these days, but you aren’t exactly made of mana crystals or money, and Richard would never buy one for you.

With a sigh, you stroke the device and whisper, “farewell, my friend.”

You look around the room one last time, realizing that you really don’t own that much. Huh, guess you never figure that out until it’s time to let it go. And yet it feels like something is missing. Searching the only place left, you find what you’re looking for.

Hiding under the sheets of your bed is a decent sized bag with some weight to it. A quick check confirms that all the contents are there- that is to say, all the sand. Some would ask why you kept a bag of sand on your person, but some people don’t understand how useful it is. Certainly, it’s an odd curiosity you purchased from a far too happy traveling salesman with the little bit of pocket money Richard gave you, but a well-made investment.

You nod your head, satisfied that you’re well packed. Not that it took you very long, all things considered. Someday you’ll have nice things that are yours and yours alone, but that day is not today. Not letting that thought get you down, you leap down the stairs, positively brimming with energy.

“Adventure!” you shout, bursting into the room where Richard is finishing sealing some papers in envelopes.

“No,” he says, glaring at you.

“Fair enough,” you reply, shrugging. “Kind of a stupid thing to shout anyway.”

“Then why do it?” he asks, standing up and tucking the letters into the breast pocket of his coat. He sighs and steps over to you, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Anyway, you ready?”

“Yes sir!”

“Sir…” he says, grumbling before shouldering a bag of his own. “Alright, before we go, I need to go hook up Craig to the cart.”

“Aww, we’re not taking the leyway?”

“What, you think I’m made of money? We can’t just ride the leyway willy-nilly.” He smirks. “Besides, I’d trust a good ol’ horse-drawn cart far before those magitek monstrosities.”

You huff as he ushers you outside. Darn, you’d really like to ride a leyway, but he’s right, they’re rather expensive, though one of them would get you to your destination quickly, comfortably, and stylishly.

Besides, they’re super cool!

As Richard locks up and goes to the stable out back you look over the town of Kasin. It is, as far as you can tell, your average town in the Kingdom of Deleor. Just another place with mostly wooden buildings surrounded by outlying farms.

Like most towns these days, Kasin has a decent Monster population, and they get along very well with the humans. Supposedly it had been like this even before the current Monster Lady, but you wouldn’t know, it’s not like you were born here. Over the years though, you’ve come to think of it as more of a home than your own. Although given the circumstances surrounding the start of your tutelage with Richard, you would find a ditch more of a home than that place.

Dispelling those thoughts, you stretch and watch the sky as birds and Monsters fly back and forth. What things would you see on your trip? What mischief would you get into? The world is a large place, and damn it, you’re finally getting out to see some of it. The endless possibilities of your adventure almost make you forget the grim business you’re on.

The sound of shod hooves on the packed earth comes from behind. Turning about, you smile to see Craig, the big, dumb gelding that Richard keeps around. He’s a lazy thing that is an absolute bore to ride, but he has a good back and can pull the small cart that Richard uses when he travels all day if he has to.

You toss your [Rucksack] into the back, jostling the equipment loaded within. It appears Richard had packed various camping necessities and whatever in there, which means you’ll be sleeping outdoors on your journey. Just like real adventurers!

Shaking your head, you vault up into the cart next to your master, who sighs at you once again. It might as well be his form of greeting.

“You ready for this?” he asks once more, hands tight on the reins.

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you really, really sure?”

“Well…”

“Jackor damn it.”

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,”

“Seriously, Tobias, that question was largely rhetorical, but what in the name of Jackor did you forget?”

You scratch your head, thinking about it. Everything is packed, right? You have your [Rucksack], even your [Pocket Sand]! What could you possibly-

Oh Hells.

“YES. YES THERE IS SOMETHING I HAVE FORGOTTEN!” you shout as you leap to your feet.

Richard eyes you with that characteristic expression of “what’s he trying to pull?” Just because you try to pull tricks all the time doesn’t mean he always has to be suspicious… well, alright, it does, but he should know better than anyone

“I’ll be right back!” you shout while hopping out of the cart, your boots kicking up dust as you land.

The door to your room bursts open as you beeline straight for your Communion Glass. You activate the runic matrix to power the device on, though it’s an older model and the speed of this process is less than desirable.

“C’mon, c’mon…” you mutter with impatience. It’s stupid really, it’s not like Richard is going to leave without you, right? Nah, he won’t do that… right?

Your Communion Glass finally makes a humming noise as it becomes active. Without wasting a second, you weave some runes to access your runic library. This clever rune allows a forgetful person to check what matrices they’d scried, in case they wanted to return to it later. Unfortunately this means anyone who accessed this device could see what you’ve been doing, and you may or may not have been to some compromising matrices. Having someone find out you were on a Grand Wizard RP matrix makes you more worried than your mission.

Anyway, you unbind all of that and power down the device again. Now your secret is safe! Chuckling to yourself, you quickly turn about and knock over some papers onto the floor. With a grunt, you pick them up and return to the desk to find something else you’d forgotten.

Apparently, hidden under the papers was a small, wooden figurine of a bear you found when you first came to Richard’s place that you lovingly called, “Bearsy.” You never really cared that much for the thing, but he always had a habit of turning up when you needed someone to talk to. You don’t remember seeing him on your desk earlier though…

“You have to go back,” a voice whispers in your head.

Surprised, you whirl about, looking for the source of the voice. After searching around the room and seeing no one, you frown before shrugging and tossing the bear into your bag. Maybe it was Richard using some illusion on you or something. Freaky things happen around Illusionists and you’re not one to complain. Much.

With [Bearsy] safely stored away, you power off the Communion Glass before sighing and heading back downstairs. Placing a hand on the front door, you stop and look around one last time. Man, there were some memories here, huh? Well, not like you’ll be gone for very long. Richard never is gone for very long with these things.

You lock the door behind you and mount back up onto the cart. Richard merely shakes his head.

“Okay, now are you ready to go?”

“Yes, I am ready, really ready, and really, really, ready.”

“Good because I’m going anyway.”

“Wait, what about the-”

“Don’t care,” Richard says flatly before cracking the reins and spurring Craig forward.

You stare off into the distance, your eyes bright with the prospects of adventure. This is it, this is your time, the adventure you’d always wanted. Taking a deep breath, you prepare yourself for your destiny.

 

Chapter 3

“Oh. My. Gods. This is boring,” you say while hanging off the side of the cart, watching the ground as it rolls slowly and painfully past. You figured that there were bound to be down times when traveling and such, but you this is another level. The open, sunny landscape dotted with trees and plains is just so… so… ordinary!

“Wow Tobias, I’m shocked, you went a whole twenty minutes before complaining.”

You glare at Richard, who has a smug smile on his face. Bastard. He just whistles softly as Craig plods along. It’s excruciating for you, in more ways than one, and you sigh, flopping over in your seat.

Richard grunts, “Well, if you’re so bored, why don’t you tell me about the principles of illusionary theory? We do have four days until we reach Loveura as it stands.”

“Uhhhhh,” you say, eyes sliding off to the side as you notice something shifting in the grass ahead of you. Your eyes narrow as you watch the movement, the shape getting closer and… oh goodness, is this a Monster attack?

Bolting to your feet, you draw your [Hunting Knife] and point toward the grass. “Look out, there’s something coming!”

Richard looks over to where you’re pointing, confusion on his face. He stops Craig with a tug of the reins before scratching his head and focusing on the grass. Another rustle sounds and out from the grass emerges a Slime Girl!

Her body is made of a green ooze, her form resolved into that of a young woman in her late teens with a beautiful face. In one, sticky arm, she holds a basket filled with various herbs and other plant-life. She blinks in surprise at you, then to your knife.

“Oh, hello there Tobias, going somewhere?” she asks, confused.

You stare at her for a few moments before comprehending how you must look, one foot on the side of the cart, the other pointing a knife at her like it’s a sword. You feel acutely embarrassed all of a sudden. This isn’t helped by Richard’s snickering.

“Oh. Hey Yvette,” you say, sitting down while trying to keep the embarrassment off your face.

“You… okay there?” Yvette asks, cocking her head. “You seem kind of… uhm?”

“I’m fine…” you mumble.

“He’s just an idiot,” Richard says, shaking his head. “Anyway, we’re heading out to Loveura on business.”

“Ohhhh, Loveura! I’ve never been, but it sounds lovely!” She smirks at you. “You behave yourselves, you hear?”

“Yeah…” you say, sinking lower into the wagon.

Richard waves goodbye to the Slime Girl and nudges Craig to move again. You get out of earshot of Yvette before Richard turns to you, shit-eating grin on his face.

“I don’t want to hear it,” you say.

“What a hero you sure are.”

“I said I don’t want to hear it!” you groan, pinching between your eyes. Jackor damnit, you’ve already made a fool of yourself and Richard is NEVER going to let you live this one down.

“Hehe, alright, alright. As payment, you have to not complain for at least, oh, another hour.”

This is going to be difficult.

A few hours later you’ve managed to not complain (much) and the sky is beginning to shift to the late afternoon. The trip so far has been incredibly boring as you haven’t encountered another person after running into Yvette. You tried to sleep, but you were way too embarrassed to even do that. In the end you merely settled with reading [Wizardquest] again.

Richard sighs and rubs at the back of his head. “Hey, Tobias… look, I didn’t mean to call you out like that.”

“Yeah you did.”

“Well, maybe a little, but I didn’t mean to be so rude about it.” He shrugs. “I just want you to take this a little more serious is all. It’s good to see this as some kind of adventure, but… the world isn’t like in your book. Things are boring, or difficult, and sometimes they don’t go the way you imagined.”

You look down and mumble, “I know that…”

“I hope so, because I’m not going to be around forever. You need to learn how to fend for yourself.”

“I guess so…” you sigh, looking back out the front of the cart as the grass ahead shakes. Great, another person you probably know. Well, you aren’t going to embarrass yourself this time!

“Hey Richie, look, someone else is ahead of us.”

Richard turns his head before furrowing his brow. “We’re too far away for anyone from Kasin…” He slows the cart again, expression wary, which sets you off as well. You slide your hand to your [Hunting Knife] again as the grass parts.

A lithe figure walks out before the cart, a wicked smile on their face. She’s a Monster of average height and a slim build, dressed in an assortment of leathers. She has brown furred arms and legs that match the set of cat ears atop her head and the long, sinuous tail behind her. A Cat Girl? Weird, you don’t know any Cat Girls…

“Good evening gentlemen!” she says, sharp teeth glinting in the afternoon sun. “Pleased to make your acquaintance today, but I’m afraid we’ll have to cut this conversation short.”

She pulls out two daggers from her belt and twirls them in her hands. “I’m afraid this is a cat burglary, and you’ll be giving me all your possessions, if you want to live that is.”

Richard looks the Monster over, his expression growing unimpressed, then bored. He turns over to you to say something before pausing. A smile comes over his face as he crosses his arms and then shouts to the Cat Girl, “You may take our possessions, but only if you can defeat my apprentice!”

You slowly turn your head over to your loving, caring, wonderful, would-never-sell-you-out-to-some-random-fucking-burglar, master.

He smiles at you and points to the Cat Girl. You give him a death glare that would make the Great Hero blush. He merely smiles wider.

“Are you two gay or something?” the Cat Girl asks, scratching her head. “Because you’re looking at each other like you’re gay or something.”

“Well, he’s never had a girlfriend,” Richard says, shrugging.

“The fuck!” you shout at Richard before spinning about to the Cat Girl. “I’m not gay!”

“Oooookay,” she says, looking uncomfortable. “Look, I was just joking, but don’t be so defensive kid. Dollora, you smell like a virgin too.”

You blush furiously as she puts a hand on her hip. “So, I have to defeat you huh? Like, in what? Stabbing you? I don’t actually want to kill anyone, but I mean, it’s obviously not a total waste if I off you, right?” She looks to Richard, who shrugs.

“Some mentor you are,” you grumble before sighing. As far as encounters go, this could be worse, she could have just attacked without chatting you up. Wait, why is she chatting you up anyway?

Concerned, you furrow your brow and realize that while you were talking, she was subtly moving closer to the cart. The graceful way she moved her, admittedly attractive, body, was lost in her words. You grit your teeth, realizing that you were being played. That’s not how it works when dealing with an Illusionist. The Illusionist is the one who plays you!

“Woah, woah, hold on there,” you say, holding up your hands. She pauses and cocks her head, feline ears twitching while her eyes watching you warily.

“Now, I really don’t want to get stabbed today, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to be stabbing anyone.”

She shrugs, “Eh, I could take it or leave it.”

“I have a proposition for you then.”

“Eh?”

You reach into your [Pocket Sand] and grip a handful of the soft grains, pulling it out slowly. As you do, you exert some of your magic onto the Monster, influencing her perceptions.

Her eyes light up and her ears twitch softly, a smile coming to her face.

“Oh, ho, ho, so you’re looking to bribe your way out of this, hmm?” She flashes a smile toward Richard. “Some apprentice you have there.”

Richard shrugs again, though his nose twitches. You ignore him, keeping up your ruse, although it is a little off-putting as for some reason this sand smells like freshly cut roses mixed with daffodil juice. Well, at least it’s not chili powder again… Anyway, this is a very simple illusion you’re using to make her think it’s just coins, barely uses any concentration to perform. She expects coins in a pouch, she gets coins in a pouch.

You hold up your [Pocket Sand] and say, “Look, this is all the money I have, see? I’ll just give it to you if you leave us alone.”

“You know, I could have just taken it anyway.”

“Yes, but now you don’t have to stab anyone.”

She considers this for a moment before pointing toward the cart with one of her knives.

“What’s in the cart?”

“Wheat.”

“Wheat?”

“Wheat.”

She frowns, circling around the cart to look inside it. She grunts before looking up at you. “Wheat. Dollora, you’re just a bunch of simpleton farmers aren’t you?”

You shrug, impressed that you were able to add the second illusion so quickly. It’s a little more difficult to keep both up at once, but again, she seems quite willing to believe such a simple explanation. Richard nods behind you, smug look on his face. Seriously, this guy…

The Cat Girl sighs and walks up to you, pointing a knife right at your head. “Alright, hand over the money.”

You look resigned before sighing and holding your hand over her outstretched palm. As soon as you’re about to drop the “coins,” you quickly fling the aromatic sand into her eyes.

“AWWW FUCK!” she shouts, staggering backward and dropping one of her daggers, hands clawing at her eyes. She screams a furious mrowl before dropping to her knees and desperately trying to rub it all out, though due her furred hands, she’s failing, and quite miserably.

“Well done,” Richard says, putting his hands back on the reins. “Neutralized her without any bloodshed and only a little bit of embarrassment to yourself. Looks like you have learned something.”

You watch the Cat Girl writhe in pain on the ground. Man that has to hurt, especially because these Monsters generally have a powerful sense of smell and that sand was extremely aromatic. Well, since she’s in agony you guess you can leave. It’s unlikely that she’ll follow you and, even if she does, you could probably trick her again.

However…

Sighing, you hop down from the cart. Richard groans, “What are you doing?”

“Oh, she hasn’t learned her lesson yet,” you say, squatting in front of her, her face a mess of tears and sand. She swipes at you, but you block the clumsy blow, catching her hand in yours. Gently, you close your fingers around hers and she gasps.

“W-what are you doing?” she mewls pitifully, watering eyes smelling of fresh flowers and desperation.

“Do you know what your first mistake was?” you ask quietly, still holding her hand. She begins to search around for the knife she dropped, but you move it aside with your free hand.

“What are you talking about?! You threw coins in my eyes and then it became sand? Aggghhhh what the Hells?!”

“Your first mistake,” you say, shaking your head, though she can’t see it, “was calling it a ‘cat burglary.’ I appreciate the joke, but a burglary is the act of entering a building to commit theft.”

“What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”

“Your second mistake, was calling me gay.”

“Dollora damnit,” she says, slumping, hand still in yours. “You’re not going to shut up, are you?”

“Your third mistake, was trusting everything you could see with your eyes.”

She sneers, “Well, I can’t much see now, can I?”

“No, you cannot see with your eyes, but instead, try seeing with your heart.”

She goes silent for a moment before whispering, “Are… are you hitting on me?”

“What? No, I… look, anyway, I feel for your predicament. Tell me, why did you go to the life of crime? Was it because of your crippling illiteracy?”

“Huh? I can read you idiot…” She squeezes your hand, the fur soft against your fingers. “And it’s none of your business.”

“But it is. You see, I am not a simple farmer.”

“By Dollora, what a revelation.”

“You see, I am a man of God.” This is technically true, as you are a man of a particular God.

“Oh good, I tried to rob a Priest of Solos, of course I would.” She smirks. “What, did you throw Monster killing sand in my eyes or something? Going to make me blind before it kills me?”

“No dear, the sand I threw in your eyes is not harming you, but instead it is awakening your true feelings.”

“M… my what?” She begins to shift uncomfortably. “Y-you’re talking nonsense.”

“You never wanted to be a burglar, did you? You wanted a simple life, to find a good husband, to have a family and live in peace.” You sigh, “But that didn’t happen, did it? Things got in the way, scuffles with other Monsters, problems with your mother, the works.”

She sniffles, “How could you know…?”

“So you turned to crime in order to survive. Oh child of Dollora, what a sad life you live. If only there was some way to turn you to the road of righteousness.”

“Is… is there no hope for me?” She says, grasping your hand with both of hers “Please, show me the light!”

Fuck, you don’t even have to use an illusion for this one. This poor girl really does have a hard life, doesn’t she? Well, you’re committed now.

“Have you heard the good word of The Grand Wizard?”

“The… Grand Wizard? That guy who’s married to the Monster Lady?”

“Yes, my child, yes.”

“I mean… I guess. I’ve heard some stories, but mostly about how he killed Monsters.”

“The Wizard giveth and the Wizard taketh away.” You shake your head and place your free hand to her face, gently wiping away the sand. She slowly opens her eyes, tears still falling as her poor sclera are bloodshot. Ouch, that really has to hurt.

She sniffs, looking at you. “The Wizard would… forgive me?”

You smile softly, “Of course he would.”

She smiles back, a blush coming across her face. “I can’t believe what a fool I’ve been. I should have found some honest work instead of going off to do something stupid like robbing people.” She laughs, the sound choking some on tears. “Cat burglary? That sounds so stupid!”

She looks back up to you and then down to the ground. “T-thank you.” She squeezes your hand a little tighter. “You know, you’re a real nice guy…”

Oh hmm. You didn’t mean to push her this far. You try to rise, but her hands grip yours like an iron vice. She smiles, “Hey, do you think you could stay for dinner or something? I have a few provisions we could share, you know, if you want to…”

“Hey there!” Richard shouts from the cart, “Are you trying to poach my man?”

The Cat Girl looks up to your Master and frowns. “Huh? I thought you said you weren’t gay!”

You shake your head, screaming internally. Fuck him, fuck him, fuck that wonderful piece of shit. “I’m so sorry, but as it turns out, we are. We just don’t… like to tell people.”

She slowly lets go of your hand before sighing. “Figures. First guy I try to rob turns out to be a gay Priest of Solos. Mother always warned me about this.”

“Apologies.”

She shrugs, “It’s fine, besides, you’ve set me back on the path I should be on.” She stands shakily, rubbing at her eyes again. “Thank you. Will we meet again?”

“Only God can say.”

Both you and Richard wave to the Cat Girl as he drives the cart away, the sight as sappy as one would expect. The moment she’s out of sight however, you punch him in the ribs hard enough to make him grunt.

“You bastard.”

“Love you too, honey.”

Neither of you talk to each other until you stop for the night to set up camp, which consists of some sleeping rolls laid out in the back of the cart. You set up a small fire beside it in order to cook a simple meal of beans and pork.

“Look, I’m sorry about the whole gay thing.”

“Ugh.”

“If I didn’t say anything you might have gotten raped right then and there.”

“Mrmph.”

“Look, even though Monsters aren’t as powerful as they were twenty years ago, she could still have pinned you down and had her way with you. Once that happened, you probably couldn’t have escaped her.”

“Flurgh.”

“And then she’d be your wife, and you’d have kittens with her, and while they’d be adorable, it would really get in the way of our little trip.”

You roll your eyes. “Then why do you keep trying to set me up with Clarissa?”

He points his fork at you. “That’s mainly me having fun. Look, I’m not averse to you dating or anything, but I don’t want you forced into a marriage. Besides, it was a good lesson for you to learn. Turning up the charm can be very powerful, but you need to know your limits or else what seems like a perfectly good plan can backfire on you.”

You sigh. “I get it, I get it.”

He smiles and ruffles your hair. “Still, great job out there. That was handled like a true Illusionist.”

You look down at your plate before closing your eyes. Well, you’ve had your first encounter on this “adventure,” and it wasn’t anything like you thought it would be. It was exhilarating to overcome an obstacle, but you were terrified the whole time. What if she didn’t buy your illusion or your speech? What if she actually attacked you? So many questions swim through your mind, but you dispel them as you reply to your master’s compliment.

“Thanks Riche.”

“It’s Richard.”

“Blow it out your ass.”

He just smirks and polishes off the rest of his dinner, a glimmer of something that could be pride in his eyes.

 

Chapter 4

After finishing your meal, Richard has you head to sleep as he’ll be taking the first shift of watch. This is one of the things you’ve been looking forward to because night watch is the time when all the crazy stuff would happen to the Wizard. Those were the times when Selene would appear to speak with him, their love growing stronger and deeper as the trek became more dangerous and- well, you find it difficult drifting off to sleep as you think about all the fun you’ll have later!

Of course, when you are awakened what feels like five minutes later, you have you drag your weary body over to the fire and wait for something to happen. And wait. And wait some more.

Alright, this is actually boring, isn’t it? This isn’t an area with many feral Monsters these days, which means your chances of running into something other than boring old bandits is slim. Given nothing else seems to be around, you’re left sitting by a crackling fire in the warm night air under an open and starry sky.

Which, as stated before, is boring.

Thinking back to your earlier encounter though, do you really want to be attacked? Hrm… probably not. Well, at least that Cat Girl wasn’t trying to murder-rape you like the Monsters in the story. Perhaps it’s best just to count your blessings.

A few beads of sweat trickle down your face, prompting you to wipe them away with agitation. It has no business being so warm out this late, and the droning buzz of insects is really starting to become loud. It almost seems like the longer you sit here, the louder the buzzing becomes.

Actually, that’s getting really loud, isn’t it? Have you ever heard buzzing that loud before?

You furrow your brow as you try to trace the source before looking up as something large drops out of the sky in front of you. Shocked, you only have a moment to notice large, translucent wings buzzing in the air before a cloud of tiny, stinging insects swarm you. With a cry, you slap at them as they bite you, drawing blood with each you crush. A chuckle comes from the larger figure before you, and you look up while still swatting at the bloodsuckers.

“Hey, that’s not nice! My little sisters just wanted a snack!” the Monster, for it could only be a Monster, says, crossing her arms over her petite body. “Not many men are out here at night, it’s almost like you’re asking me to feed off you.”

You gulp, scooting backward while still swatting. A Mosquito Girl? Part of you regrets calling the evening boring earlier.

The Mosquito Girl is short, perhaps only 4’5″ with a lithe, petite body. Her arms and legs are made of a delicate-looking chitin, both of which are banded black and white. She has a mostly human torso, but behind her is an insectoid abdomen which seems somewhat deflated and, on her back, are delicate, insectoid wings that flitter to keep her aloft. Her face is distinctly human, but her eyes, red as blood, and the antennae atop her head suggest that she is anything but.

She chuckles, voice that of a young girl, though with a buzzing quality to it. Or maybe it’s just the mosquitos getting into your head. Oh Gods, they’re not actually in your head, are they?

“Mmmm, I can smell the blood in you,” she says, reaching forward to touch your chest, right over your heart. Even through your clothing, you feel the alien nature of her chitin finger digging into your skin, as if even her digits are trying to drain your blood. “Pumping so strong, so hot! Hey, won’t you let me have a taste?”

It’s so hard to think with the buzzing, the mosquitoes, and the itching! Damnit, where is Richie? Shit, you can call for him to help, he’s only like, ten feet away, but would she drain you of more than your blood before he could?

Besides, the bastard would probably just roll over and tell you to deal with it on your own. Right, right, gotta think, gotta think and- damn her fingers are like those of a fucking skele…ton…

Ahhh, of course. That would work, wouldn’t it?

“I don’t think you want to do that,” you say preparing the plan in your mind. This might be a little complicated to pull off, but it’s all you can think of at the moment.

“Why not? I’m a Mosquito Girl… you’re a human full of delicious fluids… what else is there?” She opens her mouth to reveal a set of wickedly sharp teeth to emphasize the point. Aren’t mosquitoes supposed to have suckers or something? Fuck that looks a lot more painful!

Well, no time like the present to save your ass, so you exert your power upon the Mosquito Girl. Immediately she jumps back from the fire, because in her eyes, it had just leapt higher, the light and heat coming off it far more powerful than before. Confused, she looks back at you, wings fluttering fitfully.

“W-what was that?” she asks, concerned.

“Do you believe in ghost stories?” you ask calmly before reaching out a hand toward her.

She stares your hand, and you can see the worry start to grow in her eyes. Good, good, now is the time for fear. She licks her lips, “Well, yeah, Ghosts are real and everything…”

“Well you’re in-! Oh, wait, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for.” You shake your head, annoyed at her going off script. But getting back on track, you quickly grab her wrist, which makes an odd, crinkling sound under your fingers. Ugh, bugs are so gross.

She goes pale, the blood she so covets draining from her face as your skin start to fade away, your hand becoming little more than bones grasping her tightly. She shrieks and tries to pull back, but you’ve got her held firmly in your skeletal claws.

“L-let me go!” she squeals. “I want off!”

“The ride never ends!” you cackle, your skeleton illusion obviously working. It’s a little tiring to do, but the more scared she gets, the easier it becomes.

“Don’t you want a taste? I’m afraid I don’t have blood, but I do have delicious bones. Would you care for a humerus? Personally I think it tastes funny…” You cackle again, having a little too much fun with this.

“W-why are the mosquitoes still biting you?” she asks, still trying to pull away.

The… mosquitoes? You blink, looking down to see that mosquitoes are still swarming over you. Oh Hells, you’d forgotten about them. Given their less than sapient nature, they aren’t affected by your illusions, and in your planning you forgot to make them vanish to her senses. Shit, you can see her starting to question the scenario, and if you don’t do something quick, she’ll shatter the whole illusion!

Nothing for it then. You let go of her arm, grab her shoulders with both hands, and shake her like an alcoholic beverage. Her head flings back and forth, and she screams in terror as you scream back at her. Having done this, you have assured that she is too freaked out now by the mosquito laden skeleton screaming at her to even consider that maybe mosquitoes don’t feed on skeletons. Or why a skeleton is here. All she knows is she wants off this ride.

You stop your shaking suddenly and stare into her eyes, which swim in their sockets, unfocused. “Do you hear that?” you ask, smiling a skeletal smile.

“H-hear what?” she says, tears in her eyes.

“Bats!”

Her face grows even more pale, if that’s even possible. “Bats? No!”

“Yes! Stay with me, won’t you? I’m sure they’d love to meet you and your friends.”

She takes a frantic look at all her mosquito friends before shaking her head violently.

“No… please, just let me go.”

“Let you go, you say? But you were so happy to be here!”

“Please…”

Alright, that’s enough fun for now. Besides, you don’t want to push your luck like earlier. You release her and she hops backward, rubbing at the tears on her face. Giving her a skeletal smile causes her to blanch and then leap into the air, flitting away with the cloud of mosquitoes behind her as you wave goodbye.

You wait until she’s a good distance away before dropping your illusion and slumping down, feeling a minor headache as the reward for your actions. This is the first time you’ve had to perform an illusion in a situation like this, and while your heart is racing, you also feel exhausted. Jackor damnit, and you thought you wanted to have encounters like this at night. Some grand adventurer you are…

“Hmm? Oh the buzzing is gone,” Richard says, hopping out of the wagon and stretching. “Was kind of comforting actually. What did I miss?”

“You can’t seriously have been asleep that whole time.”

“Well, I was until you started screaming about rides never ending.” He swats at an errant mosquito. “Damn little things are annoying, aren’t they?”

Richard frowns and asks, “You alright?”

“Just a little annoyed now.”

He studies your face before nodding and laying back down in the cart. “Don’t strain yourself, alright?”

“I know, I know,” you mumble, picking up a stick and drawing in the sand. “You don’t have to keep reminding me.”

Richard says something you can’t quite hear before the sound of snoring fills the air. With a sigh, you stare out at the night sky, taking watch a little more seriously for the rest of your shift.

 

Chapter 5

Morning comes painfully slow, something that the Wizard never described in his story. You even re-read those parts to make certain you didn’t miss anything, but you were forced to admit it was most likely he didn’t write about it. Who wants to read about the hero bitching over how boring things were?

When first light finally comes you awaken Richard and the two of you have a simple breakfast of biscuits and dried meat before setting off once again on the cart, though you promptly fall asleep shortly after setting off.

A few hours later, you’re rudely awoken to Richard elbowing you in the side. Grumbling, you look up as he points to something ahead of you. There’s a horse-drawn wagon coming toward you, with a man and a woman in the driver’s seat and some children in the back, surrounded by various objects, enough to fill a house with.

You frown at your Master before yawning. “What’s the big deal? It’s just wagon.”

“No, it’s a family in a wagon.”

“So?”

He rolls his eyes. “What is rule number two of being an Illusionist?”

“The audience is ignorant?”

“That’s rule number one.”

“Oh uh…” You think about it for a second. “Stay observant?”

“Yes. Now then, why would a family be traveling south from Loveura with all their possessions?”

“Moving, I guess?”

“Yes, but why? Loveura has amazing farmlands, and work in the gardens isn’t hard to come by. Why would they travel south?”

“I don’t know. Something scared them?” It comes to you a moment later. “You don’t think Fiora-?”

Richard nods and waves at the other wagon as they approach, stopping Craig as the man does the same with his, admittedly, nicer looking horse. The two men nod to each other before Richard asks, “Ho, fair traveler! What brings you out to these parts?”

The man chuckles, though it lacks any mirth, “Moving out to Kasin, heard it was nice these days.”

Richard nods, “Oh it’s quite the lovely town.” He points the way they came. “You folks coming from Loveura? How are things there?”

The woman looks down and grips the baby in her arms as the man shakes his head. “You… might not want to go there right now.”

“Something wrong?”

The man frowns. “Nothing yet, just… strange things occurring. The mayor has been implementing some odd policies all of a sudden and people say they’ve started seeing shady figures in town. Rumor has it theft has become rampant.” He grimaces and looks to Richard.

“I’m just a simple farmer, I just want peace for my family is all.”

“I understand. Well, safe travels to you and yours, there’s been some Monsters on the road recently.”

“Aye, so we’ve heard. They don’t seem to care much for married men round these parts,” he chuckles. In return, his wife slaps his arm and he gives her a placating smile before tipping his hat and snapping the reins, spurring his horse forward.

You watch them go as Richard rubs at his chin, musing. “What is she doing…?”

Richard shrugs, “I don’t know, but those are the questions to ask. Guess we’ll find out when we get there.”

“By the way, when is…?”

“At this pace? Two days after today.”

You slump back in your seat, sighing, “Great…”

The rest of the day was uneventful and you make camp near a small river, one of many which connect to the larger Yangrove river which runs through Loveura. The soft sounds of water gently flowing by is relaxing, despite the supplemental lessons that Richard is forcing you to endure.

Of course you know who the First Maestro was, he was the greatest Illusionist who ever lived, managing to even fool a Monster Lady into diverting her Horde through a narrow valley where an ambush by the Deleorian Royal Guard destroyed them utterly. The Lady herself and all of her Temple Guard were caught in the deception as well, ending the Sixth Monster Invasion shortly after it started.

For his prize, he went mad like all the others and almost caused a civil war before being put down. Another grim reminder of your fate. Richard is really hamming up this recently, but you’re only on your first journey, and recent events show that perhaps you should listen to him.

“Hey, I’ll take first watch tonight,” you say to Richard as he finishes washing your utensils. He watches you curiously before shrugging.

“Don’t want to chance running into another Monster, hmm?”

“Well, I mean.”

“Good, you’re learning.” He stretches. “I’m tired anyway. Wake me up when the fire dies down.”

You nod to him and he hauls himself into the cart before falling asleep, leaving you alone again in the warm night air, save for all the damn mosquitoes buzzing about. Sighing, you pull [Bearsy] out and look at him.

“Oh [Bearsy], you’re my only friend,” you whisper to the tiny bear sculpture in your hands. His black eyes stare into your soul, as if trying to say something to you, the feeling more intense than it was before. Unbidden, the words, “You have to go back…” flash through your mind again, though a shake of your head dispels the feeling. You’re not that crazy! Not yet anyway.

Needing a distraction, you walk over to the river and stare out across the gentle waters and rolling plains beyond. It all seems so peaceful, you know? Even a stone tossed in the water would only cause a temporary ripple before flowing on as if nothing ever happened. Perhaps that’s a lesson you could stand to learn.

And you have a feeling that you’re going to learn a lot on this adventure, one way or another.

Your quiet introspection is disturbed as an unexpected ripple appears in the dark waters. Curious, you lean over the river only to fall back your ass as something flies to the surface, splashing your feet with cold water.

“Woah! Sorry there!” the shape says, which you realize a moment later is that of a woman with short, brown (you think) hair, and small, folded ears on her head. The rest of her body is hidden in the water, but it’s obvious she’s a Monster.

“Didn’t mean to startle- heeeeeey, you’re a human!” she says, smiling. “Oh hey, you want to come for a little swim?”

“You’re not going to rape me, are you?” you ask, doing your best to make some distance.

“Well of course I am, silly!” she says, lashing out with furred hand, tiny claws digging into your leg to keep you in place. “Heh, you’d be OTTERLY wrong if you thought otherwise.”

Otterly? That’s a weird- oh of course, she’s an Otter Girl. Heh, funny. Your moment of realization is cut short when she pulls backward, dragging you over the edge and into the dark waters of the river before you can so much as shout.

You feel cold, so very, very cold as the waters engulf you. Even though the night air is so warm the water did not seem to get the message. Shocked by the transition, you’re unable to stop the furred arms pulling you close to a muscled torso.

Though you try open your eyes to see what’s going on, you feel yourself being propelled up and down through the water. The jarring shifts make it impossible to get your bearings, or your breath. Boy is she going to have a hard time raping the corpse you’re about to become if this keep up.

As soon as you think this however, you hear a roaring sound as your head is thrust upward out of the water. You instinctually take a deep breath, blinking water out of your eyes and you thrash about, trying to get loose of your captor.

“Hey now! Woah big guy! You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?”

“AHHHHHHHHHH!” you scream. This needs to be said, because it must convey the true depths of your screaming.

“Calm down! You don’t want to attract frogs!” she says before pressing her lips to yours.

You scream into her mouth for a few seconds more before you feel light-headed from the effort and take notice of her lips. They’re wet, warm, and soft, more so than you’d imagine lips could be. Despite the gravity of the situation, your body starts warming up and you feel an uncomfortable tightness in your trousers.

Guess you’re not a kissless virgin anymore, huh? Well, still a virgin, but if she has her way, not for long.

Of course, you could just let her have her way with you. It’s not like you’d lose anything if she did, and it would probably be easier to just give up instead of fighting. Sure, there might be complications like her keeping you as a husband, but at the moment, not drowning seems like a good compromise. It’s fine, right? Richie probably wouldn’t even be upset.

“What would the Grand Wizard do?” you think to yourself. “Would he allow this to happen?”

No, of course he wouldn’t. Being raped by some random Otter Girl, while it wouldn’t ruin you physically (probably) or magically, it would ruin your spirit. What, are you just going to submit to any ol’ Monster that comes by looking for a ride?

No! You won’t allow it to happen! You have to think of something, anything to get out of this!

She pulls back, breathing heavy and allowing you to suck in some air. She chuckles, “Oh, woah, you taste wonderful! I wonder how the rest of you tastes…” A smile crosses her face and you feel your body forcibly dragged through the water, cutting off your train of thought. Though prepared to be underwater again, you’re taken off guard as she switches her grip and throws you onto a mud bank, covering you in wet earth.

You flip about to see her leap forth from the water, her lithe body shining in the moonlight before it lands upon you, pinning you in place. Despite the only light being that of the moon, you can finally see her clearly.

She’s about average height, though shorter than you, with a lithe, shapely body drenched in water though her clothing repels it. The two piece “swimsuit,” covers her breasts, groin, and little else. Even these days such outfits are rarely seen outside aquatic Monsters and the esoteric high fashion of nobility.

Her arms and legs are coated in thick, bristling brown fur from the elbows and knees down, ending in webbed fingers and toes with small, black nails. Atop her head are tiny ears set into short brown hair, and behind her is a medium-length, thick tail covered in that same fur that waggles as she looks down at you.

“You ready for this?” she asks, her head over yours, apple-sized breasts heaving she breathes.

Out of time. Well, this might be a stupid plan, but probably not worse than becoming a skeleton. You take a deep breath and say, “Yeah, but let me set the mood.”

“Oh? OH!” she squeals as you shoot your arms forward at her with all the speed and might in your person. Your hands reach her faster than a speeding Hawk-Harpy and she gasps as you assault her with… belly rubs.

“Ah…aha…ahhhnnnn!” she moans as she falls off you, her arms and legs curling up into herself as she rolls onto her back, her face becoming flushed. She begins to honk and click softly as you continue your rubbing, your slick hands roving across the smooth, toned skin of her abdomen like an oiled rag over metal.

“Ehhe, heheheh, hahah!” Her eyes roll back into her head as the stimulation takes over her. It was a gamble, and honestly you were just trying to buy more time, but Hells it paid off, at least for now. Turns out Otter Girls LOVE belly rubs.

Under your assault, her legs start rubbing together and her breathing takes on a quality that makes your cheeks flush. Realizing the danger, you look about to find you can no longer see your camp. Which means Richie isn’t going to be able to find you either and the moment you stop rubbing her belly, she’s going to be on you like Mouse Girl on cheese.

You try to think of something, anything you’ve learned about otters and, by extension, Otter Girls, from your time in the Communion Matrix. Uh, let’s see, they’re great swimmers, very athletic, can be shy at times, and there’s something they can’t resist… Shit what was it?

All thoughts stop as she suddenly grabs your arm, her breath coming out in a ragged pant. “I-I need you in me, now!” she wheezes, water streaming from her face as her mud-slickened body writhes in pleasure.

Wait… water, that’s it!

Fumbling with your free hand, you open your [Bag of Sand] and thrust it inside. Her eyes go wide and you withdraw it and say, voice shaking,

“Can I interest you in a watermelon in these sexy-times?”

What she sees in your hand is a slice of watermelon, red and ripe, with a thick, firm rind. Truthfully, there’s nothing in your hand, but in her emotional state, she’s not able to think clearly enough to question the absurdity of it.

She extends one hand toward it before pulling back and licking her lips, looking down at your pants before back up to the watermelon and asking, “W-where did you…why do you-?”

“I like watermelon,” you say, voice growing calmer as your training kicks in. “I always keep some on me.”

Her eyes flit between you and the illusionary melon before biting her lip and then snatching it, hurriedly chewing upon it. Tears stream down her eyes, but she can’t help it. She has no otter choice.

Thank you, useless information on the Communion Matrix! Taking your chance, you push away from her and dash upstream to where camp should be. Of course, you promptly slip in the mud and land on your face. Terrified and mortified, you turn back to see her crying profusely as she munches into the illusory melon.

“I hate this!” she shouts. “Why would you do this?!”

Uh oh, the illusion is almost complete, but it’s enough to get a head start on your escape. Stumbling a few more times in the slick earth, you make good distance away from her before the illusion fades.

“Tobias!” You hear in the distance. “Tobias where are you?!”

Richie is… awake? Thank the Gods! You follow his voice until he appears from a copse of trees near the riverbank. Relief washes over you at the sight of him, your steps faltering as safety lays just ahead.

“Run you fool!’ Richard shouts however, sprinting toward you.

You cock your head, confused, before whipping around to see the Otter Girl, bounding along on all fours toward you. Your eyes go wide and you struggle to start moving again, running as fast as you can toward your master, the frenzied sounds of the Monster getting ever closer.

Sweat dripping from your brow, mud flying everywhere, you slip and crash into the ground before Richie as the furious Otter Girl catches up. Summoning your power, you flip about to try and ward her off when you feel a ripple of magic and see your master’s eyes flash green.

Panting, you watch in stunned silence as the Otter Girl comes to a dead stop, thrusting all four feet down into the grass, her momentum throwing up chunks dirt of as her eyes lock upon Richard’s. She just sits there, staring at him with slowly widening eyes, the two of them seeming frozen in time. A moment of confusion passes across the Monster’s face before a look of utter horror replaces it.

“No… That’s not… p-please,” she whimpers before cringing backward, then crying in terror. She puts her webbed hands to her head and wails before dashing to the river and leaping in with a loud splash, disappearing soon after.

Richard’s eyes return to normal and he staggers to a knee, one hand going to his head. He begins to mutter to himself softly, chuckling every so often as he does. This lasts until you shake the man and shout, “Hey! Get ahold of yourself!”

He groans under your ministrations before blinking in confusion and whispering, “Tobias…?”

“Yeah! Damnit, I don’t know what you did, but you crazy bastard, it worked!”

Richard looks down and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath before standing on shaky feet. “It- I’ll tell you about it another time. Let’s just go back to camp for now.”

Tell you about that? That was just an illusion he used, right? Well, no sense pushing the matter now. His steps are shaky the rest of the way, clearly whatever he did managed to take a toll on his mind and body. Surely something like this isn’t going to push him over, right? Richard will never go insane… right?

That thought occupies you the entire way back to camp. You offer to take watch the rest of the evening, but Richard insists on staying awake. “I have a lot to process,” he says, staring into the fire. You don’t like it, but at the same time, what are you going to do?

You clean yourself off before hanging your clothes over the fire and reluctantly falling asleep soon after, though you’re certain you can hear your master sobbing softly as unconsciousness takes you.

 

Chapter 6

The sun hangs high overhead, showering you in warmth and light, though it’s much more of the former than you’d care for.

With a grumble, you wipe sweat from your brow before looking away from the glowing orb. Like all children, you stared at the sun too long once and you don’t feel like repeating the experience. Of course, looking at the sun would be a little less painful than your current situation.

Richard sits on a rock nearby, staring off at the river without moving since you stopped for your break. You tried to keep your mind off it, but seeing your master like this is uncomfortable, especially after last evening. Eventually, you can’t take it anymore and wander over to him, squatting down beside him.

“You alright?”

He closes his eyes before sighing out, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You don’t… look alright.”

He smiles and shakes his head. “Trust me kid, I’ve been doing this for a while. I’m fine.”

“Richie…” you say with hesitation, trying to gather your words. “I don’t… I don’t want you to hurt yourself for my sake. I could stand being raped by some fairly attractive Otter Girl, but if you went over the edge…”

You lick your lips. “I’m just concerned about you, alright?”

Richard turns to you, studying your expression for a long while before a wan smile comes over his face. “Tobias… thank you, but it’s fine, I assure you.” He leans his head back and sighs again. “The thought of anything happening to you would be too much to bear either. Otter Girls are honestly no joke on the pelvis and fractures can be lethal. Oh, I’m proud of you for resisting her by the way. What did you do to escape?”

“Belly rubs and illusionary watermelon.”

“Ah, watermelon, a classic.” He starts chuckling and you join in, though neither of you feel much any mirth. The laughter dies down slowly, leaving an awkward silence filled only by the soft flow of the river.

“Richie, what did you do to that Otter?”

He looks down and sighs at the question. “I knew you’d continue to ask.”

“I mean, your eyes glowed green and then she ran like a Hellhound was after her.”

“As she would, though it wasn’t a Hellhound she saw…” He grits his teeth, face set in consternation. “I don’t know Tobias, it’s dangerous. I probably should never have done it myself.”

You think back to last evening again and shudder. Still, your curiosity makes you press on. “Come on, you’re supposed to teach me things, right? You keep saying that someday I’ll have to go on my own so… teach me, please.”

“Oh, so it takes your Master doing something reckless for you to want to learn something, hmm?”

“Yes, and?”

He smirks at you before slapping his knees. “Oh, very well then.” He takes in a deep breath, then holds up a finger and says, “You know the old saying, ‘The eyes are the windows to the soul?'”

“Yeah?”

“Well, it’s basically true, though in reality it’s more that the eyes are windows to the mind.” He points to his eyes to make the point. “You see, our magic influences the minds of others based on what we know, thus being observant helps and is one of the most important of our rules.”

He breathes out, “However, sometimes we don’t know what’s in someone’s head, so making a convincing illusion can be difficult. Thankfully, we have a way to uh… ‘cheat,’ so to speak.”

“Uh… huh,” you say, scratching your chin. “Go on…”

“You see, by concentrating your focus onto the eyes of someone whom you’ve made eye contact with, you can see into their mind.” He waves a hand. “Of course, this only works at extremely close range, and it’s not exactly mind reading, in fact, you can only see the strongest emotion.”

“Love?” you ask, cocking your head.

“No, you little twat, it’s fear. By using this technique, known gently as [Eye of Fear], you can pull forth the other person’s greatest fear, make them see it, experience it. This is even worse if they’ve actually been through the event before.”

“That sounds… kind of badass,” you say, thinking of the possibilities.

Richard waggles a finger. “Of course, there’s drawbacks.”

“No shit,” you sigh. “Madness?”

“It’s not kind to the user, no. Beyond being very taxing to your focus, it also… well, you know how a window goes both ways, right?”

“You can tint some windows…”

“Shut up.”

“Yes sir.”

“Well, in addition to making them see and experience their fears, you see and experience them also.” He holds out his hand, and it starts shaking. “She was deathly terrified of frogs of all things! Frog Girls, to be certain, and even though I know there’s no good reason to be afraid of them, look at me. I’m shaking thinking about them, her terror was that real.”

He chuckles again, “You see why I didn’t want to tell you about it? But you asked, so…”

“I get it,” you whisper, wondering if you should have kept quiet.

A long, uneasy silence stretches on until you ask in a soft voice, “Why do you think Jackor hates us?”

“Tobias, you know he doesn’t hate us.”

“But why curse us to this life? Why does he leave us with the growing terror that we’ll go mad, or see those around us do the same? Is it just one of his big jokes?”

Richard stares at the river, mulling over his words. “That story about the Grand Wizard… what does he say about how Wizards came to be?”

You cock your head. “Eh? I mean, he says they used to be the priests of Solos, the only practitioners of magic, and that sorcerers were a bleed over from the mana leaked into the world.”

“Aye, so far as we can tell, that’s true enough. Wizards had forgotten their path in isolation, but Illusionists never forgot. Do you wonder why all Gods have priests, even Nerg, yet Jackor does not?”

“I figured he doesn’t give a shit about being worshipped.”

“Oh no, he does. He is worshipped whenever dice are rolled or a prank is played, even if there is no one to minister the words.” Richard shrugs. “He does have priests though, and there’s two of them sitting right here.”

You hiss in disgust. “Wait, but I hate Jackor, and don’t most people have to, you know, do something to be a priest? You know, like LIKING the God?”

“Your parents rolled the dice for you, Tobias. You got the short end of the stick.” He chuckles, “Jackor doesn’t hate us, in fact, I’m certain he’s either indifferent to us being around, or he secretly is watching us all the time.”

He pokes your chest to emphasize the point. “You just gotta have faith.”

“Faith that he’ll drive me insane someday?”

“No, faith that you’ll do something great before he does.”

You shake your head before rising and patting Richard on the shoulder, “I’d call you crazy, but I’m afraid it wouldn’t be a joke.”

“You’d be partially right,” he says, ruefully.

Giving his shoulder a squeeze, you nod back to the cart. “Let’s get going. Can’t have you going mad until we take care of your darling Fiora, after all.”

Richard shakes his head, voice somber. “No, no we can’t.”

The cart rolls down the road for an uneventful rest of the day, and you spend the time reading through your book again, looking for some inspiration. You linger on parts when he describes casting elemental magic, wishing you could do the same. Making someone explode with fire is a lot easier than making then believe they’re on fire and it’s less likely to make the caster go insane.

There’s other cool things he did too, like his copromancy. You chuckle as you read the footnotes by the Ascendant, who strongly disapproved every time he used such magic. She even went so far as to call it “childish and irresponsible” in reference to the way he always blamed it on Ghosts.

“What a kooky-guy he is, [Bearsy]!” you say to your little carved bear. He doesn’t reply and you’ll know you’re in deep shit when he actually does, but for now, he’s just a fun little companion. Richard eyes you with a flat-eyed stare from the side and you chuckle at him, waving the bear in his face.

“You sure you’re not the crazy one?”

“[Bearsy] says I’m sane.”

“That’s not reassuring.”

“Yeah well, perhaps you should-!”

Your words are cut off as you hear something in the brush nearby. A bestial roar sounds as crashing noises get closer to the road. You and Richard exchange looks of surprise in time to see a Monster burst forth from the brush, her short, white hair covered in leaves and twigs, toned and tan skin cut in multiple places.

Her arms are muscular and, like her legs, end in powerful black paws with long, sharp claws. She has a short tail and small, black ears upon her head, as well as an attractive face despite the recent scratches. Her attention never shifts from the foliage she just came from, however, a low growl issuing from her lips.

A lithe, very feminine form slithers from the brush a moment later, her pale skin looking radiant in the sunlight, complimented by her perfectly kept, purple hair. She has no legs however, and her human-like torso terminates at the waist into serpentine body, which dances nimbly across the ground, red scales shining as if oiled. Her equally red eyes glimmer as she stares at the other girl.

“Ehehe… this is the end of the line for you, Ginelle.” The Lamia hisses, coiling up on herself, wicked fangs glinting as her long, forked tongue flits out her mouth.

“I won’t go down easy!” the Badger Girl shouts back, hairs bristling.

“This isn’t good,” you mutter darkly, watching as the two Monsters prepare to fight once more. “Not good at all.”

“You’re right, they could kill each other,” Richard says, grimacing. “This could be a horrible and terrifying battle, where the winner is left standing only by the skin of her teeth.”

“Aye, their broken and abused form limping terribly from here, wondering if victory was worth the cost?”

“Truly, war makes fools of us all,” Richard sighs, shaking his head.

“WELP!” you say, digging into the provisions in the back of the cart and pulling out a bag of mixed nuts. Sitting on the back of the cart, you lean forward excitedly. “My coin is on the Badger Girl.”

“Tobias!” Richard snaps, sitting firmly next to you, a look of consternation on his face. “What is wrong with you? Can’t you see that the Lamia has the clear advantage here?”

You watch as the two circle each other slowly, eyes locked and focused fully on their adversary. In the silence, a loud crunch fills the air as you chew, and the two leap into battle while you shout encouragement.

The Badger Girl jumps into the air toward the Lamia, who slithers to the side, avoiding the blow and managing to crack her tail at the mammalian Monster, causing the Badger to howl in pain before flipping about and charging again.

“Booo! You can do better than that Badgy! Oh, oh! Look out for her tail again!”

Your nuts are ripped from your hand as Richard takes the bag, popping a handful into his own mouth, crunching loudly. “Oi! That’s right snek tits! You show that overgrown pile of fur who’s boss!”

The Lamia swings with her tail again, catching the Badger’s leg, but the other Monster was prepared this time, shifting her body mid-charge and slamming into the Lamia’s side, eliciting a hiss of pain.

“AWWW YEAH. DID YOU SEE THAT?!” you scream, standing up in the cart. “That’s right! You go girl!”

“Baaaah! She’ll recover!” shouts Richard, pulling you down. “Don’t get your hopes up so soon!”

True to his word, the Lamia flips about and snakes out of the Badger’s reach before her powerful arms can rip into her. She makes a circle around her opponent, quickly trapping her in a bind with the powerful tail.

“Noooooo!” you wail, putting your hands to your head. “Not the coil!”

“Oh yeah!” Richard shouts, tossing up nuts as he pumps a fist. “That’s checkmate right there!”

“You can do it Badger!” you shout, standing up again and cupping your hands to your mouth. “You can break free from this, believe in yourself! Believe in the power that runs through your veins! You can break her hold, I know you can!”

The Badger Girl, despite being squeezed by the Lamia, finally seems to notice you, her eyes going wide as you cheer for her. She looks at her opponent before gritting her teeth and roaring a mighty badger roar.

The Lamia’s grin begins to fade, replaced by concern as her tail starts to bulge outward. Her face grows red as she tries harder and harder to hang on but, with a cry of agony, her hold bursts open, and she’s thrown violently backward, the Badger freeing herself from the grip!

“WOOOOOO!” you shout. “That’s right Badgy! You got this!”

“Bah!” grumbles Richard, chewing on a handful of nuts. “Damn peanut gallery.”

The Badger Girl studies you with confusion before remembering her opponent, and diving at her, fists bared. The Lamia, still stunned, doesn’t have time to fight back, and the Badger Girl’s merciless beating soon turns her sublime face unrecognizable.

“…This is getting really brutal,” you say, feeling a little squeamish as the Badger beats the Lamia. “She might actually kill her.”

Richard hops down from the cart, waving at you. “Well, come on then!”

You follow and run toward the Badger, Girl tearing her off the motionless Lamia, though it takes both of your efforts to do so. She roars and tries to bat both of you aside, but with both her arms locked by the two of you, she eventually slows down, staggering to a knee and breathing heavily.

“Woah there girl!” you say, trying to ease her down gently. “You did it, you won.”

“I… ha… who the Hells are you?”

“Just traveling enthusiasts of the martial arts,” you say cheerily.

“You’re just some assholes who wanted to watch Monsters beat each other up, aren’t you?”

“N-noooooooo,” you say, not even trying to hide it. “Anyway, you kind of kicked her ass really good there. She might be dead!” The unconscious Lamia’s tail twitches slightly. “Nope, not dead.”

“Let me finish the job then,” the Badger Girl says, trying to rise, but you and Richard hold her down.

“Easy there,” Richard says, shaking his head. “Not until you explain why you two were fighting.”

“What business is it of yours?” she growls, trying to shake you off. In response, you use subtle illusion to make yourself seem stronger than you are, and she blinks, confused at your sudden burst of strength. “Eh?… Ah, never mind. Look, thanks for the moral support, but you need to let me finish her off.”

“No way. Wouldn’t be right.”

She grumbles in protest a moment more before sighing and slumping to the ground. “Look, I was just hungry alright, and the damn Lamias around here have all the best food so-”

“So you stole from them.”

“Yeah well, maybe if they weren’t so stingy!” she mutters darkly, looking at the ground.

“Couldn’t you like… go to Loveura and get some good food?”

She scoffs, “Like those high and mighty flower-heads would ever give anything to a Badger! They take one look at my kind and kick me out, afraid I’ll mess with their precious Bee Girls and their rich… succulent… honey…” She starts drooling a little before shaking her head and wiping it off.

“Look, just let me go. I promise not to kill her, though she deserves it.”

“Ginelle, was it?” Richard says, clacking his tongue, “You’ve done a great disservice to this Lamia. I think when she wakes up, you need to apologize.”

“What?!” she shouts, struggling against you again, though failing again due to your illusion. “I’m doing no such thing!”

“Well, if you don’t, we’ll just hold you down until she can bring the others back.”

Ginelle pales before looking down and grumbling as the Lamia stirs, slowly picking herself up from the ground. “Ugh… my head and… gah, my beautiful tail!” She glares daggers at the Badger Girl before noticing you and Richard. “What is this? Humans?”

“Yep, humans. Sorry about the commentary during your fight.”

“What commentary?”

“Nevermind. Look, we heard what Ginelle did, and she has something she’d like to say.”

Ginelle growls, “Go swallow an egg you-“ you slap the back of her head and she blinks a few times, surprised before finally sighing out, “Ugh…. look, I’m sorry for stealing from you.”

The Lamia quirks an eyebrow, then looks back and forth between the two of you. She sighs, shaking her head. “It can’t be helped, you barbaric Badgers will be who you are. I’ll let it slide on account of this handsome gentleman, but if you dare come near our nest again, I will kill you for certain this time.”

“You can try…” Ginelle mumbles, and you smack her on the back of the head again.

“Bad Badger.”

She growls as the Lamia slithers away, rubbing at her face. The Monster pauses and takes a long look at Richard before flitting out her forked tongue toward him, winking her bruised face, and leaving back into the brush.

You sigh, letting the Badger Girl go as soon as the Lamia is gone. She shakes her head a few times before asking, “Why?”

“Cause the voices in my head told me to,” you say, shrugging. Richard shoots you a concerned look and you wave your hand at him. “I’m joking, Jackor please, don’t have a heart attack.”

He narrows his eyes but all you do is chuckle and pat the Badger Girl on her muscled back, nodding your head in satisfaction. “Just doing a good deed, you know? Now, you stay out of trouble young lady.”

Ginelle looks at you with an extremely confused expression before turning to Richard, who shrugs. “I’ve known the guy for years and I still can’t figure him out. Anyway we need to get going, thank care.”

You nod your head and wave to the Badger Girl before mounting up again and rolling down the road as if nothing ever happened. As the cart trundles down the road however, she never moves from where you left her, staring at her claw until you’re out of sight entirely.

Nightfall comes sooner than you expect and you can hardly sleep for the excitement that is reaching civilization tomorrow. Which is why Richard forces you onto first watch. Also he’s still tired from yesterday, and you assure him that you have everything under control.

“You’re not going to go near the river, right?”

“No sir.”

“You’re not going to attract mosquitoes, right?”

“No sir.” Although you still hear buzzing every now and then. Damn bugs seem to be very active at night, though you can’t see any…

“You’re going to have a quiet night on watch and let me sleep, right?”

“No sir.”

“Tobias….”

You hold up a placating hand. “I’m joking. Yeesh, just go to sleep already.” He gives you a strange look before settling down into his sleeping roll, the sound of his snoring quick in coming.

Settling in for the evening against a nearby log, you stare out at the stars above. It wasn’t exactly a magically special day, but it wasn’t terrible either. At least you didn’t have a deadly encounter today, and you can hopefully rest easy tonight, reaching Loveura tomorrow. Once there, you can sleep with a roof over your head again before you get back to your… grisly business.

As if on cue, a rustling comes from nearby. Great, just fucking great, of course you’d run into problems here. You sigh and pick up a stick, ready to illusion it into a sword or something at whatever fucking Monster is here to rape you this time. Maybe it’s just a human bandit? That would be a change of pace.

A large form emerges from the bushes and, to your surprise, you recognize her.

The Badger Girl, Ginelle, her shirt and short leggings torn to pieces, body covered in wounds, stands awkwardly in the campfire light, her face slightly flushed as she rubs at her arm.

She says in a voice that’s a little too loud, “Uhm. Hi there.”

 

Chapter 7

You pinch the bridge of your nose and put a finger to your lips to shush her. The Badger Girl blinks and looks over at the cart before nodding her head slowly. Rolling your eyes, you wave her over, patting the log upon which you sit. She pauses for a moment before timidly walking over and sitting down, keeping some distance between you and her. Which is fine, you guess.

After a few minutes you ask, “You aren’t here to rape me, are you?”

She blinks, taken aback. “What? No!”

“Shhhh!” you hiss, looking behind you again. Alright, he’s still asleep. “Look, I just have to check, alright? It’s been a strange trip alright?”

“Things are a little dangerous for single humans, isn’t it?”

“Who says I’m single?” you say, a little defensively. She gives you a flat stare and you roll your eyes. “Fine, whatever. Why are you here anyway? Did… did you follow us all day?”

“No! Well, not all day anyway.” She fidgets for a moment before sighing. “Look, I just… I don’t know, I didn’t really have anywhere else to go and… I also wanted to apologize.”

“Eh? Apologize?” you say, swatting around your head absently as you hear mosquitoes buzzing.

She gives you an odd look, clearly not bothered by the buzzing. “Yes, I was rude today. You probably ended up saving me a lot of trouble, pulling me off her.” She smirks. “Not sure how you kept me down though, you don’t look all that strong.”

“I work out,” you say flatly, noticing the wounds on her person again as the campfire illuminates her. Seems she didn’t do anything about them since you last saw her. Some of them look pretty bad actually, but she doesn’t seem to pay any attention to her wounds at all. Well, if she meant to attack you she would have done so by now, so…

“Hey, you really should get something on those wounds you know.”

“Hmm? These scratches? They’ll be fine,” she says, shrugging. “I’ve had worse.”

“Sure you have,” you say, standing slowly and walking to the cart, being extra quiet as you rustle about, looking for something you’re sure is… ah, there it is. You take the jar of herbal salve and quietly walk back to the campfire, sitting closer to the Badger. She eyes you with suspicion as you take a glob of the salve onto your fingers.

“Come on then,” you say, waving with your other hand. “Let me see your arm.”

She hesitates before slowly raising her arm to you, which you take with your free hand and then rub the salve into the wound. She winces and lets loose a small growl, which you glare at her for until she quiets down enough for you to work the stuff into the rest of her wounds. Her skin is surprisingly soft even though she could withstand getting constricted by a Lamia. As you make your way around her, applying the salve, you stop as you notice you’re about to apply it to a wound on her breast showing through torn cloth. You look up at her, eyes meeting for a moment and she blushes, looking away.

Only now do you realize what you’d gotten yourself into. Hells, why do you always have to be such a nice guy, eh? Okay well, usually you’re an asshole, but recently, you’ve been nice, which is backfiring on you as all the Monsters you’ve met recently are quite lewd. You groan internally as you quickly move to another wound, a deeper one than some of the others, which causes her to groan.

“This one isn’t that recent, is it?” you ask, inspecting the injury, using the talk as pretext to get you mind off other things. “You really get in trouble a lot, don’t you?”

“Well, not really, it’s just… we Badgers sort of… don’t seem to notice when things are trying to hurt us.”

“Yeah well, you should really take better care of yourself.”

“You sound just like my dad.”

“Because that’s not a creepy thing to say as a guy’s treating your wounds,” you mutter, finishing up with that arm. She blushes again, which is a funny look on such a powerfully built woman. Criminy. With the arms done, you motion for her to turn around so you can work on her back.

“Sorry about that,” she mutters as you work some salve into your hands. Her back is a mess of little wounds, so you get to work, rubbing the salve into them, to which her spine stiffens. “Ah…ah!” she gasps, looking over her shoulder at you.

“Something wrong?” you ask, working your way up. She shakes her head furiously.

“N…no! I… I just wonder why you’re being so nice to me is all. Humans usually aren’t, especially to us Badgers… well, except my dad anyway, but he’s…” she goes quiet.

“Sorry about your loss,” you say, shaking your head. “I haven’t seen my parents in years and for all I know they keeled over also.” You begin to work salve into her shoulders and some of her tension slackens as she lets out a shuddering moan. If this gets sexual you swear to the Gods…

“Well, first off, you haven’t tried to rape me, which is endearing.” You pause, raising an eyebrow. “You are still keeping to that, right?”

“Y-yes?”

“Okay. Secondly, you seem like a nice enough girl who’s on some hard times. Besides, it’s a little lonely out here with just me and [Bearsy].”

“[Bearsy]?”

“Little bear carving that… actually, nevermind.”

She chuckles. “Alright then. What are you doing out here anyway?”

“Traveling to Loveura to uh…” you pause as you finish rubbing the salve into her shoulders, “For business.”

She turns about and studies your face for a long while before nodding her head, her face close to yours. You feel some panic at being so close, and you feel your own cheeks heat up as her green eyes flash with embarrassment.

“A-anyway, there’s only a few more wounds left.”

She blinks as you hand her the jar. “Can’t you rub it in?”

You cough and shake your head, pointing at her chest. She blinks a few times before looking down and noticing what you’re pointing at. “Oh… oh, of course,” she says, taking the jar hesitantly before dipping a claw into the salve and rubbing the thick, gelatinous, shining fluid over her well-endowed- Jackor damnit.

Throwing your hands up in the air, you stand up and walk back over to the cart to grab some food. When you return, you find her tracing her claw over her breast, giggling of all things, as she does so, working in the salve. Even without the absurd strength Monsters used to possess, they still have great power over men, huh?

You offer her some dried meat and hard tack, which she stares at for a moment before, taking it from you. She sniffs at it before smiling and devouring it quickly, leaving nothing but crumbs which she licks off her hands. “That was great!” she says, her face beaming, small tail wagging behind her. “Any more?”

“Ah ha… no, I’m afraid not. Can’t have too much be missing before morning, you understand?”

Her tail stops and she looks down, nodding her head. “Right, right… because you have to go to Loveura.”

“Yeah…” you say, scratching at your cheek. “Why can’t you go there again?”

“The Bee Girls, they don’t take kindly to our sort, since we uhm…” She rolls her claw, “Are kind of addicted to honey.”

“Oh,” you say, not certain what else to say as you swat away another mosquito. “Damn bloodsuckers.”

Ginelle gives you a confused look. “There’s no… mosquitoes out right now.”

You pause before giving a nervous chuckle. “Oh… yes, you’re right.”

“Are you alright?” she asks, scooting close to you and putting a hand on your shoulder.

You look up at her, smelling the mix of herbal salve and sweat coming off her before you look away, shaking your head. “Yeah, I’m fine, just had a little moment there. Anyway. So what are you going to do now?”

She looks aside and shrugs. “Do what I always do, I guess. Survive out here, probably end up getting in trouble with those Lamias again. It’s life.”

“That’s a really shitty life.”

“What can you do?”

“Go somewhere else?” you suggest. She thinks for a moment before chuckling.

“I’d never make it anywhere else; I don’t have the food or the will. What’s going to be different there that I don’t have here?”

“Well, you don’t know until you try, right?”

She thinks about it for a moment before saying, “I guess you’re right.”

You watch her demur behavior before coughing into your hand. “Look… Ginelle, was it?”

“Yes?”

“How about… I don’t know, how about you travel with us for a bit. I mean, we’re just going to be in Loveura for a few days, we’ll do our business, and then we’ll head back home to Kasin. I’m sure someone would love to have a strong Badger Girl like you about, and there’s very few Bee Girls around, alright?”

She blinks her eyes a few times, incredulous. “You’re serious.”

“I fucking guess?” you say, shrugging.

She stares at you a long while before pulling you into a tight hug, plastering your body against her soft chest. Of course, you barely have time to register this before you feel your back start to shatter under the force of her hug and you slap at her, trying to speak, but all the air is forced out of your lungs.

When she realizes this, she drops you, blushing again as you gasp for air. “S-sorry!” she says, embarrassed. “I guess I don’t know my own strength, heh.”

“I’ll fucking say… gah,” you wheeze, getting everything back in order. You bend over and she pats your back, gently this time.

“Hey… what’s your name anyway?”

You lean back and consider the question for a long while before eventually letting out a long sigh and saying,

“Tobias Anton Shady.”

“Oh ho, long time since I’ve heard you use your full name.”

Both you and Ginelle flip about to see Richard sitting up in the wagon, a shit-eating grin on his face. The Badger Girl is flustered, but you regain your composure soon enough.

“Oh. Hey Richie.”

“It’s Richard you punk.”

“Right, right.”

Your Master stretches his arms wide before yawning and resting his chin on his hand, looking between both of you. Eventually his eyes steady upon you as he holds up a finger.

“Have you been near the river?”

“No sir.”

He holds up a second finger. “Have you attracted mosquitoes?”

“Uhhhhh, no? Yes, I mean no. No is the answer.”

He holds up a third finger. “Have you been quiet and allowed me sleep?”

“Y-yes?” He narrows his eyes. “I mean, no. No, I haven’t.”

He sighs and rubs at his forehead before waving at Ginelle. “My dear, a pleasure to see you again. I apologize for any trouble my stupid apprentice has caused you.”

“Oh! No, he hasn’t been any… trouble.” She looks down, intimidated, despite the fact that she’s a damn Badger Girl. “He actually helped me out some, uh… sir?”

Richard studies her and then nods his head. “Gave you some medicine did he?” She nods in response and he chuckles, “Good, some of those wounds were pretty nasty, though I know your kind rarely considers them of much concern.”

Well this is going better than expected. Of course, as soon as you think this, Richard turns his gaze back to you. “Well, glad to see she’s doing so well. So, what were you two talking about?”

“Talking about how she uh… followed me home?”

Ginelle raises an eyebrow. “Am I some kind of Dog Girl or something?”

You begin to sweat bullets as they both stare at you, though they seem more amused than angry. Thinking of a way out, you say, “Look she just came by to thank us for earlier, and I dunno, I might have mentioned us possibly letting her travel with us for abit or something.”

You shrug. “You know, until we get back to Kasin, and she can find something better there.”

Ginelle nods her head, but Richard looks incredibly displeased. “Tobias… you shouldn’t have said something like that.”

Her nodding immediately stops and she looks at Richard, a look of hurt and worry on her features. You bristle at his tone and match his eyes, doing your damnedest not to flinch, though that’s easier said than done.

“That’s kind of rude to say, don’t you think?”

“Yes, it is rude, but true. What did you tell her about what we’re doing in Loveura?”

“Business,” you say flatly.

“Business,” he repeats before narrowing his eyes. “You know very well that this is business she has no, ‘business’ being part of?”

“Look! We’ll just let her stay at the inn or something while we take care of things, alright? We’ll just do our job and leave!”

“You talk like it’s going to be that easy! You don’t think about the consequences, if one of us should get hurt!”

“Of course I think about such things! Why would you suggest I don’t?” you say, standing and balling your hands into fists. “You know damn well I understand the risks!”

Richard moves to stand up on the cart, his expression positively furious, when Ginelle raises a hand into the air and coughs, getting the attention of both of you. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it sounds dangerous.” She takes in a deep breath before speaking again, a look of determination in her eyes, “I don’t really know either of you very well but… well you’ve been so nice to me, that I want to do whatever I can to help out. If that means something dangerous well…” She shrugs, her torn clothing obvious in the firelight.

“It’s not like I’m a stranger to such things.”

You and Richard both stare at the Monster. Her previous timidity has been replaced by a fierce determination that shines nearly as brightly as the fire illuminating her. Both of you turn and look to each other, feeling somewhat abashed by your previous attitudes.

Ginelle exhales herself, chuckling. “You two are very alike, you know? Sort of like father and son.”

You smirk, but Richard just stares at her, and your mirth disappears as you notice him do so. The man shakes his head soon after though. “I appreciate the offer, but I still think it’s a bad idea.”

“Aww, come on Richie, you know there’s things our illusions can’t help us with. Having some muscle around might be nice.”

He looks up at you, then back to the Badger Girl, who cocks her head, confused. “Illusions?” she asks, claw rubbing at her noggin.

“Damnit Tobias, you know that you’re not supposed to tell people about our magic!”

“Well, if she’s going to stay with us, then I guess she should know we’re damn Illusionists!”

Ginelle’s mouth hangs open as she looks between you and Richard. “Y-you’re sorcerers?”

Richard groans, “Yes, dear, we’re sorcerers.”

“That is… so cool!” she says, beaming. “I’ve never heard of ‘Illusionists’ before. What can you do?”

You shrug, feeling a little smug. “Anything really. Well no, not anything, but we can make people think they see anything.”

She blinks a moment before narrowing her eyes at you. “Hey… you mean like making someone think you’re stronger than you really are?”

“Eh heh… uhm.”

“Bastard,” she growls, though she still has a smile on her face. She slaps her legs and laughs heartily. “Traveling with SORCERERS. Wow, what will Mom think when I tell her?”

Richard frowns, “Mom? You live with your mother?”

Ginelle waves a hand. “No, no, but I visit every now and then.” She puffs out her chest. “Of course, if I’m doing my best protecting a pair of SORCERERS, I might not have the time to do so, haha!”

“Hey now, we didn’t decide anything…” Richard tries to say, but you cut him off.

“Come on Richie, just let her come along. Who knows, she might even be useful?”

Richard’s eye twitches and he sighs, waving you over. You walk up to the wagon and lean in close enough for him to whisper, “Boy, you better not be thinking with your dick here.”

“I’m not, I assure you. I mean, she is kind of cute and has a pretty nice body but…” You shake your head. “Look, it’s fine, alright?”

Richard takes in a deep breath and sighs. “I just… don’t want you to get hurt, alright? Things are about to get serious, and I need you to be thinking about your duty, not some Monster, alright?”

You nod your head slowly and Richard taps your chin before stretching. “Alright you damn kids, now keep it down. I need my beauty rest.”

“You’re going to need a lot more than just a little sleep for that,” you quip, prompting Ginelle to chuckle.

“Shut your damn mouth,” Richard growls, flopping back into the cart amidst the laughter.

 

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