A Monster Life Ch. 16-18

Ulric squatted next to the plant and touched the one with round leaves. 'This one?'

Kaui leaned forward. 'Yes, that's the oOO!' she cried out when one foot slipped on a loose patch, and she fell forward.

'Kaui!' Ulric growled as he reached out to catch her. He caught her just before she hit the bottom and he stumbled back on his behind to soften the impact. Buried in his soft chest fur, his scent filled her nose and her heart raced as she quickly pulled back and looked deep into Ulric's eyes. 'Soft.' he said.

'Soft?' she asked, then noticed his tight grip on her naked behind and her dress pulled up to her chest while straddling him.

Ulric quickly let go of her and looked away from her flustered face. 'Sorry!'

She pulled down her dress quickly. 'No, it's okay! It was just an accident! Thank you for saving me!' She glanced up at him and placed her hands on his chest. 'I, I don't min-'

'Hey hey hey!' came Iphigenia's voice in their minds. 'I'm glad you two get along well but can you leave the intimate touches for after we finish the quest?' she said and watched Elzbieta chase and swing her sword at a naked and puffing orc, while she had one foot planted on the face of a knocked out naked goblin. 'I'm sure it felt good to you, but it distracted Elzbieta enough for one of the two perverts we had to lure out to cop a feel of her.'

'Sorry!' said Kaui and stood up. Ulric caught a glimpse of her mound just before she fixed her dress and tried to think of something else. 'It's my fault. I slipped and fell down but Ulric caught and saved me.'

Iphigenia winced at the smack Elzbieta gave the orc on his head with her sword. 'You can tell us when we see you back in town. We nailed the two who harassed women around here so we're going back.'

'Good work.' said Ulric. 'We gathered most plants on the list so we shouldn't be long.' He looked up at the edge of the crevice, then at Kaui. 'Just in case, I still need to help Kaui get out of this hole so I can't guarantee you won't feel my hands again.'

Kaui blushed and Iphigenia chuckled. 'Keep it as brief as possible this time.'

***

Ulric heard the goblin and orc whine and squirm and a crowd laugh hard when Kaui and he arrived at the town square. 'What are they doing to them?' he asked Iphigenia.

She grinned deviously and gestured with her head to the crowd. 'A little suggestion from Elzbieta and I on how to punish perverts who try to touch women.'

Ulric and Kaui moved closer to see and sniggered at the two who stood face to face with their wrists locked in a shared pillory and their open hands pressed against each other's chest. 'For them feeling man boobs must be torture.' Ulric said. 'I hope you'll never have a need to punish me.'

Iphigenia smirked. 'We still need to hear the details of what went on with the both of you.'

Kaui blushed again and Ulric cleared his throat. 'I think Rufert likes to close these quests now so let's get going.' he said and hurried towards the guild.

Rufert hummed cheerfully while he processed the quests. 'I knew you two could do this.' he said and looked at Iphigenia and Elzbieta. 'Those two only appeared before women and kept away from men. Even when we tried to disguise a couple of men as women they stayed away. The women in town will be very grateful.'

Iphigenia looked at Elzbieta. 'See? Your sacrifice was worth it.'

Elzbieta glared at the crowd through the window. 'I still say this punishment is too light.'

Ulric smiled gently at her. 'I haven't yet had a little chat with them about touching my precious girls.'

She chuckled. 'I'd like to see that.'

Kaui received the updated guild card from Rufert. 'So, what's next?'

Iphigenia stretched her arms. 'Another quest?' she asked and the others agreed.

***

'I'd like to ask a favour.' said Rufert after several days had passed in which the four stripped the quest board slowly of relative mundane tasks. He gestured at an older canine girl and boy. 'These are Bea and Trivian. They just registered here and I think receiving some guidance in the beginning would benefit them greatly, so would you mind them tagging along on a few quests?'

Kaui turned to them after a short discussion with the other three. 'For that we'd like to know your reasons for becoming an adventurer and what skills you have.'

The girl with rust coloured long fur and sleek muzzle glanced at Ulric and spoke first. 'I wasn't sure about becoming one until I saw you helping out so much with quests that other fighters wouldn't look at. I thought it wouldn't benefit me if I wanted to become strong but you have so much respect from everyone that I realised that was what I wanted for myself. I'd like to be someone others can turn to for help.' She pulled out two long and curved daggers. 'My uncle trained me a little in fighting with these, and I know some water magic.'

Kaui nodded at the black curled boy which Ulric couldn't stop thinking of as a big poodle. 'I've been helping my dad around the farm and go out hunting with him, and I think becoming an adventurer will help me gain more experience and skills.' He gestured at his back. 'I'm pretty good at using my bow and I know fire magic.'

Kaui received a nod from the others and smiled at the two youngsters. 'We'll try to guide you as best as we can then and hope you can learn something from us.'

Rufert laid down a sheet. 'Can you have a look at this request? I think this would be good one to get a first impression on what Bea and Trivian can do. It has a certain risk but I am confident it'll go well when the four of you are there.'

***

'Six of us for something like a few small thefts?' Trivian asked while the group was on their way to the area where a few chickens, clothing, vegetables, and some tools were stolen from multiple small farms. 'Isn't that a bit much?'

Kaui shook her head. 'My master thinks it's Rufert's intention to let you handle it and we only step in when needed.'

Bea slapped Trivian's shoulder. 'I'm sure we can take on a simple thief with the two of us.'

He rubbed his shoulder. 'I suppose.'

'Elzbieta says to be careful though, even a simple thief can be dangerous in her experience.' said Kaui.

Bea looked at Elzbieta. 'Was that before you became a slave warrior? What did you do?'

Kaui nodded after Elzbieta spoke to her. 'Elzbieta was a knight of one of the strongest elf tribes. Their duties included maintaining order in every capacity.'

Bea nodded. 'So how did you end up like this? Did Ulric conquer you in a fight or did he take you in some other way?'

Elzbieta became flustered at the memory of Ulric taking her for the first time in the mountains and looked away.

Iphigenia nudged Kaui while trying to keep a straight face. 'My master might not have been able to conquer Elzbieta if it wasn't for an unfortunate wound that became her disadvantage.' said Kaui.

'Ohh.' said Bea. 'So Elzbieta might have been the one to take Ulric and make him her own? Or would she have cut him down?'

Elzbieta and Ulric coughed and cleared their throats and Iphigenia sniggered. 'Ehmm..' said Kaui with a slight blush. 'I think she intended to cut him down the first time they met indeed.'

'I'm really, really glad I ran fast enough.' mumbled Ulric and Elzbieta punched his arm.

Bea raised her eyebrow at the sight of a slave dominating her master but from what she heard this strange group didn't behave in traditional master-slave ways anyway. She turned to Kaui again. 'What about you and Iphigenia?'

Iphigenia grinned. 'Iphigenia encountered our master during a fight with a dark wizard and it was after a fatal wound during a mighty battle with a horde of goblins that she submitted completely to him.' Kaui said and Iphigenia smiled at Ulric. 'As for me..' She blushed as she thought of a good explanation. 'He saved me from a very bad experience and I think if he hadn't taken me with him I'd no longer want to go on living the way I did.'

Bea watched Kaui glance at Ulric as he cleared his throat and growled softly, then noticed all three women smile softly. 'My master wants you to know that he's extremely lucky to have us at his side,' Kaui said. 'and that he would be lost without us.'

Bea smiled as she looked at Ulric. 'Would this big and strong master be interested in another young female slave to be at his side?'

Ulric choked and coughed and Iphigenia chuckled while she slapped his back, and Bea grinned wide. 'Kidding..'

Trivian sighed. 'Don't joke around, we're near the area where the thefts have occurred.'

Trivian examined the crudely drawn map and then looked at the farm house they approached. 'Old man Hakkan is supposedly not robbed but he's a potential target.'

A shout cut short and a flurry of chickens from the back of the farm barn raised their suspicions and without needing one word between them they all ran towards it. When they turned the corner they found Hakkan lying still on the ground and two burly men with orcish features in their face.

Bea shot forward with her daggers drawn. 'You filth!'

The thief was much faster than her, ducked to evade her blades and tripped her up. The second thief overpowered her and held her tight before him with his short sword at her throat. 'Don't move!' Everyone glared at the thieves while they slowly backed away. 'We're going to quietly walk away and if anyone dares to come after us we'll find out if her blood matches the colour of her fur.'

The thief took one step back and Bea dropped her weight at once. Surprised by the sudden move he bent forward, and this time she jumped up as hard as she could and hit his lower jaw with the top of her head. As he tumbled backwards she pushed herself back and landed with one shoulder on his face as he hit the ground, the crack of his nose breaking clearly audible.

The second thief didn't hesitate and ran away at the first sign of trouble between a couple of rows of short pear trees. Trivian pulled his bow. 'Don't kill him!' Kaui said. 'We need to ask him questions!'

Trivian aimed ahead of the thief. 'I won't.' he said and let his arrow fly. The thief cried out and fell forward when the arrow hit the back of his thigh. Trivian smiled with a little pride. 'I learned to shoot deer running faster than him.'

Kaui bent a little closer to the tied up thieves. 'My master would like you to answer a few questions.'

The thieves glared at Ulric, who looked casually down at them. 'The first one scoffed. 'We ain't talking. He doesn't scare us.'

Kaui gave them a sweet smile. 'Oh, but there's no need to be scared of him.' she said and gestured at Bea, Iphigenia, and Elzbieta standing behind her and smiling at them while cracking their knuckles and rolling up their sleeves. 'These three ladies are on their period and would be grateful for the chance to let off a little steam.'

Ulric sniggered while the group headed towards the nearby forest after Iphigenia healed the farmer and he went to the town with the thieves wrapped up nicely in the back of his cart. 'I don't know if I should feel sorry for them or not, facinng such a threat.'

Iphigenia grinned deviously at him. 'I'm sure you wouldn't do anything to warrant that and find out.'

He looked up. 'Not as sure as I am after witnessing how quick you girls can make men spill everything they know.'

Iphigenia chuckled and nudged Kaui. 'And here I thought you were such a nice girl, but you do have a mean streak to you.'

Kaui blushed. 'I just know it's one of the few things that most orc men dread and I hoped it would speed things up to make them talk.'

'Well, it worked so now we know they're part of a gang and hiding in the forest after they came here a few days ago. How will we take them on?'

'First we'll need to scout their hideout, see what tactics we can use to minimise fighting and chances of getting hurt.' said Ulric and looked at Iphigenia and Elzbieta. 'I suggest Bea and Trivian take a look with the one who has the most experience of you two in this.'

Elzbieta looked at Iphigenia. 'I've dealt with bandits often during my time at home and at Winter City so I guess it's me.'

Iphigenia nodded. 'I agree.'

***

'A dozen men, most with orcish blood, well armed.' said Ulric after the three came back from their quick observation of the bandits. 'Rock wall at their back and a clear area around them wide enough to prevent surprise attacks.' Elzbieta nodded in confirmation on what Bea reported. 'It'll be difficult if they know how to fight, and there's a chance some could escape during the fight.'

Trivian rolled an arrow in his fingers. 'Stealth or invisibility spells would be welcome now.'

Bea sighed and leaned back on her hands. 'Or any cloak that could hide us.' she said, summoned a small body of water before her and twisted it into various knots. 'If I had more power I could at least create a heavy rain to limit their view.'

'My cloud jars could do the trick but those bandits would be alerted at the first throw.' said Kaui.

Ulric scratched his cheek while an idea hovered at the edge of his mind. He watched Bea transform the water into a sphere and a cube, then Trivian trying to create the same shapes with his fire magic. The idea drifted into his mind. 'I know!'