~*~*~
Kuro watched them leave the town, her heart tight, but trusting in them to stay safe. Stop it. He is male, and his only purpose is to keep Matriarch Gothy safe. You shouldn’t care about him, she chided herself, but she couldn’t help but fear for Alvin along with Becky.
Climbing to the battlements, Kuro looked out on the field, her face paling as she watched the horde charging the walls. Heart beating hard, her eyes were drawn to the Humvee that was charging back at the beasts and aiming for a grezle. The vehicle turned away at the last second, clipping the massive animal and sending it sprawling into more beasts to the side.
“Be ready… fire,” the call came from Wintersbreath. Arrows sprang away from the women on the battlements. They didn’t do much to the undead, but if even one could be stopped, it would be a blessing. “Pick your shots and fire until they reach the line.”
Kuro squinted and saw a line etched into the field a hundred yards from the wall. Her lips pursed as she tried to figure out why they had marked out that distance. She found out a few moments later when the falunes reached that line.
Jaw dropping, Kuro was amazed at the sudden speed the falunes were capable of when they sprinted. Summoning her blades, Kuro briefly wished she had asked for one or more of the guns from her owners so she could have done more to defend the walls before now. The Elves to either side of her grabbed spears that had been staged for this moment and thrust them out at the leaping falunes.
“May Matriarch Gothy smile on me,” Kuro murmured when a falune made it past the Elf to her right.
Springing into action as the Elf dropped the spear, Kuro slipped around them and engaged the creature. Left blade acting as a shield, she used her right blade to start cutting away at the beast’s neck. A tight smile came to her lips as she had to work to dance with the beast in such close quarters. No sooner had she beheaded the beast than another rushed her, having killed the defender it had been facing. With that extra room, Kuro pushed the falune back, and found it easier to deal with than the previous one.
As the second falune died to her blades, she looked for the next beast. A voice called out to her, and spinning low, her blades caught a wulnine that had made it over the wall. Pushing off the beast, she backed up a pace, bringing her blades up to prepare for its next attack. The wulnine took longer to kill as it was cagier than the falunes had been, but it also fell, her armor standing up to the minor bites it tried to inflict.
Spotting another falune on the wall, Kuro smiled when she walked over to engage it. She wasn’t prepared when the beast suddenly grew in size and strength. She backpedaled, her blades barely able to keep its attacks at bay. Kuro’s smile dropped away, replaced by a look of intense concentration.
“I’ll help,” one of the Elves on the wall said, rushing to her side.
“I have this one. Just keep any others off my back, please,” Kuro said as she stopped retreating.
Holding her ground was harder than before, but she managed. Focusing intently on the beast, she began to press the attack. It was a dangerous move that required she focus solely on her opponent, but she knew she would be fine as long as the others on the wall protected her back.
The wall shook under her feet, accompanied by the sound of metal grinding against stone. Eyes flying open, Kuro’s lips peeled back from her lips. “Damn them,” she hissed as her tempo picked up, her blades flowing faster. Her sword sliced into an opening, taking the head from the beast. She rushed over and, looking down, saw the Humvee pinned against the archway of the gate with a mass of grezles attacking it and the gate.
“Stand aside,” someone shouted at her.
Kuro stepped aside, taking in the scene. Her mind reacted a touch too slow to stop the Elf upending a barrel of pitch over the side of the wall. “No!”
Another Elf flung a torch after the barrel, and both their heads turned to the vehemence in Kuro’s voice. “The fire will weaken the grezles.”
“You’ll burn my Matriarch!” Kuro snapped, rushing back to the edge of the wall to see if Becky was okay.
The pitch had caught the grezles attacking the gate, only a small amount splashing on the hood of the Humvee. The fire was burning bright, and the undead beasts growled as they tore at their own skin to stop the burning.
~*~*~
Alvin was reloading when the sound of breaking wood caught his attention. Thinking the gate had busted, he was puzzled by the black substance covering part of the Humvee’s hood. That puzzlement vanished when it burst into flame from the torch that hit one of the coated grezle’s backs.
Kuro’s shouts got Alvin and Becky’s attention, and Becky replied with, “We’re fine, Mousie. Just don’t let them drop another keg on us.”
“Understood, Matriarch,” Kuro replied, calming down once she knew her Matriarch was uninjured.
Alvin saw the beasts panicking and got back in the driver’s seat, releasing the brake and gunning the engine. The Humvee protested, but the tires caught enough for them to push through the burning undead and away from the bulk of the horde.
“Kuro, we’ll be clear in a minute, then they can go back to dropping pitch,” Alvin said as he held the pedal down.
“Understood, Hero,” Kuro replied.
When the Humvee broke out of the mass of bodies, Alvin drove away from the wall, looking over the empty field. “Where did they all go?”
“Hero,” Becky called down to him, “the grezles that aren’t burning are running for the woods.”
“Matriarch, the dead in town are starting to rise,” Kuro reported. “We also have some of the animals lose in the walls.”
“Do the best you can, Mousie,” Becky said. “Hero, go after the grezles at the tree line. We might be able to kill another one or two.”
Turning the Humvee around, Alvin chased after the beasts while Becky climbed back up to the M240B. The sound of the large gun firing was coupled with a few of the grezles stumbling as they ran for the woods. Two of them died before the pack got far enough into the woods to make it impossible to kill any more.
Closing up the hatch, Becky clambered back into the front seat. “That was invigorating,” she said, putting another barrier glyph into her accessory slot.
“I was worried when we got caught in the furry tidal wave.”
“It was close… one of them tried to bite my face off. I had to use the glyph, but that kept me safe long enough for me to blow its head off.”
“Loot and back to town?”
“Mousie, you okay?” Becky asked through the radio.
“I’m staying on the wall and dispatching the dead that are rising,” Kuro replied. “I will have them open the gate when you return.”
“Remember to loot your kills,” Alvin said.
“I will once you are back inside the walls,” Kuro replied.
“Gothy, get back on the gun. I’m going to autodrive us to the bodies so I can loot them.”
“I’ll keep you safe,” Becky replied as she climbed into the back again.
Chapter Thirty-four
Alvin rolled through the open gate when they made it back to town. With a nod at Kuro, he stopped the Humvee once it was clear of the gate. Alvin was surprised to see Wintersbreath waiting for him when he got out.
“Problem?” Alvin asked.
“My people are hunting down the undead and animals within the walls. I wished to have Matriarch Gothy, along with you and Kuro, come to dinner tonight. I will be explaining things to Matriarch Meira Deatheyes, and your input could be very useful.”
“We can be there after we store the vehicles for the night; they need to be fixed,” Becky stated as she came around the Humvee.
“Very well. I shall have a carriage waiting for you at the inn,” Wintersbreath said.
“You’ll want your people to check their bags. We looted all the bodies in the field, so any items people were supposed to receive have been sent to them.”
Brow furrowing, Wintersbreath touched the pouch on her hip. “In our b
ags?”
Alvin sighed and pulled one of the books from his bag. Winterbreath's gasp as the book seemingly appeared in his hand from nowhere got his attention. “From their bags. Like this, just now. This book will help explain everything.” He held the book out to her. “We'll see you at dinner. When is that, by the way?”
Taking the book, Wintersbreath looked puzzled for a moment and looked at the sky. The sun wasn’t even directly above them yet. “Six hours.”
“What if they attack again?” Becky asked as Kuro came to her side.
“They’ve only attacked once a day so far. I will need to send messenger birds to the other towns to the north and south.”
“We’ll be at our base getting ready for tonight, which means we won’t be reachable if they do attack again,” Becky told Wintersbreath.
“It shouldn’t be an issue,” Wintersbreath replied.
“I looted the few bodies where I fought, but there are still a few dozen scattered along the walls,” Kuro pointed out to Wintersbreath.
“I’ll take care of it,” the Champion said, walking away from them and relaying orders to the people nearby.
“Well, Hero, what’s the plan?”
“Go home and see about our XP. Get a shower in, maybe watch a movie?”
“Oh, I think we can do that and more,” Becky winked at him.
“You’ll be the death of me,” Alvin chuckled as he motioned to the Mustang. “Bring Ruffian on home.”
It was only a few minutes later that both vehicles rolled through a momentary portal into the garage. Alvin started the automated repair process, then followed Becky and Kuro into the kiosk room, where Jarvis was waiting for them.
“Welcome home,” Jarvis intoned. “I have set out a small tray of snacks to help tide you over until dinner.”
“Thanks, Jarvis,” Alvin smiled. “We need to check XP and stuff from the fight.”
“I understand, sir. If you wish to leave the loot here, I will be happy to catalogue it for you.”
“Helpful as always,” Alvin chuckled.
“It gives me something to do, sir. All items are now identified when looted, so I’m not needed to do that. But it lets me feel helpful to separate the wheat from the chaff, as it were.”
“Ladies, feel free to drop the loot with Jarvis. He’ll look into all of it for us.” Alvin paused, “Let’s do that in the main room, though. He can sort while we watch a movie out there.”
“There’s no need to includ—”
“Knock it off,” Alvin sighed, cutting Jarvis off. “You’re part of the team.”
Jarvis bowed his head. “I’m flattered, and would be happy to join you, sir.”
“What movie?” Becky asked.
“Thor 2?” Alvin asked. “Continue the story?”
“Sounds good,” Becky said. Her armor vanished and left her in her newest set of base clothing.
“Good point. Might as well be comfy,” Alvin said as he switched clothing.
Alvin wound up between Becky and Kuro on the sofa, and Jarvis took a chair to one side. He moved a table over for them to pile loot on for sorting and brought the snack tray in, setting it close to hand for those on the sofa.
Becky leaned against Alvin during the movie, snuggling into his side like a content cat. Smiling, he draped his arm over her. His thumb rested against one of her pierced nipples, which he began to intermittently stroke. Becky’s hand found his thigh in return and began idly stroking up and down, with the occasional brush against his groin.
Kuro watched the two of them and, looking uneasy, leaned into Alvin’s other side. Shocked at Kuro’s bold move, Alvin draped his other arm on her side, his hand resting just above her hip. Kuro shook for a moment, but calmed herself and even snuggled closer after a little while.
Shaking his head, Alvin wondered at how quickly Kuro seemed to be moving on him. What changed? he wondered. I would swear I haven’t done anything to warrant her breaking through her past like this. He pondered the thought during the movie and tensed up when her trembling hand found his other thigh. Just relax. She’s afraid… if you do anything, she’ll likely panic.
Kuro’s trembling eventually stopped, and she began to mimic Becky’s motions. The first time the back of Kuro’s hand brushed his cock, she jerked her hand back. Tensing, Alvin waited for her to pull away even more, but her hand returned to his thigh after a moment, and he relaxed.
I don’t recall this movie being this tense, Alvin joked to himself. His hand on Kuro’s hip twitched, squeezing her gently and making her hand freeze on his thigh. She didn’t freak out… maybe I can up this a little bit. Taking the risk, Alvin began to gently massage her hip. She again paused for a moment, but seemed to accept it and relaxed. There we go, a small step for us.
Becky shifted so her mouth ended up next to Alvin’s ear. “Our Mousie is getting brave, Hero.”
Alvin nodded his head a fraction, not wanting to make a comment after feeling Kuro shift when Becky spoke. She has very sharp hearing, Gothy. If you say too much, it might end. Giving her nipple a pinch, Alvin hoped Becky would get the message.
A soft moan came from Becky, but she didn’t make any more comments. Her hand did sneak up to his shaft and begin to gently massage him. Biting his lip, Alvin tried to ignore what she was doing, but knew that wasn’t going to work for long.
“Gothy, grab my cup please,” he asked softly, being pinned between the two women.
With a soft giggle, she let go of his swollen member and leaned toward the table to snag their drinks. Leaning back against him, she handed him his cup and took a sip from hers. Taking a deep breath, Alvin gave her a pointed look as he drained half his drink.
Taking his cup from him, she put it back on the table and pulled the tray of food onto his lap. Trapping his arm behind her, Becky grinned as she picked up a slice of cheese and offered it to him.
A soft snort escaped his lips, but he opened his mouth to her, which she quickly filled with the cheese. Picking up another piece, she held it out to Kuro. “Say ahh, Mousie.”
Kuro looked puzzled but opened her mouth like Alvin had, accepting the snack from Becky. Becky grinned as she picked up a slice of apple and held it out to Alvin. Alternating back and forth for a few minutes, she eventually set the tray aside and handed Alvin his drink again.
Alvin tried to focus on the movie and succeeded for only a few more minutes. Becky again pulled his attention away when she shifted, putting her legs over the arm of the sofa and her head onto his thigh. Resisting the urge to sigh, Alvin began stroking her hair.
It’s okay. Mousie won’t do this, Alvin told himself. As the movie reached its climax, Alvin went rigid when Kuro deftly copied Becky’s position. Well, I was wrong, he snorted internally. He gently reached up to caress her hair, as he was with Becky.
After the end of credits scene of the movie was over, the lights came back on. Alvin looked down to find Becky smirking at him and moving her hand away from her own thighs. A quick glance at Kuro showed her blushing but not moving from where she lay.
“I’ve finished all the sorting, sir,” Jarvis said. “I’ve already put the useable meat into the kitchen. The items still on the table are decent enough to warrant attention. The things on the floor should be sold off.”
“Got it. We also need to shower so we’ll be more presentable for dinner,” Alvin said. “Gothy, did you want to use the kiosk to check your XP and sell off the junk?”
“I should… maybe I can afford to bump a stat again,” Becky said as she got to her feet slowly. “Come on, Mousie. Let’s go take a look and give Hero a chance to calm down.”
Kuro was on her feet before Alvin felt her move. “As you wish, Gothy.”
Once they had collected the junk and left the room, Alvin polished off his drink and turned to the items on the table. “Okay Jarvis, what are the big ticket items?”
“The dagger and boots on your right,” Jarvis said.
Picking each one up, Alvin looked them over with a soft wh
istle. “I guess these both came off some of the zombies that stood up, because they sure as fuck didn’t come off the animals.”
“A solid assumption, sir.”
Nryad Boots (Rare)
Increased traction on any surface.
Increased durability (craftsmanship).
Armor: 215/225
Runes: 0/6
Nirium Dagger (Rare)
Increased base damage (craftsmanship).
Damage: 2+Brawn
Durability: 14,168/15,000
Metal type: Nirium
Runes: 0/6
Alvin set the two items aside, “Those are definitely worth the price of admission. What about the rest of the items?”
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