by Atlas Kane
Her face and mouth were as soft as the rest of her. Her breasts pressed into his chest, and her skin felt hot to the touch despite the relatively warm waterfall. Again, he felt his cock hitch, its knotted root pulsing within him.
“Gods, Ketzal. You’re so sexy,” he mumbled, and she kissed him again. This time she opened her mouth and her tongue met his. The taste of her was like her smell: sacred cinders and burned spices.
The kiss was endless, and Cade’s heart beat against hers, his hands moving down her slim back and holding her to him. Then another voice cleared his mind momentarily. “Excuse me, guys. I’m here too,” Minda said.
Ketzal turned to her, and the two women kissed. They were almost of a height with one another, but Minda was shorter by an inch. Seeing the beastkin girl wrap her arms around Ketzal’s neck and kiss her with passion and precision made Cade’s head swoon. She even reached up and touched the demon’s golden horns with affection.
They both smiled and shared a private laugh, and then Minda motioned for Ketzal to continue. When he felt certain the beastkin woman was going to leave them, she instead crouched down and took him into her mouth.
She began at his tip, but was gripping the shaft of his sex, her other hand cupping his bottom. Cade groaned with the burn of it. And then he kissed Ketzal once more. She grew bolder, her tongue as graceful and articulate as she was.
He allowed his hands to move down her body, to grip and lift one of her ass cheeks, and wrap around the back of her neck.
Occasionally, they broke apart to observe Minda’s efforts. With increasing speed, the beastkin worked his cock, stroking and licking the length of him. Predictably, she was also teasing herself, never one to wait to join the fun.
As he watched Minda’s delicate wrist moving side to side, taking in Ketzal’s perfume and the press of her breasts into his ribs, he collapsed inside.
The levy broke, the glass ceiling erupted, and Cade spilled all of his frustration and lust into Minda’s mouth. He felt her bite the tip of him gently, her mouth vibrating with a moan as she came shortly after.
Ketzal grinned at him and squeezed his ass in return. “Maybe soon we can do more. Would that be okay?”
The way she fucking asks?! Cade screamed in his mind, and for a moment, he felt he might regain his excitement. Instead, he sighed and nodded. “Yes, Ketzal. I would like nothing more.”
Minda started getting dressed at the water’s edge and teased him. “I sure hope that isn’t true, Cade. When we get back tonight, I am pretty sure Satemi is gonna be hungry for a little Chimera. You’d better save some of that juice.”
“Honestly, I am not sure there is any danger of running out. With women as amazing as you three around me all the time, what else am I to do?” Cade asked, his mind still fuzzy from a departing orgasm and a heart grown increasingly heavy with affection.
They returned to camp together, and the night wore on. Satemi emerged briefly to eat, and when Minda insisted she rest for the night, the Amazon scolded her. “No, Minda. I am almost done, and you will all be grateful.”
“Fine then, but I am taking first watch. You will sleep through the night,” Minda replied, and from Satemi’s nod, Cade knew she was so exhausted she would accept the offer.
A skin of jungle wine was passed around the fireplace, and Cade told a few of his old war stories. Ketzal described her homeland, a place where Brimstone bath houses burned through the night, and where dragons flew across the endless sky.
Minda took her turn. She told them of her work, trying to find a gene that could splice their people with a molecule they’d found in deep space. Nothing less than practical immortality was at stake. The molecule could reshape itself into any other, something almost like a stem cell but applicable to any material.
“Imagine,” she said, “having a body made of steel or stone? Yes, it might not feel the same, but would it ever break down? Would you ever truly die? The possibilities are endless.”
“Sounds like a nightmare to me,” a tired Satemi said. “But enough chit chat, everyone. I have something epic to show you all.”
The woman held up her hands and shook a huge harness of leather and wood, her face mad with excitement in the firelight. She was a force to reckon with on the battlefield, but it seemed she had also turned into an ingenious craftsman overnight.
6
From a Valley Deep, the Harem Rides
Seeing the contraption set atop Bellows' back, it appeared entirely more organized than it had heaped up in Satemi’s arms. It was a saddle, of sorts. Or three saddles in one.
Atop the broad-backed pig, a double saddle rested firmly, tied to the horns that were just beginning to protrude from Bellows’ crown. On either side of his belly hung additional saddles, made so that Satemi and Minda could half sit and half stand on stirrups that swung below. It had a mess of straps, and it took the group nearly an hour to get it fitted in place and snug in all the right places, but when they were done, Cade had to admit it looked something fierce.
The saddle wasn’t Satemi’s only gift to their village either. Everyone got a new piece of armor. Cade, having sacrificed his vest for Minda, got two. He examined the vest first with the jealousy and admiration of a child.
Durable Leather Vest
Quality: Good
Description: Provides moderate to superior reduction in slashing and piercing damage.
It wasn’t just a higher quality than Satemi’s previous work, a product of skill gains in her Occupation, but she had improved the vest by layering it three times across the chest and abdomen. The shoulder straps and the sides were only a single sheet of leather, which allowed for increased flexibility.
The new piece of armor was perhaps even more exciting.
Durable Leather Faulds
Quality: Good
Description: Provides moderate to superior reduction in slashing and piercing damage.
“Can’t believe I’m so excited to wear a skirt!” Cade called out as he climbed atop Bellows.
Satemi’s tone was firm and committed. “Not a skirt, Cade. We’ve gone over this. It will protect your thighs, which are as vulnerable to mortal injury as your abdomen.”
“I know. I know. Still looks like a skirt though. Description calls them faulds. Honestly, never heard of them, but I have seen movies with dudes wearing them. This though, this is what really blew my mind, Satemi. It is nothing less than savage!” Cade said, and drew out his brand-new dagger.
As the blade slid free from the sheath on his hip, he marveled at its polished black surface. Hopefully you won’t break like Vormer’s little toy did.
Drakeling Dagger
Quality: Superior
Description: Causes moderate to severe piercing damage. Armor penetration increased.
Minda had received one as well. Apparently, Satemi had found time throughout the week to work on the two weapons and had only last night finished the leather sheaths.
The blade had a slashing edge, though it was only marginally sharp. Enough to slash through skin, sure, yet even leather armor could deflect it. But the point was fierce. It was only seven inches long. The root of the tooth had been ground into a fine handle, which Satemi had wrapped in hide. Gripping it in his hand, Cade imagined sinking it into Vormer’s neck.
“I’m glad you like your toys, Cade. Now, let Ketzal have her seat back, please.”
Satemi’s tone had taken on entirely too much liberty of late. Bossing me about? Ha, who is the leader here anyway, who is the Chimera Lord?
But of course, Cade moved back to take his seat behind Ketzal. Yes, I wanted to drive. I am man enough to admit that. And I’m man enough to know that she is the only one who can. Helping Ketzal up into her saddle in front of his, he justified giving up the coveted position. Shotgun… I’m riding shotgun. That is always cool.
Despite his misgivings, he was proud of Ketzal as she sank into the saddle, and seeing that Minda and Satemi were on board, shouted for Bellows to get moving.
In the first few days after they’d captured him, Bellows had practically exploded. More recently, however, the boar’s incredible growth spurt was beginning to taper off at last. How big the beast would be when he reached his max, Cade could only guess.
Already, he was at least nine feet tall at the shoulders, and maybe fifteen ass to snout. So when he fell into a comfortable trot, jostling his passengers terribly, Cade doubted he felt the extra weight at all.
Their first obstacle was the Earthen Apes. Cade made to trigger the Canopy of Occlusion, but held off. Would the bastards really challenge us now?
He wanted to see what their reactions would be, but taking the risk wasn’t worth it.
He triggered the ability, and though they were prancing on the back of a five-thousand-pound boar, the apes had trouble pinpointing them.
Cade had his fun though. As the beast crashed through the foliage, hooves slamming into the ground with each step, they scattered, screaming at the heavens. He wondered if they were blurry or outright invisible. It didn’t matter though, for the apes all fled to the tops of the trees in terror.
Then they progressed out through the valley, and after that, up a mountain so they came to the same bluff they camped on in the bamboo forest. Feeling confident no abyss cats would jump out at them, the group took a break there. Saddle sore and bodies tingling with vibration overdose, it was a rest for them more than for Bellows. As they ate a light meal, though, he did find a rotting carcass left by some predator who’d had its fill already.
He cracked bones and tore through what looked to have been a type of deer in less than five minutes. Then he fell on his side and slept.
“Progress is good,” Satemi said, “but I wish Pablo’s quest was more specific."
Cade agreed, and brought up the information once more in an attempt to decode its meaning.
Quest: A Woman Most Wild
Difficulty: Extreme
Reward: Opportunity to kill Vormer and some of the Silver Guards. Gain a new Ally.
Description: Pablo has told you of the plight of a woman recently resurrected to Antinium. This new ally is heading toward the Toth Mountains in an attempt to find safety. You must find her and carry her away in less than 48 hours or she will perish. Bonus XP and additional rewards available should you manage to take Vormer’s life.
Shaking his head, Cade said in a frustrated voice, “Got to find the girl and do some killing. No specifics though. The only good thing is that the last time I checked my map, the marker had moved. I think it is locked onto her exact location.”
Minda chimed in. “Yes, you’re right. I thought as much, but it just jumped again. She is still a day’s ride away. If the terrain doesn’t turn on us, we should be able to find her tomorrow morning or midday.”
Cade produced his waterskin and said with finality, “Well let’s just keep backtracking and then follow the Toth Mountains south until we leave the jungle. Should be a straight shot after that.”
They ended their break shortly after, and roused Bellows. He was far from happy to be ridden once more. It didn’t seem he minded the burden but rather not having the ability to do nothing most of the day that upset him. Still, with Ketzal’s sharp, barking commands, he was trotting through the jungle again as sure as the shits after a whiskey night.
Their pace was commendable. Bellows did not seem to be straining at all and yet they moved somewhere around fifteen miles an hour. It felt like sprinting through the dense foliage, and though there was little to do but hold on and keep an eye on the bushes to either side, as nobody wanted to be ambushed.
Traveling in this manner was satisfying.
As a 240 gunner in Iraq, Cade lived like this for a full year. He chuckled to himself when he realized that he was a backseat rider then too. A Stryker combat vehicle looked like a tank to an idiot. Instead of tracks though, it had wheels, and it ran on a turbine engine. When designing the things, the engineers had to put limits to the machines' top speeds. You get something that weighs that much and try to take a tight turn going sixty miles an hour, and suddenly the whole thing is rolling.
The effect would be similar should Bellows roll. Being halfway out of a hatch when a massive vehicle rolled would be the best way to get cut in half or smashed beyond recognition. This possibility was perhaps one of the most terrifying aspects of constantly being outside the Stryker as they drove through the myriad streets of Mosul.
Worse yet, as they were packing their duffles and going down long checklists of odd or incompletely described items, their squad leader told them of a Stryker accident in the city they would soon inhabit.
“Fuckers went straight off the bridge into the river. The whole squad died. We need to be careful out there, guys. That means you too, Orn. No crazy shit, okay, fucker?”
Their squad leader was a good man. Dip-stained uniforms, too many f-bombs to shake a stick at, and an ugly face, but he wanted them all to stay safe.
It was pure grace the man became their platoon leader before they deployed. If he hadn’t been there to say no to a dozen commands given by dumbass lieutenants, things would have been a good deal worse for them all.
To this day though, Cade had never been called fucker so many times. It was like a verbal tic that Cade of course picked up after a time.
Shaking away images and memories of the past, Cade focused on the trip, watching the jungle change faces over and over. By now, they’d left all that was familiar behind. The mountains loomed to their left, ever-veering south, and their fleshy battle-wagon ripped down game trails or made new ones. More than once, one of the women to either side was nearly swept from their seats as Bellows decided to cut a turn around a tree a little close. Without Ketzal’s corrections, the entire process would be impossible.
Finally, the constant cover of trees, vines and infinitely diverse plants broke open. Coming out into grassland after such a dense terrain felt almost like falling.
In the distance, they could of course see Tanrial. The garish towers and domes of a city designed to house them all, and suddenly off limits was a hard thing to witness. Ketzal looked away, and Cade noticed a rogue tear sweeping down her rounded cheek. She was so beautiful it hurt, and predictably, seeing her cry made a seven-headed beast rise within Cade. Rather than curse Vormer or make promises he could not yet keep, he caught the tear in his finger, and gripped her waist tighter.
She smiled, appreciating the gesture, and he felt her sigh, some of the tension bleeding away.
Then Ketzal gave Bellows a light kick and shouted, “Curre!”
Bellows fell into a loping run, their speed doubling and the boar taking on a grunting chuff as he bounded along. The strength required to make so much flesh move so quickly was astounding.
Looking down to either side, he saw first Minda holding a fist up, her face wide in a smile of unbridled joy. “This is amazing!” she cried over the crashing hooves.
Cade laughed and looked next to Satemi. She had no joy in her eyes, rather an ecstatic and satisfied rage. She bared her teeth then yelled in a voice loud enough to command a thousand men, “It won’t be long until we are strong enough to regain the city. This will be our grand entrance!” She stood in her stirrups, drawing one of her long swords and pointed it at the hated city. The gesture was a promise, a way of allowing her to focus on their current quest yet not have to deny her ultimate intent.
Their speed brought them closer to the foot of the mountains within an hour, and their progress slowed. Ketzal called a break again, and they let Bellows rest for another hour. It was a little past noon and already they’d driven the poor beast over halfway to the destination. Cade checked his map and saw the woman was just a bit higher up in the mountains than before, but not much. He imagined she might have found some place defensible. If she’d escaped the city against Vormer’s wishes, she would have had the wherewithal to know she was being followed. He just hoped, whoever she was, that the woman could hold out long enough for them to reach her.
I
magining the look on Vormer’s fair face when they attacked his soldiers from behind would be infinitely satisfying.
After a meal, Cade and his girls spent a few minutes rubbing down Bellows’ hide with handfuls of soil. Ketzal had learned from him in a strange display of communication, that he adored the feel of a good mud bath. And since the area was dry, dirt would do nearly just as well.
Ketzal was adorable as she snorted and chuffed, using her feet and body to speak in the simple language of the boar. Cade wasn’t the only one who thought as much. He spotted Minda with her hands pressed to her mouth, bouncing on her toes slightly. Satemi watched, arms crossed, and approved with a smile.
Their newest member was becoming invaluable already. They’d survived as three well enough, but with four in their village, and a boar baby to boot, they were all beginning to feel more confident in their mutual survival.
At last, they mounted once more and took to the foothills in a slow trot. As the slopes grew steep, that became a walk, and a couple hours later, everyone dismounted to walk.
The Toth mountains weren’t as tall and imposing as the distant Borman Mountains to the north. The Bormans were so tall their heads and shoulders were draped in snow and clouds obscured much of the rest. Even at this distance, maybe a couple hundred miles Cade surmised, their bulky forms were distinct. Cade thought of a tribe of ancient dwarves who had reclined together, perhaps sharing mead and mutton, and then time had turned them each to stone.