Kevin stared at the crying Phoebe, then leaned over to where a teary-eyed Polydora was staring at him.
“Is she always this emotional?” he asked.
“Lady Phoebe loves stories like this.” Polydora sniffled a bit. Kevin was just grateful that she hadn’t started bawling. “She always enjoys listening to tales of heroes and heroines risking life and limb to rescue their loved ones.”
“I see.” Kevin had nothing to say, so he said that.
“Very well.” Phoebe slammed her hands on the table. All attention turned to her. Puffy red eyes stared at them, glinting in determination. “I have decided that my people and I shall aid you in your quest.”
“Really?” Kevin blinked. He’d been expecting some kind of battle where he had to prove himself before she would let him go or something. This was better than he could have hoped for. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Phoebe nodded graciously. “My people and I will help you journey into the heart of enemy territory and rescue your beloved mate. Then I shall ask her to share your sperm so that my people might flourish once again.”
“Geh!”
“Uhuhuhu…”
“You stop laughing!” Kevin shouted at Iris, his right eyebrow twitching.
CHAPTER 6
A CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
The yama uba village was a subterranean village. Built underneath Kobustan, a large mountain surrounded by ravines, the village looked more like the cavernous dwellings of bottom feeders than a group of beautiful women. All of the dwellings were carved into the very walls of the tunnels, etched into the bedrock. They reminded Kevin of the Native American dwellings he’d studied about in history class.
Despite being built inside of a series of underground passages, the yama uba village was not lacking in light. Giant, fluorescent flowers blossomed all over the cavern walls and ceiling. They provided ample amounts of light, their luminosity strong enough that Kevin had first mistaken the illumination they provided for sunlight.
“And this is our weapons storage facility.” Phoebe directed them all to a section of the cavern wall that looked like it had been eaten through by something. The concave area had a tent flap thrown over one section, a makeshift door, he guessed. Standing outside of the entrance were two guards, both of whom ogled Kevin in a way that he found annoying. “All of the weapons we craft are stored here.”
“What about your blacksmith?” Kevin asked. “If you have weapons, then surely you have a blacksmith who crafts them?”
“Our blacksmith lives with her daughter near the top of the mountain,” Phoebe informed him. “We built our forge there. Kobustan used to be an active volcano many centuries ago. It isn’t any longer, but we’ve managed to create a passage deep within the earth’s crust, allowing for enough lava flow to build the forge.”
After agreeing to aid him and Iris in their quest of sneaking into China, Phoebe had decided to give him a tour of the village. They had already visited the barracks, the stables, and several craftsmen who made clothing and other necessities. Phoebe had been most accommodating during her tour.
On a side note, he’d decided to ignore Phoebe’s plan of asking Lilian to let him have sex with her entire village. That was just a whole other level of wrong that he didn’t want to get into.
He turned his eyes to the ceiling as Phoebe continued leading him and Iris around. He gazed upon the many fluorescent flowers, their petals spread open like the bulb of a Venusaur, their bright glow reminiscent of a vibrant star.
Someone bumping into his shoulder made Kevin turn his head. He glanced at Iris, who walked alongside him, her carmine orbs gleaming like bloody moons against a canvas of pale skin. She was wearing her second set of clothes. The skintight shorts conformed to her hips, accentuating the roundness of her butt and revealing her cameltoe. Meanwhile, the red crop top barely restrained her breasts, which bounced with every step she took.
She’s doing that on purpose.
Still looking at him, Iris nudged his arm again. “Thinking about Lilian?”
“Yeah,” he sighed. “I was thinking about how she would probably like to visit this place.”
“Hmm, yeah, she probably would get a kick out of this village—at least, until she got bored.”
Kevin’s lips twitched. “True.”
***
Lilian was bored.
Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
After her spectacular failure to escape, Lilian had been locked up, the room containing Jiāoào her prison. Guards had been posted at the entrance and below the window to make sure she couldn’t escape again. She supposed that was a good thing, as half the reason the guards had been stationed was to keep Chao from killing her, but that didn’t stop her from being bored.
She sat on one of the cushy chairs in front of a glass table. Eyes of emerald studied the intricate carvings running along the surface, engravings embedded into the very glass itself, visible due to the different texture. They were beautiful depictions of kitsune, artistic and extravagant. It was just another reason she didn’t like this place. Lilian preferred the simple things in life, and that included simple furniture.
I miss the furniture at home.
Lilian smiled when she thought of home, of the simple furniture, of Kotohime humming as she hung up laundry, of the many times her sister slipped into bed with her and Kevin. She missed that. She missed the scent of freshly cleaned laundry. She missed her sister constantly sneaking into her bed. Most of all, though, she missed Kevin.
She wanted to see him again; she wanted to be with him again; she wanted to hold him; she wanted to kiss him; she wanted to have him bring her to multiple orgasms with his tongue and fingers. She especially missed that last part. He’d grown quite skilled when it came to pleasing her.
The smile soon left. The more she thought about her desire to be with Kevin, the angrier she became, until her emotions felt like a boiling pot with a lid clamped over the top. What right did these people have to take her away from her mate? So Jiāoào had gone from being a jerk to an unresponsive jerk. That could only be a good thing. And it wasn’t like this was her fault. If he hadn’t gone after her, then he wouldn’t have turned into a vegetable. What happened to him was a result of his own actions, and the only one to blame was Jiāoào himself.
Lilian shot to her feet. She clenched her fists as she walked over to the bed. Jiāoào still lay upon it. His position hadn’t changed since the last time she’d looked his way. His head still rested on many fluffy pillows. His eyes still stared sightlessly at nothing. Only the rise and fall of his chest signified life.
“This is all your fault,” she told him. “If you hadn’t kidnapped me, none of this would have happened.” Jiāoào blinked. Lilian huffed and crossed her arms. “I hope you stay like this, jerk.”
Jiāoào didn’t respond.
Naturally.
***
Problems soon beset him, and it all started at dinner.
Kevin sat at one of several tables laid out in a large cavern. The lights from the giant flowers shone down on them. Sixteen small tables made of simple wood sat within a bowl-shaped dip. Several sets of stairs carved from the bowl led to different passages.
He’d learned from Phoebe that this was the place where everyone gathered to eat and mingle. It had apparently been the belief of the first chieftess, who was Phoebe’s great grandmother, that having the entire group congregate and share their meals would foster friendships that went beyond mere relation by blood. He had also learned that most of the yama uba residing here were related. At the very least, everyone was a second or third cousin to someone else.
Iris sat on his left. Phoebe had taken the right. He didn’t particularly enjoy how close the Amazonian girl was, but he ignored her in favor of the food. He didn’t know who their chef was, but she made a surprisingly good stew.
“Ne, Phoebe,” Kevin decided to satisfy his curiosity, “you never did tell me why you wanted to turn me into a sperm donor
.”
He ignored Iris’s snickering and focused on the teenage chieftess, who set her spoon down in her bowl and turned her attention to him.
“You are correct, Kevin Swift. I never did get a chance to inform you of my village’s plight.” Phoebe nodded several times, as if coming to some sort of inner conclusion to a problem she had. “Very well. Allow me the honor of telling you about the woes my village is undergoing right now.”
Phoebe coughed into her hand, clearing her throat.
“In order to understand our plight, you must understand our history. For the past two hundred years, our people have had a deal with the Mul Clan.” If Phoebe noticed the startled looks he and Iris gave each other, she did not show it. “Every fifty years, they would send us over two dozen men that went through a careful selection process in order to help us breed the finest warriors.”
“I think I’m already beginning to regret asking,” Kevin mumbled to himself.
“I’m not,” Iris said.
“You be quiet.”
“However,” Phoebe continued, “our last shipment of men, which should have come in sometime in April, never arrived. We have not heard a single word from the Mul Clan either, and all of the missives we have sent demanding an explanation have gone ignored.”
Kevin and Iris exchanged another look. They knew the Mul Clan quite well. After all, it had been Luna Mul, the former head of the clan, whom Kevin had killed during their spring break trip to California. He wondered if he should feel bad about that, but then he remembered how the woman had impaled Lilian with ice spears, and all feelings of guilt evaporated.
“With no new shipment of men coming in, my village is in dire straits.” Phoebe seemed heedless of the looks being passed between him and Iris. “Our race, the yama uba, is not like other yōkai. Unlike kitsune, inu, oni, and various other yōkai, our race is made entirely of females. For our race to survive, we must mate with human men.”
“So that’s why you attacked the train we were on?” Kevin concluded. The nod Phoebe responded with confirmed his theory.
“Indeed, we were hoping to discover some men on board who would make suitable candidates to help keep our population from dying out.” The look she gave him, almost worshipful, really freaked him out. “That is why I want you to help repopulate my village. Your physical prowess is most impressive for a human. Any child you helped sire would make a fine addition to our village.”
Iris sent Kevin a wicked grin. “You hear that, Stud? Any baby of yours is destined to be a badass. You must be so proud.”
“Oh, be quiet,” Kevin mumbled as he sank into his seat. He really did regret asking. At the same time, he felt there was something off about Phoebe’s words. Surely, she realized that one man couldn’t possibly repopulate an entire village…
… Right?
Dinner continued for nearly half an hour before Phoebe stood up and called attention to herself. Everyone who’d been eating and chatting suddenly stopped. Heads turned, and eyes zeroed in on the blond Amazon’s figure, and she in turn, gazed upon them all with the firm eyes of a leader.
“My people,” she began, her voice booming, “as you are no doubt aware, I took a group of our finest warriors out the other day in order to bring back several men who could help increase our decreasing population. I regret to inform you that we did not have the success I’d been hoping for.” Murmurs of unease swept through the women present. There were around fifty or so. Kevin noticed that Phoebe was the youngest. “However, fear not! For we have found one man who matches and even exceeds the expectations placed upon those of the lesser gender.”
“Lesser gender?” Kevin mumbled, his eye twitching. He felt insulted. Whatever happened to gender equality?
“Heh, I like how these women think.” A grinning Iris elbowed him. “You hear that, Stud? You’re a member of the lesser gender.”
Kevin scowled. “Shut up.”
“This man right here—” Phoebe pointed at Kevin, who suddenly felt like crawling into a hole “—not only defeated two of our finest, but he also fought both myself and Polydora to a standstill for several minutes.” The murmurs increased in volume. Phoebe needed to shout to be overheard. “I have decided that he shall sire our children! However, Kevin Swift is on a journey of his own. His mate is currently locked within the clutches of a tyrannous clan of kitsune. He has trekked long and far, seeking entrance into his enemy’s stronghold, all to rescue her. His passion and desire to rescue his mate have moved me!”
Kevin made a face, an amalgam of gaping and grimacing, when nearly half the yama uba population broke out in tears. He heard various cries of “that’s so beautiful!” and “how touching!” Beside him, Iris was grinning, clearly taking entertainment from his reaction.
“That is why we shall aid him in his quest!” Phoebe slammed her fists on the table. Kevin nearly jumped when the table cracked. “We shall journey with him into the heart of enemy territory and help rescue his mate! And then we shall partake in the spoils of victory and have him impregnate each and every one of us!”
As a massive string of cheers went up, no one noticed the solitary figure storm off. They also didn’t hear the sound of Kevin’s face slamming against a table with bone-shattering force.
“Such is the life of a harem protagonist,” Iris said with a grin.
Turning his head to glare at her, Kevin said, “Do you want me to punish you?”
“Only if that punishment involves you spanking my bare ass.”
Kevin’s response was to groan. He just couldn’t get a break.
***
Later that day, after the sun had set, Phoebe stood within her hut. She had stripped off all of her clothing and was preparing her equipment for tomorrow’s journey. Given that they were sneaking into China, Phoebe believed that what they needed the most were weapons and munitions.
As she was setting aside the equipment she wished to bring with her, Clymene stormed into her hut.
“I do not agree with this decision!”
The pale-skinned woman slammed her hands onto the table that Phoebe stood beside. Clymene’s face twisted, a rictus of anger and redder than someone with a bad sunburn, as she glared down at her.
Phoebe wanted to sigh in exasperation. She had been expecting this conversation for a while now, ever since her announcement at the dinner table, but that didn’t make dealing with it any easier.
Looking up at the young woman towering over her, as if trying to frighten her with their difference in height, Phoebe gave Clymene her best “I’m your leader and you’re going to follow my orders” look.
“What decision are you speaking of, Clymene?”
“You know damn well what I’m speaking of!” Clymene’s scowl deepened. “I’m talking about your decision to help that man! Why should we help him? Why should we follow him? We do not let men go free! We enslave them. We use them. We make them impregnate our women and then care for our homes until they die of old age or disease. That has always been our way.”
“Then perhaps it is time we change our ways,” Phoebe told the other girl boldly.
“What was that?” Clymene hissed. “I dare you to say that again.”
Phoebe didn’t look away from Clymene, who looked like a volcano about to erupt. She remained calm, cool, composed. Letting herself get riled up by this woman and her uncouth behavior was beneath her.
“While traditions are important, there are times when we must discard tradition for the good of our people. No longer do we have a stable source of men. No longer do we have the means of combating humans on even ground. We are one of the weaker races, and our inability to adapt to human technology has ensured that our people do not have a means of keeping pace with humanity’s increasing military might. That is why we relied on the Mul Clan, but with the Mul Clan no longer heeding our calls, we must find other ways of getting what we need.”
Her calm eyes contained a glint of intelligence as she observed the girl in front of her. Clymene’s face wa
s still quite red.
“But this isn’t about Kevin Swift, is it?” she deduced. Clymene twitched, causing her to nod. “I assumed as much. Allow me to make an educated guess. You are upset that I have been thinking about having us abandon Kobustan.”
Clymene’s hands clenched into fists that shook with fury.
“That raid on the train was just an excuse to survey the nearest human cities,” she ground out. “You never had any intention of taking the men onboard.”
“You are correct,” Phoebe admitted freely. “I never had any intention of kidnapping the men on that train. Had we done so, the humans would have noticed and sent a search party. They might have even gotten the military involved. Kevin Swift was kidnapped merely because I wanted to make him mine, though it appears as if I will need to work harder to accomplish that since he has a mate of his own.”
“You would break hundreds of years of tradition,” Clymene accused. “You would have us demean ourselves by hiding within human cities and pretending to be one of them?”
“If it means the survival of our species, then yes, I would.” Phoebe didn’t back down. “Times are changing, Clymene, and we need to change with the times if we want to have any hope of surviving.”
She and Clymene stared at each other for what felt like hours, one in anger and the other with the calm confidence of a leader. Clymene looked about ready to start spitting acid.
“Fine,” the raven-haired yama uba spat. “If that is how you want to do things, then that is just fine. But don’t cry to me when our village lies in ruin and our people have gone extinct.”
Phoebe watched Clymene storm out of the hut, watched the flap nearly get ripped from the ceiling. She stared at the spot her former rival had stood, her mind heavy with resignation.
The hardships that came from being a leader were never ending, it seemed.
***
Kevin and Iris were given a hut to share.
He didn’t know why this bothered him so much. Iris had been sleeping in the same bed as him for a while now, ever since Lilian stopped trying to kick her out, in fact. Then again, Lilian wasn’t there, which was the most likely reason for his discomfort.
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