Monster World

by Michael James Ploof

  “They didn’t die, did they?”

  “There’s a small waterfall a few hundred yards to the east. Come with me, I’ll tell you all about it while I clean up.”

  Eva looked suspiciously from me to Scarlett. “I don’t think so.”

  “We should stick together,” said Scarlett. “Besides, I’ve been running a fever for two days, and I feel gross.”

  “I’m not bathing with you too,” said Eva, but she got a twinkle in her eye when she said it.

  “What’s wrong, afraid you’ll have fun?” Scarlett asked.

  “No,” Eva said defensively.

  “It’s not like that,” I said and waved her on. “Scarlett’s right. We need to stick together. We could make a picnic of it.”

  “You want to have a picnic after being attacked by a horde of goblins?” Eva asked.

  “Why not?” Scarlett and I said in unison.

  We tried to hold it in, but then burst into laughter.

  “You two are heathens!” Eva yelled at us over her shoulder.

  Scarlett and I were laughing like fools and stripping out of our clothes as we ran toward the water. I stopped to drop my boxers, and Scarlett tossed her undershirt over my head as she ran by, giggling.

  “Last one in is a rotten orc!” she sang.

  Not to be outdone, I shuffled out of my boxers and sprinted after her sweet little ass as it bounced in front of me. I almost caught up to her, but she dove fearlessly off the bank and into the cool pond fed by the lone waterfall. I dove in after her, leaving a circle of goblin funk in my wake. When I emerged, Eva was on the bank, laughing at us.

  “Come in, the water is beautiful!” Scarlett called, but Eva crossed her arms and shook her head.

  “No. Way.”

  I knew that it would only take a little taunting to get her to join us, but I didn’t want to push her into something she would most certainly regret. Instead of giving in to Scarlett’s entreaties, Eva set her picnic up by a tree. She also hung our two fur blankets on a low-hanging branch.

  “See that you cover yourselves when you come out!” she said, refusing to look at us.

  Scarlett splashed me when she got bored trying to coax Eva into the water, and I responded the way any red-blooded man would—I doused her with my biggest wave attack. She screamed and laughed, and after she got water up her nose, she went on the offensive. I laughed as she blindly swam for me, but once she got her hands on me, she forced my head underwater. I came up and grabbed her wrists, then spun her around and pulled her against me. Her smooth wet body slid up against mine, and my cock brushed her ass as we wrestled.

  She somehow managed to turn around and plant a big kiss on my lips. Her hand moved up my thigh, and she bit my lip while squeezing my manhood at the same time. I glanced in Eva’s direction as we kissed, and Scarlett suddenly pulled away, splashing water in my face.

  I looked at Eva again and caught her hurriedly turning away. She must have seen us kissing. Scarlett knew she would, yet she’d still kissed me. Maybe she only did it to make Eva jealous. Maybe it was a game to her.

  Scarlett dove deep and swam away, and I leaned back and floated, just enjoying the water. I was mentally exhausted. The fight with the goblins had been intense, and I still couldn’t believe I had taken on so many and lived.

  I had to get on the other side of the mountain and finish my quest. This was a dangerous place, and being a goddess’s champion was dangerous work. Sooner or later it was going to get me killed.

  “Everything is ready if you two are hungry!” Eva called from shore.

  Scarlett got there ahead of me. Water beads glistened on her hard body. She looked like an Olympic athlete, and I couldn’t help but stare. She grabbed both blankets as I walked out of the water and tossed me one. Her eyes moved down my body, then she looked up and grinned.

  We wrapped ourselves up and joined Eva. She offered us each a cup of wine, and we raised our glasses in a toast.

  “What should we drink to?” I asked.

  “Scarlett’s swift recovery,” said Eva and smiled at her.

  “I can drink to that,” said Scarlett. “I must thank you both again. Had it not been for you, I would have surely died.”

  We drank wine and ate leftover pork and deer meat, and I felt a calm finally wash over me. The battle with the goblins had taken a lot out of me, and the wine did me good.

  “Will you be fit to travel soon?” Eva asked.

  “Oh yes,” said Scarlett. “I feel very much like myself.”

  “We can head out tomorrow then,” I said. “No point starting now. I don’t think we’ll have any more trouble.”

  “We are about half a day’s march to the dwarven stronghold,” said Scarlett. “From there, we have nothing to worry about from monsters, but there are cutthroats and highwaymen who might recognize the princess and try to make some coin. But we can worry about that when we get there.”

  “I can’t believe it’s almost over,” said Eva.

  “How long did the Goblin King have you?” Scarlett asked. “I heard about your kidnapping weeks ago it seems.”

  “It has been a month. I had nearly lost hope by the time Jake rescued me.”

  She smiled at me, and Scarlett watched us closely.

  “You two are just too cute,” she said and tore off a chunk of dried pork.

  “Excuse me?” said Eva.

  “Oh my gods, it’s okay to be yourself. It’s just us here.”

  “I am being myself, and I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Eva drank heavily of her wine.

  “You’re a shit starter,” I jested and threw a pinecone at Scarlett.

  She batted it away with cat-like reflexes and laughed. “I get bored easily.”

  We dined by the river leisurely and enjoyed a day in the sunshine. I wasn’t worried about being ambushed by trolls or giants or orcs. We were close to the mountains, and I could have sworn I felt an energy emitting from it, one that split though the malice that hung in the air throughout the Badlands.

  I napped as the girls chatted, and when I woke it was well past midday. The girls were talking about what it had been like growing up. Eva spoke of the rigid expectations of a princess, and Scarlett talked about the perils of growing up an orphan and then joining Clan Black.

  “But if they’re not your real brothers and sisters, and if Red isn’t really your father, why do you all have red hair?” Eva asked, and I sat up to listen.

  “It’s a spell,” Scarlett explained. “When someone is taken in, there is a ceremony. It is said that the gods watch, the God of Fire in particular, he who is the Maker of Orphans the world over. If the God of Fire approves of the new addition to the family, the boy or girl’s hair turns red, and they are given a new name.”

  “What was your name before you joined the clan?” I asked.

  Scarlett was surprised by the question, and she stared at the ground in deep thought for a moment. It looked like it pained her to remember. “My name was… not important. Those who made me didn’t want me, therefore their name was never my true name. Scarlett Black is my name, now and forever.”

  “You must have been so scared when you were given to Red,” said Eva.

  “Not at all,” Scarlett said with all seriousness. “I was relieved. As I said before, some of the monks at the orphanage had evil temptations. It was hard to leave the other children though. I made it known that if I ever heard the faintest whisper of abuse by the monks, I would return one day and burn down the whole damn place.”

  “Have you ever returned? Did you ever hear those terrible rumors?”

  “No, but I intend to visit one day soon. Then I will be able to answer your second question and deal with the monks accordingly.”

  “Such a life you live,” said Eva, and it sounded like she was jealous.

  I refilled her wine glass and topped off Scarlett’s as well. “So Clan Black patrols the lands east of the mountains, but what is their reward? Why do you do it? The way Red and Eva t
alked, it sounds like you guys don’t get any love for all your work.”

  “Recognition is not our motivation,” said Scarlett. “We do it because we love adventure and the peace found far from society, and we do it because it is our destiny, our purpose.”

  “It’s kind of ironic that the children society doesn’t want end up being their biggest defenders,” I said, and I instantly wished I hadn’t.

  A frown blossomed on Scarlett’s face, and her eyes lowered heavily.

  “I didn’t mean to—”

  “It’s all right,” she said with a faint smile. “It is ironic. But we are taught to separate ourselves from such destructive thoughts and be grateful for the life we now have. Like Red said, there are over three hundred men and women, girls and boys in our family. We are blessed, and we are free to live as we please in the wilds.”

  “It must be scary living among monsters all the time,” said Eva.

  She shrugged. “You get used to it, and if you do your job right, the monsters begin to fear you.”

  “And you intend to give half your share of the reward to the family?” I asked.

  “Indeed. I have no use for such riches.”

  “But you sell unicorn horns and the like,” said Eva. “Surely you need money.”

  “Of course, but it all goes to the family, and in return we get what we need, nothing more, nothing less. Material possessions only lead to selfishness and eventually self-destruction.”

  Eva shifted uncomfortably. “I have seen what you speak of. Lords and ladies pretend to be happy and the most blessed beings in the world, but there is a quiet desperation behind the mask, one that I loathe to wear myself.”

  I was surprised by her refreshing candor, and saddened by it as well.

  “Is there no other way?” I asked, and Eva looked up.

  “What do you mean?” she asked quietly.

  “Tell your parents you don’t want to marry the lord. Do something else with your life.”

  She burst into laughter. “My dear, sweet man, you must be mad. But I forget you are not from Tarth. I don’t know how things work with royals on your world, but there are no such options available to a princess of Zenfindel. I am expected to marry Lord Berdink, manage his house, birth him a son, and stand beside him with a resigned smile until I am an old woman who spends every day lamenting the loss of her youthful beauty.”

  “That sounds nightmarish,” said Scarlett.

  Eva shrugged. “Perhaps, but it is not a life of wanting. There is grand comfort, respect, power, and the love and adoration of the people.”

  “Sounds nightmarish,” Scarlett repeated.

  “I suppose it does, but what am I to do? Run off and get kidnapped again? Become a lady of the forest, sleep with the animals, and become a hermit? Or perhaps I could join a circus. There are no options for me. I’m not like you. I can’t reinvent myself like you two. Jake went from being a measly baker to a champion of Celesta. You, Scarlett, went from a pitied orphan to a warrior of Clan Black. I am a princess, and a princess I shall remain until the end of my days.”

  “If you went back to Earth with Jake, you could become whoever you wanted,” Scarlett suggested.

  She was a twisted little cupid, one minute she was kissing me, and the next she was trying to get me and Eva together. I didn’t know if she was testing me, testing Eva, or just fucking with us for the hell of it.

  One thing was for certain—she was having fun.

  “Go to Earth?” Eva said. She gazed thoughtfully at the slowly setting sun, then looked at me. I offered her a goofy smile.

  Scarlett said, “I think Jake would like that.”

  “You would?” Eva asked, looking at me expectantly.

  “Uh yeah, s-sure. I mean, that would be cool,” I stammered.

  “What a daydreamer you are,” she said to Scarlett. “Me, going to another world with Jake. To do what?”

  “Whatever you want. That’s the point.”

  “But I would be a nobody. I would be… a commoner!”

  “You would be free!” Scarlett said, vexed.

  When I didn’t instantly make a case as to why she should come home with me, Eva shook her head and drank the rest of her wine. “Enough of your daydreams.”

  Scarlett grinned at me with an arched brow that said, You dropped the ball on that one. I guess you don’t like her as much as I thought.

  Was she testing me to see if I truly loved Eva? Did I love Eva? Did I love Scarlett? I was too mentally drained to deal with it, so I drank.

  “Refill?” I asked Scarlett.

  “If you’re having another.” Her smirk was lovely.

  I refilled her glass, and Eva offered hers up too.

  “I can’t wait for you to see my kingdom. The city is marvelous, with architecture dating back nearly two thousand years,” said Eva, suddenly chipper and seemingly having forgotten about the idea of going to Earth. “Have you ever been there, Scarlett?”

  “I’ve been to Zenfindel a few times. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the Unified Kingdoms. But it dims in comparison to the elven city of Vyrresh. No offense.”

  “Elven city?” I asked.

  “There are numerous elven cities on Tarth, but they are mostly in the west.”

  “Wild,” I said.

  “You don’t have elves on Earth?” Scarlett asked.

  “No,” I said and snickered. “There are only humans and animals, but the beasts don’t have cities. Humans are the only intelligent beings on my planet.”

  “How sad,” said Eva.

  “But how do you know what an elf is if you’ve never seen one?” Scarlett wondered.

  “Well, they’re myths, legends, things made up by storytellers.”

  “Hm, that is strange,” said Scarlett. “I wonder how the storytellers knew of the existence of such creatures. I mean, it’s not like they guessed correctly about beings that exist on another world.”

  “Unless they were seers,” Eva suggested.

  “Maybe,” I said. “After everything I’ve seen this last week, no explanation seems too far-fetched.”

  “It must be strange and wonderful to be on another world,” Scarlett said. Her blanket had begun to drift dangerously lower and was close to exposing her breasts, but no one but me seemed to notice. I marveled for a moment at her beauty.

  “Well, it sure is strange,” I admitted. “The wonderful part didn’t begin until I met the two of you.”

  “Don’t tease,” said Scarlett and playfully threw grass at me.

  “I’m not,” I said. “I really like you girls.”

  I realized I was getting drunk from the wine, and my tongue was getting looser by the second, but I didn’t care.

  “We really like you too, Jake.” Scarlett grinned.

  “I wish you weren’t leaving,” Eva lamented. “You could have a good life here. My father will be most grateful to you once I am returned to Zenfindel. He is a very powerful man. If you stayed, he would probably make you a lord.”

  Scarlett gave me a devious look over the rim of her cup. “If Jake was a lord, you could marry him instead of what’s-his-name.”

  Eva blushed. “It matters not. Jake is adamant about leaving.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that, and my silence made Eva’s hopeful eyes grow sad.

  “You two are so boring sometimes,” said Scarlett.

  She stood and let the blanket fall.

  Eva drew in a shocked breath.

  Scarlett was a knockout, and now that I got a good look at the front of her, I realized her backside had only been a preview of the wonders that awaited me. Her small breasts were perky, and her pink nipples stood proudly in the waning light. I was surprised to see how many scars she had. I hadn’t noticed them before, but in the sunlight they stood out against her fair skin. One long scar went diagonally across her stomach, but it wasn’t hideous or disfiguring. If anything it made her even sexier—if that was possible.

  Scarlett turned abruptly and
sauntered down to the water.

  “I envy her free spirit,” Eva said dreamily.

  “You know, it’s possible to be a lady and have a little fun once in a while,” I said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, what does it even mean to be a lady?”

  “It means keeping your clothes on around men who are not your husband, for one,” she said, and I laughed. “It means carrying yourself with grace and dignity, respecting yourself, and—”

  “The water is sooo warm!” Scarlett yelled. “And it’s so beautiful in the waning light. Get in here, you two prudes!”

  “She’s incorrigible,” Eva said.

  “Yes she is,” I said and stood. The blanket was wrapped around my waist, and Eva glanced at it with a mix of excitement and apprehension, as though she was afraid it might fall. “You coming?”

  “I… I couldn’t.”

  “Live a little. There’s no harm in it. Wear your undershirt if that makes you more comfortable.”

  “Oh, to the hells with it.”

  She stood up regally , took a big full breath, and let it out sharply. She unbuttoned the jerkin and let it fall. Her hands trembled as she wiggled out of her short dress. It hit the ground as well, and she turned and offered me her back. I untied the tight leather straps that crisscrossed the corset and helped her out of it. All that was left was her undershirt.

  I offered her my hand, thinking she was going to swim in it, but she surprised me by pulling one side off her shoulder. The other side fell, and the undershirt caught on her breasts before they burst into the open and bounced heavily. They were surprisingly large, with rose-colored areolas and large, pointy nipples. The fabric moved down her flat tummy, over her wide hips, and down her sleek legs. She covered her vagina coyly but looked at the blanket wrapped around me.

  I untied it and let it fall, and my semi-erect cock popped into view.

  “Oh my,”

  I laughed. “Last one in is a rotten orc!”

  I turned and ran for the water. Eva was right behind me. Scarlett had her back to me and was watching the sunset. I did a cannonball—I had to, it was too perfect. When I emerged, she was laughing and splashing Eva.