by Prax Venter
Completely spent, he fell forward, sinking his knees into the snow and looked down at his velvet-girl. The rip was closed, and Roo's glossy, black eyes blinked up at him from behind her mask.
She reached up and touched his cheek with her silky soft fingers.
"What a strange feeling. Intense pain replaced with extreme pleasure."
Mark smiled down at her and put his hand on hers, pressing it to his face. "Oh am I glad you're okay."
Ahnix struck the killing blow on the last enemy, and Mark felt a rush of essence enter him. It occurred to him that he was probably just tuning out the sensation during the heat of battle.
Everyone moved over to Mark and Roo laying in the snow.
"I'm so sorry, Roo. I should have found a way to pull it onto me," Vale said, looking miserable.
"There was nothing you could do. Mark was the priority," Ahnix said, through her typical small-mouthed frown.
Sharee looked with wide eyes around the group. "You guys are amazing. All of you. Thank you. Thank you for everything. For protecting me, for ending them-"
"We aren't done yet, girl." Ahnix interrupted, studying the tree line again. Her keen eyes noticed something and started to creep over to the edge of the forest.
Mark stood, wrapping his hand around Roo's and pulling her to her feet in the process. When the velvet-girl was up, she walked up to Sharee and wrapped her arms around her white cloaked body.
The young squirrel didn't quite know how to respond.
"You could be awesome too if you learned to shoot better," Roo said, and then looked over to Mark. "You too, Mark. You're terrible with that thing."
Sharee pushed away from Roo and furrowed her brow, showing only a hint of her former anger.
"Then show me."
"One got away and ran into the forest, wounded,” Ahnix shouted, walking back from the tree line. “We can follow its bloody trail, easily."
Mark looked around at everyone. "Okay, let's rest here for ten minutes or so, let our cooldowns recharge. Then we go after it."
"Great." Vale's cheery smile was back. "Time for some training. I used to spar with other naga all the time. It can really help you become more comfortable with your weapons and how to get the most out of them. I'll move about twenty yards away and serve as a target dummy. Don't worry- you won't hit me. Roo why don't you stay here and maybe give them some pointers? You seem pretty good at marksmanship."
Roo nodded.
Vale slid through the snow, wrapped in her fur blanket and cap and turned around when she was far enough away. She brought up her shield and announced she was ready.
Mark felt that asking Vale more about her past was long overdue. He wanted to know what her life was like before the Slug Kingdom and why she had sparred with other naga. He noticed Ahnix continue to scan the forest while they set up and was grateful for her all over again.
Roo stepped forward and pointed at Sharee. "Load your slingshot, and shoot her."
The young female squirrel took out her y-shaped, ranged weapon and pulled a smooth stone from a pouch on her belt. She looked over at Mark first, to make sure it was okay to attack Vale.
Mark nodded, and she quickly squeezed the stone with the leather pad, pulled back, and let it fly.
The stone zipped through the air, and Vale had to bend over a little to try and catch the stone with her shield. But it landed short, sending up a puff of snow in front of her.
"Load again and pull it back, but don't let go," Roo instructed.
Sharee repeated the process and held the elastic cord taut.
Roo stepped in close and put two velvet fingers on squirrel's hand holding the leather pad.
"Your hand is too high, line up with your eye. Good. Now raise the slingshot. Yes. Hold your breath before you let go. Be still as frost."
Sharee took this opportunity very seriously and did exactly as she was instructed.
Roo nodded. "Release."
The young squirrel opened her fingers, and the stone whistled right for Vale's face. She brought the shield up and deflected it with a metallic thunk into the forest.
"Good," the fur-wrapped naga shouted from down range. "Your weapon is designed for weak points. Never go for a body shot."
Sharee was grinning ear to ear.
"Keep your elbow down and your mind clear," Roo added. "Again."
The young squirrel fired ten more shots, most of which went for Vale's head. Mark was amazed at the improvement.
The masked velvet-girl stepped in and put her hand on Sharee's shoulder signaling her to stop.
"Practice every day, and go for the eyes."
"I will, Roo. Thank you."
Mark furrowed his brow, confused by her sudden level of expertise. "Roo, where did you learn to be such a good instructor?"
She tilted her head and focused on something far away. Her pure black eyes made it hard to tell where she was looking, but Mark got the sense her attention was focused internally.
"I think... I was created this way. I believe I contain many voices, many skills. Sewing, archery, riding, cunnilingus, administration, cooking, fellatio, animal husbandry-
"Okay, okay." Mark stopped her. "We'll get into that later. You're just full of surprises, Roo."
"What's cunnilingus?" The young squirrel asked.
"Oral sex performed on a female." Ahnix was quick to respond and was staring at Roo with renewed interest.
"Oh, Eww," Sharee said.
"Are we done with target practice, Master?" Vale yelled from down the road, her arms wrapped around her shivering body.
Roo stepped up to Mark and pointed at Vale. "Shoot her."
Mark nodded, then rose his voice so his patient naga could hear. "Sorry for the wait, Vale. Get ready, here it comes!"
He fired one baseline shot so they could see how he handled himself, and the colorful magic bolt went wide and struck one of the trees off in the forest before disappearing.
Roo looked at him blinking. "Mark, can I see your weapon?"
"Sure, but I have hit things before. I swear." He relinquished it over to the Roo.
She took Myriad, his magic crossbow, and turned it around looking at it from every angle.
"Did you break off one of the sights? There is one on the front, but the one on the stock is missing."
Ahnix snorted from behind them. "No wonder you can't hit anything."
"I need two sights? I've just been using the one. I knew that thing was cursed."
"Yes, Mark. To draw a straight line you need at least two fixed points," Roo remarked, distracted with inspecting the faulty ranged weapon "I think I can..."
Roo trailed off as she held the crossbow firmly with one hand and placed her palm at the front of the stock, above the trigger. She closed her eyes, and Mark heard a loud crack.
A burst of light lit up the snow at her feet that looked like every color in the rainbow at once- which was exceptionally impressive as they were standing in full daylight.
"There." Roo held up the crossbow and looked down its shaft. She nodded and handed it back to Mark. "Try it now."
Mark raised an eyebrow and took back his potentially broken magic crossbow. He looked at what she had done to it and noticed that there was now a regular-sized sewing needle stuck into the pure white stock. Where before it was opalescent, the weapon now just looked like dull white wood. He held it up, lined up the eye of the needle with the sight at the front end and aimed at Vale.
He squeezed the trigger, and a bright white ball of energy slammed into Vale's shield at high-speed, then burst with a tremendous explosion.
The naga peeked over her shield and then held up her other hand. "Hey! Stop! What was that?"
Mark looked down at his newly modified crossbow and then over to Roo.
She gave him a cheesy smile. "The modification must have done something to the power focus, but firing rate is probably slower. Better?"
"Better. I didn't like the rainbow sparkles anyway," he said to Roo, and then turned
his attention to giant naga down the road. "Come on back, Vale."
When she slid up to the group Vale looked down at Mark's crossbow. "What is going on, Master? Did that blast come from the crossbow?"
Ahnix answered before Mark could. "Yes. Roo has some interesting talents. But, let's talk and walk. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to follow the trail of the wounded fox."
- 16 -
The bloody trail led them deep into the forest. Ahnix had taken the lead and prowled ahead, so they didn't all just walk into another trap. If she got into danger, she could just pop out and regroup.
Eventually, Ahnix came back and reported that she spotted two more foxes, yipping back and forth to each other in front of a cave. One was male, and the other was female, and neither of them was the one Roo had stuck with the needle.
She wasn't sure how many were in the cave, but she was certain that the trail of blood disappeared into the darkness beyond its entrance.
They formed a quick plan and approached the two primal foxes loitering in the snow, using a slope in the terrain to hide behind. Vale had to begrudgingly lower herself close to the ground and put her hands in the snow to creep up close enough.
Mark was able to get a good look at them while his party quietly moved into position. The female was lean but had wiry muscles under her fur coat. She looked to be built like Ahnix, only taller. She had a sleek, angular head with a long snout and two pointed ears at the top of her head. Like most female creatures in this world, she was complete with full, round breasts and dark brown nipples.
The male looked similar but was at least two feet taller and had much bulkier muscles. Mark could also see a huge, swinging dick between its canine legs. He sensed that both could be enthralled.
Once everyone was ready, Ahnix teleported behind the female and landed a devastating sneak attack, Assault Rush combo.
Vale rushed forward at a speed that still surprised Mark and whipped the back of the male as it turned to assist its mate. The strike tore open a gash in the creature's fur and caused him to turn and face Vale.
As it did, Sheree let a stone fly from her slingshot and nailed the beast in his right eye.
The hulking arctic fox put a hand to his face and leaned his head back, howling in pain. His howls turned to gargles as a large needle lodged in his throat.
Ahnix dodged a weak swipe by the severely wounded female and disemboweled her with a counterattack, ending the fight quickly.
Mark turned to Sharee. "Hey, nice-" Was all he got out before a deafening howl from the cave entrance interrupted him, and he turned just in time to see massive white blur hit Ahnix from behind.
The cat-girl was thrown into a heap at Mark's feet, and where she had been standing was an enormous female fox that stood at least ten-feet-tall. Her black lips were pulled tight, showing rows of pointed teeth. Mark couldn’t help but notice she had tits as big as Vale's.
Sharee didn’t hesitate and launched a rock at the creature's head. The giant fox-woman just turned sideways, and the rock bounced uselessly off her furry shoulder.
Vale activated her Hateful Sting ability, washing the pure, white fur of the hulking beast in a red tint and, drawing its attention away from the rest of the group.
Mark trusted the naga to be able to defend herself for a few moments while he turned his attention to Ahnix. He got down on his knees and put his hand on her hip, channeling a strong heal into her. He used his bond with the cat-girl and forced her broken body to heal and her pain to end.
Bright glowing orbs appeared around her that seemed larger than the sparks they had been before. Ahnix stirred and looked up at him, her eyes wide.
"What hit me?"
He pulled her to her feet as Roo fired a needle into the shoulder of the giant arctic fox creature savagely slashing at Vale. The gleaming projectile sunk into the monster's thickly muscled shoulder but it didn't even seem to notice, and it noticed the rock bouncing off its back from Sharee's slingshot even less.
Sooner than Mark would have thought possible the creature shook its head, breaking the hex Vale had placed on it. The beast looked down at the smaller naga; her shield held ready for the next attack. Instead, the creature tilted her snout into the sky and made a terrible howling noise that was so loud Mark felt it reverberate in his chest.
Vale's eyes went wide, and she started to scream at the top of her lungs. The naga turned and slid off into the trees with her hands over her ears, heading away from the wolf-woman.
Mark watched in horror as the giant, white beast slowly turned on him and his group. He guessed that its howl must have been a fear ability of some kind. This thing was powerful.
It started to stalk towards them, and Ahnix stepped forward, getting into a fighting stance.
Mark knew there was no way his fierce cat-girl could hold this primal pile of muscle, fur, and claws at bay. He was also fairly certain his protective bubble would have no real way to protect all four of them.
He needed Vale. Mark's mind latched on to the giant naga, focusing all his attention on her. Her violet eyes, her long white hair and her sultry curves. He focused on her scent and his need for her.
Then he pulled that mental rope as hard as he could and activated Harem Recall.
And there she was. Right in front of him was the giant naga's fur-wrapped bottom.
He quickly switched gears and enhanced her will to defend. He poured as much energy as he could into countering the fear she felt, and mentally tried to massage her confidence and determination to protect the ones she cared about.
Gold rings formed and collapsed onto her wrists and shoulders. Another one appeared and collapsed around the crown of her head.
Vale let out a moaning, "Mmm," through a clenched jaw, and he knew that his enhancement had to feel good, but she never took her attention off the creature as it rushed into her with its claws.
Ahnix and Roo circled around to the right, as the invigorated Vale smashed her shield into the massive creature's muzzle with such a force that Mark heard bones cracking, causing a serious stun.
Mark rolled to the left, got to his feet and yelled, "Fire in the hole!" before launching an explosive ball from his crossbow into the creature's face.
Vale understood what that meant and ducked under the blast, bringing her shield up to protect her head. Mark realized he was going to have to be careful with his new and improved magic crossbow, as friendly fire seemed like a dangerous possibility.
Ahnix teleported behind the wolf-woman, yelled, "Doom Kick!" and performed a backflip, causing a black rip in reality to follow her foot in a long, vertical line. The attack opened a massive wound on the monster's right haunch just as it was coming out of its stun from Vale's Shield Bash.
Sharee launched a rock into the towering creature's right eye as Roo sunk a needle into its left eye, causing enough damage to instantly end the fight.
Mark shuddered at the sheer amount of essence flowing into him. This she-wolf must have been worth a lot.
"Everybody okay?" Mark asked, looking around the group. Ahnix nodded and went to inspect the cave.
Roo turned to Sharee and smiled, her black eyes sparkling behind her white mask. "I think you are getting the idea."
The young squirrel didn't react and just stood motionless, keeping her eyes on the giant fox monstrosity. Vale had also not moved, still facing the dead creature sprawled out in the snow. Her hand still clutched onto her shield, but it hung forgotten, dangling at her side. Mark could feel despair radiating from the snake-girl and walked up behind her.
He reached up under her fur blanket wrap and put his hand on the small of her back.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Vale. If it wasn't for you, we'd all be dead."
"I ran," she said, tears spilling down her beautiful face.
"I mean it, Vale. Stop. I know you're smart enough to realize that we can't be the only ones with superpowers. You got blasted with a Fear, Ahnix got half her skeleton crushed by some kind of Charge. Shi
t happens."
He slid his hand down her back and over her thick rump to about where she had told him her anus was. "If you don't snap out of it I'll slip my pinky in your butt..."
She spun around, her eyes wider than he had ever seen them.
"Master!"
Ahnix emerged from the fox den a few yards away and crossed her arms.
"It was a very shallow cave. No more foxes. And the one we were chasing is in there, dead. Job done.
Sharee looked over at Ahnix and nodded. Then she opened her cloak, pulled out a small skinning knife, and walked over to the corpse of the humongous white wolf they had just brought down.
She stood over it for a moment, then bent down and began sawing away at its thick, white pelt.
Mark looked around at his girls with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, Sharee-"
"Yes. I need this. I will display the hide in the center of town, letting everyone know it's finally over."
Mark had to admit this ten-foot fox hide would send a pretty clear message. He and his girls helped where they could, and just as the sunlight began to fade from the sky, they started dragging the heavy hide back to town.
By the time it was fully dark they were walking up the steps to the Buried Treasures brothel. The cold hadn’t really bothered Mark until the sun went down, and the temperature dropped significantly. Shivering, he knocked his fist on the gaudy, red doors. The interior was lit by candlelight and the large fireplace at the back of the foyer.
He saw Mistress Ralie come to the entrance, remove the bar that kept it locked and pulled both doors inward. Warmth, light and fragrant perfume spilled out from the inviting shelter while a brisk wind blew open the voluptuous older squirrel's thin coverings. She pulled her robe tight with her arm and looked down at the scene on her front steps. Sharee stood at the bottom of the stairs, the thick hide held tight in her fist.
"They did it. All the foxes, including the den mother, are rotting. Father is avenged."