NOVEL SIMPLE West… to Startham
My first night with Emerie had gone well. She had submitted rather fast and seemed to actually want to share my bed. Unexpected... given her resistance during capture and registration. I had armor custom fitted for her; after seeing her skills firsthand, I knew she'd be an asset to my side. She seemed proud to wear a sword again...hopefully the new armor sutied her aswell.
It was near mid day now... and i had only a week to get the money for Cyla. On top of that, i wantd to aquire a house... something bigger then the apparment. After talking with Ceraphina, and her charging me with growing Will to Dominate, it seemed I'd be taking plenty of slavegirls. which was fine by me. So... why not put Emerie, and her new armor to the test? I approached the bounty board. Something simple perhaps? Orc bandit chief to the west... outlaws could be enslaved right? Perhaps look into that later.
My eyes scanned the jobs... and honestly i wanted to kick myself for not joining the guild sooner... these paid much better then just harvesting materials... slaying monglins for leather! How many times had i done just that? Seemed gathering materials were quests too. And selling through the guild offered higher pay then selling independent!
Now wasnt the time to get annoyed... simple job with decent pay... ah. Startham was having a problem with high level monsters... well higher... wolves. Usally level 5... with aplhas getting as high as 10. This indicated a small pack... we should be able to handle it. Startham was less then a days journey west, and I knew of an Inn in tarko we could stay at if needed. i took the bounty off the board and turned it to the girls.
"Killing wolves?" Emerie said, sounding disappointed. "Sure the pays not bad... but there are higher reward jobs on the board. Like bounties and treasure hunts..."
"True... but I don't want to delve into the dungeon again so soon., I reply. "Besides... we should start small, till you get used to fighting with us."
Emerie frowned but nodded. "Yea, ok... you're the boss."
Aya flexed her claws. "Besides neko-kin dislike wolves. I'm all for eliminating some! Even if master wasn't ordering it!"
That was a rare fire in Aya's eyes... good to see her excited. But why did she dislike wolves? Was that her cat side showing? How cliche...
I took the bounty to the counter and accepted the quest. Then we headed out. Startham was to the west of Tarko, across wide grassland planes, and a small forest. Too bad we didn't have horses or a wagon... the journey would be quick... oh well..., we might as well fight Monglins along the way. Pop a few balloon monkeys for exp and resources. As we step out of Tarko's gates, Emerie looks back at the town behind us.
"It occurs to me... we aren't sleeping in a bed tonight... are we?" She asks.
"It's a possibility, yes." I answer.
She pouts slightly, but trys to hide it. Was she actually disappointed not to be slept with? Curious...
As we continue, the Monglins start appearing, charging us. Aya drops into a fighting stance, claws out.
"Hold Aya... let Emerie do it."
Emerie gives me a look, but steps forward, drawing her sword. With skilled strikes, she slashes through the Monglins with ease. They are starting mobs... so that's not surprising. But she is in new gear, so it's best to start small anyway. The armor, despite being heavier than her old set, seemed to do little to hinder her movement. Good... though I could see it jostle slightly on her torso... so it would need to be tightened up some to avoid chaffing...
Before long emerie had a pile of Monglin hides. "Aya, collect the drops..."
"Yes, master." Aya set to work, collecting furs, and we continued. While I had put both the girls to work, there was little I could do to help. Emerie made quick work of each of the monglins, while Aya collected the drops nearly as fast. At this rate, we made it across the grasslands in a great time, Aya's and mine packs overflowing with hides. Even without quests, these would be good coin... the sun was still high in the sky as we reached the forest... about... 4 or 5 if i had to guess.
"Ok, girls, let's stop here for a break." I said gesturing to a few rocks about chair height. As the girls say, I got out rations. "You two did very good work I'm proud of you." I said as I gave each of them a snack and petted their heads. Aya purred, and Emerie groaned. "Now eat up. Gotta keep your energy up."
At this rate, they'd make Startham before nightfall. Wolves prefer to be active at night, right? Perhaps that would work for the best then. Get there, rest a bit in town, then hunt the wolves. They could head back to Tarko tomorrow. I ate some rations myself. Essentially trail mix with jerky... dry foods that are kept well for travel. Surprisingly they were good... but not as filling as a proper meal. Still... was rather nice to have Aya and Emerie here... last time i was in startham... i had been by myself. Spent many days, sitting and eating rations just like this by myself. Those days, i was trying my hardest to gain money, and get to Tarko. Where the slave trader was... for some reason i had felt drawn to it... to getting my first slavegirl. Ceraphina had cleared some of that up, if only i could remember my first meeting with her... more and more of my previous life was returning to me... so maybe someday? But for now we were on a time crunch. I finished the bit of jerky i had and stood up. Aya and Emerie seemed to have finished aswell.
"Alright girls... lets get moving."
