121. Field Town, Part 3: Kani’s News (R-18)

121. Field Town, Part 3: Kani’s News (R-18)

“I won’t beat around the bush for the following topic. I kidnapped a bunch of children from Charlatan Forest today.” The mingled group of human and Mandragora children look at me with fearful and angry gazes. “I need someone to ensure they’re properly cared for, educated, and protected. This is an important job.”

“Yes, it’s my job!” Heather the Flower Dryad says.

I don’t necessarily want to take this away from her. She’s terrible, but I spared her life for two reasons. One, the kids know her. Two, she seems to honestly want to protect the kids. Without the Elder Tree around, she’s probably harmless. The question is whether she’ll actively work against me.

“Then kneel.”

Mother Heather glares at me with defiance in her eyes as she refuses to bend the knee.

Hmph. I summon my crab armor, conjuring Flame magic to my left and a Dark Magic light show (the only thing I can reliably do with Dark Magic is not blow myself up, but it is visually impressive) to my right. My audience seems suitably cowed by my power display, complimented by my monstrous appearance, but not the rosy Flower Dryad.

The kids leap to Heather’s defense, saying things like, ‘Don’t hurt flower mommy,’ ‘Leave us alone,’ and ‘Don’t take our daddy away.’

The Flower Dryad refuses to submit until Douglas puts a hand on her arm and says, “Give it up. Don’t throw everything away for that twisted old tree.” Her shoulders slump, and she falls to her knees.

“Don’t hurt anyone,” I tell her. “All my rules apply to you as well. And don’t try to escape.”

Heather nods, frustrated, but barely compliant. The children settle down.

“Lady Mayoress,” Douglas says, “I’d like to stay part of the kids’ lives if that’s alright.”

Even after being raped for decades... his offspring continuously defiled into Hybrid monsters... depending on how long the Elder has been doing this, Douglas may have even replaced his father in that role. And yet he still really cares about them—even the Mandragoras that aren’t his.

“That’s fine, of course. Your help is appreciated,” I say, internally wanting to give him a fucking medal of honor.

“Excuse me, Lady Mayoress, but maybe I could help with the children?” I turn to see who said that, and it’s Lois, Cottontail and Megan’s mom, the previous first lady of the Warren. She certainly would have experience raising kids at her age.

“I’m an old hand with this too,” Gretta the former Harpy Mountain ‘town bicycle’ says. It seems like Aello brought all the Harpy prisoners with them to dinner. “Maybe we split them up by gender for part of the day so they’re easier to deal with?” That might be a good idea, especially to make sure this MILF doesn’t poach any of the young bucks turning eighteen for herself.

“That’s great!” I say, “The four of you can make camp on the far side of the Hut.” All the better to be out of earshot of tonight’s orgy. “Hey, um, weird question, but are any of you Mandragoras at least eighteen years old?” If we’re going to try anything to help Gabby evolve, I want it to at least be with someone who can consent as an adult.

The children all form up around the tallest boy in defensive positions. Such good kids.

“Everyone, it’s alright. Stay with Mother Heather.” A beansprout of a boy says as he steps forward. I mean that almost literally; he’s tall and skinny with the palest shade of green I’ve seen on a Mandragora and a shock of darker green hair.

“Excellent. Brave young man, would you please come over here? We need your help for a project,” I say. He stops the children from protesting and approaches me. “How about you take over the kids’ portion of food tonight to show them you’re fine, later? Sound good?”

“Y-yes, ma’am.” His prominent Adam’s apple bobs in his throat as he punctuates his reply with a nervous gulp.

“Okay, you volunteers can take turns watching the kids and helping us make dinner over here until we’re through for the night.”

““Yes, Lady Mayoress,”” Douglas, Lois, and Gretta say together. Then the four adults, including Mother Heather, lead the children away. Interestingly, Doug and Gretta hug and start chatting arm in arm like they have decades to catch up on. I guess I do remember Gretta saying she was born in Charlatan Forest.

“Are they gone?” Nicole, the cantaloupe-breasted Fruit Nymph with an eggplant cock and apricot testicles hidden beneath her grass skirt and top says like she’s holding her breath.

I give it another five-count after the last little head rounds a corner. Five... four... three... two... one. “Yep, this is an eighteen-plus crowd again.”

All three Fruit Nymphs’ cocks burst free of their grass skirt containments to full erection as they exhale in unison. “Oh, thank God Beast, I thought I was going to nut if I had to keep it squeezed between my legs any longer,” Serra, the grape-pigtailed Fruit Nymph with a papaya dong says.

I raise a hand to protect beansprout boy’s impressionable eyes, but he stands on his tiptoes to look over the edge of my palm to get a better look. Oh, well. He’s eighteen, after all.

“Yeah, that was rough,” Marcy (Brenda’s sister), the Fruit Nymph with a banana cock and voluptuous strawberry breasts says as she peels herself and starts stroking her sweet fleshy length. Lots of monster eyes land on those big, swinging, exotic fruits. “I wanna fuck someone’s butt so fucking bad!!!”

I block beansprout’s ears this time, but he just pulls them away. Alright, that ship has officially sailed. Welcome to Team Pervert, kid.

“Wait, time, hold on, I’ve got another item to discuss before we get to that.”

“Aww!” Nicole whines. She looks the most mature of the three but seems to be the least so in personality.

She swallows a mouthful of fruit, and a trickle of bloody juice runs down the corner of her mouth. I bite my lip at the sexy sight. Then she pouts at me. “I had good news, but you went and spoiled some of it with your speech back there, Lady Mayoress.”

Interesting; sometimes, I love being wrong. “Please, Kani? I didn’t mean to undercut anything, honest. I was only trying to get some things out of the way before hearing the important thing you wanted to tell me.”

“Very well.” Kani straightens, assuming a noble bearing as she relays her news, “Ahem, I’m here on behalf of Lady Ariella to tell you she’s successfully conquered the Mermaid Cove.”

I blink in surprise. That is unexpected! I hadn’t even heard about a so-called Mermaid Cove. My Hometown knows jack-shit about the ocean, though.

But way to go, Ariella! Girlboss the crap out of that thing!

“Ariella evolved into a Triton Seafolk after our meeting, correct?” Gabby says. “That’s a Superior-rank Mer monster, so I can see her taking over the local population.”

“Wow, congrats. I assume you helped?” I ask Kani.

The crab girl nods. “I protected my Lady from foul play as she ritualistically dueled every Mer in the Cove for the past three days and nights to assert her dominance.” Sheesh, she started the night after I left? That girl works hard. “She sent me as soon as she was officially named Lady of the Cove.”

“Okay, how does what I said mess that up?”

Kani harrumphs at me as if I’ve forgotten something. “Even though Lady Ariella is your first wife, she acquiesced to you living with Miss Gabby, your second wife, because your human biology wasn’t suited to living at sea. The arrangement was that Miss Gabby would protect you between visits. Since that day, Ariella has been working tirelessly to make a place for you to come live with us.

“The Cove has a human population, along with all the monster prey the Mer can catch. Even though she now has a harem of humans, monsters, and Seafolk at her beck and call, she never forgot you, Alex. She sent me to fetch you the moment it was safe. She even invited Gabby to join us as a sister wife since the Gobliness bears your spawn.”

Oh. “Yeah, that’s obviously not happening now. I can’t simply walk away from everything I’ve built.”

“I know,” Kani says with a sigh. “She misses you.”

“I miss her too, Kani. Both of you. I’ve been meaning to visit, but it never felt like the right time with other things going on.” I offer an olive branch. “Ariella and I are married, though. We should totally meet up and join our holdings together like how Cottontail’s New Warren became part of Field Town.”

“Fieldton,” Gabby corrects, despite my having named the damn thing.

If this place eventually becomes the City of Fieldton, I’m going to scream.

Kani nods. “All’s well that ends well, I suppose. It’s just a shame Lady Ariella went to all this trouble so she could bring you to the Cove without having to worry about you being sacrificed, only to have it not matter.”

Aaaand there it is.

“Say what?”

The crab girl reads my confusion and clarifies, “Oh, well, Ariella is the Lady of the Cove now, but the Kraken is the true ruler of the coast, of course. She doesn’t meddle with our lives much, thankfully. All She requires is a single monthly sacrifice, which is totally reasonable as far as monster monarchs go. It’s usually a rodent kin, or a Goblin captured after falling in the water, or a Harpy caught bathing that ends up being chosen but, once a year, the Kraken demands a human sacrifice be presented at the Underwater Ruin.”

“It’s this month, isn’t it?”

“Correct. When the full moon is at its zenith,” Kani adds.

“Four nights hence,” Gabby finishes.

Damn, I can’t let that happen. “It looks like I’ll be visiting the Cove before the end of the month, Kani. I’ve got to beat the Kraken before it eats anyone else.”

This time, it’s Kani’s turn to stare at me like I’m nuts. “She’s a Kraken. A Kraken, Alex. What are you thinking?”

“Average rank third-tier,” Gabby tells me. A whole rank higher than the Elder Tree. “Could be a tough fight even by then if you’re going alone.”

Yeah, the big factor at play there will be who can even make the journey to fight by my side.

“Kani, I get stronger every day with every monster I defeat. I’m leading my forces against the Wolf Lord and Ogre General the day after tomorrow. Whether I face the Kraken before or after, it’s a job that needs doing.”

She eyes me up and down again. “You sure look like a powerful monster. If I didn’t know you were human, I wouldn’t have doubted you. My apologies for the insult, Lady Alex.”

I beam at her, making the crab girl blush umber, “Thanks.” I gesture at the feast, “Please, enjoy yourself. I’d love for you to spend the night, or at least as long as you can before reporting back to Ariella.” The crab girl takes me up on the offer and goes to find some more blood oranges.

With that resolved, we can address something long overdue—Getting my gal Gabby her next evolution.