Chapter 21: Mother Minotaura

Faye had a little mana left over to heal Pochi’s injured wing as well. Maelise told her that the more she leveled up, the stronger her specials would be, hence, the less mana that’d be required to use them. Once the admirable wyvern was good to go, he sprung up his feet, and ran laps around all of us in excitement. Maelise mentioned that he was still young, about a year old, and acted accordingly. He was like a big baby, one that admired Faye quite a bit. Maelise then gave him a command to shrink back. It was a good call; Pochi wasn’t exactly well hidden, and we needed to keep our heads down for a while as we recuperated.

That gave Pochi plenty of snuggle time with his surrogate mother. And after she confirmed he was all right, I went back to distracting myself with more pressing matters, like—where the hell were we?

Granted, this marked the first time I fled a fight. It was hard, but I had to play it smart. We were headed to Bydo but our first demons were from Reggadon. I had to expect more regional demons being in Litheenia alone, which meant various types of demons and their predispositions to deal with.

Wrath and fury were no joke.

It encouraged Rodon’s persistence to believe us dead, even after he’d been blinded. Fortunately, Pochi dropped quite a distance away from the current threat, allowing me and my party to introduce ourselves to the three women we rescued.

I didn’t get a chance to appreciate how diverse they were…

I gathered that they were related to each other, maybe even sisters. One of them had long pink hair, with straight horns shooting right up from her forehead and a curled thin tail. She was the shortest of the three, and seemed like the most timid as she stood there with a retractable personality. The other one had short messy black hair, and looked like the youngest out of the three, with features close to dragon scales up her sides and along her calves. Unlike her two other sisters who had fair skin, her skin was a velvety pink, with a noticeable shine under the sunlight. And lastly, the taller one, who also looked like the older one. She was a buxom and built figure with green eyes and long wavy ivory hair in thick braids that reached her hips. She also had two very large downward-curving horns that protruded from her head and curled backwards, along with low pointed cow ears contrary to her sisters who had pointed elf ones. From what I could tell, she was a more humanoid looking minotaura, with white fur just above her knees down to her clacking camel toe hooves. She even had a long cow tail.

It wasn’t until she approached me did I realize exactly how tall she was. Maelise was the shortest girl I’d met so far in Relo-Hell, and Faye was a few inches taller than her. But this girl was even taller than Faye with her heels on, and about my height. And I was standing at six foot two. She took my hand, and stroked her thumb along my crest. Her eyes grew, almost as if she was in some type of disbelief, before her head jerked up to me. My stomach tumbled, the feeling of flutters catching me by surprise. She was as beautiful as she was strong, my pulse gravitating to her unique aura. “The legend is true?” she asked me, in an earthy voice. 

“Seems like it,” I answered her with a gentle smile. “I’m here to help Lady Lust in this war. And it looks like she could really use all the help she could g—.”

I grunted, the minotaura scooping me up unannounced! She lifted me up from the ground with her muscular arms, giving me an appreciative squeeze. “My thanks, great and handsome blood squire!”

Ugh, her grip was incredibly tight!

Her sisters knelt before me. “We are forever grateful, blood squire,” they said in unison, before she dropped me down, a blushed smile on her cute face.

 “That’s not necessary,” I panted, turning to them, trying to catch my breath. It was strange to see them bowing to me. The girls in the castle had an, erm, hungrier approach, while their formal greeting was most refined for a noble. I guess I should be counting my blessings? “How about you instead give me your names? Mine is Knives Arlyan. This here is Maelise the Ranger, and Faye the Priestess.”

She got up with a yearning smile on her face. “My name is Emera. My middle sister Cronei, and my youngest sister Tezera.” They tipped their heads respectfully. “We are three warrior sisters, floating about locally to assist in this war to maintain our land.”

“Thank you so much for saving us, blood knight!” the younger sister with the dragon scales said to me, before rushing over to plant a thank you kiss on my cheek.

“And the rest of his party,” Emera followed, turning over to my two girls.

“You are most welcome!” Maelise said, before springing up behind me and yanking my shoulders back. Emera tilted her head to Maelise as my hand slipped from hers, flashing Maelise a smirk as she absorbed the cat girl’s subtle message. “You are fellow Litheenians! It is our duty as warriors to protect our people, and take back all the things our enemies have taken from us!”

“That it is…” Emera followed humbly.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t even loot those dirty horny bastards! But before we do anything else, we need to find you somewhere safe, until a Peacekeeper is on guard to bring you to safety.”

“Absolutely not!” the shy one, Cronei, cried. “We can’t leave mother! They left her bleeding to death! She could still be alive!” Her voice was shaken, her other sisters looking back at her distraught. Finally, Emera walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She looked down at her sister sympathetically, and confessed, “I’m sorry, Cronei. Our mother is gone. You saw the state those savages left her in! She… she didn’t make it…”

Cronei swatted her sister’s hand off of her. “Do you doubt our mother’s will?! She has faced worse adversaries! You must give it to her strength to believe she is still there, depending on us to get her help! I will not shame her faith in us by turning around and being selfish by saving ourselves!”

“I am only being realistic with you, Cronei.”

“Then stop it!” she bit back. “Leave no one behind, wasn’t that what you said to me? Our mother shouldn’t be an exception! I don’t care what the odds are saying!”

“She has a point,” I said, this Cronei girl sharing the same code as I. Leave no one behind—I’d been going by that motto for years, and I was in no position to abandon it now. “I’d made the court a promise that I intend on keeping. You are of Onessa’s nation, and so is your mother. So whatever the risk, we’ll go back and get her.”

Face down in her own pool of blood—that was what Emera had said to me as we took the lead on foot, heading back to her town which wasn’t too far from where Pochi had landed. The condition of her mother sounded grim, those Reggadon soldiers slicing her up as she tried to protect herself and her daughters. From what I collected from Emera, they’d tapped out their mana bank earlier before, trying to defend town lines. When Reggadon pushed back with more soldiers, they retreated, gathering as many survivors as they could. But Wrath’s demons were relentless, terrorizing in larger numbers. They went on to save their mother at the very least, but their enemies were crawling in from the rear, and they found their mother trying to defend on her own. The battle ran short, the soldiers realizing they were weakened and took them for keeps, leaving their mother there for vultures in their own home.

I had a hard time listening to the story, flashbacks of walking in on my slaughtered parents fighting to traumatize me. I kept strong for Emera and her sisters, and my party, because these girls needed their blood knight. And there was no telling what we were going to walk into when we got there.

“Wait a minute… we are closing in on Zedra,” Maelise said. I expected her to know more about the areas around the original site of Litheenia’s capital more than anyone, being of warrior class. The area itself wasn’t as barren and dry as the first place Faye and I had dropped in. There was scarce vegetation, enough for maybe a limited population. As for enemy forces, it looked like they’d taken what they wanted and left, signs of a struggle still fresh. I could hear Tezera trying to hold in her tears, before hearing rushing feet behind me. Cronei zipped right by me and her sister, rushing toward a cabin along the foggy horizon.

“Cronei, wait!” Emera shouted, following after her sister.

“Mama! Mama, we are here!” Cronei cried, and once me and my party reached them past the shattered front door, we saw a grey-haired woman huddled on the bloody wooden floor.

“Pothesly?” When Maelise spoke her name, my chest went tight. The woman who was supposed to gift me her sword was their mother?

 “Are ya going to help me up or just stand there starin’ at an ol’ hag bleedin’ her guts out?” she sassed, the grit in this woman’s tone despite her grave condition admirable.

“Mother, please, don’t talk,” Tezera said as she rushed over to her, cradling her head on her lap while Cronei gathered more cloth for her gaping wound. She had a huge gash on her side that wouldn’t stop bleeding, the fade in Pothesly’s eyes calling out to us. She was in shakes, her body drenched with sweat. Faye took initiative, dropping on her knees to the elder woman. She placed her hand on her side, the glowing from her healing magic captivating the room.

“A healer in the blood squire’s party,” Pothesly mumbled, looking over at my hand. “Well, this truly must be my lucky day.”

++++

It was a long night. After Faye had healed Pothesly, her daughters insisted she rested. It was strenuous for her to have kept herself alive for so long. I’d seen wounds like that more times than I could count, and they were no different for demons. More and more, I understood how important it was having a white mage around, especially in an area such as this. There were little resources left, less and less people around to protect the streets of Litheenia. I’d be lying if I said that the idea of saving them all didn’t start to weigh down on me, our first hours outside of the castle showing me just how bad things were.

We had eaten dinner courtesy of Tezera. She had to fight Maelise off the stove a couple times from cooking for me. The cat girl could be very jealous, you’d think that she was from Envy’s nation. But all she was really doing was keeping me all to herself, and made sure that no other woman had eyes for me.

I hated to break it to her, but we were in the land of lust…

Sooner or later, I was going to have a band of women. That wasn’t to say that I arrogantly waited in anticipation for that time to come, it was just the reality of things, and I wouldn’t turn an eye to it. I’d told myself for years that I couldn’t get attached, that I was afraid of someone close being used as a weapon against me. I didn’t want her getting hurt, or worse. But now, I was doing little resisting in the land of monster girls.

Maybe they got me in their love spell, their praise, appreciation, and admiration breaking me down bit by bit. It was a lost battle before it was fought, and frankly, I was okay with my first ever loss.

With the reassurance that her mother was going to recover, Cronei was more compelled to act within her nature. It turned out that she was the frisker of her sisters, and didn’t restrict herself to timid gawking at the dinner table. She’d made her interest in the blood squire known, and I didn’t stop her from romancing me a bit by sitting next to me and stroking my leg under the table. She might have crossed the line when she started feeding me and pampering me with kisses along my neck, Maelise wedging herself in between us halfway through our meal.

After dinner, I was looking to retire for the night. I said my farewells, and began walking to the chamber that was assigned to me. When I turned into the hallway, I noticed Maelise lingering by the front of my door. She must have thought that I was inside, the nightstand candlelight illuminating over her feet. For some reason, she was hesitating, holding her fist up for a few seconds, before she finally decided not to pay me a visit.

“Maelise,” I called out to her, making her jump. She pivoted, with her hand over her chest and a nervous smile on her startled face.

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“Knives! I didn’t hear you!”

“I’ve always been pretty light-footed. Part of the trade. You wanted to see me?”

“N-n-no! Heh! I just washed up and wanted to tell you good night!”

I smiled. “Really? Was that why you were stalling in front of my door?”

“Yeah… I was…” she said, her tone making my chest stammer. Suddenly I noticed Maelise struggling to hold her tears back, and when she turned around to rush out, I snatched her by her wrist.

“Mae,” I said warmly. “You came to talk to me, right? So let’s talk.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, huddling against my chest. “I didn’t mean to cry…”

“You are allowed to have emotions, Mae. Come in,” I said, inviting her into my room and closing the door behind us. She sat along the edge of my bed where I joined her, Maelise having a hard time with being vulnerable around me.

I get it, she was supposed to be the cheery high-spirited one out of us three. And having me seeing her like this must have felt out of place.

“I wasn’t expecting to see him again so soon,” she whispered softly, fumbling with her thumb over her lap. “Rodon nearly killed me along with my old squadron. I barely made it, a Peacekeeper bringing me to the castle for help. I was ready to die, Knives. And when they patched me up, I felt guilty for being the only one who had survived the raid.”

“I couldn’t imagine what you felt running into him again. But you handled it well. You were brave, Mae.”

“It was a mask I had to wear,” she confessed. “I didn’t want him seeing me so emotionally defeated!”

“But you aren’t physically wounded. Not anymore. You survived. Don’t let that prick turn himself into your weakness. Don’t give him that luxury. You look at him straight in the eyes and you promise him death. And the next time we meet, he’ll understand the suffering he had you go through.”

She looked up to me as she wiped the tears off her face. “But you blinded him,” she said, and I couldn’t tell if she was being light-hearted with me or not. “There’s no way I could look him straight in his eyes.” I chuckled, and she gave me a weak smile. “Gaven was all I had left, you know? Before he had devoted his life to protecting our goddess, it was me, mom, dad, Gaven, and my little sister Don. Little by little I started seeing what this endless war was doing to my family. It was slowly ripping us apart. First Dad enlisted into our local district military Geverda Res, and then Mom. I couldn’t understand back then how they could just leave their kids to fight for a lost cause. I was young back then, and too selfish and ignorant. Gaven raised me and Don, until Gluttony’s horde broke into our district, eating everyone in sight… including Don.”

I held my breath, her words taking me back to my own encounter with gluttony…

“Gaven tried to save her but it was already too late. The damage was done, and I had to again watch my family surrender themselves for the cause. But after I’d lost my sister, I began to understand why they did it. Dad, Mom, Gaven. I was so angry for so long, but I finally understood. If they didn’t fight for their freedom, then who would? I couldn’t sit around without doing anything anymore! A fire sparked in me, Knives, a fire so hot I thought it would swallow me up!”

“I’m sorry Mae. I understand the feeling. My younger sister Lenore was also taken by a cannibal.”

She gasped.

“Gluttony… The picture of her death is carved in my head. And whenever I feel myself incapable of pushing through, I turn to that vision, and that blaze in my chest burns hot again. To be frank with you, sometimes it’s good to be angry. Sometimes it’s good to crave revenge. Let that blaze inside you bring you to new heights, to the apex of your power. Don’t let the enemy sap your spirit, Mae. That’s the worst thing you can do. If you need me, I’m here. Don’t be afraid to talk to me when you need someone to vent to, or a shoulder to lean on.”

“I’m sorry Knives, about your sister. But now I know that you can relate. It’s just… sometimes I can’t bear it all and I cry. I don’t like feeling so weak.”

“Tears aren’t weak. If anything, they are the opposite. They are a sign of acceptance, and understanding that something is bothering you. It’s an opportunity to work on fixing the imbalance in your life. I’ve done my fair share when I was younger, throughout my training, and it has helped me heal a lot.”

“You’re my balance, Knives. Talking to you feels different… Sure, I have friends back at the capital, but sometimes I feel like they are only listening because they have to. Because there is some type of mutuality in lending an ear to each other. They hear my troubles, so I could hear theirs. It's… a bit deceptive, really…”

“I can see why. Then again, after what I’ve heard thus far, I understand why they’d want that comfort in expressing themselves. You’re an outlet, like they are outlets. And even though the mutuality is hollow inside, it’s still something they can depend on to feel better. But you’re not in the capital anymore, Mae. You’re not running patrol by yourself outside of that safe zone. You have yourself a party, a blanket of security, and a family now. Even though the members of the family are imperfect, we stick together, and support each other. Emotionally and physically.”

“Physically?” She blushed. “I could use some physical support, Serrian.”

I snickered. “Sounds like you’re back to yourself again. Feeling better?”

“Yeah, thanks for being my stronghold, Knives,” she said, pouncing on me and giving me a hug. She dropped me on the bed with lewd intentions shimmering in her squinting eyes, Maelise flashing me a mischievous smile. “You know, I was a thief back in the day. And a pretty good one, too.”

“Should I feel intimidated?” I asked wittily.

“I wasn’t a warrior for long. Before I joined our nation’s great army, I was a certified looter.”

“Hmm, bet walking away from the loot we had left back there was making you itch, wasn’t it?”

“It sure did! But I’d say you are pretty good at the craft as well.”

“How do you figure?”

“Because Knives… you’ve stolen this neko’s heart…” She leaned in and kissed me tenderly, and I kissed her back just the same. My fingers ran down her smooth skin, from her shoulders down to her round thighs. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest, and I could tell in her jagged breath that she was a bit nervous. However sinful the fruit, and persuasive the predisposition, she wanted to sleep with a blood knight of Lady Lust, and that was a big deal.

My first mate or not, I could tell she felt shamefully unworthy. I helped ease her into it, making her relax with small suckles along her neck as I sat her up on my lap. My thumb slipped under her strap against her collarbone and hooked down her chest, the hills of her supple breasts growing bigger with every heavy breath.

“Relax, Mae. You need to take me off of that pedestal,” I teased her.

“I’m trying, but this is my first time! And with a blood squire no less!”

“That didn’t seem to bother you before. Where’s that confidence from when you’d given me your breast milk?”

“I hadn’t seen you in action yet… Back then, you were just a hot guy who was five levels higher than me.”

I chuckled. “Go back to that mentality, and let’s enjoy each other…”

“I want you…” she begged heavily, her love-struck eyes locked on my lips. “I want you to do dirty things to me, blood squire…” My boner was knocking against the doors of her sex, and I was ready to devour my little kitten tonight. Our lips clashed again in a heated bout of passion, my hands climbing up her thighs to slip her shorts clean off. But our session was interrupted with a loud thud, so loud that the door flung right open.

Maelise shirked into me, hiding her indecency against my chest while Pochi bounced right off of my head and onto my bed. Behind him was Faye, rushing right by the doorway, the sight of us on the bed making her stop short. She’d been chasing the little rascal of a wyvern, who didn’t waste a second longer hiding underneath my bed.

Faye gasped. “Oh,” she said, darting her eyes away from us while she tried hiding that embarrassed look on her reddened face. “My apologies, but Pothesly wishes to speak with you, Butcher. Immediately.”

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