Now she felt certain that the escapees would want to have done something similar. Traveling as they normally did there was no way that they would know what paths a human would find the easiest though. So Maria had began forcing herself to travel on ground and try to guess what was the easiest direction to go in. She was actually surprised though as she noticed some movement ahead of her.
Had they made it? It felt like they had been running for hours though both men knew that it hadn't even been an hour yet. They had to put as much distance between themselves and the strong hold the beast called a market before they could relax though. Neither of them said a word even as they ran together neither of them wanted to waste the breath to speak.
“Hold it you two!” As Maria spoke she quickly dashed in front of both of the men.
Davnan gave a sharp gasp as he was made to recoil nearly falling over. The beast girl had appeared out of no where and he'd nearly slammed into her. His partner had apparently had the same reaction though not the balance as he was made to topple over. Instinct caused Davnan to move towards the right but he didn't begin running just yet. His logical mind told him they were caught.
As Maria look at the two she gave her head a slight shake. “For shame trying to run off like that. You two should have known better. Now you're going to come back with me and you're going to explain yourselves to my sisters.”
“Please let us go. We didn't mean you any harm.”
“OH? Last time I checked stealing from someone was most assuredly harming them.”
“We only took what we needed to get through the forest. It's nothing you can't easily replace.”
“That doesn't excuse your actions. Now turn around and I'll walk you back and insure that you're safe at least until you have to explain yourselves.”
To this Davnan gave his head a quick shake. “You'll just kill us when you bring us back or another one of you will.”
“Perhaps, however there is a pretty good chance you won't be killed. If you choose to fight me though you most likely will be and if you keep running I'll just have to carry you back. I assure you that me carrying you back won't be a pleasant experience.”
A sigh escaped Davnan as he shook his head. “Damn it we were so close.”
“Oh no you weren't! You haven't even began to travel through this forest you'd most likely ended up killed by something else if you weren't found by us again.”
As Leon listened to Davnan and Maria he couldn't help his response. “I'm not going to be your slave anymore.” As he spoke Leon quickly turned and began to dash into the forest. As his foot moved to take a second step though he felt something slam into his back.
Davnan hadn't even seen Maria move. One second Leon had began to run the next second he'd been face down in the dirt Maria standing over him. He have expected to see Leon's blood on the ground moments later but that didn't happen.
A sigh escaped Maria as she shook her head. “Okay for whatever reason my sisters decided not to kill you the first time they brought you in. Now as I'm assuming they had a good reason for not killing you I'm trying to avoid it as well. I would also like to bring you back with as little trauma as possible.”
Despite the situation Davnan couldn't help but ask. “What's going to happen to us when we come back?”
“You're going to have to explain yourselves. Most likely some of you will be killed or severally punished at least for your choice of methods. Those of you that tried to take a hostage really fucked the wrest of you over though. If it wasn't for that you wouldn't be in half the danger you're in now.”
“What?! But we didn't do that! We were just trying to leave!.”
In response Maria gave a shrug. “You most likely knew of their plan and you didn't warn us. Your escaping helped them in their attempt as well yet you continued through with it. You've got a lot to answer for.”
“It's not like we could just tell you what was going on! We'd been killed by our other captives!”
A sigh escaped Maria as she shook her head. “Don't give me that. You know perfectly well how good our hearing is. You could have whispered to us amongst all your friends and we'd still heard you even if they didn't. Now are you two coming back or am I going to break both your legs and carry you back?”
As Mina listened to the crystals she found that the one Joseph had placed down had become far more noticeable. This brought a smile to her face. “Dan, Joseph I can hear your crystal primarily now. The other ones are mostly silenced do you think you can quiet it now.”
Dan was the one that chose to speak up. “If we silence it now that means some of the singing crystals they placed will remain. We need to wait for them all to be quiet.”
“Da.” Mina didn't get to finish as a third sound joined the two. “The sleeper crystals are awake! Damn it they're even more annoying then the.” Once again Mina grew silent as the sound became less intense.
Dan smiled at Mina as he awakened the second crystal he and Joseph had prepared. “Is that better?”
“Yeah but now it sounds like it did in the beginning with all four groups going at it.”
As he spoke Dan placed his hands over Mina's ears. “Don't worry things should get quieter soon. I think we got your sisters attention though.”
A slight giggle escaped Mina as she looked around and noted several of her sisters looking at them. Apparently the sudden quieting and then invigorating of the noise had indeed gotten their attention. “Don't worry it should all be quieter soon just hold out a little while longer.”
While Joseph had been quiet he couldn't help but speak up as the crystals seemed to be doing their job. “Dan, Mina once we're done here I want to get back to my shop. You don't believe any of those kids would tamper with what I have in there do you?”
In response Mina shook her head. “No. They all know the rules about such things and besides Allen is with them. He'll keep Pera's curiosity in check.”
To this Joseph gave a nod. “You seem to be doing better.”
Markus could hardly believe what had just happened. Currently Stella was standing roughly ten yards away from him while five corpses or soon to be corpses lay on the ground. Each body was missing a large chunk of itself that were scattered about the area. “I thought you were going to capture them!”
A sigh escaped Stella as she looked back at Markus. “So did I.”
“What? What's going to happen now?”
At first Stella was quiet as she bit down on her lower lip. “We're going back to the village and you're going to come back out here with another one of my sisters. I'm going to have to explain myself and hope my sisters and brothers are understanding.”
As Markus listened to Stella it became clear what had happened. She had meant to capture at least one of the five they'd encountered but she'd given into her anger. She'd torn all of them apart instead. Yet as she spoke she seemed so calm it actually had him quite concerned. If she could be that angry and yet act so calm how did he know she wasn't just going to tear him apart?
Instead of turning to leave Stella reached down and ran her claw along the forehead of one of the bodies. Her claw easily cut through the flesh opening up the skin. “I thought I could control myself but I'm angrier then I realized.”
“I see then. Well I guess I'll be going back then.” As he spoke Markus began to take some steps away from Stella.
“It'll be faster if I carry you. Don't worry I'm not angry with you.” As she spoke Stella moved towards Markus despite how nervous he appeared. Given what had just happened she wasn't too surprised he was worried.
“Okay then.”
As Stella neared Markus she reached an arm around him and under him easily lifting him from the ground. “My sisters were right to have me stay in the market. I just hope this doesn't reflect badly on Maria.”
“Pera you shouldn't be trying to peek.” As he spoke Allen had a secure grip on the end of Pera's tail keeping her from moving further away from him.
“Oh come on Allen. I just want to peek inside the window.”
“It's probably shut for a reason and you know you're suppose to stay away from alchemical supplies.”
“It's just a little peak.” As she spoke Pera moved forward actually pulling Allen along as she did so. She was stopped though whenever he firmed up his stance.
“Pera!” As he spoke Allen turned towards Pera's friends. “A little help please.”
A slight giggle escaped Lenora as she watched Pera and Allen. She knew she should be helping Allen but the scene was too funny for her to step in. “Sorry Allen but once Pera's curiosity takes over it's darn hard to stop her.”
Before he could respond Allen felt himself pulled forward again. “Blast it Pera don't make me stop you.”
A slight giggle escaped Pera as she looked back at Allen. “Hm?”
For a moment Allen did nothing. He then released his hold on Pera's tail and quickly moved forward. It was clear she didn't intend to dodge as he wrapped his arms around her. He didn't try to hold her though rather he began to work his fingers over her belly extremely quickly. He noticed an immediate response as he felt Pera's body tense up.
“Gah!” Pera didn't have time to respond as Allen began to tickle her. The sensation of his fingers working over her stomach was too much and she couldn't even speak initially. Rather the moment she opened her mouth laughter burst forth and she felt her strength quickly draining away. It would have been a simple matter for her to just push Allen away but she couldn't bring herself to be that rough with him even as he tickled her without mercy.
“I warned you.”
For a moment Dan removed his hands from Mina's ears. “Mina do you still hear four sounds?”
“No just three now.”
In response Dan walked over to the crystals. “Is the sound that first started quiet?”
“No. It's the third one that's gone silent.”
In response Dan gave a nod. “I guess they didn't get to make as many of the second crystal as they did of the first.” As he spoke Dan took a moment to look around. It only took him a second to find what he wanted. As he picked up the rock though he got a surprise when Mina took hold of his wrist.
“What are you doing with that?”
“I'm going to silence the second crystal we put down.”
“By smashing it?”
“Well yeah.”
“Won't it run out of energy though?”
“In time but Joseph and I gave both the crystals. What are you doing?”
A sigh escaped Mina as she drove her fingers into the ground. The massive impact actually surpassed the sound of the crystals ringing in her ears for a moment as she tore up a huge chunk of earth. “You don't have to break them silly.” As she was speaking Mina proceeded to tear up a large chunk of earth and pick up the crystal Dan had put down. She then slipped it into the opening she'd created and began to carefully bury it.
As Dan watched Mina burying the crystal he was made to chuckle slightly. “Well that's one way to make sure no one can hear it.”
A sigh escaped Mina. “Not quite yet. How much earth can I pile on top of this thing before it breaks?”
“I could step on it and not break it as long as I stepped down carefully. You would crush it on the other hand.”
In response to this Mina gave a nod and carefully buried the crystal. “Ah that's better now there are just two sounds.”
“Yeah and these aren't nearly as loud.” Alexa smiled as she made her way over to Joseph, Dan and Mina. “I'm glad you two were able to finish those crystals so quickly.”
In response Joseph gave a quick nod. “I'm glad you all sent us those crystals. If you hadn't we wouldn't have known that there is a group of sleeper crystals.”
In response to this Mina spoke up. “Oh believe me! We're even happier about that then you are.”
A slight giggle escaped Alexa as she gave her head a quick nod. “You had better believe we are. So Joseph I haven't spoken to you in a while. It's nice that you're helping us so much.”
“Oh it's not a problem.”
“It is for us.” As she spoke Alexa reached down and placed a hand on Joseph's shoulder. “That noise was driving some of us nuts.”
“Well then I'm glad that I could help.” Before continuing Joseph looked towards Mina. “What now though?”
“Now that we can hear again we can step up the search for the escapees. Hopefully some of our other sisters have met with some success and will be returning soon. I take it that you want to get back to your workshop though.”
“I well. Yes I would like that.”
Now Alexa chose to speak up. “Well then I'll just walk you back there!”
“Oh Thanks.”
“Not a problem.”
“Pera! Pera stop it! Sto” Allen didn't get to finish as he found himself breaking out into open laughter. Pera had managed to get lose from him and was now subjecting him to the same tickle torture that he'd been putting her through. Actually he felt that he was getting it even worse as she easily pinned him. What made it really frustrating though was her tongue.
Between tickling Allen with her free hand and tail Pera had taken to licking him in the ear. Her sharply pointed tongue could easily be used to wet his inner ear and it was clearly not to his liking. He was laughing enough though that she wasn't worried about being mean to him. He also spent a good deal of time tickling her as well after all.
Whether he was having fun or not Allen didn't know. Pera's tongue was annoying as heck and he desperately wanted to clean the saliva out of his ear. With her pinning him though there wasn't much that he could do. Yet as frustrating as the situation as he found himself laughing both due to the tickling and due to enjoying himself to an extent. It was an odd mixture of frustration and fun.
At last Pera relented and set up allowing Allen the use of his arms once again. As he began to vigorously clean out the inside of his ear with the edge of his shirt she gave a slight giggle. “Well that's what you get for tickling me.”
“Hey now. I was just trying to keep you out of trouble.”
“Pfft like I would have gotten into trouble just for peeking into Joseph's shop. It's not like I would have been close enough or around long enough to ruin anything.”
“You may think that but there is still a chance you would have damaged something. Why take the risk?”
“Because I'm curious.”
“You know you have to keep curiosity in check at times. Besides what would you have done if you'd seen something even more interesting? Just said you'll only step in for a few moments.”
“No!”
Allen had a wide grin on his face as he looked at Pera. “The time Dan had to literally chase you out of the storage building.”
“Ah well.” Pera was made to go silent as a slight giggle escaped her and she felt herself blush a bit. “He threatened to dye me pink if he ever caught me doing that again.”
“You know he'd do it to! Well with Mina's help.”
“Probably. Though that could be a nice change of pace. Do you think I'd look pretty with pink fur?”
“Ah well I. I think you're pretty now Pera. Gah! What was that for?!”
Pera gave a slight chuckle as Allen recoiled away from her. She'd given him another quick lick in the ear. “Oh nothing.”
“Hey what are you five doing up there!”
In response to the voice all four of the girls and Allen glanced down to see Alexa walking towards them. Joseph was actually walking slightly ahead of her. It was Allen that chose to speak up. “Just waiting around. Oh and keeping an eye on those three until someone comes to get them.”
To this Alexa shook her head. “Now you five be careful. We're still in a state of emergency.” As she was speaking Alexa took a moment to glance to where Allen had pointed. She was made to miss her nose even more as she noted the three escapees setting thee.
After Alexa had spoken Pera spoke up. “Hey Alexa I can't hear as much noise anymore. What happened?”
“Joseph here and Dan managed to destroy a lot of the crystals. I'm not sure what's going on now I thought they'd all be shattered by the time we got back here.”
“Oh okay. So what should we do now?”
“Hm. I really need at least one of you to stay here with Joseph until we are certain the area is secure or until we can find someone to replace you. I'm certain that Maria wouldn't mind but she's currently out hunting.”
Now Lenora chose to speak up. “Joseph do you have the jewelery that we wear while near alchemical and magical items?”
“Yes. I have what Maria wore from a while back.”
To this Lenora gave a nod. “Okay I'll stay here and keep an eye on Joseph.”
In response Alexa gave a nod. “Why thank you Lenora. That's quite mature of you.”
“It's not a problem.”
As Lenora volunteered to stay and keep an eye on Joseph Vanessa looked at the escapees. “In that case how about we take those three back to the market?”
As Maria was leading the two she'd captured back through the forest she couldn't tell if she was happy or frustrated. On the one hand she'd liked to continue the search but she had to insure that these two went back. Unfortunately she wasn't big enough to carry both of them without risking serious injury to them. Of course if she killed one she could pack the survivor but that wouldn't really be fair in the situation. “I swear all this time and I still can't smell your scent.”
In response Davnaa spoke up. “It's what we hoped would allow us to escape.”
“You know when I bring you back you're going to be forced to tell how you managed to do that. I'm guessing magic at this point.”
In response to this Davnan gave a shrug. “If I tell you will I be treated more mercifully?”
“Of course not. There several of you that escaped after all and we only have to make one of you tell us what happened. If you refuse to give us the information we want you'll most likely be killed in a horrible way to encourage the others to tell us.”
In response Davnan was made to shiver. The tone with which Maria had spoken had been entirely perky and carefree. There had been no malice in it despite what she'd said. “So you're just taking us back to die?”
“Probably not. Though I have no doubt some of you will be killed for this. It'll most likely be those that seem to be the ring leaders.”
“How can you talk about our lives like that?”
“I use my mouth, tongue, vocal cords and lunges.”
“Damn it I should just end my own life right here.” Before saying anything else Davnan quickly inhaled and gathered some mucus and spit in his mouth. He then proceeded to spit aiming for Maria.
As Maria heard Davnan inhale she quickly stepped to the side easily avoiding his spit. She then quickly walked backwards several paces and slammed her right fist into his stomach. Upon feeling her hand impact with her belly she actually felt him lift into the air. “Killing yourself is your decision and I won't stop you from doing it. However, if you try to spit on me again I'm going to beat you until you can't walk and drag your ass back.”
There was no way for Davnan to respond. Upon Maria removing her hand his legs went limp and he toppled to the ground. All the air had been forced from his lunges and it was proving very hard to refill them. As he lay there on the ground gasping for breath he couldn't even bring himself to look up at her.
“For the sake of your own survival I suggest that you tell us everything we want to know. If you don't have any useful information then you were truly foolish to take this gamble.”
As Mina listened to the singing crystals she gave a sigh. “Dan the other crystals aren't going quiet. Do you think that the one you and Joseph made is going to be able to shatter them?”
In response Dan gave his head a slight shake in the negative. “No. If they haven't broken by now they're not going to break at least not soon enough. They must be too pure. You can go ahead and bury ours and we'll just have to search for the remaining crystals.”
In response Mina picked up the final crystal Joseph and Dan had made. “What if I bring this closer to the hidden ones? Would that break them?”
“Actually it might. Here give me the crystal. I'll carry it around the village so you don't have to stay so close.”
In response Mina gave a nod and handed the crystal back to Dan. “I'm going to stay close to you.”
“I don't believe you have anything to worry about Mina. I believe everyone realizes what we were doing here.”
In response Mina gave a nod. “You're probably right and they do seem fairly calm. That said I'm not going to leave you alone until that thing is quiet.”
“I could go with him.”
In response to the voice Mina glanced up to find Stella. She was actually rather surprised to see her back with Markus so soon. “Stella what.” For a moment Mina went silent and shook her head. “Why do I smell blood you?”
“I lost my head.”
A sigh escaped Mina as she placed a hand on her forehead. “How many of them did you kill?”
“Six.”
“Stella that was a very poor decision but you know that. Well I'm not in any position to lecture you right now. Why don't you go and check up on Allen?”
In response Stella gave a nod. “Thank you. Where is my little baby now?”
“Last I knew they were at the workshop we were letting Joseph use with four of our young sisters. In case you're wondering one of those sisters was Pera.”
A sigh escaped Stella as she gave a nod. “She seems quite fond of my little Allen.”
“Yeah they make a cute couple. Anyway off you go. Once you get back though we're going to have to meet with some of the other keepers and talk.”
“What about Markus here?”
“Well I'm not going to leave Dan until he's done with that crystal. If you see Alexa on your way back tell her to come to me. Markus you'll remain here with us until Alexa returns.”
In response Markus gave a slight shrug. “That's fine with me. I just want to point out though that I did my part.”
To this Mina gave a quick nod. “Yes and we'll honor our agreement with you.”
Lenora had been quiet whenever Joseph had first began to fuss over the reaction going on inside the beaker. As he had settled down though and she sensed that he was finished she chose to speak up. “So Joseph do you like living here with us?”
“Huh? Sorry I didn't really catch that.”
“Do you enjoy here living with us?”
In response Joseph gave a quick nod. “It's a nice place to live if a bit odd. I have to say I'm not used to using respect to get what I want rather then currency. It seems like that could cause some serious complications down the line.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Well what about when there is something that no one wants to do? There is also the little matter of keeping track of what everyone has done.”
In response Lenora gave a slight shrug. “That's what your mark is for though. It lets everyone see how much you've done to help the community and what you're entitled to. Naturally we respect those that do the task we all hate more then those that only do the tasks we enjoy.”
“It just seems a bit off to me that's all. So are they any sisters that refuse to do anything but hunt?”
In response Lenora gave a quick nod. “Yep they are. Naturally they're not allowed a very powerful body if they're not going to help out though.”
“What about someone that only eats at the dining hall and never brings anything in?”
“Why would they do that?”
“They're lazy.”
“Huh? How would that affect hunting though?”
“You mean that all of you like to hunt?”
“I guess that some of us might not like it.” For a moment Lenora grew silent as she scratched the back of her head and gave a slight giggle. “I've never met a sister that didn't enjoy hunting though!”
“Ah I see. So is it instinctual for you all?”
“Instinctual?”
“Something that you have a natural desire to do or feel a very powerful impulse to do for no other reason.”
“Ah! Yeah you could say that it's instinctual then. You humans seem so fond of money though. Why is that?”
“Well it stream lines things. Think about it this way. I could carry an entire cow into town and trade it for vegetables or I can have a pouch full of a few pieces of metal that are as valuable as a cow. At least they're agreed to be as valuable as a cow. Which is easier to transport?”
“Oh that makes sense. How do you know that those coins will always be worth a cow though?”
“Well they're a variety of ways. If there is a government backing the coinage it's because that government says so. Also they are some things people just generally agree are valuable.”
“What if people decide it isn't as valuable as their cow though?”
“Then the system begins having issues.”
“So do humans see having a bunch of money like we see having a powerful body or being allowed to wear a higher mark?”
“Um well not exactly.”
“How is it different?”
“Some times having a bunch of money just makes people hate you or want to take your money away from you. What happens whenever you want something that one of your sisters has?”
“Um generally we try to find some form of trade or we play a game for it. Pera has this really pretty marble she loves to play with that I've been trying to win from her for a really long time. I tried to find out something she'd trade for it but she refused to tell me.”
A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he noticed how Lenora perked up whenever she talked about the marble. “It sounds like you really want it. Do you know where she got it?”
In response Lenora gave a quick nod. “Yep. Her father gave it to her.”
“Pera's father? Where is he exactly?”
“Oh he spends most of his time out in the forest I'm not sure where he got the marble from. He came to visit her one day though and gave it to her as a gift.”
“Why only one?”
“Oh he gave her more then one! It's just this one is really pretty. It's this really nice shade of blue that when you hold it up in the sunlight seems to change to all sorts of different hues.”
“I see. So what does Pera's father do?”
“Um.” For a moment Lenora grew silent and rubbed her head. “He comes and warns us whenever some of the other forest dwellers might be trouble. We've helped him keep the kobolds under control numerous times. Oh he also brings us metals and gems from time to time. The type we have trouble finding.”
“So is he the mate of Pera's mother?”
“Oh no. We would never let one of our mates spend so much time away from us.”
A sigh escaped Joseph as he shook his head. “Does he at least show up to spend time with Pera?”
“Well he doesn't come here very often but Pera goes to visit him a lot. Well she hasn't been visiting him as much over these last few weeks.”
“How come?”
“She's been playing with Allen more often of course. Um Joseph do you have anything I could snack on? I didn't get to eat before we got sent here.”
“Ah sure thing.” As he spoke Joseph moved away from the table and began to rummage through some cupboards. “I've been staying here so I have some things on hand.”
“Well I was thinking. Could I have those.” As she spoke Lenora pointed towards some of Joseph's alchemical supplies.
“Um what one are you talking about exactly.”
In response to the question Lenora quickly stood up and moved over to the cupboards. “This one right here. The mushrooms.”
“Have you eaten them before?”
“Yep!”
“You do realize those are highly toxic right?”
“Not to us.”
In response Joseph gave a nod. “Okay I was just making sure you knew what you were asking for. Yeah but leave me about half of them. I might need them later.”
In response Lenora quickly retrieved the bag and opened it up. Only after retrieving the largest mushroom in the bag did she speak up. “Sure thing. Joseph could I ask you some questions?”
“Go right ahead.”
“How can you humans stand to come into the forest with such fragile bodies? You die so easily.”
“Ah well. We don't exactly think of ourselves as fragile. At least most of us don't.”
“Most of you need two arms just to lift your body weight though! You can't run fast at all either.”
“That is true but fragile is a matter of standards and opinions. We don't consider ourselves fragile we consider your kind very durable.”
“I'd be scared to leave the village if my body was as delicate as yours is.”
“Well it isn't like we're ignorant of our lack of natural weapons. We've developed weapons of our own though and magic using the most powerful tool we have available.”
A slight giggle escaped Lenora as she nodded her head. “At times I wonder if your brains are all that powerful. Then I talk to Dan and he makes me dizzy. I tried to have him explain a reaction to me once. I think he managed to finish two sentences before he lost me.”
“Well correct me if I'm wrong but you are rather young.”
“Hey! I'm fourteen.”
A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he shook his head. “Well in my society that's barely older then a child.”
“Same here but still.” A slight giggle escaped Lenora and she stuck her tongue out at Joseph for a moment. “Do you think you could explain to me what you're working on?”
“Sure. I'm altering the physical structure of those seeds so that they can develop into the mystic plains and siphon energy from it. On top of that the plant that grows from the seeds will naturally.” Joseph didn't get to finish as Lenora spoke up again.
“Okay. I understood that much. Is it about to get more complex?”
“Not really as long as I don't go into detail.”
“Yeah it sounded like that was what you were about to do. So I think you should just stop there.”
“Ah very well. Is there anything else you'd like to ask?”
In response Lenora gave a nod. “Yep! I know that you humans wear clothing to protect your bodies from the elements. Why do you seem so self conscious about them though?”
“Ah well. I guess we all have things that we're not exactly proud of so we don't want to show them. Also many consider the naked body indecent in public.”
“Why is that?”
“Um well.” A slight chuckle escaped Joseph. “We just tend to and I'm kind of glad that most expect you to wear clothing.”
“Oh why?”
“I figured you'd ask that. I find certain human bodies unpleasant to look at.”
A slight giggle escaped Lenora as she leaned forward. “Okay now I want you to explain this in detail.”
In response Joseph gave a slight shrug. “It's just instinctive I suppose or in cultured. I just find certain naked bodies unpleasant to look at.”
“So what kind of bodies do you not like seeing naked?”
“Other men and some women.”
A slight giggle escaped Lenora as she looked at Joseph. “Well then. Does the fact that none of us wear much clothing if any bother you or do you not think of us as women?”
“It doesn't bother me and I most assuredly think of you as women and children.”
“Oh that must mean you like how my big sisters look.” Once again Lenora was made to giggle as she noticed Joseph blushing.
“Could we maybe change the subject?”
“Why don't you like seeing other men naked though? Does it make you feel ashamed?”
“I just don't find the site pleasing to view is all. Isn't there something you don't like to look at but you can't explain why?”
“Hm well. Yeah I can think of a few things. So you wear clothing and insist others wear clothing so that you don't have to see something you don't want to see.”
“I suppose that's part of it.”
“Hm well that makes sense. You humans have quite a different variety of body shapes and conditions. In case you're wondering there is actually certain body types we don't like to see. Namely ones that we consider unhealthy.”
“Ah well then I imagine everyone is glad that I keep my clothing on with this gut of mine.”
“Na you're not unhealthy and besides that's going to leave you if you stay here long enough to find a mate.”
“Huh?”
“Dan was a real pudgy fellow whenever he was first brought here. Did you know that?”
“Well no I never asked him.”
“After he got into a relationship with Mina though she got him into shape fast. Your bodies are naturally fragile but that isn't an excuse to let them degrade any further after all. No respectable sister would let her male continue in an unhealthy body whenever she can encourage him to change it.”
“Now just how would you know that?”
An amused giggle escaped Lenora as she reached up and rubbed her ears. “I hear things. Besides I may be young but I know how these things work. An unsuitable body with a suitable mind is much easier to handle and fix then a suitable body and an unsuitable mind. The body doesn't take nearly as much work to fix.”
“Hm I'll have to ask Dan about that later I suppose.”
“If you're wondering how Mina helped get him into shape its typically wrestling and no. That's not what they told us was going on while they were having sex.” Before continuing Lenora reached up and placed a finger on her nose. “It's hard to hide such things from us.”
“Um Lenora this isn't the type of thing I believe I should be talking to someone of your age about.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Well generally that's the type of thing your parents should talk to you about. Why are you giggling?”
At first Lenora said nothing as she needed a moment to stop laughing. When she had finished laughing she had a huge grin on her face. “Why do you humans take so long to teach your children about sex?”
“Huh?”
“I'm guessing it's because you can hide it to an extent.”
“So your parents have already spoken to you about such things?”
“Oh heck I learned about such things whenever I first began to notice certain smells accompany certain sounds.”
“I. I see. Well this is still an awkward subject for me. You're still quite young after all.”
A positively impish grin was on Lenora's face as she readied herself. “Did you know that we can even tell whenever you're sexually stimulated? We don't tend to mention it as most of us know it makes you uncomfortable. However, just think. Whenever you're in the market and you become excited for whatever reason everyone of us around you knows what you're thinking about.” As she finished speaking it was impossible for Lenora to keep from laughing as she noted how Joseph seemed to lock up.
“You're just a little imp aren't you?!”
It was through brief breaks in giggling that Lenora was able to respond. “That's. What I've. Been told.” As she finished speaking Lenora burst into open laughter.
A sigh escaped Joseph even as he found himself grinning. “I can't believe you're a child.”
“Ah well how do you humans determine whether or not someone is a child?”
“Age. Now you should know that.”
“Indeed I do. However, physical age is a horrible way to judge maturity in my opinion.”
“So what is your physical age?”
“Fourteen.”
“Fourteen years old and already talking like you do.”
In response to Joseph comment Lenora stuck her tongue out at him for a moment. “There's nothing wrong with how I talk.”
A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he shook his head. “This conversation was a lot easier whenever you were talking about marbles. Do you and your friends talk about this kind of thing often?”
In response Lenora gave a quick nod. “Yep!”
A sigh escaped Mina as she leaned against a near by building partly closing her eyes as she did so. “My ears are killing me.”
In response to Mina's comment Dan walked over to her and placed a hand on her massive thigh. “I'm sorry that it took us this long to find and destroy all the crystals Mina.”
“It's not your fault. I'm starting to hear my sisters once again at least. Now that we're communicating freely we can secure the area around the village sections. We're still going to have trouble finding the escapees without the ability to smell them out. I'm certain that's why they were favoring speed so much now.”
“I wish that I could help you there but I'm at a loss for what I could do.”
“I'm sure that a few mages are working on the problem. Dan is there anyway that alchemy can be used to mask a scent?”
In response Dan gave a quick nod. “Of course it can.”
“Well that isn't comforting. Is it difficult to do?”
“Yeah especially on this large of a scale. It can be done though and these people had produced several signing crystals.”
To this Mina gave a quick nod. “Dan I would like to join the hunt for the escapees but I don't want to leave you unable to move. After all you might come up with another way of tracking them down.”
“Mina after the check you and your sisters did throughout the market what's the odds of their being any escapees here?”
“You have a point there.”
“Besides it's not like I'm exactly helpless! The alchemy shop should have all the supplies I need to cook up anything I think of while you're gone. If they did use alchemy to mask their scent there isn't really anything I can do though.”
A slight giggle escaped Mina as she shook her head. “Oh sure you're not helpless by human standards.” Before she continued speaking Mina reached out and took hold of Dan easily lifting him from the ground and squeezing him against her massive chests as she hugged him. “You're just down right cuddly by our standards though.”
“You know the body alone isn't what determines ones abilities.”
“I know. Okay you stay here and if you think of something that could help us well I'm sure you can implement it by yourself.”
“If nothing else I'll have one of your sisters yell for you now that you can hear again.”
“If you were going to use alchemy to suppress your scent what would you use?”
“I can't remember the name but there is an elixir that's part poison and part health potion. What it does is stop biological action such as shedding dead skin cells and actually purifies sweat. This results in the person not having any scent once those skin cells that are ready to be shed have already gone. However, prolonged use is lethal.”
“I see. So how long could one survive under these affects?”
“It depends on the person and species really. A human would probably hold together for a bit over a day due to the elixirs healing aspects. They would be in very poor condition after it wore off though.”
“Do you believe that they would have used this elixir?”
“It would be far safer and easier to have a mage cast a still air spell.”
“Okay then. Dan do you believe I should work under the assumption that we're dealing with a mage?”
In response Dan gave his head a quick nod. “Yes though that thought worries me.”
“It worries me to. I don't know of any of the claimed being mages. If one of them was a mage they must have concealed it early on and kept it hidden all this time.” A sigh escaped Mina as she shook her head. “The forest is tough to travel through but a magic user could change all of that.”
Stella had a wide smile on her face as she held Allen against herself having already covered her babies faces in kisses. It felt good to have his tiny arms wrapped around her neck once again. As Allen hugged her though she turned her attention to Pera. “Pera thank you for saving Allen.”
Pera was wearing a wide smile as she stood a few meters away from Stella looking up at her. “Ah well I didn't really do it for you.”
A slight chuckle escaped Stella as she nodded her head. “I know. You and Allen are good friends.”
Before Pera could say anything Allen spoke up. “But mom what are you doing back so soon? Shouldn't you be out hunting for the escapees? Pera told me that the crystals went quiet.”
A sigh escaped Stella as she shook her head. “Allen mommy made a bit of a mistake while she was out hunting. I might or might not be in some trouble.”
“What? What's wrong? Are you going to be okay?”
“Don't worry baby I'm going to be fine. I might have to spend some time away from you though.”
“How much time?”
“Not much. I might not be able to take you to lunch or dinner everyday as I might be busy but don't worry I'll still see you every day.”
In response to this Allen gave a quick nod. “What did you do?”
“I was a little rougher on some of the escapees then I should have been right away. Pera if you don't mind. I would like you to keep an eye on Allen if I'm busy.”
“Mom! It's not dangerous within the village. Pera doesn't need to watch me constantly.”
A slight giggle escaped Stella as she shook her head. “I know baby but I would still feel better knowing one of my sisters was with you. Especially when you two seem so fond of one another anyway.”
Before Allen could protest Pera spoke up. “I'd be happy to keep an eye on him.”
“Thank you Pera.” As she spoke Stella lowered Allen back to the ground and placed him near Pera.
William couldn't help but frown as he looked at the results of his work. The wisp they'd conjured wasn't behaving up to expectations. Whatever magic had been used was relatively low intensity and thus the being wasn't certain of where to go. Rather it had began by moving about the room violently as if it had found something then it had settled down and just seemed to be floating there.
As Carter looked at the wisp he gave his head a slight shake. “I suppose we underestimated whoever set this all up. They were careful to keep the magic too weak to locate beyond a certain point.”
William was visibly upset as he shook his head. “Damn it all. This has proven to be a most upsetting experience. I believe we should check on the sisters and see if they've made any progress.”
“Maria you're back!” Alexa had a massive grin on her face as she approached her smaller sister and noted the two she'd brought along for the trip.
“Yeah I thought I should bring these two back before I continued searching.”
“It's a good thing you did. Dan has been wanting to examine some more of the escapees for a while now. Stella found some earlier but ended up killing them before she brought them back so that didn't help us at all. Fortunately Mina managed to bring some of them back when they tried to take Joseph and Dan hostage.”
To this Maria gave a quick nod. “What? They tried to take Joseph hostage?”
“Ah well they were planning on it or some such. I didn't ask about the details whenever they were delivered earlier.”
“Is Dan examining them now?” As Maria spoke she did her best to hide the fact that her claws were extending.
“Yeah.”
“Well then I suppose I should bring these two to him.”
“Yes I think that would be a very good ideal. Well actually.” As she spoke Alexa reached out and took hold of one of the escapees. She didn't pay him any mind as he screamed whenever she lifted him into the air and tossed him over her shoulder. “You bring that one to Dan I have another ideal for this one.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Carter and a few others are currently trying to figure out a way to find the escapees. Last I heard they were working on a wisp to track the magic. Maybe having someone to study that's currently under the effects of the still air spell will help them.”
“So they're certain that it's a still air spell?”
In response Alexa gave a slight shrug. “I don't know but it seems like a good guess in my opinion. Anyway, you go and speak with Dan.”
Dan set silently as he stared at the beaker before him. He'd tested the ones already brought in to see if they had any form of magic substance in their system. He was relieved to find out that they didn't have anything. At least nothing that he could trace though their skin was tainted very lightly with magic. A sign that a spell had been recently cast upon them. “I don't know if I should be happy or worried.”
“Worried about what?” As Maria entered the work area she immediately began to look around for the escapees Alexa had mentioned. She had actually been quite surprised while walking towards the building. She could hear and smell her sisters all around her now but she didn't detect any in the building with Dan. Now she knew why. The three that had been brought in earlier were quite well bound.
“Oh? Hey Maria. Sorry I was talking to myself.”
“Not a problem. So what are you not sure about?”
In response Dan gestured towards the men. “They clearly have some form of magic spell keeping them from being tracked. I checked for an alchemical substances and so far I haven't found anything though I can't say that with absolute certainty I am pretty sure alchemy isn't being used to hide their scent.”
“Then it's a still air spell like we thought. What has you worried?”
In response Dan gave his head a slight shake. “I don't believe it's a still air spell as I remembered a major draw back of such spells.”
“What is that?”
“Well one major draw back is it makes it very hard to catch your breath. Still air literally affects the air around you if I remember correctly so that it's harder to take breath. It's not impossible or anything but it makes a regular walk quite an event and well these escapees haven't been walking away they've been running.”
“I see your point. So do you have any ideal of what type of spell it could have been?”
“It's time like these that I really wish I had learned more mage craft. I'm certain they're other things that could be done but they aren't coming to me.”
In response Maria gave a nod. “Well I brought you another to examine. Do you think that'll help?”
“Of course, I might learn something that I didn't notice from the previous three.”
In response Maria gave a nod and walked over to the three that were currently bound. “I was wondering why none of my sisters where in here with you. I didn't expect to see this though.”
A sigh escaped Dan as he shook his head. “It wasn't my ideal. Given how quickly one of your sisters could be in here were I to shout or they hear a disturbance this really seems like over kill. Honestly I think they tied them up like that in part for revenge.”
“Mm probably. We can be quite vengeful even over little things.”
Immediately Dan felt his pulse quicken as he turned towards Maria. “Oh no. No you don't. Stella has already killed six of them.”
“Huh?”
“I have a good ideal of what you're thinking. Someone must have told you what they tried to do and you're thinking about making them suffer for it.”
A slight chuckle escaped Maria as her lips parted in a smile revealing her teeth to the captives. “Well maybe I am.”
“Maria just hold on. Mina is plenty upset with them right now and she was able to restrain herself so I know you can to.”
A sigh escaped Maria as she got a good look at one of the captives. “I don't know about that. It looks like he took quite a heavy hit to the stomach.”
“Maria if you want to bang them up a bit that's fine but you are not to kill them. Do you understand me?”
For a moment Maria looked back at Dan though her smile didn't go away. “Are you telling me what to do?”
“Yes. Yes I most assuredly am.”
In response to this Maria gave a slight giggle and turned her attention back towards the captives. “You three are so damn lucky that he's got the authority to do that. At least right now he does.”
A sigh escaped Dan as Maria stood up and began to move away from the three. As they were currently bound and restrained he had the authority to call down someone of Maria's ranking. Though he couldn't have said anything if Mina or another keeper decided to kill them. Of course even with Maria that authority was very fragile. “Thank you Maria.”
“Oh I'm sure I'll see the wisdom in what you've done later. You said I could hurt them though.”
“Well yes.”
“Would breaking their legs hinder your work?”
“No, I can't say that it would.”
“That's good. Dan where is the rope? I figure I'll just bind this one as well.” As she spoke Maria placed a hand on the shoulder of the claimed she'd brought in.
Before Dan could respond he took a moment to glance to where he normally stored such items. After a few moments of looking around the room he gave a shrug. “I can't seem to find where they put it.”
“Alright then I'll just have to look around.”
***********************************************************************************
A sigh escaped Carter as he shook his head. “They used a weak purification spell. Damn it.”
In response to this comment Alexa gave a shrug. “Okay what does that mean?”
“Purification spells remove contaminants. Dead materials and toxins. The one they used seem to have been tooled so that it's cleansing their sweat as it comes off and destroying dead skin particles very quickly. So they're not leaving behind anything that you can smell.”
“Is there a way to counter act it?”
In response to this William spoke up. “Purification spells generally aren't something people try to find a way to counter until you're developing a poison. That's more alchemies business then ours though. Honestly it's a very clever use of such magics.”
Instead of agreeing or arguing Alexa gave a shrug. “Okay then how long will it last?”
To this William gave a shrug. “No idea. That said it isn't like there is nothing we can do. If we can examine the energies that they're currently saturated in we can develop a spell to track that particular type of energy.”
It was impossible for Carter not to raise his voice as he looked at William. “Just how long do you expect that to take?!”
In response to Carter's out burst William gave a shrug. “Carter it looks like you're more upset then you've been letting on.”
“Of course I'm upset. Back when I thought this was a still air spell it seemed it would be easy to beat. When the wisp didn't work I still thought we could do it but this is just ridiculous.”
After a moment Alexa gave a shrug. “Okay I'm going to go inform my sisters. At least we have our hearing back before they expected us to regain it I'm sure that'll help in their capture.”
Before Alexa could leave Carter spoke up. “Hold on a moment Alexa. Weren't you suppose to take Markus out and see if he could locate anymore of the escapees?”
In response Alexa gave a quick nod. “Yeah I was but we found another sister to take care of it. With the market cleared of those crystals and our hearing restored we felt it was safe to spread out a bit more.”
***********************************************************************************
“Joseph do you sleep?”
For a moment Joseph glanced at Lenora curiously. “Well yes I have to.”
Of course Lenora knew that humans had to sleep even her species had that little weak point. She just wanted an opener. “Why were you in such a rush to get back here then?”
“I wanted to insure the reaction was continuing properly.”
“You weren't gone long at all though. How do you watch the reaction when you're sleeping for eight hours?”
A sigh escaped Joseph as he shook his head. “I wish I could sleep for eight hours. I sleep with a signal glyph on my hand that wakes me up if things begin to tip too far out of balance. It's actually connected to the glyph that's helping to sustain the reaction so that whenever the energy becomes unstable it awakens.”
“Oh. How much do you tend to get woken up?”
“Three to five times in one night is pretty common.”
“Wow. You don't look that bad off for someone that keeps getting woke up.”
A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he shook his head. “Thanks. You get used to these things whenever you work on alchemy long enough. Unless you have a team to help maintain such reactions you don't get a whole lot of solid sleep. That's another reason why I don't immediately try again once one batch fails.”
“Why would it fail?”
“Huh? Oh sorry I forgot it was Maria I told about that. This isn't a guaranteed thing there is nothing saying the seeds inside will survive the transformation. I wouldn't really be surprised if instead of having seeds once this was done I ended up studying mush and trying to figure out what went wrong.”
“Ah! That sucks!”
“That's just one of the things you learn to deal with as an alchemist.”
“So you expect things to go wrong?”
“Whenever you're developing a new formula or life form of course you expect things to go wrong. It would be remarkable to the point of being a miracle if something didn't go wrong.”
A sigh escaped Lenora as she shook her head. “That has got to suck.”
“Not as long as you gain knowledge that's worth as much or more then the frustration.”
A slight giggle escaped Lenora as she shook her head. “I'd get pretty damn frustrated if I had to stay here watching a test tube so closely all the time. I don't know if there is any knowledge that I would consider worth that frustration.”
“Why did you volunteer to stay behind with me then?”
“Curiosity of course.”
“So you wanted to see what was going on inside of here?”
“Yep! That's why I asked if you still had the bracelets, necklace and anklets around.”
“I see. So was it worth staying behind?”
“Well it's been fun talking to you.”
***********************************************************************************
Dan could tell that all four of the escapees were quite upset with him at the moment. That wasn't surprising though considering the number of skin scrapings he'd been forced to take from them recently. Currently he found himself trying to analyze the mystic energies that clung to their bodies from the modified purification spell. Once that was done he would be able to adjust a singing crystal to the energy so that it would resonate when close to it.
“You know what's the most frustrating part of all this? The fainter the energy the harder it is to get a good reading on it. I swear if they'd used a more powerful spell I would have gotten this right four tries ago. As things are going I'm afraid I'm going to have to have one of the girls come in here and just skin one of you if I'm going to get the information I need.”
As Dan was speaking he didn't expected a reply from any of the escapees. They were bound and gagged quite nicely so that couldn't happen. “I don't know maybe I should just leave this all up to Carter and the others. They're the mages they're the ones with experience handling this kind of stuff. Then again I suppose I should at least be working with them now that we're on the same page.”
For a moment Dan grew still as he watched the reaction before him. He wasn't all that surprised to see the solution turning clear meaning once again he had failed to obtain the information he desired. A long sigh escaped him as he rubbed his head. “Did you know that energy clings to certain body parts longer then others? I bet that you didn't.”
“Dan are you alright?”
“Huh?” Upon hearing the voice Dan glanced towards the door where he found Alexa standing. “I'm just having a hard time getting this to work.”
“Yeah we heard. We all heard. Just so you know just about everyone here is perfectly willing to work with you on the skinning part.”
“Oh Alexa I was just messing around. Skinning them alive wouldn't really improve my odds any.”
“Just the same we're willing to help you out. Also you're sounding tired.”
A slight chuckle escaped Dan as he nodded his head. “I am. It's kind of late or is it early at this point?”
“Dan how about I take you to meet with the mages?”
“That might be best. I just figured that I would continue working alone each one of us trying our own path and seeing if we could find something.”
“It doesn't seem like your path is proving fruitful though and besides. Dan I know you well enough to realize that it's not a good thing whenever you start talking to yourself.”
“I wasn't talking to myself they're four other people in here with me.”
“Dan they're bound and gagged! They're not going to respond they might as well be furniture right now.”
A slight chuckle escaped Dan as he began to lightly rub his right eye lid with the palm of his hand. “Well I can't argue with that.”
It was impossible for Alexa not to grin. “Okay Dan you're going to meet with some of the mages.”
***********************************************************************************
As Tera walked a short distance behind Markus she tried to keep quiet. He was moving far too slow for her liking and if he had been one of her sisters she'd accused him of wanting the escapees to make it. It was only by constantly reminding herself that she was following a human that she was able to keep calm and realize that for a human tracker he was moving quickly.
“Tera would you please quit kicking me in the back of the legs.”
“Huh? I'm not kicking you.”
“Yes you are. You keep walking up on me kick me a few times and fall back and it's beginning to seriously hurt.”
“What are you?” Tera didn't get to finish.
In response to Tera's comment Markus had lifted the back of his pants legs so she could see where she'd been kicking him. “Are they turning into bruises yet?”
“Sorry.” A sigh escaped Tera as she fell even further back from Markus. “I'll make sure you get some healing salve when we get back and let them know its my fault so not to debt you.”
“Thank you but please keep your distance. At least your claws weren't out.”
“Um Markus are you sure that I couldn't just carry you though? You're moving so damn slowly.”
“Even an easy to find trail takes some patience thank you very much. I could hardly pay attention to where I was going let alone look for a path if I was clinging to your back.”
“I could walk slowly.”
“I've seen what you people consider slow. I don't call a horse at full gallop slow.”
A sigh escaped Tera as she shook her head. “Isn't there anything you could do to speed this up?”
“No but there is something you could do.”
“What?”
“Show some patience and quit distracting me.”
***********************************************************************************
Lenora had been woken by her sisters approaching well before they'd reached the door. Believing that they may be there to relieve her and not wanting them to wake Joseph she'd opened the door in advance. It seemed odd though whenever she found Maria and Mira standing outside the door. “Is something going on?”
In response Mira gave her head a quick nod. “Yeah, we're here to see if Joseph would come with us and to let you know you don't need to watch him any longer.”
“So you found all the escapees?”
In response Maria shook her head in the negative. “No. We're still looking for them but this location is secure. Several groups have been formed to try and find ways to locate the remaining escapees and further examine the situation. We're here to see if Joseph would join in.”
In response Lenora gave a nod and stepped out the door. As she did she began to remove the jewelery she'd been wearing inside. “Then you'll need this if you're going to go inside.”
As Lenora removed the jewelery Maria quickly retrieved it not waiting for Mira to even reach for it. “I'll stay around until he wakes up and then explain the situation. We want them well wrested.”
In response Lenora gave a nod. “Do you think he'll come with you though? He's been so careful to watch that reaction for several days now.”
To this Maria gave a nod. “I'm not entirely sure if he'll be willing to leave it for a prolonged period of time. That's why we're here to ask him.”
“Hey Mira, Maria could you two tell me exactly where we stand right now with the escape?”
To this Mira gave a nod. “Most of the escapees have been located and rounded up. Especially those that didn't have any true training to survive in the wilderness. Some of them have already been found killed as well apparently they weren't very careful of where they were going.”
To this Lenora gave a nod. “Okay how many remain free though?”
A sigh escaped Maria as she shook her head. “Between the bodies we've found and those we've managed to recapture it seems that eleven remain free.”
“So you believe the mage is amongst one of them?”
In response Maria gave a shrug. “Actually we're not sure. After speaking with their keepers we can't find anything to tell us exactly who the mage might have been. It's really proving frustrating”
“What's going on here?” As he spoke Joseph brought himself out of his little makeshift bed and began to walk towards the three beast girls. At the moment he was too tired to think of how messy he was at the moment.
In response to Joseph waking up Maria was quick to speak. “Morning Joseph we've come to ask you for some help.”
“What's the trouble?”
“We've found most of the escapees but not all of them. So we're gathering together several alchemist, mages and a few others to help with finding a way to locate them. Our sisters are currently searching the forest as well. We wanted to know if you'd like to help.”
For a moment Joseph was going to agree but as he woke up further he remembered what he was doing. “Maria I would love to but I can't. I doubt that this is something that could be done in just a few hours and even then that would be pushing it.”
In response Maria gave a quick nod. “That's fine Joseph. Well then if you don't mind put these back up.” As she spoke Maria proceeded to remove the jewelery Lenora had handed her only moments earlier. “I'll bring you some breakfast later is that okay?”
“That would be nice Maria.”
“I'll see you later then.”
***********************************************************************************
“So Dan did you have any luck isolating any mystic residue from those affected by the purification spell?”
In response Dan gave a sigh and shook his head. “I used the purist and most precise equipment I had on hand but I couldn't do it. Did you have any luck?”
In response Carter gave his head a slight shake. “Sadly no. We didn't have any luck isolating the energy which makes development of a wisp to track that exact energy problematic.”
“Why don't you just develop a wisp to track the energy used in such purification spells? It can't be commonly cast in the forest after all.”
“Unfortunately that wouldn't work. The energy used in such spells are fairly similar the wisp could very well end up tracking down a healing potion and given how many of them are stored near here that's quite likely.”
“I see. So you need a sample of the casters spiritual energy thus you need some of the mystic residue from the original spell.”
“Exactly.”
A sigh escaped Dan as he shook his head. “I bet that the eleven that are currently missing are traveling together. The others were most likely just decoys.”
In response Carter gave a nod. “That wouldn't be surprising. Most likely the mage is with them and constantly refreshing the spell so that they can remain undetected.”
“I take it Markus is still aiding in the search efforts.”
In response Carter gave a quick nod. “Yes.”
“Does it seem fairly likely that he'll find them then? After all a group of eleven traveling together should leave him plenty of clues to track.”
To this Carter gave a slight shrug. “I'm afraid that I'm not versed enough in tracking to answer that. He may choose not to help to his full effectiveness anyway. He's already honored his agreement to an extent that the sisters couldn't deny him what he requested. I don't believe they would allow us to over rule them in such manners either nor would I want to.”
To this Dan gave a nod. “I believe that we should reach out to the other forest dwellers and allow them to know of the situation.”
William had been quiet up until now but chose to speak up. “I don't believe that's necessary. If one of the friendlier groups finds them they'll most likely realize they're escapees and besides. I doubt orcs would treat humans to well and I highly doubt they would show them the way out of the forest.”
A slight chuckle escaped Dan as he gave a nod. “As for the kobolds and ogres we know what will happen if they find them. Okay I take back my previous suggestion. Perhaps we should just focus on trying to find ways to locate them. I've been thinking and maybe we should just use a general purpose magic detector well away from the villages so that it won't throw them off.”
To this Carter spoke up. “What about the dryads, orcs, dragons and other mystic users? We could very well end up detecting them instead of the escapees and that would do us no good.”
Now Dan had a grin on his face as he responded. “Not if we insure the sisters know not to go towards any of those locations. That way we can try to direct the escapees towards one of the other species of forest dwellers. After all, generally where there is strong magic there is some form of danger if you're not on friendly terms with the user of that magic.”
To this Carter gave a nod. “Ah I see your point. Very well then what kind of magic detectors would you suggest though?”
“I could make some jelly that responds to magic. It should do the trick.”
Mirin had listened intently to the conversation up until this point but now chose to speak up. “That's a good suggestion Dan and one I believe we should have implemented quickly. However, I don't believe you should be the one to prepare it let's leave that up to those who have less important roles to perform shall we?”
In response to the comment Dan looked towards Mirin. On his chest he wore the badge of the brothers five fingers fully extended and three claws adorning those fingers. “I'm worried about the quality of the jelly.”
“Then we will test the quality of the jelly made by the claimed before our sisters leave with it and if it's found lacking they will make another batch. If they are believed to be intentionally delaying us they will be punished. We can also request that other alchemist who could not join us here also help.”
“That's is a good point Mirin.”
“On another note I would like to try and find out if they might have used a teleportation spell to try and leave the forest.”
Now Carter chose to speak up again. “Mirin if they did choose to use such a spell they're most likely dead. Without a stable departure point and arrival point such things are dangerous enough as is. In this forest it becomes all the more difficult though.”
In response Mirin gave a nod. “This I know. That is why I wish to know though. If that is the case they're either outside our reach or dead and we can call off this search all together.”
***********************************************************************************
A sigh escaped Stella as she sniffed the mushrooms insuring that they were the correct type. While her official punishment hadn't began it seemed like she would be punished. Her first task was simple supply retrieval. With so many of her sisters out hunting for the escapees and others having to stay and keep an eye on those that had been captured someone had to do it. As she'd proven unable to control herself around the escapees she'd been given this task.
It was a rather depressing time for her though. She knew that this was normally the time she'd be taking Allen to breakfast with her. Most likely Pera was doing the same thing right now. It was only on a very rare occasion that she missed eating a meal with her little boy and knowing that it would most likely happen several days in a row didn't leave her feeling very good.
“Damn it!” As Stella cried out she extended her claws and quickly lashed out at the nearest object. The tree gave a sharp crack as her powerful claws ripped through it and her fingers burst through the tree as if it was a sapling. For a moment Stella was made to growl as she felt her anger creeping into her mind.
It took Stella a few moments to even realize what she'd done and she was made to inhale sharply. Her eyes were shut and she focused on getting herself back under control. Unfortunately her temper had always been explosive in nature. She tended to be very calm but whenever someone did hit one of her buttons it was on a hair trigger.
With her anger back under control Stella reached down and retrieved her basket. She had quite a few more stops to make before the day was up.
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Joseph set quietly looking at the tiny seed before him. He'd retrieved it from the alchemical solution and promptly began to examine it. Fortunately Maria hadn't stayed around to see what he was doing. He trusted Maria or he felt that he did but part of him still didn't want her to be there. He didn't want her to know that it seemed one of the seeds had finished it's transformation until he was certain it had.
Of course removing the seed had decreased the chance of the others surviving. It had changed the solution and forced him to balance things very quickly. However, if he'd left the seed inside there is a chance it would have been destroyed and he only needed one finished seed to begin his work. He'd just finished inspecting what he believed to be a healthy seed and was delighted to find that it was indeed a seed of the life bloom.
It was with obscene care that he picked up the seed and made his way over to a large pot. The container could have comfortably housed dozens of the seeds but he wanted to insure the young plant had all the room it needed to grow. Several glyphs adorned the sides of the pot all of them rather weak but due to their numbers quite effective. Each of them was a glyph meant to block out a certain type of magic to prevent anything from interfering with the growth of the young plant.
There was actually a feeling of great relief as he placed the seed in the soil and carefully covered it up. It was odd but he felt happy knowing the only thing he could do for the plant now was provided nutrient rich soil, clean water and protect it to the best of his ability.
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It had surprised Maria whenever Joseph had said he'd prefer to stay at his workshop rather then come with them. He'd already helped them plenty but he'd past up a chance to earn more points. At least he was going to get another chance though as Maria knocked on the door. She hoped he wouldn't pass it up. “Joseph I brought you some lunch and a little something extra.”
In response to the voice Joseph quickly made his way over to the door and opened it up. He was actually surprised whenever he noted the look on Maria's face. “What?”
“Joseph what were you doing?!”
“Huh?”
“You look like you haven't slept for days. You weren't nearly this rough this morning.”
In response to this comment Joseph reached up and ran his hand along his face. Immediately he noted thick stubble though that couldn't be it. He would have had fairly thick stubble that morning. “It's nothing to worried about Maria I just get this way whenever a high goes down.”
“A high? Oh you mean the escape!”
At first Joseph was going to deny this but upon a seconds more consideration he chose to roll with it. “Finding out I'm needed for an emergency tends to pep me up but after I learn it's over I tend to crash after words. The same thing happens whenever a very long project is coming to an end.”
To this Maria gave a quick nod. “Alright then. Well I brought you some lunch and this.” As she spoke Maria held out a slip of paper. “This is a request from Mirin he wants you to produce as many of these as you can.”
“Huh? Who's Mirin?”
“Ah whoops! You wouldn't know him. He's one of our higher ranked brothers. His rank actually surpasses my mother's rank amongst the sisters.”
“You mean I could have met one of your pure brothers today?!”
“Ah well maybe. I'm not sure if he'd made his appearance known if you had been there but as no one there was below rank five he decided to show up personally.”
“I see. So I take it this is something I can't refuse.”
“Um well. It would be in your best interest not to refuse.”
A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he shook his head. “I see. What if I have something more important to do?”
“Ah well you can refuse! I didn't say you couldn't however, denying a request from Mirin isn't going to help you any. Once you become a full fledged member you're going to be expected to recognize rank just like the wrest of us and give it the respect that it deserves.”
“If I choose to remain here and become a rank five you mean.”
For a moment Maria felt herself slump for a moment. She hadn't expected Joseph to say such a thing and in truth it hurt her to an extent. “Yeah. If you choose to remain.”
It was impossible for Joseph to not notice how Maria's facial expression had changed and her posture. “I'm sorry Maria that wasn't very nice of me. I enjoy it here and I enjoy your company. I guess I just don't like the fact that I'm suddenly being ordered around again.”
“Again?”
“Like whenever I worked for the Gale kingdom. They were numerous times I was side tracked by fancies of the nobility and it proved very frustrating. However, that isn't an excuse. This isn't some minor frivolous matter it's a major breach of security. I'll get to work on the jelly right away.”
“Thanks Joseph. Are you sure you don't want to sleep some though? You're a total mess.”
A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he shook his head. “If I sleep now I'm not going to wake up for a very long time. I'll just sleep very well tonight.”
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It felt strange not to have his mother with him. As Allen set next to Pera he found himself staring at his food. He was used to getting a ride to breakfast by clinging to his mothers massive leg. She wouldn't let him ride like that whenever she was running but walking was perfectly fine. He was also used to setting on his mothers massive thigh rather in a chair.
“Allen are you okay?”
In response to Pera's voice Allen glanced over at her. “Yeah I'm fine. I'm just not feeling very hungry.”
“Come on Allen. You know that Stella wouldn't want you to go hungry.”
“I know.”
“I don't want you to be hungry either.”
For a moment Allen was made to smile and took a small bit of his food. “Thanks Pera. Would you like my eggs? I don't really like this type of egg.”
“Um well yeah I would.”
In response to this Allen picked up his plate and began to carefully push the eggs out of it and into Pera's plate. “I'm sorry that you have to take care of me like this.”
“Bah! We hang out all the time this isn't any different. It does feel kind of odd knowing Stella isn't watching us though.”
“Or even listening to us.”
A slight giggle escaped Pera as she took a moment to lightly nibble on her food. “Hey Allen as we don't have anyone really watching us now would you like to go exploring?”
“Um it depends on where you want to go.”
“Hm oh they're lots of places that should be fun. I still want to see what Joseph has been working on for one thing. Maybe we could go and check in on some of the meetings going on some of the higher ranked brothers are there now.”
“By exploring you seem to mean things that if we're caught we're in trouble.”
“Come on it'll be fun.”
“How about we go swimming instead? That's fun.”
A slight chuckle escaped Pera as she nodded her head. “True. Okay after we eat lets go swimming.”
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“What's the matter Maria?”
In response to Joseph's comment Maria glanced up and towards him. “This stuff just looks strange. How does it work exactly?”
“The jelly responds to magic by absorbing it. It converts the absorbed magic into light energy which lets the holder know how close they are to a source of magic or how powerful that source is. It's really not the best indicator though but easy to produce.”
“Ah I see.” For a moment Maria went silent and bit down on her lower lip. “How well does it work whenever its near something thats using that energy though?”
“Pretty well actually. It's fairly over responsive. Watch this.” As he spoke Joseph took a moment to retrieve one of the test tubes in his workshop. He was a bit surprised though whenever he was halfway over to Maria before it began to respond. “That's um strange. Maybe this batch isn't very good.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Well it should have responded by glowing brighter then it already is the moment I began to walk towards you.”
“You mean its glowing now?”
“Yeah normally the jelly is a sort of murky white. Well no that isn't right. If it's not in the presence of magic it's a murky white however it's so responsive that it's rarely that color except under controlled conditions.”
“Why would it be bad though?”
“It took way too long to respond. Normally this stuff is used whenever you don't want any magic in the area but you don't want to waste your time or resources on singing crystals. Of course it has a rather short shelf life as well.”
“Oh don't worry about it taking a while to respond. How long does it last though?”
“Typically a week.”
In response Maria gave a nod. “That should be all the time we need. So just how much is needed?”
“I'd suggest taking a fist full when you're out searching. You only need enough that you can notice the glow though and won't easily lose it.”
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Linerd gave a sigh as he made his way through the forest following closely behind his fellow escapees. They had been traveling for a solid twenty four hours at least to put as much distance between themselves and the beast girls as they could. Now the potions they'd used to keep up their stamina were at an end and several of them were clearly feeling the affects. Unfortunately he couldn't bring himself to speak or complain for fear of being heard.
Nivon gave a sigh as he looked over his shoulders at the others. He'd been leading and clearing the path for a while. “We need to take a break and give ourselves time wrest.” Even as he spoke Nivon took a few more steps but only to a place to settle down. He then proceeded to glance around at the others. “Keep conversation quiet.”
With Nivon speaking Linerd felt more confident. “I wish that we could take some of the river paths. It would be so much easier if we could let the water carry us at least part of the way out of this forest.”
“They'll be patrolling the rivers expecting just that. Fortunately that over grown bitch didn't find all our supplies or we wouldn't even have anything to drink and we'd have no choice but to journey close to those rivers.”
“Speaking of food when are we going to search for some?”
In response to this Nivon chose to speak up. “From here on out you should be constantly examining your surroundings and looking for any food of opportunity. We've all been here long enough that I trust you all know what you can and can't eat.”
“Yeah, we've been so busy running I guess no one has been looking.”
Instead of responding right away Nivon reached behind himself and drew out a short sword. As he began to inspect the blade he gave a slight chuckle. “I can't believe I've been reduced to using this junk.”
“It's all any of us could get out of there. They took all the iron we have and monitor its usage as if it was gold.”
To this Nivon gave a nod. “I know. I'm sure that the king will be interested in that information once we get out of here. On another note I've been meaning to ask. Who amongst you made those scrolls we used?”
As Nivon asked the question Lenard began to look around searching for anyone that might be about to speak up. He knew a fair number of the people with them so he knew they weren't the mage. However, he was surprised whenever none of them spoke up. “Come now you're not in any danger if you speak up?”
Nivon set quietly for a few moments more. “So none of you made the scrolls? Bren you were the one that gave me my scrolls I know that.”
Giantess World
