With our hunger sated, both physical and carnal, it’s time to return home. Well, there’re a few items that need to be addressed first.
“Flou, say hi.”
My discarded clothes consolidate and transform into her bunny Slime form, ears flopping akimbo. “Hi.”
“A talking Slime!” Gale says, shocked.
“F-Flou? W-what happened to you?” Megan seems taken aback. I almost forgot they’re cousins since the mouse girl is Cottontail’s sister.
“I… died that day we got captured by the Treefolk, but Alex saved me. I ended up like this, but it’s fine. I’m happy.”
“Oh, Flou!” Megan goes in for a hug, but the Fuzzy Slime is basically a beanbag chair for the diminutive mouse girl, so it turns into more of a belly flop. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Gale’s takeaway is fairly simplistic. “Alex is amazing! Can you turn me into a Slime too?”
“Maybe. Is that… something you want?”
The featherbrain ponders my question for a long moment before cheerfully answering, “Nope!”
I sigh heavily.
“Impressive,” Megan comments.
Turning to verify the veracity of that statement, I take one look, and my jaw drops. Megan is wearing a set of ruby-laden underwear fit for a Sultan’s harem girl. Crystal-blood gemstones drip from her shoulders and hips to barely conceal her nipples and sex. I’m already having fantasies of reclining on a fancy couch while she feeds me peeled grapes…
“You look amazing! Glorious! Delicious! Heh-heh, Gale is getting excited!” The Harpy girl wipes drool from the corner of her mouth with a wing. “Maybe we could stay and play a bit longer…”
Megan narrows her eyes into a sweltering gaze locked with Gale’s and begins swaying her hips to make the gemstones tinkle. She gives a flirtatious smile, knowing full well the effect she’s having on the avian predator. Gale rubs her thighs together, licks her lips hungrily, and audibly gulps.
I’m practically drooling over the ornately dressed mouse girl myself. “Very… Ah, ahem. Um, no Gale, we unfortunately need to leave. Can you fly us down the mountain? That’d be the fastest way home.”
“Home? My nest is here, though.”
“Yeah, we’re going to the hut in Fuzzy Field to build you a new nest, remember?” I prompt.
“New nest…” The featherbrain furrows her green and blue eyebrows in fearsome concentration. “Oh, yeah!” She brightens, looking from me to Megan and back, “If that’s what you both want, I can relocate. I sort of got distracted by all the sex and forgot why we were leaving for a second.” She shrugs and sticks out her tongue cutely while miming bopping herself on the head with a wing.
“But can you fly us there?” I restate my question.
Gale seems hesitant about something. “Hmm, but I’ve already dropped Alex once…”
I wince. “Again, that was my fault, but I have Harpy Lightweight magic equipped, so I’m not heavy right now.”
“Really?”
I jump in place much higher than a human could to prove my point, and my landing is a soft touchdown.
“Great! This’ll be easy!”
“Also, I have one more companion to bring with us.” I go fetch Spindle’s cocoon.
Gale inspects the delicate parcel and pronounces, “This and Megan are both small; I can handle all three of you. Gale is a good flyer and won’t drop anybody!”
After receiving that reassuring statement, we tackle the logistical issue of getting everyone on board. It’s not that big a deal. I don armor, Gale grabs me by the shoulders, I hold Megan in one arm while she clings to me, and I cradle Spindle’s cocoon in my other arm. Easy-peasy.
The Harpy girl flaps her wings and the four of us are lifted into the air.
It’s my second time flying. Since the circumstances are more relaxing today, I allow myself to enjoy the view as Gale’s nest and the rocks of the mountainside shrink below us. With my Harpy Sight, I can look across Fuzzy Field to spot individual trees in Charlatan Forest. The fog over the Misty Grove is as impenetrable as ever. Seafoam obscures everything beneath the waves of the Western Sea. I stifle my yearning as I watch the lizard-folk enter the Eastern Desert in the far distance; the sun is getting low.
Gabby’s hut grows larger each second of our descent. The ground flows by with every beat of Gale’s wings.
“D-do you think your wife will like me? The Goblin?” Gale asks.
“I wouldn't worry,” I reply. “She's been very accepting lately. Not to mention she’s about to win a bet. Also, I suspect any objections she has can be quelled by letting her fuck your pussies.”
Megan blushes. “And you said she's a Goblin?”
“She's not a typical Goblin the way I'm not a typical human.”
A shadow on the ground approaches and engulfs ours. Turning my head, I see something I'd hoped to avoid. “The Harpy Matron is chasing us, and she brought friends.”
I count four Bloodwings and two Lesser Sirens in pursuit. The Harpy boys must have finished waiting to tell her, or she discovered traces of me on her own.
“Momma?” Gale twists her head at an impressive angle to look. “Hey, Momma! Let me introduce you to my new wife!”
“N-no!” Megan desperately objects.
“Oh, sorry Megan. Wives. You still count to me even if I have to explain you're not food.”
I sigh. Gale totally misunderstood the reason we're distressed. This is going to take some work explaining and we don't have the time.
“Gale, I really want our first meeting with your mother to include the head wife, Gabby. Drop me off here and go to the hut to let her know where I am. She can ride Suka here in a couple of minutes. I'll hold off your momma until then.”
“Are you sure, Alex? Momma can be kind of scary when she's like this...”
Even Gale can tell the situation is dangerous if not fully grasp the ramifications.
“…Just hurry and get Gabby.”
My little Goblin magic user could turn the tables with her counterspelling cock.
“Okay!”
I pass Megan up as the Harpy girl releases me from her talons while swinging low over Fuzzy Field. I drop onto my feet in a battle crouch while Gale carries Megan to safety. That leaves me to deal with Spindel’s cocoon.
I set her down and conjure a stone shield over the dormant spider girl to protect the cocoon without burying her underground. Striding back toward the mountain, I get some distance from Spindle’s shelter to avoid getting her caught in the crossfire.
Next up is a bit of mark management.
*Profane Marks – One!*
Impish Profane Sight
Impish Stature
Impish Dark Magic
Impish Cock
Weird. I was somehow expecting a longer list of abilities. No matter. Also, I cross the Impish Cock off all my menus to remind myself it comes with torturous pain spikes.
*Selected Impish Dark Magic!*
The elephantine vulture with granny tits and her entourage reaches me moments later. The old girl is even uglier up close. They hover in the air above me like kites on a string. My strongest spell, Earth Magic, is going to be near-useless.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I call to the avian assault force. “Come at me and you’re taking your life in your hands.”
“Surrender, Echidna. Although Elder Grand Claw wants you dead, not to mention you invaded my territory, stole my prey, and kidnapped my daughter, I'll deign to spare your life if you submit to be my kept woman. Be honored to bear my sons' eggs and warm my nest at night.”
I snort with derision. I’m done angsting over my enemies’ bullshit offers. “Yeah, no. I only bear the offspring of those I deem worthy. That, plus I only fuck sexy girls and cute boys, not saggy grannies. I don't kink shame, but that's just not my thing. I draw the line at MILFs/DILFs. No GILFs. Sorry, not sorry.”
I'm more than willing to stall for time with conversation while waiting for my allies.
The bald, bird-faced Harpy Matron laughs a harsh, hoarse cackle. “You might change your tune if you saw my other form, darling. My sons say I'm still quite the looker...”
She winks at me and her avian jowls jiggle.
I gag.
“Then there's the whole matter of you kidnapping people for your larder. That's also a big turn-off.”
She scowls at me and shrieks, “Enough idealistic prattle. If you don't know what's good for you, I'll have to crush you now and pick up the pieces later.”
The fight begins with my allies nowhere in sight.
“Canary, subdue her.”
That’s right, one of the Lesser Sirens accompanying the Matron seems familiar. “Canary, consider the consequences carefully. Who is your Mistress?”
The yellow-haired bird girl looks between me and the Matron with a terrified, hopeless expression. “Ah, um… um…”
“Well???” the Harpy Matron demands.
“M-M-Momma, no! She defeated me earlier today—if I fight her now, I’ll surely d-die!” Canary glances at my thunderous features and shrinks back, “Eep! P-please, don’t kill me!” she screams as she flees the battlefield.
So much for loyalty.
“Argh, frighten my cute girls, will you?” The Matron scowls at me fiercely, then turns to the other Siren with brown wings and a blue feather choker hovering at her side. “Lucinia, teach this Echidna a lesson.”
“~Yes, mother. Human, you will—”
Flou surges from beneath my armor to encase my ears in fuzzy noise-canceling earmuffs. Spears appear in my hands as I cock them back to throw.
The Matron beats her wings and a tidal wave of wind slams into me. The force is impressive. I'm knocked off my feet and tumble backward several yards.
A spear stabbed into the ground is my anchor. I struggle to my feet until a barrage of blood-feathers ping against my armor in rapid succession. The repeated impacts make it difficult for me to keep balance.
Then the wind shifts, and I’m borne up into the air. This isn’t merely big wings in action anymore; this is Harpy Air Magic.
Whatever, I may be gripped by an invisible hand of wind, but I can still fight. I throw an ember spear at the Harpy Matron, who flaps her wings in response. Another gust of air from her scatters my embers harmlessly and snuffs their sparks. Okay, this isn’t going to be that easy.
I feel the rain of blood feathers shift to target my helmet. They’re focusing their fire to wear through my defenses. With the constant stream of attacks, I can’t afford to unsummon/resummon my armor to undo the damage done. Shit, I thought the Bloodwings were worthless, but they’ll actually be a major threat to me for that reason.
Focusing my mind, I reach out to the ground beneath me with Earth Magic. Molehills of dirt become pillars of stone that seem to melt upwards towards my feet. A pair of stone boots encase my legs, weighing me down and pulling me from the wind’s grip. I land with a thud.
The Harpy Matron screams in anger. She slices at me with her wings, and I see a glowing blade of Air Magic swing my way. The edge of it touching the ground digs a furrow drawing a line towards me. The predictive prickles of Predator Sense dance across my body.
A flex of will throws a half dozen Pitcher Treefolk Vines to my left. The tips latch onto soil and I reel myself in while abandoning the pair of stone boots. Seconds later, the air blade collides with the remnants of my earthen footwear in an explosion of dust.
I have to work fast.
With an exertion of will, I tap into my new magical ability and summon a ball of tangible darkness into my hand. “Eat this!” I say as I throw the explosive projectile. Except, the black handful dissolves in the air like smoke, or maybe squid ink in water. “…Where’s the kaboom?”
Between the intuitive sense my marks give me and Fast Learner, I’ve never had this level of difficulty using a new ability ‘out of the box,’ but I guess I should’ve expected it here. Dark Magic seemed OP (that’s ‘overpowered’ for those not familiar with ancient human mythology) compared to the basic elemental magic types.
How did Malik make shock collars, perimeter wards, defensive shields, and death balls from a single ability? I suspect Dark Magic requires one or more support abilities to function properly, like how effective ‘flight’ requires an investment of three to four Avian marks. Even if I got Profane Sight, there may be additional complications. I shouldn’t bet more on this untested strategy mid-battle. Best to accept the pratfall and move on.
A torrent of wind buffets me about as more Blood Feathers chip away at my armor.
Don’t stop. Keep attacking.
I Wolf Rush and charge forward while throwing two ember spears at the Bloodwing Harpies, one from each hand. The Matron blocks one spear with her air blast; the second spear is dodged as I’ve come to expect from fighting these dirty birds previously. Then we launch the attack they don’t see coming in the interim.
My left gauntlet opens to release a stream of Fuzzy Slime through the joints in a directed jet. Flou uses her Swarm chain of Slime cores to extend her reach, lashing through the air to target the Bloodwing who recently expended his air-dodge. The last Slime in the chain forms a toothy maw that clamps down on the Harpy’s crotch, sinking its jaws into unprotected flesh.
Flou reels the unfortunate Harpy in, him screaming as he falls until the Bloodwing comes in range. My Fuzzy Slime companion draws and quarters him with a hydra of manifested maws. The victim quickly dissolves into blood before the Slime mass retreats into the safety of my armor casing.
“You BITCH!!!” the Matron shrieks, audible through my earmuffs. She sends Air Blade after Air Blade at me between gusts of wind as I’m peppered with Blood Feathers by the remaining Harpies.
I shield my helmet with my arms to protect it from the cumulative damage mounting as I dodge the Air Blades with my vine dash. She’s keeping me on the defensive, which is bad for me. I’m running out of tricks.
Even if I brought out Olindia and Flou, they’re vulnerable to the ranged blood-feather barrage or Air Blades. I can’t repeat my earlier assassination, as the Matron and her cronies will expect it and target Flou’s Swarm bodies while staying out of range. She’ll be torn to shreds without buying me more than a few seconds.
Well, if I need to buy time, I can pay in stamina.
Wolf Rush!
The next time I dodge, I make a mad dash away from combat. There’s no way I can outrun the airborne Matron, but she can’t hit me with ranged attacks this way. All the projectiles targeting me fall short at this speed.
My pursuers maintain distance. The one time the Matron swoops in, considering a claw attack, she realizes the danger last minute and retreats. Even a birdbrain knows I’m secretly hoping for melee combat. That makes this a stalemate; the only problem is I can’t keep this pace forever.
However, I happen to be running towards the Hut as the marks I placed on my wives rapidly near.
“Momma, stop being mean to my wife!”
“Wha?”
Gale dives-tackles the Harpy Matron, her talons scratching at the larger bird’s feathered stomach. Megan jumps from her paramour’s back onto the Matron’s sagging granny titties to sink her teeth into a nipple.
“AAAHHH!!!” The vulture monster screams and beats her wings, stirring dangerous spellforms targeting her tiny attacker.
Not far behind Gale are Gabby and Cottontail riding Suka in her bestial Cinderwolf form. My Goblin wife is wearing her apprentice robe and a bandolier of eleven herbs and spices. She waves her Twisted Apprentice Rod in one hand above her head, then points it at the Matron.
The stirring wind dies as the vulture’s spell fails, and she shrieks in frustration. “Lucinia, stop them!”
The Lesser Siren opens her mouth to enchant my harem, but I haven’t been idle. While Gale struck, I turned to fire everything in my ranged arsenal. Ember spears launch from both my hands in rapid succession while Flou’s three bodies each spray a volley of crystal-blood darts at the enemy.
We don’t target the Matron, as there’s too great a chance of friendly fire. Not surprisingly, the Bloodwings revert the darts approaching them to fluid blood using their magic and air-dodge my spears. At least they’re too busy avoiding our attacks to shoot at my allies. Lucinia, on the other hand, takes a few hits from the darts and falls to the ground without getting another word out.
Suka burns a line through the field as she continuously dashes forward. She streaks past close by, giving me the chance to grab her flank and hop on while Gabby slides off. I mount up behind Cottontail and grab onto her meaty hips for balance. The speedy Cinderwolf leaps high with us in tow, soaring into the midst of the Bloodwings. The three of them are sitting ducks so soon after using their air-dodges.
My canine lover clamps her jaws around one bird’s neck and rides him to the ground. The sheer speed and ferocity of her attack on the low-flying avian leaves her opponent dazed, confused, and soon dead in the dirt with a fractured spine.
Cottontail and I leap from Suka’s back at the other Bloodwings. I didn’t think the bunny girl to be a fighter, naked as she is with her bare balls swinging in the wind, absent any arms or armor. She doesn’t seem to have a plan, and her foe appears ready to shred her apart with his crystal-blood feathers and razor-sharp talons.
Then the Bloodwing sneezes.
It’s a totally inexplicable, incredibly unlucky (or lucky, depending on your perspective) chance, but it allows Cottontail to slip past his guard in an instant. She plants the toe beans of her rabbit foot on the birdbrain’s beak and uses him as a steppingstone to leap at the Matron, shouting, “Megan!” as she flies.
Ah, sibling love will make even a non-combatant do strange things.
I, meanwhile, have a midair date with the last Bloodwing. Flou surges into my hands as Blood Star while I swing the weapon overhead. My enemy catches the blow with his wings and uses his magic to melt the crystal-blood construct. His overconfidence is short-lived, however, as the ‘blood’ in this case belongs to a Fuzzy Red Slime. The fluids transmute to Fuzzy Slime flesh before our eyes, forming maws that aggressively devour the avian idiot as we fall.
Cottontail lands on the Matron’s chest, then proceeds to bite the Harpy's free nipple, because how else is she going to inflict damage without going near the claws or beak?
“AH-AAAHHH!!!” the vulture screams in pain and rage as her sibling pair of nipple piercings swing.
The Harpy Matron is far from helpless, though. Despite Gabby’s best counterspelling, the tier difference is too great. The vulture’s wings flap with a heretofore unseen intensity that blows hurricane-force winds at my harem.
Megan and Cottontail lose their grip on the Harpy’s teats and are blown away. Gale tries her hardest to fly against the wind but is cast aside. Suka claws the ground and I hang in place from a spear buried in the dirt, but we’re both pinned down. Even Gabby, standing further back, takes a tumble.
The vulture monster follows that display of power with another round of air blades that tear through the soil on a vengeful path toward the rodent siblings. I rip a boulder from the soil with my Bunny Patron Earth Magic to shield them. Stone shatters, but the air blades stop short of drawing blood.
It doesn’t look good, though. The momentum has turned against us. The Harpy Matron alternates between blasts of wind to keep Suka and me at bay and throwing air blades at my helpless harem. Gabby’s counterspells are too weak to do more than dampen the enemy’s magic. It takes everything I have to protect them and stay alive.
Then I see darkness gather in the sky above the Matron. The growing dark spot is in her blind spot, and I’m not about to say anything. We continue our best to dodge and defend as the black and sooty purple energy coalesces into strings that weave together into a crosshatch. I struggle to understand what’s happening until the construct abruptly falls.
The net catches the Harpy Matron totally unawares.
“What?” Her wings tangle in the webbing and the big vulture crashes to the ground.
I’m up in a flash, Wolf Rushing, Blood Star in hand, dashing at the fallen avail before she can struggle free. I leap. I swing.
“Alex, wait!”
With our hunger sated, both physical and carnal, it’s time to return home. Well, there’re a few items that need to be addressed first.
“Flou, say hi.”
My discarded clothes consolidate and transform into her bunny Slime form, ears flopping akimbo. “Hi.”
“A talking Slime!” Gale says, shocked.
“F-Flou? W-what happened to you?” Megan seems taken aback. I almost forgot they’re cousins since the mouse girl is Cottontail’s sister.
“I… died that day we got captured by the Treefolk, but Alex saved me. I ended up like this, but it’s fine. I’m happy.”
“Oh, Flou!” Megan goes in for a hug, but the Fuzzy Slime is basically a beanbag chair for the diminutive mouse girl, so it turns into more of a belly flop. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Gale’s takeaway is fairly simplistic. “Alex is amazing! Can you turn me into a Slime too?”
“Maybe. Is that… something you want?”
The featherbrain ponders my question for a long moment before cheerfully answering, “Nope!”
I sigh heavily.
“Impressive,” Megan comments.
Turning to verify the veracity of that statement, I take one look, and my jaw drops. Megan is wearing a set of ruby-laden underwear fit for a Sultan’s harem girl. Crystal-blood gemstones drip from her shoulders and hips to barely conceal her nipples and sex. I’m already having fantasies of reclining on a fancy couch while she feeds me peeled grapes…
“You look amazing! Glorious! Delicious! Heh-heh, Gale is getting excited!” The Harpy girl wipes drool from the corner of her mouth with a wing. “Maybe we could stay and play a bit longer…”
Megan narrows her eyes into a sweltering gaze locked with Gale’s and begins swaying her hips to make the gemstones tinkle. She gives a flirtatious smile, knowing full well the effect she’s having on the avian predator. Gale rubs her thighs together, licks her lips hungrily, and audibly gulps.
I’m practically drooling over the ornately dressed mouse girl myself. “Very… Ah, ahem. Um, no Gale, we unfortunately need to leave. Can you fly us down the mountain? That’d be the fastest way home.”
“Home? My nest is here, though.”
“Yeah, we’re going to the hut in Fuzzy Field to build you a new nest, remember?” I prompt.
“New nest…” The featherbrain furrows her green and blue eyebrows in fearsome concentration. “Oh, yeah!” She brightens, looking from me to Megan and back, “If that’s what you both want, I can relocate. I sort of got distracted by all the sex and forgot why we were leaving for a second.” She shrugs and sticks out her tongue cutely while miming bopping herself on the head with a wing.
“But can you fly us there?” I restate my question.
Gale seems hesitant about something. “Hmm, but I’ve already dropped Alex once…”
I wince. “Again, that was my fault, but I have Harpy Lightweight magic equipped, so I’m not heavy right now.”
“Really?”
I jump in place much higher than a human could to prove my point, and my landing is a soft touchdown.
“Great! This’ll be easy!”
“Also, I have one more companion to bring with us.” I go fetch Spindle’s cocoon.
Gale inspects the delicate parcel and pronounces, “This and Megan are both small; I can handle all three of you. Gale is a good flyer and won’t drop anybody!”
After receiving that reassuring statement, we tackle the logistical issue of getting everyone on board. It’s not that big a deal. I don armor, Gale grabs me by the shoulders, I hold Megan in one arm while she clings to me, and I cradle Spindle’s cocoon in my other arm. Easy-peasy.
The Harpy girl flaps her wings and the four of us are lifted into the air.
It’s my second time flying. Since the circumstances are more relaxing today, I allow myself to enjoy the view as Gale’s nest and the rocks of the mountainside shrink below us. With my Harpy Sight, I can look across Fuzzy Field to spot individual trees in Charlatan Forest. The fog over the Misty Grove is as impenetrable as ever. Seafoam obscures everything beneath the waves of the Western Sea. I stifle my yearning as I watch the lizard-folk enter the Eastern Desert in the far distance; the sun is getting low.
Gabby’s hut grows larger each second of our descent. The ground flows by with every beat of Gale’s wings.
“D-do you think your wife will like me? The Goblin?” Gale asks.
“I wouldn't worry,” I reply. “She's been very accepting lately. Not to mention she’s about to win a bet. Also, I suspect any objections she has can be quelled by letting her fuck your pussies.”
Megan blushes. “And you said she's a Goblin?”
“She's not a typical Goblin the way I'm not a typical human.”
A shadow on the ground approaches and engulfs ours. Turning my head, I see something I'd hoped to avoid. “The Harpy Matron is chasing us, and she brought friends.”
I count four Bloodwings and two Lesser Sirens in pursuit. The Harpy boys must have finished waiting to tell her, or she discovered traces of me on her own.
“Momma?” Gale twists her head at an impressive angle to look. “Hey, Momma! Let me introduce you to my new wife!”
“N-no!” Megan desperately objects.
“Oh, sorry Megan. Wives. You still count to me even if I have to explain you're not food.”
I sigh. Gale totally misunderstood the reason we're distressed. This is going to take some work explaining and we don't have the time.
“Gale, I really want our first meeting with your mother to include the head wife, Gabby. Drop me off here and go to the hut to let her know where I am. She can ride Suka here in a couple of minutes. I'll hold off your momma until then.”
“Are you sure, Alex? Momma can be kind of scary when she's like this...”
Even Gale can tell the situation is dangerous if not fully grasp the ramifications.
“…Just hurry and get Gabby.”
My little Goblin magic user could turn the tables with her counterspelling cock.
“Okay!”
I pass Megan up as the Harpy girl releases me from her talons while swinging low over Fuzzy Field. I drop onto my feet in a battle crouch while Gale carries Megan to safety. That leaves me to deal with Spindel’s cocoon.
I set her down and conjure a stone shield over the dormant spider girl to protect the cocoon without burying her underground. Striding back toward the mountain, I get some distance from Spindle’s shelter to avoid getting her caught in the crossfire.
Next up is a bit of mark management.
*Profane Marks – One!*
Impish Profane Sight
Impish Stature
Impish Dark Magic
Impish Cock
Weird. I was somehow expecting a longer list of abilities. No matter. Also, I cross the Impish Cock off all my menus to remind myself it comes with torturous pain spikes.
*Selected Impish Dark Magic!*
The elephantine vulture with granny tits and her entourage reaches me moments later. The old girl is even uglier up close. They hover in the air above me like kites on a string. My strongest spell, Earth Magic, is going to be near-useless.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I call to the avian assault force. “Come at me and you’re taking your life in your hands.”
“Surrender, Echidna. Although Elder Grand Claw wants you dead, not to mention you invaded my territory, stole my prey, and kidnapped my daughter, I'll deign to spare your life if you submit to be my kept woman. Be honored to bear my sons' eggs and warm my nest at night.”
I snort with derision. I’m done angsting over my enemies’ bullshit offers. “Yeah, no. I only bear the offspring of those I deem worthy. That, plus I only fuck sexy girls and cute boys, not saggy grannies. I don't kink shame, but that's just not my thing. I draw the line at MILFs/DILFs. No GILFs. Sorry, not sorry.”
I'm more than willing to stall for time with conversation while waiting for my allies.
The bald, bird-faced Harpy Matron laughs a harsh, hoarse cackle. “You might change your tune if you saw my other form, darling. My sons say I'm still quite the looker...”
She winks at me and her avian jowls jiggle.
I gag.
“Then there's the whole matter of you kidnapping people for your larder. That's also a big turn-off.”
She scowls at me and shrieks, “Enough idealistic prattle. If you don't know what's good for you, I'll have to crush you now and pick up the pieces later.”
The fight begins with my allies nowhere in sight.
“Canary, subdue her.”
That’s right, one of the Lesser Sirens accompanying the Matron seems familiar. “Canary, consider the consequences carefully. Who is your Mistress?”
The yellow-haired bird girl looks between me and the Matron with a terrified, hopeless expression. “Ah, um… um…”
“Well???” the Harpy Matron demands.
“M-M-Momma, no! She defeated me earlier today—if I fight her now, I’ll surely d-die!” Canary glances at my thunderous features and shrinks back, “Eep! P-please, don’t kill me!” she screams as she flees the battlefield.
So much for loyalty.
“Argh, frighten my cute girls, will you?” The Matron scowls at me fiercely, then turns to the other Siren with brown wings and a blue feather choker hovering at her side. “Lucinia, teach this Echidna a lesson.”
“~Yes, mother. Human, you will—”
Flou surges from beneath my armor to encase my ears in fuzzy noise-canceling earmuffs. Spears appear in my hands as I cock them back to throw.
The Matron beats her wings and a tidal wave of wind slams into me. The force is impressive. I'm knocked off my feet and tumble backward several yards.
A spear stabbed into the ground is my anchor. I struggle to my feet until a barrage of blood-feathers ping against my armor in rapid succession. The repeated impacts make it difficult for me to keep balance.
Then the wind shifts, and I’m borne up into the air. This isn’t merely big wings in action anymore; this is Harpy Air Magic.
Whatever, I may be gripped by an invisible hand of wind, but I can still fight. I throw an ember spear at the Harpy Matron, who flaps her wings in response. Another gust of air from her scatters my embers harmlessly and snuffs their sparks. Okay, this isn’t going to be that easy.
I feel the rain of blood feathers shift to target my helmet. They’re focusing their fire to wear through my defenses. With the constant stream of attacks, I can’t afford to unsummon/resummon my armor to undo the damage done. Shit, I thought the Bloodwings were worthless, but they’ll actually be a major threat to me for that reason.
Focusing my mind, I reach out to the ground beneath me with Earth Magic. Molehills of dirt become pillars of stone that seem to melt upwards towards my feet. A pair of stone boots encase my legs, weighing me down and pulling me from the wind’s grip. I land with a thud.
The Harpy Matron screams in anger. She slices at me with her wings, and I see a glowing blade of Air Magic swing my way. The edge of it touching the ground digs a furrow drawing a line towards me. The predictive prickles of Predator Sense dance across my body.
A flex of will throws a half dozen Pitcher Treefolk Vines to my left. The tips latch onto soil and I reel myself in while abandoning the pair of stone boots. Seconds later, the air blade collides with the remnants of my earthen footwear in an explosion of dust.
I have to work fast.
With an exertion of will, I tap into my new magical ability and summon a ball of tangible darkness into my hand. “Eat this!” I say as I throw the explosive projectile. Except, the black handful dissolves in the air like smoke, or maybe squid ink in water. “…Where’s the kaboom?”
Between the intuitive sense my marks give me and Fast Learner, I’ve never had this level of difficulty using a new ability ‘out of the box,’ but I guess I should’ve expected it here. Dark Magic seemed OP (that’s ‘overpowered’ for those not familiar with ancient human mythology) compared to the basic elemental magic types.
How did Malik make shock collars, perimeter wards, defensive shields, and death balls from a single ability? I suspect Dark Magic requires one or more support abilities to function properly, like how effective ‘flight’ requires an investment of three to four Avian marks. Even if I got Profane Sight, there may be additional complications. I shouldn’t bet more on this untested strategy mid-battle. Best to accept the pratfall and move on.
A torrent of wind buffets me about as more Blood Feathers chip away at my armor.
Don’t stop. Keep attacking.
I Wolf Rush and charge forward while throwing two ember spears at the Bloodwing Harpies, one from each hand. The Matron blocks one spear with her air blast; the second spear is dodged as I’ve come to expect from fighting these dirty birds previously. Then we launch the attack they don’t see coming in the interim.
My left gauntlet opens to release a stream of Fuzzy Slime through the joints in a directed jet. Flou uses her Swarm chain of Slime cores to extend her reach, lashing through the air to target the Bloodwing who recently expended his air-dodge. The last Slime in the chain forms a toothy maw that clamps down on the Harpy’s crotch, sinking its jaws into unprotected flesh.
Flou reels the unfortunate Harpy in, him screaming as he falls until the Bloodwing comes in range. My Fuzzy Slime companion draws and quarters him with a hydra of manifested maws. The victim quickly dissolves into blood before the Slime mass retreats into the safety of my armor casing.
“You BITCH!!!” the Matron shrieks, audible through my earmuffs. She sends Air Blade after Air Blade at me between gusts of wind as I’m peppered with Blood Feathers by the remaining Harpies.
I shield my helmet with my arms to protect it from the cumulative damage mounting as I dodge the Air Blades with my vine dash. She’s keeping me on the defensive, which is bad for me. I’m running out of tricks.
Even if I brought out Olindia and Flou, they’re vulnerable to the ranged blood-feather barrage or Air Blades. I can’t repeat my earlier assassination, as the Matron and her cronies will expect it and target Flou’s Swarm bodies while staying out of range. She’ll be torn to shreds without buying me more than a few seconds.
Well, if I need to buy time, I can pay in stamina.
Wolf Rush!
The next time I dodge, I make a mad dash away from combat. There’s no way I can outrun the airborne Matron, but she can’t hit me with ranged attacks this way. All the projectiles targeting me fall short at this speed.
My pursuers maintain distance. The one time the Matron swoops in, considering a claw attack, she realizes the danger last minute and retreats. Even a birdbrain knows I’m secretly hoping for melee combat. That makes this a stalemate; the only problem is I can’t keep this pace forever.
However, I happen to be running towards the Hut as the marks I placed on my wives rapidly near.
“Momma, stop being mean to my wife!”
“Wha?”
Gale dives-tackles the Harpy Matron, her talons scratching at the larger bird’s feathered stomach. Megan jumps from her paramour’s back onto the Matron’s sagging granny titties to sink her teeth into a nipple.
“AAAHHH!!!” The vulture monster screams and beats her wings, stirring dangerous spellforms targeting her tiny attacker.
Not far behind Gale are Gabby and Cottontail riding Suka in her bestial Cinderwolf form. My Goblin wife is wearing her apprentice robe and a bandolier of eleven herbs and spices. She waves her Twisted Apprentice Rod in one hand above her head, then points it at the Matron.
The stirring wind dies as the vulture’s spell fails, and she shrieks in frustration. “Lucinia, stop them!”
The Lesser Siren opens her mouth to enchant my harem, but I haven’t been idle. While Gale struck, I turned to fire everything in my ranged arsenal. Ember spears launch from both my hands in rapid succession while Flou’s three bodies each spray a volley of crystal-blood darts at the enemy.
We don’t target the Matron, as there’s too great a chance of friendly fire. Not surprisingly, the Bloodwings revert the darts approaching them to fluid blood using their magic and air-dodge my spears. At least they’re too busy avoiding our attacks to shoot at my allies. Lucinia, on the other hand, takes a few hits from the darts and falls to the ground without getting another word out.
Suka burns a line through the field as she continuously dashes forward. She streaks past close by, giving me the chance to grab her flank and hop on while Gabby slides off. I mount up behind Cottontail and grab onto her meaty hips for balance. The speedy Cinderwolf leaps high with us in tow, soaring into the midst of the Bloodwings. The three of them are sitting ducks so soon after using their air-dodges.
My canine lover clamps her jaws around one bird’s neck and rides him to the ground. The sheer speed and ferocity of her attack on the low-flying avian leaves her opponent dazed, confused, and soon dead in the dirt with a fractured spine.
Cottontail and I leap from Suka’s back at the other Bloodwings. I didn’t think the bunny girl to be a fighter, naked as she is with her bare balls swinging in the wind, absent any arms or armor. She doesn’t seem to have a plan, and her foe appears ready to shred her apart with his crystal-blood feathers and razor-sharp talons.
Then the Bloodwing sneezes.
It’s a totally inexplicable, incredibly unlucky (or lucky, depending on your perspective) chance, but it allows Cottontail to slip past his guard in an instant. She plants the toe beans of her rabbit foot on the birdbrain’s beak and uses him as a steppingstone to leap at the Matron, shouting, “Megan!” as she flies.
Ah, sibling love will make even a non-combatant do strange things.
I, meanwhile, have a midair date with the last Bloodwing. Flou surges into my hands as Blood Star while I swing the weapon overhead. My enemy catches the blow with his wings and uses his magic to melt the crystal-blood construct. His overconfidence is short-lived, however, as the ‘blood’ in this case belongs to a Fuzzy Red Slime. The fluids transmute to Fuzzy Slime flesh before our eyes, forming maws that aggressively devour the avian idiot as we fall.
Cottontail lands on the Matron’s chest, then proceeds to bite the Harpy's free nipple, because how else is she going to inflict damage without going near the claws or beak?
“AH-AAAHHH!!!” the vulture screams in pain and rage as her sibling pair of nipple piercings swing.
The Harpy Matron is far from helpless, though. Despite Gabby’s best counterspelling, the tier difference is too great. The vulture’s wings flap with a heretofore unseen intensity that blows hurricane-force winds at my harem.
Megan and Cottontail lose their grip on the Harpy’s teats and are blown away. Gale tries her hardest to fly against the wind but is cast aside. Suka claws the ground and I hang in place from a spear buried in the dirt, but we’re both pinned down. Even Gabby, standing further back, takes a tumble.
The vulture monster follows that display of power with another round of air blades that tear through the soil on a vengeful path toward the rodent siblings. I rip a boulder from the soil with my Bunny Patron Earth Magic to shield them. Stone shatters, but the air blades stop short of drawing blood.
It doesn’t look good, though. The momentum has turned against us. The Harpy Matron alternates between blasts of wind to keep Suka and me at bay and throwing air blades at my helpless harem. Gabby’s counterspells are too weak to do more than dampen the enemy’s magic. It takes everything I have to protect them and stay alive.
Then I see darkness gather in the sky above the Matron. The growing dark spot is in her blind spot, and I’m not about to say anything. We continue our best to dodge and defend as the black and sooty purple energy coalesces into strings that weave together into a crosshatch. I struggle to understand what’s happening until the construct abruptly falls.
The net catches the Harpy Matron totally unawares.
“What?” Her wings tangle in the webbing and the big vulture crashes to the ground.
I’m up in a flash, Wolf Rushing, Blood Star in hand, dashing at the fallen avail before she can struggle free. I leap. I swing.
“Alex, wait!”
