I Own a Brothel in Another World

Chapter 225 – The Hidden Need

Checking myself over one last time, I turn most of my attention to the settlement ahead. Standing at the edge of the jungle surrounding the tall palisade, I take a good look at everything. Parts of the grass are charred or dented by the attacks from the giant chickens or my lovely little mate. I can spot some leftover traces of burned vines here and there, evidence of our additional helper, whose appearance surprised not only the villagers.

Since this would be the best opportunity to address that event as I haven’t yet been spotted by the people milling about the defences and the fallen cocks, I face the deep tropical forest once more and walk a bit further in. Noting that I’m shielded from sight fairly enough, I put my hands on my hips and take a deep breath.

“I know you are watching somehow. Come out. I have a feeling that things won’t end fast after I step into the village,” I say, raising a brow at the shrubbery and other flora.

As expected, some bushes part and the ground captures my gaze. I observe a tiny flower bud poke out of the wild grass, which grows at an incredible pace, surrounded by protective vines prodding its surroundings like some kind of feelers. The cup reaches a rather familiar size and colour, unhurriedly opening up in a swirling fashion. As the petals settle in their angled position, two timidly smiling silhouettes poke their upper halves out of the natural fence, reaching far enough to display their generous assets past the fragrant line.

“Are you angry, Master?” Lilia, the blue-haired Liliraune asks hesitantly.

“Did we scare you?” Lilie, the pink-haired half of the same entity twirls her fingers anxiously.

“Have you called us to tell us to stay away?” The first girl nervously bites down on her bottom lip.

It feels like they are going to continue rolling out those assumptions if not stopped so I interject as soon as I realise that. “You haven’t come anywhere close to grossing me off with that stunt so don’t beat yourselves down over such a badass and lethal form. If anything, it only made me understand that you aren’t defenceless save for your magical charm and lifeforce drain.”

They exchange glances and their smiles turn a bit more relieved. Both ladies step out of their cup, the glistening caramel honey slowly sliding off their long green legs and adorning the grass under their feet. I can’t help but admire their seductive nude forms as they saunter up to me and flank my sides, wrapping themselves around my arms and nestling their heads in the crooks of my neck pretty much in perfect sync.

“But, you still are angry, right?” Lilia tries again.

“Maybe a little.” I give their supple butts a delicate spank, causing them both to giggle and gasp alluringly. “You know these people are hostile to you. Yet, you showed up in front of them just as they were about to attack with fire. I would have liked you to discuss this with me beforehand instead of risking getting hurt from both sides of the conflict. Then, maybe I could have eased the settlers into it to some extent.”

“Sorry.” Their slightly differing voices sound at the same moment.

“We saw how many of them were on the way and thought you might be in danger,” Lilie explains.

“We only saw you take down one Cocasaurus before you defeated us,” Lilia adds with her emerald tongue flicking past her supple lips as her eyes peer down my front.

“I get it. Though, I would have hoped you might trust my abilities a bit more after the talk with my companions.” I graze their backs affectionately. “Nevertheless, the cat is out of the bag now. They will definitely have questions and I’m not sure the chieftess believed my reasoning.”

“Maybe if they saw us listening to your orders they would find it easier to believe?” the blue woman suggests.

“Perhaps we could assist everyone with the repairs?” the pink woman continues after her other half

“Hmmm…” I look thoughtfully into the distance. “Possibly. I’ll have to bring it up during my assessment. But, if you can control some part of nature, there should be something you could provide help with. Trees and wood aren’t exactly your thing, right?”

They both shake their heads, slightly disappointed in themselves.

“No, Master. We have limited influence over flowers and similar flora, partially earth, and some bits of water,” Lilie shares with me. “Our main strengths lie in the arts of seduction and charm. We rarely even fight like earlier, usually just convincing our enemies that we are too desirable to be hurt. You can say that the area around our chosen dwelling is the safest part of the jungle.”

That sounds like a detail worth remembering so I take a mental note of it.

“Alright. We’ll see about this. Before that, don’t provoke any unnecessary reactions. I’ll call for you through our connection if there’s anything you can help me with.” I take my hands off their butts and ruffle through their hair. “In case we end up staying here for longer without convincing everyone that you have become good, I won’t forget coming out to meet with you girls.”

Their eyes shine with excitement, and in the next moment, a pair of delicious lips are pressed into mine, gracing me with a chaste, grateful peck. Although, their fingers do quest southwards for a little. Yet, they hold themselves back.

“Thank you, Master.” Lilia smiles beautifully.

“We’ll be good girls.” Lilie nibbles on her lip. “You’ll reward us then, yes?”

Snickering, I give each of the halves a deeper kiss. “That’s only natural. Now, I gotta go. There’s some explaining to do.”

Slipping away with cute spins and twirls, the girls giggle charmingly, dancing sensually as they move back to their flower. Their gazes lock on my face and they make sure to display all of their enticing assets before hiding them behind the petals. And from what I can see, the syrup isn’t the only thing dripping down their legs.

First Oreads, now a Liliruane. What’s next, a Grove of Dryads amidst the ruins?

If my luck holds, I’m going to step on a massive snake on my way back, which will turn out to be Jormungandr or something similar from this world.

Watching for a few seconds as the sizable flower disappears into the ground, I turn back to where I came from and return to the edge of the jungle. Some gaps and holes in the village’s palisade are still smoking but it looks like the fire hazard is now neutralised. More people flow out to take care of the fresh poultry products waiting to be processed. Obviously, they aren’t going to waste such a precious gift in the form of meat for months. From what I know, Beastkin tend to be ravenous, especially during their mating periods.

Casually approaching one of the groups handling Sirgia’s kill, I’m spotted by a familiar trio. Noticing their inquiring gazes, I change my path a bit and end up next to the fallen cock by their side. Daki, Codae, and Sirgia examine the headless chicken, courtesy of my petite lover, of course.

“You are back!” The hunter grins joyfully. “We thought the Liliraune might have gotten you on the way here!”

Rolling my eyes, I stand next to my short mate. “If anything, she would have jumped to my defence. I’m sure you have noticed whose side she was on during the battle. I already said this once, but let me emphasise it again, the Liliraune is currently under my command. I simply forgot to command her to stay aside. She was concerned with our safety a tad too much.”

The man looks my way with an impressed but also partially disbelieving expression. Yet, the evidence was right in front of him just minutes earlier.

“What was that illusion you used to lure them away?” the chieftess asks while crossing her arms underneath her generous chest.

“Illusion?” I blink at her.

~Codae believes that your main strength lies in Water Magic and that you must have used some kind of a Hero ability to lure the enemy away by affecting the light through particles of steam or something. That’s what she’s been telling anyone who asked,~ Sirgia fills me in on the case mentally.

Huh.

Well, if that’s what they are making themselves believe, I might as well let them stand by that for now. I don’t want to undermine her authority too much, as I have pointed out before. I’ll definitely clear it all up with a one-on-one soon, but we have more pressing matters to focus on.

“In short words, I can enter a state that makes my body equal to that of a Demigod’s Avatar. I figured out I could try convincing them to cease this assault since I was the one who wronged their kin, even if unknowingly. It was a success, thankfully,” I give them the truth anyway, just slightly more neutral-sounding. “My abilities aside, how is the village holding on? Any losses in construction? Injuries?”

“Thankfully, the fire didn’t pierce through the defences,” Daki answers. “Our combined efforts to keep the walls wet paid off. It got a bit hot near the end, but you took care of it before things spiralled out of control.”

“A few defenders suffered mild burns but we have already tended to them,” Sirgia continues. “I shared some of the potions our alchemists prepared with those more seriously singed. Almost everyone has made a full recovery already. They are eager to fix their home up and process the spoils of war.”

“Let’s talk about the first part.” I nod. “Don’t take it as a complaint or anything, but I think bringing things up to how they were before the attack isn’t enough. With fire-breathing creatures lurking around, a wooden palisade doesn’t amount to much, no matter how many litres of water you pour onto it. I bet other elements just as effective at wearing it down can’t be countered with such methods.”

“Do you think we aren’t aware?” Codae huffs in annoyance. “You’ve clearly seen how far the mountains are and they are the only reliable way of excavating stone or other tougher minerals. Everything else around us is just mud and clay. It would take ages to build anything worthwhile, and we don’t exactly have the manpower to spare for such a lengthy project.”

“Master…” Sirgia tugs at my sleeve, capturing my attention.

Meeting her pretty eyes, I smile. “Yeah. I had the same thought.”

“I’ll be back in a second.” She courtesies in front of the duo and hops away in the direction of Ayumi’s cottage.

Daki and Codae glance at me curiously but I just smirk mysteriously. “You’ll see in a moment. There’s someone we need to consult before offering anything. Until then, I have another suggestion. From what I heard, Liliraunes and Alraunes can create a safe zone around their habitat by using pheromones to deter any aggression. Why don’t we ask my green friend if she can’t do something similar for us around the edge of the settlement?”

The chieftess’ lips twist in a grimace. “And let the monstrous vixen have an even easier way to brainwash our men? No way.”

“With all due respect, to a typical Human, you guys are fairly monstrous too.” I spread my arms placatingly. “Besides, has she ever snuck into the village to captivate and drain someone to death? Or are your males the ones sneaking out to try their luck with a raunchy flower, believing themselves immune to her allure?”

Judging by Daki’s fleeting gaze, we would have seen him blushing rather explicitly if not for all that smooth fur covering his entire figure. That’s as good an answer as any, and the scowl on Codae’s face only confirms it further. She doesn’t want to admit it, obviously, but I might have just hit the nail on the head.

“Also, don’t forget that I have her under control now,” I give them an easy out, not confronting the matter right now. “I could simply order her to do it and protect this place in my name, but I would rather have both sides talk it out like actual people and perhaps settle their differences. Maybe you can come to some agreement regarding this, like letting her feed on some willing and single guys in exchange for protection, even a temporary one depending on how well our other idea turns out to be.”

Daki’s head tilts from side to side ponderingly. “I mean, if that would let us not worry about her and even other threats—”

“Shut your trap or I’m going to tell your girl you are lusting after a plant before even propositioning her first,” Codae snaps at him, turning the man perfectly still in a blink. “I swear, all you guys do is think with your dicks.”

“I didn’t mean mysel—”

He doesn’t get to finish as she levels him with a glare, the man shrinking into himself from the knowing and most likely not-so-mistaken look he gets.

Beastkin do tend to be rather rambunctious and open about sexual pleasure, but they do follow some traditions and rules like everyone. Since he hasn’t sealed the deal with his crush yet or hasn’t even made his affection explicitly known, it would be rude to look for another behind her back. Which would be different if they were courting and both knew about his thoughts on the Liliraune.

Then, the chieftess runs her fingers through her black-grey hair and exhales heavily. “I’ll have to think about it. He isn’t wrong about getting rid of one or more threats. But, before anything can happen, I need to talk with her, preferably with you around. I’m not sure which one of us you would need to keep a hold on. There’s some bad blood between us.”

“There’s no rush. And the Lilies are open to negotiation. In the end, they do need sustenance to live just as you do. They would like to find a solution to their scarce supply before their hunger forces them to do something that might make people even angrier at them,” I reply. “And we have another thing to discuss, it looks like.”

We all turn to the side and spot Sirgia making her way to us. The short Dwarf carries the big suitcase pretty much effortlessly, but the size covers most of her front, creating a rather funny image of a box trotting to us on short, adorable legs. Many people look at her in passing, chuckling to themselves and nudging their friends.

She stops in front of us and sets down the luggage on the ground. Some villagers keep glancing in our direction, curious about the unusual spectacle. You can say that a small circle of onlookers has gathered around us at some distance from the middle. A bunch of Beastkin try to fake working on the chickens while stealing peeks at us.

“How is a suitcase going to help us?” Codae tilts her head in confusion.

My beloved taps the lid a few times and steps back. The upper part slowly opens fully, revealing the figure of a stone-skinned woman inside, which causes our two allies to jump in fright. I snicker quietly and help Ianthe step out of the niche. Then, one by one, her subordinates follow, accepting my assistance with a grateful smile, some thanking me daintily with a peck on the cheek, clearly wishing for much more.

Everyone around is stunned into silence and pretty much frozen in place, but I don’t blame them. They witness an impressive group walk out of a limited container like it’s nothing. The girls glance around and even wave their fingers at a few men.

Maybe I should have asked them not to seduce the locals yet.

“Chieftess Codae, this is Den Mother Ianthe.” I gesture between the two leaders. “She is an Oread from within the mountains and my ally.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Ianthe bows respectfully.

Codae looks between her and the open suitcase a few more times before nodding stiffly. “Same here…”

“Our Den Master told us of your struggles with properly protecting this settlement,” the ashen lady continues, shooting me a cordial glance. “As you might be aware, rock and stone are our domain. With a bit of help from Lord Alastair and Lady Sirgia, we should be able to transport enough mineral here to construct a good enough defensive formation. It will still take a few days at worst if you are willing to let us handle most of the work. After that, we can discuss any further improvements to your home or other deals as our people might become neighbours sometime in the near future.”

“Uhhh… Okay…” The chieftess is still recovering from the shock but manages to fight it off the quickest, to some extent. “What would you want in exchange for the help with the walls, then? Sustenance?”

“Nothing. Our Master has already promised to take care of that matter for us.” Ianthe shows a brilliant smile, the meaning behind her declaration seemingly lost on her conversation partner. “As long as you show him proper respect and defer to his wisdom, we shall consider you allies and support you with whatever we can.”

The raccoon woman turns her face to me but I simply shrug, making it clear that I’m not a side in this negotiation. 

She then regathers her wits and holds out her hand. “These terms are acceptable. We’ll be indebted to you, but I’ll do my best to repay this debt in the moment of your need. The safety of my people precedes all.”

“A sentiment I can wholeheartedly agree with.” Ianthe shakes it gently. “Let us start right away. You can begin bringing down the damaged pillars. We should be able to finish the western quarter before nightfall. My girls could work overnight too, but I don’t think your subjects would appreciate the noise.”

“Thanks.” A flash of a smirk tugs at the corner of Codae’s mouth. “We’ll get to it right away. It’s going to be a slow and tedious process.”

“You should employ Lilia’s and Lilie’s help. They can assist with uprooting the logs. Their vines might be useful in lowering the wooden columns to the ground without the risk of an injury or any further damage to the structure,” the Den Mother adds.

After a few seconds of connecting the dots, Codae’s brows rise up her forehead and she tries her best not to show any distaste.

“I’ll consider your valuable advice,” she responds with another friendly shake. “Let us know if you need anything.”

Ianthe glances down at my Dwarf wife. “May we borrow a few of your storage artefacts to transport the stone within?”

“Sure.” Sirgia nods kindly. “I’ll go with you for one trip to check if there are no malfunctions when you use your abilities around them. You are planning on taking the Inversicate for this project, right?”

“Correct.” The taller lady smiles at her enchantingly. “If you’ll allow us?”

“It’s your home. You don’t need our permission.” The shorter girl shakes her head. “Do you think your skills and magic can mould it into shape?”

“It was our home. Now it’s under your care, alongside us, as the rightful successor has shown herself.” The Den Mother bows politely. “And they should. We did help with it initially. The only issue might revolve around bringing it here if it doesn’t cooperate well with your techniques.”

Sirgia glances up at me. “I’ll be going to check that then, Master. I’ll leave everything else in your capable hands.”

Sneaking a peek at the chieftess, she stands on her tiptoes to press her lips against mine and I let my lovely mate enjoy the moment for as long as she wishes to. Afterwards, she takes Ianthe’s hand, they wave at me, and all the Oreads sink into the ground, surprising everyone once more. I walk up to the suitcase and close it, grabbing the handle at the wider side, and turning to Codae.

“Get back to work!” the fierce female barks at her subordinates and all the onlookers refocus on their tasks. “Let’s get out of sight. I assume she needs earth or grass to show up so my house is off the list?”

Asking the person in question about that to make sure and receiving the answer, I nod. “That would be preferable. There’s a nice spot just a few steps in that direction.”

She flicks her hand at Daki. “Keep an eye on these slackers. We can’t waste any of this meat and other materials. Who knows when we will chance upon another opportunity like this, especially with our defences improved. I’ll be back right away.”

The Jaguarkin hits his chest and jogs aside. Not wanting to waste Codae’s time, I start leading her to the place of my earlier chat without delay. We reach the small clearing soon enough, with the Liliraune already waiting for us, standing inside her flower, the two halves holding hands rather anxiously. My current companion visibly stiffens at their sight, ready to take action pretty much on instinct. I can’t blame her.

For a few long seconds, no one says anything and a tense silence hangs in the air between the sides. Sighing softly, I put myself between the ladies.

“Since I feel like you would appreciate your conversation partners being frank rather than smooth things over with unnecessary pleasantries, I won’t beat around the bush. I don’t expect you to apologise to her or anything. If you are expecting it in return, you have to ask and explain why. Talk it out between yourselves and find common ground. Otherwise, this won’t work. The Lilies aren’t my slaves,” I present my stance on things.

The chieftess chews on her lip thoughtfully. I send a gentle glance the Liliraune’s way, conveying that while I would love to, I can’t come closer to soothe their doubts as it would show too much preferential treatment. I’m a mediator here. Thankfully, they smile appreciatively, understanding everything.

“We will admit that in the times of high starvation, we have lured a number of bolder males who have ventured far from the village into our flower,” both girls begin in a duet. “For that, we apologise. It was difficult to control ourselves this close to perishing, with no other viable candidates amongst the fauna to feed on. There’s only so much lifeforce we can drain from melting animals in our ichor. However, we have never drained anyone from your village to the state of near death. They have always returned to you with their own strength after recovering a little.”

“Yeah? What about Dem? Rohv? Epoh?” Codae sneers, crossing her arms.

These names don’t tell me anything, but it looks like the Lilies are familiar with them as their lips thin out at the sound of those three.

“They have come to destroy us. We had to defend our flower. It’s not something we can apologise for,” they reply with a colder tone. “If we came to your settlement to consume one of your people, would you let us go freely, regardless if we succeeded or not?”

The raccoon woman taps her foot against the ground repeatedly, firmly meeting their gazes. After a moment, she uncrosses her arms and rests her fists against her sides, her head lowering just a tiny bit.

“Fair enough,” Codae admits. “And those who… snuck out to go after you?”

Lilia and Lilie roll their eyes in opposite directions. “If we brought a fresh, delicious game just begging to be tasted right to your doorstep, would you have rejected such an offering?”

A faint chuckle escapes the chieftess’ throat, which she quickly masks by clearing it. “Okay. I see your point.”

The silence returns, though for a much shorter time.

“Fuck. It will be such a pain to get everyone on with this.” Codae huffs, looking up into the sky. “We are both just looking to survive in this harsh environment in our own ways. Thanks for the help with the assault, by the way. I can’t blame you for what those fools have brought upon themselves, especially since I myself failed to stop them. If we could find a way to cooperate, that would be great.”

“If that would help, we have no problem with showing our complete submission to Master in front of everyone,” the Lilies state, causing the Beastkin female to blink a few times.

They are back to smiles and giggles now that the worst has passed, pressing their delicious bodies together. Yet, somehow, I don’t think Codae catches on to the real meaning behind their submission. Again.

“Let’s take it slow. I don’t necessarily want you to shame yourself in front of a crowd, losing all the fearful respect you have earned. Especially with that stunt from earlier. It could cause some people to trample on you, feeling safe and empowered, wanting to bully you for the past enmity.” The chieftess shakes her head. “Work with us outside for now. Let people’s curiosity win. They’ll peer past the palisade to see the situation for themselves. Try to be nice but don’t take shit from anyone. I’ll deal with what comes next.”

Lilia and Lilie nod eagerly, finally stepping out of their flower, which puts Codae into a brief stupor again. She watches the gorgeous girls jog up to me and take my sides, without hugging me this time.

Right. They are supposedly not capable of leaving their flower without repercussions.

“Are we going now? If so, I want to ride on Master’s shoulders!” Lilie bounces in place with pure glee.

“What? No! I want to ride on Master’s shoulders while playing with his hair!” Lilia protests, throwing out a tongue at her other sister, which quickly devolves into them doing it in turns while the two of us just stare incredulously.

“Girls, girls, girls.” I place my hands on their backs. “There’s enough of me to go around. Hop on. You know I can handle you both.”

Crouching down, I offer them my shoulders, and they take them instantly, sitting one per side. My arms wrap around their plump thighs and I get up without any struggle. They weigh barely anything, and even if they did, my stats are more than enough for it.

“Onwards!” They point ahead together, chuckling adorably.

Winking at our furry friend, I walk forward. Plenty of intrigued gazes land on us as we get back in front of the palisade, but noticing their leader glaring at them, the men and women stop procrastinating. We approach a group that looks like it’s preparing to unearth one of the pillars and explain the change in plans. 

They are a little doubtful and suspicious at first, but after seeing how easily the green girls burrow a ramp underneath their defences to tilt them outside, and how simple it is for them to wrap the log in vines, securing its descent, they are pretty much on board, happy not to have to exhaust themselves.

“This doesn’t mean you can just shove all the work on them, you understand?” Codae squints at her subordinates, who nod rapidly. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you. Don’t start shit and they won’t start shit either. I have things to discuss with our new benefactor. Don’t slack off, bastards.”

And with that, she marches off into the village. After exchanging one more glance with the Lilies, I follow after her. She noticeably slows down even as I try to keep my pace behind hers just like before, putting me closer to her side, almost shoulder to shoulder. Not wanting to spit on her goodwill, I accept this respectful gesture and we stroll towards one of the fancier cabins a bit further in the settlement. The building is just a single-story hut like the others but you can tell that it has been crafted with a different design, more detailed and respectful.

We enter through thick doors and step into a foyer connected to the kitchen on the left, the dining area on the right, and a small guest room further in, with no walls between them. The only restricted section is up the stairs leading into the attic, where the sleeping chambers must be located. I see no bathroom anywhere, but logically thinking, the village must have communal baths and outhouses or such. Most of the simple morning washing can be done in the bowls next to the kitchen sink.

The lady of the house grabs a jug of reddish juice from one counter and chugs it down to the bottom before slamming it back with a pleased sigh.

Only then she remembers my presence and glances at the empty container, wincing slightly. “Crap. Want something to drink? I’m not used to having guests.”

“It’s alright. I have lots of stuff on me.” I wave my hand and a bottle of chilled water materialises in my grasp, letting me take a refreshing sip too.

“Still, sorry. Today’s just hella hectic. My mind has trouble catching on with everything that’s happening at the same time. So many twists and turns, revelations and unexpected incidents. I really just need a good way to unwind after everything.” She turns her back to me, looking at the clean but slightly dusty state of her home, then peeks back over her shoulder, her eyes wandering all over me. “And well, you certainly don’t help.”

I frown at that, certain that I should have been at least a little bit of help. “Excuse me?”

The Beastkin lady sighs softly while facing me again. “I didn’t mean it as an insult or a complaint. Maybe a little bit of the latter, okay. You just… seem nice. In a physical way. While you lack that specific ruggedness of his, you still bear pretty similar features. And from the little glimpse at your body that I got before it was fully covered by that illusion, these clothes do hide a decent frame. You certainly are a bit more confident with females, but…”

Ah, right. This girl had a crush on my old man, if I’m not mistaken. It’s only natural that my face reminds her of a thing or two.

“To be frank, as you have noted I prefer people to be, you are attractive,” Codae continues, running her fingers through her hair and shaking her mane gloriously. “You know my situation. This simply makes me vexed to know I’m this close to finding a good match, yet this far.”

It’s obvious she refers to my strength. Or overall power, to be precise. She’s still under the impression that she’s better than me.

“Well, would it really be that bad?” I raise a curious brow at her. “To receive some help with relieving all the tension from your stressed body, I mean. No strings attached, if you would like. It’s not like that isn’t a thing in your culture.”

“Oh?” She matches my brow and shows a playful smirk. “What about your mates? Didn’t you need to discuss with them any mistresses you intend to take?”

“Sirgia has already brought your case before them, perhaps noticing something I might have missed.” I spread my arms to the sides and follow the dangerous beauty further into the guest room. “Whose idea do you think it was for me to follow you initially?”

Codae snorts, slowly circling a sizable round coffee table. “So, that’s it? She points and you walk in that general direction without a single word? What a kind and obedient puppy you are.”

I let out a light chuckle, shaking my head. “You misunderstand. They don’t order me around. I simply respect their opinions, wishes, and wisdom that I’m lacking.”

“Yeah. You are totally not completely relieved of any influence and own decisions.” The chieftess crosses her arms over her leather breastplate. 

“The choice to listen to what they have to say is my own, just like the choice to actually follow through with what Sirgia has in plans. It’s ultimately up to me what happens. If I requested anything from them, they would gladly obey in a second,” I explain.

“They all say that.” She spits to the side.

“But I can back it up. You’ve seen that yourself.” I smile warmly.

“Pretty tricks.” Codae snickers. “Your companions took care of most of the work while you looked handsome and caused a captivating scene. I could literally break you in half.”

“You sure?” I copy her stance.

“Don’t tempt me.” She squints, letting her arms fall to her sides.

“I’m not tempting you.” I do the same, standing a bit taller. “I challenge you.”

A reverberating growl leaves her throat as she stiffens a little, ready to strike. “Take that back or make a bet.”

Surprised a bit, I quickly come up with a response. “Since you are the challenged, you get the privilege of suggesting yours first. I’ll meet it with something of equal value.”

“Fine.” A feral grin twists her lovely lips. “If I win, you become my pet for a day.”

I hum thoughtfully, raking my gaze over her athletic frame. “Then, I’ll go with the same. If I win, you’ll be my pet for a night.”

This time, the implication doesn’t go over her head and Codae cackles almost madly.

Though, for real, I ain’t going to make her do anything she doesn’t wish to do and chose the word night so that she can retain her image in front of the people. I don’t doubt she plans to parade me like her property throughout the village, but my time frame is slightly more limited.

“Deal!” she shouts confidently.

The next moment, the table separating us is flying my way, causing my eyes to widen. Deciding that she has to be aware of the possible consequences of kicking a piece of furniture in any direction, I simply punch through its middle, timing my blow with its rotations. The wooden surface explodes in splinters, which rain into the dining area behind me.

Amidst that storm of fragments, I find Codae already on her way to me with a flying spinning kick. She wastes no time getting down to business. And I like it.

Blocking the blow coming for my head with both hands, I spin around, throwing her off in the same direction she’s been travelling. The fierce woman lands in a roll and skids over the smooth panels on all fours, hissing at me savagely. Honestly, it only makes her look even sexier with that tight ass in the air and her chest close to the ground.

Standing up, she does a double take checking my hand. She looks down at her leg and back up to me. One of her reinforced greaves is dangling off its strap that’s wound around my finger as I smirk at her proudly.

“They say luck is a skill too.” Codae sniggers. “Let’s see how fast you run out of it.”

She rushes at me with a flurry of blows and kicks. We dance around the spacious room, avoiding all the furniture we can. I block and dodge all of her attacks from the front, their speed and strength being impressive, but nothing in front of my Tier 6 and Primordial physique. Not to mention all the support from the girls.

Her fist flies past my face, a hair’s breadth from my ear, and a wicked smile curls her mouth. Meanwhile, I spin around towards it and shoulder-check the warrior lady, evoking a heavy grunt from her as my slightly off-calculated strike sends her flying to the back, smashing into the log wall and knocking off a few shelves of their hooks, a plethora of books thudding onto the floor.

Shaking her head, she furrows her brows at me. “Are you stripping me?”

I snicker, twirling her bracer by its belt. “What gave you that idea?”

She snarls and launches herself at me again with a complete disregard for the environment. One of the clay pots that survived the fall is kicked at me, bursting into pieces after it misses my head and comes in contact with the chimney. We engage in close quarters again, and I start landing some actual hits on the grunting and huffing female.

Her techniques are wild and certainly practised, but I’m not a slouch either. I’ve been through training with my dad a bit, then with my fitness coach a tad, my students after arriving here, and lots of it with the strong and capable monstergirls from all around the realm. Garrena being just one of them.

I manage to tear her other bracer and greave amidst the fight, tossing them aside. She’s left with a breastplate mostly since I don’t think I can literally pull her pants down through her legs. It certainly would be a sight to behold.

“I admit… You aren’t half bad… But I haven’t been giving it all…” Codae says between her blows.

“Same here.” I shrug while spinning to avoid an incoming elbow, landing a slap on her bouncy behind as a parting gift. “You are going to lose at this pace, you know?”

She stumbles a little, shooting me a furious glare over her shoulder, her cheeks tinged with a hint of rosiness, though it might as well be from all the exertion. A deeper growl escapes her lips as something changes internally, her eyes gleaming angrily. Pulling out a curved dagger from the sheath behind her back, she charges at me with a lowered posture, weaving from side to side.

Now we are talking.

Codae becomes faster and more accurate, the sharp blade whistling next to my face and body, nicking at my clothes rather often. I could bring out my own weapon, but where’s the fun in that? Plus, the space is rather limited.

Dodging carefully, I take a look at our surroundings. Noticing an opportunity, I lead my opponent where I need her. Putting myself in a position provoking a high stab, I move my head out of the way and hear a satisfying thunk. Codae’s dagger sinks into one of the beams supporting the attic and her eyes widen.

Grabbing her wrist, I twist and leverage it, bringing her arm behind her and pulling it up. She snarls in pain as I follow through with my plan as quickly as possible. Achieving my goal, I squeeze the weapon out of her hold and let out a shout as I hoist the muscular girl over my shoulder, slamming her down onto the dining table, which also gets reduced into splinters as she falls through it to the very ground.

As I step back, juggling her knife, Codae rolls over and springs to her feet, pausing for a second as something bounces up and down her front from the movement. She gapes at her full and firm breasts straining the black undershirt, not bound by the armour anymore. The breastplate lies in two parts next to her, cut at the seams on the sides, separating the front from the back.

“Damn. I wasn’t aware you were hiding another set of weapons beneath that.” I smirk at her, making it obvious where my eyes are.

Hers focus mostly on the dagger so I toss it behind me, hearing it sink into something wooden again. She doesn’t get disturbed by her state of undress, though I wouldn’t call it that yet, and growls at me with another attempt, even quicker and stronger. Almost her entire cheeks are now flushed from exertion, her skin bearing a few small cuts and bruises from our scuffle.

Codae brings her powerful legs into the play more, jumping into the air and barraging me with heavy hits. She even pulls some wild capoeira shit by standing on her hands and spinning. Suffering one of those kicks, I grab her ankle and rotate around my own axis a few times, launching her flying into a cupboard, which shatters with a lot of ceramic noise.

As she crawls out of it, her tough skin barely scratched, I catch a whiff of something sweet and pleasant at the height of my eyes and frown, which is followed by a sudden realisation.

“Ah.” I cock my head to the back. “You are enjoying this.”

“In your dreams.” She bares her fangs at me, but the pink decorating her face gains a new meaning.

The angry chieftess lunges at me from all fours with a loud hiss, but I’m ready for it. Countering the assault with a fist to her stomach, I force the breath out of her lungs and spin us around, slamming the incredible woman into the wall. Pinning both of her wrists above her head, I wrap the fingers of my other hand around her throat, gently for now. My body pressed against hers, I insert my knee between her thighs, and her breath hitches as it makes contact with her shorts.

“You don’t want an equal for your mate. You want someone stronger. Someone to overpower you. To make you submit.,” I point out, staring at Codae from slightly higher.

Her charming silver eyes look up to meet mine.

“Bastard,” she cusses and tries to yank her hands free, wriggling around.

I tighten my grip on her smooth neck, keeping our gazes locked feverishly. She stills and her chin rises slightly as if on instinct, giving me better access to the inviting section between her head and shoulders. A quiet whimper leaves her lips as they part, her cheeks colouring more and more as I continue to squeeze. The moment I also push my knee further, her eyelashes flutter alluringly, a deep, slow sigh rolling out of her restricted throat.

Bringing my face closer, I whisper sensually. “Do you still think I can’t handle things on my own, having to hide behind my girls?”

Her hot breath tickles my skin as she stares back at me fearlessly, daring me to take it even further. After understanding that I’m not going to change anything without receiving a reply, her eyes flicker down to my lips before she utters the awaited response.

“You win,” Codae whispers due to my hold on her.

Smirking proudly, I release her neck for now, intending for her to speak freely. But, she doesn’t utter a word, just keeping the eye contact we’ve had going for ages now, perhaps believing that everything that needed to be said has been said.

Her hands wiggle softly, so I let the chieftess slip one away from my grasp. She shows no intentions of taking the other one too, and uses her free palm to take hold of the wrist that’s been choking her a moment earlier, guiding it to her tender, firmly standing breast, forcing my fingers to sink into her supple flesh.

As she cranes her neck forward a tad and brings out her tongue to tickle my skin with a long, lustful lick, we hear the noise of a bunch of footsteps and freeze at once.

It turns out that, after our short battle, we have ended up right next to the entrance, and the door flies open from a mighty shove.

“Chief! Are you okay? I brought men—”

Our pure-blood Jaguarkin freezes too as he finds us right to the side, with his Chief held against the wall by yours truly, hand on tit, knee between thighs, and a female tongue on the neck in return. 

To his credit, he doesn’t move from the doorstep, raising his elbow just in time to have one of the rushing men slam their face into it. 

Slowly closing the door, he retreats without breaking eye contact with us. “Sorry to bother you. If you need a hand with your renovations, just let us know. Good luck, Chieftess.”

I have to give it to the guy, he is a quick thinker. We listen to how he shoos away his companions, who grunt in protest, but after he explains the situation and how pissed their leader is, no one is willing to risk a peek anymore.

After the sounds disappear, we look at each other again, Codae’s cheeks bordering on scarlet now.

“Just so we are clear, I’m unable to stay with you and manage this village together,” I slowly explain. “I have other obligations, unfortunately.”

“I don’t need a stay-at-home mate to babysit me every day.” She growls, but it’s not an annoyed or angry growl that revolves around my person. “I just need you to fuck me. Hard. At least once a year, if possible.”

“Baby, with a Demigod for mate, you can expect much more frequent visits.” I grin impishly, her eyes widening to the brim as she finally comes to a realisation that it wasn’t an illusion.

A much more powerful need wafts off her as she pushes her pussy and breasts more into my knee and fingers, staring longingly at my other hand, definitely thinking about her lonely throat.

Smirking, I grant her wish and wrap my fingers around it, freeing her other arm. “I wonder what would the people think if I fucked you like an animal in the centre of the market.”

Codae’s eyes glaze over for a moment as she imagines the scenario, the heat coming off her rising exponentially as what she sees turns her on to the brim, bringing out quickened breaths from the needy Raccoon girl.

“They would think that I’m your bitch…” she whispers with a tone dripping with desire. “That you are now the real leader of this community and I’m just a toy for your pleasure… And no one would dare to challenge you as they know my strength…”

“Gods, you are such a heavy sub no wonder you have been suffering without someone to top you.” I lean in to place the first kiss on her starving lips, evoking a pleased whine from Codae. “But, I’m not going to ruin your hard-earned reputation like that. It will be up to you how and how much you let people know. As for what happens behind closed doors…”

As my fingers once more restrict her throat, the strong warrior Beastkin woman sinks her teeth into her bottom lip and hopeful sparks swirl in her eager eyes.

I’ll need to put in a lot of effort to properly satisfy this poor girl.

But Papa didn't raise a quitter.