Centaurus

Ellaria folded her arms. “How problematic?”

“Hmm… How to explain... Well, let me tell you something of where these monsters came from first. They originally started to appear about four hundred years ago. At first no one knew where they had come from, it was only later that there was a huge scandal amongst the dragon nobility, such a scandal that they couldn't keep a lid on it and the secret leaked.”

“D-dragons?” said Fey, images of the Bine’s dragoness, Lady Alexandria, suddenly coming to mind.

“Yes. One dragon, a particularly… randy... red dragon, decided to have an orgy, an orgy with dozens of female Kobolds. They did the deed and by some billion to one fluke of nature those Kobolds became pregnant unbeknownst to anyone.”

“Ah,” said Ellaria, “I believe I have read about the monsters you are referring too.”

“But interspecies breeding is supposed to be impossible!”

“Yes, normally it would be, but what dragons are extremely unwilling to admit is that dragons and kobolds are distantly related which is what allowed this to happen.”

“Okay, so ages ago some horny dragon fucked a dozen kobolds full of kids, what’s it to us?”

“What the kobolds then gave birth to. A new species of monster. They call it a Kobogon after its accidental creators.”

“I’m not sure I’m liking where this is going. What are these… Kobogons like?”

“Imagine a dragon in humanoid form but much smaller, around human sized, and lithe, skinny, slender, a pair of very small wings sticking from their backs which despite being small still allows them to fly, they are also incredibly spiteful creatures, as a rule.”

“And?”

“And they are all every one of them able to use magic.”

“Yup, there's the catch,” said Flora, starting her third ale.

“Interesting. No wonder it pays well. The commissioner?” said Ellaria.

Braddox nodded. “Pays extremely well, and the reason it does so is because the commissioner is the lady of the city, Lady Alexandria.”

Fey who had been lifting her beer to sip at it choked and spluttered hearing that and had to take a moment to recover herself. She really did not want anything to do with that dragoness, she preferred not being forcibly drafted into the military if she could possibly help it thank you very much.

“It’s because they feel guilty for one of their number creating them, the dragons are all secretly perverts, sinners,” said the silver armoured minotaur, a slightly fervent look in his eye.

Braddox gestured dismissively. “Possibly feel guilty, those dragons who were alive back then are still alive now. In any case, they created dragon law that banned them from breeding with Kobolds and now they frequently commission extermination jobs for whenever Kobogons are found.”

“I see,” said Ellaria. “I suppose I can see the potential in this job, albeit dangerous potential.”

“It will be a hard nut to crack I have no doubt, but perhaps together...”

The silver plated minotaur scowled at his captain. “You can't be seriously considering working with two pregnant girls?”

“Astrid is an excellent judge of strength, partly due to her Skills.”

“But they're pregnant!”

“Oh shut up Avery! Let them join, no really let them join... Especially the centaur.”

Two female minotaurs pushed to the front, one beige furred and with a slight black eye, the other with brown fur and gold hoop earrings. It was the two along with Astrid that had originally helped cause the cumsplosion in the AG.

The one with the black eye gave Astrid a dirty look but quickly damped it down in favour of ensuring the two teams worked together.

“We want a competent team to work with on a risky job, now we apparently have one, so pipe down yeah?”

Braddox side eyed the two suspiciously enthusiastic girls. “...Yes. Well, what do you say?”

Ellaria tapped her fingers on the table in thought, a few sparks sputtering to life each time a finger landed.

“We don't exactly have a whole lotta choices captain,” said Flora.

“True. I do know of these monsters and I like to believe we are capable. We can do this.”

“I’m okay with the job, but c-can we go do the job… now?” said Fey.

Ellaria blinked at her. “Like right now?”

“Yes.”

“Well you certainly bring the enthusiasm, we were planning on moving out the day after tomorrow,” said the Hammer Horns captain.

Fey turned to Braddox, “I’m a healer, I just won’t be able to sleep knowing there are innocent people being taken and likely killed up in those villages, It’s just wrong that we’d be waiting needlessly on doing something about that, I’m sorry but that’s just how I feel.”

“Okay I like this one,” said Avery, “Paladins and healers have much in common in that regard, we are for the people, we fight to save those who are in need.”

“A healer? Well I see why you might have caught Astrid’s interest.”

“Something like that,” said Astrid while coughing into her fist and avoiding Braddox’s eyes.

“I’d be fine with moving up the schedule, I wasn't sure how long it would take to find a band willing to join our cause.”

“I’m fine with that too, we were prepared for a job from this morning and that is still very much the case, although we will be skipping out on our arranged accommodations.”

“I’m not sure they will mind very much, after what, uhm, happened.”

“Still it is the polite thing to send a note. I’ll leave that with you three while I go and deal with the contractual details with Braddox here.”

The two captains went off to deal with the AGs clerks, and no doubt talk shop about captainy things Fey thought. She realised after a moment that she had no paper or pen to write with and turned to Vivi to ask to borrow some. To her distress it was already far far too late, the vulpine had several sheets of paper out and was furiously scribbling on them, her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth.

“Vivi no! You- what are you drawing?! What are you drawing!”

Flora floated above Vivi’s shoulder and peered down. 

“Wow, you really do go into the most graphic detail on the private parts Vi.”

Fey put her hands on her head.

“We need to make sure they want us there right? So that we can stay for free if we come back,” said Vivi, still scribbling, “Well I don't think that is likely to happen with the father, but if we can get both Rina and Tami on our side then it will be two to one.”

“So you’re drawing what Fey might do to them? Wait, is that a nurse's uniform on that lamia?”

“...yes. It’s like flirting, but with drawings, or something.”

Astrid leaned over to see and abruptly flushed bright pink and nearly fell out of her chair.

“F-Fey can d-do that-? with her? Oh my gods.” She swallowed and put a hand over her mouth, unable to drag her eyes away from the drawings Vivi was quickly churning out.

It didn't take long for the other two female minotaurs to lose to their curiosity and they casually sauntered around the table until they were peering over Vivi’s shoulder. Their hands immediately clamped down on the back of her chair and they fully leaned in, crowding over her, their eyes very round.

“S-say, would I be able to get a copy of these by any chance?”

“M-me too!!”

Vivi glanced up at the minotaur leaning over her, practically drooling as she took in the drawings and snatching little glances over at the very uncomfortable and awkward Fey.

“Maybe on the way out.”

The remaining three male minotaurs seemed too aloof to investigate what it was that had attracted the female minotaurs attention, that is apart from Averys who was giving them a continual death stare.

It wasn't long before Vivi had finished, including making several copies which the three female minotaurs guiltily hid about their persons, quickly stuffing the paper away and pretending they had nothing to do with anything that may or may not have transpired with some rumoured drawings or other.

Flora caught the attention of a message runner, her idea of catching attention meant that the runner was suddenly catapulted into the air mid run with a scream, floated over to their table, and then plopped down in front of the band. Vivi shoved two envelopes into his hands along with some coins and told him to go find Tami and Rina. The messenger seemed all too happy to get away from Flora.

Then the captains returned and the bands found themselves moving out. The minotaurs collected several rucksacks which Ellaria offered to put in her dimensional bag to the minotaur’s delight. It was rare that adventurers could skip out on lugging around heavy camping gear.

They were slowed however by Averys having a minor religious meltdown when Fey stood up and revealed her throbbing three foot horse dick for all to see. Fey was impressed with just how bloodshot with outrage the minotaur’s eyes had become. It took ten minutes of arguing for things to be sorted out, the minotaurs were eventually convinced that Fey had a medical condition and that it wasn't her fault which forced Averys to accept that this was happening on moral grounds.

“Are you going to discriminate against a victim? Come on, grow up, it's only a little dick,” said Flora as Averys spluttered.

“Rather a lot of dick actually,” muttered Astrid. 

They made their way to the edge of the city and were working their way through the guards when the messenger returned with two envelopes. Vivi blinked as she took them in paw. 

“That was fast, I guess they really had something urgent to say after receiving my drawings.”

She flicked open the first envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. It was darkened with splotches of wet and some kind of fluid dripped from it. On it was simply written: ‘Make me bigger Fey and you can stay anytime.” And below it a heart had been scrawled with a tiger’s tail at its bottom.

“Erhm,” said Fey looking down at the paper, “At-atleast it isn't t-too graphic… What is this wetness?”

Vivi flipped open the other note and a small rivulet of clear fluids poured from the envelope to puddle on the ground, the paper had apparently been well waterproofed, a wise precaution as it seemed the lamia had enjoyed Vivi’s drawings rather a lot. The fox girl pulled out the note between index and thumb.

“It’s, uh, some kind of story, with a healer and her nurse. I'm not sure about her writing ability though, It’s hmm, very bad, although I see the... enthusiasm? I think this might be a yes?”

Flora levitated the paper out of Vivi’s paws. 

“Thy healer’s voluptuous testicles hung between her monolithic cubic thighs, near purpled and blacked with their need to masculinely dig up and plant thy seed in thee innocent nurse’s fertile field with the fruits of a bountiful spring harvest, pumpkins and wheat, the seeds of her- oh my god this is the worst thing I have ever read.”

“P-please stop Flora! That’s private!”

The gnome’s gaze ran down the page, reading silently, her face paling until with shaking hands the paper fell from her grip and floated away in the breeze. Lily caught it out of the air.

“I didn't think writing could make me feel this way,” said Flora floating away in a dazed state.

“Rina’s husband is going to hate me after all this,” groaned Fey.

“Possibly. Although lamias kind of have a reputation for uh, you know, so he might have known what he was getting into,” said Vivi.

“You think?”

The vulpine shrugged.

Lily held the paper close, her eyes scanning intently, her expression progressing through a mix of alarm and then horror. At last, she looked up, her eyes distant, glazed.

"I regret learning to read."

The paper slipped from her hands and Lily stared off into the distance, wondering what the meaning of life really was.