Centaurus

They spent a few hours trotting along, the four girls atop Fey’s back going into ever more graphic detail about their life-changing experiences with Fey.

This did not help Fey focus on the road in the least and she found herself ever more distracted by the girl’s talk, her erection becoming stiff and rigid and smacking noisily up against her barrel as she walked, every so often letting out a little sprinkle of pre to darken the road below. Her breath was getting heavier too, and her cheeks flushed, exacerbated by her stiff nipples rubbing across the fabric of her blouse as she trotted.

She wasn’t the only one, the overly detailed descriptions were having an effect on the trio too, their clenching becoming ever more desperate and the parts of her back where their rears rested becoming soaked through as they grew all the wetter. She could even feel Astrid’s chest pressing up against her back, the minotaur’s own stiff nipples rubbing up against her, more often on purpose than by accident she suspected.

“P-please girls, d-do you have describe it so- so unashamedly?”

“Oh Fey after what you did to us it’s hard not to want to talk about it.”

“It’s important I think” piped up Kayla, “You would not believe how long me and Lily talked after we did it that first time, t-talk amongst other things,” the last part came out as a guilty squeak. 

Fey bit her lip. It wasn’t just how hard she was becoming that was the problem, but that she could also feel her balls swelling, since the girls had started talking they were several inches further down her back leg and significantly rounder and more taut, almost painfully so. Being continuously teased for hours while they walked was not having a good effect on her.

She was glad then when up ahead Braddox and Ellaria stopped. The two bands faltered to a halt behind them.

“We’re here. The closest village to Bine.”

Fey blinked and peered past the adventurers. They had come around a corner in the road and up ahead of them was a tall palisade wall. Strangely it appeared deserted with nobody about, the road empty and the front door to the village ajar.

They approached cautiously, weapons slung and hanging ready, ready for anything.

But nothing happened. No guard appeared at the wall, no one cried out or even attacked. The door creaked slightly in the summer breeze, no hand to close it or swing it wide, just ajar. 

Braddox let out a breath. “Strange, there should be guards of some manner. Even if the village was hit particularly hard no sane person outside a city leaves a gate open and unguarded, especially not out here in these monster infested hills.”

“This does not bode well I fear,” said Ellaria. She looked at the silent forest around them warily, then flicked a finger and a dozen marble-sized fires sprung to life around her, ready to be used at a moment's notice.

“You think this is some kind of ambush?”

“No, but I do not like to leave things to luck.”

She reached out and grasped the handle of the large door and pulled back, the door swung out with a groan and with it came a spear that had been leaning against the other side. The spear clattered against the dirt and the bands tensed up in surprise, taken unawares by the loud sound in the otherwise peaceful forest.

But again, nothing happened. Ellaria kicked the spear aside and stepped into the village. The others followed. 

“It’s abandoned,” said Flora looking between the village’s buildings, “Maybe they wised up and realised that they would be better off leaving for the city while these Kobogon things are around? That's what I would do.”

“You don't know villagers then,” muttered Vivi, “Real stubborn bastards everyone of them, trying to get payment out of them was like trying to get blood from a stone, they make Ellaria here look positively charitable.”

“That’s enough of that. We don't know anything for certain.”

Fey paused, her eyes coming to rest on a scrap of clothing. “H-hey I think I see something.” She trotted forward and then flinched back with a yelp as the summer breeze lifted the scrap revealing the severed head of a man beneath, an expression of agony still frozen on his face.

“So much for leaving for the city,” said Averys with a scowl. “More like they're all dead, prey to these ungodly monsters.”

“D-don't say that! There might still be survivors!” said Fey dashing forward. She turned a corner and froze up. Astrid peered around her and gasped 

“Oh no.”

Fey shoulders fell. The amount of blood… 

Something had happened here, something bad, the blood was… everywhere, along with fallen and dropped possessions, it wasn’t hard to see that the villagers had tried to flee but had been cut down and then taken away, smears of blood across the ground marking where they had been dragged.

Ellaria put a hand on Fey’s arm comfortingly. “It’s bad Fey but we don't know if the worst has yet come to pass, there may still be survivors as there are no bodies here, and if there are they no doubt will need you.”

“Somehow I find I like our chances less and less with this job with every passing moment,” said Flora lifting up a scrap of clothing and examining the blood flecked across it.

“Braddox. Tell me, what is it that we can do?”

The large muscular minotaur scratched his jaw with his thick fingers. “Hrmm. It seems likely that the Kobogons stripped this village bare, and considering that this village is closest to the city there is a high chance that they have done the same to villages further away. These monsters are not stupid, they will have tried to extend the amount of time before they truly call the wrath of the city down on their heads. Killing an entire village like this, and not just a few missing persons as happens with any monster problem, will no doubt cause Lady Alexandria to personally come and glass this entire region flat with dragon fire. There won't be anything left.”

Fey blinked. “If these monsters are smart, won't they know that is coming?”

“Yes. That is precisely the problem, if there are any survivors at all they are going to be killed and eaten by the Kobogons before they leave and they will no doubt soon be leaving. Doing this to a village won't escape notice for long.”

“Fuck.” said Ellaria. “Okay, it's simple then. We go in and we find where these awful creatures are hiding, we slaughter them all, and then we save the survivors.”

“These things are taking out entire villages captain, that wasn’t even considered a possibility. I think we might be a little over our heads here. Wouldn't it be better to wait for backup, no point us getting caught and killed too no?” said Baerinda.

Fey turned and stared daggers at the minotaur. “If you’re not going to help me save the villagers then you can damn well get off my back. I’m going to help them no matter what any of you decide.”

Baerinda quailed under the centaur’s gaze, “N-no I didn't-”

“It’s fine Baerinda,” said Braddox, “The cautious move is to retreat but if we were being cautious we wouldn't have taken this job in the first place. This doesn't change anything, the Kobogons are simply more aggressive than first thought, not more powerful.”

Fey trotted around another building a grimace on her face as yet more signs of violence littered the streets, an overturned cart scattering apples, a basket trodden into the mud, a discarded sword, and as always, the ever present bloodstains.

“But how are we to find them?” she murmured.

“Oh that's easy, we have a tracker in our band!” said Astrid behind her.

“You do?”

“Yup! it’s the one who thought Baerinda was a blanket last night.”

“What are you blathering about Astrid?” said one of the black furred male minotaurs coming up behind them. He wore green-dyed leathers and over his shoulder was slung a heavy yew bow that looked as though it had an impressive draw weight, all of this together suggested he had something like a Scout Class.

“You can find the villagers?” asked Fey.

He squinted at the centaur, his gaze passing over the three female minotaurs squeezed onto her back, barely fitting. He paused as he noted a number of slim rivulets of wet that had rolled down the sides of the centaur’s barrel each coming from the rears of the girls. He blinked, his brow furrowing.

“What-”

“The villagers Raeger? Can you find the villagers?” Chloe was waving a hand in front of his face and he blinked for a second before refocusing on priorities.

“Er, yes, I believe so. They may have taken to the air but I suspect with this many villagers taken that they will have simply walked and will be nearby, the amount of effort needed to move them by flight over a long distance is not worth it, at least I would assume.”

“That's great!!” said Fey, her voice rising in hopeful excitement. “Quickly, you must take us to them! You must!”

Raeger rubbed at an ornate gold ring on one of his horns in thought, then his tracker’s instinct taking over his eyes darted from blood stains to footprint, analysing. Then he began to walk.

The others followed in his steps and he quickly led them to the back of the village where they found a second door, this one in much worse a state having been ripped off its hinges. They emerged back out of the village and found themselves stepping through the forest once more, this time off the main road. Raeger darted around them to confirm they were on the right trail, pausing by the occasional spot of blood, or broken twig.

Half an hour later they arrived at their destination, the entrance to a cave. Ellaria had to command Fey to stand back as she was on the verge of rushing straight in. 

“Take it slow. If we can see them before they see us then we will have every advantage.”

“What?” said Flora

“It’s because of me,” said Baerinda. She flicked her fingers and a flock of green snails with moth wings burst from the undergrowth and whizzed around the bands’ heads. “I can hide our presence with illusions that fool the eyes, make us invisible.”

Magic Mog with the exception of Fey stared up at the illusion flabbergasted, that is until Braddox made a cutting motion with his hand.

“Save the displays until later Baerinda, we’ve got work to do.”

“Er, right.”

Flora blinked at the dissipating illusions, then her eyes darted to Fey, then to the three minotaurs atop her back. “Ah, I see how it is. Welcome to the club girls.”

The three minotaurs very carefully avoided meeting Flora’s eyes.

Raeger was first in as the only one of their party with some Skills related to hiding, then came Baerinda, or rather Fey with Baerinda still atop her. The minotaur had point blank refused to get down, her legs still too wobbly, which of course she hadn't explained. 

Fey had managed to settle the issue by showing just how surprisingly silent she could be despite being so large, much quieter than Baerinda could be walking by herself. Her high level of dexterity and strength allowing her careful balance on three hooves while she placed the fourth down without a single sound. That combined with her excellent awareness of how her own body was placed meant she could be almost as silent as Raeger. 

Raeger hadn't been pleased with this arrangement at all, but under his captain’s orders had slipped into the entrance of the cave with Fey in tow.

The shadows of the cave rolled over Fey and the three minotaurs atop her back, engulfing them in gloom. She followed after Raeger at a distance, keeping him in sight as he checked ahead at each corner of the winding cave tunnel. This continued until he halted ahead of her and waved his hand. Fey caught up and carefully peeked around the corner he had stopped by.

A vast cave met her eyes, lit from above by a shaft of sunlight where the ceiling had partly fallen in. Ahead of her were people, a pile of people six foot high, the villagers, and all quite clearly dead, their heads removed. She had to bite down on her wrist to stop a scream of anger from ripping from her throat. She heard similar noises of distress from behind her, particularly Kayla who let out a sob.

Raeger waved at her to catch her attention then silently pointed. Fey looked and saw a spiderweb of chains and manacles at the edge of the cave, and more importantly, actual living people, villagers, or what remained of them, not as many as Fey would have liked but there were survivors, survivors she could save, survivors that she could help.

Her eyes shifted once more and she found the things that had done this to the villagers. 

They were many coloured, their scales bright and clean, their bodies lithe yes, but also beautiful, as though carved by a master of aesthetics, each a paragon of physicality, their colourful eyes luminous with magical power. They were talking around fires, chatting freely as they ate. What they ate nearly made Fey choke. Well, now she knew what they were doing with the heads.

A small flame of vengeful wrath sparked to life in her heart.

She looked over her shoulder at Baerinda and the minotaur nodded. It was done, the Kobogons were all under her influence. 

Without hesitation she stepped into the cave fully, completely visible to the Kobogons, holding her breath, waiting for the cry of alarm to go up. 

Nothing happened. 

“They can't see or hear us at all,” said Baerinda, “We’re essentially invisible.”

Fey bit her lip wondering how she was going to go about this, as a healer she really needed to check over those imprisoned.

Ellaria glanced at her as she stepped up beside her. “It’s fine Fey.” A dozen green and black fireballs that pulsed with a promise of agonising death bloomed to life around her, “We’ll clean the trash up. Just make sure we all make it out alive.”

The two bands advanced on the Kobogons. There must have been nearly four Kobogons for each of the bands’ members, outnumbering them by four to one. Fey did not like their odds, illusion advantage or not.

Vivi held her sword above the neck of a Kobogon casually sitting cross-legged by a fire, a roasted human head held daintily in its claws that it occasionally took bites out of like some kind of grisly apple.

Astrid slipped from Fey's back, and immediately fell over as her jelly legs gave out, then with difficulty managed to climb to her hooves. Braddox gave her a funny look but didn't say anything as the minotaur loosed her axe and held it over the head of a Kobogon. 

He was more distracted by Chloe who summoned a dozen immaculate white lances from a bottle at her side, the cum lances hovered in the air over the backs of a dozen kobolds promising swift death.

Averys couldn't help himself. “What the hell is that Chloe? Since when could you do anything like that! You don't have that level or ability or skill!”

“Shut up Averys,” said Chloe, ignoring the agitated paladin, her cheeks going a little pink.

The bands were ready, blades and arrows and magic all pointed at the unknowing Kobogons.

Ellaria and Braddox turned eyes on Baerinda. The minotaur still atop Fey bit her lip then nodded.

“So be it,” said Braddox, “On three. One. two. -”