Summoned by Monster Girls

Arriving at the ridge overlooking the lake, the three of us talked it over and decided to use the same site as we had the last time we were here. While our primary goal here was to inspect the ruins and the damaged fountain/spring, we also didn’t want to camp right on top of either and risk damaging something accidentally.

Kassandra had taken the time between then and now to design better wardstones for the campsite. The bricks that she had used last time were drafted into duty to form the barrier again. As soon as we got to the location we had camped the last time, she collected the bricks up and had me use my earth magic to smooth them out again. That done, she began quickly carving runes and symbols into them while Rieka took each finished brick and charged them with a few spells of her own.

After the last week of training and the stress of dealing with Dutcher for the very last time, being surrounded by nature was a wonderful change of pace. The walk up into the foothills had let me shed some of the pressure I’d felt and now it was like I could stand taller with the clear, blue sky hanging over me instead of my apartment ceiling.

Living in town for so long, I kept forgetting what the scent of nature was too. Now though, I could smell the fresh scent of the trees as the light wind tossed their branches nearby. The water of the nearby lake sparkled brilliantly in the afternoon sun while the light refracted through the spray of the short waterfall that fed the lake.

“Liam? Can you get the tent set up?” Rieka asked me. The words pulled me out of my meditative stare and I nodded to her silently. Rieka’s responding smile lit up her aristocratic features.

Using a touch of my earth magic to flatten the ground out without disturbing the grass, I got to work assembling the round canvas tent. This being the third time I’d put it together, I was getting quicker with each repetition. I only stopped long enough to flatten and pack the earth around where we’d had our fire before, having forgotten to do that before starting on the tent. With that area, I intentionally had the earth subsume the long grass to leave just packed dirt behind.

While I sorted the tent out, Rieka got the fire-pit set up and unloaded the other general items. Things like a pair of small, folding stools for her and me and the cookware.

We didn’t have a stool for Kassandra, as her serpentine body didn’t exactly lend itself to folding furniture. Instead, I expected she’d curl up either against or on top of me. I was glad to see that the stool that Rieka declared was mine looked very sturdy, to be able to support both Kassandra and I’s weight.

As soon as I got the center pole up to support the top of the tent, Rieka crawled inside to help get the top and bottom laced together and began laying out the bedding, dragging the dimensional pouch with her. I couldn’t blame her for not wanting to let the valuable item out of her sight.

While Rieka was laying out the bedding I saw the opportunity that I’d been hoping for, but hadn’t expected so soon.

I quickly staked down the last ropes I needed to support the tent before jogging over to where Kassandra sat in the sun with a brick in one hand and a metal engraving tool in the other.

“Hey there, love. Can I talk to you for a second?” I asked her in a low voice.

Kassandra looked up at me in surprise. Her slitted, brown eyes blinked at me several times while the sun glimmered on her glasses. A moment later she quickly glanced around the clearing questioningly before turning back to me with a confused look. The motion sent her lustrous mane of red curls bouncing and shimmering in the warm sunlight, bright highlights racing all over the mass. After a moment, the confused look morphed into an amused one.

“Let me guess. Rieka either finally made a move obvious enough that you couldn’t ignore it, or you wanted to confirm that you aren’t seeing things and that she actually is attracted to you?” Kassandra said bluntly and I shushed her with one hand. Setting down her engraving tools and the brick she’d been working on, Kassandra crossed her arms with an expectant smirk.

“Both? I don’t know, Kass.” I blew out a sigh explosively and glanced back to the round tent of white canvas and saw it rustling as Rieka moved back and forth. “She’s been opening up more for a while now and I would have to be a blind idiot to not see that she’s been flirting with me after that kiss. I also want to make doubly sure you are okay--.”

“You are a blind idiot,” Kassandra interrupted. The rebuke was softened by her gentle smile when I turned back to her. “But you are our blind idiot, so you are forgiven. Rieka’s had a thing for you just as long as I have. She’s just had to wrestle with the whole ‘being a princess’ thing while I’m just the daughter of a Viscountess. She’s had expectations of herself that I never bothered with. Expectations that not even her mother laid on her.”

“Not everyone can be as free-spirited as you, dear.” I bent down and kissed Kassandra on the lips lightly.

The angle was difficult, but she chirped happily and wrapped her arms around my neck to haul me into a passionate, tongue kiss. The hands knotted into my shirt told me she wanted to do far more, but she restrained the urge to just the lip-lock. When the kiss finally came to an end, Kassandra nuzzled into my cheek and whispered into my ear.

“I’m not upset. I don’t plan on trying to lay claim to you exclusively, Liam. I don’t have an arranged marriage that I have to save myself for and I don’t care for one. If you and Rieka start flirting more openly or doing more, it would only make me happier. Rieka is my dear friend and deserves happiness. I also won’t deny that she’s beautiful either. Before you ask, no. We haven’t experimented with each other.” Kassandra pulled back slightly so I could stare directly into her slitted eyes. She kissed the side of my nose as she went past before she continued to speak with a devious grin on her soft lips. “Not yet at least! So you have my blessing to chase my friend’s fluffy tail around the glen if that’s what she wants. As long as you don’t hurt her and save some time and love for me.”

“Never,” was my fervent response.

“I know, Liam.” Kassandra’s smile was bright and she finally released me to stand upright. “To save you some stress? Trust that Rieka knows the score and will make her expectations plain for you, okay? No need to second guess yourself and hem and haw like you did with me. Let her know you are open to it if you are and trust she will reciprocate.”

“Got it. Thank you, Kass,” I murmured and she gave me another kiss and a smile.

“Now. Go check on Rieka would you? She’s been in the tent for some time and we still have things to do today. I’ll have the wardstones engraved and ready to set up soon. If we finish this quickly, we can take a quick look around the lake and check for any of our targets that are obvious before we get dinner started.”

“As you wish, Kass.” I bowed slightly to my redheaded lover.

Kassandra gave me a saucy wink and let one of her hands drift under the front of my armor to stroke over my crotch just once, before turning her attention back to the brick in her lap. I groaned and turned away, trying to fight the physical reaction to her teasing so it wouldn’t show as easily.

I was about to leave her to it, but decided that turnabout's fair play. Stepping away from Kassandra to be out of her direct line of sight, I let her get back into her work for just a moment before bending down once more to press a kiss to the side of her neck. Sucking lightly on her soft skin, I tasted just the hint of sweat there and she moaned, nearly dropping her tools in response. I let the suction go with a light pop, leaving a red mark on her pale skin but not a bruise.

“You are a tease,” Kassandra said, accusingly.

“Learned from one of the best,” I replied, before turning on my heel and heading to the tent.

Rieka stuck her head out as I approached. Her hair and clothes were slightly disheveled from crawling back and forth in the tent but she was smiling happily as she emerged.

“All set in there?” I asked with a grin and Rieka nodded. “Great. Kass is finishing up the wardstones now. Given our luck the last few weeks, I’d prefer if none of us were alone for long. That way, we can protect each other. Soon as she’s done, we can go and get water from the lake for dinner and washing. Kass suggested we also make a quick scouting check around the lake and the ruins to check for any changes as well.”

“Sounds like a good idea on both accounts,” Rieka said. She straightened up and brushed her clothes to get them to lay straight once more.

Rieka missed that she had somehow managed to get a leaf stuck in her loose plait of blonde hair though. It stood out sharply amongst the bright, platinum color of her soft braid. Stepping closer to her, I reached up and plucked the bit of greenery out for her.

“Thank you, Liam,” she said, looking at the offending bit of greenery with a raised eyebrow.

“Any time, Rieka. Come on, let's go sit with Kass while she finishes her part.” I took a deep breath and drew on the confidence that Kassandra had instilled with her advice just moments earlier before offering Rieka my arm with a slight bow. “May I escort you there, my lady?” I asked in what I hoped was a polite, confident tone and wouldn’t come across as mocking instead.

Rieka stared at my offered arm for a moment, a blush creeping up her cheeks. Her eyes darted to my face, searching for something. She was apparently satisfied with what she found because Rieka took my arm a moment later with a small smile.

“I would be delighted.”

<><><>

It only took Kassandra a handful of minutes to get the last of the wardstones carved.

The perky, dwarf lamia carved the runes then cast spells over the stones to ensure that anything larger than a house-cat crossing the line would set off both an audible alarm and get a dose of deterrent in the form of an electrical shock supplied by Rieka’s magic.

We set the wardstones up to give us a fair-sized perimeter around the tent and campfire before taking that walk to scout the valley as the sun began to cruise down towards the edge of the horizon.

Since we didn’t know what we might encounter, we took our gear with us and left just the tent and the general camp supplies behind. The girls were happy to refill the personal water-skins at the lake, though Kassandra begged me to do her’s for her to avoid the chill of the water. I knew that later I would be filling up the large cauldron to warm for bathing water as well, given that all three of us had worked up a sweat getting to the valley. We would be making a trip back though, as the cauldron and kettles were back in the campsite now.

Our scouting walk showed signs of several different animals returning to the lake to drink. We found fresh tracks for what Rieka believed to be spring foxes that we would try and track in the morning. A quick stop at the spring confirmed that the ruined statue was still there too. I was itching to wade in and see what I could fish out, but both girls talked me out of it.

The vine rays had returned to the fruit trees where we had hunted them the first time. We stopped long enough to kill and collect enough of the spines for the orders the girls had, since it was a simple process. It only took one spell from Rieka to stun them and I used my Shape-Shifting to change my arms to make bringing them down quick and easy. Kassandra was happy to collect a fair amount of ripe fruit from the trees, mostly apples and an orange fruit that was the size and texture of a plum but smelled sweet. Rieka told me that they were called Ussava.

“These will make good snacks later. No reason not to hold them in the dimensional pouch,” Kassandra had insisted while she piled the fruit in the pouch. Rieka rolled her eyes but smiled at her companion. I was reminded that my serpentine companion had a sweet tooth too.

Emerging into the clearing with the ruined walls and remains of buildings, I felt a chill run down my spine. Despite knowing that the crag hunter was dead, I still felt uneasy in that ruin-studded field that we’d fought in. I had felt the same way when we’d looked it over one last time before returning from our last mission. Something about the area just gave me chills. That sensation was the other reason I’d advocated to camp on the far side of the lake instead.

Kassandra’s fascination with the ruins promised that we would be spending a fair amount of time here in the coming days, but from the look of Rieka’s fluffed up tail, she was just as uneasy about this area as I was. Only Kassandra seemed enthused to be back in this area.

Both girls kept their spell rods in hand while I used Shape-Shifting to armor my left arm and convert the hand into a sharp spike. It was one of the newer shifts I’d been practicing. With it retracted and at ease, the limb looked normal, if oddly covered with a chitinous gauntlet. However, I could extend it nearly twice its length in an instant at need. It wasn’t as flexible as the scorpion-tail morph, but it had more punching power. I also kept my mace loose in my right hand while we wound closer to the open cave that led down into darkness.

“There’s the crag hunter’s remains.” Rieka pointed and I peered into the edge of the trees, spotting where we’d dumped the rest of the carcass after removing the hide. The bones were already mostly picked clean and there wasn’t even a drop of blood anywhere nearby, though I could see a handful of bugs crawling over the stained bones still. Nature was quick to reclaim resources in this area, it seemed.

“Okay. So let's duck into the cave and check it out one last time. Just need to make sure that nothing else has decided to take it for a den so we aren’t surprised by something tonight. Then we head back and get dinner going. If we get an early start on it, we can probably knock out most of the gathering missions tomorrow morning. Then we either have the afternoon for Kass to really study the cave or head deeper into the mountains to look for that stone bear. Sound good?” The girls nodded their agreement to my question and we proceeded carefully to the depression that concealed the entrance into the cave.

The last time we’d been here, I had wondered about the layout of the ruins and the presence of the cave and its sealed door. The walls had been so regular in shape and definition and the buildings had been laid out around a flat, winding area not unlike a road.

In the back of my mind I felt a tickle trying to tell me something, but I was focused on keeping watch for the girls in case something tried to sneak up on us again. The trees were well back along the edge of the clearing or inside the ruined building’s outlines, so the only easy cover came from the tall grass that grew up between buildings.

Enhancing my sense of smell, I gave the air coming from the burrow a sniff.

Both girls smelled of sweat, herbs, and a bit of feminine musk that I was beginning to associate with them specifically. Kassandra had the faint scent of something like cinnamon around her, while Rieka smelled most often of sandalwood. Though the wolf-woman’s scent was often covered up with the sharp traces of ozone due to her magic.

The stink of the crag hunter still hung in the area, but it was fading away and I detected no other obvious smells.

“Fairly sure the burrow hasn’t been claimed. I’ll go in first. You girls follow right after, okay?” Again I got a set of silent nods from them.

Heading down into the darkness, I carefully navigated the steep slope while ducking under the low roof. I shifted my nose back to normal and instead enhanced my eyes to sharpen my vision. The late afternoon light pouring down the slope into the cave was enough to illuminate the immediate area and gave enough low illumination for me to quickly scan the underground cave.

The nest of the crag hunter was still off to the left as I came down the slope. The scent had clung the most to that area. The large space yawned away from me, open and uncluttered by anything other than the occasional pile of brown scraps and pooled water in the corners.

Set into the far wall was the imposing set of iron doors, still sealed shut. Again, I felt the tingling at the back of my neck that made me think this was familiar somehow.

A stray thought floated through my mind as the girls scrambled down the slope after me, with Rieka taking my right and Kassandra on my left as they reached the bottom.

If the door was cog shaped, I’d swear this was a bunker from that video game about nuclear fallout.

The dots connected finally as I looked at the smooth walls and smooth ceiling.

“This is a parking garage…,” I breathed in surprise, my words barely traveling far enough to be heard by the girls.

“What?” Kassandra’s sharp question echoed oddly through the tomb-like silence.

Even though I could hear the distant tweeting of birds and shush of wind from the tunnel behind me, it felt muffled by that sensation of timeless graves. That odd pressure distorted her voice enough that I winced.

“A parking garage.” I struggled for a moment with how to explain. It was remembering Kassandra’s jokes about winning a ‘brand-new carriage’ earlier that gave me the clue on how to translate it for them. “A carriage house? Where people would store carts, wagons, and carriages?”

“Oh,” Rieka murmured.

“Really?” questioned Kassandra.

“I think so. Look at those piles of brown material. I’m pretty sure that's rust and scrap. I suppose it could have been an underground warehouse too and that's the remains of shelves or crates after they rotted away, but still,” I murmured, continuing to scan for threats. “This really feels like a small parking garage.”

There was nothing else in the darkness. Even when Rieka produced the glowing stone she had used the last time we camped, it just cast everything into sharper definition. With how oddly it was affecting sound right now, it felt like there should be more down here.

We made a slow lap around the room. Kassandra paused by the cyclopean doorway of shimmering, mana-infused metal. She took the time to inspect the runes for a minute before nodding decisively.

“Think you can disable whatever is protecting the door?” Rieka asked her serpentine friend.

“Yes. I’m positive about it now. These runes are old, but the meanings are familiar. I can make something tonight to break the flow and let us open the doors.” Kassandra shot me an odd look before turning back to Rieka. “I’ve seen these runes in a few historical texts. I was pretty sure before, but I am one hundred percent sure now that I checked them again.”

“Sure of what?” I asked. Rather than answer, Kassandra motioned for us to keep moving and follow her out. She led the way back up the ramp and into the open air once more in silence. The tweeting of the birds and stirring of wind returned to its normal volume as we gathered in the sunlight outside the low cave.

Kassandra stretched her arms over her head and her tail out straight like she was working the kinks out of her back after a long sleep. Rieka and I waited patiently until the redhead turned to look back at us.

The dipping sun sent shimmering sparks across Kassandra’s scales and through her hair while she stared up at us for a long moment before gesturing down into the hole. She spoke evenly, but the excitement was clear in her voice.

“I know for a fact that this is a human ruin. And I think Liam is right. I bet this was either a delivery point for a larger complex or a place to store carriages. I don’t think we are going to find just a lord’s vault down there.”