◈ Chapter 108:

CRUNCH, SNAP, CRASH, RUSTLE. 

 

The forest was disturbed from its peaceful slumber by the sound of innumerable twigs and tree branches being snapped and ripped free, unable to hold firm against the unstoppable force brushing past them.

 

Planks of wood, straight and curved, crates, chests, barrels, all adorned with canvas sacks, anything that could be used to carry things really, even a number of wooden buckets hung by ropes from the enormous construction, each overflowing with loot. 

 

The construction was roughly cube shaped, over ten foot a side, its walls made from the various wooden containers two or three deep, roped tight to heavy oaken beams.

 

Atop this lumbering building a sheep girl was desperately trying to keep treetop leafery out of her face.

 

She was not doing a very good job of it and a leafy branch rudely slapped her across the face. She made a choking gasping sound, airway blocked, and after a moment of struggle managed to spit free a saliva covered leaf.

 

“This was such a terrible idea! I told you it’d never work!”

 

Opal who was sitting at the front of the lumbering construction with her legs dangling over the edge looked back at her. She casually spun the shadow talon in one hand as she did so, the living matter of the tree branch about to hit her disintegrating and falling to her side.

 

“What do you mean told us? It was your idea sheepy! And what were we supposed to do? Just leave all these lovely pointies and stabbies behind?”

 

“We quite literally have enough weaponry here to equip an Orcish war party!! What are we even going to do with all of this?”

 

“Backups. You can never have enough backups. And choice, lots of choice is nice. This way I can experiment and try new things, find which feels best to use.”

 

Lyra squinted at the Goblin girl, not quite sure if the deadly serious expression she was giving her was actually serious. 

 

“I feel as though you are mocking me, no one single Goblin needs this much…”

 

Opal patted her rounded pregnant belly and raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Okay, more than one eventually. But still!”

 

“Hey, it’s not like most of this is pointies anyway, you and Red picked up so much useless stuff that you could have easily left behind.”

 

“Well, that's different see. I couldn't leave with all that treasure just lying on the ground, and there was no way it would all have fit in the Dimensional Bag. I mean, who leaves a fortune just lying there? No one with any sense that's what.”

 

A tree groaned as the construction crashed up against it and proved to be far far stronger, heavy treasure filled chests slamming into the trunk with a crunch, implacable force driving them on, the trunk splintering and crunching under the momentum. With a sound of shrieking wood the tree was felled, crashing down to the forest floor and leaving a wide gap in the canopy.

 

The construction slowed, the momentous weight of it all taking half a minute to come to a halt. 

 

At last it stopped, and then a muffled growl came from within. 

 

“We will stop for now.”

 

Lyra wobbled atop the construction as it began to lower, her hooves clattering across the tops of crates as she struggled to keep upright. When the whole construction came down to earth with a muffled boom she lost it and slipped onto her rump with an oof. 

 

She struggled to all fours and rubbed her rear, which was an unfortunate position to be in as a barrel lid promptly popped open nearly hitting her square in the forehead. She yelped and scrambled backwards as Red emerged from the gold filled barrel, coins and jewels sheeting of his red scales as he arose like an undead creature from a particularly shiny crypt, ring encrusted claws and bejeweled necklaces layered heavy.

 

“Why are we stopping? We shouldn't be stopping! I didn't say we should stop! There could be bandits or gold eating monsters or magpies out here!” He looked around furtively as though expecting them to jump from the foliage and start grabbing up treasure at the drop of a hat.

 

A large paw emerged from deep within the construction and took hold of one of the oaken support beams set at the top and forcibly moved it aside, ropes and rope netting dragging around it. Once there was space a crate was pushed up and over and Rain poked his head free from the small space, then squeezed his shoulders by, then his arms which he used to lift himself up then out, kneeling on top the building sized block of treasures, the gap in the canopy from the felled tree creating space above it.

 

He rolled his shoulders.

 

“Not as heavy as you would think, but still, it's time to make camp before it gets too late.”

 

Lyra squinted at him, then at the sky above. It was late in the day but not that late.

 

“I guess? 

 

Rain nodded, “The more tired I get the more trees I stumble into without noticing, and-”

 

“And?”

 

He hesitated then came closer to Lyra. Of course their sheer size difference meant his head was near as large as her torso and he positively loomed over where she sat, even crouching. He lowered his voice as Lyra looked up at him with wide eyes.

 

“How close are you to leveling up?”

 

“Ah- UH- wh-what?!”

 

Rain gave her a steady look. “I want to know how close you are to leveling up.”

 

“Uhm, l-lots, I haven't really done anything to level up since the- uhm, d-dungeon, and I need to kill lots more or s-stronger monsters each t-time I level s-so...”

 

Rain eased back a bit. “That’s… not what I was hoping for.” He scratched at his jaw in thought, brow furrowed.

 

“It’ll just take time is all, but if we come across a monster I just need to help k-kill it if you, uhm, hold it down.”

 

“There weren’t any on the way here, but that roaring…”

 

Lyra blinked at him. “What roaring?”

 

“In the distance, couldn't you hear it?”

 

Lyra shook her head, perplexed. 

 

“Must be my hearing improving... Doesn't matter.” He lowered his voice further, which was difficult with how deep it was. “I think there are monsters nearby...-ish… that's why I really stopped.”

 

“Why are you trying to whisper? I can literally hear everything you are saying extremely clearly,” said Opal with her hands on her hips.

 

“...I-”

 

“You want to go hunt monsters with Lyra to level her up.”

 

Rain gave her a pained look. “It’s not that simple…”

 

“Why not?”

 

“You’re pregnant. I don't want you coming with us needlessly trying to fight monsters, it’s-”

 

“Okay.”

 

“-unsafe and… and…” Rain petered off and stared at her. “Okay?”

 

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not like some dumb mindless forest monster is going to ever hurt you as huge as you are and I don’t particularly feel like being chased around by a set of claws and teeth, I feel like I’m waddling half the time, this is way heavier than it looks.”

 

Rain wasn’t sure he had been prepared for that answer. “If I leave you here alone though you could be attacked.”

 

Opal rolled her eyes and then sank into the shadow cast by the top of a chest rising above the others, her body engulfed in darkness. A moment later she popped out on the opposite side of Rain, the top of her head, then shoulders, then torso, each rising smoothly up as she left the shadow.

 

“Scout Gobbos are good at running away, a Scout hob? With shadowy sex magic? No one can catch me like this.”

 

Lyra spluttered “S-sex magic?!”

 

“Yeah, where else did you think it came from sheepy? Way too similar to be a coincidence.”

 

“B-but like that- w-wait, hold on a second, I d-did I- d-d-di-!”

 

“Yes, you happily bounced on his big fat dick too.” 

 

“I’m- I’m not a monster nothing will h-happen! It's not the same!” said Lyra her cheeks flushing pink.

 

Opal shrugged and turned to a nearby chest and flipped open the lid. Unlike the others this chest seemed to be filled with more practical supplies. Mostly. She pulled out a number of plush cushions plundered from Tamriel’s tent and carefully arranged them against the crate Rain had placed on top of the loot construction. Then she pulled out a glass bottle filled with an orange liquid and poured it into a mug, finishing the fruity beverage off by adding a straw. Without preamble she flopped down on the pillows and lazily sipped.

 

“Whatever helps you sleep best at night sheepy, although that probably means a good hard dicking in your case.”

 

Lyra opened her mouth in outrage but Rain lifted a paw cutting her off.

 

“You’re sure about this?”

 

“I’m sitting on top of what is basically a fort and can escape anywhere anytime, yeah I’m fine. Red, make me something tasty?”

 

Rain looked between the Kobold who was putting together a small cooking fire at the corner of the construction and Opal who was shading her eyes from the sunlight as she casually sipped her drink.

 

“It’s not enough.” 

 

He lifted a paw and black mist spilled onto the wood, quickly forming into a series of sleek shapes. Opal perked up as three shadowy housecats appeared, their constellation eyes looking around with curiosity.

 

Rain rolled his claws, pointed, and the cats obeyed, approaching Opal then stalking up onto the pile of pillows. As expected their touch didn't harm her in any way now that she had evolved and she was able to reach out and pet the cats bare handed. The cats appreciatively purred and rubbed their heads against her or paddy pawed the pillows.

 

“Cute,” she murmured. 

 

“Still not enough.”

 

Rain grimaced and more dark poured from his mane, this time a much much larger house cat appeared, a house cat four foot at the shoulder. It blinked in the sunlight and preened, washing its shadowy fur.

 

“This will see off anything that comes close. Probably.” 

 

The cat turned and plodded over to the edge of the construct near Red who looked at it extremely warily, a frying pan held uncertainly in his claws, clearly wondering if he would need to defend himself. The cat sat itself down and gazed into the forest, keeping an eye out for danger.

 

Opal watched bemused, a cat now sleeping on her lap, the other two lying against her legs.

 

“This is kinda nice… comfy.”

 

Rain looked her over, this time at least a little satisfied. He turned to go.

 

“This shouldn't take long.”