Queen Lisette flew into a fury berating her guards for failing to kill the chimera. Being an outsider, Reina watched awkwardly from the sidelines as threats of execution were tossed around as casually as greetings. She learned first hand how colorful and creative the queen's vocabulary could be.
"I should string you all up in cow wire and smear your nether regions in honey, then you will know horror watching yourself slowly devoured by insects! What good are any of you other than fertilizing the soil?"
Reina almost regretted trying to jump in and making them seem like cowards. The poor soldiers suffered an unending barrage of insults that would shame the dead back to the grave.
"None of you are returning alive without Kris. Now get moving!" the queen ordered
"Wait, we're still going?" Reina dared ask, causing several of the guards to gasp at her audacity. "Assuming Kris isn't already chimera chow, our weapons do nothing against it. We need to ask Grathir to send a witch—"
"Out of the question!" she screamed, so loud and piercing that the soldiers began moving out in the direction of the chimera.
It made Reina wonder to what extent in sway did Queen Lisette have that they would face certain death instead. The weary monarch retreated to her carriage as half the soldiers departed, and the other half remained behind to guard her.
Reina climbed into the carriage and found the queen pacing back and forth, drinking from a glass of wine.
"I cannot be seen relying on witches. It is a show of weakness." She walked up and lifted Reina's chin. "I also refuse to give you a chance to escape from me."
"Even at the cost of Kris' life? You made it pretty obvious how distraught you were about losing her."
The queen's eyes twitched. She let go of Reina and marched to the other end of the carriage.
"I love her," she said in a moment of weakness.
Reina was struck with a pang of jealousy. Even after showing such a vulnerable side last night, repeatedly kissing her this morning, and going as far as putting her in a chastity belt… Queen Lisette had someone she loved all along.
This was good, however, because she could use this to get closer to the queen. Assuming everyone came out of this alive.
"Your soldiers will die out there; if they die, so will she. Then that chimera will terrorize your entire kingdom, and the witches will come anyway. If you're not going to them for help, let me join your men in rescuing her," Reina urged.
"If I let you leave, you may seize the opportunity to escape." The queen turned around and squinted.
"You're just going to have to trust me. Besides…" Reina rapped her knuckles against the chastity belt. "I'm not getting this off without your damn key."
Queen Lisette put her wine down, walked up to Reina again, and planted a deep kiss that surprised her. The taste of wine filled her taste buds, and an invading tongue sent her senses alight.
"Save for setting you free, I shall grant you anything within my powers should you bring Kris back to me," she said.
Reina nodded to her and jumped out of the carriage, drinking a stamina drought to boost her speed. She caught up to the soldiers in no time, who were following the chimera's tracks in the dirt.
"You're the queen's maid?" The commanding officer of the group took notice of her as she approached.
"Look, we're not killing the chimera. We can, however, save Kris and get out of here with all our lives. What do you say?" Reina asked.
"If we don't kill the damned beast, Her Majesty will have our heads on a pike." He lifted his helmet to spit on the ground.
"She specifically said to bring Kris back. I have a feeling her safety will be enough to quell the queen's wrath. Your choice. Die now or die later?"
The other soldiers had stopped moving to listen in. It was so quiet, not even the trees rustled. Finally, the officer agreed.
"You can sell me at a loss talking like that, Knife-ears. We go with your plan. Hope it gets us all out alive another day," he said.
They were thirty strong including Reina. Their manpower could quadruple that and still wouldn't defeat the chimera due to its thick hide. So instead of fighting it, the plan was to focus solely on rescuing Kris.
The tracks led into a cave behind a thin waterfall. Bones around the area were further proof that the chimera had made its home here, and a freshly killed deer suggested Kris hadn't been eaten yet.
"Just like we planned— stay here and wait for my signal. Do not go in under any circumstances otherwise," Reina reminded them.
"You're sure this will work?" the officer asked, holding a vial of fine red sand to his eyes.
"It will, as long as you guys bring enough kindling."
Reina left them to work as she skirted along the edge of the lake. The entrance gave way into a pitch dark cavern. She lit a torch, but it only illuminated a small area around her. Crashing waters from outside echoed loudly, drowning out any noise that she could possibly make out within.
Eventually, she ventured deep enough that cavern widened into a magnificent ceiling with glowing stalactites that rendered her torch pointless.
"Kris?" Reina called quietly at first, letting her voice echo.
"Mmmh! Oh, aaahh! Stop… please! I can't… aaahh! Can't… take it anymo— ooohh! I'm cumming again!"
That was undoubtedly someone's voice, and they sounded like something other than in danger.
"Just… nngh… Kill me already… I'm so full… Stop… Stop cumming inside me! Aaaahhhhhh!"
The chimera was standing on its rear legs with its forepaws against a pillar-like rock formation. If Reina didn't know better, she would have thought it was a minotaur taking a piss against a tree.
Of course, reality wasn't so kind to Kris. The creature held the poor elf by her stomach with its many tentacles and was railing into her pussy with an enormous cock. She was pressed up against the stalagmite, unable to do a thing with her limbs bound. A pool of white cum quickly formed at their feet as— by Kris' admission— her womb was already full.
It was… mating with her.
At a time like this, Reina desperately wanted to collect the chimera's ejaculate.
That would have to come later.
"Hey, ugly! Why don't you fuck something your own size!" Reina tossed a rock that clattered off its back.
The creature let loose a deafening roar and dropped down to all fours, carrying Kris underneath its belly like a cocksleeve. Reina readied herself as it charged towards her.
"Huh… No, wait! Don't make him move so much, it's going to make me— aaaaauuuuhhhhhiiiiii!" Kris convulsed as what appeared to be a quaking orgasm wracking her body from the chimera running.
Reina dove out of the way and sliced off a tentacle that tried to entangle her ankle. She recalled last time how it always went for the legs. Those seemed to be its only weak spots.
Fortunately for her, the chimera was sluggish. Maybe it grew exhausted from fucking so much. Everytime it went for a lunge, Kris screamed in pleasure. Her body shuddered intensely, it was a surprise she hadn't passed out yet.
"Come on… I just need you to let her go…" She was almost out of breath and had only a single stamina drought left which was intended for Kris. "Alright, fine."
If it wasn't going to let Kris go, then Reina would just have to make it happen herself. The chimera was clearly in heat, so she did the only thing that might tempt it— she stripped down to nothing. The only thing that wouldn't come off as the chastity belt.
"You're going to have to work for this pussy!" Reina shouted, slapping her ass.
The show of submission was the impetus it needed to hunt for new prey, dropping Kris and going for her instead. However, there were far too many tentacles for her to avoid this time.
Reina was caught. The hand which held the only cutting instrument that could save her was immobilized by a tentacle. More began to poke and prod her body, exploring new holes to play with. Several squeezed her breasts and another was trying to push into her mouth.
The chimera positioned her below its stomach and tried to push its bulbous dick in, but the chastity belt prevented entry.
"Ah-ha! I never thought I'd be happy to wear this stupid contraption!" Reina whooped in triumph too soon. Unamused by this trick, it slowly brought her to its gaping jaws. The tentacles on her wrists slackened as it prepared to eat her, and she seized the opportunity to push the dagger into its eye.
Tentacles around her waist flung her across the cavern. She quickly raced up to Kris, plugged a restoration potion and stamina drought into her mouth, and slapped her back to consciousness.
"Reina…?"
"It's time to go! Now!"
Kris sprung into action, filled with energy from the alchemical brews fed to her. Both of them fled down the cave with the chimera chasing close behind, but crashing into obstacles from only being able to see through one eye. They jumped straight through the waterfall, crashing into the lake below.
As soon as Reina resurfaced, she yelled, "Cast the dust!"
The chimera jumped onto land just as the large bonfire, made of kindling the soldiers had gathered beforehand, burst into flames and crackled like an explosion. Spooked by the noise, it leapt back into the cave to hide.
A pair of soldiers helped Kris and Reina onto shore. They were given loose tunics to wear.
"We have… to… leave before…" Reina winced at a sharp pain in her ribs. The throw must have cracked a few bones. She no longer had any potions to drink since most of them were in her maid uniform.
As her consciousness slipped, she fell to the ground and saw Kris' panicked demeanor.
"Oh, dear."
Another figure, cloaked and with a familiar playful voice, came into view that no one seemed to notice.
"Your selfless nature isn't going to put those philosopher stones in my hands, you know? Since I can ill afford to have you pass on just yet, I shall have to intervene this one time. Consider this… a forward payment."
