Chapter 5: Mante and quests

Anmu had eaten all of the animal's offal. Which begged the question, where did the Naga even store it all in? Eleric didn't know. The Naga was staring hungrily at the rest of the meat, and the elf was more than happy to set up a campfire next to the pond, and cut up the meat and hand it over.

"You should have some as well," Anmu was chewing at the raw meat. There was a platter of it next to him. "Fen, do you want some too?"

"No, keep the mana for yourself," Fen was in the pond and relaxing in the water. He hadn't been this full in years. All the owners of the house had spurned him. He was lucky that he finally found one that did not do so.

"I won't say no to a bit of blood," Alistair spoke, from his seat next to Anmu. "Not from the animal, though."

Eleric looked between the Naga and the vampire, and sighed. The thing about harems was, that one had to share in them. Alistair had been careful with Anmu, noticing how delicate the Naga was from the moment he laid eyes on him. Now was no different.

"Alistair, morsel, come drink from me," Fen suggested. His eyes half-closed and inviting.

"I drank from you, but haven't from him," Alistair whined.

"I don't mind," Anmu exposed his neck for the vampire, who placed a soft kiss on it.

"This won't hurt, I promise you that," and Alister bit him. He had a hand wrapped around the Naga's waist, and he was pulling him closer to himself.

When he was done, he nuzzled the bitten spot, and relaxed back on the grass.

"Now that it is obvious to everyone that I know my way around the bow," Eleric began, as he cut out another slab of meat and placed it on Anmu's platter. "I think we have to go on a quest. Now, I am an archer, Anmu is a healer. What of you two?"

Alistair quirked an eyebrow at that.

"A healer, dearest?" The vampire propped himself up and took a hold of Anmu's hand.

"Yes, I specialize in healing magic. Which is why, I haven't been able to strengthen my mana all that much," Anmu spoke.

"Well, I am a rogue, obviously," Fen murmured. "And Alistair is a tank, even though he is not with a shield."

"That is a pretty well-rounded party," Eleric spoke. He was used to going on quests by himself. Yet, with a party like that, they could get to go dungeon delving.

"You know, once we get out of here, the barrier around the house will activate, and then I will be able to get myself another morsel," Fen all but purred.

"You won't," Eleric protested. He was not sharing anymore, darn it.

"You invite even a single person in this harem, and I am leaving," Alistair threatened. His pride was wounded that he was not enough to the point where the incubus was going to get a never-ending harem.

"Aren't we enough, Fen?" Anmu asked him, bottom lip quivering.

"Oh, my treasured morsel," Fen got out of the water, and got to the Naga's side. He gently held him. "I think you all forget one critical detail about me."

"And what is that?" Alistair asked, his patience at an end.

"That I am a demon, darlings. If you can't feed me with sex, then you will feed me with souls. But I will not starve again," Fen then picked up a slab of meat, and brought it to Anmu's lips. "I would like to feed you, morsel. Don't deny me the pleasure, ok?"

"We are enough," Anmu told him, as he took a tentative bite off his meat. "You won't starve."

"And I would like to believe in that, morsel. But others have failed in that particular quest. That is how I ended up locked in this house. Next to this pond," Fen leaned so that he could lick some of the blood from Anmu's mouth, for which he was rewarded with a blush. "But I'll play nice. We will go and solve the problems of every Joe that comes our way. And, I won't stray."

"Do you promise?" Anmu asked, before taking another bite out of the meat.

"Cross my heart and hope to die," Fen kissed the Naga on the nose, and urged him with his eyes to take another bite of the meat.

They spend the night trading stories. The morning after, they washed in the pond, and then left the house behind. Alistair was well-fed on blood, so the sun didn't bother him in the slightest. They made a strange picture. Especially Fen, who looked like the cat that got the cream.

They made it to the town of Mante early the next morning, bypassing the village, in which Eleric had won the house, entirely. Checking into an inn, they spend the next couple of hours feeding Fen. After which, they took a short nap, and then were towards the guild hall of the local adventurers' guild to see what quests were available.

There was one about escorting a merchant's caravan, and another about monster infestation on a ranch.

"We can take them both. The caravan's route passes by the ranch anyway," Alistair spoke. He was not happy with the fact that nothing had attacked them on the way to Mante.

"About that, I think that the caravan won't mind, if we stay by and let Anmu eat the offal of the monsters," Eleric said. Anmu smiled at him gratefully.

"The stronger my mana is, the more people I will be able to heal at once," the Naga told them all.

"So, it is decided, then. We take both quests," Fen said, and he wrapped an arm around Anmu. "Darling, we will make sure you become the best healer there is."

"You will never want for mana rich meat again," Eleric confirmed. Anmu gave them all a dazzling smile, and even Fen had to admit that the doe-eyed Naga was the crown jewel in his harem.