Blue's Quests (Day 3)(5/8)

Hazel did her best to keep an eye on Tess as the two walked down the corridor towards the shift supervisor they’d been directed to speak to. It had been quite heartening to see the youngest member of their party finally emerge from her room and pitch in to help their flighty harpy, but now she was concerned the gauntlet they were walking would scare the poor thing back into hiding.

Reaching the Dairymaid Ranch had not been a challenge—Maybelle’s directions were good, and despite the fact that Hazel was now walking around wearing little more than a few leaves and a smile, no one had accosted the pair as they exited the city gates. The ranch was located just outside the city itself, and had been smaller than Hazel had expected—no larger than the barn in her co-op, in fact.

When they’d introduced themselves to the rather feline ranch hand at the front gate and asked about picking up a shipment, however, she had told them that they would need to speak to the foreman who was overseeing operations in the barn.

The foreman in question was a surprisingly slender woman of average height, and had been in the process of speaking with one of her ranch hands when the pair entered the barn. She had noticed them immediately, however, and beckoned them over rather than walking to meet them. The walk wasn’t far, and Hazel rarely minded exploring new locations, but the interior of the barn was far more crowded than she suspected Tess would find comfortable.

Lining the structure, in evenly spaced lines, were milking machines.

They were not intended for animals.

About two thirds of them were occupied when the pair arrived, mostly by a variety of women sharing the same bovine features as Maybelle. Hazel was used to being the bustiest woman in any room she entered, but amongst the overall-wearing livestock being milked on the ranch, she was bringing the average cup size down.

The machines looked to have been designed with comfort in mind—they consisted of thickly padded benches to support the midsection, with supports for the arms, head, and knees surrounding it. Hazel was reasonably certain the straps to hold the women in place weren’t necessary—and, in fact, weren’t in use on half of them—but the fact that they were present at all was sure to cause Tess some concern.

The women being milked wore overalls as a uniform, the garments all sporting a bright white ‘DM’ across the chest, though the majority of those were hidden by the machines. Hazel was actually a little surprised at how industrialized the entire business seemed to be—while it was by no means a large operation, given the nature of the enterprise she half expected the room to be filled with lewd moans. Instead, while the faces of the ‘herd’ showed signs of substantial pleasure and satisfaction at their treatment, the foreman and other ranch hands all seemed to be treating it as simply another job.

Rather than alarmed, though, the selkie seemed distracted, and Hazel wound up reaching back and taking the young woman’s hand to lead her through the barn, rather than abandoning her to wander behind her. The gesture seemed to take Tess by surprise, though she made no move to pull away. Instead, she flushed a faint pink and commented, “Sorry. Mind wandering. It’s—I can smell–”

She didn’t finish the thought, though, and Hazel saw no need to press, so instead the two walked hand in hand towards the foreman, who acknowledged them with a nod.

“Adventurers? How can the Dairymaid Ranch help you today?”

“We’re here to pick up a shipment for Maybelle at the Overflowing Cups.”

“Ah.” The woman’s tone indicated she recognized the name, but didn’t immediately inspire hope in Hazel, since it carried the tone of someone about to deliver some bad news. “Unfortunately, while the milk is present, I’m afraid that our regular delivery driver’s cart was broken—we’ve no way to deliver the fifty gallon container that she ordered until it’s repaired.”

“And when will that be?” Despite the bad news, Hazel’s tone remained easygoing—in her experience, things like this tended to work themselves out, so she saw little point in getting worked up over the setback.

“Mmm. Next week, from what he told us yesterday. Something about the wainwright being co-opted to go fortify a town against zombies. Not really sure of the details.”

“How much does it weigh? I’m not used to gallons.” Hazel was surprised to hear the question coming from the young woman at her side. When she turned to look at Tess, the woman’s body was rigid as she focused on the foreman and did her best to tune out the occasional quiet moan that drifted across the barn.

“About four hundred and fifty pounds.”

Hazel frowned. She was stronger than she looked—not as a result of any supernatural gift, simply from time spent laboring on the co-op—but that was well outside of her ability to lift. Tess was athletic, but was obviously a swimmer or runner, not a power-lifter.

“Can you take me to it?”

“I mean, sure. It’s in the cold room through there. Big steel drum, you can’t miss it, plus it’s got Maybelle’s name on it.”

Tess nodded, then turned and began marching in the direction indicated, leaving Hazel to trail along behind her. She caught up as the selkie paused in front of the glowing blue field of energy that marked the entryway to the indicated cold room. “Got a plan for moving something that heavy? My plants can help a little bit—assuming I can figure out where Thistle wandered off—but they won’t be able to manage much once we’re back in town.”

“I haven’t tried out my Flexible Form transformation yet. I’ve been—a little worried about it, but it says it’s good for physical labor. It might make me strong enough to carry the milk, so I thought I’d might as well give it a try.”

“Aren’t you worried about the cold?”

For once, Tess actually managed a real smile. “Cold doesn’t really bother me.”

The white-haired woman took in a deep breath, then held it for a few moments. Her eyes closed, then the dandelion fluff of hair she sported began to slowly float in the air. The faint wisps of fog which drifted through the magical barrier that kept in the cold of the refrigerator room began to swirl gently around the selkie, and then her body began to expand.

Height came first, as the white-haired woman rose from being a few inches taller to well over six feet in height. As she did, her shoulders expanded, as did her chest, thighs, and hips. Somewhat to the druid’s surprise, the woman’s outfit expanded with her—though perhaps at a slightly slower rate. The metal pauldrons remained atop her shoulders, though they looked more like epaulettes against her newly brawny form. The chain mail skirt she had worn now barely reached the tops of her thighs, while the already tight leather armor she had worn now fit her like a second skin.

The physique it highlighted was still that of an athlete, but it was one with all aspects of her body amplified. Tess’s muscles were all tightly corded and rippling, her chest now rivaled Hazel’s, and while her hips were not as wide, the backside only slightly obscured by her armor was a tightly packed bubble. Even her hair had grown, into a mass that hovered behind her as though suspended in water.

Flexible Shape (Strength)

Carrying capacity increased by a factor of 10. Athletic checks are made at half difficulty. Instinctive responses to physical stimulus improved.

Duration: 1 hour.

The smile on Tess’ lips grew slightly feral. She turned and abruptly stepped through the magical barrier, having correctly assumed that it wouldn’t block her passage when she noticed the fog drifting through it. The metal container the foreman had indicated was sitting right where she’d said, with the label indicating it was for Overflowing Cups plainly visible, and the selkie didn’t see any reason to hesitate.

She stepped forward, wrapped her arms around the sizable metal drum, and heaved.

It took some effort, but lifted off the ground. The container was more difficult to carry because it was awkward than because it was heavy. It was obviously intended to be handled by a crew of at least two, but with her perfect control over her body, she easily swung it up into her arms and balanced it against her stomach, directly beneath her now massive breasts.

Hazel had to nimbly step out of the way to avoid being bowled over by the woman as she announced, “Time’s wasting, let’s go!” She glanced over at the foreman, who shrugged at her, then shrugged back and took up a slightly faster pace than usual in an attempt to keep up with the suddenly active selkie.

Hwa’s voice was quiet, the movement of her mouth obscured by the broad rim of her hat as she tilted her head forward to conceal her face. The gesture might have looked like obsequiousness to anyone who wasn’t paying attention, but the smile the fox spirit wore was absolutely predatory.

“Of course, my good sirs. I would be happy to provide such a potion for you.” She turned to the side, where Blue was hidden just out of line of sight around one of the many sharp corners of Cutter’s Alley, and gestured. “If you’ll simply step that way and wait with my servant so that I can work, I’ll get started brewing right away.”

The scruffy men in front of her were too busy staring at Hwa’s half-exposed tits to pay much attention to the menace in her tone, nor the cruel smile she wore. If they had, they might have chosen not to so easily go along with her sales pitch.

When the man they were asked to investigate ran off, Hwa and Blue had watched him go, then by unspoken agreement immediately started to loot the cart he’d left behind.

The man himself wasn’t particularly interesting to either of them, and while a part of Blue instinctively wanted to pounce on him simply because he was fleeing—harpies hadn’t gotten their reputation for carrying off men for no reason—the much louder voice in her head was busy noticing the wide variety of shiny glass bottles clinking against each other on the still upright cart.

Hwa had been surprised to discover that there did appear to be sufficient tools to perform some small acts of alchemy—nothing terribly complicated, but well within her own capabilities. Lily had mocked her with the powers that she had claimed to offer—she was an accomplished alchemist two hundred years before the nightmare witch **** her.

It had taken her about half an hour before she’d managed to figure out which of the ingredients the man had used were similar enough to the ones Hwa brewed with on Earth to be substituted, and then another fifteen minutes to produce her first batch of Sleeping Draft.

Since she hadn’t wished to be the one to test for side effects due to her substitution, however, the first prospective customers who had walked up to the cart that Hwa was now operating had been co-opted to do so instead.

Blue had wandered off halfway through Hwa’s brewing, but returned in time to watch the somewhat scruffy dwarf who thought he was purchasing a Stamina Restoration Potion to collapse **** at the witch’s feet.

She’d checked the man’s pockets before Hwa could even make it around the cart, and had discovered that the coins she pulled out of his purse disappeared as soon as she touched them as they turned into GP.

He’d only had seven, but the next three had more than ten each, and thus far they had been fortunate enough to avoid having one customer visibly pass out while the next was in the process of arriving. To help avoid that situation in the future, Blue had started stacking the **** bodies in one of the many small dead ends of the alley, behind a stack of boxes. They’d wake up in a few hours and would likely be quite confused about their condition, but she saw no need to kill them here, since that would only draw further attention to herself.

If Hwa was to be stuck here, she would need to maintain a reasonably low profile, until she could seize power for herself. That meant contacts, though, and understanding the local power structure. She wasn’t sure if Blue could be trusted to understand the necessity of the act, but the harpy showed surprisingly little remorse when it came to taking advantage of the—admittedly, mostly criminal—clients who came to her for help.

Neither had Blue hesitated for a moment when one of Hwa’s customers decided to pass the time while he waited by taking advantage of ‘the staff.’ It turned out that the monk’s Enhanced Body moved quite quickly and easily. The man had found himself **** before Hwa had managed to finish brewing the next batch of Sleeping Draft, courtesy of a couple well placed harpy fists.

Indeed, Blue seemed ecstatic simply to be participating in what she perceived as an adventure.

She will not make the most reliable ally, but neither will she stand in my way. She is willing to exert what power she has over me to get what she wants. It is admirable, in a way. I would most likely do the same myself.

Hwa shook off her musings and returned her attention to the Sleeping Draft. It was only when she finished corking the final bottle that she noticed the faint golden glimmer hovering near it. She extended an experimental finger, and the succubus’s strange golden magic words popped up in front of her.

Sweet Dreams Draft (Potion)

If the target fails a saving throw against the poison, they gain the (Asleep) condition for the next 8 hours, or until they take HP damage.

Ingredient Bonus (Phallus Impudicum)

Target experiences intense sexual dreams for the duration of the (Asleep) condition.

“That would explain the—condition, of the ones Blue has had to move. I wondered if that mushroom was quite the same thing here.”

The fact that Hwa had tested the efficacy of the ingredient in question by touching it to her tongue—an act inadvisable for one without the resilience of a kumiho—would not occur to her for several minutes.

“So, Elsie.” Penny eyed the young English girl carefully. She was largely enthralled with directing her little robot helpers as they carried in crates from the street.

Admittedly, it was pretty adorable to watch them work, since they looked like tiny little clockwork men marching around with massive boxes held over their heads, so Penny couldn’t exactly blame her.

It was astonishing, really, how quickly Elsie had taken to not just the circumstances that they’d all been thrust into, but the world and the abilities that she’d been given. It showed impressive resilience—or utter denial, Penny supposed, but she didn’t think that was it. The girl was actually having fun, and it was kind of infectious.

“Hmm?”

“I noticed you got a whole huge boost of HP last night.”

“Mmm. Yup.” Elsie still sounded distracted, but a moment later Penny caught her glancing over in her direction as the words caught up to her. “Why?”

“I was just wondering what the two of you got up to, that resulted in that big of a leap. No judgment—a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do. Or wants to do, for that matter, but anyway—what gives?”

The brownie glanced across the room to Mik. The woman looked like a demon, but she didn’t act like one, and Penny was pretty sure she was someone kinda like them. Someone else who had been pulled in by Lily, and **** to put on an act. She stepped a little closer to the English woman, and asked more quietly, “And how was it?”

Elsie stepped back from her robots, and turned her attention to the bard. Then she also shot a glance over at Mik, before stepping closely enough that when she whispered, Penny could barely hear her, “It was amazing, Penny. Oh, my god.”

She hadn’t shared the details of what she’d had planned for the day before going to Kevin’s room when Lily demanded, but Penny had gotten the impression that Elsie had been psyching herself up for something all day.

The fact that it had resulted in not only a happy and excited Elsie, but also a massive gain in HP, meant Penny was pretty sure whatever she’d had planned had gone well.

“I wanted to wait until later to talk to you about it, but—this is probably the best we’re going to get for a while, if I had to guess. I—I think that we should do everything to play along with Lily. And I mean everything.”

Penny’s eyebrow rose in a smooth arch. “Didn’t she tell you that you were just going to be a useful little tool? Is that what you want to do?”

Elsie shrugged. “I mean, I like being useful. More than that, though, I like having fun. I’ve been stuck in a dead end job for like five years now, wishing for adventure. Then I suddenly get told I’m going to have one. I want to enjoy it!”

Penny smiled. “I take it you did, then? Have sex with him, I mean—just to be very clear.”

“I didn’t—I offered, he turned me down. I, um—my mouth.”

“You gave him a blowjob?”

“I—and then some. And it felt incredible. Penny, it’s your night tomorrow. I want you to try it.”

“You’re telling me that you think I should have sex with Kevin?” Penny wasn’t necessarily opposed to the idea in general, and while Kevin wasn’t the best looking guy around, he seemed decent—she’d dated worse, in terms of both personality and appearance. It was mostly that she didn’t appreciate being **** into it by Lily.

“I’m telling you that you should go with the flow. I think the best thing that you can do for yourself while you’re a part of Lily’s story is to figure out what kind of part you want to play. They made you a bard, right?”

Penny nodded. “Yeah. I’ve heard of them before we got here, and the ability was called performer which is a pretty big clue. I went down to the guild hall the other day just to check them out—they mostly seem like an okay lot. Way more low cut necklines than I’m used to, on both the guys and girls, but at least they’re equal opportunity that way.”

Elsie laughed. “Okay, that sounds pretty funny. I want to check that out with you soon. My point is, bards are supposed to be like wandering entertainers, right?”

Penny gestured at herself. “I mean, I’m not exactly built for mountaineering. This is a leisure vehicle, not a race car. I’m not sure how much wandering I’m ready to do.”

“No, but that’s exactly my point. You’re going to be a bard. What kind of bard do you want to be? Like—in a lot of groups of tabletop gamers, bards have a reputation for being super slutty, right?”

“Why?”

“I mean, it’s just a stereotype of bard players. They’re a charisma-based class, usually, which makes them good at picking up girls, and I guess lonely teenage guys who aren’t good at talking to girls in real life might–”

“No, no, I get it.”

“Anyway, is that the kind of bard you want to be? Or do you want to be—I don’t know, the girl who sings at the bar that the adventurer always comes home to?”

Penny nodded slowly. “You’re saying I should choose my performance?”

The expression on Elsie’s face told her that she’d gotten it right. “So—I’m not saying you have to sleep with him. I mean, I’d bet all my GP that you’re going to eventually, but I’m not saying you have to do it now. I’m just—I want to have a good time, while I’m here, and I think we’ll all be happier if we can just agree to work together. Right?”

Penny nodded slowly. “I think I get what you mean. I’m not saying I’m entirely on board with it. Maybe not immediately, anyway, but I’m willing to keep an open mind.”

She was then nearly bowled over by the English girl as she hurled herself forward in a hug. The smaller woman found herself wrapped in Penny’s arms a moment later as she returned the gesture. “Not that I mind, but what’s this for?”

“I thought I was going to have to do this alone. Not—Hwa and Blue they’re—I mean, I know you’re technically not human, and apparently neither am I, but–”

Penny patted the woman on the back gently. “I’m a lot closer to human than they are, I get what you mean. I’ve always thought that it was something to do with the nature of sirens. We have to be close to humans to be alluring to them. It’s how we get them to crash onto the rocks, yes, but if the lure isn’t there it won’t work.”

Elsie went rigid at the sudden mention of crashing into rocks, and Penny laughed. “I’m fucking with you, sweetheart. I’m glad you’re taking this whole thing well. I was just thinking that I admire you earlier.”

“Really?” The brownie girl’s face lit up with a smile, and Penny squeezed her once more.

“Hey, while the automatons move the boxes in, can I interest you two ladies in trying on some of our pieces to see if any suit you? It’ll take me a while to get the new stock put away, but we still have some of the existing stock available.”

Penny and Elsie released each other when Mik called to them from across the store. They exchanged glances, then shrugged. “Sure, we’ll be right over!”