Kazi decides to cut his losses

As Kazi looked at the shadow hunter, a fear came into him. He remembered the other two hunters. He looked to the bugbear and remembered again the purpose Muklod had served. The kobold shivered but thought again of his earlier plan to have Venus poison them as well with the mujaberry potion. But no, for it was too likely to fail. His courage was sapped without the bugbear to fall back upon. He couldn’t take the risk. He was alone now.

The kobold jumped and rushed away to the table. There he began stoppering bottles and packing things up. Everything he could he shoved into a rough burlap sack. “Gotta hurry. Gotta hurry. Kazi has to hurry.” Soon the old table was cleared completely and the sack bulged with contents. Kazi dragged the sack over to Venus’s side.

The kobold crouched next to her with a look almost of affection. He took her hand in his claws and grinned his doggish face into hers. “Don’t worry. I take you. Kazi not leave you. You and Kazi start new tribe. Just us. You have lots of children. Rebuild tribe. Just us.” Venus groaned, uncertain, confused if she should be alarmed at this or exultant. Kazi made the decision easy as he tipped a familiar waterskin to her mouth. From the first sip all doubts vanished. Venus drank deeply and greedily, the labour of thinking washing away in the arousal of mujaberry juice. Her body grew warm once more, soon enveloped in a comforting heat that made her burn with need. Still Kazi poured it into her with a heedless desperation. His eyes constantly darted to the windows and door as if expecting each second to see hunters pouring into the room. Venus was unaware of this wariness, content merely to drink, to feel, to lose herself in the warmth of her own lust, so much so she never even tried to take the waterskin and pour more into her.

Finally the waterskin was dry. Kazi squeezed the last droplets then pulled it away. Venus groaned in protest.

“Sh. Sh,” the monster murmured, pressing a claw to her mouth. He glanced fearfully about again. “Shush. Give more. Give more later. Promise.”

“Mmmm. More?” she murmured lethargically.

Kazi nodded hastily. “Yes. Yes. Lots more. Only come. Come.” Venus sighed warmly and accepted the kobold’s hand. His touch sent a thrill through her from the tips of her fingers to the core of her. She gasped, stumbling drunkenly, but managed to follow the kobold to the door as he tugged insistently.
Kazi poked his head out the opening and into the daylight and peered warily about. At last, carefully, the monster stepped outside. “Come. Come. Quiet. Quiet. Must be quiet.” Venus followed him out and into the light of day.

The village was nearly silent as the pair slunk through. Only the faint moan and murmur from the occasional hut betrayed any life from the women within, either sated for the moment or choosing to slake their own carnal hunger, neither Kazi nor Venus cared to investigate which. They passed the gaping homes and through the square, past the well from which the trouble had all originated, still tainted by the kobold’s wine. Once a woman, still entranced by the mujaberry juice stumbled from a doorway and thrust herself provocatively at the pair, yet not even this could distract Kazi and he tugged Venus along, despite the hunter’s lingering glances at the village woman’s flushed features and lewd beckoning.

Quickly the last homes vanished behind them and the darkness of the forests faced them. The sun had risen high and cast long shadows beneath the foliage and trunks. Kazi slipped among them with the confidence of long familiarity. Venus moved to follow, only to pause for a moment. She looked back at the village, a faint pull at her heart, one she found difficult to place with her mind fogged as it was. She gazed at the town at the threshold of the forest for a minute, perhaps two, but not with any conscious indecision. More of an instinctive uncertainty of leaving all tis behind. Trying to think was proving difficult and she scrunched her brow, trying to focus on something tickling at her mind.

A hand grabbed her own. Venus looked down into the cautious canine face of the kobold. Kazi glanced past her at the town then tugged at her. Venus smiled. Of course. She didn’t need to think right now. All she needed was to follow Kazi and he would make her feel good again. Without any more resistance, Venus let herself be pulled along, and vanished into the depths of the forest placidly like a cow led to slaughter.