Currently, she was traveling. Esmeralda was on the warpath and it was best to give her time to cool down and replace her windows. Granted, she was never really happy to see Carlotta, but some times were worse then others. Her last trip to Esmeralda's manor hadn't been profitable, but at least she saved the girl.
She was always on the move, never staying in one place for too long. She didn't want to settle down; in her line of work, you had to go to where the jobs were. At the moment, she was on her way to a small village where she could rest and spend the night.
Next to her was a young hunter named Alexandra. She wore fur pelts over her leather armor. Her hair was dark blue that she covered up with a fur cap when hunting. Her weapons were a hunting knife and a crossbow. She was also on the move, having to go where the game was.
They had met at the last village and decided to travel together. Alexandra specialized in tracking and archery, catching her prey off guard. She had keen eyes and sharp ears for a human, having made hunting her livelihood since she was a little girl.
Carlotta, on the other hand, was a melee fighter, a master of close-quarters combat, and as her battle scars would suggest, she had survived quite a lot of hard fights.
You never knew when a monster might strike travelers, so it was best for the both of them to go together since they were already heading in the same direction. Carlotta could handle most threats if they got in close, and Alexandra was always able to put dinner in the pot.
After a few days of travel, they arrived at the small village of Hiroko, divided by a river. It was a peaceful community that was mainly used as a rest stop for travelers going down this road and as a trading post.
They entered through the west gate, a single watch tower standing tall above it. The fence was wooden and the gate was wide enough so that two wagons could easily pass through at once. Even a village wasn't completely safe from attacks, but their non-presence provided an air of tranquility.
"Finally, we are here. I hope this place has an inn with a hot bath." Alexandra smiled as they passed through the open gate. They had spent the last few nights in a tent together.
"At the very least, they would have some full beds." Carlotta smiled. It was nice laying next to a cute girl, but the tent was too small to really do anything but spoon and she always kept her underclothes on. At least they got to cuddle together for warmth. She couldn't help but smirk at the thought.
Alexandra looked up at the sky. "It's getting late. I'm going to see if there is still some time to unload a few pelts. A village this size should only have one inn. I will meet you there."
"Shall I book us a room, then?" Carlotta smiled at her companion.
"Yes... with two beds. You get a little grabby in your sleep." Alexandra giggled as she walked away with her bag.
"Have it your way. I will be in the tavern when I am done." She waved goodbye.
Carlotta made her way to the local inn not far from the entrance to town. It also doubled as the local tavern. She stopped in front of the innkeeper, a kindly old woman. "Hello. I would like a room for the night... do you have one with twin beds?"
"Hmmm... Yes, I do. Room #5 is available, only 30 coppers a night. My granddaughter will show you the way." She picked up a key off the wall behind her, it was a long one with a wooden tag on it. "Makoto, show this nice traveler to her room." She held out the key to the peppy raven-haired girl.
Carlotta set the copper coins on the counter before moving closer to the young woman.
"Right away, granny." Makoto took the key and smiled at Carlotta. "It's just upstairs." She quickly led the way to the staircase by the counter and headed up to the next floor. The room in question was halfway down the hall. "Here you go." She unlocked the door for her before handing her the key.
"Thank you, my dear." She smiled as she picked up the key from her hand. It was a small room, but wide enough for the two beds and the dresser.
"You are welcome. The bathroom is down on the first floor, by the tavern area."
"And is there a place to wash up?"
"In the back, there is an annex with two heated baths, but they both only seat one at a time. It's a little slow right now, so there shouldn't be much of a line."
"It will have to do. Thank you for the help." Carlotta entered the room as the girl walked away. The walls were in good condition and the door was sturdy enough, so she set her bag next to one of the beds.
Upon locking the door, she went back downstairs and soon entered the tavern. The first stop was looking over the bulletin board, trying to find some quick jobs during her stay. She scanned for failure titles among the papers. There weren't that many monster hunter jobs, and only two wanted posters. Carlotta took a moment to memorize their faces from the sketches, as well as the number below.
Finding no more information she could glean from these papers, she turned and walked to the barkeeper. She was a busty young woman with a low cut top that hugged her assets. "What can I get for you, traveler?" She smiled.
Better to wait for Alexandra before ordering any food. "Oh, I will have a mead to start with." Carlotta smiled back and leaned closer to the lovely woman.
"Right away." She filled a wooden mug with mead from a keg. "That will be two coppers."
"Thank you." Carlotta handed the woman the coppers before taking the mug. She sat down and took a sip.
The tavern itself was about half-full of people. Most had grouped together at tables, but some were sitting alone.
A middle-aged woman in a dress begged a younger woman at a near by table. "Please, you have to help me find her."
The younger woman, maybe in her 30's, set down her mug. She looked like a simple solider, wearing leather pants and shirt, a bit of light weight armor. At her hip was a sword. "We already looked everywhere. We couldn't find a trace of her."
A tear ran down the older woman's cheek. "Not everywhere. No one crossed that bridge."
"You know as well as I that no one in the village would dare cross that bridge," the solider woman replied crossly. "I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do. If you want to search beyond the river so badly, you will have to do it yourself, but we both know you're not going to do that." Her tone lighted a bit and she had the look of remorse on her face.
"I can't go at it alone. Please, Tsubaki, I need someone to go with me." Another tear ran down her face.
Carlotta's ears perked. She up moved closer to the table. "Is there something you need help with?"
Both women turned to look at her. It was quite clear to them that she was from out of town. Not just for the fact that this was a small village where everyone knew each other, but the way she dressed and looked.
"Yes, I do."
The soldier called Tsubaki spoke up next. "She wants help with a suicide mission."
"I want help finding my daughter, Satomi. She went missing three days ago. I just know she is lost in the woods somewhere."
Tsubaki shook her head. "Half the village already searched the east woods and couldn't find her. It's only two miles between here and the river."
"I think I will hear you out." Carlotta sat down at an empty chair.
"Your loss." Tsubaki sipped her drink.
"My dear Satomi was looking for berries in the east forest. Normally it's safe there, children play in it all the time. However, this time, she didn't come back." More tears ran down the woman's face.
Tsubaki put down her drink again. "There isn't a whole lot of ground to cover in the east woods, I'm afraid. Since you are new here, I will explain. Hiroko Village is split in two by the Miyu River, and it has the only bridges that cross it on this side of the cliffs. The cliffs in the north are too steep to climb, so she couldn't have gotten past them, even if she wanted to. Not far to the east is the Yuzuki River, and to the south the two rivers merge." She sighed before taking a sip of her drink. "I led the search myself, but we couldn't find any sign of her."
"What was this about a bridge you didn't want to cross?" Carlotta looked over at her.
Tsubaki replied "Yuzuki has its own bridge as well, but everyone in the village knows not to cross it."
"They are all just too scared of it. When we were first looking, the others all stayed away from it as we swept the woods." The mother continued.
Carlotta raised an eyebrow. "Why won't they cross it?"
"It's cursed."
The mother looked up from her mug. "For a long as I can remember, they had said not to cross that bridge. People who do are never heard from again. It's the only danger the east woods have to offer."
"That and the river itself. You have to be careful not to fall in."
"Satomi would never fall into the river, she has grown up next to the Miyu all her life and knows better. But as for the bridge, well... Sometimes the younger generation doesn't always listen to our warnings."
"What's going on?" Alexandra walked up behind Carlotta.
The wolf woman looked up at her. "We're talking about a missing girl. Have a seat."
"A missing girl?" Alexandra sat down next to Carlotta.
"My daughter Satomi, she went into the east woods three days ago to look for berries and never came back. I'm Kimiko, by the way."
"My name is Carlotta."
"Call me Alexandra." She sighed. "I hate to say this, but how do you know she wasn't attacked by a monster? We had some run-ins on the way here."
Kimiko was about to say something but the Tsubaki cut her off. "We don't. The east woods have always been clear of monsters since as far back as anyone can remember. The problem is, she clearly isn't in the east woods anymore. There are only two ways out of that stretch of forest: here and the bridge across the Yuzuki River."
A pink short-haired woman at the next table spoke up. Based on her thick arms, her clothes, and the soot all over it, she was the village blacksmith. "If she crossed that bridge, then whatever monster that lays beyond it has surely eaten her."
Kimiko slammed her palms onto the table. "She's alive, I just know it! Call it mother's intuition. Besides, if there were monsters living there, they would attack the village just like the ones to the west have been known to do. Those woods are just confusing, that's all."
"Not if they are some kind of carnivorous plants. Those things almost never move from where they are rooted," responded the blacksmith.
Kimiko was tearing up again. "I just know she is still alive, we just have to find her."
Carlotta sighed. "Well, some monsters keep their prey alive for a few days. If we find her before then, we might still be able to save her." She hoped that the girl was still alive, but she was also intrigued by the rumors of monsters beyond the river, ones that no one had come back from.
Kimiko turned back to Carlotta. "Then will you go with me? I can't pay you much, but I have some vegetables and when we bring her back, I can pay you 10 silver."
Alexandra put down her mug hard on the table. "Only 10 silver to deal with whatever monster that has the whole village shaking?"
Carlotta pitied the woman. She had done rescue missions for less, besides there could be much more then 10 silver and a girl waiting for them. "It will get us to the next city. Sure, we don't know what monster is out there or if there is even one at all, but we take that risk just traveling these roads."
Alexandra sided. "I suppose that's true, but the roads are relatively safe. We are talking about potentially entering something's nest and if she's..."
Carlotta cut her off. "I have been to a few nests over the years. It could be worth our while if whatever this thing is has been going at this for a while."
The three of them discussed this for a while. Tsubaki had gotten up and left, not bothering to try and talk Carlotta or Kimiko out of this any further.
Half the tavern seemed to have a different theory as to what laid beyond the Yuzuki River. Some believed it was a maze of trees and thorns so confusing, you would never find your way out; others thought you would fall into another world. Those that claimed vicious monsters lived on the other side were very inconsistent on what kind of monsters they were. Anywhere from giant snakes and spiders, to harpies and manticores. Some even claimed a dragon or a giant lay on the other side. The list went on and on. Still, none had ventured beyond the bridge to see what beast or demon called that place home. Whatever it was, it didn't dare enter the village itself. Not one of the villagers could ever recall a time when they were attacked from the east. Even the village elder, who was pushing 90, said it had never happened, though her parents and grandparents had told of a time when monsters crossed the Yuzuki and attacked the same as they did from the west.
With no real proof that there was a monster laying in wait for them, Carlotta was finally able to convince Alexandra to go with her. Her skills as a tracker would be needed. "We leave in the morning. The sun is almost set, and once it does, we will have no light to find her tracks."
"Very well. Let's get some rest then." Carlotta stood up and smiled at the bartender. She was sorry to pass up a shot at her, she seemed to have found her attractive; maybe when she came back, she would. She gave the busty woman a wink before heading upstairs.
* * *
Kimiko cooked them a hot meal in the morning and the four of them sat around the table. She seemed happy to have them over at her little farm. She grew mainly vegetables and herbs.
Alexandra put down her spoon. "That was tasty. Thank you." She patted her belly.
"You are welcome. I am always happy to cook for guests." Kimiko smiled as she started putting away the dishes. "Just let me rinse these off and I will be ready to go with you."
Carlotta put down her spoon. "No, that won't be necessary. Alexandra and I will go alone." She looked at Kimiko and her youngest daughter, Hitomi.
"What? You don't have to do that. I said I would go with you." Kimiko clutched the bowl.
"About that... We talked it over last night. Carlotta and I are both seasoned adventurers. We know our way around the battlefield. It would be better if we go it alone."
Carlotta stood up. "We already know what Satomi looks like. It's nothing personal, but there must be some kind of danger for them never to return. It will likely come to a fight. We will undoubtedly be risking our lives out there and you still have a daughter here to take care of." They had been told that Satomi looked much like Hitomi, only the former 19 years old.
"But... you will bring her back, right?" Hitomi looked up at the tall wolf woman.
Carlotta put her hand on Hitomi's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "I promise you, if Satomi is out there, we will find her and bring her back."
This seemed to make Kimiko relax, if only for a moment. "Thank you."
The two women then took the lunches Kimiko packed for them, as well as the bags of potatoes and carrots that was to be their advance pay, set them in their sacks and took off, heading east. Unlike the west wall, the east wall wasn't well-maintained. It had gone into disrepair and in some places torn down. The village had evidently expanded since it was built, as many houses and building stood on the other side of it.
They soon crossed the threshold between the village and the east woods. Tracking proved difficult, as there were fresh tracks all over the place, no doubt from the search party that had blundered thought the woods the past few days. Still, all they had to do at this part was walk straight.
Alexandra kept her eyes fixed forward as she spoke. "Are you sure about this job?"
"Very sure. Monsters care little for treasure, but it tends to collect in their lairs. When ever they catch someone, they dump their things on the floor or shove them in a pile. Plenty of lairs and nests are littered with the weapons and treasure of those who fell before."
"Yes, but they clearly didn't fare too well against whatever it was if so many fell to them."
"True, that's why we have to be careful. First rule; no looting until we have taken care of our opponent. Too many treasure hunters have mistakenly believed they could just sneak in and out of a nest while the owner was away, only to become prey themselves."
The woods was full of berry bushes, however the ones near the village had already been picked clean. No wonder Satomi had to travel so far to get them.
The bridge itself was an odd sight, not what they had been picturing. Instead of a dilapidated old crossing, they found a wooden plank bridge with a metal frame above the river. There was a steep drop to the water, too steep to climb.
"If the villagers don't come out here, who is taking care of this thing? I was expecting some old rope bridge or something."
"That is a good question." Carlotta took the first step. The bridge felt pretty solid so she crossed it. While waiting for Alexandra to do the same, she inspected the berry bushes on the other side. Few of its berries had been picked.
Alexandra looked at the ground. "Looks like we have some fresh tracks, only a few days old."
"Could be her. I see them around this bush. Kimiko did say she was gathering berries."
"They sure do look tasty. I wonder why she didn't take them all, or just go back when she had her fill."
Carlotta looked closer. "Some of them might not have been ripe yet." She looked down the path that led from the bridge. It was a lot more defined than the root-covered path they took from the village.
"Well, whatever the reason, she went down this way." Alexandra ran her fingers over the foot prints in the dirt.
Carlotta grabbed her axe and shield. "From this point on, we enter the unknown. Be ready to fight at any moment."
"Right." Alexandra took out her knife and cut an arrow into the tree. "We best mark our way. Who knows how far this path would go, and we should take note of the maze of trees theory."
The pair continued down the road. Unfortunately, the tracks started to become fainter as the path went on. Every now and then, they spotted a broken branch or plucked berries on the ground.
The two women walked side by side. After a while, Alexandra turned her head and looked over at Carlotta. "You know, I'm starting to become concerned about the lack of evidence of monster presence. I thought there would be naga, ogres, a roving band of goblins, anything. They even said something about a wyvern."
Carlotta looked down at Alexandra. "I'm not sure if a wyvern would stay on this side of the river for so long, or that such a band of goblins would do the same. What ever is out here, it's territorial."
Alexandra scratches her head. "Well, someone has been maintaining the bridge and path. It looks lightly paved at this point, making tracking all the harder. Do you think the rumors were true?"
"Which rumors? I heard a lot of them last night."
"About it being some black magic cult who grab any who happen upon their rituals." Alexandra paused, her eyes widened. "Gor..." That was the last she spoke before the color drained from her face. What stood before Carlotta was no longer her traveling companion, but a white marble statue.
Carlotta's eyes widened for a moment, however she soon lowered them towards the ground and turned around. She knew of one creature that could do this, and it wasn't to be taken lightly. Her ears twitched as she listened to her opponent.
The bushes rusted as what was most certainly a gorgon approached. She could be heard slithering closer, but still keeping her distance. "Looksss like we hhhave more visssitorsss. Come, let me sssee your pretty faccce." She giggled as she circled around them.
Carlotta took her stance. "I can't rush into this. Wait for her to come close..." She slowly inched to the side, moving away from Alexandra's petrified form.
"Do you think you can hhhide your eyesss from me forever?" She giggled as she moved closer. "Sssooner or later, they all look."
Carlotta feint a retreat. She didn't want to battle this out so close to a defenseless victim. However, she couldn't turn her back on such a monster, so she had to back away slowly. It was fortunate that the path was so smooth, free of rocks and roots.
The gorgon soon picked up on Carlotta's fear, or what she thought was fear anyway. She rushed her side once she was past her first victim. Sensing her approach, Carlotta swung her axe as she held her shield in front of her face. As fate would have it, the gorgon was able to pick up this in time, allowing her to leap back, but not far enough. The blade struck her in the side and she cried out in pain.
Carlotta instantly sensed something was wrong. She felt the weapon connect with the monster, but was slowed to a stop as it did so. It didn't even feel like she cut into her.
The gorgon made the next move, her tail whipped around and struck Carlotta's arm. She then pulled it to the side as she reached for her head. She was able to wrench the weapon from her hand and was rewarded with a shield to the face. This promoted another cry. "You will pay for that!"
"We will see about that." Carlotta had been in a number of brawls over the years. With the axe lost to her, she slipped her hand free as her foe focused on the shield. Next, she grabbed her bag and swung it like a mace. It seemed the pot collided with her, but didn't hurt as much as the other items before.
Soon, the battle turned into a wrestling match between the two women. The gorgon had the advantage in size and a longer tail, but she seemed to lack experience with this type of fight. She kept grabbing at Carlotta's face, attempting to open her eyes. The two of them rolled around as they struggled for dominance. Carlotta struggled to control the fight and roll them away from the poor tracker. Fortunately, the gorgon also had little interest in battling next to her prize.
It seemed the gorgon was naked given what Carlotta felt. When grabbing her arms, the larger woman tried to regain control by putting her weight on the wolf woman. This resulted in Carlotta being smothered by her bare chest, but also made eye contact impossible. Her attempt to fix this problem only led to Carlotta being the one on top again.
Eventually, Carlotta was able to get the upper hand and got onto the gorgon's back. She tried to lift her into the air, but she grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. She soon fell to the ground. "Stop that, I give, I give!" She patted her free hand on the floor as Carlotta pulled on her tail.
"Hold still." With her eyes closed she put her weight on the arm and felt around for the potato bag. Pulling it open with her teeth, she dumped out the potatoes and pulled the empty bag over the monster's head.
"What are you doing? What is that smell?"
"I said hold still and I won't have to kill you." Next, Carlotta grabbed the rope from her travel bag, partially exposed to the open air beyond, and worked to tie the gorgon's arms behind her back.
She didn't make it easy, as she trashed her tail about. Carlotta had to struggle with it anew once her arms were secure. However, in time she was able to bind it to a near by tree.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Carlotta stood up and looked over what she had done. Before her laid the lovely caramel-colored torso of a large-breasted woman which gave way to green scales from the waist down. Her face was hidden by the cloth bag tied over her head. On her side, just above the scales, was a bruise. She had indeed hurt the monster, but was unable to even cut her skin. She traced her fingers over the mark.
"Stop that!" The gorgon yelped.
She pulled her hand away. "Let's get down to business. Can you restore my partner?" She tapped her foot. She didn't seem like a true gorgon, she was much to green, or not green enough.
"What? No, like I have the power to do that!" She started to calm down a bit. "Thisss isss a potato sssack, isssn't it?" The gorgon could breath well enough but didn't like the smell. Hissing sounds could be heard coming from the bag.
Carlotta looked back at Alexandra's marble form with a pain in her heart. She had talked her into this mission, it was her fault. She double checked the ropes that bound the snake woman. She had acquired them from a slavery ring she had busted up a while ago and they were quite strong, strong enough to hold her as she struggled. "I am looking for a young woman named Satomi. Did you petrify her as well?"
"Hhhow ssshould I know? They don't give out their namesss to me."
"It would have been three, no four days ago. She had dark hair, about 5'3"."
"Maybe, I'm not sssure. Now will you let me go?" She sounded more annoyed then anything else at this point.
"Not going to happen. You will just attack me once you are free." It was looking like she would have to drug the gorgon if she were to let her go. However she didn't keep anything like that in her bag. "Where is your lair? I will see for myself if you have her."
"Like I would..." The gorgon paused for a moment. "If I tell you, would you free me?"
Carlotta wondered about that for a moment. "This is too easy. It's unlike a gorgon to give her lair, give up her collection, so easily." She let out a sigh. "I will let you free only after I have found your lair and checked for her myself."
"Fine. It'sss to the northeassst of hhhere. Go passsst the apple treesssss and through the open grassssy field. From there, you should ssssee a triangular rock. If you ssstart from the middle of the field, it ssshould be 30 feet behhhind it."
"This better not be a trick." Carlotta started to gather up her things.
"Would I lie to you?"
"I would guess yes." Carlotta walked over to Alexandra. Her lovely blue hair had turned into smooth alabaster. Her mouth was half open in shock as she looked to her left. Most of her body was covered by the unaffected pelts, but it was clear that it was stone under there too. Her white arm was bare other then the leather bracer, and was reaching for her belt, inches away from the hunting knife at her waist. She would never be able to grab it. Her right foot was in front of her while her left was behind. She was lucky to have changed when both feet were on the ground, or maybe she had stopped when she heard the monster woman approach.
She was sorry to see her in this state, but hadn't completely lost hope for her yet and she certainly wasn't about to leave her for this monster. So she did the only thing she could do: pick her up. She hauled the stone body of her teammate back down the way they came. She didn't see a magic shop in Hiroko Village, but she did see a town healer. Maybe she could have her restored there.
Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. She followed the dirt path back to Yuzuki, and even spotted Alexandra's arrow carvings. However, once she got to the river, the bridge was gone. She even recognized the bushes. "What the?" Setting the heavy statue down she picked up a small rock and tossed it where the bridge should be. She had thought it turned invisible, but the stone just fell into the river. "No wonder they never get attacked from here or find their way back." She sighed.
The drop was steep. Even if she still had her rope, she couldn't climb with a statue on her back, or even back up again. She looked back at her former ally and scratched her head. "What am I going to do with you?"
Finding no better options, Carlotta picked up Alexandra and carried her behind some large bushes and laid her down. She then covered her with branches and bramble. "I'm sorry about this. I'll become exhausted if I have to carry you around while trying to find my way out. I promise I will come back for you." She knew she couldn't hear her, but it made her feel better. She took only Alexandra's food, as it would only serve to attract wild animals and monsters, and left all her gear behind in the bushes.
She then set off down the road again, but split off to the north before reaching where she left the gorgon. She didn't trust her, but she also didn't want to kill her. She had apparently lived in this forest for 100 years without bothering the village, and Carlotta hated to take a life when she didn't have to.
Soon, she came to a small clearing. It wasn't the grassy field the gorgon had spoke of, but it was still worth a stop given what was inside of it. Before her stood a dozen alabaster goblins on the backs of matching alabaster worgs. All were facing the same direction, almost right at Carlotta. "I see she has been busy."
She moved closer to the immobilized group. Some of them were reaching for their weapons, others held their weapons in hand. One had a look of shock on her face as she held tightly on the reins of her worg and looked to the side, most likely the first victim of the group. This seemed to have given most of the others time to react and change their path, but clearly to no avail.
Each was still fully dressed in mismatched leather armor. They seemed to have cobbled together what ever they could find. One of them bore the banner of the Lighting Rock Raiders. Carlotta had recognized the symbol from a poster in the last city she was in. From what she heard, they had been practicing hit-and-run tactics on small villages, kidnapping young women and selling them into slavery while grabbing what gold they could find. They were known for setting the buildings on fire to distract the soldiers while they ran in and out. By the time the villagers could organize against them, they were already gone.
"Looks like this is the end for your reign of terror." Carlotta started inspecting their gear and satchels. Two of the goblins had enchanted swords, but had failed to grasp them in time. "These will sell for a lot." Others had knifes and some were drawn. The battle, as short as it likely was, seemed to have driven them into chaos. One of the goblins had even crashed into another, but both seemed unbroken. Three of the them were armed with bows and arrows with oil soaked rags tied on the ends. They weren't worth the trouble of hailing them back but she broke the arrows into pieces just for good measure, this included one arrow trapped in it's owner's hand.
It seemed they were marching on another raid, as their bags were full of things like ropes and shackles, and plenty more were empty. Between all of them, she was able to find 10 gold, 45 silver, and 113 copper. "This should be more then enough to pay for her restoration." She also found a map of the area. It had villages pointed out on it. Some were crossed out. From the looks of it and their tracks, they were headed to Hiroko. The Yuzuki Bridge was even on the map. "Looks like this raid was doomed from the start. Still, thank you for the loot." The last thing she grabbed was the banner. She remembered there being a sizable bounty on the group.
Carlotta then set off for the grassy field. She stopped just before the clearing and surveyed the area. She didn't see anything, but there was little cover. The grass was maybe half a foot tall in places, something might be in there. Should there be anything hiding in the near by trees she was sure to be seen.
She saw no one, not even the rock the gorgon spoke of. "Now that I think about it, I don't know how big it is. Am I going to have to look for it in the field?" She let out a sigh and stepped forward.
It didn't take long for her to regret her decision. She paid close attention to where she stepped, however she didn't expect the grass to grow at an incredible rate or for it to wrap around her legs. She struggled to pull her leg up as the blades pulled her down. As they went for her arms, she hacked away at them with her axe.
Cutting her tail free was easy enough, but she had to be careful with her legs as they were so close to the ground already. It seemed like a never-ending battle as more blades of grass kept sprouting up as she cut the others down, each step back requiring more careful cuts. She even lost her shield as she fought them off.
By the time she was out of the field, she was panting for breath and sat down on the dirt. "That snake set me up. I should have known better than to listen to anything she said." After a moment she sat up. "I guess they were right. There are dangerous plants in here. There better not be any giant spiders."
Soon, she took out the map and looked it over. It wasn't the most detailed map, but it had the cliffs, rivers, and towns all marked. "Before I go and spank that gorgon's butt, I should figure out where I am at least." Based on what that woman told her about the layout of the rivers and the cliff, she figured out where she approximately was. It seems after the two rivers combine, they feed into a lake, and there was a road and bridge by the lake. It would be a bit of a walk, but she could use it to loop around and return to the village. There was also another village on this side of the river as well. "With any luck, they will have a mage or someone who can restore Alexandra."
After taking a break for lunch, Carlotta started walking south. So far, the gorgon had been the only monster she had seen that wasn't stone, but she couldn't be too careful after the grass attacked her.
Moving along a path that wasn't on the map she heard groaning. She slowed her approach and looked down. She had to be careful it wasn't another gorgon.
That's when she saw it: a leg, a human leg. She looked at the rest of the body and saw a naked woman laying on the ground and covered in purple bruises. Her eyes were closed but she was still breathing. "What happened to you?" She dropped her bag and rushed over to the curvy woman. "Can you stand?" She put her hand on the woman's side. "Let me help you-ahh!" She was a bit shocked when her hand slid into the woman's side. What's worse was she was having trouble pulling her arm back out, some sickly purple goo was now covering it.
The naked woman then opened her eyes and shot up. She grabbed at Carlotta who sliced her in the shoulder with her axe. Big mistake. Her axe sunk into the woman as well, purple goo leaking out in place of blood. It got onto her remaining hand as well. The woman only giggled as the rest of her body started to grow and turn purple as well.
"Dammit, this is the last thing I need!" Carlotta tried to pull herself free, but the woman just hugged her and melted, turning into slime. "Get off of me!" Soon, she found herself coated in the living gel. "Oooh, get out of there!" The slime started getting under her armor, under her clothes. She rolled around in the dirt as the purple creature started to pull her into a ball.
Soon, she heard footsteps. It couldn't be the gorgon and it didn't sound like a worg or goblin. "Help me!"
Two maids walked up. Both work skimpy black and white uniforms and gold collars. "My, what do we have here?" asked the catgirl with a smile.
"Looks like we have a lovely wolf," replied the elf.
"Get me out of this thing!" Carlotta's head was slowly being pulled into the growing ball.
"Oh, she is just hungry." The cat girl giggled.
"Well... I am not about - ahhh! - to be the one to feed it..." Carlotta could feel it moving around her body, pulling at her clothes. It had already completely soaked through everything and was now teasing her.
The elf pulled out a small vial. "Oh, don't worry. This sedative will take care of everything. All I need to do is spray it."
"What are you waiting for? Do it!"
"Are you sure?" The elf leaned in with a playful smile.
"Yes!"
"Have it your way." She giggled as she pressed down the top and sprayed the liquid in Carlotta's face. "Now you won't have to worry about the slime anymore."
"What are..." Carlotta's eye lids grew heavy. Soon everything went dark.
TO BE CONTINUED