Combat Healer Ch. 02

Combat Healer Ch. 02 -- Monster Girl Harem.

Submitted: September 22, 2022 to Literotica (Copyright 2021 Kaizer Wolf)

Tags: harem, male lead, LitRPG, monster girls, mystery, femdom, group sex, threesome, big tits, dark fantasy, nonhuman, oni, elf, minotaur, holstaur, cowgirl, magic

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This fantasy story is a 'LitRPG' (also called GameLit), which is a genre that involves some stats, much like a videogame. The overall concept of stats is introduced right away, but you can certainly enjoy the story even if you're not overall familiar with the genre, simply because most of the focus is on the story itself.

Like all my stories, there will be lots of hot sex once the main characters have had time to develop their relationships.

Hope you enjoy.

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- CHAPTER 2: Battlemage --

Present Day

In the northeastern region of the Delanor Kingdom, toward the eastern sea, one of the Queen's best elf scouts dropped to the forest floor below from her high perch, in response to spotting a wildcat running in her direction. Clearly, the urgency of its movements signaled that it had important news for her, though she already suspected she knew what it would be.

A new Scourge Dungeon must have appeared nearby.

Which meant, now she just had to locate it by sharing in the creature's experience, and report her findings back to the Queen. Of course, most could not communicate with animals like she could, with her being able to perceive their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, but it was a common skill for a rare Beast Master like herself.

Brushing some of her chestnut hair out of her face, the strands having fallen loose of her tie, her deep blue eyes noted that the creature seemed more panicked than she was used to, as if it was actively running for its life.

Odd, since she did not hear, smell, or see any indication that there was a nearby threat.

However, when she crouched down in anticipation of a greeting, she was stunned when the wildcat continued running right on past her at full speed...not even slowing down...

It was running for its life.

And she felt it's panicked thoughts, urging her to do the same.

'RUN.'

The fine hairs on the back of her neck rose, as the scout looked up when she noticed silent movement in the trees, a bulbous midnight form, with eight long bony black legs, coming into sight in the near distance. Multiple red eyes focused on its prey, all belonging to one abomination.

Oh God.

The scout drew her bow, silently pleading for every creature to come to her aid, knowing it was too late to run.

It was too late to hide.

There was no escape.

She would be slaughtered, her insides liquified, her skin worn as a hide -- as was the known nature of this rare, but horrific monster. And its next victim would always know the face of the last, or at least a stretched version of it, which meant she was to become its first mask.

There was no escape.

There was no hope.

Nevertheless, she beckoned all.

However, as she sensed multiple creatures rushing to defend her...

She also silently bid one to run away.

To find her older sister, and report the threat.

So that at least one of them might survive...

So that at least one of them might report it to the Queen.

* * *

It took a few minutes for the bartender to get Mel's food ready and she remained by the counter the whole time. Thus, when the attractive Red Oni finally sat down at my table with a wooden tray in hand, I kept my eyes on the page, even though I was definitely not paying attention anymore. She collected the three deka bronze coins, which were twice as large as a normal bronze and had ten times the value, along with the extra change, and held her hand out to give it to me.

I glanced up at her, immediately focusing on her firm crimson tits peeking out of her tight black leather top, hoping she didn't notice as I quickly shifted my attention to her hand. Unsurprisingly, her forearms were toned and defined, though her overall bone structure was more delicate than I was used to seeing on an Oni. Her rosy fingers were thin, and her hands were muscular but still feminine, even by human standards.

'Strong-looking hands' would probably be how they'd be described on a human woman.

Accepting the change, I stuffed it in my pocket, finally seeing what she ordered. Eggs and an entire loaf of bread. It wasn't as bad as I suspected it might be, anticipating that she might go cheap based on her behavior, but it was still less than ideal.

When she grabbed the bowl of potato soup to hand to me, I shook my head. "I'm actually getting pretty full," I replied, still having a handful of bites of my own bread and soup. "You can have it, if you want. Otherwise it'll go to waste."

Her gold eyes narrowed. "You weren't going to eat it to begin with, were you?"

I shrugged, focusing on my book again, that comment alone verifying that she had decent wisdom. There was no delay in coming to that conclusion. She knew immediately what was going on the moment I refused the soup.

When I didn't respond verbally, Mel hesitated, before setting the bowl back down and grabbing her loaf of bread, breaking it up into smaller chunks with her thin red fingers.

Damn, definitely strong hands.

And so feminine for an Oni.

I wasn't really a hands or feet kind of guy, preferring tits, ass, and thighs, but damn. She had nice hands. Nice, strong, feminine hands.

Once she stuck a piece of her bread in the soup, I relaxed a little, having been sincerely concerned she wasn't going to accept the offer of goodwill. She seemed to notice, because she spoke up a second later.

"So, you've bought my company with a meal. What do you want to talk about?"

I smirked, keeping my eyes on the tome that I definitely wasn't reading anymore. "Depends on what you want to share, I suppose." I looked up at her. "Unless you don't want to share at all, then we can talk about something less personal."

She frowned, seeming pensive. "What do you want to know?"

I paused as I thought about that. There were a lot of things I could ask her, such as basics like where she was from, or more personal stuff like about why she was searching for this mystery person, but I suspected she might still shut those types of questions down. Alternatively, I could try to keep it more professional by asking about her skills or weapon, which did seem like the safest option, so long as I approached the weapon thing carefully.

"How did you become a Battlemage?" I wondered, figuring that was a good place to start.

After all, the pathway to obtaining a 'Focus' could vary a lot, depending on the person, since it cost money for an official Class evaluation, as well as for the formal training and education to actually develop skills in that Class and officially unlock a Focus.

Some people managed to figure everything out on their own, while others might choose to pay for the evaluation, but then train by themselves. Or vice versa, in the event that they already were confident in what their Class was.

However, the tricky part was unlocking the Focus, which was absolutely essential to earn a place as a Scourge Suppressor in one of the many guilds. Even more so for the top five guilds, including Remnant, Raiders, Tempest, Brotherhood, and Guardians.

Otherwise, their efforts would be in vain, since even the smaller guilds were unlikely to recruit a Focusless, since their growth would be significantly stunted. It was possible to do it on one's own with a shit ton of training, but most were required to undergo the Focus Ritual, which needed an Essence Crystal or some other kind of magical catalyst to unlock the specialty.

Mel relaxed a little at my question, clearly comfortable with discussing this topic, her toned muscles visibly softening in her red arms and stomach. "I grew up in a small town on the edge of Delanor and Ryfle. They had a retired Mage there who had also once been qualified to do Class evaluations. He evaluated me for free, and when he discovered I had an affinity for the Mage class, he began training me to see what Focus I'd unlock." She paused to take a bite of her softened bread, chewing for a moment.

I assumed the Mage was an Oni, though I had a difficult part believing he did it for free, even if he was retired. "So what did he want in return?" I asked bluntly, with a knowingness in my eyes.

She frowned. "I didn't fuck him," she replied evenly. "Though my mother did. Or rather, she'd already been fucking with him, so it was just an extra favor."

"Oh," I said in surprise. Honestly, that shouldn't have been too shocking, especially since I fully expected her to have fucked somewhere down the line in exchange for that kind of favor. Then again, she was technically average looking by Oni standards, even if she was gorgeous.

Mel took another bite, and then continued. "Once he determined that I could theoretically unlock Battlemage, just after I'd turned eighteen, my mother and father sent me to the capital of Ryfle to train." She frowned. "I was going to fuck my way into getting an education for free, but I ended up stumbling across a catalyst that unlocked my Focus. That was about six years ago."

I tried not to look at her black staff, suspecting it was the catalyst she was referring to. Also, despite my previous thought, I was kind of surprised she planned on getting an education in Ryfle by offering her body in exchange, because while I assumed her Mage teacher was Oni, the vast majority of the population in the Ryfle Kingdom was human, unlike here.

Supposedly, thousands of years ago, this land was originally occupied by only the Oni and Minotaur, before the elves migrated from the northern forests and mountains, while the humans appeared from across the sea to the east. Being that there was a desert past the western mountains, it wasn't long before the four groups engaged in conflict as their populations grew, but the Scourge gave everyone a common enemy that ultimately resulted in two firmly established kingdoms in the north and south, ruled by the elves and humans, respectively.

Granted, due to the fact that the humans had trade relationships with their kind from across the sea, they ultimately had the greater economic and cultural influence on both kingdoms, even if the elves resisted their rule.

But then, given what this busty chick just implied, did that mean she was alright with fucking human men?

"And then?" I finally prompted, just to make it clear I was paying full attention.

She sighed, slouching slightly and getting more comfortable, leaning one elbow on the table as she stirred the soup with a piece of bread. The movement emphasized her red cleavage. "After that, I decided to try joining a guild in the capital there, to help with the Dungeons that appear further south along their border. I got in just fine, even though I was young and didn't have much training in my Focus. One of the party leaders had an eye for me, so I took the opportunity to learn and grow."

And there it was, the part she dated for.

I knew it'd be there somewhere, given that she was an Oni. Meeting an Oni who didn't fuck a lot was pretty much unheard of, and it wasn't like I was lacking in the experience department either. At the very least, while my sex life had been scarce for years, I could confidently proclaim that I wasn't a virgin by any means, since I myself grew up on the edge of the Ryfle Kingdom and had fooled around with a few human women before.

And my first time being intimate?

That had actually been with an elf girl around my age, crazy as it sounded, though the exact circumstances of our promiscuity were a topic I didn't like to think about. Especially since the three months we spent together were a true hell, having only each other for comfort as we desperately attempted to survive the Scourge Dungeon we'd been swallowed up by.

Definitely a topic I wasn't fond of recalling.

Not when only one of us could really fight.

Not when only one of us had to repeatedly suffer traumatizing wounds to help us survive.

Honestly, it was a miracle she wanted to be intimate considering the circumstances, but three months was an eternity in a Dungeon, and we had no one else. All we had was each other, as we suffered in a living hell. And I suspected that she longed for my comfort, just as much as I longed for hers.

I cleared my throat, focusing on the beautiful woman in front of me. "So how long were you there, then?" I wondered. "And how did you make it all the way up here in the capital of Delanor?"

She frowned. "My business is my own," she said simply.

Again, I knew it was just their way of saying they didn't want to share. The phrase lost its cultural meaning when said in the human language, but I still understood. At the very least, she'd pretty much told me that she'd probably spent a good five or so years in the human capital, ever since she was eighteen, assuming she only left to come here recently, but it was hard to know for sure.

"That's fine," I responded, working on finishing the last of my food. I still planned on asking her about her magical artifact, but wasn't sure how to approach it. Preferably, I wanted to test the waters before jumping in.

She resumed eating too, only to surprise me by asking a question of her own. "So what about you? How did you become a..." Her white eyebrows knitted together. "What kind of healer are you again?"

"I'm an Essence Diviner," I replied.

Her gold eyes widened. "I've never heard of that before."

I nodded. "It's a rare Focus. It comes with some evaluation skills, as well as advanced healing spells too."

"Does that mean you can do Class evaluations?" she wondered, her head tilted to the side slightly.

The motion caused me to focus on her white hair, just reaching past her jawline on either side enclosing her crimson skin against a snowy frame, with me realizing how soft it looked. I kind of wanted to run my fingers through it, but knew that'd probably be a great way to get a broken wrist. Granted, I could just heal myself, but didn't want to ruin the pleasant mood we had going.

Of course, class evaluations were done almost exclusively by one of the Focuses in the Support class, specifically an Essence Appraiser. Such individuals were fairly scarce, which meant unlocking the Essence Appraiser Focus pretty much guaranteed a comfy, safe, and wealthy life within the Elven kingdom. They were never exposed to dangerous conditions, usually remaining in the capital.

And it wasn't something a Healer could normally do.

Nor was it something I was interested in doing, despite the perks, partially due to the scrutiny of a male healer having such a unique skill, and partially due to the fact that I had my own personal aspirations to find redemption to ease my own guilty conscience.

Really, the only reason why I was even capable of theoretically doing class evaluations was due to my skill Eye of the Goddess. And that was a skill I had no intention on telling anyone about. Being well aware of what a normal Appraiser was capable of, I knew what I could do was a very rare ability, if not completely unheard of. And I was already too unique by being one of the only male healers with a rare Focus.

I cleared my throat, lowering my voice. "Umm, technically yes, though I don't advertise that. Otherwise I'd have people trying to get me to give out free evaluations."

She immediately looked over her shoulder, scanning the now slightly crowded room full of tables and patrons for any signs that someone was close enough to overhear. Honestly, I'd been so focused on her that I'd barely noticed how lively the guild canteen had become. Certainly, it was nothing like the evenings, but there were a good number of tables with occupied seats now, with several barmaids quite busy as they took orders from those at the bar counter.

When she focused on me, reaching up to tuck some of her white hair behind her slightly pointy crimson ear, she spoke in a low voice too. "Apologies. I won't say anything."

"Thanks," I said sincerely, glancing down at my book again.

She decided to switch subjects slightly. "So how did you go about discovering your Class and unlocking your Focus?"

I sighed. "Umm, well I kind of have a talent for healing. Meaning, I was able to do it even before I officially determined my Class." I paused briefly when her white eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Yeah, it's unusual, I know. I discovered I could heal minor injuries when I was twelve. I then got in a pretty bad situation when I was fifteen, which kind of forced me to get stronger and take everything more seriously." I paused, hoping she didn't ask more about that, but figuring her interest was only superficial to begin with. I cleared my throat. "Then, about two years ago, I got the bright idea to try to visit some areas where the Scourge had recently hit, figuring I could make some coin by healing whoever I could." I grimaced. "I know it wasn't the most ethical of ideas, but that's how I ran into Turg, Dagru, and Shel. They were already a team back then, in the same village due to a Guild Quest, and I sort of saved Turg's life. He'd been stung by an Ishtrical'Dung and was in pretty bad shape." I paused. "They technically already needed a healer for their team, so Turg helped with the coin for my education as partial repayment for saving his life, as well as in exchange for a promise that I'd continue working with them. Technically, I'm the reason why we've shot up to the tenth strongest team, though the primary cause for why that happened is because I was able to help them grow in their Focuses thanks to my own unique talents."

Her gold eyes remained wide as she listened. "You helped them get stronger?" she repeated, seeming stunned.

I nodded, kind of surprised at myself for being so open with her, but knowing I could just deny everything if she began spreading rumors. And knowing that the others in my guild would easily believe those denials, considering what I was claiming was a bit unbelievable.

Waiting for a few seconds to see if she was going to say something else, I decided to continue when she didn't.

"So anyway, our elvish companion Jackel joined about six months after that. I only had to train for about three months, before I was ready to do the Focus Ritual, and once I officially joined the team, we realized the party needed a dedicated person to protect me, since I don't really have any combat skills." I smirked, recalling the day I met the guy. The elf Jackel was definitely a player and absolute manwhore, being very high in Charisma, but fun to hang out with when he wasn't focused on his next catch. "I saw a lot of potential in him, and he was wanting to join a team that worked well together, which he might be able to help bring to the top, so it worked out well for all of us. Basically, he wanted to feel like he earned his way to the top, but didn't want to start from scratch. And him being an Essence Slayer really evened out the team too, allowing either Turg or Dagru to fall back and protect me instead, either for healing or in the event that his unique skills are needed for a particular monster with a higher level of Essence Affinity."

She nodded in understanding, seeming almost amazed now. "I think I understand why you're a leader too," she commented.

"Oh?" I responded, curious as to what she was thinking.