Fire Knight Katrina Ch. 08

Chapter 8: Hearts and Breasts

"Damn, what brothel did you walk out from?!" The bearded guy asked, "even our slutty Viola still has some decency left!"

He slapped the brunette's butt, to which she replied with a hiss before drawing her sword.

"Get out of here, girl. This innkeeper didn't pay the blackhearts for protection. It was his mistake," the stoneborn spit on the ground in disrespect, "therefore, he'll have to pay much more now."

"Wasn't I clear enough? I said to let the man go," Katrina freed her blade and took a step forward, "or I will force you to."

Another fit of laughter followed. The bearded man suddenly dropped the poor innkeeper down, right into the mud, and turned his attention towards Katrina. He apologized with sarcastic mannerisms and said that he'd like to spend some more time with her, clearly allured by the redhead's magnificent nakedness.

"Of course, my dear sir, take a step closer," Katrina sang in a playful tone.

The man scratched his beard and, despite his fellow criminals' warnings, moved a bit closer. This was a terrible mistake. As soon as he was in a hitting range, Katrina swung her sword at a lightning speed and delivered a masterful slash. The blood gushed from the wound, the bearded guy screamed in sheer anguish, and one of his hands fell to the ground, chopped off by a precise strike. As his comrades were gathering their thoughts, the crazed axeman tried to attack and swung his axe, but the slow and heavy weapon didn't reach Katrina's bare flesh. She evaded and slashed again, this time blood gushed out of the man's neck as he fell to his knees with gurgling sounds.

"I warned ya!" The redhead said in a satisfied tone, "anyone wants to repeat his fate?"

They answered with their actions, as both the stoneborn and a scantily clad brunette rushed towards Katrina with hate in their eyes. They tried to attack from both sides, but the girl ducked, forcing the brunette to hit her companion. The sword bounced off the stoneman's arm with a loud clang. His skin surely was something else. Yet, Katrina didn't hesitate and kicked the woman in the jaw at full force, spreading the mud all over her face. As the redhead got up, she saw the crossbow guy aiming at her. Before the bolts could hit, however, she changed position and forced the stoneborn to take one of the shots instead of her. He grunted in pain as one of the bolts pierced his shoulder and caused the dark blood to leak out.

"Hey, stop hitting me, you cretin!" He barked at his companion, who flinched in fear.

Katrina tried attacking again, but the stoneborn evaded. Then, the criminal gathered his strength and hit Katrina in the jaw with all his might. The redhead felt a salty taste spread in her mouth as she fell down on the road, nearly losing her sword. Before she could regroup, the stoneborn tackled her, forcing her to land into the mud face-first.

"Now-now, stop trying! I've got you now, hottie, and I'll do whatever the heck I'll please with ya!" He delivered a knee to Katrina's stomach, causing her to cough from the pain. Then, the man grabbed both of the nudie's arms and drove them to the ground with a sick smile.

"Hottie? You are totally right!" Katrina grinned with a trickle of blood leaving her mouth, and activated her magic.

The fireball she created with her hands hit the stoneborn right in the face, causing him to contort in unspeakable agony. The stonefolk were mostly fireproof, but more delicate parts of their bodies such as eyes and mouths were not, so Katrina had to catch him by surprise. The crossbowman fired again, but the redhead used the stoneman as a human shield once more, causing him to catch both bolts right into his buttocks.

Suddenly, the muscular, manly stoneborn changed. As he got up from Katrina's body, he screamed and ran away, desperately calling his mom in the meekest voice the girl ever heard. Katrina raised her brow for a second, who could've known that this curt and sullen man hid such a fickle personality? Perhaps, nobody in the past could pose a challenge to him. However, there wasn't much to celebrate, as other criminals kept coming at her.

"Beld! Help me to take them out! Beld?!" Katrina looked around, realizing that her blonde friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Freaking coward," she mumbled to herself as the crossbowman was readying his next shot.

The naked warrior jumped up to continue and saw a shining blade moving towards her. In the next second, her sword clashed with the brunette's one. The enemy tried to lunge again, but the redhead parried.

"Don't you think you are a tad overclothed?" Katrina smiled and quickly slashed in such a way that her sword only destroyed the girl's bra.

The top part of Viola's "armor" fell off, forcing her to cover her boobs with a shy sigh.

"Viola?! Keep fighting, come on, we have to hold it together!" The crossbowman shouted at the top of his lungs. He took some time to recharge and desperately needed cover.

"How dare you destroy my exquisite armor?!" Viola grunted and tried attacking again, but Katrina's trusted blade parried once more.

The redhead moved fast and grabbed her enemy's panties with a free hand. With a sound of ripping fabric Viola's undies were destroyed, part of them remained in the warrior's hand.

"You... You..." Viola was clearly mad, her cheeks all rosy from shame and anger, but Katrina replied by simply kicking her butt with all her strength and sending her flying into the mud.

The naked warrior ducked again as the bolts flew above her head. Her stomach and jaw were in horrible pain, but she did her best to suck it up and keep going. Too bad she didn't bring Sophia here, that priestess would've been very useful. But maybe it was for the best, as the blonde didn't have Katrina's reflexes and could get hurt.

For some reason, Sophia's fate specifically concerned the redhead a lot, must've been that feeling of partnership they developed last night. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by yet another slash. The brunette came back, all grey from the dirt and entirely naked save for her gloves and boots. There was some sort of primordial anger in her eyes, she wasn't going to run.

"Sorry, I gave you a chance!" Katrina masterfully dodged the next attack and swung her own sword.

The blade quickly went through Viola's tender body. In the next second, the bloodied brunette slowly fell down with a somber deathrattle. Fighting naked was an art, Katrina thought, not everyone could do it properly. Now that this trio was gone, the redhead was about to turn her attention toward the crossbowman, but something prevented her. It felt like shackles suddenly appeared on the redhead's hands and ankles, forcing her to stay still. She looked down at her nude body and realized that these body parts were surrounded by odd purple circles. Magic, no doubt about it. But who could cast it here?

Katrina looked around and froze in surprise as she saw the fifth member of the gang. It was a large man with a balding head and an ugly face, didn't look like he posed any threat whatsoever. But what he was holding on a leash wasn't a dog. It wasn't an animal at all, but a human girl! She was clad in a dirty, ripped magic robe, her skin was pale and her eyes were murky from the craze. There was mud all over her because she was walking on all fours. The leash itself turned out to be a chain that ended with a metal collar on the girl's neck.

"Good girl," the fatso said and pulled the chain, "now do one more!"

The crazed mage student gruntled and roared. Her arms twitched in a violent outburst, and suddenly the circle around Katrina's sword arm became a lot heavier, forcing her to lower the limb.

"What are you doing to her, you sick bastard?!" The redhead shouted at him.

"Nothing too bad," the man smirked, "just using her abilities for myself. Found her near our camp one day, she was all crazy, mumbled insane shit, had these creepy, demonic seizures... Other folks were afraid, but not me. I like to take the opportunity when I see it. Maybe, when I'm done with you, I'll get you the same collar!"

"Try it, you lowlife!" Katrina spit out some blood with contempt, "but I think that by the time I'm done with you, you'll actually wish to have the same fate as your enslaved mage."

A tough situation. She now had to kill that bald man without hurting the poor mage student. Besides, there was still that crossbowman to deal with. Katrina furrowed her brow and decided that enough was enough. Fighting the chaining magic, the redhead activated the flames and lit herself on fire along with everything around her. Luckily, she was far enough from the inn to keep it safe, but the broken haycart and a couple of dead trees still had to be sacrificed. Katrina was good at understanding the fire and how it moved, so she wouldn't allow it to consume everything. But the criminals didn't know that about her.

"What in tarnation is she doing?!" The crossbowman's hands became shaky and he dropped his next pair of bolts.

The fatso pulled the chain very tight, causing the poor girl to cough and forcing her to cast the spell again. Before she did that, however, Katrina used her free leg and tossed the haycart's flaming wheel right at the hooded shooter. He barely evaded, but his dark hood caught fire. With screams and panic, the man dropped his crossbows and fell on the road, rolling around to extinguish the hungry flame. A fast fireball would've been better here, but the nude warrior didn't feel like risking a massive wildfire over these scumbags.

Suddenly, Katrina felt her second arm get heavier due to the chaining spell. It was hard to keep them, so the redhead opted to drop her weapon and stand on all fours. She was feeling very goofy, standing like an animal in the mud with her majestic naked butt up in the air. However, the pure confidence in her piercing gaze made her look as threatening and serious as ever. She leaped forward akin to a feral predator who has locked sights on its hopeless prey. The crazy mage cast again, forcing Katrina to drop down to her knees as if bowing down to the ugly man. However, at the last second, she managed to grab the chain. With her hands lit on fire, Katrina made the metal very hot and forced the man to drop the chain.

With a powerful yet considered move, she knocked the poor girl out, freeing herself from her magical curses. The fatso hurried and produced a knife, ready to cut into Katrina's alluring body. But too late, the warrior was already making her move. And this move was the most dreadful one for any man, as Katrina decided to punish this criminal's ego by driving her beautiful, athletic leg right into his nuts.

His agonizing scream turned into a screech as he felt down to his knees with his eyes wet from tears. Katrina met him with an elbow to the jaw, then another solid hook into the eye. Her strong fists showered the man's bald head with a series of painful strikes, and finally he fell down, unconcious from the savage beating. Tied and wounded, Katrina stopped to catch her breath, but did it too soon. The persistent, even too persistent crossbowman picked up his weapon and was about to shoot again. Another second and his bolt would've pierced Katrina's tender skin, but suddenly a short blade crushed this man's plans. His throat turned red from the blood and he dropped down with gurgling sounds.

"See, I never abanboned ya!" Beld winked to Katrina, satisfied with his job.

"You... Little freak!" She angrily stared him down, causing his limbs to shake, "I had to fight all this scum myself while you were hiding!"

"Hey-hey, I wasn't hiding. I was, uh, well... Guarding your rear? Your beautiful, perky rear," he joked, "also, I just saved you from that shot, you could've been a tad more grateful."

"You... Ah, forget it," Katrina waved her hand, "just help me out here. And no more groping today, that'll teach you!"

Beld made the saddest face he possibly could, but complied with the request. He helped Katrina to walk while the thankful innkeeper invited the two of them into his establishment, claiming that he'll feed and heal the redhead heroine free of charge. However, as Katrina got up, she realized that their problems didn't end just yet.

A black-haired girl walked out from the nearby street, holding a chest full of copper coins. She was young and pretty, had a nice figure and a cute face with shapely cheekbones. Her childish pigtails were a stark contrast to a very mean and somewhat evil look in her deep green eyes. It wasn't an ordinary girl, however, she was surely one of these criminals. What gave her away was a skin-tight black suit and a waist containing several potions along with two sharp knives on the sides. Of course, the chest that surely wasn't hers was a clue as well.

"So you're Katrina..." The girl mumbled to herself, looking over the bodies of her fallen comrades, "we'll meet again."

With that, she suddenly dropped the chest and fled the scene with swift, graceful moves of her athletic legs. Whoever it was, she surely wasn't going to pick a fight today. Katrina could pursue her, but the bruises she received from the fight made any such attempt futile.

"Please, come with me," the innkeeper suggested in a meek voice, "it's dangerous out here."

"Alright, but we're taking her with us," Katrina pointed at the mage girl, who was busy crawling back and forth on the dirty road.

This inn was a dark and uncomfortable place. The corners were covered in spider web, the furious gushes of wind got in through the cracks on the roof, and instead of firewood crackling somewhere in the cornet there was squeaking of mice running inside the walls. Yet, this place was better than nothing. Especially now, when the sun has already set on the horizon and gave way to the rainfall. The innkeeper was very kind to Katrina, providing her with the last healing potion he had left and some salves to ease the pain.

After a brief cool shower under the rain, Katrina applied the medicine and felt her pain becoming lesser right away. Beld suggested to help her out with the salves, but the redhead snorted and told him to step aside. No groping for today at all, he had to learn his lesson. The salves felt good on the nude warrior's skin and gave her curves a pleasant glister. Now it was time to take care of the poor mage girl, who has been twitching and crawling around the inn. Once she even caught a mice and before the redhead could do anything about it, the poor animal went to the student's mouse. Its body got bit by her yellow, pointy teeth and its blood spilled all over the floor.

"Ugh, doesn't seem like she has much humanity left in her, if you ask me!" Beld said with a somber grin while the innkeeper just hid under the table.

"There's always hope!" Katrina objected and walked towards the girl.

The latter reacted by hissing like a wild cat and huddling in the nearest corner, away from the nude woman.

"She's covering," Katrina judged, "we killed that fatso, but the mage seemed to have gotten used to him. She can't compherend the situation at all, her judgement about us is only based on the most primitive instincts."

The redhead decided to take it slow, getting on all fours and walking to the scared mage with a kind smile on her face.

"You need any help, or we can just enjoy the view?" Beld smirked, his eyes fixated on Katrina's naked butt.

"It's alright, I got this," the girl replied calmly.

She was known for her fury and daring attitude, but sometimes you had to look at things from a different angle. The mage kept twitching, Katrina kept crawling, showing that she didn't pose any danger whatsoever. Slow and steady, step by step. Finally, she neared the covering girl and met her murky gaze.

"Come on, I won't hurt you!" Katrina exclaimed and extended her hand.

Too fast. The mage girl suddenly let out a scream and hit the redhead in the jaw, feeling threatened by her sudden move. Then, she got up and dashed to the window, aiming to escape the inn. Katrina grunted and went after her, grabbing the crazed girl by her robe. The fabric ripped with a loud sound, a good chunk of the girl's clothing was left in Katrina's hand, but its owner managed to jump out and run away into the rainy darkness.

"Damnit! Why couldn't I just wait for a tad longer?!" Katrina's palm met with her forehead, "just a bit more patience! A bit more!"

Defeated, Katrina threw a piece of clothing against the wall. Suddenly, the white runes painted on it let out a small spark, as if a miniature explosion just occurred within it. The company flinched from surprise, but the light disappeared a moment after it occurred, leaving everyone wondering whether it was even real in the first place.

"Huh?" Beld's attention shifted, "what was that?"

"Good question," Katrina took a step back, surprised by the spark, "I took the runes for a simple ornament at first. Were they containing some sort of enchantment?"

"Honestly, no idea. You gotta ask the mages themselves for... Uh, yeah, right," the elf awkwardly scratched his head, "maybe Gunther knows something? I mean, he used similar runes before."

"Interesting," Katrina noted, "but it's also possible that those criminals did something to the poor mage. Who even were they?"

The solar elf didn't reply at first, but it became clear that he was agitated. Katrina got up and neared his chair with a swift jump, then put one of her legs near his waist, bending it at a knee. Then the girl bent over, causing her large breasts to jiggle along, and pierced the elf with her confident gaze. Not only did Katrina get into a good position to stop Beld's next move, she also opened him an amazing view of her amazing figure, especially her alluring breasts and pussy. A moment ago, Beld's eyes were daring from side to side, looking for a way to avoid the topic, but now he had to concentrate on the redhead's body, unable to think about anything else. The elf was hers, a prisoner of his own desire.

"Talk," Katrina commanded.

"I mean... It's no secret, but... Hey, innkeeper, I hope you'll remember that I didn't tell this red menace anything, right? Or else!" Beld hurried to make a remark to which the innkeeper nervously nodded.

"The Blackhearts are a band of mercenaries under the command of Sailor Blackheart... Who's pretty self-indulged, which you can say by how he named this group. He can be, though. The man is a very good warrior. A former knight, master swordsman, and a wielder as well, from what I heard. Never met him in person, only talked to his pawns. I was mostly a smuggler and sometimes stole things for them, I wasn't really their friend."

"Yes-yes, I heard that already. But what kind of group are they?" Katrina hurried him.

"His mercs do exactly what you'd expect from a bunch of outlawed warriors. They conduct shady business, sometimes rob and plunder, deal with those who doesn't like it, et cetera. They got a camp several miles from the city, in an abandoned village by the mountains. Sometimes they emerge from their cave tunnel and get on Zardiw's territory to do whatever they want to."

"Strange. Zardiw's entire city watch couldn't deal with a bunch of mercenaries?" Katrina raised her brow.

"I think Zardiw just had bigger issues. At least now it does. Also, The Blackhearts weren't such a menace until recently. After they helped the city watch to fight off the mages."

"They helped the watch?" Katrina glanced at the criminals' corpses outside in sheer disbelief, "how did that even happen?"

"Well, the mayor and the council decided that to save the city you have to take some risks. The risk was taken when they allowed Blackhearts into Zardiw if they helped out, promising a bunch of gold," Beld shrugged, "but I think they never really agreed on how much gold that'll be. Sailor wanted twenty thousand, Ridzwalt was only ready to give away ten."