How to Train Your Orkhai Ch. 06

"Right, I sometimes forget few share our sharp noses... Nekos have a good feline for scent," Lanica said, almost regretting the cheesy pun - but judging by the giggle that came from Tarai, it worked. "That said, I'd rather have your nose right now, what with all the decaying plants, the mold, what smells like fish, and possibly some grog cloggin' up the air." A shudder went down her shoulders all the way to the tip of her tail. "Ugh."

"Oh w-wow, I had no idea," Tarai admitted, sounding genuinely impressed. "...You probably can't smell silver, right?" Turning her head towards the lantern-bearing neko, the towering orkhai couldn't resist breaking into a beaming grin before she even finished her thought. "I-if you could, we'd, you know... be golden..."

"Keep this up and tonight's training might be extra long as punishment..." Lanica purred her threat, but the happy sway of her tail betrayed her approval - and Tarai hadn't missed that detail, judging by how she settled into a content silence. All that broke their quiet was their footfalls, adding to the chorus of dripping droplets and flowing water as their expedition carried on.

Soon, however, the girls found themselves at an impasse - or at least, for Lanica. The water reached higher as the tunnel grew deeper, and now the ground had given way to the subterranean stream entirely. "Fuck. This... is a problem," the catgirl hissed, the black water filling her with dread. Even if she could swim, it wasn't like she could see any 'islands' to stand on further down the cave either. "'S looking like we may've to head back-"

"W-wait, let me try something!" the half-orc suggested as she picked up a long, thin piece of driftwood, and poked the water with it. "Maybe you can't swim, but y-you could..." Her face grew into that by-now oh-so-familiar blush of hers as she spoke. "Well, you could l-let me carry y-you...?"

The beastkin let out a genuine chuckle. "You're on a roll today, aintcha?" she smirked and shook her head, running a hand through her hair. When her eyes crossed Tarai's, however, she realised it hadn't been a lighthearted joke from the half-elf at all. "...Wait, you're serious? What about our stuff? Getting that soaked can't be good for it!"

Whatever concerns Lanica had clearly didn't worry Tarai anywhere near as much, judging by the speed with which she removed her pack and put everything down in a natural alcove along the wall. "The water won't reach here, and even if it does... w-well, these'll help!" she suggested, weighing down her backpack with a few rocks. As she looked back at the neko, her smile was nervous and yet so earnest it left Lanica disarmed for a moment."See?"

"But what if I fall?!" Lanica pointed out, not at all comfortable with that thought. "Maybe the tide'd pull me away, or I'd sink, or-"

"I'll be careful, I swear!" Tarai's hand brushed against the neko's arm, with a smile clearly trying to be as reassuring as the orkhai could manage. "Just have to take it slow and steady, and we'll find that chest soon enough," the tall half-orc soothed, and no matter how hard Lanica tried, she couldn't find anything but the utmost sincerity in the girl's voice.

"...Fine," the catgirl growled, swiftly adding some of her loose belongings to the pile. "How'd you wanna do this, then? Someone's gotta keep the lantern safe, but you're the one that'll have to carry me, sooooo..."

As she sank to her knees, it was evident the orkhai had already made up her mind. "This'll get you about as high up as possible," she reasoned with a gesture to her shoulders, and Lanica couldn't really find any logical fault with that. "R-ready when you ar-oh!" Tarai gasped when the beastkin leapt onto her with a deft pounce.

Shuffling her thighs around to get comfortable, Lanica stifled a yelp and clenched a hand in the orkhai's dreadlocks when the latter rose to her feet. "Just... be careful!" she hissed worriedly. "I'll have you know this is the first time I've let anyone carry me, 'kay?!"

Glancing down at her supposed girlfriend, the catgirl felt a strong arm curve around her legs in a firm embrace - and it was impossible to miss just how beet-red the orkhai had gotten while the half-elf did her best to look at anything but the soft neko thighs around her head. Lanica couldn't resist snickering heartily, which only made Tarai's face burn all the fiercer. "What're you blushing for? 'S not like this is your first time between my legs, no?"

Tarai's free hand gingerly clutched the improvised pole as she did her best to ignore the teasing. It didn't work, of course - if anything, the way the pretty half-elf tried to look at anything aside from her crush sitting on her shoulders only added more fuel to the catgirl's mischief. Bending down to get as close to those pointed ears as possible, Lanica let out a well-practised purr. "It won't be the last time either, if you're a good girl..."

A loud clatter echoed through the caves when the orkhai fumbled and dropped the driftwood pole, her breathing heated and erratic - Lanica probably would have laughed harder if she didn't think that might be pushing the shy thing too much. "You know I'm just screwing with ya, right?" the neko soothed, giving one of those strong, tense shoulders a quick rub.

Taking a deep breath, it was as if some of the tension left her with that breath. "...Y-yeah," the shy girl giggled quietly as she craned her head back a bit. The reassuring grin on Lanica's face finished what her rub started, calling forth a relaxed smile over Tarai's face in return. "Are you r-ready...? You're in charge of t-the lantern!"

"Sweet, I'm the Navigator," Lanica couldn't help but snicker, gently swaying the light back and forth a bit. The sight of the liquid void purported to be water swiftly ended that glee, though - but it wasn't like she had many other choices now, did she? "I, uh... Well, guess it's time to try out this plan of yours," the beastkin sighed, suppressing the urge to swallow her nerves. "I really hope you know what you're doing..."

"I-I've had to wade through w-worse streams," the orkhai reassured her, and despite the slight stammer in her voice Lanica felt the girl's confidence was genuine. The thought of walking through the water still terrified her, but she felt better about the whole prospect now.

Somewhat.

A few calm pokes and a bunch of cautious stirs with the improvised cane were enough to convince Tarai it was safe to take at least the first steps - but as the tall half-orc took her first steps Lanica's heart was hammering in her chest. Her legs tightened around the orkhai, her knuckles white with strain around the lantern's grip, her breathing all but forgotten with the catgirl's attention fixed solely on the water's surface creeping up Tarai's legs, inches and inches with every step.

"I hate this..." Lanica bemoaned, her jaw clenched tensely so as to not let out any embarrassing whimpers. As hard as she tried, however, the catgirl did exactly that when her very tail sank into the icy water for but a moment. "I hate this I hate this I hate this!!!"

Whether Tarai was ignoring Lanica's distress or simply didn't notice it in the first place, the neko didn't know. In truth, she was totally a-okay with the orkhai never bringing it up, and thankfully the girl seemed far more focused on exploring the stream with her stick as she strode over the stream's bed. "Lots of rocks and sand, but... I'm not feeling much metal down here," she shared, poking around with the stick a bit to demonstrate. "Anything glimmering that you can see?"

Casting the lantern's light around, the beastkin searched with growing annoyance. "Nothing that floats, looks like. Not that a metal box should be floa-" Lanica replied, before she saw the faintest shimmer in the dark. "Wait, there's something there - on your four!"

"...My four...?" Tarai asked, confusion plain on her face as she looked up to the catgirl.

"Like on a clock? You know, the hands that..." she began explaining before rolling her eyes in exasperation and pointing. "Whatever, it doesn't matter - just go that way!"

"Tell me if I get any closer to it!" the orkhai said, an excited shiver in her voice as she slowly waded over. Excited or not, however, she kept carefully checking her path with the pole as a precaution. "Not a reckless girl, are you?" the neko noted, before returning her full attention to the mysterious thing.

Lanica's eyes narrowed into slits, trying to discern anything between the shifting waves and the light reflecting from them. Even with her keen sight - if she said so herself, anyway - it proved rather tricky. What she could see was something fairly large just under the waves, with the bits that broke the surface shimmering in a metallic hue... "I think that might be it, keep going!"

As the orkhai ferried her closer one step at a time, the neko leaned in as if she was about to pounce on her prey. She couldn't wait to get within arm's reach of the chest, taunting her from mere yards away... until, with violent splashes, it suddenly darted towards them!

"Watch out!" the alarmed catgirl cried out, instinctively jolting backwards and as a result nearly losing her balance if it hadn't been for Tarai's firm yet gentle grip. The briny water splashing into her eyes made it almost impossible to see the threat, so Lanica braced for impact - it was all she could do...

Giggling from below made her brow twist in confusion, and as she desperately tried to blink the water out of her eyes she caught the tail end of... well, a tail as something swam past them. "The monster's just a big fish!" Tarai reassured, clearly trying to hold her laughter back but her voice was laced with it. "It'll go nicely with that kelp from before, you know..."

Slumping over Tarai's head, it felt like her heart was about to give out. "...Don't even talk to me about food right now," Lanica growled, glowering all the fiercer as she felt the orkhai's shoulders shake in a silent chuckling fit. She hated how calm and laidback the orkhai had been, how easily she carried her around... okay, that last bit was actually quite nice. There was something extremely exciting about the gentle ditz being able to lift her as if she was made of smoke, even Lanica had to admit. "Ugh, I wish she just went back to being afraid of ghosts or something, but nooooo. She just had to become confident here, didn't she?!"

As vexed as she was, however, she soon saw something that did wonders for her mood - "Look, I think there's land ahead!" Lanica beamed, her ears perking up at the thought of just getting to stand on solid ground again.

"Just a bit longer, then," the tall girl replied, giving the catgirl's leg a gentle squeeze. "Bear with me!"

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Climbing over slick, algae-coated rock wouldn't ordinarily have been something Lanica enjoyed, per se - but after being forced to uselessly perch on someone's shoulders it felt amazing to move on her own again. "I don't wanna do that again anytime soon if I have to."

Of course, Lanica knew that if they didn't find a different way out of the cave she'd have to do that again soon. She just chose to ignore that annoying fact for now. "We'll cross that non-existing bridge when we have to," she sighed, brushing some wet locks of hair out of her face with a huff. Right now, all that really mattered was finding that blasted lockbox, and it was for that reason she'd even decided to explore the more precarious upper regions of this coastal labyrinth.

A few leaps and pounces made short work of some dangerous gaps, the ease with which the catgirl managed so making it clear that leaving Tarai behind had been the right call. Strong as that orkhai was, Lanica didn't have much faith in her ability to keep up here... "Still, I should probably check up with her soon, see if some horrible monster snatched her up," she thought with a quiet chuckle - after what happened before she felt like it'd only be fair!

Leaving the lantern with the half-elf had thankfully proven itself a less foolish decision than the beastkin had first feared. The tunnel's roof had enough cracks in it to provide some modicum of natural light now that the storms had apparently calmed down. Granted, the light was rather weak, but Lanica'd always been able to adapt to that better than some. The colours of the mosses, sharp rocks to avoid, the glistening sheen of moisture that covered everything, among other... things she'd rather have been unaware of. "Who even decided bugs should have that many legs?!"

Soon, the nimble beastkin found herself at a fairly high perch overlooking a clearing far larger than any she'd found in the cavern so far - compared to the rather claustrophobic tunnels, this place was massive. What had to be at least a foot of water covered the floor, with calm waves carrying debris and detritus further still. "Just where is all that going...?"

Craning her neck to follow the flow, Lanica still couldn't see it. It was only when she was balanced over the edge rather precariously that she saw it: a large pile of broken wood and bent metal, littered with bits and bobs. There was something glinting on the pile, but before she could even make out what it was... something moved. Cursing silently, the sneaky neko ducked backwards. "Don't tell me the box is guarded," she thought as she leaned in cautiously for another look. At the very least, she had to know what - or who - they'd have to deal with...

At first, the beastkin didn't know what to make of what she saw. Something inky blue coiled over the top, gently sliding and twisting over the pile as if it was searching. "A snake...? Does it even have a head?" Another such thing crawled over, followed by another and several more. Her brow furrowed the further they went, until the point where they were all connected showed itself - something humanoid, as dark as a dusk's sky barring a few glowing spots that matched it's bright, strange eyes.

That was when realisation struck. "A tentacle beast!" Lanica suppressed a gasp. She'd never seen one of them herself, but who hadn't heard of the curious beings? Maybe they were just bawdy tales, but the things they purportedly did with whatever people that met their standards and fell into their grasp were a common story in taverns and around campfires. Normally, the thought of having to deal with one would've worried the beastkin greatly, but now her lips curled in evil delight.

A plan had formed in her head, and all it'd take was for her to have a little talk with Tarai...

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The lantern's grip squeaked a bit as the thing swung in the orkhai's grasp, its owner looking through the tunnel meticulously. So far, there hadn't been large rooms or piles of wreckage, but it didn't sound like it'd be easy to miss. That didn't mean her search hadn't proven rather fruitful already, though - on the contrary, she just spotted another hidden delight. "Oh, Lanica's gonna loooove this, I bet!" Tarai beamed with excitement, sinking to her knees without even caring about her trousers getting wet - compared to being shoulder-deep in water this was nothing.

Carefully plucking one of the subtly red 'treasures', the half-elf inspected the mushroom thoroughly before she harvested the rest with a grin. She'd foraged for fungi for longer than she could remember by now, but you couldn't be too careful with these things. "...These kobold-shelves are deliciously innocent, thankfully," the girl knew, already thinking of the broth she was going to make for her girlfriend with them. "Spirits, I can't wait!"

Mumbling to herself wasn't going to help make that moment happen any sooner however, Tarai knew as she went on her way - finding the lockbox would. As long as she'd pay attention and followed the flowing water, the half-orc definitely couldn't miss the place Lanica told her about where she might find it...

...Right?

Those doubts lasted just about until she saw some glistening white knobs on a rock. "Oh, are those brine-buttons?!"

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It may have taken a few moments - and a bunch more distractions in the form of tasty mushrooms - but Tarai found herself in the place the catgirl had described at last. A fairly loud splash followed each step through the shin-deep water, but the orkhai just wasn't paying attention to that, nor did she care that her legs were soaked yet again. No, all of her attention was focused on the sight ahead.

A pile exactly as impressive as Lanica had said, several feet high and absolutely loaded with splintered wood - and more still occasionally drifted towards it from the way she came - but it wasn't just wood. "Paper, steel, glimmery bits... Oh, is that broken glass...?" Making a mental note of it, the half-elf cautiously climbed onto what looked to be a large, busted cage to inspect the pile with her lantern. "There's definitely some buried in there - if the box isn't in there, I don't know where it would be!"

Putting the light down on a flat surface, she took a few moments to make sure it stood stable - and then, with a roll of her shoulders, the orkhai looked around herself. As far as she could tell, she was all alone here... which gave her an idea! "If I can find that box before she gets here... Spirits, I can't wait to see the look on her face - Lanica has to love that!"

An eager grin split her lips as she sank to her knees once more. Time to get to work!

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...Where was it? Lanica could see the orkhai throwing away piles of debris - it was hard to imagine a better moment to strike, as she wasn't even watching her back! Confusion built with every heartbeat, but it didn't hold a candle to the sheer anticipation she felt...so why wasn't anything happening?!

"Come oooooon," the impatient catgirl frowned, her ears flat on her head as she leaned in to watch. She just wanted to see that dense slut get the pounding that a body like that deserved, stuffed with as many tentacles as that ass could handle. Tiptoeing to see that bit more, Lanica still couldn't see anything that she'd hoped for... and it wasn't until something - several somethings - grasped her arms that she realised the beast had been hunting...

It had just been hunting her.

Her scream didn't even make it past her lips, rendered little more than a muffled panic by more tendrils. Struggling as much as she could, the terrified neko barely felt the tentacle-beast's grip give at all as it pulled her backwards, and when she was turned around to face its mouthless visage, those glowing eyes told her one thing and one thing only:

It was going to fuck her, and there was nothing she could do about it.

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A strange noise reached the orkhai's ears who stopped what she was doing, looking around the room with a broken beam in her hands. "What was that...?" Tarai asked herself, before a flash of lightning lit the room through the ceiling and a harsh crack of thunder rumbled through the caves. Steeling her heart, the half-orc tried to listen through the pouring rain, but whatever it was had gone silent. Could it have been the wind...?

Startling shortly from another bright white flash, she shuddered nervously and threw the beam besides her before running her fingers through her dreads.. "I just have to get the chest, get Lanica and get out," the half-elf thought as she took a deep breath. Nodding silently, Tarai sank to her knees - there was work to be done.