MAPITAP

Retrieving her shirt from the floor, the young girl stopped to run a hand over her stomach. Her abdominal muscles cast soft shadows in the dim lighting, lined with scars of varying shapes and sizes that were evidence of numerous past battles. Marigold had many such scars covering her body and was rather conflicted on her feelings about them. In private they were a source of pride, a display of the hardships she had overcome throughout over the years. She often liked to trace her fingers over the raised skin and relive the rush of battle while winding down from a day on the road. In public, however, she sought to hide her scars whenever possible as she believed that other people would find them grotesque and offensive to the eyes. Women were supposed to be soft and elegant after all, not muscular and battle scarred. The long-sleeved red tunic in her hands would serve to hide her skin well, but as Marigold moved to don the shirt a sudden commotion outside gave her pause.

"Help, get it away!" A voice yelled out, accompanied by the sound of a door slamming open. A low hum filled the air and several reactionary screams rang throughout the store.

"Granny get down!" Yelled Typhon over the commotion.

"Uh oh, Lil my bow is stuck!" Cried Teefy in a panicked voice. Peeking her head around the curtain, Marigold's stomach dropped at the scene unfolding before her. A two-foot-long hawk wasp was buzzing about the ceiling, swooping dangerously close to the terrified customers taking shelter amongst the stands scattered about the floor. Lillian was tugging fruitlessly on the bow strapped to Teefy's back as Typhon stood between Mrs. Lee and the giant wasp, curled over her like a human shield. Reacting instinctively, Marigold plunged her hand into her gear bag and withdrew a shining longsword. The blade sang beautifully as it was freed from its scabbard, filling Marigold with confidence as she strode out into the store.

No sooner had she left the booth, the hawk wasp turned suddenly and dove at Lillian and Teefy. Shoving the elf to the floor, Lillian swung her satchel overhead and buffeted the wasp away. It buzzed angrily back to the ceiling before making a beeline for its next target, Typhon's unprotected back. As the young man braced for the assault Marigold sprinted into the wasp's path, raising her left arm upward to intercept the dive. In her haste she had left her shield back in the booth and the wasp collided with her bare arm, its spindly legs digging deep into her skin as it raised a large stinger, dripping with sickly yellow venom in preparation for an attack.

With a single, powerful thrust Marigold speared the wasp's abdomen with her longsword, causing the bug to convulse violently and release her arm as viscous green blood spewed from the wound. Marigold slung the insect from her blade, slamming it onto the floor in a pile of limbs and blood. With a single stroke she relieved the wasp of its head and set the tip of her sword on the floor, breathing heavily, her heart racing. A pool of the green blood quickly formed underneath the twitching insect corpse, mingling with the red droplets rolling off Marigold's arm.

"Mari! Oh let me see your arm darling, here." Suddenly Lillian was beside her, digging into her satchel and popping the cork on a small vial filled with red liquid. Lifting Marigold's arm, she carefully poured the elixir over the open wounds. In a matter of seconds the skin closed around the dripping holes and Lillian wiped down the girls arm with a small towel.

Gradually the other customers rose from behind their cover and made their way over to examine the dead wasp. Several people thanked Marigold for her bravery, but it took several seconds for the adrenaline pumping through her head to die down enough for her to register the praise. She nodded respectfully to the crowd with a weak smile and, after noticing a few lingering stares, remembered she wasn't wearing a shirt. Her ears burning, Marigold crossed her arms over her chest as casually as she could in an attempt to not let her embarrassment show. Her cheeks began to burn as well, however, when she realized that her nipples had hardened from the abrasive contact of her bandages and had been rather erect the entire time. Handing her sword to Lillian, Marigold turned on her heel with her eyes locked firmly on the floor and stepped towards the changing booth. Before she had taken three steps, however, her head bumped into something soft and smelling of fabric.

"Marigold, that was amazing!" Exclaimed Typhon as he wrapped his arms around the mortified girl and lifted her into a bear hug. "If that wasp had managed to get to granny it could've killed her! Thank you so much! I don't know what would've happened had you not been here!"

"D-don't mention it." Squeaked Marigold, whose arms had become trapped at her sides in the embrace and her breasts were squeezed against Typhon's broad chest, threatening to break free from their bandage restraints. Her face flushed a dangerous shade of crimson as she realized Typhon had probably seen the numerous scars on Marigold's body, not to mention she could feel her nipples hardening even more from the rough embrace. It was Mrs. Lee who rescued her from further humiliation.

"Yes, Typhon we are all very appreciative of Marigolds actions, now if you would please set her down and get that putrid bug out of my store." She said, thumping her grandson on the arm. Typhon obliged and released Marigold from the hug, setting her gingerly back on her feet. As the red-faced girl once again wrapped her chest up in her arms Typhon took her by the shoulders and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"Thank you Mari, truly." He said, looking into the girl's eyes with a twinkling smile before stepping past her to deal with the wasp carcass. Marigold let out a near inaudible squeak in reply as the blush in her face crept down into her neck and warmed her chest. After a moment, Lillian realized her friend had become frozen in place and took her by the shoulders to guide her back to the changing booth. Once she was behind the curtain, Lillian set her sword against the wall and Teefy walked up to join her.

"So," said the elf girl, as they watched Typhon carefully collect the wasp's body and severed head in his arms. "Think Mari will like her new shirt?" Lillian snorted and rolled her eyes, smiling at Teefy with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" She asked, indignant. "What did I say?"

A few hours after the wasp incident at The Sewing Needle, Marigold, Lillian, and Teefy found themselves walking through the city's east outer gate. Massive oaken double doors reinforced with iron castings sat propped open inside a thick, fifteen-foot-tall stone wall. The battlements atop the wall cast a gear shaped shadow over the cobbled stone road leading out into the countryside. Two King's Men stood on either side, their silver plate armor shining brightly in the sunlight as they scanned the people entering the city with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Hi Mr. Stone!" Called Teefy cheerily as the trio passed under the wall. The guard to their right, a burly, bearded, beast of a man known as Stone turned his thick head towards the girls with a scowl on his face that would have melted steel. Marigold forced herself to grin and gave a tentative one-handed wave. Stone was at least six feet tall and half as wide, with a hardened, leathery face and a nasty underbite that caused his bottom row of teeth to be perpetually on display. At the sight of Teefy, however, the man's face scrunched upward into a smile, and he nodded at the girls as they passed. Genuine as it was, somehow Stone's smile was even more unsettling than his scowl.

"Hahaha," laughed Lillian nervously before dropping her voice. "He still scares me; heaven only knows how you managed to make a friend out of that brute."

"Oh Mr. Stone is a big softy." Replied Teefy. "You shouldn't judge a crook by his lover."

"It's 'judge a book by its cover'." Corrected Marigold. "And last week I saw him snap a man's arm like a twig for trying to pick a woman's pocket."

"Well, he's nice to me." Said Teefy, crossing her arms as the trio continued to walk. Before long the three girls had made their way a few miles outside of town, stopping for a short break underneath the shade of a tree by the road. Marigold looked back at the city they had left. An enormous, sprawling collection of stone roads and brick buildings laid out across a rolling lush green field. The outer wall encircled the entirety of the city, with four roads extending into the countryside to the north, east, south, and west respectively. Each road was dotted with people and caravans on their way in or out of the city. Archeon was the largest city in the kingdom and saw countless travelers, merchants, and common folk from far and wide come through its gates on a daily basis.

In the center of the city rose a beautiful gray castle, piercing the sky with massive towers topped by pale blue slate roofing. Ornate stain glass windows of blue and gold dotted the towers, causing them to twinkle vibrantly in the sunlight. A large blue and gold flag flapped from a pole extending off the top of the centermost tower. Marigold was too far away to make out the design, but she knew it by heart, the golden eagle of house Fairweather, with wings spread wide. A second wall, twice as tall as the first, surrounded the castle as guards patrolled the battlements atop. From this distance they looked no larger than ants, and Marigold wondered if they could see her in return.

"So, what's the mission for today again?" Asked Teefy, picking a piece of grass off her green pleated skirt.

"Some local farmers have had their livestock attacked by a group of goblins out near the eastern forest." Answered Marigold, indicating to the expanse of trees just down the road. "A bounty got put out a few days ago that will pay good gold for every goblin ear we can bring them."

"Bleh." Replied the young elf with a curl of her nose. "I hate goblins."

"Shame we have to give up their ears, such a waste of a good ingredient." Sighed Lillian. "If we have time, I'd like to ssscavenge some other parts off them."

"Sure, but don't get carried away, I don't want to get stuck outside the walls again." Replied Marigold, tightening her sword belt. Before they had left the city, the young girl had emptied her brown rut sack and donned her adventuring gear. Well-worn silver gauntlets covered her hands and forearms, and similarly tarnished greaves were strapped to her shins, leaving both her biceps and thighs covered only by cloth. A basic breastplate with a back covering was strapped to her chest, and a long brown scabbard hung off her left hip, topped by the silver handle of her longsword. In her left hand was a small round metal shield, polished to a shine and sturdier than it appeared, Marigold's shield had saved her life countless times.

"Dissection is an artful skill that takes time to perform properly," said Lillian defensively, tightening the strap her belted satchel. "And the results are very profitable."

"I'm sure the demand for goblin tonsils is extremely high in the alchemic community." Said Marigold dryly. "But they're not worth sleeping outside the gate for and unless you want to try and sneak past Stone we can't be out too long. Now, the last goblin attack wasn't far from here, let's get moving and make some money."

"Righto captain!" Cheered Teefy. The three girls continued down the cobbled road until it turned slightly to the south and weaved into a less dense section of the eastern forest. A dirt

path, just wide enough for a farmer's cart, continued straight into the heart of the woods. It was this path that the girls followed, and soon they were swallowed in shadows cast by the towering oak trees surrounding the path. As they continued deeper into the wood, less and less sunlight managed to filter through the ever-thickening canopy of branches overhead. Despite the lack of light, heat from the midday sun had become trapped underneath the brush and the air was thick with moisture.

"Dark, warm, and damp, with a constant food supply nearby provided by the farmers. No wonder the goblins settled here." Marigold thought to herself.

"Geez its hot in here, I thought getting out of the sun was gonna make the walk cooler!" Whined Teefy as she wiped her brow. "I'm starting to sweat and my underwear is sticking to my skin, ugh, I hate that feeling y'know?"

"It's humid in here for sure." Answered Marigold, her eyes sweeping the path for any sign of goblin tracks.

"I cannot relate, I don't wear underwear unless it's necessary for the outfit." Replied Lillian nonchalantly.

"Whaaaaat?" Asked Teefy, amazed. "What do you mean unless it's necessary? When is underwear not necessary? What keeps your boobs from bouncing all over the place?" Lillian laughed.

"Well, unlike you and Mari, I was not endowed ssso... generously in the chest. Most of my shirts and dresses are restrictive enough to not be obscene."

"What about panties!?"

"I just prefer to go without them." Replied Lillian with a wink as she ran a finger along the outside of either thigh, her nails making soft clicks against her purple scales, tracing the side splits in her white dress. "Want to see? Hahahaha!"

"Yes!" Exclaimed Teefy, lifting the back flap of Lillian's dress and exposing a pair of toned copper cheeks. Lillian yelped in surprise and smacked Teefy's hand away, a tinge of pink running across her face.

"Teefy I wasss joking!"

"No you weren't! You really aren't wearing any panties!" Marigold burst into laughter as Lillian smoothed out her dress, shaking her head in resignation. The three adventurers continued their muggy trudge through the forest, scanning the path and tree line for any sign of unusual activity. For a while everything seemed normal and Marigold began to wonder if they needed to start searching off the beaten path.

"You guys hear that?" Asked Teefy suddenly, cupping a hand behind one of her long ears. Marigold and Lillian stopped and listened but heard nothing but the soft rustle of the tree branches overhead. "It sounds like somebody's in an argument, this way!" Before her friends could react, Teefy turned on her heel and plunged into the underbrush off to the left of the path.

"Teefy wait, don't go off by yourself!" Called Marigold, drawing her sword and hacking through the foliage to follow her small, light-footed companion. Lillian followed close behind, allowing Marigold to clear the way for her. In her armor the young warrior struggled to keep up as the little elf bobbed, jumped, and crawled through the underbrush at an absurd pace. It was all Marigold could do to keep Teefy in sight, and before long a fine layer of sweat had coated her body.

"Mari, you hear that?" Asked Lillian from behind. "I hear voices, two of them up ahead. Teefy was able to hear that all the way from the road? That'ssss amazing!"

"Yeah," grunted Marigold with a swing of her sword. "Now if we could just train her to not run off."

"Oh hush, you know that's not posssssible. Look she stopped."

Up ahead Teefy had paused behind a sizeable bush and was pressed up against it, listening intently. As Marigold and Lillian stepped up next to her, the young elf dropped to her hands and knees and wriggled her top half into the foliage. Her short, pleated green skirt did little to cover Teefy's backside, leaving her plump pale cheeks exposed. They jiggled with every motion of her hips, shaking under the restraint of her thin, black lacy underwear. Lillian shook her head and giggled as Marigold wiped the sweat from her brow.

"What do you see?" She asked, annoyed that Teefy had made her expend so much energy.

"Two boys out in the clearing." Came the girl's muffled reply. "Magicky types, both wearing robes, one red, one blue. They both have staffs and pointy hats and they are mad about something! Hey, don't we know them?"

"The Toad twins? What are they doing out here?" Marigold asked, looking to Lillian.

"Well, if I were a betting woman, I'd say they are after the goblinssss as well. Maybe they have a lead on their location?"

"Let's ask!" Exclaimed Teefy from the bush. Marigold sighed, she hated asking others for help with work, and if they ended up working together the reward money would have to be split between the two groups. But, time was running short, and if they didn't get a bead on the goblins soon they would have to return empty handed.

"Fine." Said Marigold, giving Teefy a light prod on the butt with the tip of her sword. "Go break the ice for us."

"YEEOW!" Yelled Teefy, jumping through the bush in shock. Marigold cleaved the plant in two with a single stroke and sheathed her sword as she and Lillian joined Teefy in the clearing. The elf girl had tumbled head over heels, landing on her backside with legs spread wide.

"Owowowowwwwwwugh!" She moaned, leaning to the side to rub her sore cheek. "That huuuurt! What'd you go and do that for?"

"I've told you before not to run off like that, Lillian and I nearly lost you back there. Now stand up, would you? Unless you want to keep showing the boys your ignorance." Marigold nodded to the two mages standing a few feet in front of Teefy. One was wearing red robes with gold trim and had the front of his companion's matching blue robes balled into his fists. It was clear that Marigold and her friends had interrupted a heated discussion as the red boy was nearly lifting the blue boy off the ground. Both mages had a wide brimmed, pointed hat atop their head and a wooden quarterstaff with a clear crystal embedded in the tip strapped to their backs. Both had short brown hair, blue eyes, and average facial features to coincide with their average height. And both had their eyes firmly glued to Teefy's exposed crotch.

"Wow... nice panties blondie." Sniffed the boy in red. The boy in blue blinked hard and swallowed.

"T-tommy stop staring." He whispered, a faint blush rising to his face.

"Speak for yourself Timmy." Replied his companion loudly. Neither boy looked away. Teefy glanced down and gasped, suddenly aware of her revealing position. Her underwear had ridden up considerably during her tumble, leaving her sizeable bottom nearly bare against the ground. The fabric of her black panties was stretched thin over her lower lips, leaving little to the imagination. Teefy plunged a hand downward to push her skirt into place and scrambled to her feet, dusting herself off with her free hand as she rose.

"So, it is the Toad Twinsss." Laughed Lillian as Teefy slunk behind Marigold to pout. "I thought I tasssted something fishy in the air. Toads do leave quite a lingering sssscent." She said, with a flick of her forked tongue.

"What are you trying to say, huh?" Demanded Tommy, dropping his brother to the ground and turning on the snake woman. "You wanna to pick a fight with us you scaly bitch? I'll blast you so hard you'll have fire coming out your-"

"H-hey not Tommy let's not be rude now..." Chided Timmy, latching onto his brother's robes before he could make a move towards Lillian. "I'm sure she didn't mean any harm by it, let's just calm down..."

"I AM CALM YOU SPINELESS TWAT!"

"Okay see now you're yelling so I don't really believe you."

Marigold sighed. Timmy and Tommy Toad, AKA; The Toad Twins. Two aspiring adventurers who had just recently graduated from The Archeon School of Magic. Timmy wielded serene, widely applicable water-based magic, while his hot headed brother preferred the pure destructive power of fire-based magic. Marigold and her friends had run into the duo a few of times before, with rather mixed results. Though their magical prowess could not be denied, the polarizing personalities of the twins often put them at odds, and it seemed that Lillian took an almost perverse pleasure in baiting Tommy into arguments.